Each year, DRUUMM offers our Public Worship as a gift to the wider Unitarian Universalist community—and each year, it becomes one of the most meaningful and widely attended moments in our shared life together.
We are delighted to invite you to save the date for DRUUMM’s 2026 Public Worship & Fundraiser, taking place Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 8:00pm Eastern, live and virtual. The service lasts about an hour, is open to all, and regularly brings together hundreds of participants from across the country and beyond.
Our Guest Preacher will be Rev. Summer Albayati. Summer is a Muslim Unitarian Universalist of Iraqi descent and a longtime DRUUMM leader who co-leads our SWANA (SW Asia/North Africa) Caucus. A professional Arabic drummer since the age of twelve, Summer’s ministry is deeply shaped by music, cultural memory, and justice-rooted spirituality. Prior to her ordination, she worked in education with marginalized communities—particularly Indigenous communities—and founded a nonprofit that supports orphans in Iraq. She is a contributor to multiple Skinner House anthologies, including Centering, Seeds of a New Way, and Beyond Welcome, where her writing reflects on anti-racism and the presence of Islam and SWANA peoples within UU spaces. Summer currently serves as Congregational Life Field Staff in the UUA’s Pacific Western Region and was a central spiritual presence in DRUUMM’s 2023 Gaza vigils. Her preaching brings clarity, compassion, and a grounded moral imagination to this moment.
This worship and fundraiser are a cornerstone of DRUUMM’s ministry. It is intentionally centered in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color leadership and theology, while warmly welcoming multiracial families and White antiracist allies who seek a faith grounded in honesty, care, and collective liberation. It is also a vital fundraiser supporting DRUUMM’s multicultural ministries—especially our chaplaincy and pastoral care serving BIPOC Unitarian Universalists across congregations, regions, and leadership spaces.
We are especially honored to announce our 2026 worship leaders.
Music for the service will be led by Rev. Verdis LeVar Robinson, whose ministry we are grateful to welcome back into DRUUMM worship leadership. Verdis is a parish minister currently serving in transitional ministry at All Souls New London, CT, and was ordained in 2023 following ministry at First Unitarian Church of Rochester and the Unitarian Church of Montpelier. His formation bridges scholarship, music, and community leadership: he holds degrees in divinity, African American Studies, history, and voice performance, and previously taught History and African American Studies at the collegiate level. Verdis has held executive leadership roles in national nonprofit and civic engagement organizations and remains deeply committed to faith formation, social justice, and the arts. He serves as Executive and Artistic Director of the Montpelier Community Gospel Choir and was the Choir Director for the 2025 General Assembly. Known for his calm, pastoral presence and beautifully crafted worship, Verdis brings musical depth and attentiveness to life’s transitions—qualities that resonate deeply with DRUUMM’s ministry.
This is a live, virtual worship experience, and there is something uniquely powerful about gathering together in real time across geography and context. Many people describe DRUUMM Public Worship as one of the most moving UU services they attend all year. You can explore past services anytime at youtube.com/@druumm.
Registration will open soon at druumm.org/events. We encourage you to circle your calendar now, share the date with your community, and plan to join us.
We are also inviting congregations and organizations to be visible supporters of this worship and the ministries it sustains. Sponsors help make this open, accessible gathering possible and are recognized during the service and in our communications. If your congregation or organization would like to sponsor DRUUMM’s 2026 Public Worship, you can learn more and pledge support at bit.ly/druumm-2026.
Mark the date. Spread the word. We look forward to gathering with you in May—online, together, and grounded in the faith that carries us.
