Hello dear people!

I am writing to you 10 weeks after we closed our physical building, on the first day of Illinois Phase 3, and a few hours before a number of us will be participating in a Black Lives Matter peaceful (we hope) march at the Champaign County Courthouse. 

These ten weeks have been challenging, strange, and awful in our country and the world. More than 100,000 people have now died of COVID-19. Some of us have not entered a store or hugged another human being in ten weeks. Schools and the university have been closed. Thankfully, no members or friends of UUCUC have died of the virus, but many of us have close friends or family who have been critically ill or who have died. And as I write this, there are protests and riots in response to racially charged police brutality all across the country, including here in C-U.

If you are finding yourself depressed, bewildered, or angry, there are good reasons to feel those things, and we are here for you and with you. We are creating community and responding to injustice, even in these times. Even though our church building is closed, UUCUC is not closed. Our church is alive and well and we are, more than ever, taking care of one another, providing support and inspiration for one another, and continuing our work for justice. We are here for you and for the wider community, as a source of hope and community, in order to try and lessen the impact of these times.

Here are some of the ways we are continuing to provide support and practicing resilience:

• Our live online Sunday services are reaching many more people than our in-person services once did. Several hundred people are tuning in each week, from what we can see of page views. Thanks to Chris Hannauer and Sean Bartell for helping us transition so quickly to a powerful online presence. To tune in, go to our livestream page. You can also watch later in the week by scrolling to the bottom of the page.
• We are also offering weekly meditation, “worshipful listening” twice a week, and Michele Grove facilitated a seven-week class on UU Principles for adults and families that garnered rave reviews.
• Leaders and staff have called every household to check in and see what your needs may be. If you did not receive a call, please let us know. Thank you to all who filled our Needs and Resources survey. This has been invaluable for our Care Core, leaders, and staff, including providing help for grocery pick-up for those who need it and identifying who may need help to participate in our upcoming online Annual Meeting.
• Michele Grove and I have started a Parents Support Group which meets each Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30. For more information or to join, please email me at minister@uucuc.org.
• We have started a new Black Lives Matter page on our website, with links, resources, and events: https://uucuc.org/justice/black-lives-matter/
• We have a new Faithify Community Relief Fund to support three local organizations doing important work for those affected by COVID-19 layoffs and increasing poverty in our community. Please consider giving generously: https://uucuc.org/faithify-community-relief-fund/
• And we have hired Sally Fritsche, soon to be Rev. Sally Fritsche, to be our new Associate Minister of Congregational Life! She and her husband are moving to the area and she will begin work on September 1. To see her “Hello to UUCUC” video: https://uucuc.org/9719-2/

You may be wondering, “Well, that’s all fine and well, but when are we going to be able to gather together again?” Good question, with no easy answers. 

The current recommendation from our local Public Health District is that the safest option for all churches is to continue online-only services. Our assumption, at this point, is that all our services will be online through at least the summer, to keep everyone well during this uncertain time of entering Phase 3 of the Illinois re-opening. (Please remember that if you live in Urbana and don’t have internet access, you can listen on the radio as well at 104.5.)

I want to remind you all that the risk of infection is greater now, locally, than it was ten weeks ago when we stopped having in-person services, so please continue to be careful in your personal life. 

Unfortunately, church services have, in a number of places, been sources of widespread infection, even with safeguards in place. There are some real issues of justice and inclusion if we consider limiting who or how many can attend an in-person service, and there is clearly a risk to attendees and to staff even if we have limited numbers in our services, so there is much to consider. To read the current Public Health guidelines, click here. In addition, the UUA has issued recommendations to UU congregations nationally. You can read them here. 

I have formed a COVID-19 Advisory Task Force to research and provide input to the Board and to me as we weigh various decisions about our building and about gatherings. Our Worship Committee is already planning some great summer services, and Michele Grove is planning some hands-on resources for families. Stay tuned! We will also have a drive-up Flower Communion on the 7th, organized to be extremely safe. More details in our E-News this week.

I am part of a local clergy group called Sisters in Faith Leadership. We have issued a Declaration that all leaders consider the most vulnerable in all decisions around re-opening. If you would like to see this Declaration and add your name in solidarity, you can find it here. 

Meanwhile, please know that you are in my heart and I urge you to continue to practice physical distancing/social solidarity, for your sake, for the sake of your family and friends (especially elders in your life), and for the sake of those most vulnerable in the wider community. We are entering a new and challenging time, when many people are likely to just throw caution to the wind. Let’s show up as UUs, and do the brave and hard thing of living our values and protecting lives as the pandemic continues. One day things will be different, but that day is not yet. Let’s celebrate our powerful community, and keep taking care of each other.

With love and blessings,
Rev. Florence Caplow