Thursday night, my son “graduated” from pre-school. The school had a nice program at a local church. The children sang sweet songs and were otherwise adorable. The parents and grandparents were proud. The gym at the Methodist church was packed. Being a minister and a mom, my attention was divided. Sure, I am proud of my little boy, but this is what children do: they learn and grow. All the ceremony and praise was icing; nice icing, but only sweet extras to life.
Part of me kept thinking about what was going on at our church. While I celebrated graduation, Len and Cheryl Walker were staying the night at WUUC with a group of five adults and eight children who needed churches to open their doors and set a generous table. Church to church, a week here, then there the families move from shelter to shelter until they find homes of their own.
Tears came to my eyes. I want icing for all children; worry free laughter and warm beds, the same home from week to week and the comfort of boring predictability.
Once upon a time, my husband and I were foster parents. We can’t do that just now. Humbly, I admit that I cannot give a home to children in foster care or who wait to be adopted. Humbly, I admit that alone I can do nothing to help parents provide for their children or keep them safe.
Proudly, I serve a little UU church with a big heart. Together we offer shelter to those in need. We feed the hungry. We make a safe place with a little predictability and a lot of love. Sometimes we even make icing… face paints and hair tinsel included.
This is what WUUC is. We are able to live a generous church life because of the time, talent, and treasure of our congregants. Lots of charities are deserving, but only WUUC offers the chance to grow a community within so that we might serve a community outside. I know that I can do more with a church community than I can on my own. Moreover, giving my energy to a group of people who have diverse interests means I might end up supporting something worthy that would never have made it on my radar.
Yes, I am biased towards Family Promise. Sometimes, I weep for other people’s children. Yes, it is hard work to be a Family Promise Host Congregation. Sometimes, it is good to work for other people and their children. The kids keep growing. If we can help families graduate into their own homes, then there is real cause to celebrate.
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In 2007, the members of Westside expressed concern that the church was not doing enough for the local community. To answer that concern, the Board of Trustees developed a model, presented it to the congregation, and “Share the Plate” was established. Each quarter, the BOT chooses a local charity from congregant suggestions. Each Sunday during that quarter, we share 25 percent of all undesignated collection plate money with that charity. We also use this as an opportunity to spot-light the work of that charity so members can get more involved if they desire. Just recently, we have placed envelopes in the seat pockets for cash donations.
To nominate a local charity, complete a suggestion card and drop it in the Share the Plate box on the side table in the sanctuary. Some past Share the Plate partners:
- Loudon County Habitat for Humanity
- Interfaith Health Clinic
- Young Williams Animal Center
- Breakthrough Corporation for Autistic Adults
- Iva’s Place
- Ijams Nature Center
- Volunteer Ministry Center
- Free Medical Clinic of Knoxville
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If you are new to WUUC or are looking for a church to visit, you will find a warm and active community here. You might wonder what our Sunday services are like or what other things we do as a community.
Let me begin by saying that, having historical roots in the Protestant tradition, in many ways we look like any other church you might know. We sing hymns and share readings, we light candles and listen to a sermon. But there are ways in which we are different. We are no longer exclusively Christian. Here you will find people with a variety of perspectives on faith sharing in the work of creating community and helping to heal the world. We are not bound by creed but by covenant. That is to say, we do not have to say we believe the same thing to share some core values and agree to treat each other in good ways. For more information on how we live together in covenant, you can look at our Behavioral Covenant or the UUA Principles and Purposes.
Beyond the church walls, we work to support a variety of local charities through our “share the plate” program and assorted volunteer opportunities for direct service. Our teen group has taken significant leadership in social justice projects over the years and I am proud of the young people at WUUC.
I was called to be the minister of WUUC in 2007. I have always experienced this community as a small church with a big heart. I hope you will too!
Blessings,
The Reverend Mitra Jafarzadeh
Minister, Westside Unitarian Universalist Church
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