United Parish of Upton | Upton, Massachusetts

The Transition Is Here

In Last month’s Spire, Reverend Jan admitted that she was counting down the Sundays until the beginning of her sabbatical on May 1st and recounted some of the activities that will be happening with her and the church related to the sabbatical during that time. She is not the only one.

I have also been counting the Sundays until the beginning of her sabbatical and looking forward to stepping into the life of the church in a fuller role as my classes wrap up at Boston University. I deeply appreciate the confidence you have given me by taking me on (and taking me in!) and by May 1 st , I will have been licensed by the Central Association of the United Church of Christ to perform all sacraments and duties of a pastor. So rest assured if anything comes up and I need to be the celebrant, officiant, pastor, or otherwise minister-on-the-scene the wider church approves.

The advantage of a sabbatical pastorate is that there are no changes to the liturgies, programs, worship, prayer forms, communion, or anything that pastors normally perform at UP—for me, this is an extension of what I have been doing all along, which is getting to know you more deeply and richly but in a new role. I hope this time will be fun for both of us, as you get to see a new but familiar face leading worship and giving pastoral care, and I begin to live into my new vocation for a time with a congregation that I have come to know and love.

The only “change” may be where you find your pastor—I’ll be upstairs in the Ladies Parlor during office hours, and more days than not with our dog Shep in tow. I have found that he is a great spiritual advisor who listens really well, engages earnestly with rapt attention when you talk to him and just helps by being present when problems arise. I guess that's not all that surprising, because after all, DOG is just GOD spelled backwards. So come see us if you’re around this summer. We’ll leave the light on for you.

Let's keep Reverend Jan in our prayers during this 'Jubilee' time, and may you have a blessed May,

Mark Brockmeier
Your part-time, interim sabbatical pastor

Mark’s Office Hours: Tuesday & Wednesday 10:00-4:00

During office hours, please contact Mark through the church office at 508-529-3192.
After Hours, Mark can be reached on his cell phone at 603-818-2328 or by email at revbrock@bu.edu.

Worship is at the center of who we are and what we do as a church of Jesus Christ . We meet weekly for Sunday worship and schedule numerous seasonal special worship services throughout the year.

Worship and Education: Nursery Care for infants and toddlers is available beginning at 9:30 am through 11:00 am. A paid, trained, adult nursery care provider staffs our nursery each week.

Children in grades Pre K through Fifth grade attend the first 10-15 minutes of worship then are dismissed to their Sunday School classes [see Children's Ministry page].

We celebrate “All Age Worship” (where only the youngest classes meet – Pre K and Kindergarten – and First Grade and older stay in worship) services on special Sundays through the year:

Homecoming Sunday (first Sunday after Labor Day)

First Sunday of Advent

Christmas Sunday (Sunday after Christmas)*

Jazz Sunday (Sunday before Lent)

Easter*

Earth Day (Sunday closest to April 22)

Pentecost

Children's Sunday (second Sunday in June)*

* no PreK or Kindergarten classes on these Sundays; only infant and toddler care

Holy Communion: The Sacrament Holy Communion is offered the first Sunday of every month. We celebrate an “open table.” All who wish to know the presence of Christ in the sharing of the meal are welcome to participate.

Music: Adult and/or Youth and/or Children's choirs help to lead worship each Sunday [see music page for details and schedule]. The last Sunday of each month our worship music is provided by our praise band, Accord .

Worship Accessibility: Listening Assistance Devices and LARGE PRINT bulletins are available for those who would like to use them. A chair lift to assist those with limited mobility is available from the street level to the entryway. A set of four stairs still remains to enter the sanctuary. (We apologize that our sanctuary is not yet fully accessible. A task force is now working on plans to make our building fully accessible.)

Summer Worship Schedule: Summer Worship (Sundays in July and August): in the summer we move our worship service to our large fellowship room on the street level to create a cooler and more intimate and casual worship setting. We call it our “Summer Chapel.” During Summer Chapel months coffee hour begins before worship at 9:00 am. Summer Sunday School for Kindergarten and younger, as well as Nursery Care, is provided.

Coffee Hour: A time for conversation and fellowship follows worship just about every Sunday of the year. Please come enjoy a cup of tea, coffee or juice!

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