Our Affirmation of Covenant states "service is our prayer." At Neshoba, we firmly believe that the fullest realization of our faith and values is through service to each other, both in the church and within the wider community. As the well-known UU mantra states, we believe in "deeds, not creeds." For example:
In Our Church
Each Sunday, volunteers provide flowers for the front of the church, baked goods for coffee hour after the service, and even help out with aspects of the service, from reading the Call to Worship, to ringing the opening gong and lighting the chalice, to reading a story for all ages. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Monthly, we need volunteers to host/organize the potluck lunch. Hosting involves setting up and making sure clean up gets done. Contact [email protected] to sign up. We also need volunteers on the various committees that help the church function smoothly. Some meet monthly, some meet just as needed, and some are ad hoc for short-term work like the annual auction.
We are a fully autonomous, self-governing organization, and we UUs love our Committees and Teams! So members, join up!
In Our World
Our volunteer activities also extend into the local Memphis community to help address a wide range of social justice issues. Some organizations that we have volunteered with include the soup kitchen at First Presbyterian Church located in downtown Memphis, Room In The Inn (RITI) that offers meals, showers and a safe shelter to people experiencing homelessness, and the Bond Care Homes that offer a wide range of needs ranging from providing assisted living facilities, nursing home care, and continuous care for Alzheimer's patients and for mentally or memory-challenged adults. Annually, Neshoba has a booth and parade entry in the annual Mid-South Pride Festival, the single largest gathering of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies in the Mid-South. We also often sponsor a film at OutFlix, an annual film festival benefitting OutMemphis.
In order to help with these and other organizations, Neshobans have helped serve at the soup kitchen, volunteered to shop for gifts and organize a holiday party for the residents of the Bond Homes, provided transportation, food, and hospitality to the RITI guests, and staffed the booth or walked in the parade at Pride.
In addition to volunteer opportunities, we also dedicate financial resources. Once a month, our Sunday offering is designated as a Community Offering, which benefits local charitable organizations. Past recipients have included OutMemphis, Literacy Mid-South and Caza Teatro Bilingual Theater Group.
