The monthly theme for June is “Compassion.” If you would’ve told me a few months ago that an act of police violence in the state of Minnesota would spark protests in Gaza, Paris, and the toppling of imperialist statues in Great Britain, I never would have believed it. This moment is growing our collective imagination of what is possible as a global community, and I’m hopeful that this trend will continue – the lived understanding that “injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere.” We are beginning to literally move as a connected global community on issues that have plagued us for millenia: race, economics, crooked politics, the need for environmental protection.

Our church is a wonderful microcosm of this awareness. In the last few months, we now have the potential of realizing our national and global connections through technology that makes this accessible and real. Even though we had the technology, it never occurred to me I could have communicated with fellow Unitarian ministers in Transylvania, that our church could grow global partners with a simple click of a button. But we are growing into this awareness.

We will make a decision during this board meeting about our plan going forward tentatively as a response to the ongoing Coronavirus. I think the guidelines from the UUA are sound:

https://www.uua.org/safe/pandemics/gathering-guidance.

The two questions I bring to you as a board as we make this decision are:

1. What do you think is in the best interest of the safety of our congregation and community? 2. How do we want to spend our energy this coming year? I think that reopening, though possible in some instances such as at an outdoor venue poses unique challenges that are covered in the guidelines: who will be responsible for making sure people stay a certain distance apart, wear masks at all times, don’t hug, make sure surfaces are disinfected, etc. And what if persons don’t follow the protocol after repeated warnings? Do we tell them not to come anymore? These are the questions on my mind, and perhaps on yours too. So I think it is wise to think about how we want to spend our time and energy this year, knowing we can adjust as new information emerges.

In response to the national protests, our sense of engagement around racial justice has been galvanized in a way I haven’t witnessed before. There is a hunger for engagement, and we are setting the groundwork now for that continued engagement. Gary Davenport and Sarah Lowry are organizing congregants who want to engage in conversation, opportunities for
activism and partnership focused on abolition of racism. This is a good and holy week, and I am proud of our congregation for being willing to commit to this. It will strengthen and deepen our sense of mission.

Mystery Wallis, as our DRE will be starting RE again this Sunday. Across the board, I am hearing that congregations of all sizes are struggling to adequately reach out to families with children and meet their needs during this time of Covid-19. I think it is a time to experiment. I like the suggestion Louisa Berger had to see if neighbors with kids or friends outside the
congregation with kids, would like to be part of our program. I think for the RE program to function and have the opportunity to flourish, she will need our help.

Rev. Sunshine Wollfe, who many of you have met before, will join us at 6:15 pm during our board meeting to field questions we might have about how our church will proceed in the coming year. Rev. Wolfe has spoken with various congregations in our region, and is also informed about the impact of reopening/staying virtual in our congregations nationwide, so they
will be a good resource for us.

The finance committee meeting has met twice, and is proactively keeping an eye on our income and expenses, and brainstorming ways we can continue to be in touch with our membership about pledging, and general church engagement during this time. So far it seems we are in good financial shape, with no present concern. This again is a wonderful
accomplishment of our church, and a testament to our ability to adapt, and still reach our members, though not all. Keeping in touch with our members, and making sure they are not lost during this virtual time will be critical, and I think this will be worth our ongoing attention in the coming months.