FROM THE BOARD
I recently participated in a summer leadership seminar offered free by the UUA Southern Region. Gathered with fellow Board members of UU congregations, our discussion centered on how to stay connected and meet the spiritual, social, intellectual, and emotional needs of the congregants we serve. My counterparts reported using phone trees, the Soul Matters curriculum, virtual youth groups, and the ever-present Zoom platform to minister to their congregants. Sharing about the goings-on at UUCP, I realized how blessed we are to have a variety of avenues for socializing and collaborating as a congregation. Since we haven’t been meeting in person, it may not feel that our congregational life is very robust, but truly we have some innovative offerings that allow us to stay in touch and experience the fellowship, love, and support of one another.
Touching our spirits and our minds are the incredible Sunday Services available each week. These video recordings can be accessed on our UUCP website and Facebook and also through the web link that is emailed to our more than 110 members and friends each week. The videos were produced mainly by Rev. Alice until Laura Keith King and her daughter, Stephanie Ball, began contributing so that Rev. Alice could take a much-needed vacation this summer. Doing business as Creative Fuel Co., Stephanie is working pro bono to ensure the quality of our audio and visual products each week. (See the advertisement for Creative Fuel on the last page of the newsletter.) Laura also launched our church YouTube channel, so now we can be found on that platform at The Unitarian Universalist Church of Pensacola. Besides Sunday Service recordings, other videos will be posted for viewing any time. Among the offerings now on YouTube are the webinars on COVID-19 and the emotional impact of the pandemic presented in July by members Jean Siebenaler and Nancy Hagman, respectively.
Coffee Hour on Sundays at 12:30pm and Happy Hour on Fridays at 5:30pm are great ways to catch up and check in with members and friends through Zoom. Happy Hours hosted by Trista Blouin are usually themed around topics such as pets or travels, and there is lots of laughter.
In the fashion of true thinking and engaged UUs, we also offer outlets for readers. Earlier this year, we offered a book discussion series focusing on the 2019-20 UU Common Read, An Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz. More recently, Reader’s Groups were relaunched last month. The online groups provide members and friends who love to read with an opportunity to chat with others and share what’s on their nightstand or bookshelf.
Our CRE families and teachers are taking advantage of Zoom, too. They have been gathering weekly under the banner Looking with Love. During this time, they share Joys and Concerns and hear stories and lessons along with en- gaging in experiential activities such as playing with clay to keep young hands occupied and minds open while listening.
The good ol’ phone tree is also in play at UUCP as our Cluster Group Captains call and check in with the members assigned to their cluster. Organized geographically based on ZIP codes, the Cluster Groups were devised to help us check on one another before and after natural disasters. Few could have predicted a national pandemic such as this one, but the groups have offered a helpful, structured way to convey and gather information during COVID. Remember that you can reach out to your Cluster Group Captain if you have a need or a question. Captains can be identified on our Simple Church directory by virtue of their name being IN CAPS when you pull up your group. Some groups have co-captains, so there may be two names in uppercase letters.
The U.S. mail has also kept us in touch. Nadine Hubble sends cards by request to members for significant birthdays, get-well wishes, pick-you-ups, or thank yous. Our newsletter also goes out by mail to those who don’t have an email address on file or who don’t access email often.
Our most innovative project of all during this time has been the group puzzle-decorating project spearheaded by Sarah Stubbs. Sarah designed two large puzzles: one with a chalice and the other depicting Earth as our Blue Boat Home. Congregants of all ages requested a puzzle piece to decorate, and Sarah distributed and collected the pieces through the mail. Check out the July issue of The Light and our UUCP Facebook page for pictures of the puzzles taking shape. These striking puzzles represent the creative efforts of our beloved community. The puzzles are beautiful and unique like each of us. The puzzles also reflect the interlocking nature of our congregation. Each piece is vital, and any missing piece is no- ticed. Like these special, one-of-a-kind puzzles, our congregation depends on our varied contributions and is enhanced by our diversity.
Until next time,
Lauren Anzaldo, President of the Governing Board