By Rev. Christian Schmidt
Though it seems like only a moment ago I started last August, my time with this congregation is swiftly coming to a close. The final service I will preach at is June 20 (on June 27 we will attend – virtually – the UUA General Assembly Sunday Morning Worship with tens of thousands of UUs across the country and the world!), and the remainder of the summer worship will be done by our worship committee, utilizing resources from a group of 10 congregations we have partnered with to do a movie-themed summer series.
I’m over-the-moon excited to be present, in person, at the groundbreaking for our brand-new facility this month – June 12 at 10 a.m.! Be there! We’ll be at the new location, throw a little dirt around, hear about the new place, enjoy some live music, and just generally have a good time in a responsible, socially-distanced setting.
In July, I’ll be taking the remainder of my leave, so there will be backup pastoral coverage, but I won’t be working. In August, I will begin serving a new congregation near my home in suburban DC – as soon as contract details are finalized, I will share more about that with you.
For the rest of our time together, I hope to serve well and have a good farewell with you. We have accomplished a lot this year – our mission and vision work, moving steadily through challenges to begin construction on our new building, navigating staff changes, offering high-quality worship and religious education in this brave new world of virtual interaction, and looking ever forward to the next era of our congregation!
Thank you for all you have done to make our ministries happen, and for all the support you have given me in this work. I never imagined serving a congregation from such a distance, but it’s worked as well as we could have hoped, and I have such optimism for the future of UUCBV in the capable hands of all our beloved members.
In faith,
Rev. Christian