Dear Members and Friends of First Unitarian Church:
A beloved hymn usually sung with great gusto has a deeper meaning for us today: “Gather the spirit, harvest the power, our separate fires will kindle one flame. Witness the mystery of this hour, our trials in this light appear all the same.”
Pandemics are not new, but Covid-19 marks the first pandemic in our lifetimes. As we are forced to release so much control of our lives, we try in new and inventive ways to gather the spirit and harvest the power. We have no clear understanding of what lies ahead of us, but our trials are not uniquely our own.
Fortunately we are embraced in a church community where care and concern are foremost. Our church has been there for us in times of crises: gathering the spirit for a memorial service; gathering the spirit after 9/11; gathering the spirit during the Tim DeChristopher trial. Today we are challenged to gather the spirit without physically rallying together. How will that work? How do we kindle one flame?
On March 16th our Board of Trustees met to discuss these questions. A loving and caring spirit permeated the meeting. The tasks ahead may appear contradictory, but they inspire us to enrich the meaning of community. Following state health guidelines means closing the church for the next eight weeks. All activities scheduled at the church are cancelled. We will tell you with a joyful heart when the building opens again. Remember that we are much more than the building. The doors may be closed but hearts remain open and our community very much alive.
Discussions and small group ministries will continue remotely. (The Board meeting was held with all members and ministers at home.) Beginning on Sunday, March 22nd, Tom, Monica, and David will conduct worship services which you can all access by going on the church website [[[during the time of the service?]]] and clicking “sermon video.” After each service, we will hold a ZOOM virtual coffee hour and talkback session to discuss the sermon and any concerns that have arisen for you personally. Please join us. We will be happy to explain how to ZOOM coffee hour.
Small group facilitators: please monitor the wellbeing of your group. Offer support, gather the spirit, and please let the ministers know of issues that warrant pastoral attention. And let’s be vigilant in tending to the needs of friends in our community.
Our Celebration Sunday Pledge Kick off was set to rock the house last Sunday, but the church was dark. Special speakers and music stir our generosity towards the church. We believe that the sterner experience of this immense global crisis will underscore the extraordinary value of and the need to sustain a church community such as ours. Please reflect on the church’s value in your life and in the greater community as a passionate, unparalleled voice for peace and justice.
We must prepare financially now for the transition to a new senior minister and we are asking for a boost in your pledge. The costs of the selection process beginning a year from now must be addressed today. As you make your pledge the immediate future of the church is more than usually in your hands. Options are many: mail in your pledge card, press the donate button on our website, or call and leave a message at the church, 801.582.8687 ext. 202. Someone from either the Board or the Pledge Committee will contact everyone who asks.
We must gather the spirit of heart and mind, demonstrating that so much more than a building defines our community. Reach out to one another. Help one another. In our digital world, love and concern have never travelled faster.
In praise of our community,