We had a beautiful, bright day for our inaugural blessing of the bicycles. We remembered and gave thanks for all our bicycles do for us. Then bikers of all ages came to receive a blessing. Take a look! Special thanks to our photographer, Betsy Martel.
On Thursday evening, March 24th, children, youth, and adults gathered together for a soup supper, foot washing, Communion, and a variety of interactive prayer stations as we remembered Jesus’ Last Supper and his final mandate to his disciples before his arrest and death. Our prayer stations included an indoor Garden of Gethsemane with prayer candles, beautiful displays of different images of Jesus, a bare cross with stones for prayers of unburdening, forgiveness sand for writing and smoothing away, an interactive coloring poster, recreating the scene of the Last Supper with blocks, tiles, and figures, a variety of fragrant perfumes to remind us of Mary’s anointing of Jesus, and a meditative labyrinth walk. Please enjoy taking a picture-walk through our evening together on Maundy Thursday as you browse the photos.
During school vacation week, several members of the youth group and some of the confirmation mentors took time out to work at two local service organizations. On Monday, we shelved donations and packed kids’ bags at Open Table Food Pantry in Maynard. And on Saturday, we worked at Household Goods in Acton doing a wide variety of jobs including sorting donations, untangling hangers, vacuuming rugs and couches, sweeping floors, and helping clients carry furniture and other goods out to their trucks. Both of these organizations do so much for our community. It was heart warming to witness the services offered and eye opening to be reminded about the needs of our neighbors. We are so grateful for these opportunities to help make a difference.
What better way to kick off the season of Lent than with a pancake and sausage potluck supper, beautiful beads, and an amazing candlelit labyrinth? On Tuesday, February 9th – the night before Lent began on Ash Wednesday – 20 children and their parents joined us in North Hall for a Shrove Tuesday celebration and introduction to Lent. After a short talk about the season of Lent and a delicious meal of pancakes, sausage, and fruit (do you know why we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?), we introduced our exploration stations: Lenten prayer bead-making, coloring of a big poster with the message “Listen,” and a walk through a candlelit labyrinth with a blessing of ashes at the end. Our beads help us to count the 40 days and six Sundays of Lent, with themes and prayers for each Sunday: Listen, Sorry, Kindness, Fear, Hope, and Love. Many children (and parents!) walked our labyrinth several times without shoes and in silence, eager to get another ash blessing on foreheads and hands, finishing the evening with many ash crosses all over their bodies! The intergenerational mix of adults and children engaged in all activities was a joy to watch, and we all left the event feeling full of food, fellowship, and faith, and ready to begin this new season of Lent together. 
On Sunday, February 7th, three of our third graders (and one fifth grader!) stood up during worship to be honored and presented with their very own bibles from WCUC (two of our third graders couldn’t make it on Sunday so they received their bibles earlier). It is always a treat to introduce these young, eager learners to our congregation and watch their faces giggle with shyness and delight when they are presented with this special gift. Following worship, our third graders and their families joined me downstairs for a special reception and discussion about their new bibles. Parents were just as eager as the children to explore the new bibles and ask lots of questions. We filled out a fun scavenger hunt, introducing us to all the different features of the bible, and then the children were invited to decorate a special bookmark while parents wrote a wish or blessing for their child inside the front cover. It was a wonderful time of sharing, exploring, discovering, and fun!
If you like these images from WCUC’s 2016 Epiphany Pageant, follow the youtube link below for a slideshow of images set to “Silent Night” by Maeve (see http://maevemusic.com for more Maeve music).
The beginning of Advent seems like a long time ago now, but the energy, joy, and fellowship enjoyed by all is certainly deserving of documentation – even in Epiphany! Take a look at the photos of our fabulous event on November 29th: creating holiday cards for prisoners through our Concord Prison Outreach Program, making THREE different kinds of advent wreaths to take home (the choice was difficult!), a variety of nativity sets to explore on our stage, and wonderful food and conversation with each other. A great start to a blessed season!
On Saturday, December 19th, several youth from WCUC traveled to Harvard Square in Cambridge to join with area college students in getting a new shelter for young adults ready to open its doors. They moved, cleaned and assembled furniture, cleaned and painted walls, and witnessed first hand what vision, determination, and many supporters can do to make one community a safer and more humane place to be.
Y2Y is the only shelter of its kind in the nation in that it is designed and operated by young adults and it exclusively serves 18-24 year olds. Co-founders and recent Harvard Graduates, Sam Greenberg and Sarah Rosenkrantz, explained to us that beds are desperately needed for this underserved age population because 1) many do not feel safe staying in adult shelters 2) this is when they age out of the foster care system 3) many are LGBTQ people who have been isolated or rejected from family who might otherwise provide safe shelter.
The shelter passed inspection on Monday, December 21st and opened its doors on Tuesday, December 22nd. We were so fortunate to be a small part of what took over a year to create. After many months of creating the vision, securing a location and finding support, raising funds, establishing a team of advisors and completely renovating a church basement, Sam and Sarah seemed blissfully exhausted to have reached this final stage. We look forward to a return trip one day soon to offer our help again and to perhaps meet some of the guests at Y2Y.
For more information you can visit their website:
http://y2yharvardsquare.org
Or read this recent story published recently in the Boston Globe:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2015/12/19/sam-greenberg-and-sarah-rosenkrantz-the-harvard-classmates-who-couldn-ignore-homeless/EdPVD1pN7deiSoRLBgPLoN/story.html#comments
At the beginning of Advent, Jessica provided Mary and Joseph cutouts and journals so that we could bring them along on our travels during Advent. We’re lucky that at least one family took Mary and Joseph on the adventure of a lifetime! Check it out:
Mary and Joseph first traveled to Las Vegas. 
They avoided the casinos and went ice skating instead.
Soon it was time to fly to Mexico.
Mary and Joseph did fine on the plane, but the donkey felt a little cramped.
During a quick stopover in LAX, Joseph waved to some fellow travelers on the train.
Finally in Mexico, the holy family seemed at home among the palms and sand, and seemed glad for the slower pace of things.
They explored along the sea of Cortez…
The donkey was hankering to follow the horses.
Finally they oversaw and blessed the release of baby Ridley sea turtles. As they entered the sea, tiny heads popped up over the waves.
Thanks to Ruth & David Sedlock for these wonderful pictures and stories!
Where have Mary and Joseph traveled with your family?
On Saturday evening, December 5th, peace, joy, and beauty abounded at our annual Advent Spiral event. Almost 50 adults and children joined us for this very special evening together. Beginning with nativity explorations from around the world and a beautiful story, our event then shifted downstairs into the darkened North Hall where a huge spiral of natural greens was constructed, waiting to be lit by more than 50 candles. One by one, each child and adult took their own turn inside the spiral, filling it gradually with light. Festive snacks and natural ornament creations rounded out this truly special event for all ages. Where do you find peace and beauty this Advent season? Check out our pictures for a glimpse of the joy and serenity met by all last Saturday.
