Sanctuary United Church of Christ

Peaceful Bystander Training (MMI Hosting)
2025-10-01 18:45 - 20:15 (America/New_York) | Hillside Community Church, 148 North St, Medford, MA, United States
For full event details and to reserve a seat see our Mobilize listing: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/843742/
Support your neighbors and community by joining us in Medford for an educational training on how to be a peaceful bystander.Bystander Training for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) encounter will empower individuals to understand their legal rights as bystanders and what they can do to support affected community members. Training participants will gain increased awareness and practical strategies for how to respond in such situations.
Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Come early to sign in, get a snack, and meet the event organizers and other attendees! Training starts at 7:00 p.m. Please bring a nonperishable food item as an entry donation to the event.
Developed and led by Somerville Indivisible’s Elaine Almquist and supported by MMI’s coalition partners.
Hosts:Courtney M • courtney.mysticmashup@gmail.com (primary)Elaine Almquist • elaine@almquistandassociates.comMeghan Searl • events.mysticmashupindivisible@gmail.com

Weekly Vigil: Peace & Justice for Immigrants
2025-09-30 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-09-23 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-09-16 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-09-09 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-09-02 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-08-26 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-08-19 16:45 - 17:45, 2025-08-12 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 Church
2025-09-28 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.

Sunday Soul Circle
2025-09-28 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
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Arts & Soul Circle: Fragility as Strength
2025-09-26 18:30 - 20:30 | Arts Collaborative Medford, 162 Mystic Ave, Medford, MA, United States
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.”
— Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
What if fragility is not weakness, but strength? What if the cracks in us — and in our planet — are not flaws to be feared but openings where light and care break through?
In this Art & Soul Circle, we will gather among fragile works of art that could unravel or shatter with one wrong move. Together we will explore how the delicate can become enduring, how vulnerability can reveal unexpected beauty, and how the earth’s own fragility can call us — not to despair — but to a deeper tenderness and a fiercer care.
Through art, poetry, and circle conversation, we will reflect on the beauty of fragility and discover how tenderness may be the strongest force of all.
~~~
Led by Rev. Wendy Miller Olapade
Suggested donation $10-$20. Open to the Public – RSVP Appreciated: https://tinyurl.com/jfbapjax
Join us for Part I of II Art & Soul Circles, a facilitated conversation with artists from Boundaries & Beyond. This gathering invites participants to reflect on the creative process and the ways art can spark dialogue around climate justice. Together, we’ll explore the personal stories and collective vision behind the i3c artivists’ work.

Free, Fresh Veggie/Fruit Pop-Up Pantry
2025-09-26 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-09-19 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-09-05 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-08-29 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-08-22 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-08-15 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: Saying God
2025-09-21 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Infinite. Intimate. Unknown.
What do we mean when we say “God”? This question has inspired poets, prophets, skeptics, and everyday seekers across time. In this Sunday’s Soul Circle, we’ll dip into What Do We Mean When We Say God?—a collection of impassioned responses from people of all walks of life and religious faiths. Some answers may inspire, others may unsettle, and together they will invite us into honest conversation about mystery, meaning, and the divine. Come as a seeker, a skeptic, a believer, or none of the above. The circle is open.
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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All Hands Meeting - Committee of the Whole/Leadership Circle
2025-09-16 19:00 - 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/)
Here’s the Detailed Agenda.
Summary Agenda is:

Recruit Note Taker
Updates:

$ 340,000 in estate proceeds received – Trustees will propose a disposition at the next meeting.
Sanctuary Move to Shiloh; need someone to negotiate the move with Hillside
Sanctuary Mission & Ministries, including brief discussions about Legacy Process, Current Partnerships & Impact, & Possible Merger Proposal

Select Date and Define Agenda for 2025 Annual Meeting (delayed from June)
Recurring Business

Clerk Report
Treasurer’s Report
Ministry Updates

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Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 825 8167 0394
Passcode: [REDACTED]
One tap mobile
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Dial by your location
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Meeting ID: 825 8167 0394
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keFgMU7lKv
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Sunday Soul Circle: The Ache for Home
2025-09-14 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
“Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.” – James Baldwin
We all carry an ache for home—the place where we are fully seen, welcomed, and loved. For some, that home is rooted in memory. For others, it is still unfolding. And for many who have been kept on the outside of cultural privilege—because of race, gender, or identity—homecoming is about finding a space where belonging is no longer questioned, but celebrated.
This week at Sunday Soul Circle, we’ll reflect on the deep spiritual longing to come home—whether to God, to ourselves, or to one another. Through scripture, poetry, and shared wisdom, we’ll explore how homecoming is not just a destination, but a sacred journey of return and claiming what has always been true: you are worthy, you are loved, you belong.
All are welcome. Come as you are. Come home.
With love, Rev. Wendy
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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Free, Fresh Veggie/Fruit Pop-Up Pantry
2025-09-12 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
FRIDAYS (5—6 pm)
July 11 – Nov 21, 2025
First Come/First Served
BRING YOUR OWN BAGS

Living Soulfully: A Circle for Conversation and Connection
2025-09-12 14:00 - 15:15 | Riverside Towers, 99 Riverside Ave, Medford, MA, United States
Riverside Towers Community Room
Rev. 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: Masterpiece in Progress

Sunday Soul Circle: God's Love Always On Repeat
2025-09-07 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Remember to Remember
“Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.” — Oscar Wilde
When the people of God stood on the edge of the promised land, Moses called them to remember. Remember the stories of rescue and love, remember who belongs at the center, remember the future God is unfolding. Whether you are moving on or in a time of fear, loss, or shame—remember. God’s love stretches into yesterday and tomorrow, holding you wherever we go. Join us this Sunday at Soul Circle for shared reflection, story, and community. Together we’ll pause, breathe, and ‘remember to remember to remember’ the ways God’s love is woven through our lives.
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: Sacred Thresholds
2025-08-31 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
“We have to allow ourselves to be drawn out of the familiar and into the threshold, where true transformation always occurs.” — Richard Rohr
Life’s thresholds are not only the doorways we cross — they live 💜 within us — in the sacred moments when the soul shifts, stretches, and awakens to something new🌱. This week at Sunday Soul Circle, we’ll pause together in these in-between spaces — where endings touch beginnings🔄, where fear meets hope💫 , and where God invites us to cross into promise✝️. Because, beloved, in these threshold moments, we discover that God is already there ✨ leading us to transformation!
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: Masterpiece in Progress
2025-08-24 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” — Vincent Van Gogh
Sometimes growth doesn’t look glamorous. Sometimes it’s messy, slow, or full of mistakes. But each step—however small—shapes us into something more whole, more beautiful. This week’s Sanctuary Soul Circle is all about embracing the climb, the stumble, and the surprising progress we’ve already made.
💡 Bring your imperfect self. 🌱 Expect to be inspired. ✨
Leave reminded that you are both a masterpiece and a work in progress.
Sunday Circle (8:30 am online only)
With love, Rev. Wendy
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: S'mores the Spirit
2025-08-17 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
“We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.” — Gwendolyn Brooks
This Sunday, we’re going to camp — without leaving Circle. 🏕️ Pull up a chair by our imaginary campfire 🔥 as we toast marshmallows, melt chocolate 🍫, and see how the Spirit blends our unique gifts into something sweeter than we could be alone. It might get a little sticky (in the best way), but that’s where the joy is.
Bring your flavor, your stories, your laughter, and your “ingredient” for the mix — and let’s make sweet work of becoming one ✨
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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Art & Soul Circle: Through the Eyes of the Artist & the Artist Within
2025-08-15 18:30 - 20:30 | Arts Collaborative Medford, 162 Mystic Ave, Medford, MA, United States
“I don’t listen to what art critics say. I don’t know anybody who needs a critic to find out what art is.” — Jean-Michel Basquiat
Through the Eyes of the Artist & the Artist Within
To see is to remember, to feel, to imagine.
In this Art & Soul Circle, we’ll gather amid the wildly diverse exhibit, In the Eyes of the Artist* to listen—not to critics, but to the whispers of memory, the tug of identity, the colors of emotion. As we explore the work of our local artists, we’ll awaken the artist in each of us and see ourselves reflected in their creativity.
*Arts Medford Annual Member Show: “In the Eyes of the Artist”

Empty Net Syndrome: Rev. Wendy Preaching @ Shiloh Baptist Church
2025-08-10 10:00 - 13:00 | Shiloh Baptist Church, 1 Holton St, Medford, MA, United States
Empty Nets, Full Hearts?
Ever feel like you’re working hard, casting your net over and over… and all you pull up is water and weeds? The disciples knew that feeling — until a mysterious guy on the shore shouted fishing tips that changed everything. Spoiler: it was Jesus, and He wasn’t just talking about fish. This sermon, Empty Net Syndrome, considers what to do when your best efforts flop, your confidence sinks, and the smell of regret is stronger than a charcoal fire on the beach. Turns out, Jesus has a way of mending busted nets and busted hearts. Bring your questions, your empty nets, and maybe a towel — you never know when you’ll want to jump in. Scripture: John 21: 1-19
Join Rev. Wendy and the Shiloh Baptist Church community for worship and song.
All the details are here, including Zoom access to worship virtually

Sunday Soul Circle
2025-08-10 08:30 - 09:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882360638?pwd=[REDACTED]
🎣 Gone Fishin’… Came Up EmptyEver poured your heart into something only to watch it flop spectacularly? The disciples knew that feeling — right before Jesus yelled fishing tips from the beach and filled their nets (and their hearts) to the brim. This week’s Soul Circle dives into Empty Net Syndrome — how Jesus meets us in failure, mends our holes, and sends us back out with more than we imagined. Bring your empty nets, your questions, and your coffee. 🐟
Sanctuary UCC Sunday Spiritual Circle – for prayer, reflection, connection, and care.
~~~~
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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