Valuable Life Lessons I Learned While Working at UCG

Here are some things I wanted you all to know. In true UCG fashion. With love, and reflection and thought. – from Julia Rainer, our Director of Children’s Ministries for the past two years, whose last day was August 17, 2025:

Valuable Life Lessons I Learned While Working at UCG

1. It’s not like this every Sunday.
   In church, we’d say this because while the bulletin might be the same, each Sunday had its own soul. Different songs, different faces, different moments. I learned to embrace the new, the unexpected, the unfamiliar. My time here has been the same – an array of experiences I will carry with me forever.
2. Ask people, “How are you?” – even in the middle of a hectic meeting.
   Life didn’t stop at the office door, and sometimes the best thing we did was laugh, be raw, and make space for honesty. Those moments were safe harbors. Thank you for that.
3. We are all neurodivergent.
   Because really—what is a “typical” mind?
4. Mental health matters.
   Take the medication if it helps you. There’s no shame in it. I’ve learned to check in on my own mental wellness, and on my family’s. Do the thing that helps you be true, and your best you.
5. Make the card.
   Birthday? Make the card. Haven’t seen them in a while? Make the card. Loss? Make the card. Easter? Make the card. Your sister’s brother’s cousin twice removed? Yes – make the card. It means more than we know to remind someone they are thought of.
6. Find your people.
   There are others in the world who are passionate about what you love. Seek them out. Build community.
7. Make the accommodation when you can, without losing yourself.
   Offer the helping hand, go the extra mile, be kind.
8. Take the compliment. Give the compliment.
   Let generosity flow both ways.
9. Rearrange your sanctuary.
   Whether it’s your home, your workspace, or your heart – sometimes a refresh lets us see familiar things in a whole new light.
10. Now that the church has ended, let the service begin.
    I will never forget Andy’s goodbye service. I cried – no, I blubbered – because the love in that room was almost tangible. It made me think I want to live and work in a way that leaves this kind of imprint. That day changed me.

There are hundreds more lessons I could name, each one etched into me. I am endlessly grateful.

“Thank you” doesn’t quite cover it, so I offer you this letter instead – my love letter to this place, these people, this chapter of my life.

With all my undying love,

Julia Rainer