Brrrrr! Dec. 19 services move indoors

Your resilience, and the creativity and hard work of many volunteers and staff, have made it possible to gather in person, outdoors, since September. Now the temperature is dropping and the rain is falling, so on December 19, we are holding services indoors at both 9:30 and 11. Exciting! Essential information for you to know:

  1. The 11 a.m. service will still be livestreamed via Zoom and Facebook Live, every Sunday. The links are always to be found on the page for that day’s service.
  2. In person, we will wear masks and maintain 6′ of distance between households.
  3. Because social distancing limits the capacity of the Main Hall, I strongly recommend signing up in advance. Many people said Realm registration was confusing and involved too many steps, so we have switched to the popular platform, Eventbrite. Please let us know how it goes!

Use Eventbrite to sign up for either service

4. We will admit those who have not registered once the bell rings to announce the beginning of the service, if there is space. If not, other options are to sit on the patio, where speakers broadcast the service clearly; tune in 88.7 FM and listen to the service; or, at 11, join the livestream via Zoom or Facebook Live.

5. Indoors, congregational singing is still too unsafe. If you want to sing out, online is your best bet.

6. So that we can remain masked, we will not eat or drink indoors. Outdoors, it is fine to do so, replacing your mask afterwards.

7. For the sake of our children, many of whom are still not vaccinated (including many under 5 years old, for whom no vaccine is yet available), please do not walk through the inner spaces of the UUCPA campus. Only parents and authorized staff will do so. The way into the Main Hall for everyone else is to go back up the entrance driveway to the front doors.

Additionally, this use of a single entrance helps us to gather everyone’s name and phone number, which are essential for contact tracing, a legal and ethical requirement.

You may have some questions.

Is there child care?

There sure is! Our littlest children aren’t eligible for vaccines, so they play in one part of our campus, while those who are 5 and up and vaccinated play in another. All staff observe strict COVID protocols.

What about vaccination status?

Through December 19, via two congregational Town Hall meetings, the Board of Trustees is collecting your suggestions and preferences regarding our options vis-a-vis asking vaccination status. In the meantime, we are not requiring attendees to either attest or prove that they are immunized against COVID-19. Please make your decisions about attendance accordingly. As always, we follow the science and strongly recommend that everyone who is eligible for the vaccine receive it.

I don’t know if I feel safe gathering indoors in a large group. What can I do?

Please take care of yourself! UUCPA is providing as many safe ways to gather as we can, so choose the option that works for you. Aside from in-person, indoor gatherings, you can sit on the patio, where speakers broadcast the service clearly; tune in 88.7 FM and listen to the service from wherever you have a radio; or, at 11, join the livestream via Zoom or Facebook Live.

Are all of our services going to be indoors and in-person from now on?

Previously we expected so, however, we have since decided to stop holding indoor services until further notice.

The Main Hall is waiting for you! I can’t wait to see you there.

Blessings,

Amy