Sanctuary United Church of Christ

Weekly Vigil: Peace & Justice for Immigrants
2025-11-04 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-11-11 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-11-18 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-11-25 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-12-02 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-12-09 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-12-16 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-12-23 16:45 - 17:45 (America/New_York) | 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

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

Free, Fresh Veggie/Fruit Pop-Up Pantry
2025-11-07 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-11-14 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-11-21 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

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.

Sunday Soul Circle
2025-11-09 08:30 - 09:30, 2025-12-07 08:30 - 09:30, 2025-12-14 08:30 - 09:30, 2025-12-21 08:30 - 09:30, 2025-12-28 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Sanctuary UCC Sunday Spiritual Circle – for prayer, care, reflection, and connection.
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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
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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.

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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
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Living Soulfully: A Circle for Conversation and Connection
2025-11-14 14:00 - 15:15, 2025-12-12 14:00 - 15:15 | 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.

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
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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
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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: 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
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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──────────

Rev. Wendy Preaching @ Shiloh Baptist
2025-12-07 11:30 - 13:00, 2025-12-21 11:30 - 13:00 | Shiloh Baptist Church, 1 Holton St, Medford, MA, United States

In Good Company: The Art of Becoming Together
2025-12-12 18:30 - 20:30 | Arts Collaborative Medford, 162 Mystic Ave, Medford, MA, United States
Please RSVP for this Event Here
Art & Soul Circle: In Good Company
Friday, Dec. 12 | 6:30–8:30 pm · Arts Collaborative Medford
What if the real masterpiece is not the art on the walls — but the way we shape one another?
This month’s Art & Soul Circle steps inside In Good Company, ACM’s first Studio Artist Group Show, to explore the quieter, often unseen ways creativity grows in shared space. These fourteen artists have been changed simply by being near each other — borrowing courage, exchanging ideas, carrying one another’s stillness and spark.
In this Art & Soul, we ask a different kind of question:
What happens when we enter that same atmosphere of shared becoming?
Together, we’ll wander the exhibition, notice what rises in us, and practice the art behind all art — the art of connection, presence, and community.
No need to make anything. Just come willing to listen, reflect, and be shaped by the company you keep.
Come curious. Come open. Come discover what is possible when we stop creating alone — and start becoming, together.
Please RSVP for this Event Here

Remembering Doug Weeks
2025-12-16 19:30 - 21:00 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84467247573?pwd=[REDACTED]
A Virtual Gathering of Remembrance for Doug Weeks
We gather to remember and celebrate the life of our beloved friend and congregation member, Doug Weeks—a man whose spirit moved as easily through a song as it did through a story, a shared meal, or a moment of kindness. With a life shaped by artistry and generosity, Doug brought his gifts to stages from Broadway to Europe, to film sets with Scorsese and Eastwood, and to the circles and communities he called home. He was a singer, actor, guitarist, chef, storyteller, partner, and friend; someone who carried his craft with humility, warmth, and joy.
This virtual gathering will offer space for memory and mourning, celebration and gratitude. We will share stories, hear music he loved, recall moments that made us laugh, and hold one another as we grieve the ache of his absence. Though his funeral service will take place in the spring in his hometown of Falmouth, this time together allows our community to honor his life now—to remember the sound of his voice, the way he lifted spirits, and the creativity and compassion he brought to all he touched.
All are welcome. Bring a story, a memory, a candle, or simply your heart.
Together, we will give thanks for Doug’s life and entrust him to God’s eternal care and peace.
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