Dear WUU Community, Once again the Covid pandemic is leading us to temporarily change course in the interest of public safety. Due to the Omicron surge in our area, Sunday morning worship will remain online-only through the end of January. Each week we’ll have one worship leader Zooming from the WUU Sanctuary. Everyone else is asked to participate from home. We plan to reopen the sanctuary for hybrid worship as soon as our Public Health Advisory Task Force believes it’s safe enough to do so. The Reopening Task Force will be consulting with the public health team on Jan. 24,… by the Soul Matters Sharing Circle team “Here’s what I discovered. Intention is different from setting goals or resolutions in that it “pulls us into” who we truly are. Goals and resolutions “push us out” into future possibilities. To set intentions, we must listen to our inner voice which tells us who we truly are.” – Katie Covey, Soul Matters Director of RE Resources So here we are again, in the month of January, with its talk of daring resolutions and demanding calls to become better. It’s hard to resist. After all, who of us couldn’t benefit from a bit of self-improvement? And… Dear WUU Community, As we celebrate the winter holidays as a congregation, here are a couple of reminders and requests to help us continue to gather safely as the Covid pandemic continues to evolve. If you have any symptoms of illness, or are feeling unwell in general–even if it’s just a runny nose or a slight cough–please stay home and participate online. And please get tested for Covid as soon as possible, for your own safety and to reduce the risk of infecting others. Get a booster shot if you are eligible. Remember, too, that despite the normal human urge… The Journey to Asylum team is excited to announce the pending arrival of our next family. Stephen and Gloria will likely be arriving next week. We served as their sponsors on their humanitarian parole application, and after several weeks and additional outreach to border patrol, their application was approved. They were processed through the border on Wednesday and will likely arrive in Williamsburg sometime next week. The couple, who is expecting a baby in the spring, is from Nigeria. After fleeing violence in their country, they made their way to our southern border and have been stuck in Tijuana for… by the Soul Matters Sharing Circle team It’s easy to get tricked, taken for a ride, convinced that joy is a possession. Something to be opened just by us. As if it’s a holiday special delivery, waiting for us to unwrap it and keep forever. And who can blame us, with pain being so prevalent. Sadness seems to stay. Why can’t joy? But maybe it’s elusive for a reason. Maybe it’s slippery in order to help us understand that it was put here to fly. Or better yet: To be flung! To be passed, not possessed. To be spread between… The approaching end of another year brings with it a time for holiday festive making punctuated with laughter, gifts, and warm memories of past celebrations with family and friends. It is also a time for reflection as we note the end of the year gone by. Covid Times has certainly left its mark on all our lives, and on the life of our congregational community as well. Thinking back on these past twelve months, I am reminded that although they may have been physically, emotionally and spiritually difficult for many: we Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists have been able to serve our… When Opening to Joy Isn’t So Easy… December’s congregational theme is a bold and boisterous one: Opening to Joy! But what if you’re not feeling joyful right now? Maybe you’re grieving the loss of a loved one. Maybe you’re feeling down, lonely, worn out, even despairing. Maybe the thought of holiday festivities makes you want to pull the covers over your head and just stay hunkered down until January. If that’s you, please know that you are not alone. However you’re doing, however you’re feeling, whether sad or joyful, or both, or somewhere in the middle, you don’t have to be any way but how… Dear WUU Community, Over the last two Sundays of in-person/hybrid worship, we’ve learned a lot about what works well and how we can adapt WUU’s Covid safety guidelines to create an even better worship experience. Effective this Sunday, here are the changes you’ll see at in-person worship: We’ll be singing. We talked this through extensively with the Public Health Advisory Task Force and concluded that congregational singing in worship should be reasonably safe as long as everyone is vaccinated and masked and our space is well-ventilated. With all these precautions still in place, we’ll start singing hymns again in the… Beginning this Sunday, Nov. 7, WUU will offer one worship service at 10 a.m. in person in the Sanctuary and available online via Zoom, YouTube, audio stream, and podcast. We can now accommodate up to 100 people in person each Sunday with physically distanced seating in the Sanctuary and Gathering Hall. To ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all, we ask that you please pre–register today to come in person: https://rsvp.church/r/qnzGLbnX. Starting next week, each Tuesday, you’ll receive an email with a link to reserve in-person seating for the upcoming Sunday. You can also find the link on our website… by the Soul Matters Sharing Circle team Let’s start with the words of Parker Palmer, “Jewish teaching includes frequent reminders of the importance of a broken-open heart, as in this Hasidic tale: A disciple asks the rebbe: “Why does Torah tell us to ‘place these words upon your hearts’? Why does it not tell us to place these holy words in our hearts?” The rebbe answers: “It is because as we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them on top of our hearts. And there they stay until, one day, the heart breaks…
January 5, 2022: Updates to Covid Safety Precautions
Welcome to the Month of Living with Intention
Gathering Safely in an Evolving Pandemic
December 2021 Journey to Asylum Update
Welcome to the Month of Opening to Joy
December 2021 President’s Message
December 2021 Notes from the Minister
November 18, 2021 Updates to Covid Safety Precautions
Pre-Register Today for In-Person Worship!
Welcome to the Practice of Holding History
