Volunteer Spotlight: Terry J.

December's Volunteer Spotlight: Terry Jones!

Weeding her way through gardens and society!

On any given Thursday you will see Terry Jones wandering around the grounds at Eliot Chapel with pruner or rake in hand. She leads her crew of volunteer gardeners as they not only beautify the landscape, but make it more appealing to birds, bees, worms and other helpful creatures of nature. Terry brings her passion for sustainable, eco-friendly gardening to Eliot.

On any given Sunday you will see Terry at the Social Justice table in Adams Hall. Her warm blue eyes and smiling face will greet you, as she holds up a protest sign or hands you literature to read about the latest social justice action our SJ Team is promoting.

“Terry shows us that our actions speak louder than our words. If one is committed to something, they show it by spending time and energy toward its goals.”

“Terry has a gentle, encouraging demeanor on the outside but holds fierce compassion in her heart. She has a purposeful mission to make our church, our community and our world a better place.”

“Terry Jones has great ideas and doesn’t just talk about them, she acts upon them!”

Terry has been at EUC for almost 10 years. She grew up in St. Louis, and moved to Georgia after college. “I belonged to the UU Fellowship of Athens, GA and was involved in the Social Justice program there. Beth Griffin got me involved in the Social Justice team at Eliot. I led the Environmental Justice team in Athens, and Eliot had no Environmental team, so I started one here.”

What does Terry gain from her volunteer work? “It's a great way to meet people and I've made lots of friends through volunteering at Eliot. Through the Social Justice program at Eliot I am able to make a difference in other people's lives, in the environment, and in politics. By working on the grounds at Eliot, I can get in my daily steps and strength training while also improving the environment

(otherwise known as removing non-native invasive plants and adding native plants that feed the birds and the bees.”

Why is it important for you to engage in volunteering at Eliot Chapel? “To me, volunteering for tasks at Eliot is as important as pledging money. At the previous congregations to which I belonged, those who could not afford to pledge monetarily could pledge volunteer hours, and everyone was expected to pledge at least some hours. Perhaps Eliot could add volunteer hours to the pledge cards in the future.”