| Expectations of Membership |
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Worship is the central act of our community; it is our time of gathering for strengthening, for reflection and celebration, and for learning about what the church is engaged in. We ask you to participate in the ongoing conversation that occurs in worship as we journey together. Spiritual Growth As a member we expect you will cultivate your spiritual life. This occurs in many forms; you might participate in our adult religious education, join aChalice Circle, or attend our meditation group. We welcome you as you are, but we don’t expect you to remain as you are. We invite you to join our community of personal growth and learning. Stewardship We ask each member to make a financial pledge of support. We invite you to consider giving 5% of your income to support the ministry we all do at UUSM, with the goal of reaching a full 10% tithe over time. We are a congregation of generous people, and while we ask a high level of commitment, we do not wish for financial ability to be in any way a burden. We ask you to give until it feels good. Foundations of Fellowship Each member is expected to pitch in with the basic tasks that help our community to thrive – e.g., greeting, ushering, sound system operation, coffee-hour hosting, children’s coffee hour healthy-treat provider, Religious Education greeter, etc. We ask you to serve at least one Sunday each month in any of these ways you choose. Please fill out & submit a Foundations of Fellowship form. Deepening into Ministry We ask that through careful discernment, you choose a ministry area into which you wish to deepen. We offer support so that you can identify your area of shared ministry. For some, it will be singing in the choir, and for others, serving on the auction team, or teaching in children’s religious education. How do you know if it’s a ministry area for you? You’ll know because it will feel like a nourishing, energizing commitment. Only you can know where your spirit longs to stretch. We encourage you to participate in the “Finding Yourself at UUSM” course, which has been designed specifically to help you consider how this community can support your personal growth. Our Membership Coordinator, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , would like to help you find your way here. There are many ways to serve, most fall clearly in one of our six ministry areas (Worshipping, Learning, Caring, Connecting, Giving, Acting). You can learn more about these opportunities on this website, or in person at UUSM. Living Our Faith We want to move from Sunday to Monday together. We ask that you practice living out Unitarian Universalist principles in your daily life (the <“spiritual homework”> section of the Sunday order of service can provide you with suggestions), as well as through voting at congregational meetings, getting involved in our radical hospitality program, environmental focus, anti-racism, anti-oppression, multicultural initiatives…there are countless ways to live your faith. Sharing the Vision We are a community that believes in the transformative power of Unitarian Universalism, and therefore we seek to share it with the world. Participate by meeting newcomers at our Welcome Table. Be a Sunday morning greeter. Take it a step further and invite a friend or neighbor to come along with you Sunday! Next Steps There are many ways to prepare for membership. While you are welcome to join the congregation at any time, you are also invited to take whatever time you need to discern whether UUSM is your spiritual home. Read more about some of the ways you can prepare for membership and/or deepen your membership commitment when you join our congregation. |