Beloveds,
During the month of February, we are holding a series of test services with small numbers to determine the best and safest method of both virtual and in-person worship. Our goal is to have the logistics worked out when we open these hybrid services. These future services will limit the number of attendees and will require universal masking for everyone 5 and up. We will make an announcement and share the RSVP link as soon as we know more.
This month, the theme for worship services is Widening the Circle which is based on the Commission on Institutional Change Report of the same name. The services this month invite attendees to consider the ways in which the congregation can become more intentionally inclusive.
One of the ways the church is working to be more inclusive is through how services and events are offered. The staff, the Board, the Covid Task Force, the Multiplatform Team, and host of other volunteers have reimagined what church is more times than can be easily quantified. They have done amazing work to help maintain the life of the church in unimaginable circumstances.
We have learned that Church is about more than a building. It is about the community and connections to one another. The use of zoom has allowed groups to continue meeting safely throughout the pandemic. As the Covid Task Force guidelines have allowed, groups and events have met in person on church grounds with a zoom option. We have learned new ways to be accessible to more people and we need to carry that forward with us.
In December, the internet at the church was upgraded to Metronet which provides far superior upload and download speeds which is necessary for a better-quality streaming. Additionally, the Multiplatform Team has consulted with Music Masters and S & L Integrated about upgrading the AV equipment at the church for more professional streaming capabilities. Due to a multitude of factors these upgrades will take longer than anticipated and we cannot keep waiting for them. With that in mind, we are figuring out how to make the best service possible with current technology.
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.