By Rev. Christian Schmidt
It’s a weird time to be starting a new ministry, starting an interim period for this congregation, just a weird time, period.
I imagine none of us anticipated living in a pandemic, seeing widespread mask usage, worrying about our health and our jobs and beloved ones on such a massive scale and such a rapid rate of change.
And despite all of that, I’m very excited to be your interim minister, to work with this congregation that shaped and formed me as a Unitarian Universalist and began my formation in ministry in this crucial time in UUCBV’s history.
Some of you know me from my time as an active member here from 2006-2009, when I was a member of the choir, an occasional preacher, chair of the worship committee, a member of the board, and a teacher in the RE program. (There may have been a few other roles I’m forgetting now!) I lived and worked in B-CS for most of four years, during the time I was an editor for the The Eagle.
I remember visiting before I had even moved there, dropping by the old church building on Wellborn where Sharon Boston showed me around the facility. I remember coming into a congregation where I was warmly welcomed, invited to be a part of the life of the community, and challenged to improve myself and my community. Though we’re doing church in a virtual manner right now, we can and must still do these things: create community, welcome people in, and transform the world.
As you know better than I, this is a challenging but promising time for this congregation, with a building project underway and soon beginning a ministerial search for a permanent partner in ministry. My role as an interim is to help shepherd these processes, and to give the congregation the very best chance to move forward with health and vitality. To that end, you’ll hear a lot more from me about those topics in coming months.
For now, let me reiterate my excitement, and my commitment to make a connection with each and every one of you. I’m working through the directory to call every member household, and I’m always open to hear from you.
Rev. Christian
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