The theme for April is “Becoming,” and this couldn’t be more appropriate during this time. We are in the middle of discerning how to safely, effectively, and truly become who we will be as a church community as we contemplate a shift from 100% virtual church life. It is very true that it seems that no one with any accuracy can tell us exactly how to do this. So much is dependent on context: the numbers of transmissions in our area, the size of our campus, the size of our congregation, etc. But I very much appreciated watching the video that Board President Lisbet White recommended from our Central East staff on some general guidelines to keep in mind: mission, nimbleness, and inclusion. The first thing I want to name is that this is the most nimble congregation I have ever been a part of. I truly mean that. It is not an exaggeration or an overstatement. We are a nimble bunch. I don’t know how that happened, but the congregation was like this when I arrived. Perhaps it is having a history of first time ministers who are experimenting, growing, and testing what ministry is. I don’t know. But the nimbleness of this congregation is very high compared to most that I know. This means that our willingness to try things and experiment is very high, and even if experiments don’t work out as intended, there is a high level of forgiveness and willingness to try something else.

I feel (and I wonder if you feel) that our mission has actually grown clearer and stronger during the pandemic. I think having our church situated on the Northside, in a predominantly African American community that is lower income, has and will continue to inform the mission of our church. It is heartening to me that a first time visitor is able to articulate to me clearly what they sense our congregation is about, and their understanding is my understanding. For anyone wondering what Unitarian Universalism is, our church is offering an increasingly more articulate response to what that is in the context of Youngstown, Ohio, in the context of the United States, in the context of an increased sense of globalism. One of the things I love about church life is that we get to celebrate being together. As we contemplate re-opening, I’ve been thinking of ways we can allow people to celebrate the joy of being together in a way that is safe and as unobtrusive as possible.

Inclusion is where I think it is worthwhile to pause and take things slow. We are not all the same. The pandemic has impacted us all in some similar ways, and in many different ways -physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. I appreciated the reflection from Rev. Sunshine Wolfe in the video, where they spoke of opening the blinds gradually to allow a person waking up to become accustomed to sunlight, rather than opening the blinds abruptly and shocking a person. I think as a general guideline this is very good advice.

Becoming is a process, and I see the wisdom of not falling into the trap of stagnating because it’s what we know, but also not rushing either. I see the wisdom of slowly allowing our community to feel their way through becoming bit by bit, making adjustments based on what we’re learning with each step. My sense is this next stage of becoming could be very rewarding, and will no doubt bring with it some unexpected challenges. My first question for all of you is: Do we want to board to be the primary body to navigate this process over the next months or do we want to put together a team that can dedicate themselves only to this and report to us? If the board decides to manage different stages of reopening, I think this will be a significant part of our work over the next 3-6 months, and possibly beyond.

Our virtual offerings over the last month have continued to diversify and get more interesting. The Last Days of Judas Iscariot was a real treat, and I loved facilitating a panel afterwards that included people from around the country, and one person in Canada. It is the

kind of project I imagined doing at the start of the pandemic, and I’m glad we could do it, thanks to Jennifer who produced it. There are so many positive things I could update you on, but I’ve already used my typically allotted word count, and I appreciate your patience. I wanted to give you my initial thoughts on reopening as of now, so we have more time in the discussion. Please reach out to me if you are curious about other offerings, and I’d be glad to spend some time with you.