By Elizabeth Corbett, Programs & Membership Coordinator
Quite a lot of people attended the Giving Green to Thrive service on Sunday! Big thanks to the Aesthetics Committee for decorating the sanctuary and to Anne H., Shirley V., and Craig B. for their work on the Finance Committee and pulling all the numbers together. At the service on Sunday, the Aesthetics, Marketing, Green Sanctuary, and Safety Committees all presented their responsibilities and goals; our work begins now! All members of the committees who presented want to realize those goals, believing that to do so will benefit our church and community. Take a look again at the proposed budget that was presented in March and think about how your contributions for the next fiscal year can help us meet the goals. Our work begins now!
OK, I am not a member of the Finance Committee…but as Programs and Membership Chair (and as a committed member of Westside for 20+ years!) I believe being able to fund these committees and their projects will make our church more attractive to visitors. And we’ve had several visitors lately who have decided to join Westside. I mentioned Mike C. and Elizabeth G. the other morning; I’m happy to say that Charles S. and Kari K. signed the membership book after potluck. If you’ve visited Westside for a few months now and think Westside fits well with your values, please see Reverend Carol or me. We are planning a recognition ceremony during the service on May 19.
And, yahoo! I’m happy to announce the Justice and Generosity Project for the next few months. As I wrote before, we want to more closely tie the Share the Plate partner with the JGP. The current Share the Plate partner is Knox Pride, and our project is to stock its food pantry. And first, I want to thank Kari, Charles, Judith F., and Mark P. for pretty much setting this up. So now on to the basics: the Knox Pride food pantry is open to anyone who comes in off the street, not only people who use the organization’s services. The most needed items are multi-pack chips, crackers, granola bars, pop tarts, mixed nuts, fruit cups, and cereal. They take shelf-stable food as well as personal care items like deodorant, chapstick, and wipes. The Knox Pride website has a lot more information and pictures, and you can read more about Knox Pride and the food pantry in the article in the newsletter. There’ll be a box in the foyer for you to leave your donations. And don’t think this food drive competes with the food we collect for the Farragut food pantry. These pantries serve two different geographical areas and populations. Our work begins now!
You can email, text, or call me with any questions. My contact information is membership@westsideuuc.org.