Stewardship Sunday Worship
November 14, 2021 – 5:00pm
We gather for worship, with a special focus on stewarding our congregation for the coming year. Please prayerfully consider how you can offer yourself to this community financial and otherwise.
Home Improvement In A Warming World: Case Studies
November 16, 2021 – 7:00pm (On Zoom)
Going beyond installing a programmable thermostat and some insulation in the attic…
More than half of a home’s energy bill is spent on heating and cooling. A well-insulated home is a surefire way t help keep your power bill manageable in both winter and summer (if you have air conditioning). Once a home is insulated, the benefits of other energy-saving investments, like new heating and cooling systems, grow. And an energy-efficient home is not only better for your pocketbook, it’s what we all need to do in responding to climate change.
Three local residents will share their own efforts to drive down fossil fuel consumption and decarbonize their homes and properties. In each case, they took a systems approach by making several improvements to their houses concurrently such that both their overall CO2 production and energy costs went down. The case studies will feature projects that involve insulation, window replacement and geothermal heating and cooling. In each case we will learn about project costs and payback. A time for Q & A will follow.
Featuring stories from Bill Churchill (from Lincoln), Sarah Maas Scheuplein (from Weston) and Roger Wiegand (from Wayland).
Register here!
RETURN TO IN PERSON WORSHIP!
Worship has returned to our sanctuary at our new time:
5:00pm
We will be following the guidelines put in place by the Reopening Task Force at WVC, and the good wisdom of our Deacons. This includes the following precautions:
- Masks are required during indoor worship
- Food will not be served or consumed indoors
- We ask that folks maintain and respect distance as space allows
For those who are for any reason uncomfortable gathering in person, the service can be joined via Zoom. The link is available in our E-News, or you can email bob@wellesleyvillagechurch.org to request the link. Don’t get our E-news but want to? Contact us here!
Past Events
All Saints Worship
November 7, 2021 – 5:00pm
We marked All Saints Day and celebrated that pillar of our faith: that all belongs to God. In our best times, we rejoice in what God has done. In our most difficult moments, we seek God’s comforting embrace.
2021 has not been the year we thought it would be, as the pandemic lingered, the losses continued, and our isolation seemed endless. We are finding our way in this new season together, as we always have, celebrating the joy of being together and making sense of all that has brought us here.
It seemed particularly important this year that we drew near to one another to celebrate the lives of the saints that make our lives what they are. We gathered as the autumn light faded from the treetops and fall’s familiar chill filled the air.
Special “Church Family” Gathering
Sunday, October 24, 2021 – 5:00pm
The past two years have been difficult for all of us. The pandemic prevented us from worshiping together in person, and for a church family like ours, which relies on coffee time interactions to stay connected, this had been really difficult. During this hiatus, life moved on for many of us. Individually this may have involved changes in employment, housing, family or other life circumstances. For the church, this has meant an expansion of our collaboration with Wellesley Village Church, a change in service time (see below), work toward the creation of an outreach center in Weston, and new relationships with several different pastors. In the midst of all this change, we wanted to know how congregants felt about the church and its future.
To that end, the Council held our special “Church Family” Gathering. During and after the service, we shared our feelings about these changes, how they affected congregants’ relationship with church, and their hopes and wishes for the future of our church family. These were really important conversations, that helped in charting a course for our future.
City Mission’s Green Book Tour of Boston
Saturday, September 11, 2021
City Mission invited congregants to join them for the Annual Green Book Tour of Boston. The Green Book was considered to be the AAA guide for Black motorists who took to American roads. First published in 1936, during the period of Jim Crow segregation, it identified establishments that would accept the business of African Americans. This included information about hotels, restaurants, gas stations, barber shops, drug stores, and more. To stay safe, Black people never left home without a plan and a copy of the Green Book. The tour was led by Rev. June Cooper.
Sunday Worship at Wellesley
Last summer worship was held jointly, in person, at the Wellesley Village Church with a livestream for those who who either couldn’t make it or preferred to worship at home. The sermons were then posted on YouTube for congregants to view at their leisure.
WOW! Worship on Wednesday!
July 14, July 21, & July 28, 2021
7:00pm
Each Wednesday we gathered outside the sanctuary (just off the sliding glass doors) together for a simple liturgy of song, prayer, and reflection. These informal, simple services were a perfect chance to reconnect with one another and imagine what new thing God is doing among us!
CCW Congregational Hearing
June 16, 2021 – 7:30pm
About 15 months ago, a tiny sized virus created a “new normal” for the world, but before that CCW was envisioning a “new normal” of our own. Through several congregational working sessions, we decided that the only way forward for us as a worshipping community was for us to choose a new path. Your Moderator, your Deacons and the CCW Council invite you to a Congregational Hearing to be held on Wednesday evening, June 16 from 7:30 to 8:30PM via Zoom. Your church leaders would like to share exciting news about a proposed vision for the new “Center” to be developed at CCW, and the plans for reopening in-person worship in September, including a change in time for the service.
Zen’s Farewell Parking Lot Fellowship
Sunday, June 6, 2021 – 11:30am
Our Choir Director, Zen Kuriyama, left us last June in preparation for joining the novitiate for the USA East Province of the Jesuits in Syracuse in August. Zen had been with us for 2 years and in that time had become a beloved member of our community. He directed our choir with sensitivity and with careful adherence to the themes of the worship services. He was also faced with the difficulties of keeping this all going during a pandemic! His patience with us as we navigated the a cappella app and his untiringly positive attitude enabled CCW to maintain its musical standards, even from our own little screen boxes! We celebrated with Zen in person at the church with coffee, juice and goodies.
PFAS and Drinking Water Discussion
June 3, 2021 – 7:00pm
MetroWest Climate Solutions hosted a discussion on PFAS, the “forever chemicals,” – a class of toxic chemicals found in everyday products such as non-stick pans and stain-repellant fabrics and clothing. Because these synthetic compounds do not break down easily in the environment, these chemicals are showing up as contaminants in drinking water systems around the country. We explored what can be done about this growing problem and how much should we worry.
Speakers included Dr. Laurel Schaider, Senior Scientist at the Silent Spring Institute, and Laura Spark, Senior Policy Advocate for Clean Water Action. The program was moderated by Elizabeth Saunders, Massachusetts State Director at Clean Water.
Interfaith and Multi-Congregational Witness
June 8, 2020
Congregational Church of Weston, UCC 