Dear Unitarian Society of Germantown,
As many of you know, my family is soon expanding to include a new baby. My wife Livia is due to give birth to our second child on November 18th and I will be out for eight weeks to help her recover and bond as a unit of four. The staff and MET have worked diligently to craft a plan for my absence that leaves me with great confidence the time will fly by and you will be taken care of. I plan to lead Christmas Eve service but I will be out of the pulpit for eight Sundays, returning on January 19th.Â
The work of this congregation is a shared ministry and while I am sad to leave you, given that we are just barely hitting our stride, I know this is ultimately an invitation to a deeper and more humane partnership. This time is a gift and I am deeply grateful for the leadership in this congregation which allows for me to focus on my family.
For worship, I have tried to bring in a mix of voices to provide a powerful interfaith perspective on the state of the world. While I’m gone you’ll hear from Muslims, Jews, and Christians as well Chief Blue Jay from the Lenni Lenape people. You’ll celebrate the end of 2024 with your traditional Jazz Funeral, you’ll recognize the Solstice with Stearns, and you’ll laugh your way through a No-Rehearsal Christmas Pageant led by ZoĂ«. A full schedule can be found at the bottom of this email, but rest assured your Worship Associates, Director of Music, and Director of Spiritual Development are ready to continue offering meaningful Sunday mornings.
Week to week pastoral concerns will be handled by your dedicated Caring Team of Linda Bernstein, Eileen Teti, and Jody Hill, and Sarah West. Things like bad falls, new jobs, parental illness should all be directed to them so we can lift you in prayer and find support within our community. Should a pastoral emergency arise such as a traumatic death or a house fire, I have arranged for you to be tended to by my local colleague Lisa Schilansky. Lisa and I have known each other a long time and her experience as both a minister and a therapist will make her a reliable and trustworthy pastoral presence during my leave. To reach a member of the Caring Team, you can email caring@usguu.org at any time or you can call our newly established Pastoral Care Line at 267.331.3992.Â
In my absence, the Ministerial Executive Team (Jody Hill, Eric Foster, Margaret Thompson, and Hunter McCorkel) will meet more often, touching base weekly in order to ensure operations at the church remain as uninterrupted as possible. Should you have questions or concerns, please email met@usguu.org.
For issues regarding any of our spiritual development programs for kids, youth, or adults please contact Zoë Johnston, our Director of Spiritual Development at dsd@usguu.org. For anything pertaining to music, please reach out to Stearns Matthews, our Director of Music Ministries, at musicdirector@usguu.org. For business or administrative concerns, let Hunter know at usgadmin@usguuu.org.
In loving faith,
Rev. Hannah
Worship Schedule
| November 17 | Rev. Hannah or Rev. Sana Saeed |
| November 24 | Rabbi Linda Holtzman |
| December 1 | Chief Blue Jay |
| December 8 | Rabbi Alissa Wise |
| December 15 | Zoë Johnston with No Rehearsal Christmas Pageant |
| December 22 | Solstice Service led by Stearns and Zoë |
| Christmas Eve | Rev. Hannah (6PM) |
| December 29 | Kwanzaa led by Deborah Coleman |
| January 5 | Jazz Funeral: Barbone Street Jazz Band and Stearns |
| January 12 | Rev. Naomi Washington Leaphart |
| January 19 | Rev. Hannah back for MLK Sunday |