Volunteering

Stained Glass depicting volunteerism

Volunteers are the lifeblood of UUCR. Contributions of time are as much a part of the culture of generosity here as is financial support. Volunteering is also a great way to connect with others and work in love, laughter, and hope to build and sustain UUCR’s “beloved community.”  

Check out the following opportunities by clicking on each topic for more detail. If there’s no specific email contact , send your questions to admin@uuroanoke.org and ask that your message be forwarded to the contact person listed with each opportunity. 

Justice & Social Actions Support

Racial Justice Team
  • Contact: racialjusticeteam@uuroanoke.org
  • Through programs at UUCR and within the community at large, team members work to promote understanding of white supremacy and its consequences, and to advance racial justice in our congregation and around Roanoke. 
  • Time commitment: Meetings as needed; otherwise , varies with the tasks.
Green Team
  • Contact: Carol Rowan (she/her) or Bob Egbert (he/him)
  • Serves as UUCR’s go-to experts for best “green“ practices; holds monthly public rallies on the corner after the service; represents UUCR in other climate and clean energy organizations working in Virginia.
  • Time commitment: The monthly rally takes place 12:15 pm – 1:15 pm on the last Sunday; otherwise varies with the task.
LGBTQ+ / Welcoming Congregation
  • Contact: Robert Wallenborn (he/him) or Tim Adriano (he/him)
  • Works with the minister to plan at least two services each year on topics of special concern to the LGBTQ+ community; holds occasional educational events for the congregation; represents UUCR at community events such as Pride festivals; serves as a resource for visitors and members seeking a queer-friendly spiritual and social justice community.
  • Time commitment: Meetings as needed; otherwise, varies with the task.
Reading Seeds
  • Contact: readingseeds@uuroanoke.org
  • Through grants and partnerships, this group works to provide children from low-income families in Roanoke with their own books and supports other child literacy activities. They can always use help ordering, receiving, sorting, counting, labeling, packing, and delivering books every few months. Grant writers also needed. 
  • Time commitment: 1-2 hour occasional work sessions at the church to organize new books to send to schools; otherwise, time varies with the task.
Roanoke Area Ministries (RAM)
  • Contact: Bill Bespitch (he/him)
  • RAM is an interfaith nonprofit that advocates for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness and hunger. UUCR volunteers help prepare and serve lunch and process food donations.
  • Time commitment: 1-3 hours on the last Sunday of every month.
Family Promise of Greater Roanoke
  • Contact: Jerry Trammell (he/him)
  • Family Promise is a local nonprofit that provides temporary housing, counseling, and support for homeless families with children. UUCR volunteers provide meals and act as hosts at the group home. 
  • Time commitment: Service at the group home is for three or more days, typically five times a year. 
Pack-a-Snack Program
  • Contact: Bonnie Evans (she/her), bevans@uuroanoke.org 
  • UUCR volunteers join with others from local churches to gather food to send home with students in Roanoke whose families are experiencing food insecurity.
  • Time commitment: contact Bonnie for more information.

Education Support

Religious Education
  • Contact: Jessie McKeon (they/them), Director of Religious Education (jmckeon@uuroanoke.org)
  • Volunteers are needed for a variety of roles important to the well-being and education of our adults and young people. These include:
    • Nursery attendants
    • Babysitters and child-watch volunteers
    • Teachers for adults, teens, and children
    • Substitute teachers
    • Youth group advisors
    • Overnight chaperones
    • Children’s choir and play directors
    • Day-trip chaperones
    • Event volunteers
    • Small group leaders
  • Time commitment: Varies with the task.
Library
  • Contact: Carla Mayhugh (she/her)
  • The UUCR library is managed by Carla Mayhugh, who can always use help in maintaining and improving the content of the collection. She is also open to your ideas for creative ways that congregants or programs might engage with the library. 
  • Time commitment: as little or as much as you have, in cooperation with Carla.

Worship Support

Worship Associates
  • Contact: Jill Thompson (she/her)
  • Worship Associates partner with the minister to plan and present Sunday services. An Associate opens the service with greetings and introductions; presents brief readings; lights the chalice; and offers announcements. When the minister is away, the Associates find guest speakers and support their presentations on Sunday. 
  • Time commitment: Between 1-3 hours per month. The group meets at the church on the first or second Sunday of each month from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm. One Associate joins the minister (or guest speaker) each Sunday on a rotational basis.
Ushers
  • Contact: Katherine Hoffman (she/her)
  • Two ushers work each Sunday to hand out the printed orders of service; pass around the collection baskets during service; stay 15 minutes after the service to process the donations as required. Volunteers login to an online tool to sign up for specific Sundays. The chairperson ensures that slots are filled at least a month in advance and sends the names of ushers to the office administrator for inclusion in the order of service.
  • Time commitment: no meetings; Sundays on a rotational basis.
Audio/Visual Team
  • Contact: Betsy Biesenbach (she/her)
  • Provides audiovisual support (sets up/takes down sound equipment; slide deck for the service; live streaming via YouTube) at every Sunday service, as well as for the occasional special event organized by congregants. Works closely with the minister and Worship Associates to ensure a smooth production during service.
  • Time commitment: a minimum of two hours each month; more as needed depending on the needs of a particular service or event.
Coffee Hour
  • Contact: Trina Scott (she/her)
  • The Coffee Team provides coffee and snacks in the Fellowship Hall after Sunday services and sometimes coordinate with others on special events or for guest speakers. A few team members arrive by 10:00 am  each Sunday to set up tables and chairs and to prepare the coffee service. The team also ensures that the kitchen, sanctuary, and Fellowship Hall are cleaned up after everyone leaves on Sundays.
  • Time commitment: no meetings; home-baked goods are a welcomed contribution; team members are needed each Sunday to set up and take down coffee hour. 
Safety Committee
  • Contact: Bob Egbert (he/him)
  • Responsible for serving as Safety Monitors (and de facto greeters) at the front and back doors on Sundays; ensuring that the AED (automated external defibrillator) in the front lobby remains charged and that the first aid kits are available; and coordinating emergency readiness and trainings (e.g., fire drills and preparation; active shooter situations).
  • Time commitment: Ad hoc meetings as needed; monitors serve at least one Sunday a month for two hours.
Music Program
  • Contact: Scott Williamson, Music Director
  • UUCR’s music director organizes all activities related to the music program.
  • Time commitment: practice every Wednesday at 7:30 pm; performs on an ad hoc basis during Sunday service, depending on the program.

Fellowship Support

Caring Committee
  • Contact: Sally Garber (she/her)
  • Provides church members with material support during times of hardship and illness. Meals for the home-bound and rides to doctor appointments are among the gifts of service they provide. They also coordinate announcements – called Lifelines – of members’ personal joys and concerns.
  • Time commitment: meets the first Tuesday of every month by Zoom from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm; otherwise varies, but many tasks can be done in a few hours each month and in a flexible way that works with your other commitments.
Connections Team
  • Contact: Chris Yates (she/her)
  • This team is responsible for the important and rewarding work of welcoming visitors to the church; connecting them with all that UUCR has to offer, and working with the minister and the Religious Education director to guide interested visitors along the path to membership.   
  • Time commitment: meets the first Tuesday of every month from 11:00 am-12:30 pm at the church.; two members serve as greeters in the foyer on Sundays; otherwise varies with the task.

Communications Support

Public Radio Outreach
  • Contact: Dotsy Clifton (she/her)
  • UUCR participates with other UU congregations in a regional sponsorship effort with WVTF Public Radio. The sponsorship entitles our collective to 11 weekly announcements on air, promoting the inclusive and spiritually grounded message of Southwest Virginia’s UU communities. Dotsy would love some volunteers willing to help her seek and process donations from the congregation at large. 
  • Time commitment: minimal, in coordination with Dotsy.
Internal/External Communications
  • Contact: Lynn Yates (she/her) or Cindy Lollar (she/her)
  • UUCR is in the process of fleshing out its team of people responsible for both internal (digital newsletters/updates) and external (website; social media; YouTube channel) communications. If you have technical, graphics, or wordsmithing skills in these areas, and an interest in pitching in at UUCR, please let us know.
  • Time commitment: will vary depending on the task, but there are many ways you can help with as little as a few hours each month.

Building & Grounds Support

Facilities Committee
  • Contact: Celeste Lee (she/her)
  • The Facilities Committee consists of a small group of persons interested in monitoring and maintaining our physical structure. Our members include architects, engineers, tradespersons, and longtime members of UUCR who help document and prioritize needed repairs and improvements.
  • Time commitment: Thursday evening Zoom meetings about six times a year; otherwise, varies with the task.
Grounds Committee
  • Contact: Mary Harshfield (she/her)
  • Excluding lawn care, which is handled by professional contract, the church’s grounds are maintained by many dedicated volunteers on workdays scheduled by the committee’s coordinator, Mary Harshfield (she/her). Work includes seasonal planning; watering; planting; weeding; mulching; and trash pick-up.  Volunteers are asked only to do what they feel able to do, and for whatever time they have available. Tools provided. 
  • Time commitment: ad hoc planning meetings, as needed; an average of X work sessions a month each lasting 1-4 hours.
Kitchen Committee
  • Contact: Mary Harshfield (she/her)
  • Checks on the kitchen weekly; cleans up where needed; generally keeps the kitchen tidy for church activities and for groups renting the space for events.
  • Time commitment: no meetings; weekly check made on a rotational basis; other clean-up tasks assigned as needed.

Financial Generosity Support

Stewardship Committee
  • Contact: Cindy Lollar (she/her), Board President-elect
  • Assists the Board by planning and conducting the fun-filled annual member pledge drive (the Generosity Campaign), which funds UUCR’s yearly operating budget. Membership of this committee includes at least one Board member.
  • Time commitment: Meetings called as needed, but in general, planning the Generosity Campaign is a commitment of a few hours a month during the fall and early winter, followed by about 5-10 hours a week during the active pledge campaign that begins mid-March and ends on June 30.
Endowment Trustees
  • Contact: Henry Woodward (he/him), Chair
  • Assists the Board by managing the assets entrusted to the church in accordance with established Board guidelines. The four Endowment Committee members are church members elected at the UUCR annual meeting. They are selected on the basis of their personal or professional investment knowledge and interest, and their commitment to UUCR’s mission and vision.
  • Time commitment: Zoom meetings one hour per quarter; special meetings as circumstances require. Trustees also provide reports; review applications for and follow grants made from the Mission & Ministry Fund; make transfers and investment changes; and encourage contributions to our managed funds.
Auction Committee
  • Contact: Sheri Bernath (she/her)
  • Organizes an annual silent and in-person auction event, typically held in November, to raise critical additional funds for the church’s annual operating budget. The Auction Committee actively solicits from the congregation a variety of donated items, services, or hosted social events; creates promotional materials and documents describing the auction items;  organizes an in-person auction event with food plus a week-long online “silent” auction; and communicates with auction “winners” after the event and during the year to track payments and to facilitate successful delivery of the promised items/events.
  • Time commitment: Meetings as needed; most work done in the late summer/fall months leading up to the November auction.
Special Collections
  • Contact: Nancy Brattain (she/her) or Joanne Spetzler (she/her)
  • Each year the congregation votes to take up a special collection of funds for four worthy organizations in the larger Roanoke community. The Special Collections team coordinates the nomination process and the vote, and ensures that the collections go as planned.
  • Time commitment: About 2-4 hours per month.

Governance Support

Board of Directors
  • Contact: Katherine Hoffman (she/her), chair of the Nominating Committee
  • The congregation elects Board members at is annual meeting to serve as its governing body, doing the vital and rewarding work of keeping UUCR financially healthy; safely sheltered; and in covenant with UU principles. The Board consists of a president; a president-elect (every odd year); a vice president of finance; a clerk; and three (or four every even year) members-at-large (one of whom serves as chair of the Personnel Committee). In addition, there is a Treasurer who reports to the Board. For a full description of Board duties, see the Board Policy Manual in the Members section.
  • Time commitment: the Board president serves a three-year term (one as president-elect); other Board members serve staggered one- to two-year terms. The Board’s Executive Committee meets the first Tuesday of every month to set the agenda for the full Board meeting, which occurs the second Tuesday of every month. Love and laughter mark each meeting and mutual support is assured as Board members work hard between meetings to fulfill their mandate – typically, at least 5-10 hours a week.
Nominating Committee
  • Contact: Katherine Hoffman (she/her), chair of the Nominating Committee.
  • Identifies and recruits members of the congregation who have the skills, passion, and desire to serve on the Board of Directors and its related committees. A slate of candidates is prepared in time for Board elections at the UUCR annual business meeting each June.  
  • Time commitment: meetings called as needed depending on the number of Board positions that need filling in the coming fiscal year (July 1-June 30); ad hoc meetings with potential candidates.
Personnel Committee
  • Contact: Katherine Hoffman (she/her), chair of the Nominating Committee.
  • Assists the Board in oversight of the congregation’s paid staff. Tasks include: keeping the Personnel Policy Manual up to date; ensuring that annual staff assessments are conducted; reviewing and updating job descriptions; ensuring that staff training occurs; and monitoring whether staff performances are consistent with Board policies. Membership includes at least one Board member as chair, and the minister (who supervises the other paid staffers).
  • Time Commitment: Varies with what’s needed; generally, about 5-10 hours a month.
Shared Ministry Committee
  • Contact: Kay Brandt (she/her)
  • Assists the Board in oversight of the overall health and vitality of the congregation and its ministries through surveys, listening circles, and other methods. Consists of up to six members selected for three-year staggered terms.
  • Time commitment: Generally, 1-3 hours a month; meetings as needed.