Exploring All Souls - Pathway to Membership
Dear Friend,
If you are beginning to feel at home here, the All Souls Membership Committee invites you to come to our Pathway to Membership gathering, "Becoming and Belonging - Tea with the Minister and Membership Team".
This one session gathering is designed to help you find deeper connection and insight into our Unitarian Universalist community at All Souls and to answer questions you may have about what it means to be a member. The gathering will provide information to those who may be considering a deeper commitment to Unitarian Universalism and the All Souls congregation. Have you thought about becoming a member of All Souls? Would you like to learn more about what it means to be a member of the All Souls community? Or maybe you would like to gain a deeper understanding of the Unitarian Universalist faith. If so, "Becoming and Belonging" is the place to be.
We will offer four Becoming and Belonging gatherings this church year, and two New Member Sundays during which new members will sign the historic membership book and be introduced to the congregation. Choose the gathering that works for you!
October 6, 2024 from 11:30 - 1
or
November 3, 2024 from 11:30 - 1
New Member Sunday December 8, 2024
January 5, 2025 from 11:30 - 1
or
February 2, 2025 from 11:30 - 1
New Member Sunday March 2, 2025
Look for information on Becoming and Belonging in the
weekly newsletter or at the Welcome Table in Unity Hall.
We designed the gathering to offer you a process of discernment in your search for a spiritual home. We’ll share conversation and learn about each other’s journeys to All Souls. We’ll explore the culture of All Souls and the values of the UU faith tradition, get to know Reverend Carolyn Patierno and Director of Faith Formation Perry Montrose, and enjoy the opportunity to befriend other kindred spirits. We invite you to join us for one of these gatherings to discover more - we'd love to get to know you!
For more information about membership, please contact membership chair, Alex Clancy at membership@allsouls.net.
Our most recent New Member Sunday was held March 10, 2024.
In 2023 New Member Sunday was held March 19, 2023.
We covenanted with and welcomed 13 new members.
In 2022 New Member Sunday was held on May 8, 2022.
We covenanted with and welcomed 17 new members.
Our previous New Member Sunday was held on May 9, 2021, in the Peace Garden behind All Souls, where we welcomed and covenanted with 9 new members.
Sign-the-Book Sunday
Beginning in January 2019 we also offered the opportunity to become a member at All Souls by signing the membership book during coffee hour at two of our January services. This opportunity was designed for those people who were ready to become members and didn't feel the need to attend a workshop. It also was a time for those youth who had participated in our Coming of Age program the previous year to formally become congregational members and have the ability to vote at our Annual Meeting. 19 people signed the book that January. Obviously offering this opportunity met the needs of many people! So on Sunday December 8, 2019 and Sunday January 12, 2020 we did it again! Sixteen people joined on those Sundays, and three more joined on New Member Sunday. Going forward we may offer Sign-the-Book Sunday again - stay tuned!
With blessings on your journey,
Alex Clancy, Membership Chair
And the All Souls Membership Team
Living the Covenant/Expectations of Membership
At All Souls New London we take membership seriously. We are self governed and self sustaining and our congregation exists because members are actively engaged in all aspects of congregational life. They participate in worship, in programming and events, and in the democratic process by which we govern ourselves. Members carefully tend to the stewardship of our finances, our buildings and the care of each other. Through all of this we covenant to walk together and to live out our Unitarian Universalist values and the mission and vision of All Souls. This is how we live our covenant:
Presence, Participation, Practice and Financial Commitment
Presence: Members attend worship services regularly. Reverend Carolyn Patierno calls this “Showing Up”. Your presence is important and we miss you when you’re not there. Sometimes showing up is not just for you – someone else may need your presence. And the more you are present, the more connected you will be to the congregation.
Participation: Members participate in the life of All Souls. Join a ministry team or committee, teach a Faith Formation class, sing with the choir, offer to be a coffee host or bring snacks for coffee hour, become part of a Small Group Ministry group, help with the gardens, sign up to bring flowers for a worship service. Participate at a level that works for you, knowing that at different stages in our lives we have more or less time to give to these things. You may wish to start slowly by volunteering for one-time events or by saying “yes” when volunteers are needed.
Practice: Members practice their religion by living a life that embodies our UU principles. We live our values and carry them forth into the world. Engaging in a personal spiritual practice such as meditation, prayer, or journal writing is one way to do this. Or you may choose to practice your religion by putting your beliefs and values into action through social justice work or through caring and ministry to others. There are many ways that you may choose to live out your Unitarian Universalist principles in daily life, keeping your heart open to transformation.
Financial Commitment: Our members financially support the vision and mission of All Souls by making an annual financial commitment. Members determine for themselves the amount of their annual financial commitment. We ask that members work toward a goal of 5% of net income, but you are welcome to give to the extent that your circumstances allow.
Please note: in order to vote at congregational meetings a person needs to have been a member for 60 days and
to have made a contribution of record within the past year.
In summary -
We live the covenant through our Presence, Participation, Practice and Financial Commitment
Ten Good Reasons For Joining A Unitarian Universalist Congregation
by Bill and Barbara Hamilton-Holway and Mark Harris
Because here we join with open hearts and minds to worship together, seeking what is sacred among us.
Because here we are part of a long, liberal tradition of reason and tolerance, of hope and liberation.
Because here we honor our Jewish and Christian roots, and also reach out to know the great truths found in other religious expressions.
Because here we acknowledge that revelation is never sealed and empower ourselves to search for new truths.
Because here we nurture our children's enthusiasms and encourage their questions.
Because here we welcome diverse people and views.
Because here we join our strength with others to create a more just society.
Because here we respect the whole self - mind, body, and spirit working together.
Because here we encourage each other to be true to ourselves.
Because here we build a supportive community that eases our loneliness and opens our hearts.
