Dear WUU community, Summer is here! In this month as we explore what it means to be a people of Beauty, I hope you are finding much to savor. Maybe an afternoon at the pool, a popsicle, the sun on your skin, a visit from a friend…whatever gives you joy and brings more beauty into your life. This is a time when things tend to slow down a bit here at WUU, as we take a collective, spacious deep breath before the new congregational year begins in September. I usually take most of my time away from WUU during the… By Peter Mellette On February 17, 2019 the Middle School RE class conducted a congregational survey on past and current faith traditions. There were 115 total responses (mostly in person, with a dozen online), with some interesting results. Question 1: In what faith tradition(s) did you grow up? The following chart encompasses the responses received. (Click on each chart for a higher-resolution image.) Question 2: At what age did you start questioning your religious background (if ever)? There were a range of responses, reflected in the table below: Question 3: In what other faiths have you… By Jessica O’Brien Last Sunday we held our spring Congregational Meeting during which we passed a Bylaw change to uncouple the Board positions of Vice-President and Chair of Personnel, as well as hearing from the Minister, myself as President, and Dave Banks going over the new budget for 2019-20. It was a short and sweet event. Here are highlights from my report: A lot has happened since last fall! Lola Warren initiated and has led our new Hospitality program, and it’s been great! We hope you will all continue to be involved in making Sunday mornings welcoming to all who… Last month, your Two-Services Task Force rolled out our draft proposal to adjust our Sunday morning schedule so that we can make room for even more people. Now, it’s official! On September 8, the first weekend after Labor Day, we’ll launch the new schedule. Here are the details: First service: 9-10 a.m., featuring music from our WUU solo performers of all ages. Middle Hour: 10-11:15 a.m., with religious education classes for children & youth. We’ll also be developing programs for adults during this time. Second service: 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., featuring our WUU choir. With these changes, we’ll be welcoming our… By the Soul Matters Sharing Circle Team Where do you look for beauty? There is universal agreement that we all must make time to visit museums and sit before stunning sunsets. But seeking beauty there is not enough. Every religion agrees: The secret to encountering spiritual beauty is to visit and observe the unlikely places. Indeed, one could argue that this is the job of religion. It exists to teach us and to help us observe beauty in the less noticed places. Just think of all the seemingly odd advice that religion sends our way: “Notice your feet!” There’s a… Dear WUUs, Breeze is ready for you! There’s been quite a bit of ‘behind the scenes’ work going on with our Breeze software. Since last August, WUU has moved many of our congregation management functions to Breeze, including our membership database, pledge and donation data, event calendar, and RE attendance. In addition, some WUU ‘early adopters’ have been using Breeze for a number of months and the feedback has been positive. It’s time to widen the circle of WUU users! We’re inviting people in our Breeze database who have signed the membership book or who are regular participants in WUU activities (WUU friends) to establish a Breeze account. Your Breeze account will allow you… Dear WUUs, It’s finally here! After 16 congregational conversations, 2 road trips, 184 survey responses, and many meetings, we on the Two–Services Task Force are delighted to share with you our draft plan to revitalize our Sunday morning experience. Click here to see the full presentation from Sunday’s café conversation introducing you to the goal of the project, the results of our research, and, last but not least, the plan! The core of the plan, based on extensive congregational feedback, is this: Make the first service as rich and as family-friendly as the second service, with a full music program and childcare at both services…. By David Hopkinson Adapted from a “From the Heart” talk at the March 24, 2019, worship service. Good morning!!! I am David Hopkinson…making my debut with this “From the Heart” statement after 30 years of WUU membership. My wife Ruth is a lifelong UU. In high school she edged me away from my First Church of Christ, Congregational at the center of our New England suburb. She showed me her much more heartfelt Universalism. We got married by her minister 50 years ago. I was converted. I had been well churched in my WASPY Congo denomination. Like my family… By Rev. Scott Tayler, Soul Matters Team Lead UU minister, Victoria Safford, speaks of curiosity using the metaphor of perception and sight. She writes, “To see, simply to look and to see, is an ethical act and intentional choice; to see, with open eyes, is a spiritual practice and thus a risk, for it can open you to ways of knowing the world and loving it that will lead to inevitable consequences. The awakened eye is a conscious eye, a willful eye, and brave, because to see things as they are, each in its own truth, will make you very…
Summer Greetings from Your Minister
WUU Beliefs Survey Results Announced
WUU President’s Report
Coming in September: A New Sunday Morning Schedule
What Does it Mean to Be a People of Beauty?
WUU Special Announcement: Breeze Is Ready for You!
Update from the Two-Services Task Force
From the Heart
What Does It Mean to Be a People of Curiosity?
