An Active Membership and Congregation - by Anabel Watson, Connections Coordinator

This past Sunday we welcomed four new members into our congregation; Beth Henkel, Beth Macdonald, Ian Macdonald, and Anna Reine. All four participated in last month’s Exploring UUCB course (click HERE to register for the March course), facilitated by Stuart Yoak and myself along with presentations by Reverend Grant and Drew Schrader. It is a joy to accompany folks on their journeys of learning about Unitarian Universalism and the UUCB Community, and a further joy to see some choose to officially make our community a religious home. Please read below to learn more about these new members (and make sure to say “hello” on an upcoming Sunday!):

Beth Henkel - “Brief Bio”

I graduated from law school in 1981 and married Dan Henkel, the love of my life. While it would take another page to tell that part of my story, the briefest version is that we loved each other much – and also music, classical guitar, folk music, word play and having children. We had three marvelous children: Sarah Montgomery, Abby Henkel Roman, and Tom Henkel. Sarah and Abby now live here in Bloomington and are attending UUCB. Tom lives in Indy and visits often. Abby and Sarah persuaded Dan and me to move down here for our retirement years. Sadly, shortly after we moved here in April, 2023, my beloved husband passed away suddenly of a massive stroke. I am meditating a lot as I experience significant grief.

As a lawyer, I’ve worked in big firms and small. In the 1990s and early 2000s, I worked for the state at IDEM, served as a Deputy Attorney General for eight years, then general counsel and Commissioner of the Department of Local Government Finance. I opened my own solo law office in 2009 and have been practicing ever since then. I am now in the process of winding down my practice in semi-retirement.

We’ve been members of the UU Circle Fellowship and UUI in Indianapolis for about 45 years. I have been president of the Board of UUCF, program director, music director, RE Director, and on and on. Currently, I am a member and a worship associate at UUI.

Namaste.

Beth Macdonald

grew up in Orleans, Indiana. She works as a medical assistant for a community healthcare center in Bedford Indiana. She lived in Richmond, Virginia for 14 years and was a member of the Unitarian Universalist church there, as well as living on the beach in South Carolina before returning to Indiana. She likes to hike and see live music and hang with her cats and puppy. Excited to be married in May!

Ian Macdonald

is a 34 year old hippy from the land of the ice and snow. He is a project manager with Memnon Archiving Services in Bloomington Indiana, where he has worked for about seven years. In his free time he likes to read, hike, cook and play guitar. He has a bachelors in history and philosophy from the University of Vermont. Proud uncle of two nieces and excited to be married in May!

Anna Reine

is a life-long UU who grew up in New Orleans and recently moved to Bloomington from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She is currently working on a postdoc as an experimental physicist studying tiny particles in underground laboratories. Anna is a huge book-lover who especially likes fantasy and sci-fi, and she enjoys yoga, baking, board games, and good conversations with friends. She’s looking forward to getting involved in social justice work at UUCB.

Congratulations to all our new members!

As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions relating to membership or engagement, whether you are looking for a social group to join or a way to volunteer and give back. I am available via email at connect@uubloomington.org and available to schedule a Connections Chat at a time that works for you. Below are a couple of areas where I am seeking further volunteers. I hope that these activities feel rewarding and meaningful for folks. Please let me know if you have an interest or any questions.

• Membership Anniversary Calls: each month, a team calls folks to congratulate them for joining membership in that month of a previous year. This experience can provide meaningful connection, gratitude for community and our faith, and spread smiles to those who keep our church running. If you feel you would make a great new team member, please reach out!
• Sunday Morning Volunteering: each week I send out reminder emails to all those subscribed to notifications on Java Crew, Flame Keeping, and Greeting (click to join each group). We can always use help in these areas. If you are looking for a way to help make Sundays more welcoming and lively, to have something tangible to do, to support the community and meet others, please join one of these groups!

It is a great joy to help this community thrive in connection. I am grateful to each one of you.

Anabel Watson, Connections Coordinator
connect@uubloomington.org