At the end of October we got another chance to visit the Habitat House being renovated in West Concord, which we raised money for early in 2020. Thanks to all who contributed and came to work, including all our community partners.

What could be better than a crisp fall evening with great company and a roaring fire? Some sticky, sweet S’mores of course! Enjoy the photos of our very first Fire Pit Fellowship from last Sunday, and try not to let your mouth water too much with the delight of roasted marshmallows and melted chocolate. We hope you can join us on Sunday, November 7th for our next Fire Pit Fellowship!

With the help of several dedicated and hard-working volunteers, the massive clean-out of our Children’s Ministries supply closets was completed last week!  After four years of heavy use, it was time for a solid purge, cleaning, and thoughtful reorganization of all our materials.  It is such a gift to have this huge job conquered! Check out the before and after photos below.

A special thanks to Ruth Sedlock, Janice Smith, Melissa Gardner, Susan Coppock, and Melissa Tustin for the many hours of wading through the mess, the mice droppings, and the endless bags and boxes of trash and recycling!

As you can see, all ages and abilities had a blast dancing together at Sunday Fellowship’s second St. Patrick’s Day Dance. Thanks for coming everyone!

From sharing a delicious meal together, to exploring a variety of interactive prayer stations, to quietly ushering in the season of Lent with prayer and music in our Vespers service, Ash Wednesday was filled with opportunities to nurture the spirit in preparation for Lent. How will you feast and fast this season to nurture yours?

On Sunday, all children and youth, ages 3-18, experienced the story of the baptism of Jesus together with drama and interactive experiences in every single classroom. All doors were open on Sunday, meaning children of all ages were allowed to float between rooms, choosing from a wide variety of activities for all interests and abilities. Check out the pictures from our fantastic morning together!

The youth group celebrated Thanks-Giving this year by making promises to support WCUC and by baking pies for people in our congregation who could use some extra cheer.

After brainstorming in class the many ways that people can “give back” to this church and offer thanks to a community that nourishes us, the youth made their own pledges of commitment for the year ahead.  Their “tokens” of appreciation showed a wide array of promises including:  Sunday Fellowship participation, Youth Group and school service activities, more consistent attendance at worship and at youth group classes, spreading love and peace, being more kind, worship leadership, inviting friends, and making a monthly monetary donation. We are beyond blessed to have these thoughtful and generous young people in our church community!

Putting their faith and giving spirit into action, many of the youth came to church early on Sunday morning to be welcomed by Ann Schummers, and adult volunteers Amanda and Debbie, for our annual pie baking adventure.  Fifteen small pies and hand written cards were prepared for delivery and the youth got to enjoy a “sample pie” to be sure they were good enough to serve to others.  A huge thanks to Mrs. Schummers for keeping this tradition alive.  It has become a Youth Group favorite.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Last Sunday the Middler, Multiage, and Preschool classes continued our stories, our wondering, and our explorations together in a variety of ways.  Here is a snapshot of what each class was up to:

Middler

• Gathered together by floating a hope (plastic egg) and sinking a worry (a rock) from the week
• Read the book Miracle Man by John Hendrix
• Talked about different people in our lives that we look up to the way the disciples looked up to Jesus
• Created GIANT airplanes that really flew!

Preschool

• Set up props and acted out the story of the Good Shepherd and the Lost Sheep
• Hunted for “lost” sheep around the room
• Sang “The Shepherd had 100 Sheep” (to the tune of “The Ans go Marching”)
• Colored door hangers to invite neighbors and friends to our Open House

Multiage

• Continued our explorations of the early church with puppets and props
• Created “sand hands” to represent how we are the hands of Jesus today, spreading his word and teachings
• Worked together with factory precision, focus, and dedication to finish decorating ALL the remaining door hangers for our Open House invitations.  Kids estimated they colored about 250!
• Loved being the hands and feet of Jesus (“For real!”) as children and parents walked our neighborhood delivering our Open House invitations

Enjoy the pictures below of our fantastic Sunday together!

Accessibility of worship is one of the greatest values at West Concord Union Church. Over time we have slowly added new items and practices to try to make worship more accessible. A few are new just this month. Can you spot one you weren’t aware of?

• Offering envelopes and tokens are available by our greeters in the hallway. Tokens are for those who give electronically or those who wish to dedicate an intention or action to God.
• Continuing towards the sanctuary, on the right are a variety of resources for use during worship: paper, pencils, books, and toys, including items that may work for those with sensory challenges.
• As you enter the sanctuary, there is a bookshelf to your right. This bookshelf holds many resources including bibles, visual worship guides, hearing assist devices, and noise-cancelling headphones for those for whom loud noises are challenging.
• Our ushers have both regular and large-print bulletins available.
• During All Ages Sundays, activity stations are located near the front of the sanctuary.

We hope you use these tools and resources as needed, and help others access them as well!