CWU Celebration Will Look At ‘The Beloved Community’

On Friday, November 5, World Community Day will be celebrated at Newtown Congregational Church.

The program, which is being organized and will be presented by the local unit of Church Women United, will begin at 6 pm.

The program will include a speaker and discussion based on the principles of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr’s vision of a world in which people work together through nonviolent means. Dr King named such a community that promotes the dignity, safety, and economic opportunities for all “The Beloved Community.”

Ximena A. Varas is the certified lay minister at First United Methodist Church in Shelton, as well as the co-lay leader of the Connecticut District of the New York Annual Conference (NYAC) of the United Methodist Church( UMC). She also serves as co-chair of NYAC’s Immigration Task Force and is deeply committed to the church’s social justice ministry.

She has been involved in teaching and church service throughout her whole life, first in the Roman Catholic Church in her native Chile, and then in the UMC in the United States. Her involvement with the UMC began in 2002 and quickly grew to a significant commitment. She is a UMC certified lay speaker and certified lay minister, is very active in the district lay speaker’s ministry education team, and teaches several classes every year within the NYAC. She is also a Natural Church Development Coach.

At home, she enjoys time with her husband Jorge, her children Moises, Ximena and Javier, their two dogs and one cat, as well as knitting, singing, reading, and watching cooking shows and The Dog Whisperer.

Following the presentation, all will be invited to move from the church sanctuary into NCC’s Great Room for a pizza dinner. Suggested donation is $5 per person. All CWU programs are open to women and men of all faiths.

For more information contact Darlene Jackson (203-426-5192), Linda Manganaro (203-426-3496), or Barbara Bigham (203-888-0036).