Sanctuary United Church of Christ

Living Soulfully: A Circle for Conversation and Connection
2025-12-12 14:00 - 15:15, 2025-11-14 14:00 - 15:15 (America/New_York) | Riverside Towers, 99 Riverside Ave, Medford, MA, United States
Riverside Towers Community RoomRev. Wendy hosts a monthly Circle for Conversation and Connection with the residents of Riverside Towers. Using a wide range of inspiration (poetry, art, music, oracle cards, and more) the participants reflect on prompts designed to make soul connections and each other’s stories.
This month’s theme is: Watch this space for more information about the theme.

Weekly Vigil: Peace & Justice for Immigrants
2025-12-09 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-12-02 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-11-25 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-11-18 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-11-11 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-11-04 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-10-28 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-10-21 16:45 - 17:45 | Unitarian Universalist Church, 147 High St, Medford, MA, United States
As we witness our neighbors in the United States accosted by masked government agents, incarcerated, and in many cases deported without due process, we believe that we must as people of conscience stand up
against this violation of human rights and United States law and the cruel upending of countless people’s lives.
Please join this standout in front of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford, 147 High St., each Tuesday, 4:45-5:45.
This is a silent, peaceful demonstration.
Please bring a sign if you wish.
For more information, contact Steve Schmidt lesapeuruu@gmail.com or Liz
Ammons elizabeth.ammons@tufts.edu

Rev. Wendy Preaching @ Shiloh Baptist
2025-12-07 11:30 - 13:00 | Shiloh Baptist Church, 1 Holton St, Medford, MA, United States

Sunday Soul Circle: Holding On With Grace
2025-12-07 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Be patient, therefore, siblings… Strengthen your hearts… do not grumble against one another… – James 5:7-10
Advent asks us to do something most of us resist: slow down, breathe deeply, and trust that what we cannot yet see is already taking shape. But honest waiting is hard. Life feels turbulent. People feel pushy. Our patience wears thin in the lines, delays, disappointments, and everyday friction of being human. The epistle of James invites us into a different posture—a holy kind of waiting that strengthens the heart and keeps our community tender even when the world feels tense.
This Soul Circle explores three movements: wait, brace, and be kind—through scripture, poetry, silence, and shared reflection. We gather not to pretend everything is peaceful, but to practice a peace that can withstand turbulence. Together, we will notice where impatience grips us, where fear tenses us, and where grace might invite us to soften, release, or respond differently.
Come sit in community. Come be restored. Come listen for the gentle wisdom that grows in the space between now and what God is still bringing to birth.
Sanctuary UCC Sunday Spiritual Circle – for prayer, care, reflection, and connection.
~~~~
Wendy Miller Olapade – 617.592.5853 is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 828 8236 0638
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Dial by your location
• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
• +1 305 224 1968 US
Meeting ID: 828 8236 0638
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc1XnzubHD
──────────

Annual Congregational Meeting (2025)
2025-12-02 19:00 - 20:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82581670394?pwd=[REDACTED]
CALL TO ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING (2025) (click for details and agenda)
Congregational Church of West Medford DBA Sanctuary United Church of Christ
ONLINE ONLY – Tuesday, 12/02/2025 (7:00 – 8:30 pm)
Location: Sanctuary UCC via Zoom
──────────Join Zoom MeetingMeeting ID: 825 8167 0394Passcode: [REDACTED]
Dial by your location: +1 309 205 3325 USMeeting ID: 825 8167 0394Passcode: [REDACTED] your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keFgMU7lKv──────────

Sunday Soul Circle: Ache & Anticipation
2025-11-30 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
The week after Thanksgiving often feels like a soft exhale—too soon for tinsel, too soon for frenzy, not quite ready for the turning of the liturgical wheel. And yet Advent arrives anyway, quiet as a breath, asking us to notice the shimmer beneath the numbness, the tremble beneath the familiar.
This season begins in the half-light: where the sky feels unsteady, where our hearts do too, where waiting holds both ache and anticipation. The gospel imagines trembling stars and roaring seas, but our own lives hum with smaller signs—unspoken longings, tender hopes, the subtle glow of something about to change.
This Sunday’s Soul Circle invites you into that thin place between what is and what might be. We’ll breathe, listen, and reflect together as we sit with the slop and the shimmer—the griefs we carry and the hopes that flicker in the quiet. Come experience a spacious circle of poetry, scripture, honest sharing, and gentle wisdom as we open ourselves to the possibility that God’s almost-presence is drawing near, even now.

Sanctuary UCC Sunday Spiritual Circle – for prayer, care, reflection, and connection.
~~~~
Wendy Miller Olapade – 617.592.5853 is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 828 8236 0638
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Dial by your location
• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
• +1 305 224 1968 US
Meeting ID: 828 8236 0638
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc1XnzubHD
──────────

Rev. Wendy Preaching @ Shiloh Baptist
2025-11-23 11:30 - 13:00 | Shiloh Baptist Church, 1 Holton St, Medford, MA, United States
For more about this service: https://sbcofmedford.org/what-if-the-next-word-is-blessed-rev-wendy-miller-olapade/

Sunday Soul Circle: Blessed in the Dark
2025-11-23 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Blessed in the Dark: A Thanksgiving Soul Circle
We live in a world obsessed with looking “#blessed” — curated joy, perfect tables, gratitude that never seems to leave room for pain. But Zechariah’s Benedictus in Luke 1 is a very different kind of blessing. It rises after doubt, after months of silence, after waiting on a promise that felt impossible. His first word back is “Blessed,” even while empire still rules and many prayers seem unanswered.
In this Soul Circle, we’ll sit with Zechariah’s song and our own. We’ll draw on scripture, breath prayer, and contemporary voices like Valarie Kaur, Brené Brown, Cole Arthur Riley, and Howard Thurman as we explore blessings that don’t always look like blessings — the ones hidden inside grief, change, and the not-yet. There will be time for quiet reflection, small-group sharing, and a simple practice of naming “dawn-moments” in the middle of our dark places.
Bring your gratitude and your questions, your joy and your heaviness. You don’t have to tidy your life up to step into this circle. The God of tender mercy is already rising to meet you in the shadows.
Sanctuary UCC Sunday Spiritual Circle – for prayer, care, reflection, and connection.
~~~~
Wendy Miller Olapade – 617.592.5853 is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 828 8236 0638
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Dial by your location
• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
• +1 305 224 1968 US
Meeting ID: 828 8236 0638
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc1XnzubHD
──────────

Free, Fresh Veggie/Fruit Pop-Up Pantry
2025-11-21 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-11-14 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-11-07 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-10-31 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-10-24 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-10-17 17:00 - 18:00 | Shiloh Baptist Church, 1 Holton St, Medford, MA, United States
FREE FARM FRESH VEGGIES
@Shiloh Baptist Church, One Holton Street, Medford
Lower Level, entrance via parking lot
FRIDAYS (5—6 pm)
July 11 – Nov 21, 2025
First Come/First Served
BRING YOUR OWN BAGS

Sunday Soul Circle
2025-11-16 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Sanctuary UCC Sunday Spiritual Circle – for prayer, care, reflection, and connection.
~~~~
Wendy Miller Olapade – 617.592.5853 is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 828 8236 0638
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Dial by your location
• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
• +1 305 224 1968 US
Meeting ID: 828 8236 0638
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc1XnzubHD
──────────

Sanctuary UCC All Hands Meeting - W. Chris Mereschuk
2025-11-13 18:30 - 20:00 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82581670394?pwd=[REDACTED]
Committee of the Whole/Leadership Circle Meeting
All are welcome! Gather online!
Did you miss last month’s meeting? Here’s where you can find minutes from previous meetings. (https://medfordchurch.org/minutes/)
Agenda:

Recruit Note Taker
Meet with Chris Meruschuk, Director, SNEUCC Church Legacy Corp. to review Legacy and Closure Process Overview, clarify where we are, Q&A, & next steps.
Recruit Leadership Team for Legacy Process
Vote on proposal for Tuesday, Dec. 2 (All Hands Mtg) for Special Congregational Meeting to serve as 2025 Annual Meeting, delayed from June 2025. Review the Agenda for that Meeting.
Vote on Proposal for Upgrade to Electrical Work for Shiloh Rental Space, needed for safety of equipment and HVAC.

──────────
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 825 8167 0394
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Dial by your location: +1 309 205 3325 US
Meeting ID: 825 8167 0394
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keFgMU7lKv
──────────

Sunday Soul Circle
2025-11-09 08:30 - 09:30, 2025-10-26 08:30 - 09:30, 2025-10-19 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Sanctuary UCC Sunday Spiritual Circle – for prayer, care, reflection, and connection.
~~~~
Wendy Miller Olapade – 617.592.5853 is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 828 8236 0638Passcode: [REDACTED]
Dial by your location• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)• +1 305 224 1968 US
Meeting ID: 828 8236 0638Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc1XnzubHD
──────────

Cancelled!! Reel Conversations: Wicked
2025-11-07 18:30 - 20:30 | Arts Collaborative Medford, 162 Mystic Ave, Medford, MA, United States
🧹 Witch, Please! Let’s Talk Power, Prejudice, and Defying Gravity. What if the “wicked” one wasn’t wicked at all? In Wicked, the misunderstood Elphaba doesn’t just ride a broomstick—she flips the whole script. She challenges the system, calls out propaganda, and still makes time for a show-stopping duet or two.
✨ She’s green. She’s gifted. She’s done playing nice with fascist wizards. And we’re here for it.
Join us for Reel Conversations*, a night of popcorn, powerful scenes, and meaningful discussion about Wicked, the story behind the story behind The Wizard of Oz. Together, we’ll explore what happens when someone dares to speak truth to power—even when it means standing alone.
We’ll talk about:

Who gets labeled “dangerous” and why
Why complicity is comfortable but costly
What it takes to defy gravity—and injustice

🎥 Watch the movie ahead of time (streaming info below), use this Viewers Guide to look for the themes we will discuss, then come ready to rewatch the big moments together, talk back to the narrative, and celebrate the courage it takes to be too much for the status quo. #TeamElphaba #NoWizardsAllowed #ReelConversations #DefyGravity
P.S. 👠 If you’ve ever been called too loud, too bold, too much, or just too green — this night is for you. Come as you are, bring your broom, and let’s fly into some Wicked good trouble together. 💚🖤🧹🔥
*Reel Conversations – the Circle previously known as Faith & Film!
Participant Instructions
🎥 WATCH BEFORE YOU COME USING THIS VIEWER’S GUIDE
Please watch Wicked ahead of our event. It’s currently available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, and other streaming platforms. Included on HBO/Max.
📝 USE THE VIEWER’S GUIDE & TAKE NOTES!
As you watch, jot down a few thoughts in response to the Viewer’s Guide questions above—or anything that moves you. If you’ve already seen it, consider rewatching with these new lenses in mind.
📅 JOIN US IN PERSON
🗓 Friday, November 07
🕡 6:30–8:30 PM
📍 Arts Collaborative Medford, 162 Mystic Ave, Medford, MA

🍿 We’ll gather, watch a few powerful scenes together, and discuss the deeper truths, tensions, and hope that Wicked stirs in us.

Go to WOW
2025-11-05 13:30 - 14:30

Rev. Wendy Preaching - Shiloh Baptist Church
2025-10-19 11:30 - 13:00 | Shiloh Baptist Church, 1 Holton St, Medford, MA, United States
Join Rev. Wendy and the Shiloh Baptist Church community for worship and song.
All the details are here, including Zoom access to worship virtually
Topic to be determined.
