Join members, friends, and clergy from the Greendale Ecumenical Group for their online Fall Study Group beginning Tuesday, October 6 @ 7 pm. We’ll meet weekly on Tuesday evening through Dec. 8. To register and receive online access, click the link below. This is a drop-in group, attendance at each session is not mandatory.

This “volume focuses on the diverse interfaith afterlives of Jesus. Moving beyond the explicitly Christian afterlives traced in volume one, this set of essays explores how Jesus has significant afterlives in Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Ruism and Mormonism, as well as selected secular afterlives in progressive Christianity. The contributors include religion scholars from the respective traditions, as well as faith practitioners reflecting on Jesus within their own religious context. While the essays are all grounded in critical scholarship, reflective practice, or both, they are expressed in nontechnical language that is accessible to interested nonspecialists.”

CLICK HERE to join this group!

For more information contact Rev. Aaron Payson (minister@uucworcester.org).

The post The Interfaith Afterlives of Jesus: Fall 2026 Greendale Ecumenical Study Group first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

UUCW members and friend have received a last minute invitation to join Congregation Beth Israel for a Sukkot Dinner at 6 pm on October 1. Rabbit Aviva Fellman writes, “We are so delighted to have you/your congregants join us next week. Dinner at 6pm in the sukkah at Beth Israel on Thursday, October 1st. Please park in the lot on the kinnicutt side (chapel/service entrance). Let’s hope that weather holds out but we are happy to host rain or shine (if raining, we will gather in the library or social hall for supper).

Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish festival that celebrates the autumn harvest and remembers the temporary shelters used by the Israelites during their journey through the desert.

In order to give the congregation a rough head count to plan for dinner, PLEASE RESPOND BY 9 AM, MONDAY, OCTOBER 28. CLICK HERE TO RESPOND.

The post Celebrate Sukkot with Congregation Beth Israel first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

On Sunday, September 13, 2026, members and friends are invited to gather in person and online for our Annual Fall Sunday Morning Worship of Return following our summer ventures. This service will include a Water Ceremony, a tradition we have observed for many years. This is a reminder that, as you make your summer sojourns, please collect water from your special places and bring a small amount with you for the water ceremony. We’ll then gather for our ceremony outside (weather permitting) and water our gardens as we welcome each other back from summer. If you have any questions about this ceremony or service, please do not hesitate to contact our minister, Rev. Aaron Payson (minister@uucworcester.org).

The post Ingathering Service and Water Ceremony – September 13, 2026 first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

Open to knitters, crocheters, cross-stitchers, and more. Any type of crafting with fibers! Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the church. Contact Kim Napoleone or Angela St. Laurent with questions.

The post Calling All Fiber Folk! first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

Please mark your calendar and plan to join us for our ANNUAL ALL-CHURCH PICNIC, Sunday, June 14th, following the Annual RE Worship Service. Cost is $5 per adult and a dish to share if you can. We will provide the entrée (burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, etc.), lemonade, and watermelon. Please join us for this fun annual event! The picnic is on rain or shine!  

Please help by signing up to serve on one of the Picnic Teams (Set up, cooking, Serving, Clean Up) by CLICKING HERE!

For more information, contact minister@uucworcester.org.
Rev. Aaron Payson

The post All-Church Picnic! Sunday, June 14, 2026 Following Worship first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

We are excited to host this year’s Yard Sale & Craft Fair on June 6, 2026. For those interested in contributing items to the yard sale, please drop them off:

• Wednesday, June 3rd – 9 am to 6 pm
• Thursday, June 4th – 9 am to 6 pm
• Friday, June 5th – 9 am to noon

All donations must be clean and in good working condition.  Donations are clothing, linens, sports equipment, toys, electronics, holiday items, artwork, and household items.  Furniture will be accepted only if the person donating is willing to take it back if it doesn’t sell. Books are not accepted this year.

If you are willing and interested in helping set up, staff, or clean up from this year’s sale, please CLICK HERE.

The post Yard Sale Drop Off Times first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

Sunday, June 7, will offer another opportunity for people to formally join the congregation as new members by participating in a ceremony during the 10 am worship service, during which participants sign the membership book and are welcomed formally by the congregation. Participation in this ceremony is not a requirement for membership.

Anyone who wishes to become a member may do so by inquiring with the Minister and may sign the membership book in private.

If you’d like to join the church as a member on June 7, during the 10 am Worship Service, or are interested in membership in the church, please CLICK HERE.

Thoughts On Membership

We are changed by any community we choose to join. Becoming a member of UUCW is about making a commitment to support and shape this congregation; it is also about opening yourself to be shaped within the context of this community.

Why Join? Joining the church is a formal sign of commitment to our community. With it goes an understanding of both service and financial support, as you are able, to our community. It means lending your energy and talents to grow our young people, care for our elders, fight for our beliefs and passions, laugh together, cry together, and mark our transitions together. It buoys and strengthens the community-and that means each and every member knows that we share a common bond.

Membership allows you to be a voting member on concerns vital to our church community. At the Annual Meeting members vote to approve a budget, to accept new leaders, and to change bylaws affecting our governance. Historically our members have voted on important congregational questions such as whether to offer two services on Sundays, install the rainbow window, or change the size of our Board of Management.

Have questions about joining the congregation? Please contact the Connections Team.

The post New Member Sunday – June 7, 2026 first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

On Thursday, May 7, 2026 @ 7pm The Greendale Ecumenical Group will host a Healing Worship Service & Blessing of Hands at Salem Covenant Church (215 East Mountain Street, Worcester). This service is open to all who wish to join together as a healing presence. The service will include opportunities to experience various healing modalities, including a walking labyrinth, blessing of the hands, healing prayer, and sound healing. Grounded in a vespers-style worship liturgy, songs, words of hope and encouragement, prayers for peace, and hymns of the spirit will reflect our intent to offer each other the gift of grace, love, and compassion for the work of our world and care for each other.

Join us for this wonderful opportunity to honor the spirit that transcends our individual traditions and grounds us in our common efforts to make real the promise of love in our lives and the world at large.

The post Ecumenical Service of Healing & Hope – May 7th @ 7 pm – Salem Covenant Church first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

CLICK HERE to download a pdf of this year’s Lenten Devotional

The post 2026 Greendale Ecumenical Group Lenten Devotional first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

An effort is currently underway to staff a Winter Overflow Shelter at St. John’s Catholic Church, Xavier Center @ 20 Temple Street in Worcester. The Shelter is staffed by volunteers and intends to open every night during the month of February. Shelter management is currently looking for more volunteers, especially to cover overnight shifts. If you are interested in volunteering, please CLICK HERE to sign up. For questions are more information about this effort, please reach out to our Minister, Rev. Aaron Payson (minister@uucworcester.org)

The post Worcester Winter Overflow Shelter Looking for Volunteers first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.