ITLOTC
(In The Life Of The Church)
Easter
On Hope by Taylor
Hope is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
- Emily Dickinson
I’ve long admired this poem by Emily Dickinson because it seems to accurately and succinctly describe my experience and relationship with hope.
Hope is elusive to me. I don’t quite understand it or know where it comes from within me – and yet there it always is. I think it is safe to describe myself as a realist – I try to be as honest as possible with myself about the things that are true about the world, about myself, and about others because I like to be adequately prepared for any and all situations. And still – even when I’m being honest about worst-case scenarios, I am often surprised to find a glimmer of hope in the back of my mind. A quick flash to remind myself that I could be surprised by how well everything goes.
I like that Dickinson is honest in the poem that hope can be lost. “Sore must be the storm” but it’s not impossible – because it’ true, I do lose it sometimes. But I am often so surprised when it pops again after a little bit of rest and focused self-care. Or sometimes a lot of rest and therapy. But it has always returned so far.
I think we have found that all of a sudden, we have moved into a season where we have somethings to be hopeful about after a prolonged season where we had very little to be hopeful about. And it might be only my experience, but I found the shift pretty jarring. I found it hard to embrace some of the hope I was feeling.
But then I remembered some wisdom from the very wise Cornel West. He talks not of “having a hope” but rather about “being a hope,” about making a choice to be a certain kind of person, about choosing to embody hope instead of experience it. Hope is a discipline – we choose it because we believe it. We are hope for each other. UBC – how can you be hopeful this week?
Meet Our Newest UBCer
Ashton James Glover
Birthday: 4/7/2021
Birth Height: 20 in
Birth Weight: 7 lbs 15 oz
Enneagram Number: 7w6
Meet the UBCer(s)
Howertons
On Surveys
Hello friends, you likely saw a survey about vaccinations go out earlier today that i’m reposting here. And now I’d like to offer a word on surveys in general. As you’ve likely now noticed we have created a few of these and intend to send out a few more to continue to gather data so that we can proceed with a plan for worshiping together in our building. That being said, it is now apparent to me that the vaccination survey offered in isolation felt a bit blunt. Said differently, perhaps it would have been prudent to ask those questions in larger survey about pastoral care. incidentally we have already created such survey and debated about whether or not to make that two surveys for reasons that I won’t bore you with here (though I’m glad to share if you are curious). All that to say, I realize that survey taking is not an ideal way to gather large amounts of data. What would be ideal is for us to be together, to talk about this with nuance, and with an opportunity to share compassion with one another. That day is coming. Hold fast. UBC has bright days ahead.
Leadership Team Nomination
We will be replacing three of our valiant leadership team members this August. Thank you to Jeremy Nance, Kerri Fisher, & Joanna Sowards. Description of the role is below. Leadership team members function as the executive decision making body of the church. The commitment is to a three year term. Leadership team terms are three years. If you would like to nominate someone for the leadership team, please do so by using this link to fill out the form.
(A) Purpose. The Leadership Team shall be the primary decision-making body of UBC. The Leadership Team will oversee all the business and property of the church, as well as make the final decisions regarding hiring and dismissal of staff and the acquisition and selling of assets that are beyond budgetary provisions.
(C) Qualifications. Each member of Leadership Team shall have been a member of UBC for at least one year, exhibited an understanding and commitment to the mission and values of the church, and be willing to fulfill all responsibilities in the Leadership Team job description.
(E) Term. Members of Leadership Team may serve for a duration lasting up to three years. While they are encouraged to remain the full three years, members may voluntarily remove themselves from their position at any time.
Sunday Worship Is …
Outside! The weather looks good.
(imagine that Kristen Wiig excited gif right here)
Parishioner of the Week
These champions: our impromptu rain storm tear down team who came through in a big way to save UBC’s outdoor media future.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Leadership Team
If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.
Chair: Kerri Fisher: Kerri_Fisher@baylor.edu
Luci Hoppe: lhoppe@gmail.com
Jeremy Nance: Jeremy.J.Nance@L3T.com
Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com
Kathy Krey: kathykrey@gmail.com
Jose Zuniga: jzgrphix2002@yahoo.com
Taylor Torregrossa: Taylordtorregrossa@gmail.com
Student Position: Davis Misloski
Student Position: Maddy O’Shaughnessy
UBC Finance Team
Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.
Catherine Ballas: catherine@refitrev.com
Jen Carron: jen.carron78@gmail.com
Mike Dodson: financeteammike@gmail.com
George Thornton: GeorgecCT1982@gmail.com
UBC HR Team
If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.
Erin Albin: erin.albin1@gmail.com
Sam Goff: samuelgoff92@gmail.com
Craig Nash: Craig_Nash@baylor.edu
Kristen Howerton: khowerton94@gmail.com
Patrick Broaddus: patrickjbroaddus@gmail.com