Belonging
My name is Jared Smith. I’m a member of the Strategic Vision Team, Co-Chair of the Sounds on Oberlin Concert committee, and member of the Sanctuary Choir.
I began singing in the choir here in early 2018 and joined a class of new members by the end of that year. During that process, I asked a question – what does it mean to be a member of White Memorial? For someone like me who already attends every week, who volunteers, and who gives financially, why should I take the next step and become a member?
The answer that I heard, and that I believe to be true, is belonging. As members of White Memorial, we choose to belong here – to claim this space as our own, to find and build connections, and to invest in a shared community, inside and outside these walls.
For me, belonging looks like weekly rehearsals, and participating in a thoughtful and meaningful music program. Belonging is weekly services, walking alongside each other to learn and grow in our faith. Belonging is communal worship, where we join together in the same space to sing the same songs that generations before us have sung – and indeed still do – across the world.
But to belong here – to truly belong – we have to choose to be engaged physically, spiritually, and financially in the health of this faith community. Over the next few weeks, I expect we will hear story after story of the many ways your gifts to White Memorial make the world better through our charitable giving and outreach programs – important work that we have been called to as followers of Christ. But I suggest to you that our generosity is also an expression of gratitude for, and investment in, a community that supports one another, a space where we come together to be challenged, connected and restored– a place that enriches our faith.
As you consider your pledge for 2023, remember not only the good that your gift will do but also the benefits that your giving will bring to you. I invite you to join me this generosity season and choose to belong. Choose White Memorial.