By Linda Sherry
Worship Support Specialist
It’s an exciting time to be at WUUC! As we begin to come back together in person, it feels like a new beginning, and I am thinking about how I will be involved and engaged with our beloved community as the next chapter begins. I invite you to consider this along with me …
When I first came here, I had no idea what I needed in a church, only that I was desperate for connections, friends and community in my new home state of Washington. I think most of us arrive here with needs of one kind or another, and find some fulfillment of those needs fairly quickly. So we stick around. But what happens next?
What do we do when the honeymoon feels over? Or when we’re tired? Or we’ve become disenchanted?
I’ve been a WUUCie since 1992, and I have grown and learned and developed so much through my involvement here. I’ve loved and learned, been comforted and challenged in our Sunday services and various classes and discussion groups I’ve been in.
But the true deepening of my relationship with the community, the place where I’ve really come to know people and make lifelong friends, the way that my spirit has grown and flourished is through meaningful work with others. Whether helping with coffee & treats for fellowship hour, setting up chairs for a memorial service, leading a class like Building Your Own Theology, working with Youth or Children’s programming, helping to organize a Women’s Retreat, singing badly in the choir, going to the Pride Parade with other members, or being on the Board of Trustees, my deepest connections and my feeling of worth in the community come from being involved and contributing in some way.
Through my time here, I’ve truly embodied the wisdom that there is a time to give and a time to receive. That there are times when we can offer time and talent to others, and times when we need to rest and recuperate from life’s blows. And sometimes we need a little of both simultaneously. One of the joys and benefits of long-term involvement is there is time for all of this.
Perhaps the most important piece of wisdom on this point is to Seek Balance. To find involvement that feeds you, that carries you forward, invigorates you, involvement that lets you feel proud and valued.
So here’s my question to you: How will YOU be involved and engaged in the next chapter of the continuing saga of Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church? Are you in a moment of your life that you want to develop Volunteering as a Spiritual Practice? Are you already over-committed to activities at WUUC or getting tired of what you’ve been doing? Is it time to change it up? Do you have a talent or skill you can offer, or perhaps is there a skill or interest you’d like to develop in a supportive community?
Now is a great time to explore and discern what fits you best, what will nourish you and how you can nourish the life and work, the mission, of WUUC.
Watch your email, Discord and announcements coming soon with openings in some specific groups and committees that need people. Keep an eye out for something that sparks your enthusiasm. And you can go to this document that lists most WUUC committees, groups and programs. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bb9HHLyCCXqxhvdt9YUSxt6qWOhj0ZTuFb-cjOPA2YM/edit