When Jeanette and Elsa and I started attending Westside in 2009, we were mostly interested in helping Elsa answer some of her questions about what religion could be. It came out pretty quickly that Jeanette was a teacher and I was a teacher in my previous career. We were asked
Continue readingIn the December 20th and January 1st Westside Weeks we offered a survey of congregational connection during these challenging times. The results were overall encouraging, with almost 70% of respondents saying they were feeling connected or deeply connected and over 80% of respondents saying that they are okay with the
Continue readingWe made it to 2021! I hope you had opportunities for rest and joy in the last few weeks of that very long year. I am deeply grateful that those of us on the board have been able to take some time for celebration and rejuvenation ourselves, especially because it’s
Continue readingJohn 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
Continue readingAt Westside, our three biggest sources of congregant-based income are: Your pledges Our yearly Auction Sunday Shared Offering contributions Why are there three separate ways to give financial support to our community, instead of just one? A pledge is what you believe you can commit to giving Westside in a
Continue readingFrom the Right Relations Phase One Team — Thank you to the 60 people who responded to our Right Relations survey — woohoo! The input we received is very helpful. The majority of voters chose congregational training as a foundation for working with our covenant. We also received seven alternative
Continue readingThis fall has felt like a real grind. Resources and energy have been limited, stressors have been high. We’ve all been functioning under the weight of huge uncertainty and often grim realities for months on end. It’s a lot for each individual to hold and any community to weather. Although
Continue readingDear Westside Members and Friends, We are finding ourselves faced with such an unusual set of circumstances and no easy answers. Like many of you, our board members feel the wear and tear on our tolerance and stamina as this pandemic wages its storms on us. Like many of you,
Continue readingThe Blessings of the Binder Keepers – Shelley Webb, Board Treasurer In my In my 20’s, after a failed three-month career as a middle-school math teacher but before I knew what I wanted to do next, I landed a job as customer service representative #4 of what would later become
Continue readingDear members and friends of Westside, As we enter the fall season, many of you may have questions about our plans for continuing to come together as a community and specifically about the possibility of having in-person meetings with proper physical distancing and masks. The board is committed to considering
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