This week we have the joy of sharing another “new Attendee” within Savior’s community. If you haven’t already met Julie Newberry, join me in getting to know her!
What does your household look like?
My immediate household includes Molly, a roughly 18-year-old toy poodle, and Pearl, an 11-year-old chihuahua mix. I have also been hospitably welcomed by a quaranteam family, which has had a major positive impact on my mental health in this season of isolation. I would love to see more households of 2+ including households of one in their bubble (in safe/wise ways, of course).
Where do you live? Where are you originally from?
I recently moved to West Chicago, where my dogs and I live in a neighborhood with lots of retired folks, which we enjoy. I grew up in Southern California, but I spent 8 years in North Carolina prior to moving to IL, so California and North Carolina are tied in terms of my sense of "home."
How long have you been coming to Church of the Savior?
I started attending Savior shortly after moving to IL in the summer of 2019.
In your time at Savior so far, what have you enjoyed most?
My favorite part of the service is when we sing the Celtic Benediction; I can't wait till it is safe for us to be physically together in worship again, as the song makes more obvious sense in that context!
What do you enjoy about our services?
I have not participated up front (other than being on the Zoom pass-the-peace video once), but one of my favorite parts of the service is the reading of the Gospel text.
What do you do when you're not at church? (Job, hobbies, etc.)
I teach New Testament at Wheaton College for my paid employment. I also enjoy walking with my younger dog in a nearby park and chatting (from a COVID-safe distance) with elderly neighbors. Lately, I spend a lot of time trying to keep my older dog fed and safe (this is far harder than it sounds!), and sometimes I like to draw.
What has been a surprising gift during this time of COVID? And what don’t you want to return to “normal”?
One gift for me has been that, with so much on Zoom, I've been able to participate in activities in my NC church again. Conveniently, they meet on Sunday, whereas Savior meets on Saturday, so I have been able to do both! I have appreciated being able to revisit that community where I have deeper prepandemic roots. It will be bittersweet for me whenever they return to fully in-person services.