Karuna = Compassion
Spiritual presence, active listening, helping hands
At the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia (UUCC), pastoral care is provided by the minister and Karuna Caregivers (congregants and members of UUCC). Congregants (newer or longtime, alike) are invited to call on the minister for pastoral presence in times of crisis, discernment, grief, or whenever the presence of a minister might be helpful. Karuna Caregivers are a lay team of trained pastoral caregivers who are available as listeners in times of transition, sorrow, illness, grief, celebration, and/or joy.
💛 Join us for an Active Listening Workshop with Carla Miller and Linda Linton on Saturday, October 3, 2026 at 1PM.
For needs or to volunteer, email Karuna@uucolumbia.net.
View latest Karuna news here. 📰
Lay-Led Karuna Offerings
Together, our Karuna Caregivers offer the following to congregants:
| 💛 JOYS AND SORROWS | A member from the Karuna team reaches out to congregants in person, by email, or with a note to respond to the items shared each Sunday. This may seem small, however reminding someone who is hurting / going through a life transition that they have a community behind them is actually a pretty amazing thing. |
| 📞 CARING CONVERSATIONS | Karuna Caregivers offer calls, emails, and in-person visits to provide ongoing support by being present and listening to congregants who might benefit from one-on-one connection. These take many forms: a weekly call to see what’s going on, coffee date, bi-weekly visit at an assisted living facility, or monthly email / text to remind the congregant that someone cares and that Karuna is available if there is a need the group can help with. Caregivers are matched with a member of the congregation, and the pair agrees upon frequency and mode of contact. Along with providing active, compassionate listening, friendship, and support, the Caregiver is also a point of contact for seeking other forms of assistance from Karuna. If you or someone you care about would appreciate having someone to talk with on a regular basis, let us know: karuna@uucolumbia.net. |
| 🍲 MEAL TRAINS (limited duration) | The Caring Committee, with help from Karuna and others in the congregation, offers meals during a difficult time, maybe after a surgery, or when a loved one is very ill. Or perhaps when a new baby is born! Having a meal brought to the home every few days for a short time would be a blessing. It is a delivery of love as much as it is of food. If this is something that would be beneficial in your life, reach out to karuna@uucolumbia.net. |
| 🚗 RIDES | Karuna is working with the UUCC Accessibility Committee and interested volunteers to help provide rides to service and medical appointments when possible. Hopefully within the next few months there will be a simple way to request rides and we hope to recruit a larger group of volunteers to provide transportation. The best way currently to let Karuna/Accessibility Committee know that you need a ride is to email karuna@uucolumbia.net. |
| 💐 CELEBRATION OF LIFE / MEMORIAL SERVICE RECEPTIONS | Working with the Caring Committee, Karuna helps to provide assistance with these receptions. This is a way volunteers from UUCC can show their love and respect for the person we’ve lost and their family. Volunteers arrive early to set-up, provide refreshments with the help of other congregants, then clean up after, offering a way to lighten the load during a very difficult time. |
Other Assistance
- Compassionate listening when life gets overwhelming and you need someone to provide immediate emotional support
- Visits at the hospital or other facility
- Calls or cards to someone who needs a bit of cheering up
- Light support right after surgery
- Limited support preparing for a move
To request assistance with any of these, we invite you to email karuna@uucolumbia.net.
What We Would Like to Do
- Offer Support Groups – but we are need people to lead the group(s)
Karuna Caregivers
I have always been drawn to helping others. That is the common thread of my life’s roles as parent, teacher and health coach, as well as my roles at Meals on Wheels and at UUCC. Karuna’s compassionate care ministry aligns with my core values, supports UUCC’s mission to ‘nurture each other’s hearts and spirits,’ and helps the fabric of our community remain strong.
– Chris Crandell
Our current Karuna Caregivers are:
| Marylea Bird Chris Crandell Amy Forno Suzi Gerb Dorothy Hutchins Susan Jameson Jim Kelley | Nancy Kochuk Deb Lattimer Linda Linton Betty Myers Becky Reese (Leader) Marie Razulis | Bernie Rock Laurie Thorner Candy Wachterman (former Leader) Jacquie Weinberg (Co-leader) Phyllis Yigdall |
Other Pastoral Care Roles
| 🍰 Caela Barry (meal trains and memorial service receptions) 💛 Kim Estell (Joys and Sorrows coordinator) 🚙 Debby Bors (ride coordinator) |
We always welcome new Karuna Caregivers! Please connect with Karuna via email to discuss: karuna@uucolumbia.net.
Former Karuna Caregivers
We’re grateful for our former Caregivers who have served on Karuna:
| Jenny Afkinich Carol Benjamin Tom Benjamin Ed Gaddy Anne Gould Chris-Ellyn Johanson | Paula Nagy Linda Nedzbala Anne-Margaret Olsson Rae Millman Betsy Osterman Karla Pearce | Lindsay Thompson Arthur Trush Alice Triplett Karen Urbany Elizabeth vonSchlag Flo Wagner |
Learn how Karuna came to be on an episode of UUCC’s Rooted and Reaching podcast 🌳with longtime UUCC member Linda Linton from pandemic days: