BOT Votes: No In-Person Worship for Now

On 07/27/2021, the Board of Trustees voted to accept the recommendations of the In-Person Worship, ad hoc Committee.

In-Person Worship, ad hoc Committee Recommendations

Alice Scott & Joshua Wilkinson

July 27, 2021

The In-Person Worship, ad hoc committee, Alice Scott and Josh Wilkinson, in concurrence with Pastor Kiya, recommend to the UUCBV BOT that we not return to in-person church worship at this time.

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. First-hand reports from physicians at local hospitals in College Station report 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. Although the CDC has changed its recommendations to wear masks for vaccinated and unvaccinated persons, a number of public health experts are urging the CDCX to recommend wearing masks in public places, and the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending children wear masks when going back to school since they are not vaccinated but susceptible. Data from Israel shows the Pfizer vaccine to be 39% effective against the delta variant, although the vaccine prevents severe forms of the virus and hospitalizations. In Los Angeles County, those vaccinated made up 1 in 5 of the new infections in June. With all of this in mind, the BOT-appointed In-Person Worship ad hoc committee recommends 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. We will monitor the situation on a regular basis and will alert the Board of any significant changes with additional recommendation.