Jamie Jorgensen was happily Mormon for most of the first forty years of his life. He remembers with affection the structure and community that the church gave him with special fondness for his year and a half doing missionary work in Brazil. Over time, differences began to build up. Jamie leans non-theistic and socially liberal, neither of which are standard Mormon doctrine. While Jamie taught Sunday School for LDS pre-K he moved his son into a non-Mormon Cub Scout troop. It was there that he met Kai’s parents, Corita and Andrea Waters. Corita and Andrea talked about UUCSS and Jamie came to believe that any church that they attended was probably a good place to be. The transition was actually pretty easy as the services were very similar, and the sermons reflected his values.
It is an axiom of the Mormon church that you do not volunteer for service, you are assigned jobs. That was a bit of a culture shock, but within a year he found himself teaching our middle schoolers. He appreciates how they have their own ideas and strong opinions that make teaching both challenging and interesting. Art is one of his avocations and working on art projects with the youth has been a rewarding experience. When asked about his experience Jamie said, “I’m grateful to be part of the congregation and to be welcomed here by everyone. I’m glad what I contributed in has been appreciated.” This is a common thread among our volunteers, responding to the love and appreciation that the congregation shows.