WellSprings News (Page 2)
Rev. Lee Returns from Sabbatical on April 1st
Dear WellSpringers, I have missed you so much – and I’m thrilled to be back in ministry with you all, beginning again today, Tuesday, April 1. For the past four months, whenever anyone asked how my sabbatical was going, I found myself repeating the same refrain: “It’s incredible. What a ridiculous privilege this is: to have four months all to myself… to rest and learn, to spend my time exactly as I choose… to have the freedom to say ‘yes’…
Together We Can: A Message From the Stewardship Ministry
Greetings WellSprings! The Stewardship Ministry is kicking off our annual pledge campaign for the fiscal year July 2025 through June 2026. We are inspired by our congregation’s generosity and sincerely thank everyone who supported WellSprings with a pledge commitment for the current fiscal year July 2024 to June 2025. Our pledge campaign theme this year is: Together We Can! The pledge drive begins now and concludes on April 27th. Our FY25-26 stewardship goal is: $250,000 in pledges to cover…
Bring A Friend on January 5th
With the start of a new year upon us, we would like to invite you to “Bring a Friend” to our first ever “Bring a Friend” Sunday on January 5th. Our message during this service, provided by our Ministerial Intern, Nick Sanchez, will focus on the history of Unitarian Universalism and will be geared towards newer visitors. The band will be performing some audience favorites to keep the energy flowing. This service will be an all-ages service which means it’s a little…
Our Guest Preaching Schedule
Our settled Minister, Rev. Lee Paczulla, is currently taking a four-month sabbatical – returning to our congregation on Tuesday, April 1st. While she’s away, we’ll hear from a variety of voices on Sunday mornings, including our Ministerial Intern, Nick Sanchez, and a whole host of WellSprings members from our volunteer Worship Leaders Team. We’re also fortunate to be welcoming some of Rev. Lee’s colleagues to our pulpit, as a number of guest ministers from local congregations join us in these…
Rev. Lee on Sabbatical Until April 1st
Dear members, friends, & visitors to WellSprings, The day is here: my four-month sabbatical begins this Sunday, December 1st. As I said in my most recent message, I love you all, and I will miss you during this time away. A sabbatical is a wonderful privilege of serving in ministry, and I do not take this gift lightly. After all the challenges of the past few years, it means so much to me that you are offering me four entire…
Announcing Our New “Future Fund”
At our Installation service in September, our former ministerial intern – the Rev. Beth Monhollen – announced the creation of a new fund at WellSprings. The Future Fund is an investment in WellSprings’ future, created on the occasion of our first ministerial Installation, and intended to honor our congregation’s founding era by planning for the era to come. Gifts given to the Future Fund will not be used for our normal operating budget, but for future-oriented projects that help sustain…
WellSprings Installs Rev. Lee As Settled Minister
The charge of the soul was powerfully felt on Sunday afternoon, as we formally Installed the Rev. Lee Paczulla as our settled minister at WellSprings! More than a dozen guest speakers – from our local community, and from across the denomination – joined our musicians and worship leaders to create a joyful and celebratory service. We’re not kidding when we say that each moment, each speaker, and each song was a highlight… but the Rev. Cheryl M. Walker preached a…
This Year, At WellSprings…
We’re busy planning for the year ahead at WellSprings! Our Fall message series begins in September – but you can scroll down to get a taste of the conversations we’ll be having (on Sunday mornings, in YouthSpirit, in our small groups, etc.) all throughout the year… Breathing Together our Fall Message Series The results are in, and living through history is exhausting. We feel overwhelmed by what’s happening in the big world beyond us, and also by the busy pace of…
All About our “Neighbors & Helpers” Message Series for August
Our summertime tradition at WellSprings returns… our annual “Neighbors & Helpers” message series is back, starting August 4th! We see the world through our own eyes – and sometimes we assume that’s just “the way it is” for everyone. But when we engage with our neighbors, we start to realize how much our own limited perspectives never showed us. There are so many shades and colors of what it means to be “us” – to live in Chester County, or…
Announcing a New Coalition for People of Faith in Chester County
Many folks in our congregation have felt the call, over the past few years, to take a more active role in our local community – lending strength and support to each other, and to our neighbors. We see how our political climate is only growing more volatile by the day, and we long to be reminded of the strongest power there is: the power of Beloved Community. The power of showing up, to love and care for one another. WellSprings…
Save the Date for WellSprings’ First-Ever Installation
UPDATE: Registration is now open! Click here to RSVP. Save the date for September 29th, 2024, when WellSprings will hold a milestone event in the life of our congregation: our first-ever ministerial Installation! Earlier this year, our congregation held a vote to officially “call” and affirm the Rev. Lee Paczulla as our settled minister – the first time we’ve gathered in this way to choose our own minister, in the 17-year history of our community. WellSprings has been host to…
WellSprings at Pride!
We showed up for Chester County PrideFest in force this year, WellSprings! This was the second year in a row that WellSprings served as a sponsor for the annual event, held along Bridge Street in Phoenixville, during the month of June. We were packed with volunteers at our booth, and dozens more from our community dropped by to say hello – whether they were there tabling for another organization, or just out at PrideFest enjoying the gorgeous weather. This year,…