Beloved UUCP Community Members,
We—your minister, staff and Board of Trustees—have been watching the developments of the COVID-19 virus very carefully. The board has agreed that the well-being of our congregation members is our highest priority. We’ve been watching the recommendations of the CDC, the state of Arizona and the Unitarian Universalist Association. In addition, we have an abundance of resources available and shared among UU congregations across the country.
Several states recommend that groups over 100 people do not gather. Understanding the needs of those potentially most vulnerable in our congregation and with the realization that we cannot know who among us might be infected, we have made the following decisions:
Postponement of Installation
Regretfully, we decided that the best decision is to postpone (not cancel) the Installation Celebration on March 21st. We don’t want members and friends to have to make the decision whether to stay home or to participate, especially those who are most vulnerable. We do not have a rescheduled date at this point. Remember that this event is a celebration of our affirmation for each other—you for me as your minister and me as your minister. We can do that (and should do that) at any time. Our commitment to each other is unchanged whether this celebration happens now or several months from now.
Community Night on March 12th and March 19th
We will not host Community Night for at least the next two weeks and there will not be childcare. The classes and team meetings will continue to meet at 7pm at the leaders’ discretion. Given the concerns around how the virus is spread and an open kitchen of food, we know this is the responsible decision.
Sunday Service
We will hold service on Sunday March 15th with interaction modifications: no handing out of hymnals, a “no-pass” offering, a modified coffee hour, and hand sanitizer at the doors. The service promises to be a very important and topical one featuring our neuro-diverse congregants from our Inclusion Team. Please use your own judgement whether it makes sense for you to attend. If you are feeling ill at all, please do not come, for your own health, our members’ health, and the health of our community. And if you are nervous about coming, we encourage you to view the service once it is posted to our website and Facebook. We are working on live streaming the service this week, so that more people can participate virtually starting next week. Decisions have not been made about worship beyond this week, and we will assess the situation carefully.
If You Are Sick
If you find that you are sick or you believe you have been exposed, we ask that you kindly let me (
minister@phoenixuu.org
) or Stephanie our Business Administrator (
administrator@phoenixUU.org
) know as soon as possible. We will hold that information confidential as we hold responsibility to assess contact and exposure in the congregation. We stand ready to offer pastoral care and meals to you.
Smaller Group Meetings
If you are meeting as a team, committee or a small group and choose not to meet in person, we have a Zoom account that you can use for that. You can schedule a zoom room for a UUCP meeting through our calendar by emailing our Business Administrator at
administrator@phoenixuu.org
.
Preparing To Help
We want to prepare for anything. As such, we are looking for people who may be able to bring meals to anyone who is sick or quarantined (leaving it at their doorstep without contact), people able to call and check in with a few of our most vulnerable members or people who might be able to help us with the technology as we explore virtual ways to be together.
If you’d consider helping, please click here to fill out this form.
We will, of course, provide more details when we need it.
The Larger Message
We are a community that stands together and supports each other. We have not experienced a pandemic together, so I ask for us to be gentle with each other. As we rely on both science and wisdom, people will carry different levels of anxiety. In my own UU way, I am praying for us—not just those of us in our congregation but also the many, many people who will be affected by this financially, physically and emotionally. And I know that, no matter what, we will care for each other and find creative ways to connect and support each other.
With care and appreciation,
Rev. Christine
