This month, the Board of Trustees has finally wrapped up our LOV (Living Our Values) project. Throughout this year, we worked with many of you in the congregation on this project in order to come up with new Mission and Ends Statements for our community. And I am so proud of what we have come up with, especially our new mission:
Our open and welcoming congregation connects hearts, challenges minds, and nurtures spirits, while serving and transforming our community and the world.
All right! But… what next? What do we do with this? Hopefully, this mission will encourage us to all really live into our values of connection, inspiration, compassion, and justice. As you may notice, this mission is not about what the church does, or the minister, or the staff. This is what the congregation does. Meaning you, and me, and everyone here.
So how do we go about connecting hearts and challenging minds and nurturing spirits? How will we be able to serve and transform? Well, it starts with seeing yourself as a valuable part of this place. Being a leader in church can be such a spiritually rewarding experience. Imagine being able to see yourself in a new way, making a real difference in your life and the lives of others. Stepping up and serving your congregation should not be a chore. It should not be because you have to, or because no one else will. It can be a path on your own spiritual journey, allowing you to dig deeper, form stronger connections, and truly grow as an individual. For many, serving their church IS their experience of the holy.
I think a great example of this is our Sanctuary Working Group. While they got support and resources from the leaders and staff of UUCA, this group was lay led. These members succeeded in seeing their vision through, from conception all the way to getting the majority of the congregation on board with their plan and now it is a reality! They are making a real difference in their own lives and in our community, providing compassion, justice, and hope. And the work continues, now being the work of our whole faith community. How inspiring for the rest of us who have so many ideas on what we want our congregation to be and to do!
So what is it that you envision for our church? What do you want this place to be, and for whom? How can YOU make your UUCA dreams come true? If you have never served at UUCA, what are you waiting for?! There are so many opportunities to find your place. Not everyone can form a working group and do something as large as Sanctuary. And that’s OK! Whatever your gift or talent or field of expertise, no matter how “small,” we need you at UUCA! There are always calls to serve in the Weekly eNews, the order of service–or just ask. Trust me, someone can always find something for you to do! I really hope our new mission statement inspires you to plug in and connect, finding the true joy of serving a place you love.
Mariah Wright, Board of Trustees