The Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist
c3hoffice@gmail.com
(919) 942-2050
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History of the Sarah Elizabeth Insch Church Youth Leadership Program

Sarah Elizabeth Insch (1959-2010) was a life-long Unitarian Universalist and a member of The Community Church of Chapel Hill for almost 20 years. She was active with the children’s and youth ministry programs at the church for the last dozen years of her life, including serving as co-chair of the Children’s Religious Education Committee for 5 years. In 2006, Sarah was awarded the Gertrude Willis Lifespan Religious Education Award honoring her many contributions to our church.

Sarah was born in July 1959 and raised in Winston-Salem, NC. She attended Duke University, earning a degree in Slavic Linguistics, and attended graduate school at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She co-founded a translation firm based in Chapel Hill. Married to Dan Pelletier, Sarah was mother to Will and Julia, who have grown up in our church and who inspired her involvement in our religious education programs. In addition to her work in our church, Sarah was also extremely involved in the wider community. She volunteered in the CHCCS schools and on political campaigns. Sarah was also active with the Girl Scouts of America, leading her daughter’s Brownie and Junior troops.

When Sarah died in March, 2010, the Children’s and Youth Religious Education Committees began thoughtful discussions about how we could honor and remember her. This yearlong process has led us to the establishment of the Insch Youth Church Leadership Program in memory of Sarah. The program promotes Sarah’s leadership vision and connects all of us to the values she demonstrated during her life. These include:

1.     Young people are vitally important. Sarah was deeply committed to young people. She felt that they were important to the members of the Children’s and Youth Religious Education Committees, to our church community, and to our Unitarian Universalist faith. For more than a decade, she dedicated her energy to making the church a place that is welcoming and nurturing for children and youth. This mirrored her dedication in the wider community through her service in our schools and with Scouts.

2.     Volunteer lay leadership is a critical contribution to the church community. Sarah provided leadership to the CRE Committee during a pivotal time in the church’s development when there was rapid growth in the RE program and the building renovation and expansion project was undertaken. Beyond RE, she also was involved in the service auction and the ministerial search and candidating process.

3.     Sharing our Unitarian Universalist faith is significant. Sarah’s faith was central to her and she embraced UU principles and values in her everyday life. She was dedicated to actively involving our children and youth in our UU faith and to inspiring a new generation of UUs.

Sarah provided an example of leadership that was exemplary in terms of dedication and also in personal and institutional integrity. She set a tone of deep respect which impacted all aspects of our work together. We were more serious, honest, and dedicated together because of her example. She helped to create an environment in which people wanted to serve, felt like their contributions were important and where things grew and thrived. She brought intelligence, insight, and steadiness to her leadership.

The Insch Church Youth Leadership Program fills an important gap in our ministry for youth. It offers an opportunity for older youth to deepen their connection to our church and the UU faith after the Coming of Age Program. It prepares them for adult leadership in a UU congregation, ours or others. It tells our youth that we value their leadership potential and we believe in their future leadership role within our faith.

By developing this program in Sarah's honor, we continue her ministry among us by honoring the leadership gifts she gave to us – a deep commitment to young people and to thoughtful lay leadership in our congregation.  Insch Church Youth Leadership Program is enthusiastically endorsed by Sarah’s husband, Dan Pelletier. Dan has generously pledged $1000 to start the fund for this program. Future fundraising efforts will include collecting other pledged donations and soliciting donations from people who knew and loved Sarah, both within and outside our church community. 

For more information contact:
Marion Hirsch, Director of  Lifespan Religious Education
hirsch.communitychurch @ gmail.com

  • Home
  • Virtual Worship
    • Wednesday Night Vespers
    • This Week's Service
    • Virtual Worship Archive
  • Worship and Arts
    • Upcoming Services & Schedule
    • Music Ministry >
      • Community Church Choir
      • Virtual Music Gala
      • Gala Donations Page
      • Virtual Worship Music
      • Music Program
      • Shrek the Musical
      • Community Church Singers
      • Children's Choir
      • Youth Music Ensemble
      • UUkes
      • Instrumentalists
      • Music Team
      • Music Gala
      • Musicals
      • Pageants
      • Choir Sundays
      • Concert Series
    • Art at Community Church >
      • Art in the Sanctuary >
        • Upcoming Art Exhibits
      • Art in the Commons
      • Past Art Exhibits
    • Sermon Archive
  • Newcomers
    • Welcome
    • What to Expect When You Visit
    • Visiting with Children and Youth
    • Map and Directions
    • The Path to Membership
    • How to Connect
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Our Minister
    • Our Staff
    • Our Governance >
      • Our Board of Trustees
      • Board Nominees 2020
      • Congregational Meeting Documents 2019
      • Our Covenant
      • Our Mission and Vision
      • Our Strategic Plan
      • Our Bylaws
      • More About Our Governance
    • Committees and Ministries >
      • Caring Ministry
      • Living Our Covenant with Intention
      • Committee on Ministry
      • Communications Committee
      • Endowment Committee
      • Finance Committee >
        • Sunday Counters
      • Worship Ministry
    • Community Church in Action >
      • Community Day of Service 2020 Photos
      • Community Day of Service 2019 Photos
    • Our History >
      • Timeline
      • Congregational Award Recipients
    • About Unitarian Universalism >
      • The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)
      • Our Beliefs
      • Unitarian Universalist History
      • Southeast District of the UUA
    • Making a Financial Commitment >
      • Annual Pledge Drive
      • Building On Our Legacy Capital Fund
      • The Endowment Fund: Supporting the Future of Our Congregational Mission >
        • Proposing a Project
        • FY2018 Annual Pledge
        • Contribute to the Fund
        • Past Projects
        • What is the Fund
      • Qualified Charitable Distributions
  • Youth and Children
    • Virtual Offerings for Children and Youth
    • Ready for RE, a visual guide
    • About Youth and Children's Ministry At The Community Church >
      • Program Philosophy
      • Helping Children and Youth Connect at Church
      • Parent Expectations
      • Program Leadership
    • Sarah Elizabeth Insch Church Youth Leadership Program >
      • Insch Program Description
      • Insch Associates
      • Insch Program History
      • Insch Program Application
    • Youth Staff Internship Program
    • Our Whole Lives (OWL) Sexuality Education
    • 2020 Hogwarts on the Hill
    • Chalice Camp 2020
  • Justice and Service
    • Racial Equity Challenges
    • Charles M. Jones Peace & Justice Committee
    • Community Service Ministry
    • ECO
    • Habitat For Humanity Outreach
    • Immigrant Justice Initiative
    • Share the Plate
    • Side with Love Ministry >
      • Side with Love Spotlight
      • Side with Love Concerts
  • Learning and Fellowship
    • Welcoming Ministry
    • 20s and 30s Group
    • Annual Fall Auction >
      • Auction Resources
    • Community Clickers >
      • 2020 Finished Projects
      • Patterns and Instructions
      • Community Clickers - 2019 Projects
      • Community Clickers - 2018 Projects
      • Community Clickers - 2017 Projects
      • Community Clickers - 2016 Projects
    • Covenant Groups
    • Flaming Chalices Softball
    • Outdoor Connections
    • Rare Women >
      • Housing Options as We Age
      • Resources for Rare Women
    • Sanctuary for Dialogue
    • Spiritual Exploration for Adults (SEA) >
      • SEA Pilgrimage Class
    • UNC Campus Fellowship
    • UU Non-Fiction Readers
    • WomenCircle
  • Donate Now