This is a comment I have recently been saying to Nancy Deer, our Office Administrator, because she is so quick and efficient at getting things done, sometimes too quick. But it is not only Nancy, it feels like we are all riding on a fast moving carriage or a roller coaster. So much is happening and so fast! This is a far better cry from when we said, “Hurry Up and Wait.” Now, in some areas we really do need to slow down.
The BOT, Worship Committee chaired by Maya Lazarus and John Faber, Pastor Kiya and other church members have been working so hard to start in-person services. According to our ‘In-Person Service Poll,’ the majority of members are really excited about meeting in person. The BOT signed a contract with the BV African American Museum to hold in-person services starting August 1st, Nancy planned to retrieve our coffee maker from storage, Olga starting recruiting people to the Radical Hospitality Group, John Faber was working hard to set up for recording the in-person service so that members who chose not to attend or who were unable to attend would be able to see the service online. We had a blanket for the kids and Allison Faber had an in-person RE program ready to go. And so on and so on. Unfortunately, we are now faced with the Delta Variant of COVID-19 that is spreading to those who chose not to or were unable to be vaccinated. Cases are rising in the Brazos Valley as you can see in the local paper and on the local news. Alice receives first-hand reports from her physician son (a pulmonologist) and daughter-in-law, Adrienne, an internal medicine hospitalist here in College Station as they see the ER’s and ICU's filling up with sick, mostly unvaccinated COVID victims.
According to the CDC, about 83% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are from the more contagious delta variant, the vast majority of hospitalizations are among unvaccinated patients, and now Houston has seen a new variant, the lambda variant, but little is know about it’s level of contagiousness. Now the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending children wear masks when going back to school since they are not vaccinated but susceptible, and Josh has noted that even vaccinated people are acting as carriers, spreading the virus to others. With all this in mind, the BOT ad hoc “When Should We Return to In-Person Services “ Committee (Josh Wilkinson & Alice Scott) along with Pastor Kiya and I will be recommending to the BOT to hold off on in-person services until it is safe for all of us, especially our un-vaccinated, elderly, and children members.
On the bright side, the BOT welcomes Allison Faber to the full-time position of Director of All Ages Religious Education & Membership/Outreach. As many noted in our prior surveys, RE, especially for children, is so very important for the growth and advancement of our church. Allison will be spending 50% of her time on children/youth RE, 25% on adult RE, and 25% on membership and outreach. She will be working with many of our committees and individual members.
As mentioned early, Olga Kuchment has eagerly agreed to return as our Radical Hospitality Coordinator. We were so eager to see her and Abram back in person, but will need to settle on seeing them remotely for a little longer. Olga, don’t forget to sign in on Sunday mornings!
July Dinner & Movie Nights continue on Saturdays at 5 pm, thanks to John Faber, the Sacred Space Committee is meeting regularly now that the actual building is starting and working on a Safety Policy for church members at the site. Many enthusiastic conversations have been had about composting and starting Community Gardens as the safety policy is produced.
Other exciting news is that the Worship Committee has decided to reorganize itself, the worship assistants, and greeters into a six-month experiment. Every UU is welcome to join a team that will last for 6 months and will be responsible producing Sunday services once per month. The competition is on! Contact Maya (deblazarus@yahoo.com) or John Faber (official.jmf.studios@gmail.com) and you will be placed on a team beginning in September.
We are thrilled to have Pastor Kiya as our new half-time minister.
ATTENTION:
If you are interested in participating the discussion
on whether to start in-person services on Aug. 1st
or to postpone until the CDC has better guidelines for us to follow,
please join the -
BOT Meeting
Tuesday, July 27
6:30 PM
or
Go to our interactive calendar to join:
brazos-uu.org/calendar and sign-in at 6:30 pm.
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