Katie’s Bay View – Why I Do Church and Other Life-Affirming Choices

I’m in a small minority having been brought up Unitarian Universalist. As a child, my family attended a small growing fellowship. Later, as a young adult I was a very involved lay leader in a large congregation before attending seminary, answering my “call” to ministry. My joy in being involved in church included teaching and serving in religious education, being a member of the committee on ministry, serving as a member of the board of trustees as vice-president then president, and, for me most importantly, leading the annual stewardship campaign.

It might not seem like these would be the most meaningful things to leap into, that maybe I could have had more fun singing with the choir, or taking a class on mindfulness, or parenting, or even Unitarian Universalist history. I’m sure those things would have been worthwhile as additions to Sunday worship, and I would have found meaning had I made those choices. In fact, when my children were babies, I was a member of a church mom’s group rotating our meetings off-site at each other’s homes. We became close friends. But when I think of the effort I put in for the stewardship campaign, the canvass as we often call it, or more joyfully, “Celebration Sunday,” I am reminded once again of how it was I came to be a minister.

When we are called upon to consider how we put monetary value on something that is more important than material things, like our families, our struggles, our joys and sorrows, the way we mark important events; when we are asked to give to something that is larger than us, that was here before we came but is so important that we want to make certain outlives us, we wake up that spirit in us that’s connected to the larger hope of the world.

This congregation is a wonderful place to live out your most important values. It is a place to delve deeper into spiritual groundedness, whether that is through sharing your music or joining into church leadership. It’s a place to grow your connection to community—a place where sharing your joys and sorrows matters, where it becomes a sacred event. At the end of this month, we’ll consider again, how we demonstrate those values in this place, how we celebrate ourselves in this community, and why it is that we do church. I believe to consider this carefully can change your life.

In living faith,

Katie