Beloveds,

 

As you have noticed, we are not worshipping in-person yet. We are still working on figuring out the technology, which is complicated. UU congregations across the country are sharing resources and learning together on Facebook. We are not the only congregation working on this, and we are not the only congregation that doesn’t have it all figured out yet.

 

If you are feeling frustrated that we haven’t figured it out yet, please remember how important it is that we continue to offer a high-quality, meaningful worship service online at the same time that we begin to offer the option of attending in-person. We aren’t just switching back to “how it used to be.” We are learning a whole new way of offering worship on two platforms: online and in-person at the same time.

 

Our progress will be slowed by my being on vacation October 4-18. It has been hard to plan and take time off during this pandemic because there’s mostly been nowhere to go and taking time off during a pandemic has not turned out to be very relaxing or restorative anyway. However! I am really, really exhausted, and my husband and I have planned to be out of town for part of the time, and I am looking forward to a break.

 

I feel like something has shifted in the past month, and I know multiple people—not just in our own congregation—who are really struggling to keep it together (maybe a more academic way of stating that is that I know multiple people experiencing mental health crises). I talked a lot at the beginning of the pandemic about the importance of tending to our mental health, and I want to lift that up again. If you are not feeling well, please pay serious attention to your well-being, and please talk to a doctor. We are in the 19^th month of an incredibly stressful, life-changing, history-changing event. We will be processing this together for years to come.

 

Reach out to your friends and family. Check in with the people you care about. Offer help. Ask for help. Take care of yourselves, be careful, and keep on keeping on.

 

Blessings and love to you,
Sharon