If you are interested in providing services for members of the First UU community, please read the descriptions below.  Volunteering is based on your availability and interests, and signing up means that you’ll be contacted when opportunities are available. You may and click on the links, if applicable, to sign up through Church Center. There is no limit for how many of these you sign up for – many people are on multiple teams.

Your help is truly appreciated! If you have any questions, please email caring@austinuu.org.

First UU Cares

  • Meals Team

Those on the Meals Team are able to provide a meal or two for an individual or family in need, for reasons that may include illnesses, surgeries, or welcoming newborns into a family. Those who sign up for the meals team will get an email when a request is made and can sign up based on their availability. Food restrictions and delivery address will be included in the email. Meals can be homemade or purchased. Click here to sign up for the Meals Team.

  • Visits Team

Those on the Visits Team provide traditional visits to congregants who are in the hospital, in rehab, or recovering at home. These are short visits, and the need is usually fairly short in duration. An email is sent to those on the visits team when there is a need, specifying the location and visiting hours for the visit, and team members respond based on their availability. Click here to sign up for the Visits Team.

  • Memorial Services Team

One of the ways we honor members of our community who have died is to provide food for their memorial service receptions, so it is one less thing the family needs to think about. Those on the memorial services team receive an email in advance of a memorial service and are invited to bring finger foods (savory, like finger sandwiches, or sweet, like cookies) to drop off before the service, based on their availability. They can be homemade or store bought. Click here to sign up for the Memorial Services Team.

  • Outreach Team

The goal of this ministry is to help members who can no longer attend church as they did in the past continue to feel a connection with the church. The ministers oversee the identification of members eligible for this service, and volunteer members of the outreach team are matched with those who would welcome contacts, usually by home visits but sometimes by phone calls. Contact is generally once a month. One difference between the hospital/rehab visits (by the visits team) and outreach visits (by the outreach team) is that outreach relationships are ongoing vs. short-term. Volunteers are welcome to sign up for both. Sign-up for the Outreach Team by contacting a minister (ministers@austinuu.org) or a co-chair of First UU cares (caring@austinuu.org). A one-session training is provided.

Caring Companions

 Caring Companions are a lay pastoral care team overseen directly by the ministers, and working closely with First UU Cares. They serve as a supplement to ministerial pastoral care, sometimes in a role as listening ministers. The visits are often more intense than the other types of visits and the Caring Companions must complete an extensive online training course. There are no openings for Caring Companions at this time, but if you are interested in becoming a Caring Companion in the future, please contact ministers@austinuu.org or caring@austinuu.org to be added to a waitlist.