Join Us for Worship this Sunday

We are pleased to welcome Rev. Beth Miller to UUCA as Temporary Senior Minister for the next few months. Rev. Beth comes to us through the Unitarian Universalist Association’s new Targeted Ministry Program, designed to help congregations in need of temporary leadership.

Beginning February 1, Rev. Beth will be on-site at UUCA, working primarily on worship and pastoral care, providing a presence in the pulpit and—in collaboration with the pastoral care team—meeting the needs of our congregation. Tamara Srader will serve as acting executive director and oversee administrative functions of the church.

Read more.

We are also pleased to welcome Elisabeth Geschiere as our new Youth and Young Adult Coordinator AND Social Justice Coordinator. Elisabeth will be wearing two hats at least through the end of June 2018. Over the next few weeks she'll be working to transition activities from Julian Adams who has been doing a terrific job as the Interim Youth and Young Adult coordinator. Please take a moment to thank Julian for his work over the past several months and welcome Elisabeth to our beloved community.

Hi everyone! My name is Elisabeth Geschiere and I am honored to be joining the UUCA team wearing the two different hats of Social Justice Coordinator and Youth and Young Adult Coordinator. I grew up in Fairfax as the daughter of a minister and elementary school teacher, and decided to make Northern Virginia home again in November 2016 after fifteen years in the Midwest. For over a decade, I lived and worked in Minneapolis, Minnesota as a community organizer, activist, educator, and youth worker. I graduated from Bethel University in St. Paul with degrees in Anthropology and Reconciliation Studies. In addition to social justice and youth work, some of my passions and hobbies include biking, dancing, cooking and eating good food, coffee, and all things outdoorsy. My favorite podcast is called Harry Potter and The Sacred Text, so that tells you a little more about my nerdy side as well. I have been attending UUCA since moving back to this area, and am excited to more deeply connect, grow, and serve with all of you. 

Care Team

Pastoral care isn’t just about helping the seriously ill or dying and their families. In other words, you don’t need to have a dire emergency to request pastoral care. Pastoral care can include a wide range of life events and issues. You can request pastoral care when you or a loved one is dealing with a serious illness or if you’ve experienced loss, when you lose a job, when you’re getting married or separated, or anytime you or a loved one is struggling. The Care Team will connect you with a trained member or Rev. Beth Miller, depending on the nature of the issue. Pastoral care is designed to be short-term; it is not therapy. Care Team members may work with you for a few weeks or provide you with other resources in the community if needed.

UUCA has a newly re-formed Care Team, being coordinated by Diane Ullius in her role as candidate for commissioned lay minister. The Care Team will work closely with Rev. Beth and will be commissioned in the coming weeks. 

For pastoral care concerns, call UUCA’s main number at 703-892-2565, ext. 245. 

Worship Team

Our Worship Team is working closely with Rev. Beth to continue our tradition of transformative Sunday services. Members of the Worship Team are Rev. Beth Miller , Mimi Bornstein , Christin Green , Betsy Rosenblatt Rosso , Bill Fogarty , D Ohlandt , David McTaggart , Diane Ullius , Frank Corsoro , Gay Gibson Cima , and Kristin Keller Daus . Bea Ann Phillips serves as Worship Arts Coordinator and Linda Lutes Corsoro leads the Sacred Arts Ministry; both collaborate closely with the Worship Team.

Each week look for our new MINISTRIES MATTERS column that will feature updates, musings and what-not from each of our ministries within the church. Our first edition comes from Rev. Beth Miller , Temporary Senior Minister.

MINISTRIES MATTERS

The Rev. Beth Miller

Temporary Senior Minister 

I’m back in Massachusetts today and my head and heart are full from the four days I’ve just spent with you as preamble to taking up residence there on February first. I’m grateful for the warm reception I received from everyone I spoke with and all the great work your staff and lay leaders did to prepare for my arrival and orient me to the congregation. As disconcerting and stressful as this unexpected change is for you, and as uncertain it’s scope and duration, I’m prepared and excited to be among you and pray that my presence will bring stability and some measure of the reassurance and healing we all hope for. You have all the resources you need in the people who make up the UUCA community. It is my privilege to become one among those resources for as long as you need me. 

My next Sunday with you will be Celebration Sunday, February 4, with a full day and evening of events. What a great way to feel welcomed into the life of the church! I hope you’ll be there to participate in some of the festivities.