Shakyamuni Buddha taught that “all is impermanent.” On this Memorial Day weekend, we will reflect on impermanence - that life goes on, and people who were with us last year are no longer alive, but have passed on. Change within ourselves, in others, and in our environments is a continuing part of what is. Rev. Judith Wright will lead worship this morning.
Past Services
Sunday, May 17th, 2015
ONE SERVICE AT 10 AM
Shapes surround us each and every day. Symbols are incorporated into our day-to-day lives. Sometimes we lose sight of what significance both shapes and symbols can hold for us. Our guest, Rev. Joy Christi Przestwor, a candidate for ministry in our UU tradition, will help us reflect on the possibilities of widening our circles. She will be joining our discoveries of how much this shape and symbol has to teach us regarding the interconnection between our vulnerability and being an active participant in our faith. Come discover what “being circular” may have to offer your continued spiritual journey!
Rev. Joy Christi Przestwor was born in South Bend, IN and has lived on both the East and West coasts. Joy Christi was a member of the Adrian Dominican congregation of women religious from 1965 to 1978. She left this Catholic community of women during her second year at Harvard Divinity School where she graduated in 1980. In 1992 she moved from the West coast to the North Carolina Mountains and lived on a 33-acre dedicated space called Angel Springs Sanctuary until moving to West Hartford in the fall of 2014. Joy Christi has been a member of the Asheville, NC congregation since February of 2008. After over forty years of teaching, from primary education to graduate levels, she retired in 2012. Joy Christi was ordained as a priest in the Liberal Catholic Faith of the Malabar Rite on July 27, 2012 after completing a ministerial program with concentrations in Esoteric Christianity and Spiritual Mentoring at Sancta Sophia Seminary in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Joy Christi has been a candidate for dual affiliation through our UU ministerial program since 2009 with ordination on the 2016-2017 future horizon.
Sunday, May 10th, 2015
ONLY ONE SERVICE AT 10 AM
Many of us are familiar with the traditional Christian story of Mary, but did you know that Mary is an important figure in many religions? On this Mothers' Day, we will take a musical look at Mary in different forms of Christianity, the Russian Orthodox Church, and Islam. The Youth Choir and Adult Choir will sing anthems from these religions, and we'll tell stories of Mary from each of these traditions.
Sunday, May 3rd, 2015
What is transcendence? How do different religious traditions point towards spiritual transcendence? Can touching such transcendence change us as Unitarian Universalists to be more whole, healthier, and happier people? Rev. Judith Wright will lead worship this morning.
Sunday, April 26th, 2015
ONLY ONE SERVICE AT 11 AM in the Sanctuary
The Rev. Dr. Judith Wright
His Holiness, The Fourteenth Dalai Lama says that his religion is “kindness.” What does it mean to have a religion of kindness? What is kindness? How can we learn to develop more kindness within ourselves? Rev. Judith Wright will lead worship this morning.
Sunday, April 19th, 2015
The Rev. Dr. Judith Wright will be preaching
In honor of the upcoming Earth Day, we will reflect on the current condition of our home, Mother Earth, and our evolving relationship with her. We will look, in particular, through the lens of the lovely trees which grace our environments. Rev. Dr. Judith Wright will lead worship this morning.
Rev. Judith retired last June from the Northborough UU Congregation after twelve years as their settled parish minister, and now is their minister Emerita. She has served as a UU minister in parish ministries in New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, and as a chaplain in the Philadelphia area. As a UU Tibetan Buddhist, she regularly attends teachings at Namgyal monastery in Ithaca, New York, as well as the Sakya Institute for Buddhist Studies in Cambridge, MA. A widow of the late Rev. Dr. Rudy Nemser, Rev. Judith raised four children, and now has six grandchildren. She lives in Boylston, MA where she enjoys long walks, almost each day, with her three legged dog, Kelsang.
Sunday, April 12th, 2015
Life, like music, moves at different tempos. Speed can be thrilling, but also pressured. Efficiency is important of course, but we need to slow down. On the other hand, a slower pace can be lovely and contemplative, yet also lugubrious. And life is short, time's a-wasting, so hurry up! How do we strike a balance, and get the timing right? This Sunday Worship, entirely put together by the Parish Jazz Band and filled with their music, both fast and slow, will be a meditation on the various tempos of our lives—how we keep them, how we measure them, and how we set the pace.
Sunday, April 5th, 2015
Join us for an uplifting service that will focus on what the Easter message can mean in our lives today. After a special Easter Message for All Ages, our children will leave for the "Great Easter Egg Hunt." Both services will be filled with "Hallelujahs" and other great Easter music. We will conclude both services with an invitation to join the choir in singing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah. It will be a wonderful morning. Treat yourself to the experience and bring a friend.
Thursday, April 2nd, 2015
VESPERS 6:30 PM in the Sanctuary
This candlelight service will be led by our MinIster, The Rev. Tom Rosiello, and our Lay Ministers, and musicians. We will tell the story of Jesus' final days focusing on the Passover meal that he shared with his disciples and what this ritual of "breaking bread together" means to us today. In this service we honor our history and celebrate our Christian roots while reaching beyond to the broader message of community and the ministry of humble service. We will be using the historic communion silver form both the First Parish of Stow and the Universalist Church of South Acton in the service. Whether your religious background is Christian or not, please join us for this beautiful service.
Sunday, March 29th, 2015
March ends and April begins with important times of religious observance on both the Jewish and Christian calendars. With the teachings of Passover and Palm Sunday on our minds, we will examine the themes of freedom, liberation, survival and oppression and ask ourselves the difficult question, "Does my freedom come at the price of some else's oppression?” Our music will include songs of freedom and Passover. The Rev. Tom Rosiello will be preaching and leading worship.
