'Belonging Team' Tagged Posts
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…
Here it is: The Results of Our Engagement Survey
At the beginning of May, we experimented with starting a new practice at WellSprings. After all the changes of the past few years, we invited you all to consider, and asked without judgment: where are you, in your relationship to our community, today? We received 135 responses to our Engagement Survey, and we thank everyone who participated! The information was very helpful for understanding a bit more about the shape of your lives, and our community, right now – and, for those folks who primarily follow…
A Letter & Survey, From Rev. Lee
Dear WellSprings, Last year, I read a short reflection from a congregation I got to know back when I lived in Washington, DC. The Church of the Saviour is a Christian community with a social mission: they’ve always been a small congregation, but they’ve birthed nearly a dozen community-based nonprofits in the city, in their 50-year history. I still follow their mailing list, and on this particular day last Fall, I read something about them that I didn’t know before.…
A New Member Welcome, and an Update from Our Stewardship Ministry
This past Sunday, we celebrated Belonging Sunday, where we welcome new members who have joined our congregation over the past year. We were happy to welcome five new families, as well as two individuals who joined us the prior year, in 2022. Each new member is given a gift bag with a few symbolic gifts: a little Energizer Bunny to represent our charged-full mission; and sunflower seeds, to represent how we hope our members will come to us on “rainy…
Congregation Potluck Lunch: February 26th, After Service!
As we explore the “recipe” for Making a Life this winter, let’s share some of our favorite recipes with each other at a Pot Luck lunch, after service on Sunday, February 26th! You can pitch in with cooking, setting up, or cleaning up (and, of course, eating). We’ll gather in the Dining Hall, and our YouthBridge Ministry will have board games available as an opportunity for intergenerational connection. This is an all-ages, family-friendly event! Come lend your skills and talents – or just bring your appetite…
Belonging Sunday Recap
This past Sunday, we gathered in Bell Hall and online to celebrate everything that WellSprings Membership means. Folks of all ages heard heartfelt and moving stories from several current members, and we took the opportunity to – as a congregation – welcome our newest members. You can watch the entire service below. You can also read a recap and view some photos on our website. If you are interested in learning more about WellSprings membership, you can take our upcoming…
Interested in Joining Our Congregation? Start with a WellSprings 1.0 Session!
Our WellSprings 1.0 gatherings are a chance for you to learn more about what it means to become a member of our spiritual community. If you’ve been attending services for a while and feel like WellSprings might be your new spiritual home, you are warmly invited to join us for these special small-group discussions. Since we are still distancing, 1.0 sessions will take place over Zoom. WellSprings 1.0 takes place across three separate sessions. Each session will be held on…
Renewing Our Membership Commitments
This Sunday, we’re welcoming new members to WellSprings at our Belonging Sunday service online. But because Belonging Sunday is a celebration of all members, not only our newest, we are also inviting you to renew your membership commitment this spring. Here are two ways to renew your commitment: The “New Member” Website Section – We’ve created a section of our website specifically for new members. There, you’ll find all the new information we hand out to members during our revamped…
What’s Belonging Sunday?
Coming up on April 11th, WellSprings is celebrating a new twist on an older tradition. Introducing: Belonging Sunday! In past years, we’ve welcomed new members at a special New Member Sunday Service; usually once in the Spring and once in the Fall. This year, we’re introducing something new. We’re celebrating WellSprings membership at a special service, and we’re inviting our existing members to come meet our newest members as part of this all-ages service. Rather than offering membership twice a…
Interested in Membership? WellSprings 1.0 is Coming!
Our WellSprings 1.0 gatherings are a chance for you to learn more about what it means to become a member of our spiritual community. If you’ve been attending services for a while and feel like WellSprings might be your new spiritual home, you are warmly invited to join us for these special small-group discussions. Since we are still distancing, 1.0 sessions will take place over Zoom. This year, we are also breaking down the traditional “block” format of WellSprings 1.0…
WellSprings 1.0 Sessions in March & April
Our WellSprings 1.0 gatherings are a chance for you to learn more about what it means to become a member of our spiritual community. If you’ve been attending services for a while and feel like WellSprings might be your new spiritual home, you are warmly invited to join us for this special small-group discussion. Rev. Lee and members of our Belonging Team will host each of these events, where you will have the chance to gain a better understanding of…
What is the Belonging Team?
WellSprings is so much more than Sunday services. We’re a thriving community making connections and deepening our spiritual practices in many different ways. However, we understand that feeling at home in any group takes time, and that’s exactly what the Belonging Team is here to help facilitate. At WellSprings, we want you to experience a sense of belonging. Whether you’re the kind of person who comes every Sunday, jumps right into Springboard discussions, volunteers for various teams; or if your life and responsibilities…