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            [post_date] => 2025-06-16 18:53:32
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            [post_content] => This year in summer worship (June 22-August 31, 10am in Willett Hall), we will hear from one another about "how we learn to be brave," the title of a book by Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde --- which we've been reading as a congregation this Spring.

In our discussion groups we have learned, like Bishop Budde, that bravery and courage come in all sorts of ways — often starting with the challenges we have when we’re young: getting back up on the bike after a spill, learning to be calm when a bee flies into the room, standing up to a bully on the playground. These lessons help us exercise and strengthen our courage so that throughout our lifetimes, we can stand up for what is right, what is good, what is worth defending.

Throughout our lives, we are called to be brave in different amounts, in different times, in different circumstances. All of us have stories about times we learned to be brave. Bishop Budde describes the different ways we learn to be brave as:
1. Deciding to go
2. Deciding to stay
3. Deciding to start
4. Accepting
5. Stepping up to the Plate
6. Learning through letdowns

In these conversations, we discovered that everyone has found ways to be brave, so we invite you to share them with our congregation.

We would love to hear one of your stories of bravery! Sign up to share your story of bravery in summer worship HERE.


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            [post_date] => 2025-06-13 16:52:40
            [post_date_gmt] => 2025-06-13 16:52:40
            [post_content] => 
As GBIO continues our season of relationship and power building, we have a few training opportunities coming up next week. These are both great opportunities if you are interested in learning more about GBIO, our theory of change, or are looking to get connected to others working to build justice in our community.


 	
Relational Power 102: How Relational Meetings Lead to Power -- hear stories from other leaders about how they used relational meetings to build power to make change within their congregation or broader community and the commonwealth, and reflect on why you want to build power, to deepen your ability to connect meaningfully with others.

 	
Offered on Wednesday, June 18th, 7-9pm via Zoom


 	
Relational Power 103: Building Power in Your Institution -- Learn to conduct a power analysis of your congregation/union/institution to help understand your institution's collective power.

 	
Offered on Monday, June 16th OR Tuesday, June 17th (pick one), 7-9pm via Zoom



You can indicate your choice of training using the form here.
Contact Connor I. or David R. at gbio@upbrookline.org.

            [post_title] => GBIO Updates
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            [post_date] => 2025-06-10 00:30:42
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            [post_content] => United Parish in Brookline is grateful to have gotten its money back after a check for over $9,000 was stolen from the mail and fraudulently deposited on Christmas Eve. Thanks to the hard work of Brookline Bank in Coolidge Corner, the church was able to have the money refunded two months later.

“This is absolutely a miracle and so glad that you got the funds back!!” said Sasha Liang, Branch Manager at Brookline Bank. Business bank accounts do not have the same protections as individual bank accounts so it was unlikely that United Parish would ever see the money returned.

This is not the first time that United Parish’s mail sent through the USPS has not made it to its recipients. A handful of checks that United Parish has mailed over the years have never made it to their intended destinations.

Check washing is a very common scam that happens all the time where thieves change the name and address of a check and deposit it for themselves. According to the United States Postal Service Inspection Service “Check washing scams involve changing the payee names and often the dollar amounts on checks and fraudulently depositing them. Occasionally, these checks are stolen from mailboxes and washed in chemicals to remove the ink.”

If you’re the victim of a check washing scam, you should report it to your local bank branch, the local police, your insurance, the Postal Inspection Service, and the Federal Trade Commission.

There are ways people, businesses, and nonprofits can protect themselves from check fraud like this.

 	
Check your bank account activity every day. Some banks offer special programs to monitor checks.
 	
Avoid writing and mailing checks, if possible.
 	
If you need to write a check, mail it directly at the post office.

United Parish has worked on its risk mitigation and implemented safer procedures and policies going forward.

Senior Pastor Kent French was disheartened, frustrated, and disappointed to learn that a thief stole $9,000 from a church, on Christmas Eve no less, saying “This is an outrageous betrayal of public trust by the USPS.”

But to quote Psalm 126,

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dreamed.

2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

“The Lord has done great things for them.”

3 The Lord has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy.

United Parish is “filled with joy” to have a happy ending and wants to share a word of caution to others so people can learn from this situation.
            [post_title] => United Parish Experiences a Miracle after Falling Victim to Check Fraud
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