Membership Engagement Update

I think a lot about the various pathways one might take from first checking out UUCPA to becoming deeply engaged in and contributing to the community. That is part of my job as your Membership Engagement Coordinator, of course. I am joined in this work by both ministers and volunteers, particularly the Membership & Growth committee headed by Pamela Schure. 

In response to the pandemic and the shelter-in-place order, UUCPA is continually adapting to and learning from our new reality of online delivery. First, we learned to deliver Sunday services and Sunday school classes via Zoom. Rev. Amy’s Discovering UUCPA class, which used to feature a walking tour of the church campus, is now delivered online. As it became clear that we would be meeting only online for an extended time, more of our small groups moved to online meetings.

This time is an opportunity — by necessity, but still an opportunity — to reimagine membership engagement. The Sunday mornings I used to spend greeting newcomers and answering questions at the Welcome Table are now spent watching for and reaching out to newcomers in our online services. Thanks to member Maricia Scott, the paper Connect with UUCPA form that visitors used to fill out and hand to us is now an online form that emails me when it is submitted. 

This is an opportunity for you to be part of that reimagining. The Membership & Growth committee, which I work closely with, seeks additional volunteers to help with monthly meetings, newcomer and community events, and other projects. We would love to add the perspectives of new members, the skills of graphic designers, and more. For more information please email me at bjwishinsky@uucpa.org.