Ready to join our virtual community?  For Sunday worship, click or tap the photo of the laptop to join right in!  For other events, scroll down for more information and direct links, or check your invitation email.

Context

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended that citizens avoid close contact (within about a 6-foot radius) with other people, especially persons who are experiencing fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms.

Obviously, while gathering together as a worshiping body is a fundamental and profoundly meaningful part of our identity as a community, our principles lead us to take actions that protect the most vulnerable among us—and experts are asking that communities like ours take all possible steps to minimize the spread of this virus, especially because not enough vaccine doses have been given yet to help create herd immunity against it.  (While most deaths and serious symptoms have been among adults over the age of 60, or those with suppressed or compromised immune systems, even otherwise healthy persons can become infected and spread the virus widely without knowing it.)

With this in mind, we will continue to offer ZOOM worship as well as meeting in person on Sundays at 10:30 am.   We believe that our faith calls for us to care for the most vulnerable among us, and we believe that this is the best way to do so.  We are working to make sure that we will continue to remain connected even as we are unable to be physically together.

About “Zoom”

Our primary tool for fostering this connectedness will be the Zoom platform.  Zoom allows you to connect with other users through whatever technology you have available to you—a desktop or laptop computer or smartphone, with or without a webcam, or even by “old-fashioned” telephone.

Most of our activities will be held in our main Zoom channel, which is accessible in any of the following ways:

• click the laptop graphic at the top of this page, OR
• point your browser to uuma.zoom.us/j/9428106896 , OR
• “listen in” (without video) by telephone, by calling 646-876-9923 and entering Meeting ID 550 751 6685

If you don’t already have Zoom installed on your computer, clicking any Zoom link will prompt you to begin the installation.  There is no charge to you for the software or its use.

If you have never used Zoom before, another UU church has put together and allowed us to share a helpful page with written instructions and brief video tutorials for getting set up and using Zoom: https://foothillsuu.org/resource/zoom-resources/

A Week of Virtual Community

We offer virtual community opportunities every day of the week.  Most of these are hosted at our “main” Zoom channel, described above, but a few (those marked with an * below) are hosted in different online “locations”—either a different Zoom channel, or Facebook Live, for instance.  In any event, clicking the name of the item in the schedule below will take you to the correct online “location.”

All times on the schedule below are in the Eastern US time zone.

Sundays

• 10:30 AM–12:00 PM — Worship
  Preaching, music, and ritual remind us that we need each other more than we know.  Live stream will begin at approximately 10:15 AM to allow attendees to confirm their settings and settle in before worship begins at 10:30. 
• 12:00–1:00 PM — Online Coffee Hour
  Coffee in your PJs!  Stick around after service for online coffee hour.  We will create Zoom breakout rooms and provide prompts for small group conversation and connection.  (DISCLAIMER: We haven’t figured out a way to get coffee to pour out of your computer screen.  You’re welcome to brew a cup for yourself, wherever you are.)

Other notes

• We light a chalice in worship and community gatherings as a symbol of the light of our faith in the world.  You may wish to light a candle of your own when joining us remotely—or to take advantage of a “virtual flame” like the one in the UUA’s WorshipWeb app, available for iOS and Android on the UUA website.
• If you know of someone who might be interested in joining in our “virtual community” but does not have internet access, this announcement may be helpful.
• To securely share your financial gifts with UUCV through our “Online Offering,” please visit uucv.org/donate.
• If you have prayer requests you’d like uplifted during our Sunday worship, please email them to Rev. Meg before 9:00 AM on Sunday morning.
• To receive “UUCV Today” emails with daily opportunities for connection and announcements, please sign up by filling out this form.
• Many of our members and friends enjoy communicating with one another via Facebook.  A great way to get connected with them is to “Like” our Facebook page.