Season’s Greetings Beloveds,
It’s the holidays already! There are several opportunities coming up for celebrating the many winter holidays in addition to the ongoing ministries of the church. I am eternally grateful for the hard work and dedication of the staff and volunteers that help make our ministries possible.
On Sunday, December 18th, we will explore the wonder of the winter holidays celebrated throughout the month including Yule (Winter Solstice), Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, and New Year’s. These will be lifted up through a variety of personal reflections, stories, readings, and music. Do you celebrate one or more of these holidays – individually or through family traditions? Would you be interested in sharing briefly during the service? If so, please reach out to me as soon as possible at minister@uutallahassee.org.
Following service, there will be a Potluck hosted by the Stewardship/Canvass Committee to foster community connections. This will be the first Potluck since prior to the Pandemic and as such there will be some extra considerations. You are welcome to bring a dish to share with everyone or you may bring something just for you and your family depending on your comfort level. Attendees are invited to spread out either inside or outside to allow for more space. Will you be attending service virtually? If so, we want you to enjoy a meal together too so we will have virtual tables (breakout rooms).
Join us for a hybrid Christmas Eve Service at 6 pm. We will explore the biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus, reflections, and carols. Attendees will be invited to participate in a no-rehearsal pageant, singing, and passing the flame during Silent Night. Our zoom participants will kick off passing the flame and then move to those in the sanctuary as singing continues so please have a candle (battery operated or a lamp work too) handy.
Since Christmas Day is on a Sunday this year, we will also have a Christmas Day Worship Service. However, it will not be a traditional service structure, though there will still be a chalice lighting and extinguishing, some carols, refreshments, and a meditation. Our time together will focus on the opportunity to be in community which is especially important for folx that may not be able to see friends or family this holiday season for a variety of reasons.
May your holiday season be filled with love, good health, safe travels, joy, and community.
In faith, Rev. Holly
About the author
Rev. Holly Brown, Interim Minister
Rev. Holly (they/them/theirs) was ordained on April 3, 2021, by Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church in Charlotte and Salisbury, NC, where they served as a ministerial intern. Rev. Holly earned their Master of Divinity from Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO) with a special focus on UU courses offered by the UU House of Studies at MTSO. During seminary, they served as a student minister at North Unitarian Universalist Church in Lewis Center, Ohio and student chaplain during one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Rev. Holly also served as an Interim Director of Religious Education at the UU Congregation of Greenville, NC before perusing ministry.
Rev. Holly has a passion for Racial Justice, LGBTQIA Rights, Interfaith Work, and Mental Health Awareness and Accessibility Justice. In addition to local justice work, Rev. Holly is a member of several UUA and UUMA (UU Ministers Association) groups including TRUUsT (Trans Religious professional Unitarian Universalists Together), Trans/Nonbinary Ministers, Ministers with Disabilities, ARE (Allies for Racial Equity), and the UU Mental Health Network.