(In The Life Of The Church)
Ordinary Time
Y’all means ALL – by Toph (he/him)
Coming back from sabbatical is always a transition. It is such a gift to be given an extended amount of time to reflect and recharge, but it takes me a little while to ease back into the rhythm of routine. During my sabbatical I was able to worship at a few different churches, those which family and friends attend in Thailand and Tennessee, and it always makes me miss UBC. I love the community we, you and I, have built here together. I love the freedom to be able to voice our convictions, both publicly and privately, and know even if we disagree it does not mean we are not community, or we are not pursuing the holy work of loving God, embracing beauty, and living life to the fullest.
In Cole Arthur Riley’s book, This Here Flesh, she writes: “I don’t have many certainties about God. I do have many hopes. Chief among them is that it’s true what they say: that God is love, is made of love, and looks at the faces of you and me and my gramma and, without hesitation or demand, delights.”As one of your pastors, let me affirm this hope, and let you know that the Creator of the cosmos, created you, and takes great delight in you. I am also mindful it is Pride month, and the Church has done so much harm through the years to the LGBTQIA+ community. As a CIS-gender heterosexual white male, I have not felt this pain, but as I listened in 2019 to many of our LGBTQIA+ folks, I heard their pain and their stories. So today, being my first newsletter back from sabbatical, I wanted to remind all of us that God is Love and takes great delight in you.
We did this “for the sake of clarity” post last year, and this is what we said: “UBC unequivocally supports the queer community, completely affirming them in their identity, and their calls to service and ministry. Queer folks can serve in all capacities, engage in communion, and be married at UBC.” Amen.One of my favorite parts of returning from sabbatical is seeing you and knowing at UBC we are doing our best to create safe spaces for ALL people to know, feel, and experience the radically inclusive love of God. If the Church, or in particular UBC, has caused you pain, I would love to listen to your story and ask for forgiveness. If the Church, or in particular UBC, has been a place of refuge and comfort, I would love to listen to your story and give thanks to God together. One of the favorite parts of my job is sit across from another human, and listen, and be invited into a space in which our stories might form one another and challenge us to live into the great Story. If you would like to grab coffee, lunch, or a pint soon, I would love that. I’ve missed y’all.
Leadership and Finance Team Nominations
First we'd like to applaud Kathy Krey, Jose Zuniga, and Taylor Beard for their leadership these last three years. Their stints are coming to an end this August and they will rolling off over the course of the Fall. We are thankful for their service to our community
So that means we are looking for new folks to serve on the leadership team. Here is some information for you to consider from the bylaws.
Section 1. Leadership Team
(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. Members serving as student member commit to a year with the chance to renew up to three years.
Nominations begin now. So if you'd like to nominate yourself or anyone else, please send an email to anyone on staff, toph or taylor
We also have some previously scheduled Finance Team rotations! And so we’re also looking for new Finance Team members. Here is some information to consider from the Bylaws:
Finance Team: The Finance Team is an advisory group to the staff and Leadership Team, providing guidance, support, and oversight of the financial aspects of the church. This 5-7 person team of lay members, in consultation with the Lead Pastor and Office Administrator, meets at least quarterly to prepare the proposed annual budget, review the church’s fiscal condition, and make recommendations and decisions regarding expenditures, investments, and other financial matters. Qualifications and terms for Finance Team service are outlined in the UBC Bylaws.
These positions are incredibly important for our community and an important way to serve! Thanks for considering carefully if you are interested or if you know someone who might do a good job. Nominations begin now. So if you'd like to nominate yourself or anyone else, please send an email to anyone on staff, toph or taylor
VBS - Compassion Camp!
Our VBS is right around the corner! It’s called “Compassion Camp - Changing the world with LovingKindness!” It’s for kid’s ages 2yo-4th grade and 5th Grade-Adults are welcome to come serve as volunteers. It will be the week of June 13-17 (Mon-Fri) and it will be nightly from 5:30-8pm! If you would like to volunteer to help or if you would like your child to attend you can email taylor@ubcwaco.org
Summer Calendar!
We have many exciting events coming up this summer and you can find our full calendar of events here on our website if you’re looking to schedule which events you want to attend this summer! We’ll also be printing a hard copy for you to take home and keep on your fridge or wherever you keep your calendar! So be on the lookout for that!
Waco Dives - Kitok’s at noon!
In the summer we like to get together and get lunch at a different local Waco restaurant! This week our local restaurant expert (Toph) has chosen Kitok’s as the restaurant for the week! So we will meet there tomorrow (Wednesday) at noon to enjoy lunch together! We hope you can make it!
Foster Care Awareness
Want to learn more about foster care and ways to get involved? Interested in engaging faith communities? There will be Foster Care Awareness Events on June 21 and 22 at St. Alban's Episcopal Church to learn more about foster care in our community sponsored by St. Alban's and Families and Foster Care Coalition. Dinner and childcare provided. Learn more details and RSVP at https://forms.gle/YnMqWyMKyXiMtkNy8.
UBC Meal Calendars
Hi friends! Here are the current Meal Calendar opportunities to serve members of the UBC community:
The Pittman Family: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/mm81m6
The Howerton Family: mealtrain.com/08y894
Parishioner of the Week
The Carrons for filling in for worship on Sunday! Thank you so much for leading us on Sunday!
Preaching Schedule
Staff has put together a preaching rotation through the summer so that we might hear from the UBC community during this season. Here’s a reminder of that lineup for y’all.
6-12 Craig Nash
6-17 Lilly Ettinger
6-26 Kerri Fisher
July 3: Taylor
July 10: Sharyl
July 17: Lilly
July 24: Kerri
July 31: Interim
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