Hello, I’m Lori McConnell. I volunteer with Snohomish County’s Medical Reserve Corp. I have been volunteering with them since March 2021, first working as a screener/observer at the mass COVID vaccination site in Monroe, then doing PCR COVID testing in Everett and Lynnwood. Currently I am working at the mobile vaccination clinics.
I wish everyone would get vaccinated so we could all get back to living life normally. My memorable event was when a man came into a mobile clinic in Granite Falls recently. He told me he “had to” get vaccinated or wear a mask to work, but he didn’t believe COVID was real until a co-worker was hospitalized. I told him he was lucky it wasn’t him! I was so glad to see him there.
I’ve also been volunteering within my local community as a Board member of the Clearview Community Association since 2015. The great thing is it’s all about issues I can really affect! My most memorable event in this role was when I drove the effort to bring our community together to preserve our natural environment — and the tract housing developers finally lost interest (for now) in destroying our rural area. We are a rare unincorporated area that actually has an effective voice at the county government level.
Adapted by Linda Sherry from Soul Matters materials Historically, Unitarians and Universalists were people who believed that God hadn’t given up on us and so we shouldn’t give up on each other or this world. This has led Unitarian Universalists to being a people of “Why not?” Why not give people another chance? Why not fight what seems a losing battle? Why not risk a little failure? So that’s our religion.
How open have you been recently to “Why not?” How’s your faith in possibility doing? Trusting possibility isn’t so easy for many of us.
One Soul Matters member offers this:
“When I think of possibility, I think of all the people and opportunities we close the door on. Such as: ‘I will never see eye to eye with my sister.’ ‘I couldn’t possibly leave this job to start my own business.’ ‘I will never have close friends like I had where I used to live.’ ‘I will never really make a difference, so why bother?’“
Part of it has to do with real life defeats. But often a bigger part of it is about imagined fear and protecting ourselves. There is ironic comfort in convincing yourself that the effort is hopeless; that way you don’t have to try — and risk failure, hurt or disappointment.
Embracing Possibility requires us to be willing to endure a few wounds along the way. It can hurt to be hopeful. So maybe Embracing Possibility has more to do with being a people of vulnerability and courage than we’ve thought. And having faith in your/our resilience, to get back up and keep moving forward.
So maybe the question this month isn’t, “Are you ready to lean into possibility?” but “Who’s beside you and who are you bringing along?” Who will help keep you inspired when you get discouraged; who will help you up when you fall flat?
After all, no one makes it down the road of possibility alone. It’s not a solo act. For it to sink in — and better yet take flight — it needs to be at least a duet. Of course a quartet is even better. And just imagine what we might pull off if we can gather a choir, all singing the tune of “Why not?!” and “Yes, We Can!” at the top of our lungs!
Each month WUUC engages with a theme which is explored in our Worship, in small groups, and hopefully in the minds and hearts of our members and friends. These themes and groups have been developed as a program called Soul Matters, as a tool for congregational enrichment from the UUA. September’s theme is: Embracing Possibility.
Last month the congregation voted to formally name our sanctuary Ditzler Hall in honor of WUUC founding member Bob Ditzler, who was the primary mover and shaker in bringing our beautiful building into existence.
From the day WUUC first began, “Bob the Builder” held the vision of creating a wonderful physical home for our congregation – he played a major role in every part of it’s development from choosing the property to coordinating and visioning with the architect ,and then to be the contractor and director of every aspect of building our space.
Did you know that over 65% of the labor to build the church was volunteer effort by members and friends of the church? Did you know that blessings and prayers and signatures of all those volunteers are written inside the walls of our building?
Bob directed ALL the volunteers every step of the way, often teaching us a skill we never dreamed of having; using skill saws and other power tools, mounting drywall, laying concrete, different techniques in interior and exterior painting, cutting and laying carpet – We did it all because Bob Ditzler believed we could and taught us how!
Now we need a group of people to help plan a formal dedication event. Of course, the timing is unclear but it is now time to begin planning a ceremony and, to properly honor Bob’s spirit, a PARTY!! If you want to help, please email Board Member Linda Sherry. lindasherry@wedges.com
The sale is set for Friday and Saturday Sept. 17-18. Donation day is immediately after service on Sunday, Sept. 12; on the 12th we will begin set-up for the sale and do the bulk of acceptance of donations. What can you donate? Almost anything: clothing, linens, books/videos, toys, household, recreation, lawn/garden, bikes, crafts, holiday.
We will need a lot of help during the week for set up/pricing; no experience needed. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Your Rummage Sale team: Leslie Morton, Marlene Katz, Linda McCrystal, Dewey Millar, Tevina Flood
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
A. WUUC is developing new ways to continue our Sunday services online and in-person simultaneously, allowing us to all connect in community for worship.
Q. What’s changing in the sanctuary to create Hybrid services?
A. Cameras and microphones are being installed now. A new sound mixing system and a large video screen are under consideration. The sanctuary will still have a serene and worshipful feel, while also operating as a video production studio in a non-distracting way. That’s our goal.
Q. How will Zooming worship be different than it is now, and how will worship in the sanctuary be different than it was before?
A. Much will feel the same, and some will be different.
Attending on Zoom will be very similar, but more interactive with the entire congregation.
We expect the biggest change in the sanctuary will be adding a large screen to share some of the pre-recorded content that we already broadcast on Zoom. This could include elements like slide shows during the prelude, lyrics and music for hymns/songs, and also offer ways for remote attendees to participate live for Joys and Sorrows or as a presenter during the service.
Also, Rev. Dan and Director of Religious Education Bridget Laflin are working to refresh and revise some of the things we offer on Sundays, and how we’ll do them. We may see new directions for children, youth and adult programming.
Q. What are some of the challenges to making the hybrid experience work well?
A. A few of the challenges we know of right now include:
— expanding the production team to include Sound, Camera and Director roles. We need Volunteers!!! Please contact Linda Sherry if you are interested.
— engineering and installation. This continuing work will take quite a bit more time. We’ve been doing some practice runs broadcasting parts of the service from the sanctuary, with the cameras and furnishings in very temporary places. This is allowing the team to determine plans for long-term placement and installation.
— managing the ambient sound in the sanctuary. The microphones we’ve been using are so sensitive that they pick up even the sound of fans placed to circulate the air for Covid safety. And when we have a congregation gathered, there will be many more little noises to work around.
— there are other issues we know, and many that we have not yet discovered.
Q. When will we be able to return to the sanctuary on Sunday mornings?
A. When the Fates allow? WUUC is committed to both Covid safety and high quality worship. When we have the go-ahead from the Safety Committee and the Worship team, we will launch the Hybrid Services.
One more note: The Worship and Tech teams welcome your responses and feedback on how you are experiencing Worship, especially as we experiment with tech changes during this transition. Please feel free to send your thoughts to Worship Support Specialist, Linda Sherry and she will pass your thoughts along to the appropriate folks. Lindasherry@wedges.com
