Happy New Year, Beloveds!
A new year brings lots of excitement and some new opportunities. There are changes and many things to look forward to. You will have the opportunity to participate in monthly small group ministry circles based on the monthly theme packets from Soul Matters Sharing Circle. A zoom format will take place on the 3rd Monday of the month beginning on January 16th at 6:30 pm and an in-person session will take place on the 4th Tuesday of the month starting January 24th at 6:30 pm in Room L. Sign up here for one of these groups. There are 8 slots for each group, please sign up by January 12th.
The congregation will ordain, Affiliated Community Minister, E.N. Hill in February. In March, we should see the installation of a new AV system which will allow us to offer a higher quality and more accessible experience for everyone. This will also be the second year that UUCT participates in the Capital Area Justice Ministry’s Nehemiah Action at the end of March.
The Search Committees for Developmental Minister and for Director of Religious Exploration are formed and working to move UUCT forward in both of those processes. Those committees will be providing some updates. As UUCT looks for your next minister, I will be looking for the next congregation I will serve. It reminds me that our time together is short and of how much we have done together this past year including adopting the 8th Principle and starting a working group for continued work, voting to re-imaging the governance model, shifting to hybrid services, continuing work with Capital Area Justice Ministry and Manna on Meridian, Canvass/Stewardship hosting the first potluck in my time, affinity groups gatherings to continue to support one another, and so many more amazing things UUCT has accomplished and committed to. I look forward to how that work continues to evolve between now and July 2023 when I depart, and you prepare to begin your journey with your Developmental Minister.
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.