The Walking Prayer Group that meets on Monday mornings, found themselves at Walden Pond this week with a much needed time for sharing our prayers in community, followed by a walk in nature that contained a variety of balms for the soul: clouds and sun, children enjoying a day off, trees losing their final leaves, shimmering water, and folks from around the world coming to explore the gift of creation that we have in our backyard.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”     Romans 15:13

On Sunday, October 13th, Rev. Ross Allen and Joyce DeGreeff led part one of a two part series on “Building Beloved Community” within the context of our growing church community. After an introduction to the history of the term, first coined by philosopher and theologian Josiah Royce and later popularized by Martin Luther King Jr., folks exchanged stories of personal experiences with both strong and challenging communities. From this, we agreed on some shared values and optimum guidelines for strengthening relationships and communicating effectively when trying to build a beloved community. We also named the fact that inevitably disagreements and conflicts will arise that will require intentional action in order to work through the differences. Using a tool called the “Approaching Differences Diagram”, we were able to reflect together on the benefits of entering into these more difficult spaces with a posture of openness and trust, as opposed to one of suspicion and fear, in order to move through the dissonance with grace and find a place of understanding and empathy.

Please join us this coming Sunday, October 20th, @ 11am in the Parlor for Building Beloved Community: Part II – Spiritual Gifts and the Power of Belonging.

A big group gathered on September 15th for a forum on inclusive community. Here are some of the highlights:

Disability Models

First, we discussed how narrow ways of thinking about disability color the way people with disabilities are treated and biblical healing stories are read. If people only view disability through a “medical model”, disabled bodies are viewed as a problem and medical cure the only solution. A social model of disability helps us remember that disability is a natural part of life and is the result of social conditions, not just medical ones. Having more than one way to think about disability ensures that we read healing stories and understand healing as more than the erasure of disabled bodies.

Rejecting Expired Language

Next, we discussed how being anti-ableist as a congregation and as individuals requires us to reject expired language and replace it with “person-first language” and other language that our friends with disabilities tell us they experience as affirming.

Disability Etiquette

Ensuring that the bodies and boundaries of people with disabilities are respected goes hand in hand with using affirming language. Read on for disability etiquette.

An experiment that began last year is working beyond our wildest dreams. It’s a simple gathering of folks who happen to be free on a Wednesday morning once a month, to hang out in the WCUC Parlor and chat over coffee and refreshments – a sort of mid-week “coffee hour” that lasts an hour and half from 10:30-12noon so that people have the time and space to share stories, talk about what’s going on in their lives, and find joy in laughter, connection, and friendship. And for those who might prefer a quieter activity, there’s always a jigsaw puzzle available too. We meet on the third Wednesday of each month, so the next dates are: October 16th, November 20th, and December 18th. Please consider stopping by if you have the time. We’d love to visit with you!

WCUC hosts Walking Prayer every Monday morning @ 9:30am. Our meeting place alternates between the Welcome Garden and Walden Pond. This week was Walden’s turn so it felt appropriate to begin with this meditation written by Mary Oliver:

GOING TO WALDEN

It isn’t very far as highways lie. I might be back by night fall, having seen
The rough pines, and the stones, and the clear water.
Friends argue that I might be wiser for it.
They do not hear that far-off Yankee whisper:
How dull we grow from hurrying here and there! Many have gone, and think me half a fool
To miss a day away in the cool country. Maybe. But in a book I read and cherish, Going to Walden is not so easy a thing As a green visit. It is the slow and difficult
Trick of living, and finding it where you are.

Join us next week on Monday, September 23rd @ the Welcome Garden or the following Monday, September 30th back at Walden. Email Joyce DeGreeff, joycedegreeff@gmail.com to let us know you’re coming. We’d love your company!

*Photos taken along the rail trail by prayerful walkers.

Every Monday morning at 9:30am, WCUC members and friends gather for a time of sharing followed by a silent prayer walk in nature. We share joys and concerns about ourselves, our loved ones, and our world asking one another to hold space for what’s on our hearts and inviting God to work in and among us. We then depart for a contemplative prayer walk in nature to listen for the voice of the Spirit and to relish in God’s creation. This year we are alternating weeks between the Walden Pond and the WCUC Welcome Garden as our gathering places. For those with less mobility, the Labyrinth is also available! Please email Joyce DeGreeff if you’re interested in joining us: joycedegreeff@gmail.com

“We who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul.” -Hebrews 6: 18-19

A weekend filled with prayer, scripture, song, sharing, reflection, rest, companionship, creativity, nature, art, poetry and laughter is a perfect recipe for “Healing with Hope in Harsh Times”. This was the theme of the 2024 WCUC Women’s Retreat @ Craigville Conference Center on Cape Cod. Surrounded by beautiful scenery and the company of old and new friends, ranging in age from 25-92, the time away provided us with renewed spirits and fresh energy for the road ahead.

Life can sometimes feel like it’s one transition after another. Whether big or small, these transitions can be both exciting and challenging. There’s no one right way to get through them, but often it’s helpful to share our experiences, learn from one another, and find support for the journey. Such was the case on Saturday, April 20th when these folks pictured below came together for prayer and meditation, sharing and discernment, faith formation and food fellowship. Rev. Matt Carriker, the retreat facilitator, taught the group how to use the Quaker practice of Clearness Committees to understand liminal spaces in our lives as well as Lectio Divina, a contemplative practice of reading Scripture for deeper, more personal meanings.  Through conversation and spiritual practices, the retreat participants came away with various tools for navigating transitions in their lives as well as a few new friends for the road ahead.

As we traveled through Lent this year with the theme of “The Body Remembers”, adults were offered opportunities to try out a few embodied spiritual practices. The series opened with a session on various forms of meditation including a body scan and breathing techniques. Next, Ellie Horwitz led us in Qi Gong teaching us about body energy and deliberate movement and balancing practices. This was followed by Nan Gibbons who led us in a drum circle – the art of using our hands to make music together, basking in sound vibrations and building community. Next we tried some hand reflexology and chair yoga. And finally, we used our hands to create warmth and comfort for others making several fleece blankets for Project Linus to be distributed to children in hospitals, shelters, and foster care. You can read about this great organization here: https://www.bostonprojectlinus.com. We had such a good time feeling the Spirit in our bodies, learning some new practices, and being creative together for the sake of our neighbors.

In a world where many feel isolated, disconnected, or even invisible, it’s increasingly important for our church to find ways to bring people together. Now that we’ve made it through the pandemic and we’re not forced to look at each other only on computer screens, our in person gatherings feel even more special. Whether we’re at Walden Pond for walking prayer enjoying the company of others in nature, at With Us Wednesdays sharing stories and laughter, or baking pies together for church members who could use some extra cheer this year, the people of WCUC – young, old, and young at heart – are finding comfort and joy in this weary world.