Dear UUCV Community,

News of any new epidemic can be scary to take in, especially for those among us who are more susceptible to such viruses like very young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.  While the coronavirus is believed to spread in much the same way as the flu, no vaccine has yet been developed to help prevent people from contracting it.  There can be a lot of misinformation circulated, and we encourage you to rely on the CDC’s website for accurate information and updates.

We write to let all of you know that for now we will be keeping an eye on the CDC’s recommendations and  encouraging everyone to use common sense in caring for your health and that of everyone else.  Make a practice of frequently washing your hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds, and if you need to cough or sneeze, do it in the crook of your arm rather than into your hands.  Church staff have also stocked hand sanitizer in visible places around the church, though this should not replace hand-washing.

Here are some additional things we are asking you to do to help keep our community safe:

•      During worship, rather than holding hands, we will instead raise our hands to signify our connection.
• Stay home if you or a member of your household are coughing or sneezing,even if it means not getting to do the thing you volunteered for that day.
• Parents and volunteers in Religious Education, if you, your child, or another member of your household is sick, whether you believe it to be related to COVID-19 or not, you must stay home. If you have signed up to volunteer but are sick, please reach out to Emily and she will make other arrangements: re@uucv.net.
• If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 or if your doctor encourages you to self-quarantine, please inform Rev. Aija immediately by calling 717-249-8944 so we can take necessary precautions.
• If you are isolated at home during this time and could use help with food delivery or other supplies that we can help meet, please let us know by emailing revaija@uucv.net.
• If you are willing to help deliver food or other supplies to those in our community in need, please let us know by emailing revaija@uucv.net.

For those who want to connect with us for Sunday worship but need to stay at home, we will be hosting a livestream of worship via Zoom on Sundays at 10:30am.  Zoom is an online program that will let us connect with each other remotely.  You can use Zoom to call in with any telephone or use a computer with a webcam to include video.  We may only be able to livestream spoken word portions of service due to copyright concerns with music.

Any committee chair who would prefer to hold a meeting remotely may use our Zoom account to host an online meeting.  Please look for a separate email with instructions on using Zoom.

Fear can make people behave in erratic ways.  We’ve already seen several conspiracy theories about this virus circulate on social media.  But we are even more concerned about reports of racist attacks directed toward people with Asian features around the country, including here in Pennsylvania.  So, as we redouble our efforts to keep ourselves and others healthy, we hope you will join us in redoubling efforts to keep our communities safe for everyone.

Now more than ever we must be about the work of caring for all of our neighbors and acting out of wisdom and love rather than fear.  We encourage everyone to check in by phone or text with your neighbors and to reach out to friends in the congregation about their well-being.  While this is a time for extra precaution, it is also a time to draw together in safe ways and to care for one another.

In Faith,

Rev. Aija and UUCV Staff