This past Sunday was our first outdoor service at OUUC, and it was such a success! Thank you to all who made it happen, from Steve Tilly who cleared the parking lot and Memorial Garden area to Jen Sabel and Sheila Arendt who were greeters, and Beth Johnson who represented the Pastoral care Team and debuted the green book for the first time since March 2020. Of course, there are thanks to the Tech Team online and in-person, as well as the choir members who blended their voices. Thanks to the staff: Troy Fisher, Sara Lewis, Darlene Sarkela, and Marie Arensmeyer, who all helped in many ways. There with about 60 people in attendance outside and almost 100 logged in on Zoom. I’ve heard from many of you that you felt included and connected no matter where you were. A successful ingathering in so many ways.
Thank you also to Gail Wrede and Barry Zickuhr who hosted the Scavenger Hunt after the service. It was a small and mighty gathering!
Here’s the plan for the next two Sundays:
September 19:
In-person Registration: We’ll offer registration for about 40 people outside at OUUC again. Please feel free to register and attend in person, especially if you have not felt comfortable on Zoom. You can register here.
Weather: Right now, it looks like there may be rain on Sunday. We will make a final decision about the outdoor service on Saturday morning. If we decide to go all online, we’ll send an email to anyone who registered, so please check your email. We’ll also post updates on the OUUC website.
Safety: We’ll continue our care for each other with masks and distancing for those onsite. You can plan to self-screen and sign in when you arrive in person.
September 26:
Guest speaker, Victoria Poling, will join us from her home in the Seattle area. Since this speaker is remote, this service will be all online.
October services:
We’ll decide as we get closer to October. We are committed to outdoor services as long as weather holds. We’ll move to the sanctuary when the HVAC work is completed, which is expected at the end of October.
Please know that we plan to continue offering services online into the future. Streaming services was a goal when I arrived at OUUC more than two years ago, and the pandemic helped us realize this goal. We know that many are joining us and will continue to do so indefinitely.
Thank you for your understanding and grace as we seek to be inclusive to all.
Rev. Mary
