Dear Friends, One of the most important aspects of a community like Westside is the connections we make with other people of like mind and heart. UU churches provide chances to learn together, to share experiences of reflection and contemplation, and to give and receive support. Of all these experiences, the last is the one that requires the most input from all of you.
Whereas staff and committees provide our worship and religious exploration classes, this is less true of our fellowship experiences. Our one-to-one connections, while they can be facilitated by organized activities and programming, must really be carried out by each and every Westsider. How do you find it easiest to connect with others when it matters most, like when you are experiencing challenges or need encouragement? Or when you are looking for friends to share things with? Personal connections take some personal investment of time and energy, but can be incredibly rewarding.
In the coming weeks, you will have the chance to reach out and connect with others in new ways. A new program, “Community Connections” is starting up at Westside, and through it you’ll be able to both give and receive help, support, and companionship. In April, we will be asking you to share (via an online or paper survey) how you’d like to connect with others: through cooking meals for someone recovering from surgery; through helping get cards to folks who can’t make it to church due to injury or other circumstances; through checking in with fellow congregants who need a little encouragement; or through providing other kinds of material and emotional support. Or perhaps you have a need that you’d like help with—help with childcare, or with grocery shopping or other tasks; help with a home project, or some other short-term task; help with technology or with learning a new language? Or perhaps you’d just like a little extra encouragement.
By filling out the Community Connections survey, you let us know what you need, and what you can offer, and then the staff and lay leaders can help make connections happen. When you fill out the Community Connections survey, please consider the ways you would most like to make deepen your connections with other folks in our community.
Thanks for being part of Westside,
Rev. Carol