Our services are in-person and live-streamed!
Dear UUCA and friends,
We will review all protocols every two weeks and will inform the congregation promptly of changes. Thank you for all the ways that you are being adaptive with us.
Live Worship Services!
Starting Sunday, September 12, we are live-streaming, in-person worship services. This means that you can experience your UUCA ministers, lay leaders, and musicians leading worship from the sanctuary, whether you are there with us, or joining us via Zoom. All of our worship leaders, musicians, and faith formation folks are fully vaccinated, and will be masked, except if speaking from “the pulpit.”
You do NOT need a registration to attend, but you will be asked to sit at least three seats away from anyone outside of your household. Arriving by 9:50 am will be helpful in everyone finding their seats.
Masks: Indoor for all, and use high quality.
We look forward to being with you and your family whether you choose to do so in person or virtually.
Good masking protects you and those around you, regardless of vaccination status. We require that everyone (above the age of two) wear masks indoors. This is now true for small groups as the DELTA variant has increased the risk factor even for those vaccinated.
High-quality masks (K95, KN95, KN94) provide over double the protection of cloth masks, especially if they fit tightly and are secured by bands that go around the head instead of your ears. We highly recommend using high-quality masks and will require them of everyone leading worship or faith formation. We also are purchasing high-quality masks in bulk, and anyone attending on Sunday can obtain them, with a suggested donation of $1 each.
Singing
Singing, by its nature, requires deeper breaths, which when done by those with COVID, propels more COVID molecules into the air, which are then more likely to be inhaled by those in a proximate area. Therefore, our reopening team has granted and restricted singing within our community in the following ways:
- We will have live performance music on Sundays. This will include only vaccinated and masked singers. Choir members will be spaced 3’ apart from each other. All singers will be 10’ or more feet away from those attending worship. We are excited to experience this music live again.
- We will NOT have congregational singing. Currently, this will mean that we will not be incorporating hymns or other corporate singing into our services. Improvements in the local prevalence levels of COVID variants, high-quality masking, and / or improved air filtration may allow us to reincorporate congregational singing.
- We encourage attendees (in person or online) to hum, clap, move or dance to the music. Music is embodied, and we welcome many expressions of it besides singing.
Ventilation / Filtration Upgrades
Our practice is to open windows and doors in every room in use. We are exploring the efficacy of options for filtering for COVID and other particles. We will keep you apprised of this progress.
Coffee Hour
It is great how we love to be in community with each other! We have also seen how offering refreshments inside has decreased the prevalence of universal indoor masking. Therefore, we will move the refreshments outside, where people are free to unmask and converse. If there is inclement weather, however, coffee hour refreshments will be unable to be served. Conversations can take place, but indoors and masked.
Consider having your small group or committee sponsor a Sunday Coffee Hour. Your hospitality makes a huge difference to our experience of community.
Sunday Programming
We are reconstituting the “After Hour” team to develop and launch adult programming after the Sunday service, both in-person and online. This programming will begin on Sept 26.
Our OUTDOORS children’s and youth Faith Formation programming will also start Sept 26, and will largely take place concurrently to our worship service. Children are welcome to stay in the sanctuary for multigenerational services or through our Wonderbox story or can be outside instead (activities provided). Please register your family for the new church year so we can connect with you and let you know what’s planned for the Fall!
COVID and All of Its Risks and Restrictions Have Been Too Much
For all of us, but in different ways, this past year has been a year of trauma. We encourage you to watch this video about how to be sensitive to the trauma within us as we return.
We look forward to being with you and your family whether you choose to do so in person or virtually.
Thank You
Thank you so much for your caring approach to in-person gathering, and your understanding of our need for extra thoughtfulness. It shows us who UUCA is: a congregation that honors every single member of our community and works together to create a safe and inclusive environment for all.
Please contact Rev. Anastassia with any additional questions or comments.
Yours in Service,
Your Ministers, Board, Staff, and our UUCA Reopening Team