Stewardship 2.0

In some churches they post the giving amounts from last week’s offering on a board right in the sanctuary. Some churches put those same numbers in their worhsip bulletin each week. Some churches take special offerings, count the total right there in worship and if it’s not enough, send the baskets around a second time.

All of these are ways of communicating with the congregation about the real needs and the real response the congregation is making. You might call it “pressure tactics,” but you can also call it “feedback.”

Here at the United Parish we realize we have been conducting our stewardship efforts and managing our fianancial needs and the corresponding congregational response without offering much feedback. Maybe that’s because as stoic and private New Englanders we prefer all things money related to remain “understated.” Maybe we’ve been afraid that direct communication will feel like pressure.

But what the leadership of the church has come to realize is that we have created a climate of unknowing – our congregation rarely talks openly about the financial needs and realities of our church, except at Annual Meeting when only a fraction of our membership are present. The exception to this rule is when we hit a money crisis, like the end of the year crunch, when pledges and giving are lagging and it’s not clear we’re going to make our budget for the year. Then we send out all kinds of urgent messages.

But we’d like to change the tenor of our current congregational “conversation” about money. We want to be really up front with the “cold, hard facts” and the “great good news” of our church’s financial needs and our stewardship response. To that end, the leadership of the church has elected to use the month of May to communicate more clearly about the “nuts and bolts” of what it takes to financially support a church our size and as active as we are. There are many churches that do half the ministry we do. In fact when our Minister and President of the Mass. Conference of the UCC, the Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, came to preach a few years ago, he asked to see our annual report. His comments were telling; he said we were supporting the ministry programs of a church twice our size. That was a compliment! It showed the love, dedication and excitement we have for our children, our youth, our seniors, our shut-ins, our neighbors who are sick, hungry and homeless, our own members who are laid up or in need. We do amazing work on a shoe-string.

But the reality, friends, is that that shoestring is fraying right now and we need to strengthen it… strengthen it by asking for more giving from our own members. We’ve made all the budget cuts we can possibly make, in fact, in my opinion we’ve actually gotten to the point of “cutting off our nose to spite our face.” Our scrimping is backfiring and hurting us.

But not to despair! The good news is we have plenty of money! The other good news is it’s within reach; it’s in our pockets and our bank accounts.

So stay tuned for Stewardship 2.0. We will be sending out a congregational letter in the weeks to come and, in May, in worship, you will be hearing about both the “bottom line” and “the bright horizon.” We all want our ministry to flourish and to make a real difference in the lives of our members and in the life of our wider community. That’s what we’re shooting for, and with God as our guide, we cannot miss!

Blessed Be! Rev. Jan Gregory-Charpentier

PARISH HOSPITALITY
SUNDAY COFFEE HOUR

This September, the Member Care Committee will begin managing the Sunday Coffee Hour. Gathering after church for refreshment and conversation is long standing tradition in our church! Help us continue the practice by volunteering your time. It’s easy to do and it’s a great way to get involved.

We are making a few changes to the process. Church members are invited to take part in this wonderful ministry by signing up in pairs to host a Sunday or two during the year. Once a month coffee hour is hosted by a church small group, committee or supported ministry. That leaves three Sundays a month or approximately 34 opportunities. We are asking that you sign up in pairs – choose a Coffee Hour Partner and sign up for a Sunday! Having two people on the list insures a back-up and makes the overall execution easier to handle.

A large sign-up sheet will be placed on the bulletin board in the vestry in May. Committees and ministries will be filled in – the blank spaces will be yours for the taking. Instruction sheets and a take away reminder will also be available at sign up. There will be a modified set of instructions for our summer service coffee hour.

Member Care will be updating and organizing the ‘coffee hour’ section of the kitchen with labels, instructions and a fresh selection of items needed for hosts.


We are also looking for two gently used large coffee urns (30 cups or larger) to replace the older ones currently in use. If you have one you would like to donate please let Sandra Ng know.

Your generous donations fund coffee hour and your volunteer efforts insure that we can continue the after church hospitality to our parishioners.

If you are interested in hosting a coffee hour and aren’t quite sure what is involved, please take an “information and how to” flyer from the bulletin board next to the signup sheet. Member Care will offer a 15 minute orientation in August and September- further details to be announced.

General Membership Info

What's Happening

Save The Dates
Test

May 10th
Scrapbooking & Such Night Out
5-11 PM

Scrapbooking beginners are welcome!
Bring your knitting, note writing, craft projects.
Get those photos out of the shoeboxes and into lovely albums that you can enjoy for years to come.
Enjoy fellowship. Use large table/space.
Bring snacks to share. Take-out venues nearby.
Up-coming dates: May 10 and June 7
Donations accepted toward worthy project.
A fun night out!
Contact: Lorrie Loeper 508-529-4489 or lorrieloeper@yahoo.com

May 12th
Special Art Display & Guest Speaker

On Sunday, May 12th we will welcome Angela Palmer as our guest speaker. Angela will share the inspirational story of her friend, Steven Pelley. Steven’s art work will be on display in the vestry, so be sure to take a few minutes to view his work during coffee hour.

May 14th
Senior Lunch Bunch

The next Senior Lunch Bunch will be held on Tuesday, May 14th at noon in the church vestry. Come by and share coffee and dessert, bring your own lunch, if you like.

May 19th
Confirmation

Twenty (!) 15- and 16-year olds have chosen to participate in our Confirmation program over the last sixth months. That long journey of faith and learning will be culminating on Sunday, May 19 during our 9:45 worship service. Over the last six months these young adults have learned about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Church, the Bible, Good/Evil, Spiritual Gifts, and Prayer, among other things. They’ve visited other worship traditions, interviewed a “Living Saint” of our church (an older member), planned and led our Easter Sunrise service and been in regular conversation with an adult mentor about all sorts of topics related to faith. We are happy to confirm and welcome into membership:

Brett Alibozek
Colin Bethel
Kim Bohan
Jesse Charpentier
Nina Cok
Tom Coley
Azilee Curl
Kyle Gazoorian
Jeremy Hall
Mark Leclaire
Curtis Loeper
Rachel Maloney
Brynn Mitchell
Jennifer Oglesby
Brian O’Sullivan
Sam Pirozzi
Devon Poe
Emma Sexton
Napoleon Sylvester
Henry Vumbaca

Congratulations to you all!

May 19th
Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Endowment Campaign

At a called congregational meeting on Sunday, April 10, 2011 our congregation voted to contribute $10,000 over five years to the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Endowment Fund, a fund created to sustain the incredible work that has been going on in the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ over the last nine years that has literally changed the culture of ministry in our UCC conference. Originally initiated by a generous grant from the Lily Endowment, the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program of the MACUCC has had a huge impact on the face of ministry in our UCC conference, establishing collegial networks of support and resource sharing for both new and “seasoned” clergy, and providing training workshops for lay and clergy. With an emphasis on life-long learning, collegial support and personal growth, the clergy groups have improved ministry not just for the clergy of the MACUCC but for its churches as well. The colloquia have brought experts and practitioners together to improve their skills and share knowledge around such topics as stewardship, member growth, evangelism, spiritual practices, and more. This transformative work will continue on into the future (long after the Lily grant has run out) because of the generosity of churches like ours! We will be taking a special offering on May 19, the Feast of Pentecost – the celebration of the birth of the Church – in support of our yearly pledge. Please give generously.

May 19th
28th Annual Walk for the Homeless
Elm Park

Sponsored by Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance, the WALK and a new 5K RUN begin and end at Elm Park in Worcester. Registration/pledge sheets are available at the church or go to walk.stayclassy.org. This year the Walk/Run will benefit: Friendly House and the Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Donations Clearinghouse, Hope for Housing Program and other Homeless Prevention Services.

Homelessness-Walk/Run to erase it.

June 9th
Children's Sunday
The Road to Freedom
The Story of Moses and the Ten Commandments & Cinderella

Moses and Cinderella? What could Moses and Cinderella possibly have in common?


You'll have to come on June 9th to find out!

On Sunday, June 9th our Sunday school children will be connecting the classic fairy tale Cinderella with the biblical story Moses and the Ten Commandments to teach an important message.



Join us as we also celebrate the gifts of our children and all of the people who work so hard to keep our Christian Education programs alive and well in our church.

“Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt."

Exodus Chapter 3: 7-10

August 12-16
Vacation Bible School and Drama Camp

Join us during the week of August 12-16, 2013 for

Godzwerkus Circus School

More information and registration forms are available at the church or on the church website at www.unitedparishupton.org

On-Going Events

Called to Care: a team of volunteer care givers/visitors who pay calls are elderly, ill and those with limited mobility to bring friendship, companionship and connection. Contact Rev. Jan for more information.
Community Garden: The United Parish of Upton has been offered the use of one of the raised garden beds at the Upton Community Garden on Mechanic Street to grow fresh vegetables for the food pantry. The bounty from our garden was gratefully received by the food pantry clients when we planted a garden two years ago. Ideally, having a crew of 4 or 5 people would make the care and upkeep of the garden manageable for everyone. For more information about the Upton Community Garden visit http://uptongarden.blogspot.com. If you are interested in helping out, either to get the garden started or to help water, weed and harvest over the summer, please contact Sandra Ng at 508-529-3192, email unitedparishoffice@yahoo.com.
Faith in Action Sunday: for one Sunday in the spring we cancel church and move out into the community to provide hands on service to our town and its residents. Planting and improving in the community garden, yard work and painting for elders, street trash pick-up, and more. We leave the church to be the church!
Food Pantry: church and community volunteers staff our community food pantry, open Tuesday mornings, 9:30 - 11:00.
Helping Hands Network: a ministry network coordinated by the Member Care Committee that is on call to provide meals, rides, errand help or other temporary practical assistance in times of illness or transition. Contact the church office for more information.
Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN): our congregation is a member of the 30 member network of religious congregations in Worcester County and have joined together to offer shelter, advocacy and outreach to homeless families with children. A substantial mission commitment of our church, the Interfaith Hospitality Network houses families with children without regard to background, income and family make-up. Visit www.ihnworcester.org for more information on the IHN of Greater Worcester. Contact the church office for more information on how you can help.
Prayer Network: Close to 100 people currently belong to our prayer chain network and pray regularly for the needs of the wider United Parish community and their concerns. Prayer concerns are sent to Janet Keeler (hoha@charter.net) and she distributes them to prayer network members. To become a member of the prayer network (your one commitment is to pray in a way that suits you when the email prayer requests come to your inbox) call the church office or email Janet. To request prayers, email Janet and your request will be distributed to all members as soon as possible.
Scrip Cards: Scrip Program Needs YOUR Participation. The Scrip Team is encouraging all church families to participate in the Scrip Program. It is not just for grocery shopping and gasoline purchases. There are cards available for hundreds of retailers. Plan to use Scrip for all your holiday shopping needs and help the church raise money for our programs. A complete list of participating retailers can be found at the church or at www.glscrip.com. Current Scrip deals can be found at our stewardship web page, Stewardship.

Purchasing cards is easy; place your order with a Scrip representative during coffee hour or call (508-529-3192) or email (unitedparishoffice@yahoo.com). Turn around time is two days. Plan to use Scrip cards for gift giving, home improvement projects, travel, dining out… the opportunities are endless. If you have any questions about how the program works, speak to any Scrip representative or visit www.glscrip.com. This is an incredibly easy way to earn extra money to support the programs of the United Parish.

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