Maybe you’ve heard about, or seen the effects of, the people who spend their time volunteering here at Westside. Likely you have because you’re one of them! On Sunday, May 19, we’ll take time during the service to acknowledge volunteers of all kinds for all they do to maintain the buildings & grounds, programs, ministry, and leadership of our congregation.
Just last weekend a group of people spent Saturday cleaning and fixing up various places in the church building. Touch up painting, rug cleaning, scraping and painting surfaces, pressure washing, deep cleaning and organizing--all the vital details of a well-maintained space were attended to with great care. Even with all of that done, there’s still a long list, especially as the rain that day kept most of the work indoors. Jerry Thornton will likely organize another workday in the near future, so keep an eye out for announcements!
Another example of a group of volunteers putting in many hours and much intellectual efforts is our congregational meeting this Sunday. The board of trustees, the nominating committee, canvass team, and many committees have, combined, put in unmeasurable hours in meetings and discussions in preparing to pull together a budget, find a slate of candidates for the board, and ensure sustainability and longevity for Westside.
In the category of longevity are those volunteers who spend their time creating, organizing, and running programs like Adult, Youth & Children’s Religious Exploration, Book Club, luncheons, Camp Lackadogma, and fundraising events like the Auction, including many of the auction events that continue throughout the year. We might not often think of it this way, but we provide outreach through Westside’s Summer Camp, which is one of our biggest fundraisers with a source outside the church, the E-cycling program this spring, and Family Promise, which happens multiple times a year.
So many people work to make Westside a welcoming place to visitors and to those who are seeking nourishment of mind, body, and spirit. Our Greeters, the Precision Coffee Team, the Welcoming Congregations committee, the Worship Committee, and Committee on Ministry--all of these groups have a hand in creating an environment where everyone is welcome and is also invited in to take a seat at the table of our community.
We share our resources; we share our time; we share all we have with each other and our larger community. Let’s extend our appreciation and gratitude for all the work that is done all year long. Ours is the church of warm hearts, open minds, and caring hands. We are Westside.