Joy of Lunch

Greetings dear friends!  Ever wish for a more substantial “coffee hour” spread before you’re off to that great afternoon workshop or meeting here at the church?  Kids starving so you can’t stay and chat?  What if … what if we feed each other lunch every  month?  We have done this several times thus far, and the outcome has been great! 

We started with a bang for the In Gathering Sunday and we will again be hosting for the upcoming Sunday of October 19, 2014.  We have our designated team for that date, but need upcoming teammates for the dates in the months ahead. 

Now wait, I know what you’re thinking.  You are groaning:  “No! Not another thing for me to do, please, I am already out straight.  You are going to ask me to volunteer and I don’t want to!”

I’d like to share with you one idea about lunch.  Please contact me with your ideas too!  Deborah Veroneau, 508-410-7630, debaneau@aol.com.  Please know that I respond best to voicemails at the present time and within 48 -72 hours to emails.

 

What if… what if someone you know and like from the church invited you onto his or her “team”?   Your team consists of about a dozen people.   On the day you signed up for you come to church early, 9 AM, because you love your teammates and you are honored to play with them in the kitchen.  Your team leader is kind and enthusiastic and has shopped and planned the meal.  You just have to show up and chop veggies or put sandwiches together or stir the soup or chili, or what ever is planned.  Your teammates have all replied to their email / phone reminders in advance so you know who is out of town that week, who can come early to prep, who can stay late to wash pots and pans.

You do this all not as a chore but with joy in your heart, because you are in a ministry.   It is our lunch ministry and we are happy to do this for each other.  This month I cook and feed you, next month, you will cook and feed me.  We trust each other that there will be lunch.  You are nourishing your friends.  Our church has opened its doors and new people want to visit us because we are kind, forthright, open, fun-loving, and our food is delicious.  The food tastes great because your joy has sent its very vibration into the food.  

Logistics: Contributions Free Will Donations  would fund the program so that shoppers are reimbursed, however, food is not withheld based on ability to pay.   Generosity encouraged.  The team leader /co-leader would take ownership of the email / phone reminders and let the team know how many hands will be on deck.  The spirit is playful.  We will cook to uplifting music. And our Joy of Lunch Ministry will be Fun, Nutritious, and Uplifting for all involved. 

This month we are busy with after church activities; Annual Wachusett Hike and the guest speaker after church.  Before we head off in different directions, we will nourish ourselves with nutritious food that we can eat here or take away to the hike.  Brown bags will be provided to this.   Please join us as we begin our Joy of Lunch Ministry here at First Unitarian Church of Worcester.  

In The Service of All,

Deborah Veroneau

Project Have Hope

Project Have Hope (PHH) provides educational and business opportunities for impoverished women and families in Uganda's Acholi Quarter.  Through child sponsorship, vocational training and micro-loans, PHH is changing lives.

Founder and Director, Karen Sparacio, operates PHH out of Malden, Massachusetts.  She travels to Uganda several times per year assessing the progress of children and women, and creating new programs that can utilize the donations made by generous people of Massachusetts.

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Currently, PHH is funding projects that provide schooling and sponsorship for children, adult literacy programs, start up loans, solar cooking, agricultural programs, and the PHH beads and jewelry sales. Stay tuned for more information about the jewelry sales that will be sponsored by YRU2 to help fundraise for their mission trip in 2015!

The 50/50 Collection will be taken October 26^th. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

For more information, visit  contact Karen Sparacio at: info@projecthavehope.org . You can also contact Lesa McWalters, Youth Ministries Coordinator at lesamcwalters@yahoo.com

Threshold Update

On Saturday, Oct. 11, Dave Blodgett and Gini Johnson attended the NE Gathering of Threshold Singers at Indian Hill Music in Littleton, led by Kate Munger the founder of the hospice singing movement.  

Dave found the Threshold Choir workshop very enjoyable and informative.  He has been interested in the idea of providing music at the bedside for folks who are hospitalized or in a hospice program and who have expressed a desire for the therapeutic benefits that a small group of singers can provide.  The Hallowell Singers (www.hallowell-singers.org) is one such group located in southern Vermont that provides a variety of opportunities for hospitalized folks to enjoy the engagement and peace inherent in well rehearsed vocal music.  The Threshold Choir movement, which is a national organization, is similar in that it supports local groups wishing to train singers to provide folks in hospice care a soothing prayerful experience that is spiritually nourishing while being theologically inclusive.  The Threshold Choir model seems to be focused to a greater extent on folks in the last state of life's journey and therefore, the musical experience is geared towards a quiet and reflective style of singing.

Gini experienced the workshop as quietly intense; learning new songs and parts, singing softly, blending voices and entering into a prayerful state for an extended period of time. The songs were not religious, but deeply spiritual about love, connections and support.  It seems evident that to develop a group will require dedication, time and commitment but that it would be rewarding to the participants and recipients of songs during struggles to live or preparations to die. Ideally, there would be a large enough group of trained singers to respond to requests and not become overly burdensome or emotionally exhausting; also, to find leadership for rehearsals, fundraising, networking, publicity, etc.   It would be our hope to develop a group of approximately 20-30 volunteers in the community over the coming year.  If interested in joining Dave and Gini on a steering committee, ultimately being a singer or to express your ideas, please let us hear from you.   

Report from the Lay Leadership Program Council

The Objective Setting Workshop was well attended on August 26, 2014.  We had representation from our Caring Circles, Stewardship, Pru-Com, Nomination and Search Committees, as well as membership committee and several other lay leaders throughout the church.  Our discussion was rich as we focused on the concept of “hospitality as a spiritual practice”.  The concept of spiritual hospitality is more than potlucks and coffee hour, it is a collective effort to participate in the practices of being a welcoming and open congregation.  

In order to reach our goal of improving our practice of and involvement in spiritual hospitality, the lay leaders discussed identifying 5 focus areas: Mission and Vision, Stewardship and Lay Leadership events, Gay Pride March in Worcester, The Joy of Lunch programming, the Wachusett Mountain Outing.  

This year the Stewardship Fair will be held on October 5, 2014.  Please remember to sign up for a table by contacting Laura Kirshenbaum, chair of the LLPC to secure a table to promote your church event, program or activity.  Caring Circles, the LLPC branches, Stewardship and many more will be present at the fair on October 5, 2014 in Unity Hall.

We are excited to see so many people volunteering to become Sunday Stewards to welcome our visitors and greet friends of the church.  The pre-service greeter is a critical part of the welcoming process and your participation is welcomed.  

Finally, the LLPC is seeking nominations of organizations for the monthly 50/50 offerings.  Last year, we focused on local, national and international organizations that focused attention on several critical social justice categories including:

Poverty, UU Service Committee,  Homelessness, Race,  Education, Animal Rights, Disabilities and Illness, Environment, and LBGTQ

A huge thank you to the members of our congregation who helped make last year’s 50/50 offering program a success.  Let’s do it again!

John Henry's Hammer Coffeehouse Fall 2014

John Henry’s Hammer Coffeehouse
Fall Concert Series 
held at First Unitarian Church, 90 Main Street, Worcester, MA.

Produced and presented as a collaborative effort between community radio WCUW 91.3 FM www.wcuw.org and the First UnitarianChurch of Worcester.

All shows: Doors open at 7 pm - Music starts at 7:30pm

$12 Advance - $15 at the door

John Henry's Hammer presents…

Sept. 20th: Blackstone Valley Bluegrass and the Erica Brown Bluegrass Band

Advance tickets: http://bpt.me/847613

Erica [Brown] developed an interest in music at an early age. At the age of seven, she was competing in fiddle contests with kids twice her age. At age nine, she was traveling throughout New England, Canada, and even Louisiana with the Maine French Fiddlers. Erica also performed as a special guest with Mac McHale And The Old-Time Radio Gang for five years. Currently, she has her own bluegrass band, Erica Brown & The Bluegrass Connection, which performs all over New England. Erica is also a member of The Stowaways, Darlin' Corey and The Record Family Band.

Blackstone Valley Bluegrass: Yes - there really is a Blackstone Valley and we all lived there when we started the band. Located in the heart of central Ma, exposure to the heavy metal content of the Blackstone river has produced a copious amount of fine bluegrass pickers. ;-)  Most notably are the Dick brothers from Sutton. Renowned musicians and celebrated recording artists, this brother combo will WOW you with their award winning picking. The Taylor-Nowlan bass/mandolin combo has been together in numerous bands since 1989. With their own distinctive style, these two crank out solid rhythm, and like to have a little fun too!  Put these four longtime friends together and you have a group that has excellent musicianship, fine harmonies, high energy and a true love of the music. Breakdowns and Gospel. Fiddle tunes and a Waltz. This is bluegrass! You will not be disappointed!

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Oct. 18th: The Twangbusters – Opening is Sarah Levecque / Dance floor will be open

Advance tickets: http://bpt.me/849409

The Twanbusters: Boogie, Blues & Bop with a heapin' helpin' of twang and sass, The Twangbusters bust out their own high-energy danceable blend of American roots juke-joint rhythms and soulful blues! Led by dynamo Paula Bradley (Miss Paula), described as "Patsy Cline meets Bessie Smith" on lead vocals, piano & ukulele, with the inimitable Peter "Dr. Z" Zarkadas on electric guitar (Sarah Levecque Band, Raw Symphony), and joined by rhythm masters Brian Rost-upright bass (Tarbox Ramblers, Girl Howdy) and former Nashville drummer Kathy Burkly (Girls Night Out)- they mix the best of bluesy country, boogie woogie & barrelhouse into a musical cocktail, shaken & stirred. Guaranteed to make you move yer feet! BOTTOMS UP!

Sarah Levecque: Ms. Levecque is a singer songwriter guitarist who moves easily between the sturdy roots of American music. Influenced in equal parts by early blues, country, folk and rock music Sarah has two full CD releases of her original material.

A Maine native, Sarah has been crafting her song-writing skills in the Boston / Cambridge / Somerville scene for the last eight years. An early music education in classical piano gave way to her love of early blues music. The Blues, raw and free of the conventions of her earlier training led Sarah to play guitar and eventually front her own band. At 19 she began to sit in with bands playing the music of Johnny Lee Hooker, Magic Sam, T-Bone Walker and Albert King. Her writing has evolved from the Blues tradition and her shy demure style may belie her capacity to bring strong and authentic blues guitar work to her live performances.

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Nov. 15th: Li’l BeeDee and the Doo-Rites – Opening are The Hip Swayers / Dance floor will be open

Advance tickets: http://bpt.me/713891

Li'l BeeDee & the Doo-Rites are a 5-piece combo, presenting old-school rhythm & blues with an infusion of rockabilly, with a mission statement to "do ya right"! The band consists of professional musicians who've recorded on Vanguard, Columbia, Fury, Spin-out, and El Toro Records collectively. This is a solid dance band with a high energy presentation, guaranteed to get your crowd on their feet - great for swing dancers, jive, bop & freestylers alike!

Born in North Carolina, BeeDee got her first start in the noise making business singing in the Baptist choir. From the first time she heard her granddaddy play claw hammer banjo and imitate a train whistle on his harmonica, her soul was captured by the raw sounds of hillbilly music. Then something called rockabilly floated past this gal's ears, and she was completely smitten. That raucous rhythm found a home deep in her veins, and soon she was a bonafide junkie. BeeDee got her first guitar at the age of 13 and started in on it, finding chords to back up her own crooning. Later she picked up the string bass and has played both guitar and string bass in several bands, including bluegrass, old-time country western swing, and honky tonk. BeeDee has also freelanced professionally with other musical genres, but rockabilly & honky tonk are the ones that resonate the biggest bang with her. Some of her other musical combos include Girl Howdy, a honky tonk combo fronted by 3 gals, based in the northeast, and Slippery Sneakers, a zydeco, rhythm & blues dance outfit, also based in the northeast.

The Hip Swayers: Hailing from the hills of West Tatnuck, the Hip Swayers are a get up and boogie band that play an eclectic mix of originals and covers - the harmonious duo of David Blodgett and Toni Ostrow invoke George Jones and Melba Montgomery meeting Lili'uokalani and Hank Thompson. The full band, Hip Swayers Deluxe, features Dave Niles on lead guitar and Mark Cherrington on percussion.

Objective Planning Workshop

The Lay Leadership Program Council (LLPC) would like to invite you to participate in our Objective Planning Workshop on August 23rd, 2014 from 9 A.M. to 12 P.M. in the Chapel at First Unitarian to help us solidify our brainstormed tasks into action plans and prepare for the year ahead.

Light refreshments will be served and our agenda is as follows:

Opening and Introductions 

Invocation 

Review areas of concern

Regroup- own your category and form a group to brainstorm ways to address the area of concern.

Small Group: Brainstorm

Share your plan

Develop a timeline and action plan and way to communicate your objective to reach the goals and encourage participation of others.

Discuss Stewardship Fair October 5th, 2014

Below is a summary of the Goal Setting Workshop on June 7th, 2014. Please review as we prepare for our time together.

A dedicated and talented group of about 25 lay leaders met on June 7th, 2014 to focus attention on our congregation's hospitality efforts. We completed a self-assessment provided by the UUA to uncover our strengths and weaknesses with regard to hospitality based on 5 categories:

·        The newcomer’s initial experience

·        The membership process

·        The worship and faith development experience

·        Connecting and growing deeper relationships

·        Our image and visibility

The assessment revealed many strengths including:

·        Worship, Music and Faith Development well integrated and uniformly excellent

·        Strong Youth Group

·        GA participation is high and we are becoming more connected to UUA

·        Strong professional staff (Minister, Faith Development Director and administrative support) involvement in the membership process

·        Administrative follow-up with new comers

·        A structure and procedure for a greeter program that includes greeter station, welcome table and sign-up process, including a newly formed family greeter program which is highly effective.

·        Newly incorporated announcements into the worship service

·        Public recognition of new members in the worship service

·        Caring Circles

·        Managing our time of transition and change

The assessment and subsequent discussions highlighted our growing edges including:

Improving our Greeting and Welcoming Practices:

·        Greeter training

·        Identify and grow Super Greeters who will take a more personal approach to welcoming and recruitment

·        congregational members take on a collective commitment to promote greeting and hospitality

·        More consistency in identifying newcomers

·        Greeting→ Welcoming→ Membership→ Recognition:  This is a multistep process that should focus on opportunities for bonding

·        Change all “Membership Table” references to the “Welcome Table”

·        Help new members connect into our community

Extending our Adult Faith Development Programming

·        More consistent delivery of a New UU orientation program.  Offer this multiple times each church year.  

·        Identify mentors for newcomers

·        Increase spiritual practices in our meetings and work of the church

·        Honor the presence of new people in this spiritual place

Improving our Social Justice Programming/Faith In Action

·        Connecting with programs and social action in the community (Gay Pride, Jericho Road, etc.)

Review and Revise our Mission

·        Re-imagine and promote our Mission.  

·        Be mission-driven, internally and externally

Continue to improve our outward image

·        The physical appearance of our church is indistinguishable from the now vacant courthouse

·        More external signage that is attractive, informative and inviting

·        Develop or contract for Public Relations expertise

The conversation was rich and constructive and led us to 5 areas of concern all centered on the goal of increasing our hospitality efforts and led us to the goal below.

During the 2014-2015 church year, the members our congregation at The First Unitarian Church of Worcester will increase our individual and collective involvement in hospitality by developing and implementing action plans focused on the 5 growing edges: Greeting and Welcoming Practices, Adult Faith Development Programming, Social Justice Programming/Faith In Action, the mission, and our outward image. To accomplish this goal, 70% of our active members within the congregation will take part in at least 1 hospitality related activity during the year.

This goal is a good one, but taking the next steps to organize action plans around each of these growing edges requires all of our support and assistance. After all, hospitality is more than just a committee, it is a spiritual practice that can help us all live our principals in a very real and meaningful way. As we open next year we will be welcoming a new minister, new members and newcomers to our church, come be a part of this historic new beginning.

Save the date:

Stewardship Fair on October 5th, 2014.

See you Saturday August 23rd at 9 A.M.

Kinds regards,

Laura Kirshenbaum

John Henry's Hammer Concert - Saturday, August 2

Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards and The Hip Swayers  

August 2nd Concert at the 1st Unitarian Church 

Enjoy an evening of classic country and folk tunes sure to delight!

- Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards are a folk duo from Massachusetts whose songs resonate with the love of Americana and old country music, commanding familiar traditional melodies and poignant, introspective lyrics, and backing them with delicate arrangements on ukulele, clarinet, guitar and banjo.

- the Hip Swayers aka "the chick with the bass and the dude" play upbeat, fun, classic country & rockin' Americana -  "These performers from Worcester, Massachusetts are not to be missed! A bit of Hank Williams sensibility, Carter/Cash authenticity, and infectious personality."  SF Station - San Francisco's City Guide

Summer Weekly Schedule

Church Office Hours:

Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Closed on Fridays

Please call the church office in advance if you need access to the
building. Staff takes vacation during this time. 

Every Monday throughout the summer: 

5:30 p.m. Meditation Group will continue to meet throughout the summer in the Chapel.  

(No Monday Night Fellowship Dinner during the Summer)

On Wednesdays throughout the summer: 

7:30 p.m. Tibetan Teachings 

In the Bancroft Room.

On Thursdays throughout the summer: 

6:30 p.m. Kundalini Yoga

In the Chapel.

Sundays throughout the summer:

9:00 a.m. Court Hill Singers Rehearsal

In the Bancroft Room.

10:30 a.m. Worship

In the Bancroft Room