Dear Ones,

It has been a joy to gather with you the past two Sunday mornings in the newly-blessed UUC meeting space, with some joining by Zoom! Thank you to all who have helped make our Sunday worship a beautiful, inclusive experience- including set-up assistants, musicians and singers, greeters, tech support, and Time for All Ages/Board welcome participants. It takes a village to create a Sunday service! Special thanks to Board Members Maria Lassman, Bobbie Rich, Lynne Lane, and DRE Darlene Anderson-Alexander who have recruited and coordinated these roles. While we will be taking a break from in-person this Sunday, October 31st, we will be back to gathering in our meeting space on November 7th.

This Sunday at 10AM, UUC will join the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York, Pennsylvania for a service on the festival of Samhain. Samhain is the ancient Celtic harvest festival from which today’s Halloween celebrations derived. The Sojourn Service is an opportunity to connect with another UU community and perhaps to learn something new!

The Worship Team would love to hold as many in person services as possible this year- but they need the help of the congregation to make this happen. I am scheduled to preach 2 to 3 Sundays per month; our remaining services will be led by members of the congregation or guest speakers. In the event that we are unable to find a leader, we will hold a Zoom-only service. If you have an idea for a lay-led service or a guest speaker that you would like to invite, please let me, Bobbie, or Maria know. Maybe you would like to offer a service yourself or with others. If so, I am glad to support you!

We may also gather on Zoom for other reasons, such as a snow storm or an increase in Covid rates. These times require our flexibility and patience as we navigate continuous change. I am proud of the way this congregation has faced the unexpected this Fall with hopeful engagement. May we continue to rise and find joy together.

In faith,