Kathryn Leete loved her childhood Presbyterian church. It was folding-chair small, friendly, and welcoming with a young hip minister. There was less impetus to attend church in college. Living on her own after college and looking for a church she tried the local Presbyterians and found them unwelcoming. A friend suggested UUism and it seemed right enough to put it on a dating service profile when she moved to DC. This is in part how she matched Steve Leete. On their second date, he took her to a summer service at UUCSS and Kathryn felt such a sense of welcoming and belonging that she signed the book shortly thereafter.
That was in 1993. Since then, Kathryn has been very active in our church. Early on, she sang in the choir and joined the committee to evaluate our new building for handicapped access. She has worked in the nursery, taught elementary and middle school RE and OWL, stewarded for the Annual Budget Drive, and continues as a worship associate and tech director. Right now, her heart is in the Racial Justice Task Force and particularly in external engagement for the tangible work of changing law and public policy.
Kathryn’s church touchpoints have included InReach groups, a decades-long marriage enrichment group, monthly “Ladies Night Out” gatherings, and adult RE classes. Particularly important were a parenting group (precursor to Families LUUV); Rob and Hank Dahlstrom’s enneagram course, adult OWL, and Rev Leon’s movie and discussion offerings. All have helped her to know herself, enrich her marriage, and know other members at a deeper level. Her hope for us is that we can keep that feeling of friendliness she first encountered. There are many ways to volunteer and sometimes, the simplest is to reach out to someone undergoing a hard time.