We had a wonderful Ingathering Service to mark the beginning of our new church year on September 13th. It was great to see so many of us together for our Water Communion, if only on our screens. As the title of Jus- tine’s reflection reminded us, Something Happens When We Gather.
A lot is happening at UUCB, and we continue to be crea- tive in finding new ways to connect:
- Our virtual services will include an increasing variety of musical offerings. Derek will be providing accom- paniment for the choir to lead us in hymn singing as well as for special choral pieces. Other musicians will join in contributing recordings for preludes et cetera, and you will see various combinations of singers. Thanks as always to Jud Caswell for making it all come together and to his family for their varied tal- ents. (Ed note: We are all enriched by the many and varied Caswell contributions!)
- The Religious Exploration team is experimenting with outside activities to actually bring kids together.
- A reconstituted Modernizing Communications group will continue to explore new ways to share information and will be working on estab- lishing streaming capability.
- Justine has begun to assemble the Transitions Team.
- The Reopening Task Force had its first meeting on September 18th. Headed up by Bill Clark, the group members are Mike Heath, Betsy Williams, Stephanie Bernier and Leigh Peranteau, with Justine an ex offi- cio participant. Future requests for building use will be forwarded to the task force. As I noted last month, the charge for the group is as follows: To recommend a strategy for determining when to reopen for ser- vices and other uses of the building, and to develop a plan for making reopening safe. It is a complicated task, and it will take some time.
Who knows what next month will bring?
— Glenn Williams