In the fall of 2021, when we resumed in-person worship services coming out of the global pandemic, there were lots of questions, lots of unknowns. Would people come back to the Sanctuary? Could we make the shift to multi-platform services successfully? Would parents bring their children back to Religious Exploration classes? And another question, that was even more daunting: Would UUCF survive?
Four and half years later, we have our answers. Yes, Yes, Yes and a resounding YES! The Sanctuary and parking lot are full on Sunday mornings and we are experiencing remarkable growth – 70 new members last congregational year, over 50 more this congregational year, visitors every Sunday, 170 children and youth enrolled in RE classes, and tremendous excitement and enthusiasm on Sunday mornings. It’s clear people are excited about being together in worship. Congregational enthusiasm and support for the Bridge Capital Campaign is high. We have much to be grateful for.
So what’s the problem, you may ask. As attendance grows on Sunday mornings, we are reaching our capacity and we know that when a Sanctuary and parking lot are 75-80% full it can be off-putting for newcomers and visitors. Last Sunday when the service started, there were only two empty spaces in the parking lot. Our welcoming team has responded to this issue by creating “connectors” in addition to welcomers at the visitor table. Connectors help visitors find seats when it’s crowded and introduce them to folks who are seated next to them. This has helped make it easier for newcomers, but still our attendance continues to grow. Clearly this is a good problem to have, but we do need to consider what happens if this trend continues. At some point, our growth will be stunted by the limits of the parking lot and seats in the Sanctuary.
This has led UUCF’s leadership to ask the question: Is it time to go to two services? And what are the potential challenges and possibilities if we stay at one service or go to two services? If we stay at one service, one of the benefits could be that we maintain the energy on Sunday mornings and the joy of all being together and attending one service. If we go to two services, one of the benefits could be that we have the opportunity to welcome more people to our services and continue to grow our membership. In these uncertain and challenging times, it’s no small thing to offer the lifesaving message of Unitarian Universalism to those who are seeking it, which, as it appears, is happening here at UUCF.
There are other questions to ask ourselves. What would the effect of two services be on RE and worship programming? Do we have the resources, both financial and human, needed to make a successful transition? Services are much more technically sophisticated than they were pre-pandemic, so we would have to approach this as a new transition. We can’t simply go back to “the way we used to do it” before the pandemic. These are just a few examples of the things that need to be considered.
So, to start this conversation with the congregation as a whole, the Worship Team and Rev. David Miller will hold a Congregational Conversation: Adding a Second Service – Possibilities and Challenges on April 12 at 11:30am in the Sanctuary. There will be a Zoom-only version of this conversation on May 26 at 7pm. No matter your initial reaction to the idea of a possible second service, I encourage you to join the conversation. It will be an opportunity to consider these questions and listen to each other respectfully and with curiosity.
And feel free to reach out to me if you have questions or comments. I am confident that if we approach this situation by keeping love at the center of our conversation we will reach a conclusion that helps us live out our mission and values in the world.
Susan Bennett
Lay Minister for Worship and Arts