This was no small task\u2026 because it is meaningfully difficult to be alive in times like these. For so many, our immediate safety is in jeopardy. The voices of fear and hate, destruction and recrimination \u2013 they lurk around the edges of our lives, threatening moments of peace we might find. So many of us feel powerless and overwhelmed \u2013 struggling each day just to \u201ctake it all in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why I wanted to spend some time that Sunday morning thinking together about what we put back out<\/em> \u2013 and why that matters. Our speech and our actions, expressions of our collective care, bravery, love, presence, loyalty, determination, kindness\u2026 the world needs them, deeply. We<\/em> need them, from each other, shared amongst ourselves. When we remember that we do hold the power, to share something our friends and neighbors need to see \u2013 we push back against what lurks around the edges. We reconnect just as meaningfully, to the source that sustains each one of our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might groan when I follow up such big ideas with a sentence like: \u201cone of the ways you can show up is to give your time to our congregation\u201d \u2013 but I promise you\u2026 it\u2019s true. I am grateful for all the ways you each show up in the world right now, whether as a parent, partner, community volunteer, activist, caregiver, builder, teacher, friend\u2026 the world needs all of it. Our community needs it too. A spiritual community holds a certain kind of magic, because by gathering in shared purpose, we become more than the sum of our parts. But fundamentally, a congregation is also just an assorted collection of your neighbors \u2013 real people, standing together and facing outward at the same, difficult world. <\/strong>And we are a real, tangible place in your life where you can practice sharing your energy and power with that world. What you offer here will have an impact on your neighbors that you can see, every Sunday \u2013 and it directly supports the wider community of people who share WellSprings, right alongside you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may remember that we made some changes to our budget and staffing<\/a> this year to help our congregation grow more sustainably \u2013 but that also means less staff time to support our critical Sunday morning Teams, especially our Tech Team. Without more help on Tech, we may have to scale back (or even end) our practice of livestreaming Sunday morning worship \u2013 a key function that helps us reach people beyond our walls. Anyone can volunteer for Tech, from teens all the way up to elders, and no experience is required. If we get enough volunteers, the commitment will only be one Sunday per month. You can e-mail Jen at office@wellspringsuu.org<\/a> to be put in touch with our Tech Team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Tech isn\u2019t for you, you might feel moved to show up for our community\u2019s children \u2013 volunteering in our Nursery, sharing our values with the school-age kids in YouthSpirit, empowering our youth through our Teen Spirit & Service group, or doing big picture work to grow all-ages connections on the YouthBridge Ministry… some regular time for play and wonder may be just what your spirit needs right now. We could also use another hand on our Setup Team, preparing Bell Hall for worship and re-setting it at the end of our Sunday service. All of those roles are filled by a group of volunteers on a rotating basis, to fit your schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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