Pride season is upon us and Bloomington Pridefest is Saturday, August 22, from 1 PM-8 PM. University Baptist Church will once again have a presence at the festivities. Last year we found lots of connections with our Bloomington community as we gave out painted rocks and waters. We are looking forward to reprising our role again this year.

How does UBC feel about being present at Pride? One of our church values in our life together is that we promote loving and restorative justice for the disenfranchised in our community and the world. We can't think of a better use of our time than to reach out the metaphorical loving and gracious hand of Jesus Christ to our community in this way as we recognize that all human beings are equal bearers of the image of God. Everyone has a place a the table and everyone is welcome.

Here is the link to sign-up for one hour shifts.  Feel free to sign up for more than one: 
https://doodle.com/sign-up-sheet/participate/86118ddf-d2df-47ac-acd3-544db0f506e3/select

We have a guest preacher for Sunday, August 2nd, as Pastor Annette begins her two-week vacation. There are several congregants who are out of town so, if possible, invite your family and friends so we can really pack the pews for our guest! Bring that UBC energy with you too.

Here is a little information about Rev. Pettis-Garrett:

Rev. Paula Pettis-Garrett, M.Div., MSW, LCSW

Rev. Paula Pettis-Garrett serves as the Survivorship and Clinical Trials Education Lead for the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.   

Rev. Paula Pettis-Garrett is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In addition to her work at the Cancer Center, she serves as an associate pastor at Alive in the Word Christian Church in Brownsburg, IN and provides mental health services through Family and Community Partners to individuals and families involved with the Department of Child services. Rev. Paula earned both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in social work from the Indiana University School of Social Work. Rev. Paula also graduated from Christian Theological Seminary (Indianapolis, IN) with a Master of Divinity Degree. 

In almost 30 years of working in the field of social work, she has had the privilege of serving in a wide variety of settings - including public health, mental health, and the department of corrections - and with a vast diversity of individuals and communities. Rev. Paula aims to serve with compassion and excellence in whatever capacity she works. She loves people and was born to serve. 

Rev. Paula has been married to Rev. Steve Garrett for 28 years and together they have three children, J’Niah, Nia, and Steven and four grands - Ryan, Luka, Marli, and Kayori. In her downtime, she gets refreshed by having fun with family and friends and binge-watching crime shows.