02/23/2023 by Shannon Day

Westside Welcomes Carter Smith, Our New Contract Minister

The Board and the Search Committee are extremely pleased to introduce Carter Smith (she, her pronouns) as our half time contract minister beginning March 1. Carter has been granted Preliminary Fellowship by the UUA and will be ordained by her home congregation in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in May. At that time, she will formally take on the title of Reverend. We were impressed with Carter’s integrity, her curiosity about all things WSUU, her ability to problem solve, to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds, her love of Unitarian Universalism,  her actions that demonstrate a real commitment to

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10/08/2021 by Shannon Day

Making Our Way by the Light of the Heavens

Beloved Members and Friends of Westside, As you read in the message earlier this week from the Board of Trustees, Rev. Cynthia Westby and Cheryl Brown have resigned their positions in our Religious Exploration program. We are grateful for the leadership and service each has offered to the congregation over their many years here, working through sometimes difficult situations as they cared for our children and youth. As they move into other pursuits, we wish for both Cynthia and Cheryl the very best. I know that for myself, as I’m sure it is for many of you, this is something

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09/02/2021 by Shannon Day

Small Group Gatherings and the Coronavirus 9.2.21

One of the questions that folks have been asking as they’ve been processing the congregation’s decision to postpone re-opening Sunday morning worship through September (read the announcement), is how do these changes in guidelines affect small groups, and particularly groups meeting in peoples’ homes? I know in the spring and summer it felt like such a joy for vaccinated folks to start to gather, unmasked in each others’ homes. I loved so much being able to be in some of your homes, on your patios, offering and receiving hugs for the first time in over two years. Unfortunately what we’ve

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03/24/2021 by Shannon Day

Heart to Heart – Monthly Young Adult Gathering

So many people grace the doors of Westside seeking a community in which to belong, a community where they can share the big questions and challenges of their lives, and bear witness to others who are similarly seeking. We yearn for relationships of depth and vulnerability, and spaces in which to be our most honest selves. Westside members and friends in their twenties or thirties are invited to join Rev. Christopher for a monthly time of ministry. Using a program called Heart to Heart, we’ll gather to share and to listen to one another, with the following topics explored over

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03/03/2021 by Shannon Day

The Shared Pulpit Series

You have a story. Each of our stories is part of a larger narrative of being human in this world, in this time. One of the most powerful spiritual practices we have is in the sharing of our stories and reflecting on the ways those stories awaken us to love, illuminate our humanity, connect us to the holy and ineffable—and common—experience of life. We invite you to join Rev. Christopher for a Shared Pulpit Workshop Series, which will guide you in developing your story into a sermon and worship experience that you can share with the congregation. Using a series

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02/19/2021 by Shannon Day

Under the Bridge

One of the things that was shared during the start-up and has been a continuing thread in my conversations, was a reflection that at Westside “conflicts have to become significant before we attempt to resolve them.”  It makes me think about those cracks in the wall of the first house I bought with my ex-wife. When we moved in there were some really big cracks in the plaster upstairs. If they’d been dealt with when they were small, it would have taken just a little work to patch and fill, but over time they grew wider and filling them became

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02/12/2021 by Shannon Day

With Trust and With Grace

This is the first in a series of posts talking about some of the cracks that I’ve perceived or received from members of the congregation. If we are going to forget our perfect offering and seek to let a healing light in through those cracks, a practice of honesty and accountability, seems essential to moving forward together. “Forget your perfect offering. Ring the bell that still can ring. There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” Poet and Songwriter Leonard Cohen, inspired by Sufi Mystic and Theologian Jalaluddin Rumi “What was I thinking?” is what I’ve

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02/05/2021 by Shannon Day

That’s How the Light Gets In

Forget your perfect offering.Ring the bells that still can ring. There is a crack in everything.That’s how the light gets in. I’ve heard from lots of folks this week that they are having a lot of different, sometimes conflicting, feelings after last week’s startup and Sunday service, but that these words in particular have been resonating with them. I’ve found the same, and have been singing them to myself pretty frequently. One of the things I’ve appreciated about these conversations is that they seem to carry a deep sense of a desire to be honest, to be really real, about

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12/16/2020 by Shannon Day

Make the Circle Wider

John Britt, Pastoral Associate Imagine that we are back in our beloved building (Yay!)  You are heading downstairs after the service. You get your cup of coffee or tea and begin greeting people. If you are like me, there are people you regularly interact with, people with whom you share a mutually acknowledged connection. There are others I greet, however, where our relationship is friendly but more recent or less well established.  One of my early drumming teachers, Simone LaDrumma (yes, that is her real name) wrote a great song called “I Will Be Your Witness”. Having people recognize and

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09/03/2020 by Shannon Day

Rev. Christopher’s Schedule

With the birth of baby Benjamin in July, Rev. Christopher has 12 weeks of family leave to use. Instead of taking this all at once he will be taking it gradually over the next several months. This will include periods of half-time work and some weeks of full leave. We are grateful that he is able to spread this leave out over time as our shared ministry begins to take root. He has put great thought into how to balance and prioritize his time during this transition. The board will be working closely with him to cover the needs of

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