Rev. Megan
Berkowitz
Rev. Amy
Clark Feldman
Pastor Amy
April 19, 2024
This past week, I traveled to Valley Forge, PA for a 3-day conference entitled “Space for Grace: Engaging Intergenerational Faith.” The conference was hosted by the same organization that is organizing our mission trip to Puerto Rico, the American Baptist Home Mission Society. ABHMS is strongly aligned with the mission and legacy of ABC pastor, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The keynote preachers and speakers brought a wide diversity of experiences and perspectives, which I look forward to sharing with all of you. We learned about what would mean to be a truly inclusive church of people with disabilities; about the role of joy and celebration in binding communities together; about what it means to create safe and resilient individuals and communities; and how trauma can show up through the generations. We thought and prayed about what it means to stand with the teachings of Jesus in a time when Christian nationalism is on the rise, and our world is seeing increasing violence and division.
In this Eastertide, we at the Union Church in Waban are thinking about what it means to Share from the Heart. The Space for Grace conference made me think about this in new ways. So often when engaging all ages of our intergenerational church, we have rightly focused on the importance of intergenerational relationships in terms of those relationships impact us as individuals of faith. We think about what it means for elders to experience connection and joy in the presence of our children and teens. We recognize the importance of relationships with elders and adults for our teenagers as they become more resilient and form their faith in face of the challenges of life. Throughout this conference, however, speakers focused not so much on individual faith, resilience, and well-being, as on building healthy, faithful, and resilient communities in which all people can thrive. It is one thing to support the spiritual well-being of an individual who uses a wheelchair, and another to make sure all people with disabilities have full and comfortable spaces within our pews and at our pulpit. It is one thing to deepen the resilience and faith of a child, and another to make sure that the home, school, and community they live in is free from violence and full of love. Beloved, as we explore what it means to share from the heart, I look forward to sharing more of my learnings, and inviting all of us to consider even more deeply what it means for our inclusive, welcoming, intergenerational, and mission-minded church to truly be a Space for Grace for all people, and to create a world where all can thrive.
Peace
Amy
Past Posts
- From Me to You
Rev. Rich Chrisman
September 11, 2026
The genesis of us all.Oh Lord, you made such a good start
Learn More
having deemed Creation very good
But discovered soon
It wasn’t perfect
Not the human part anyway.
We went from a kiss to murder, - From Me to YouRev. Rich Chrisman
September 4, 2026
Hi UCW friends and members, my name is Rick Chrisman, and I am an old friend of yours, once upon a time a member, way back before Covid, when Stacy was still minister here. Way past retirement age, I’m just a preacher who has to have a congregation, so thanks for inviting me to fulfil my vocation with you, even if just for a few months. Learn More - From Pastor MeganRev. Megan Berkowitz
July 24, 2026Big news from our partners at GBIO! The “Not with our money, Citizens!” Campaign has succeeded, and Citizens Bank has committed to severing ties with the private prison companies building and operating ICE detention facilities. Read more about it on the GBIO website: HERE
Learn More - From Pastor Megan: July 17, 2026Rev. Megan Berkowitz
July 10, 2026
Introducing our Bridge Pastor I am delighted to share that Rev. Rick Chrisman will be joining UCW as the parental leave Bridge Pastor this fall, from September 1st until my planned return at the start of Advent. Rev. Rick’s bio is below, though some of you may know him from a period some years ago when he was a member of UCW while serving as an interim pastor elsewhere. Closest to home for UCW, Rev. Rick has twice served as interim at the Eliot Church in Newton. Learn More - From Pastor Megan: July 3, 2026Rev. Megan Berkowitz
July 3, 2026 We had a lovely first summer service this past Sunday! Though we won’t meet this upcoming Sunday, 7/5, summer services resume the following week, 7/12 at 10:00 a.m. Worship Committee Chair Julie Heffernan will lead us in worship that morning. And though Katie Brown-Bright is off from her role as Bridge Associate for Children, Youth, and Families for the summer and there’s no Sunday school, she did put together an amazing activity cart for kids to participate in worship (crafts, streamers for some liturgical dancing, and more!). Learn More - From Pastor Megan: June 19, 2026Rev. Megan Berkowitz
June 19, 2026I want to thank everyone who presented, contributed to, engaged in, and attended last Sunday’s Annual Meeting. You took seriously the invitation to let the Holy Spirit speak through you to others, and to you through others, and our church is better for it. For those who were not present, you can still engage with the Annual Meeting via the Annual Report, which we sent in this email last week, and by looking over the presentation from the Vision Team that was offered during the meeting: view HERE or click on image below.
Learn More - From Pastor Megan: June 12, 2026Rev. Megan Berkowitz
June 12, 2026 My goodness, it has been a busy year at UCW! I hope you take some time to sit with and read the annual report for 2025-2026. Come to the Annual Meeting ready to discuss the budget and nominating slate, yes, but also to thank our committee chairs and members, to connect with someone over something you didn’t even know had happened at church this year, or to learn more about how you can get involved in different projects and programs. Learn More - From Pastor Megan: June 5, 2026Rev. Megan Berkowitz
June 5, 2026 Though it turned out to be quite a hot night, it was a joy to join with Katie, members of the congregation, and our siblings from other affirming faith communities in Newton at the annual Newton Pride flag raising celebration and resource fair this past week. In a season in our country when the rights of LGBTQ+ people are under attack and public support for our rights is waning rather than increasing for the first time in decades, we gathered to remind ourselves and the world that LGBTQ+ people are deeply and beautifully woven into the fabric of our community. Learn More
