March 13, 2020

Dear Ones:

As Unitarian Universalists, our religious values call us to prioritize and protect the most vulnerable among us. In this time of COVID-19, the most vulnerable are our senior citizens, those of all ages with pre-existing conditions, and anyone who interacts with these groups.  For that reason, effective today, we will be reinventing how we come together as a loving and vibrant church community.

For the next four weeks we will be holding Sunday Worship Services online only . This Sunday, March 15, join me as we will live-stream our worship on Facebook at 10:30 am. We’ll also have a recording posted afterwards so you and your family can experience our service anytime you wish.

Follow this link to our public Facebook page

You don’t need to have a Facebook account
to access our worship service or Facebook posts.

We’re moving all of our meetings, classes and workshops online (and “on phone”).   As of this weekend, we will no longer be holding any in-person church-related group gatherings or events on the church campus.  (We request that all teams and committees honor the spirit of this decision by not holding meetings off-site, in order to keep the most vulnerable among us safe.) We will be holding classes, workshops, daily spiritual check-in with Rev. Tim and Dani Livesey, Interim Director of Lifelong Learning, guided meditations, chair yoga, chalice circles, weekly parent check-in groups and so much more. We’re going to work with our existing groups—from the Humanists to the Buddhists to our Earth-Based gathering—to continue offering their programs with online video and/or audio.  Stay-tuned for full details on how this will be happening.

One tool we will be using is the online video and/or audio gathering platform, ZOOM.  You can access ZOOM through computer, tablet, smart phone OR by using your land-line phone and calling a simple dial-in number. To support everyone’s connection, learning, and spiritual growth, we’ll be providing video and in person tutorials to everyone who needs help getting comfortable with this user-friendly technology. We’ll have more details early next week. I realize that for some of us the idea of new technology might feel overwhelming at a time when we already feel overwhelmed. We are going to be here to lovingly walk you through the process and remember: a regular phone line is all you really need to be connected to your church community. We’ll take care of everything else.  (If you have experience with Zoom and are willing to help teach others how to use it OR you’re willing to Zoom host some of our meetings and classes, please email Dani at growspiritually@uufresno.org )

We are putting together a Caring Hearts Team to provide emotional and spiritual pastoral support to the congregation by phone and Zoom , and they will be available for anyone wanting a gentle and understanding ear. The Team will also be reaching out by phone to our most vulnerable to keep them connected to the community.

Rev. Tim will be available for pastoral conversation and support by phone and Zoom (and one-on-one meetings in the church office, if you wish) . Dani Livesey, our Interim Director of Lifespan Learning will also be available to support our families, children and youth.

We’ll be communicating with you regularly.  We encourage you to check your emails daily. Check our public Facebook page daily (use link listed above).  All updates, information and links will be posted on a special page on our web site under menu item "UPDATES":


The Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, the president of the national Unitarian Universalist Association, said yesterday: “We believe it is our moral obligation to follow the guidance of health professionals who recommend early action is most important to protect public health and the most vulnerable people in our communities. This moment indeed reminds us of the interconnected web of which we are all a part. We feel it is essential for all of us to err on the side of caution and to support public health. The most important thing we can do is to help flatten the curve of transmission so there will be hospital capacity for those who need that level of care. We hope that our actions can center the health and wellbeing of the community as a whole. Remember that, as we have to adapt quickly and try new things, perfection is never the goal. The goal is to care for one another and live compassionately. Know that your care and intention really make a difference in your community and to your own wellbeing.”

I conclude with the quote from Rev. Wayne B. Arnason that I sent to you yesterday. I think it will be one we all will hold close to our hearts in the days ahead:

0000 Take courage friends.
0000 The way is often hard, the path is never clear,
0000 And the stakes are very high.
0000 Take courage.
0000 For deep down, there is another truth:
0000 You are not alone.
0000 We are not alone.

In love,
Rev. Tim