The youth class welcomed 5th and 6th graders to join us on Sunday for a special Valentine’s Day card making project – continuing our relationship with Many Helping Hands 365. After a mini lesson on the different types of love found in the Bible, the kids decided that this project could be considered a mix of Philia (friendship) and Agape (unconditional) love. What a treat to have a jam packed youth room with kids ranging from ages 10-15, from five different towns: Maynard, Concord, Westford, Acton, and Wayland! The cards will be delivered to Helping Hands this week and will be distributed to elders in Cambridge and Boston on Valentine’s Day.

In conjunction with the Cambridge based organization Many Helping Hands 365, WCUC youth gathered on Monday to design fleece blankets and scarves, accompanied by personal notes, for unhoused young people. These items will be delivered to shelters in and around Boston sometime next week.

Check out this great organization if you’re ever looking for volunteer opportunities, social justice activism, and/or civic engagement. There’s something for everyone!

We had a great crowd for our second Service Sunday and achieved a great deal, including:
– 30 backpacks packed for those released from incarceration with Concord Prison Outreach
– 52 bags of kid-friendly food packed in decorated bags for Open Table
– 120 pounds of additional miscellaneous groceries collected for Open Table
– 51 rocks painted to share with neighbors at the Healing Garden and our Welcome Garden
– Many cards of care for members and friends written
– 1 accessible planter constructed
– Cooperation and relationship building achieved between all ages and abilities
– Cheerful adjustments made as we realized that we had a good problem: too many people to keep busy with the tasks we had planned!

Take a look! Thanks to all who participated and supported this effort!

Our Mission Partners at Concord Prison Outreach (CPO) held a community event on September 25th to remember where the organization has been and consider where it’s headed. Pastor Hannah was invited to offer an opening prayer rand share a part of WCUC’s history with the Concord Reformatory. Did you know that WCUC was started by Reformatory staff and their families?

Image: Pastor Hannah, Executive Director Mr. Sam Williams, Interim Senior Minister of First Parish Concord Rev. Seth Carrier-Ladd, and CPO Board President Ms. Liz Rust

We’ll get a chance to hear more about CPO at our next Service Sunday on October 23rd, when Executive Director Mr. Sam Williams will attend and we will participate in CPO’s new backpack project, preparing resources for people who are released from incarceration.

View CPO’s anniversary video below!

On Tuesday, August 16th, people gathered at the Habitat House on Main St. with the McCarthy and Champion families to celebrate its completion. A huge thanks to Constance Putnam for attending this dedication ceremony and offering a blessing on behalf of WCUC. Prior to this day, other volunteers from our congregation transported the planters from our May “service” day over to the house. We filled them with plenty of soil and a variety of plants – some straight from the Arthur family’s home garden! We look forward to maintaining these planters each season throughout the years ahead. If you’d like to be a part of this “garden team”, please email Joyce DeGreeff (joycedegreeff@gmail.com).

We tried a new experiment on May 15th, spending our Sunday morning in service together. Thanks to everyone who helped us:

• Build 4 cedar planters for the new West Concord Habitat House
• Assemble 15 kitchen starter kits and collect 20 bags and boxes of other kitchen supplies and linens for Household Goods (!!!)
• Garden at the Minuteman Arc Pine Street House, adding flowers to beds and window boxes, refilling the bird feeders, repainting a mailbox, and cleaning the porch furniture;
• Write over 30 notes of care and send advocacy letters to protect those who have been evicted
• Plant seeds for pollinators and paint kindness rocks
• Share our stories of service at WCUC and beyond!

In honor of Earth Day, the WCUC youth set out to learn, explore, and volunteer at Mass Audubon’s Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Belmont, MA. While there we spent some time with other volunteers on various projects including removing invasive species in the woods and along the trails, and cleaning up a community garden. We also enjoyed a photo exhibit in the art gallery and a rejuvenating walk around a pond filled with wildlife sightings, birds singing, and a glorious sun-filled spring breeze. For anyone interested in nature, we highly recommend checking this place out! https://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/habitat

Our yearly tradition of Youth Pie Baking is back in person this year! In two hours on Saturday night, we baked 15 apple pies, wrote notes to some beloved friends in the congregation, and still had time for pizza and games. A huge thanks to these thoughtful and generous young people and to all those who pitched in to make some deliveries this year. It takes a village.

Team WCUC had great day at the Minute Man March! It started with a team photo and blessing, followed by a crew of all ages doing the March together. Together, we raised $2025, gave out 50 flowers of appreciation to MMArc staff, and prepared 40 postcards to send to our senators in support of the Better Care, Better Jobs Act! Thank you to all of our marchers and supporters. God Bless Every Body!