Rev. Megan
Berkowitz
Rev. Amy
Clark Feldman
Pastor Megan
September 12, 2025
Dear Church,
Friends and Members alike (really!): we want to hear your thoughts, visions, concerns, and aspirations for UCW. We do not know what the future holds, of course, but we know Who holds the future, and we trust that future is bright with promise. But how do we find our part?
The Congregational tradition is built on the premise that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, that God is in every living thing, and that we are called to listen for the “still, small voice” in order to hear the heart of God calling to us. At UCW, we are entering into a time of discernment, trusting in the Holy Spirit to inform our being-in-the-world here at UCW. We hope to answer the question, “Who are we called to be in this time and place, under the God we serve?” Finding those answers will take time, will take a deep dive, and will take each and every one of your voices.
The month of October will open up opportunities for all who wish to have a voice in our discernment process. Online and in-person listening sessions will be held throughout the month. These sessions will be facilitated by trained volunteers in groups of no more than six plus the facilitator, with each member of a family or partner taking part in their own session. The same questions will be asked in each group. The results will be anonymously compiled, question by question, and sorted to identify themes and the movement of the Spirit. Although all responses will be kept anonymous, the results will be made available to all participants in a variety of ways. Members of the wider community, community representatives and elected officials will also be invited to facilitated listening sessions.
Once everything has been compiled and distilled, we will use the findings and results to help guide us towards a future under God in ways we believe will help those who watch, collaborate and participate with us.
We want to hear from you. Without your voice, our discernment will be incomplete. Please join us for worship on 9/28, after which there will be a congregational gathering during which we can meet and greet our consultant for this process, the Rev. Dr. Claire W. Bamberg. She will have met with and provided training for the facilitators the day before. They will also be able to answer questions! Come one and come all!
Peace,
Pastor Megan
Past Posts
- From Pastor Megan
Rev. Megan Berkowitz
April 3, 2026 Holy Week blessings to you all! We have a very special service planned for Sunday morning, with guest musicians, an abundance communion table, and, of course, Easter Egg Hunt to follow (including rain plans!). It is such a joy to gather together for Easter each year: to remember the gifts of our faith, the triumph of new life in God over violence and death, the accompaniment of Christ through our greatest sorrows and greatest joys. I hope you will join us, and bring family or friends who could use a little Good News this week. Learn More - From Pastor Megan: Marce 27. 2026Rev. Megan Berkowitz
March 27, 2026 It’s fitting that the next round of No Kings protests is happening tomorrow, with Palm Sunday following just after; Palm Sunday, after all, was a protest against the ways of Roman kings and a triumphal presentation of another way of leading the community, in the path of God’s promise. Learn More - From Pastor Megan: March 6, 2026Rev. Megan Berkowitz
March 6, 2026 Alongside its themes of wilderness journeys, Lent is traditionally a season of repentance – of turning from harms and returning to God and to God’s call on our lives. As winter (finally, hopefully) turns into spring, so too are we given a chance for renewal, for new growth, for new life. Learn More - Living with LossNew Supportive Group for Adults beginning at UCW this Spring All of us live with loss in our lives in so many ways: the death of spouses, children, parents, and other loved ones; the loss of our own or loved ones’ capacity due to illness and aging; the loss of work or other roles that give us a sense of meaning and purpose; and so many more losses. If you are in a season of living with loss and would like to be in supportive spiritual community with others, please join us. Learn More
- From Pastor Megan: February 13, 2026Rev. Megan Berkowitz
February 13, 2025 Have you been following the Olympics? This year, a dear friend of mine is in Milan covering the Games as a journalist for the Associated Press, so I’ve been following the news and also her reports from being present there. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to go see the Olympics in person and having a close friend there is almost (almost…) as good. Learn More - From Pastor Megan: February 6, 2026Rev. Megan Berkowitz
February 6, 2025 It is time to begin turning our hearts and minds to Lent — and what a year to return to the themes of repentance and repair, of wandering the wilderness, of death and new life. Our theme for worship and community life in Lent this year will be “Tools for Survival in the Wilderness,” and we’ll reflect on how the ways we learn to survive in the literal wildernesses (and I know there are some hiking, camping, backcountry skiing, and other outdoor enthusiasts in this congregation!) teach us about how to survive the metaphorical wildernesses of our time. More to come in worship, of course. Learn More - From Pastor Megan: January 30, 2026Rev. Megan Berkowitz
January 30, 2025 As violence has escalated from ICE and other institutions, and as protests have intensified in response, I have heard from a number of you wondering what to do now, especially for those of us who cannot travel to where witness is most needed. I don’t have all the answers, but I have some suggestions of what you might do if you’re feeling helpless and hopeless, as so many of us are. Learn More - From Pastor Megan: January 23, 2026Rev. Megan Berkowitz
January 23, 2025 Happy January, with over a foot of snow headed our way this weekend! Given the weather predictions, Newton Mayor Mark Laredo has asked people to refrain from driving and parking in the city on Sunday and Monday whenever possible. With the uncertainty of when the storm will begin, and predictions that when it does, it will snow as much as an inch an hour, we will move our worship service on to Zoom for the day. Learn More
