Welcome to Unitarian Universalist Society East
Sunday Services at 9:00 and 11:00
Weekly News
April 15, 2026
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Welcome to Unitarian Universalist Society East
Email our office to receive a visitor packet or to find out more. We schedule several newcomer events throughout the year after Sunday services.
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Sunday Service: "Earth Day"
Our April ministry theme is embracing possibility. While we often feel like solving the climate crisis is impossible due to political and economic forces, this morning we direct our attention to what is possible. Coordinators: Rev. Joh Pawelek and members of the UUSE Sustainable Living Committee
Services at 9:00 and 11:00 A.M.
Sunday, April 19, 2026
Gathering music starts at 8:50 and 10:50 A.M.
Join the virtual service at 11:00 A.M. via our Zoom link:
Contact the Office for Zoom Link.
Or join by phone. Call 1-860-646-5151 Meeting ID 357 815 420#.
In Case You Missed It
Click here for a Youtube video of the 3/29/26 service, "Transgender Day of Visibility."
Click here for the Youtube video of our Easter Sunday service, "Let There Be Music!"
Click here for the Youtube video of the 4/12/26 service, "Anticipation."
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Sing Out Love Listening Sessions
Wednesday evenings, April 15th, 22nd and 29th
Are you interested in hearing (and maybe even singing) music from the UUA's new online hymnal, Sing Out Love? Join our Music Director, Mary Bopp and Rev. Josh Pawelek for an exploration of the music in this wonderful new resource. Wednesdays, April 15, 22 and 29, 7:00 to 8:30 P.M. at the meeting house. All are welcome.
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Sound Healing with Maria Del Carmen
Friday, April 17th at 7:00 P.M. at UUSE
Join us as we host seasoned Sound Practitioner Maria del Carmen for this Sound Meditation series. Participants will be lying down or seated while Maria immerses them in the sounds of singing bowls, buffalo drums, and much more. Suggested donation is $20 but no one will be turned away.
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Intro to UU
Sunday, April 19th -- 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. at UUSE
Would you like to know more about Unitarian Universalism and Unitarian Universalist Society East? Please attend our Intro to UU:
Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026
Time: 1:00 to 4:00 P.M.
Location: UUSE Sanctuary or Zoom
Rev. Josh Pawelek and the Membership Committee invite you to an
informative seminar, which will include
- A brief history and background of our theology
- UUSE's mission, programs and facilities
- Opportunity to meet others interested in Unitarian Universalism
- Sharing of stories about what brings us together
To register, please contact Annie Gentile at (860) 646-5151 or uuseoffice@uuse.org.
Please RSVP by Thursday, April 16, 2026
(Let us know if you need childcare)
Questions?
Please contact Sylvia Ounpuu or Janet Dauphin at membership@uuse.org
or Rev. Josh Pawelek at 860-646-5151 or minister@uuse.org
We hope you will join us!
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Meditation Group
Monday, April 20 at 3:30 P.M.
The Meditation Group will meet at 3:30 P.M., Monday, April 20th in the youth group room on the lower level (new location). All are welcome - no experience necessary. Take a break from constant doing and relax into being present. Questions? Contact Nancy Thompson, uuseoffice@uuse.org.
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Music Salon Unplugged
Friday, April 24 at 6:30 P.M. in the Meeting Room
If you like music and fun, you will like the salon. We play instruments of all types for each other, sometimes sing, sometimes solo, sometimes in groups--lots of variety. This is a low-key group of friendly folks that are happy to hear music of all types. If you are an amateur, a sometimes professional, a beginner, a player who is rusty on an instrument you used to play....ALL ARE WELCOME! You may play alone or with others. We typically try to play a couple pieces together as a group. You are also welcome to just sit and listen. If you have questions or comments, please contact Peggy Webbe at uuseoffice@uuse.org.
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High School Youth Group Bake Sale!
Sunday, April 26th after each service in the lobby
Please join us on Sunday, April 26th after each service in the main lobby to support the High School Youth Group Bake Sale! Proceeds will be shared between the HSYG activity fund and the UUSE general fund. Contact Michelle Spadaccini at uuseoffice@uuse.org with questions.
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God as a Spiritual Experience
With special guest, Rev. Robert Forman, Ph.D., D.Hon., B.C.C.
Our April 28th God Talk session in the Meeting Room (4:30 P.M. in person and on Zoom) will feature a lecture by guest speaker, the Rev. Robert Forman, entitled "God as a Spiritual Experience." Rev. Forman is a writer, teacher, and spiritual guide whose work bridges the worlds of scholarship and deep personal experience. With a lifelong dedication to exploring the mystical dimensions of life, he has shared his insights with audiences across the globe--from Sweden to Iran, Finland to Israel, and throughout the United States. Learn more about Rev. Forman and about his latest book, Christianity Reimagined. To join God Talk online, click here.
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Death Cafe
Tuesday, April 28th
UUSE's next Death Cafe will be held at the meeting house on Tuesday, April 28th from 1:00 P.M. to 2:30 P.M. Death Cafe is a global movement with a simple goal: to provide participants in any stage of life with an opportunity for an open-ended discussion about death and dying. There is no formal agenda, but there is tea, cake, and a comfortable place to discuss this issue that will touch all of us at some point in our lives. All are welcome. Questions? Contact Rev. Josh Pawelek at minister@uuse.org.
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Hope in Hard Times
In these troubling times, many of us feel anxious, despondent, or alone. On Thursday, April 30th at 3:00 P.M., Rev. Josh Pawelek and members of the Pastoral Friends Committee will host a gathering for anyone who is looking for camaraderie and conversation geared towards finding hope in hard times. This will be a hybrid meeting. The Zoom link will be published prior to the meeting.
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Calling All UUSE Moms!
Calling all UUSE moms for help in developing a celebratory tribute to the diversity of moms! Do the prompts below move you? If so, please email your responses (or thoughts on being a mom) to Sam Taylor, uuseoffice@uuse.org, by May 1st to contribute to our Mother's Day service on May 10th.
- What does being a mom mean to you?
- How has your identify shifted since becoming a mom?
- What is your favorite memory of your mom?
- What values do you hope to instill in your children?
- How do you approach motherhood?
- What advice would you give a mom?
- What do your children call you?
Thank you for your responses!
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Boston Area Sanctuary Campus
The Sanctuary Campus is a UU Boston Area Campus Ministry offering Small Group Ministry, vibrant Campus Worship, Student Meetups, Student Retreats, Social Justice and More! Are you a college student in the Boston area OR an alumni of a college in the Boston area? Check them out! https://www.thesanctuaryboston.org/campus.
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Mark Your Calendar for May Fair!
Saturday, May 2, 2026 -- 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. -- All over the UUSE Grounds
Fun for Everyone!
Here's a link to the facebook event with all of the details: https://www.facebook.com/share/1B7x8cS7wN/
Be sure to share it widely!
- Beltane Ritual at 11 AM
- Reggaeton Music Demonstration at 1 PM
- Bike Rodeo and Children's Activities
- Food Truck
- Tag Sale
- Bake Sale
- Plant Sale
There are also many ways you can help out!
***NEW ASK*** Do you have a pop-up that we can borrow for the day? Contact Anne Carr or sign up in the lobby on Sundays.
***NEW ASK***Beltane Ritual organizers are looking for a couple of people to participate in the staging of the ritual itself, drummers and a firekeeper. Contact Ellen Williams to get more involved.
Tag Sale - No theme; we'll gladly take household goods, tools and electronics, gardening items, sports equipment and even small pieces of furniture in good condition. NO CLOTHING. Contacts: Sandy Karosi and Deb Gould.
Bake Sale - Contact Gail Crook if you can make something.
Plant Sale - Contact Sharon Gresk if you have plants to donate. Houseplants or garden plants, but please NOTHING INVASIVE.
Donations Timeline
You can drop off your donations on Thursday & Friday, April 30 and May 1 during office hours (9 - 4). Please bring them to the garden level; tag sale items can be put on the back porch. You can also bring things early on Saturday morning by 8 AM.
Volunteer for a Shift
Set up, clean up, help at a sale table - Sign up in the lobby or contact Anne Carr.
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Ryan Ford Concert
Sunday, May 3 at 3:00 P.M. at UUSE
Join us at 3:00 P.M. on May 3rd at UUSE for a fun afternoon of classical and modern music with Ryan Ford, his daughter Margeaux, and accompianist Lan-Ya Huang. Suggested donation (to benefit UUSE): $20. No one will be turned away!
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Pastoral Friends
The Pastoral Friends Committee has a rotating chair throughout the year. Should you need pastoral care during the month of April, contact Ellen Williams.
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Ongoing Happenings at UUSE!
There’s Always Something Good Going On
- Stop & Shop Gift Card sales after services on 1st Sundays
- Fair Trade Coffee/Tea/Chocolate sales after services on 2nd Sundays
- Yoga, every Wednesday at 10 A.M. All welcome!
- Manchester Women's Singing Circle, every Thursday at 7 P.M.
- Book Lovers, 2nd Tuesdays at 3:30 P.M. in person and on Zoom. May 12: What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harris. Discussion leader: Louisa Graver
- Women's Circle, 3rd Tuesdays at 7:00 P.M. (Zoom only December through March) Email Nora Alpers-Leon atuuseoffice@uuse.org for the Zoom link.
- Romeos, a monthly lunch for retired men on second Tuesdays - contact the UUSE office to be put on the email list.
- Ladies at Lunch, a monthly women's lunch typically on second Thursdays - advertised in the weekly eblasts.
- Buddhist Group, 1st Tuesdays at 7 P.M.
- Meditation Group, 3rd Mondays, 3:30 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.
- God Talk, 4th Tuesdays at 4:30 P.M.
- Humanist Group, 3rd Tuesdays at 4:30 P.M.
- Science and Religion Discussion Group, 4th Thursdays at 4:30 P.M. April's topic: Neurosystemic Trauma and Gaia Hypothesis presented by Gerald Dillenbeck
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Our Mission
Unitarian Universalist Society East is a welcoming, open-minded spiritual community seeking truth and meaning in its many forms. We share responsibility for building a more equitable, peaceful, and sustainable world.
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UUSE Links and Information
• Monthly Newsletter • Website • Previous Sunday Services
• Children & Youth Ministry • Facebook •
New England Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association
uuse.org • 860-646-5151
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