Caught in the Act of Generosity: Kristin Satterlee & Arne Gullerud
by Christina Socorro Yovovich of the Radical Generosity Committee
Kristin Satterlee and Arne Gullerud are inspired to serve our church community because they love and value its people. They have been members of First Unitarian since 2003 and have been volunteering for much of that time. Arne spent seven years running the cameras for services, helping branch ministry become a reality. Kristin served on the search committees for both Reverends Angela and Bob, and worked closely with Angela and others to revive the Caring Network.
Arne currently is a member of the Care Team, serves as DJ for the Zoom services, and is part of the Worship Coordinators team. Kristin is the chair of the Caring Network and serves as a worship leader during both Vespers and Sunday Zoom services. Both have found their work with the church and their connections to others have deepened during the pandemic.
They connect with other members through the Caring Network. The Care Team provides a listening ear to members dealing with hard times, whether through the phone, email, or handwritten cards. Kristin coordinates connecting people with members of the team. She says during the pandemic connections were rarely made face-to-face, but happened over phone and email. Their tagline is A Culture of Abundant Care and Love; the team helps foster this culture in the church.
They also find virtual services powerful and connecting. They can see other people’s faces, their joys and concerns, often keeping them in their hearts throughout the week. Members participate who otherwise could not due to constraints of health, transportation, and/or geography. In addition, virtual church allowed for Vespers, an idea that had been bubbling for years, but did not become reality until the pandemic. They would never drive to campus for a 20-minute service on Wednesday evening, but love logging in to see the 30 or so regulars. In addition, Vespers allowed both to develop a deeper relationship with poetry. Arne says through Vespers he’s learned to love it. Kristin has been writing poetry. She often reads others’ poetry and prose for services, and spends time beforehand practicing, making sure she understands the nuances so she can convey meaning and feeling. Kristin writes, “The person I become in service to this church is the person I want to be.” Arne writes that anything he can do “to be a part of making this a more beloved community is time well spent.”
