News: February 14, 2025
Dear First Unitarian Universalist Church community,
Our church is a place where learning happens and volunteers grow. I’ve seen it happen and have experienced it myself.
Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about what a Unitarian Universalist church can be to its members. Why do we have volunteers involved in the work when we have staff? What roles are most important to the church for volunteers to serve? What roles are helpful to the individuals who serve? Volunteers are key to the running of the church as well as key to the growth of our members.
Our church is a place where skills can be learned; like organizing, communicating, covenant-making, collaborating, planning events and working with people different from ourselves. And there are particular skills with each role, too. You might learn about our local art museum or theater scene, how to run sound or live stream, sing, play ukulele, plant vegetables or trees, work with children, or how to be the primary sexuality educator as a parent. And there’s more…we can have learning or awareness coming from reading books in a book group, going to a grief group, listening to sermons, singing hymns or having conversations with others gathered for church. There can be a deepened spirituality from going to yoga, regularly attending meditation group, or feeling something shift in upon hearing a reading or a song.
Learning is best when offered in a loving, supportive community. Sometimes the learning might come in feedback, or in a covenant kept or broken. Sometimes we learn in a training or from the experience of doing something over and over. Creating events and opportunities often means learning in a small group. It is more fun and less work when done by a team. How great it is to be “where everybody knows your name” in a small group and counts on your skills to help make things work.
We can learn how to tweak what has gone wrong, or discover what still needs to be done. All these are important skills to hone and share.
AND we can celebrate when things go well and offer gratitude for all the efforts our church members put forward.
Speaking of celebrating our volunteers...note that we have a Share the Love Volunteer Appreciation Potluck on Valentine’s Day (a plant-based potluck, 2/14 at 6:30 pm- details in the link above). Come if you can, to get and share some love and appreciation as well as getting to know some new folks. And if you haven’t yet gotten involved in the church as a volunteer, there are so many ways to lean in, offering learning, a greater connection to community and as a bonus, you will contribute to the church and our larger community through your efforts.
See you on Sunday soon!
Carol Burrus
Director of Religious Community
Our church is a place where learning happens and volunteers grow. I’ve seen it happen and have experienced it myself.
Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about what a Unitarian Universalist church can be to its members. Why do we have volunteers involved in the work when we have staff? What roles are most important to the church for volunteers to serve? What roles are helpful to the individuals who serve? Volunteers are key to the running of the church as well as key to the growth of our members.
Our church is a place where skills can be learned; like organizing, communicating, covenant-making, collaborating, planning events and working with people different from ourselves. And there are particular skills with each role, too. You might learn about our local art museum or theater scene, how to run sound or live stream, sing, play ukulele, plant vegetables or trees, work with children, or how to be the primary sexuality educator as a parent. And there’s more…we can have learning or awareness coming from reading books in a book group, going to a grief group, listening to sermons, singing hymns or having conversations with others gathered for church. There can be a deepened spirituality from going to yoga, regularly attending meditation group, or feeling something shift in upon hearing a reading or a song.
Learning is best when offered in a loving, supportive community. Sometimes the learning might come in feedback, or in a covenant kept or broken. Sometimes we learn in a training or from the experience of doing something over and over. Creating events and opportunities often means learning in a small group. It is more fun and less work when done by a team. How great it is to be “where everybody knows your name” in a small group and counts on your skills to help make things work.
We can learn how to tweak what has gone wrong, or discover what still needs to be done. All these are important skills to hone and share.
AND we can celebrate when things go well and offer gratitude for all the efforts our church members put forward.
Speaking of celebrating our volunteers...note that we have a Share the Love Volunteer Appreciation Potluck on Valentine’s Day (a plant-based potluck, 2/14 at 6:30 pm- details in the link above). Come if you can, to get and share some love and appreciation as well as getting to know some new folks. And if you haven’t yet gotten involved in the church as a volunteer, there are so many ways to lean in, offering learning, a greater connection to community and as a bonus, you will contribute to the church and our larger community through your efforts.
See you on Sunday soon!
Carol Burrus
Director of Religious Community
