This truly has been an unprecedented year, a year of firsts, a year of loss and reflection, a year of unknowns and hope for a new future. March 15 marked one full year since we at UUCP ceased in-person Sunday Services. And March 22 was the one-year anniversary of the first virtual service we shared, a multigenerational service with Rev. Alice that was called We Are Connected. Now virtual services, videos, and Zoom gatherings have become a routine part of our congregation’s connection rituals, and these elements will remain a key part of our landscape.

A new milestone on our journey through this New Normal this spring will be an in-person Sunday Service and Fellowship event. We will gather outside at UUCP on Sunday, April 18, at 10:00 am, in lieu of a recorded service and online Coffee Hour that day, for face-to-face interaction. Something so simple yet so special! Many factors had to be considered and planned for in order for us to get to this point safely. In addition to the increasing rates of COVID vaccinations in the community and among our congregation, we also have been watching infection rates and hospitalizations as well as UUA and CDC guidance. Additionally, restroom renovations were completed to improve air quality and circulation.

The Safer Congregation Ministry Team developed recommended guidelines for outdoor gatherings, which the church Governing Board approved in March and which we will follow during this get-together. The guidelines include mask wearing, physical distancing, and no eating or singing together. While these guidelines may seem restrictive, they are designed with the health and safety of all of our Members and Friends in mind. Also, this is a first step toward fully recongregating, and we have to start somewhere. The guidelines will evolve and expand as the situation changes and hopefully improves. We are excited to be able to have this opportunity to get together and reconnect. More information is printed here in the newsletter and will be sent out via email as we get closer to this event.

Much has changed this year that we could not have predicted, and we stepped into (or were thrown into?) new territory. In particular, we launched a YouTube channel and established a vibrant virtual presence that is reaching beyond the Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, we’ve continued to educate and build community among our young people and to be involved in community efforts such as JUST Pensacola. We have achieved goals that were only faint ideas one year ago. For instance, our current Long-Range Plan approved in 2015 includes action items such as being flexible with service format, utilizing multimedia, and “expand[ing] technologies for sharing beyond the physical space.” We have certainly accomplished those goals this year — thanks to Rev. Alice, Laura Keith King, Marylee Donnelly, and the Sunday Services team members and congregants who have dedicated time to learning and applying new skills for virtual services.

What will our UUCP community look like next year? What goals will we have achieved or be working toward? How about in two or three years? These are the questions that our Strategic Plan Committee is currently considering and for which we need your input. Since our church mission statement is our WHY, which is at the center of all we do, the Strategic Plan will align with the three integral elements of our mission: Celebrate Diversity, Strive for Justice, and Inspire Love. In terms of celebrating diversity, will we educate ourselves and take action to end white supremacy, practice radical hospitality in our church, and continue to build multicultural and interfaith community partnerships? As far as striving for justice, will we join and lead campaigns to protect democracy and ensure equitable treatment for all? When it comes to inspiring love, will we ensure viable stewardship of our church resources, care for our members and friends, and actively volunteer and share ownership of responsibilities?

The answers to all these questions and more are to be determined by the congregation through the strategic planning process. Strategic planning involves setting a vision, goals, and action items to help UUCP thrive in the years ahead. Several Second Hour virtual meetings are being scheduled for us to brainstorm and converse about our visions and goals for UUCP to include in the Strategic Plan. I encourage you to participate and add your voice and your ideas.

Dream big. Love big. We need you. We need each other.

Until next time,

Lauren Anzaldo

Board President