Skip to main content

What difference does First Unitarian make in your life?

By

My personal goal is good stewardship – accepting and preserving what past generations have provided for us, and preserving and enhancing what we received for the benefit of those who follow us.  John Mirick


I grew up in this Church, initially attending Sunday School in the house at the corner of Main Street and State Street (now the lower parking lot), having parts in the Christmas pageant, presenting plays in the Youth Group (Unity Hall then had a real stage), and going to services when I was home from college.  When Diane and I moved to Worcester with our two boys (then one and three), it was natural to reconnect with First Unitarian, and to give our sons the same opportunities.  Diane became increasingly involved with the Sunday School, and ultimately became the Director of Religious Education, while I served in a series of leadership positions and on committees, including the Search Committee that brought Rev. Barbara Merritt to Worcester, and became moderator after she accepted our Call.

Worship services provide both stimulation and time for quiet contemplation.  Some Sundays I am on the edge of my pew, caught up in a thought-provoking sermon and integrated ancient and modern readings that are reminders that while the details may change, there are timeless themes that must be confronted by every culture in every age.  Sometimes Sunday services are more self-centering as I mostly listen to our wonderful music.

I enjoy our diversity!  How dull and uninteresting it would be if everyone was in lock step on every issue.  We share our thoughts and interests and ideas and concerns, and we respect the different thoughts and interests and ideas and concerns that others have.  Diane and I have many close friends in First Unitarian – and as we work on church activities we make new friends.

As a Church, we have developed something special over the years.  First Unitarian has shaped us, and we have shaped First Unitarian.  My personal goal is good stewardship – accepting and preserving what past generations have provided for us, and preserving and enhancing what we received for the benefit of those who follow us.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hearing the Call: Rudy Cepko, YRU2 Mentor and Advisor

By
“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...
2 comments
Read more

A Message from Lee Reid of the UU Sisterhood

By
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...
1 comment
Read more

Welcoming the Newcomer: Part 2

By
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. ...
1 comment
Read more