Hearing the Call: Your Stewardship Committee

The UUA handbook defines Stewardship as fundamentally spiritual. The act of giving, whether time, talent or treasure, is, in itself, a form of worship. Those of us on the Stewardship committee have been fortunate to be inspired by the many stories of those who have responded to the call of service in the programs which make up the life of our community. You know many of these people, for they are present week after week, year upon year, mentoring our youth, singing in the choir, providing pastoral care, and doing all the small but essential things which enrich our Sunday worship experience.

In the next few weeks we want to share some of these stories with you, that you might also be inspired when you understand the deeper meaning which results from all acts of giving. And we also hope that in being inspired, you might find yourself hearing the call for a deeper commitment to our community, and that in responding to that call you are both a gracious giver and receiver of the way of life we share at First Unitarian.

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Hearing the Call: Rudy Cepko, YRU2 Mentor and Advisor

“I believed that my day job as an RN in the Pediatric ICU at UMass would make it easy for me to handle a bunch of teenagers. However, I was surprised to encounter teens willing to gain more knowledge in their spiritual quest and to learn how to use this in their everyday lives.” Rudy Cepko For many years I had not stepped into a church except for weddings and funerals. In the mid-1990s, my wife, Alesia, started attending church to sing with UU choir. She was impressed by the message that she heard from Barbara Merritt and suggested that I try the church. I felt I was in a place that spoke to me, and our son Stefan was enrolled in the Sunday school programs. I had some involvement with church stewardship as a volunteer in the Garden committee. Mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, planting and laying yards of mulch were part of my contribution to the church. Then when my son, Stefan, was in YRU2, he asked if I would be interested in be...

A Message from Lee Reid of the UU Sisterhood

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...

Welcoming the Newcomer: Part 2

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. ...

First Unitarian Stewardship

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