Hi INUUC,

I don’t know about you, but I cannot believe we are into November already. I hope that everyone is safe with minimal to no tree damage from our wind storm this past weekend. I wanted to touch base with a few thoughts about our community.

If you can believe it, our church year is well under way and whether you know it or not, INUUC members have been busy. Soul Weaving continues to put on high quality worship every week. Rev. Crystal is behind the scenes lending support and care to our community members and circles and is beginning the real brainstorming work of the future of family ministry and much more. We have a list of 15 members who have offered to lend support for in person gatherings and worship. Our Governing Circle is working hard to create community with one another while carrying out the mission of the church. Our Communications team is kicking butt making sure parts of our website are up to date. Leadership Development circle is incredibly supportive of other circles and is working hard on various projects, the likes of which I cannot think of at this moment. The Coordinating Circle is bringing the Governing Circle and the Program Circles into communication and carrying out the work of the church as well. There are other circles who I have failed to mention here and they too are doing amazing work, thoughtfully and caringly.

My point here is that we are doing the sacred work of building community. I extend deep and sincere gratitude to you all for your roles, big and small, that are creating this community. Take a second to acknowledge yourself and your fellow members. Wow! I appreciate every single piece of fabric in our tapestry of community. Without every contribution we would not be who we are today.

If you are feeling like you do not know how to get involved or what gifts you would like to share, I would love to chat and see how I might be able to help get you plugged into the community in ways that work for you. Or I’ll help partner you with other folks who have similar interests. Please email president@inuuc.org to reach me. Or shoot me a call or text at 509-869-2677.

It takes folks who are willing to lean into that sacred yes and choose to take on projects that feel aligned for them. As we all know, many hands make the work so much lighter for all.

I look forward to worshiping with all of you in person November 13th at UCC. Then our next in person service will be December 18th with Rev. Crystal joining us. As far as other in person events, I anticipate some kind of gatherings like potlucks/social time to be happening soon on a regular basis. Keep your eyes out for more on events soon. Now that we have names of some volunteers, we can work to get more off the ground. If you would like to be added to the list of volunteers to draw on, please email gc@inuuc.org.

In faith and gratitude,
Sara Bauer
Governing Circle President