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Inclement Weather Policy

Inclement Weather Policy

Revised January 2026

Purpose: To establish when and how to cancel church services or events/activities due to inclement weather.

Policy: It is the policy of UUCS to cancel a church service in the event of a National Weather Service Warning in place as of 7:00 am the morning of the service, or three hours before an activity or event.

Procedure for Sunday Services: In the event of the possibility of inclement weather making travel difficult or treacherous for the Sunday church service, the following should occur:

  • If the National Weather Service announces a weather Advisory or Warning that could indicate that travel would be inadvisable, then the Board President and Minister will confer by 8:00 pm Saturday evening to prepare communications to be sent to the congregation the next morning.
  • The Board President and Minister will confer by 7:00 am Sunday to make a final decision within the next hour about the holding of church service. If the Minister is not available, the chair of Worship Associates will make this call. Discretion applies, but generally speaking it is warranted to cancel services in the event a National Weather Service Warning is issued for Loudoun or Fairfax Counties, indicating that travel would be inadvisable.
  • If the Sunday church service is canceled:
    • An email announcement will be sent to the congregation
    • The first slider on the UUCS website home page will indicate closure
    • Facebook messages will be posted on the UUSterling Families Group Page and on the UUCS Facebook Page.

Responsibilities:

  • It is the responsibility of the Minister (or the chair of Worship Associates if the Minister is not available) in consultation with the Board President (or Vice President if the Board President is unavailable) to make the decision about canceling the church service, and if a Zoom option (e.g., fellowship, short service) could be provided instead. The designated livestream operator for the service and music director will then be consulted and together, they will make the decision for the Zoom option.
  • It is the responsibility of the Board President to ensure that the above procedure is carried out. The Board President will communicate the final decision to the Administrator by 7:30 am. The Communications Chair can assist if the Administrator is not available.
  • It is the responsibility of the Administrator to ensure that the congregation is alerted by 8:00 am Sunday morning via the following:
    • An email announcement will be sent to the congregation
    • The first slider on the UUCS website home page will indicate closure
    • Facebook messages will be posted on the UUSterling Families Group Page and on the UUCS Facebook Page.

Procedure for Events/Activities: In the event of the possibility of inclement weather making travel difficult or treacherous for the events or activities being held at UUCS, event/activity leaders should use discretion and modifications based on the above Procedure for Sunday Services.