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Weekly Update
Friday, September 25, 2026
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September 27: Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Service at 10:00 a.m. (In-Person & Zoom)
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De Ark of a Childhood
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Meeting ID: 826 8730 1128
Passcode: 386028
Dial in: 1 646 558 8656
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The bulletin is available HERE
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Join us this Sunday as we gather in worship and celebration! Our service will be led by our Bridge Pastor, Rev. Richard Chrisman, alongside congregation member Jaap van Reijendam, who will be the Preacher of the Day, and our Music Director, Cynthia Sanger. Adding to the joy of our morning, we will also celebrate the sacred covenant of Baptism.
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Please wear your nametag this Sunday to help our new staff get to know everyone!
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One month in, I see a congregation with great strengths. I feel your vitality. I see your commitment. Your faith has brought you through recent transitions successfully.
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At the same time, I can see you facing certain pesky riddles, doing so energetically, but in a sort of perplexed state. As we all are. Yes, UCW, join the club of mainline Protestant liberalism. Even before Covid, long before, the sand was shifting under our collective feet.
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Fortunately, your recently completed visioning process has identified the priorities you want tackled. Next, the leadership will be meeting imminently to evaluate what particular steps, among the many choices, will be most fruitful.
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Time is precious, and the time is ripe for UCW to chart a course that will avail in your search for a sustainable future. To this end, I want to pose a challenging question that will help put your situation in perspective: “Is church a private or a public institution?” The answer to this critical question, which we will be discussing over the next month, has everything to do with addressing the spiritual needs of our community.
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A dialogue follows. I will explain more anon—stay tuned!
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Hello from parental leave!
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Life is both pretty eventful and delightfully slow paced with two six-week-old newborns at home: we follow their lead and soak up lots of snuggle time in between the many bottles, diapers, swaddles, and loads of laundry (so much laundry for two tiny people!).
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After many extra doctors appointments early on thanks to my high blood pressure and all four of us getting an upper respiratory infection, everyone is now feeling well and, in Zelda and Naomi’s cases, growing like weeds. Leila went back to work part time this week so the girls and I enjoyed our first walk in the stroller you all so generously bought for us. They loved it!
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Stay tuned for a date later in the fall when we’ll plan an afternoon in the park at Waban Common so UCW folks can come and meet the babies. Meantime, know that I miss you all and am praying for you often (including in the middle of the night when we’re all awake).
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GBIO Greater Boston Regional Meeting – Register Now!
Thursday, Oct 1 from 7:00–8:30 p.m.
Congregation Dorshei Tzedek; 60 Highland Street, West Newton
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All mission minded Union Church in Waban folks are invited to join fellow members for the GBIO Regional Meeting to build relationships and share plans for local campaigns.
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Last year’s UCW listening sessions to inform GBIO priorities came up with Housing, Mental Health and Education as among the social justice issues of most concern. Our voices were heard, and now GBIO research teams are at work formulating actionable issues for this year’s GBIO campaign.
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Let’s keep our presence strong and participate in the next steps to organize
and make real change . All members, and clergy from Newton, Brookline, and MetroWest suburbs are welcome to attend.
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Intergenerational Board Game Night
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Sunday, October 4 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
(In-person, Littlehale room)
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Join us for a fun night of games! Bring your favorite game or just come ready to play. We’ll meet in the Littlehale room and have pizza and snacks.
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All ages are welcome! This is a great chance for intergenerational connection, and a great way for families to spend time together!
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2026 Election Threats and Voting Reforms:
What to Know with One Month to Go
Sunday, October 4, following worship service.
Election day is approaching (November 3)!
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Join a discussion of what’s ahead, led by Kevin Johnson, Executive Director of the non-partisan Election Reformers Network (“ERN”). Kevin is a 25-year veteran of democracy advocacy work nationally, overseas and here in Massachusetts.
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Come hear about a year of unprecedent challenges to election administration, as well as great new ideas for improving our democracy. Kevin will cover a wide range of topics at the national and state levels. He will include a discussion of Ballot Question 3 in Massachusetts, for which he is on the Yes campaign.
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Challenges Facing Newton
Town Trees in a Changing Climate
Saturday, October 24, 7:00 p.m.
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The Union Church, Newton, MA
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William Moomaw and Gil Rodgers,
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“Have you hugged your tree today?” Drs. Moomaw and Rodgers will discuss the importance of Newton’s town trees and how in the changing climate we are experiencing this will affect their sustainability and growth. The Minerva Action Group is an independent organization of individuals with interest and expertise in climate issues and particularly in trees and woodlands. It has created and conducted exercises for students, government officials, and town’s people to understand the role of trees in capturing and sequestering carbon, providing regional cooling and reducing flooding by evaporating water from their leaves. The discussion will suggest how to improve the management of town trees to track these changes and alter practices. There will time for informal discussion and light refreshments following the program
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Please Update Your Email Address
We want to stay in touch with you and make sure you receive all our announcements about worship and other events in our UCW Community.
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Please check your contact information in Breeze, the member directory accessible through our Member Directory website page to ensure we have your most up-to-date information - especially email addresses. If you need help doing so please email Aidan Cunningham, our Office Manager ([email protected]).
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SERVICE TRIP - THIS YEAR
Service Trip | This Year | Learn More | Adventure | Serve Others
Our service work in Nicaragua has been ongoing for more than 20 years. and along the way we have created strong and lasting friendships with students, families, communities, and our local partners.
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The trip will be suitable for all ages and skill levels, and some opportunities may also work well for university-aged students. We are working on the dates now and would love to hear from anyone who is interested in learning more.
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Contact David to learn more about joining the trip!
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Join the Mission Team at Union Church
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Bringing God’s love and light to our neighbors around the corner and around the world.
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Please let us know if you would like to be part of the Mission Team this year!
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We meet monthly to discuss the ministry areas we currently serve, as well as opportunities to serve our local and global community in the future.
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Bring your energy, ideas, and willingness to serve. Whether you have been involved with missions for years or are simply interested in learning more, we would love to have you join us.
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Please contact David Spertner, on behalf of the Mission Team to learn more:
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Reading Scripture in Worship
Sharing the Stories of Our Faith
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Scripture Reader Sign-up: HERE
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For generations the stories and wisdom of our faith were only shared orally, and reading scripture out loud is still a central part of our worship and community. Please consider sharing your voice in worship this fall.
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Coffee Host Needed
Please consider volunteering!
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Hosting a reception is a thoughtful expression of our hospitality, and it’s easier than you think! If you’re new to hosting, help is always available. Please consider volunteering for two dates this year.
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Evangelical Christianity,
American Democracy, and the
Threat of White Christian Nationalism – Fall 2026
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Evangelical Christianity, American Democracy, and the Threat of White Christian Nationalism
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This timely and eye-opening four-session online course will critically examine the intersection of Evangelicals and politics and what it all means for the future of religious freedom, non-believers, and Jewish Americans in our democracy. Led by a dissenting evangelical theologian and former longtime Washington, DC advocate for the religious right who witnessed firsthand the troubling sacralization of extreme partisanship, this class offers a rare insider’s perspective on what led up to the present informal and formal federal policies and practices that lean towards a government-favored sectarian religion. Designed for adults seeking to understand these complex political and religious dynamics, participants will gain the knowledge and tools needed to inform their communities and take meaningful action to preserve religious liberty for all Americans. This isn’t just an academic exercise—it’s an exploration of what every citizen can do to ensure our constitutional freedoms are safeguarded for ourselves and future generations.
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Loving God, hear the prayers
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of your people gathered in this community.
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- We give thanks for the safe arrival of Pastor Megan and Leila's twins, and we continue to hold them and their families in our prayers during this joyful time.
- We pray for those who are unhoused, sleeping rough, working outdoors, in unsafe living or working conditions, or otherwise subject to the effects of this summer’s heat without adequate cooling. We pray for immediate relief in the form of helpers and cooling centers, and for long-term, sensible action on global climate change.
- For all in our UCW community who are ill, or who are caring for loved ones. For all who grieve, God, we ask for the comfort of your presence.
- We pray for peace for your people all throughout the world. Teach us to beat our swords into plowshares, O God, and to sow wisdom and reap peace, justice, and joy.
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We pray to you, grateful for your accompaniment with us in all things. Amen.
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If you have other prayers of concern or celebration you
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would like lifted up in community, please email
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Pastoral Care Connections
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Please don't hesitate to reach out to Bridge Pastor, Rev. Rick Chrisman for prayer, pastoral support or with a pastoral emergency.
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and his office phone is 617-965-3893
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Find us on Instagram and Facebook
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We have a new Social Media Director! Maya Tuozzolo has agreed to keep UCW active online. Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook and share UCW posts so we can expand our network
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We, the members of The Union Church in Waban, true to our founding principle of being an inclusive church, covenant together to nourish and to sustain in our common life and practice a fully welcoming and affirming church for all persons. Welcoming all persons who seek to join with us in a commitment to love God and our neighbors, affirming the inclusive love of Jesus, we are open to all, without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, nationality, ability or economic circumstance. We invite all to full participation in our worship, membership, leadership and life of this church.
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