From Me to You

Posted onAuthorAidan Cuningham

Rev. Megan
Berkowitz

Pastor Rick
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.

I know Newton because I served Eliot Church once as Interim for three years (over Covid) and again as Bridge till a new minister, the formidable Rev. Eric Jackson, arrived.  I have preached at our Newton Highlands church for Ken Bailey over the years.

I also have friends among you from my years as adjunct in Homiletics at Andover-Newton Theological School, where I also was faculty at the summer Arts Institute there.

But going back further, I was among the original founding members of your GBIO when I served Old South Church as Associate Minister from 1990 to 1998 and when I was Senior Minister at Central Congregational in Jamaica Plain from 1998 to 2003. The 10-day training I got from the Industrial Areas Foundation in Chicago took my theological education apart and put it all back together again, hallelujah!

I will use this space every week to offer up my experiments in poetry, word jazz, and such fantasia along the biblical lines set forth in the Sunday scripture selections.

Blessings, till soon!
Rev. Rick

 

  • From Me to You
    Rev. Rich Chrisman
    October 2, 2026
    An Open Letter Dear Mr. Bible, I thank you for being there In hotel bedside tables, in the prison libraries In beautiful translations and paraphrases and especially in our hymn lyrics. Learn More
  • From Me to You
    Rev. Rich Chrisman
    September 11, 2026
    The genesis of us all.

    Oh Lord, you made such a good start
    having deemed Creation very good
    But discovered soon
    It wasn’t perfect
    Not the human part anyway.
    We went from a kiss to murder,

    Learn More
  • From Me to You
    Rev. 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 Megan
    Rev. Megan Berkowitz
    July 24, 2026

    Big 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, 2026
    Rev. 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, 2026
    Rev. 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, 2026
    Rev. Megan Berkowitz
    June 19, 2026

    I 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, 2026
    Rev. 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