If you saw the Weekly Update from Tuesday, you’ve seen that we have decided to postpone several things due to the high rate of COVID transmission in Thurston County and everywhere. And it’s the fun stuff, like the congregational picnic and the installation. Why is it always the fun stuff?
You might hear a bit of whining in my tone. I imagine you may have had some similar feelings lately: disappointed, angry, bewildered, sad, curious. Why are we here again? What will fall and winter bring? When will this be better? When can we gather in larger groups again?
Holding and underlying all our decisions is our values and our covenant. The president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, Rev. Susan Fedrick-Gray has suggested four key principles for planning:
- As a faith community, we root our decisions in the values of inclusion and consent.
- Follow the science.
- Go slow and be flexible.
- Be humane and realistic with expectations of ourselves and others.
As an example of applying these principles, the UUA offered thoughts about recent masking guidance, which you can find here. Our theology and values invite us to be as inclusive as possible, which means taking precautions to protect and involve everyone, including those who are not vaccinated and those who have underlying health conditions even if vaccinated.
Making these decisions has not been easy and I am grateful that there are many thoughtful people helping to make the best decisions we can. We have been extremely fortunate in the OUUC community where COVID is concerned, in part due to being careful with our gatherings. Thank you for your care.
This is a traumatic time and has been for 18 months. Please take care of yourself and those around you. Notice how the trauma shows up in your body, mind and spirit. Notice how it shows up in our community. We can’t move through what we don’t notice and name.
If you would like a listening ear for making meaning of this time and feeding your spirit, please reach out to me or the Pastoral Care Team through the Warm Line at 360-786-6383 x 109 or pastoralcare@ouuc.org
I don’t know when we will be able to gather in large groups again. I do know that we’ll make the best decisions we can along the way with care for our community. In the meantime, I hope you will engage with me and others in the ways that we can, in small groups, outside, and virtually. The building may be more closed than we’d like, but our OUUC community is open and has been all along.
Blessings on your week,
Rev. Mary