WellSprings News
Announcing a New Coalition for People of Faith in Chester County
Many folks in our congregation have felt the call, over the past few years, to take a more active role in our local community – lending strength and support to each other, and to our neighbors. We see how our political climate is only growing more volatile by the day, and we long to be reminded of the strongest power there is: the power of Beloved Community. The power of showing up, to love and care for one another. WellSprings…
Save the Date for WellSprings’ First-Ever Installation
Save the date for September 29th, 2024, when WellSprings will hold a milestone event in the life of our congregation: our first-ever ministerial Installation! Earlier this year, our congregation held a vote to officially “call” and affirm the Rev. Lee Paczulla as our settled minister – the first time we’ve gathered in this way to choose our own minister, in the 17-year history of our community. WellSprings has been host to three ministerial Ordination ceremonies, all for previous Interns within…
WellSprings at Pride!
We showed up for Chester County PrideFest in force this year, WellSprings! This was the second year in a row that WellSprings served as a sponsor for the annual event, held along Bridge Street in Phoenixville, during the month of June. We were packed with volunteers at our booth, and dozens more from our community dropped by to say hello – whether they were there tabling for another organization, or just out at PrideFest enjoying the gorgeous weather. This year,…
Farewell Jessica, Congregational Meeting Recap, & A Report from Stewardship…
This past Sunday we celebrated Jessica Heichel’s last day on Staff as our Membership & Communications Coordinator – and, our Board of Trustees led our annual Congregational Meeting, after the service! You can watch all of Sunday’s events at the link above – including a special New Member Welcome for Jessica and her husband Dan! The Heichels decided to become members of our congregation, following Jessica’s time on Staff. We also gave Jessica a parting gift to thank her for…
A Final Report, From Stewardship
Greetings WellSprings! The Stewardship Ministry is wrapping up our annual pledge campaign, and we would like to thank everyone who generously made a pledge commitment to WellSprings for the fiscal year July 2024 to June 2025. Our pledge campaign, Building Our Beloved Community, supported the following stewardship goals: 1. to increase member pledge participation from 70% to 90% 2. to increase the overall pledged amount by 16% to meet the planned budget of $250,000. To measure member pledge participation, we used a base…
Now Hiring: Office Coordinator
WellSprings is now hiring for a part-time role on our Staff Team: our Office Coordinator! The person who fills this role will manage and implement the day-to-day administrative functions that are necessary for WellSprings to thrive. Read below for more information, including how to apply. About WellSprings: WellSprings Congregation is a progressive spiritual community of ~200 adults, teens, and children in Chester County, PA. A member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, our mission is to be a community “charged…
Announcing Rev. Lee Paczulla as our First Called Minister at WellSprings!
This afternoon, the Board of Trustees is thrilled to announce the results of the special election for Calling Reverend Lee Paczulla as our Settled Minister. In January, we made a momentous decision to call a vote and then conducted several listening circles, both in person and on Zoom, to ensure all voices were heard. Voting commenced two weeks ago on April 7 and closed Friday, April 19, at 11:59 pm. Yesterday, the Board formally certified the results of the vote.…
Don’t Miss Our Big Belonging Sunday, this Weekend!
You won’t want to miss this Sunday, as WellSprings observes three big events in the life-cycle of our congregation: the welcoming of new members, the final day of our 2024 Pledge Drive, and the announcement of results in our congregation’s vote, to call Rev. Lee Paczulla as our first-ever settled minister. It all happens during a special, annual service we call “Belonging Sunday” – a celebration of our WellSprings community, where we also recognize and formally welcome all the new…
Calling a Minister, FAQ
A Message and Guide from the board of trustees Since we announced at the January congregational meeting our intention to hold a congregational vote, to call Reverend Lee as our Settled Minister, we have held listening circles open to all congregants to enable further discussion and education on this important milestone for our community. Please see below for a list of questions most frequently asked, during those listening sessions. Our vote will open on Sunday, April 7th, so watch your…
Your Invitation to “Books Set Free” – Our All-Ages Message Series for May!
A Note From Rev. Lee A few years ago we started a new tradition at WellSprings: all of our Sunday services in May are “all-ages” services. That means instead of heading off to YouthSpirit, our younger friends stay with the adults for the whole morning – and together, we create a worship experience that is more participatory, engaging, and accessible to our friends at every age and stage of life. This May, we are hoping to create as many opportunities…
Join Us for a Community Bike Ride on March 24th
On Sunday, March 24th, we will be meeting up as a group to take a 1-hour ride on the flat Chester Valley Trail. We hope you can join us for this fun group activity! All wheels are welcome: bikes, e-bikes, training wheels, e-scooters. We will ride at the pace of the group with ride leaders in front and behind. All abilities and levels of experience are welcome. The Plan We will meet at 12:45pm at Wegmans in Malvern, weather permitting.…
Special Congregational Meeting on January 28th
A Note From the Board… Greetings WellSpringers, We are writing to provide notice of a Congregational Meeting to be held on Sunday, January 28, 2024, after Sunday service. The purpose of the Congregational Meeting is to share information about calling Reverend Lee Paczulla as our settled minister. The Meeting will also be live-streamed, just like previous Congregational Meetings. When Reverend Ken retired as our Founding Minister, it sparked many conversations and questions in our congregation. One question that arose was…