As many of you already know, I won the election as Co-Chair for MSJE. Hooray! It was a very tight race; I ran against exactly zero opponents! What this really means is that I have a very important job to do. My job now is to stimulate as many UUCBV congregates to become involved in the MSJE so that more than one person will be excited to volunteer as next year’s MSJE Co-Chair.
When I joined the UUCBV a little over five years ago, I was astonished that the church did not have organized volunteer outreach programs. All through my adult life, every time I was involved with a church or teaching my daughters, I was actively involve in supporting people with less than I. I felt that I was obligated to do so and my inner voice said, “… because that’s the right thing to do,” and that is what churches, I felt, are supposed to do. But that was not happening at the UUCBV. The UUCBV did have a group that met monthly focusing on ticking off names of worthy non-profit organizations to donate congregates’ money through Split the Plate. Little thought, I felt, went into what impact these monetary donations of $100+ would have on these organizations or the UUCBV congregation.
One long-term UUCBV member, who had been on the board and numerous church committees, whispered to me at one of these meetings, “I’m tired of sitting around and just talking, I want to do something!” So we took action. No longer can anyone complain about not being able to “do something” at the UUCBV.
Since then, the UUCBV MSJE has “come a long way, baby!” We developed a plan. After spending a year or so studying homelessness in the Brazos Valley with readings, lectures and speakers, the MSJE developed close contacts with Family Promise of BC/S, Hope’s Locker of BISD, the Brazos Valley Homeless Coalition, and Twin City Missions, all organizations that help the homeless in BC/S. The MSJE is now involved in many social justice charitable endeavors and, most recently, we are making efforts to develop close ties with the Tiny Hope Village of BC/S. More information will come out soon.
Although monetary donations to worthy organizations are important, the most rewarding experiences one can experience are actually seeing for yourself the effects of your personal contribution to another person’s life. Becoming physically and personally involved with those who have less than you and understanding their hardships can be quite eye-opening.
So, I invite you to join the UUCBV MSJE and make your mission in life, finding the courage to make the choice to take the chance to see the change. Leave the past behind and look towards the future.
Sincerely,
Pam Johnson
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