December Greetings!
Darkness falls early, temperatures are dropping, and the potential for snow is all the buzz on
the news tonight. It is December in New England!
It has been a tumultuous world we’ve navigated these past several months, on a global scale.
Sadness, anger, confusion, and occasionally hope, surge through me as I listen to the news.

During this time, I am even more grateful for our UU faith and principles, the 6th one which en-
courages us to work toward a goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. I

am ever so glad we can gather as a community, share our joys and concerns, and feed our
spirits together.
The month of December can be very busy, and the Board and committee chairs continue to
work hard for UUCSW. Lots of planning going on, and lots of doing! I hope you had a chance
to buy homemade cookies from our youth on Sunday December 10th! Yummy and delicious,
what a great way to support their fundraising for the Westborough Food Pantry! They raised

$584.00 with their cookie sale, and all of it goes directly to helping families in need. The West-
borough Food Pantry is run with 100% volunteers. And that’s just one activity happening!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Giving Tree this year, and a special thank you to

Erin Boudreaux for organizing it for us! Our church is contributing 50 gifts to the interfaith Giv-
ing Tree project! Your generous gifts will bring a smile to many faces this Christmas!

December is a time of brainstorming and dreaming for the Board of Trustees. In other words,

we are starting to configure our goals for the budget for UUCSW for 2024-2025! It is my fa-
vorite part of budget formation! What could be bad about putting our ideas and daydreams

down on paper? Think about it: what needs more funding? What activities do we want to be
participating in? What growth do we hope to encourage? How can we accomplish it? Board
members* would love to hear from all of you, as we engage in this process over the next few
months! (In case you’re wondering, your Board members are: David King, David Lambert, Vince Aquilino, Ellen Rutter, co-chair, and myself, co-chair. ) Find us individually, or email us at
board@uucsw.org.
The potential for snow also catches the attention of our Building and Grounds Committee.
Vince Aquilino is overseeing snow removal for us this winter. Thank you, Vince! If you can help
him with the actual use of shovels and our snow blower, please contact him!

One of my favorite December traditions here at UUCSW is the candlelit ending to our Christ-
mas Eve service. As we prepare to end the service, we gather round the sanctuary forming

one large circle. The lights are turned off, and starting from one single candle, we pass the
flame from one to the other, uniting us all. Young and old, we hold our candles carefully, as we
join together in singing “Silent Night”. There is a simple grace and beauty to it. It is a moment
that fills me with peace, and joy.
This season, the Board wishes for each of you that you find something meaningful that fills you
with joy, a sense of peace, and a glimmer of hope. May you carry that with you into the New
Year.
Peace,
Nancy, and the Board of Trustees