What is Congregational Engagement (CE), again?
Purpose: To further the sense of belonging begun in small groups, this committee invites and facilitates broader participation in the work of the church (service).
Last January, Rev. Kim asked all of us to be involved in the church in three ways; attend worship service (Celebrate Life), join a small group (Create Community) and serve (Change the World). This is the shape of church that CE continues to understand and support. It is our goal to see every congregant engaged in service in a way that is meaningful to them.
What we’re doing
With the guidance of Nathalie Edmond and Pam Shadzik, we discuss ways to achieve this goal at our monthly meetings:
1. Learn about congregants via interviews
2. Help congregants learn about committees and ministries
3. Support congregants in their service through trainings and respite-providing retreats.
What can I do?
Hey, thanks for asking! We hope that each of you will…
1. Participate in a CE interview every two to three years
2. Provide information about your committee/ministry to be shared with the congregation (even make a video!)
3. Reach out to CE for suggestions of people to invite into your committee/ministry
4. Reach out to CE with suggestions for people to interview OR people you know would be a good fit for a certain area of service
5. Participate in trainings and retreats when offered.
Always Learning
Just as we are all ministers to each other, we are all resources about the opportunities to serve at UUCWC. It is the aim of CE to facilitate the collection and flow of information so
1) congregants can find the best way to serve depending on where they are on their UUCWC service journey AND
2) committees and ministries are refreshed and re-energized on a regular basis with passionate participants.
The two things we learned in our Expect the Unexpected series last spring were
3) that serving on ANY committee/ministry can be rewarding because you are meeting a need of the church with people who care deeply about it, and
4) that every group is most successful with a diverse group of people serving, regardless of their experience or expertise.
Supporting Each Other
We continue to live in challenging times, each of us doing the best we can in our own ways. We spoke this week at our meeting that we would like to do a pulse check with UUCWC members and friends about how they are doing, how they are engaged/not engaged in congregational life and get some themes about how this may impact a culture of serving. We are calling it “nourishing circles.” We would have small groups gather (in person outside or virtually) to start reconnecting. Please be on the lookout for an email or announcement inviting you to participate in a nourishing circle over the next several weeks.
Here to Listen
If you are interested in participating in an interview with CE to help start filling in our data base, please contact the CE Co-chairs, Nathalie and Pam, at inatnat2@gmail.com and pamelashadzik@gmail.com. Interviews are held with two to three CE members and last about twenty minutes. We’d love to get to know you and where you are on your UUCWC journey.