First Unitarian Stewardship

I started going to yoga on Thursday’s and learned more about the church from  some participants in the class. I finally started attending services.  I sit by a window on Sundays,   in this peaceful environment enhanced by the inspiring music,   ending my week with a calming peace and starting my week with a replenished spirit. --Jean McInerney, Membership co-Chair For many years I was searching for a worship community I could relate to.  I signed up for the First Unitarian’s email newsletter and would read it regularly, impressed by all the church does. But after months (actually, if counted, it was years), I decided since I wasn’t attending, I removed myself from the list. At somepoint I was back on the email list. I later found out it was some IT change on First Unitarian’s end. This time I did not remove myself, but I was still not attending Sunday service. I started going to yoga on Thursday’s and learned more about the church from some participants in the class. I fi

Connecting with others is a rich, rich part of being in the First Unitarian Community.  Anyone who loiters after the service is probably someone you would like to get to know.  It may be just the warmth they need. --Vivian Shortreed, former Moderator and current Caring Circles co-Chair I  remember well the first time I attended a worship service at First Unitarian.  We had lived in Worcester nearly 5 years, but I was still working in Connecticut.  Uprooted from my Connecticut community, and not having had the time or the place to make new friends, I felt as if I didn’t belong anywhere.  I was advised to come to the First Unitarian Church “for the music.” I was immediately awed by the simple grandeur of the sanctuary.  And I connected with every bit of the service, starting with the quote at the head of the Order of Service.   It was a quote from Friedrich Nietsche, something about the only god worth worshiping being a dancing god.  But I was wary of any kind of commitment a

“ Greeting newcomers shows that we really do value the inherent worth of every person.  The next time that you see an unfamiliar face in church, offer them a smile.” – Ken Mandile, Lay Leadership Program Council My dad had an amazing ability to spark a conversation with any stranger that he met.  Within minutes of meeting a store clerk or a delivery person or someone sitting next to him at the doctor’s office, he’d be comparing notes about food and giving out free “advice”.  Somehow, he failed to pass his outgoing genes on to me.  I dread the thought of walking up to a stranger to start a conversation, especially if I’ve got plenty of opportunity to talk to people that I already know.  It’s just not in my “comfort zone”.   If you feel the same way, then find me on Sunday morning near the front doors and we’ll step outside of our zones together.             I go to the narthex to greet people as they come in the front door.  As part of the ushering team, I take turns handing

We do good in this world not to get into heaven, but to bring a little of heaven down to earth.   Rev. Gary Kowalski Interfaith Hospitality Network :    providing shelter and support to homeless families with children Center for Nonviolent Solutions :   teaching our youth strategies for nonviolent resolution of conflict Jericho Road :  matching volunteer professional talent with community-based non-profit organizations What do these three Worcester social service organizations have in common?  Our vice-moderator, Seth Popinchalk, wrote movingly last week of the commitment within our community to make the world a better place.  The organizations listed above are strongly supported by members of First Unitarian who exemplify that commitment, volunteering their time, talent and financial support, and in some cases taking on senior leadership roles.  The motivation for these volunteer efforts was explained by Rev. Gary Kowalski in his final sermon:  we Unitarian-Universalist

I am always inspired and touched by the efforts to build a better world. Seth Popinchalk, Vice-Moderator Last week Scott Hayman told me about a 5K road race to benefit Abby’s house. Abby’s House is a family shelter for women and children and provides them with “a safe place to stay, regroup, and rebuild.” I am in fair shape, so when I woke up Saturday morning I laced up my shoes and drove out to West Boylston to find the starting line. I found Scott and Maddie at the registration area. I also ran into a handful of other familiar First U members wearing race bibs and supporting the event. There was no plan among members to connect with our First Unitarian community this Saturday morning, but we found each other among the crowd of about 300. I was reminded that I am surrounded by our special community. What brings us together? We are a community because we choose to be one. We find a connection with something the church offers: the Sunday services, the sermons, the holi

" It is rare indeed that people give.  Most people guard and keep. "  If this observation from James Baldwin, one of our contry's most respected philosophers and novelists, is true, then the opening Sunday of our Annual Stewardship Pledge Drive was a rare one indeed.  Consider these day one  statistics : Total amound pledged: $96,628 (32% of our $300,000 goal !) Number of pledges: 62 (6 of these were first time pledges !) A whopping 56% increased their pledge over last year ! Let us keep the momentum going!  If you have not yet sent in your pledge, do so today.   This is truly a wonderful beginning, and it was made even more special by our interim minister's homily.  If you missed Tracey's message, what follows are a few of her memorable and moving insights.  We come through these doors in search, in need, in hope, in prayer. We come looking for something to make our lives better; to make the lives of our family, our friends, our neigh

We see ourselves in the faces of our sisters; we hear our stories accepted , we hold each other in our hearts. We have found the meaning of community. What does it mean to enter a room where you are immediately welcomed and appreciated? What does it mean when others are genuinely interested in your well-being? It means you are valued. It means you are a part of a wholesome community. It means you are a part of something larger than yourself that feeds your spirit in a most fundamental way. These are the enriching threads that weave the UUSisterhood together. We see ourselves in the faces of our sisters; we hear our stories accepted , we hold each other in our hearts. We have found the meaning of community in this church. In my earlier years, I found meaning teaching Sunday school, working with the youth and working on numerous committees. It was work that helped support the values we share as a faith community. It enriched my life and kept me returning to fin

2013-2014 Objectives Setting Workshop, LLPC First Unitarian: We are in the Right Place I urge you to take stock this month of all the opportunities for spiritual growth afforded to you by the church.   When programming serves the multitude of spiritual needs within the congregation, our church is robust and growth is inevitable.       As Moderator Scott Hayman reminded us in last week’s blog, our stewardship pledges provide funding for the various programming within the church.  This programming is why First Unitarian is my family’s choice for a spiritual home.  It serves to sustain our connection to the spirit of love and mystery that some people call God; it unites us in a web of community greater than our routine lives of work and school; and it provides the affirmation that comes when we connect with families that share similar values and face similar challenges.      When I take stock of the programming the church provides, I am confident we are in the right place.

It is my hope that all will give generously and without hesitation to this year’s annual Pledge campaign.    Our future depends on people just like us! Scott Hayman, Moderator It is pure coincidence that this week happens to be my turn to share a perspective on Stewardship only a few days after the 75th anniversary of the 1938 Hurricane that blew through Worcester and, among many other buildings, pulverized our very own sanctuary beyond recognition.   Imagine!   People reported that the recently renovated steeple swayed back and forth in 100 mile an hour gale winds causing our Paul Revere Bell to ring out and clang until finally the structure could not withstand the fury. The roof of the church and the steeple imploded into the sanctuary and the organ fell through the balcony floor to its destruction.   Nothing but the front façade of the sanctuary was left!   But the remarkable point is what came next and how our congregation rallied without hesitation to rebuild our church.

When we are generous together, we can do more than any of us can do alone. When we are generous together, we strengthen our connections to our chosen community of faith. Rev. Tracey Robinson-Harris             The ushers had finished taking the morning offering. As they began to walk toward the back of the sanctuary, 4 year old Jeffrey hopped down off the pew and ran down the aisle toward them. One arm was raised above his head and in his hand he held a dollar bill. “Wait”, he said loudly so the ushers could hear him. “Wait.  You forgot me!”  The ushers stopped in their tracks.  We watched as Jeffrey caught up to them.  He placed his dollar in the offering plate.  Everyone was smiling, including Jeffrey.  He returned to the pew where his family was seated.             He was determined.  He had his gift.  He was ready to give.  He was going to be sure he had the opportunity to give, even if it meant chasing after the ushers!  He would not be left out.  Since that now long

We sincerely believe you will come to see Stewardship as a vital ministry of our church, and that your experience of that ministry will be rewarding, joyful and spiritually fulfilling.  --First Unitarian Stewardship Team Your Stewardship team welcomes you back to an exciting year ahead at First Unitarian.  Changes are in store for us. In addition to a new Interim Minister (Tracey Robinson-Harris) and multiple listening sessions to support the search for a settled minister, this year the pledge campaign will be managed by a Stewardship team (see photo). What happened to the elected Assessors, you might ask?   We are still here: Wendy Innis, Kate O'Dell and Rick Silva, but we have also been joined by volunteers Steve Knox and Jim Dolan. Together we have decided to focus less on the historical role of Assessors, and to introduce to the congregation the concepts of Stewardship. What are the differences between Assessors and Stewardship?  We are so glad you asked! Assessors l