Message from the Minister
Hello Beloveds,
I have had the honor and pleasure of meeting many of you virtually and a few in person over the last couple weeks. I look forward to meeting more of you and learning about you as individuals and as a church over the next few months. This period of getting to know you is essential to the interim work we will do together. When I participated in the Beloved Conversations series we were reminded to move at the “speed of trust”. The course had a justice and equity focus, but I believe it is an important reminder when we are going through big changes and transitions. We need to build trust with one another so we may accomplish the interim work which examines the history of the congregation and the hopes for the future. Both of these can be challenging and need to be navigated with care for one another.
My role as the Interim Minister is to help guide the church through this transition and process the emotions that result from the changes the church is going through. Much of this first year is learning from you as I get to know you, assessing what is already in place, goals the congregation already has, providing pastoral care, and spiritual leadership. The second year is focused on the search process to find UUCT’s next Settled Minister. The first year is just as important as the second because it works to identify what you are looking for in a minister and how to best fit the needs of the congregation.
I hope that you will join us on Zoom this Sunday, August 22 as I preach about change and how that impacts community during this time of transition.
I want to get to know you so please reach out to plan a time that we can chat – we can meet via zoom, phone, on the veranda, or safely masked at a location convenient for you. I invite you to bring a story about your connection to the church, a moment that really stands out or means something to you. You can email me at minister@uutallahassee.org if you would like to schedule a time to chat.
May you be well,
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.