Skip to main content

Giving Time and Talent: Caring Circles

By

Danna Peterson

The Caring Circles seeks to bring together members of the church to get to know each other better.  In a closer relationship people feel more comfortable to ask for help, receive help and share ideas more openly.  We have a very talented, interesting, compassionate and diverse congregation!  There is much to learn from each other and I feel the Caring Circles are instrumental in this regard.


Being a co-leader of a Caring Circle has given me the opportunity to become more involved in church activities and to become closer to the church community.  I have enjoyed making new friends and I feel more comfortable sharing thoughts and ideas on a wide range of topics.  I am also grateful for the opportunity to help the church maintain its vibrant community. --Danna Peterson



“In this congregation we covenant to care for one another.”  This is the first line of the mission 
Joan Russo

statement of the Caring Community (also known as “Caring Circles”). How could I not want to be a part of something that speaks to the very heart of what I believe we are all here to do as part of our human experience?  


As a co-leader of our Caring Community  I hope to help strengthen the connections within each circle and expand that connection within  the  larger congregation.  I believe the model of our “Circles” of  Caring Community will help us find a greater connection with one another. Through that bond, we will find comfort and reward in both giving and receiving care. --Joan Russo


Rick Silva

Building closer friendships among neighbors who are church members is probably the necessary first step to being comfortable asking for help when its needed. The church community becomes stronger when we help each other through illnesses or other problems. There is a smaller chance of someone losing the connection to church when these friendships grow stronger.



The Caring Circle has given Madeline and I an opportunity to develop closer friendships with  neighborhood church members.  We have found new friends only blocks away.  We have also started an annual Christmas Caroling event at UMASS Hospital to help us give a little back to the community. --Rick Silva

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2017 Stewardship Interview Series

By
You might remember that as part of last year's campaign, the Stewardship Committee coordinated in-person visits with members of the church. The purpose of these visits was to chat about members' experiences at First Unitarian, the four goals of the Stewardship campaign* and member pledges. The core of these conversations was about participation . We discussed questions like: How are you feeling about your connection with the church? Are there any groups, volunteer activities or leadership opportunities that you'd like to be more involved in? What are your thoughts about this year's stewardship goals? Do you have any concerns? My Experience as a Visiting Steward Our family officially joined First Unitarian at the beginning of 2016. And while we had attended sporadically for years, there were lots of people we didn't know. So when Ellen announced that the Stewardship Committee was looking for volunteers to be visiting stewards, I thought it would be a fun way t...
Post a Comment
Read more

An Outstanding Day One for the Annual Pledge Drive

By
" It is rare indeed that people give.  Most people guard and keep. "  If this observation from James Baldwin, one of our contry's most respected philosophers and novelists, is true, then the opening Sunday of our Annual Stewardship Pledge Drive was a rare one indeed.  Consider these day one  statistics : Total amound pledged: $96,628 (32% of our $300,000 goal !) Number of pledges: 62 (6 of these were first time pledges !) A whopping 56% increased their pledge over last year ! Let us keep the momentum going!  If you have not yet sent in your pledge, do so today.   This is truly a wonderful beginning, and it was made even more special by our interim minister's homily.  If you missed Tracey's message, what follows are a few of her memorable and moving insights.  We come through these doors in search, in need, in hope, in prayer. We come looking for something to make our lives better; to make the lives of our family, our fr...
2 comments
Read more

This Community Surrounds My Life

By
I am always inspired and touched by the efforts to build a better world. Seth Popinchalk, Vice-Moderator Last week Scott Hayman told me about a 5K road race to benefit Abby’s house. Abby’s House is a family shelter for women and children and provides them with “a safe place to stay, regroup, and rebuild.” I am in fair shape, so when I woke up Saturday morning I laced up my shoes and drove out to West Boylston to find the starting line. I found Scott and Maddie at the registration area. I also ran into a handful of other familiar First U members wearing race bibs and supporting the event. There was no plan among members to connect with our First Unitarian community this Saturday morning, but we found each other among the crowd of about 300. I was reminded that I am surrounded by our special community. What brings us together? We are a community because we choose to be one. We find a connection with something the church offers: the Sunday services, the sermons, the holi...
1 comment
Read more