The Pane: Why UBC is Thriving
Over the last couple of weeks, I have had countless meaningful conversations with members of UBC. Many of the discussions have centered around two questions: 1) Why now; 2) How UBC will continue to thrive.
Each time the conversation has turned to “all the wonderful things you (Andy) have done here,” I quickly pivot the conversation to note in all authenticity and sincerity that all I have done is pull out and leverage what already existed within UBC’s fine people. UBC is indeed thriving because of our extraordinary people and their willingness to invest in creative Kingdom work.
So much of my sense of calling to come to UBC four years ago was discerning just how extraordinary the members of this faith community are. We sensed it in the pastor search team, thinking that if the rest of the congregation was anything like this group of people, we wanted to be a part of what was happening in Baton Rouge.
And our hunches were correct—UBC has many gifted, engaging, and wonderful people. And what makes you all so extraordinary is how you relate to one another in gracious, compassionate, and generous ways.
If you were to give an honest assessment of my time at UBC, you’d realize that all I was attempting to do was bring you all together in thoughtful and proactive ways. By bringing you together for intentional conversations, creative activities, and the spiritual discipline of having fun together, we created opportunities for relational boundaries to be torn down. By investing time together, we built the kind of mutual respect, trust, and love that lead to thriving.
UBC is thriving because God has uniquely placed this set of people together in this particular context for such time as this. UBC is thriving because you all have been willing to love God and love each other as we faithfully discover together what God is doing in and through us.
Let this be a comforting and empowering thought as you venture into the next chapter of your lives together.
Care Packages for Highland Elementary Staff
We invite you to collaborate with our partners at Highland Elementary by providing care packages for the staff.
We invite you to sign up to provide a care package for one of these 37 staff members. The care package should include 5 small snack items such as chips, crackers, candy, nuts, cookies, and a small gift of your choosing. Please note - the bags are 7"x9 1/2 inches, so please purchase your items with this size in mind.
Once you have purchased the items, drop by the church office to fill one of the official package bags, and write a personal note to put on the finishing touch. The office will be open on Sundays 9-11:30 am and, Monday through Thursday, 9 am-4:30 pm.
We will be delivering the bags on May 2, so please have your bag filled at the church by April 27th.
RELATIONSHIPS
Young Adults Night Out
Our next Young Adults Night Out will be on April 22nd, 5:30-8:00 pm. The group will gather at a local restaurant for dining and conversations. Realizing not everyone can arrive by 5:30 pm, plan on joining the group as you are able.
If you have kids, you can drop them off at the church, beginning at 5:15 pm, for dinner and activities for $10 for the first child and $5 for each additional child.
Please RSVP by Wednesday, April 20th. The restaurant location will be texted to you.
Please sign up here:
Barnabas Project Partners
Are you in a Barnabas Projection connection? The Barnabas Project is an intergenerational connection between retirees and children with their families at UBC.
To start your Barnabas Project connection, reach out to Tanya, Minister of Children and Retirees, at 225-766-9474 or tanya@ubc-br.org.
Summer Gatherings Survey
UBC will host three Summer Gatherings on the second Sunday of every month in June, July, and August.
In the past, these events have centered on community and shared-interest activities. In planning, we want to know the types of activities that interest you. Please take a few moments to fill out this poll to give us helpful insight: