Check your email for the Zoom invitation.  From Reverend Alice:  Each August, the UUCP Board of Trustees, including the minister, meets on a Saturday to make sure the new board members are brought up to speed on roles and responsibilities of serving on the board, as well as to begin some planning and goal setting for the coming year.   After moving that retreat to Zoom last year, we were looking forward to being together this year. The rising cases of Covid caused the board to again move that meeting to Zoom. This year’s new board came together today with a well planned agenda, that had to be modified at the last minute. Yesterday the UUA released guidance for congregations based on what we are learning about the new Delta variant. This is one paragraph from the letter.

“One of the most important changes we have learned about the Delta variant is that even though vaccination reduces the chances of severe disease, vaccination does not prevent a person from getting infected or transmitting the virus to others. This means that even when we are vaccinated we can contribute to increased community spread. As the CDC says, our guidance is changing because the virus is changing.”

The letter addresses a number of risks and reasons for concern that led the board to grapple today with a very difficult decision.  We know that we need one another and we need the comfort of our church community during these days of deep sadness for all that is happening in our world, in our neighborhoods, and sometimes within our own families. And yet, we have a commitment to be good citizens and good stewards of the relationships we are called to nurture in our church community.

Because of this, the Board listened to one another, including members of our Safer Congregations Ministry Team, and following an assessment of risk based on what we heard, came to the conclusion that the only responsible action was to discontinue our in person church services for the immediate future. We will continue to assess the situation in our area, and to be as creative as possible in addressing the needs of our church community.

To that end, you are invited to join me and members of our Sunday Services Team on Zoom tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M.   Marylee, Laura and I hope to create space for us to be together and share a time of reflection, as well as joys and sorrows.

Since the Sunday Service that Trista Blouin was planning for tomorrow was to be interactive, it will be saved for a time when we can all be together again.