Apply by March 15!
Worship Associates help lead our Sunday worship services, collaborating with the ministers to reflect on meaning, purpose, and the life of the congregation. Worship Associates help develop Sunday themes for worship in monthly meetings with the Ministers, Music Staff, and Program Staff. At these meetings, we delve into personal and communal understandings of monthly themes like “Hope,” “Intention,” and “Welcome,” and then identify topics for each of the Sunday services of the month. Then individual Worship Associates work one-on-one with the ministers to prepare individual Sunday services by selecting readings or telling a personal story related to the theme of the service.
During the pandemic, Worship Associates record their stories the week of their service date and submit to our Music Directors. On Sunday morning, Worship Associates moderate the chat on YouTube, then join Zoom coffee hour online as a welcoming presence to newcomers. The program includes training for Worship Associates on recording stories, how to write a compelling story, and how to create the container for the shared experience of the worship service.
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
We are looking for church members who:
- are inspired by worship and want to contribute to the congregation’s depth of experience;
- want to engage in philosophical and theological reflection about meaning and purpose;
- have diverse identities, which this year particularly means young adults, newer members, and people of color;
- have poise and public speaking ability; and
- are deeply committed to the church and its values.
SERVICE COMMITMENTS AND APPLICATIONS
Please submit your application by March 15, 2021, through the website at https://uumilwaukee.org/get-involved/worship-associates/
Worship Associates will begin with planning worship with the required Worship Associate meetings on Sunday, May 23, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 13, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., and will begin serving at worship services in September 2021. The other WA meetings will be held during the 2021-22 church year, typically on the third Sunday of each month, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Worship Associates make a commitment to serve for two years, including during the summers, and commit to attending all WA meetings. Worship Associates will support the Ministers in leading worship about once every two months; on the date they serve covering the 10:00 a.m. worship online during the pandemic, and both the 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. services in person when we re-gather.