by WUUC | Jun 29, 2020 | Announcements
Join us on Friday, July 24 at 7 p.m. at the WUUC Church Campout at Bay View State Park for a meeting of the WUUC Nonfiction Book Club. We will be discussing “Thick: And Other Essays” by Tressie McMillan Cottom. RSVP to Alaine, alaine.davis@yahoo.com. RSVP not required, but helpful for planning purposes.
If you aren’t attending the campout, but are still interested in reading and discussing the book, consider volunteering to lead a Zoom discussion on the same day!
“To say this collection is transgressive, provocative, and brilliant is simply to tell you the truth.”
—Roxane Gay
In these eight piercing explorations on beauty, media,
money, and more, award-winning professor Tressie McMillan Cottom embraces her
venerated role as a purveyor of wit, wisdom, and Black Twitter snark about all
that is right and much that is wrong with this thing we call society.
This book fills an important void: a modern black American feminist voice waxing poetic on self and society, serving up a healthy portion of clever prose and southern aphorisms as she covers everything from Saturday Night Live, LinkedIn, and BBQ Becky to sexual violence, infant mortality, and Trump rallies. “Thick” speaks fearlessly to a range of topics and is far more genre-bending than a typical compendium of personal essays.
An intrepid intellectual force hailed by the likes of Trevor Noah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Oprah, Tressie McMillan Cottom is “among America’s most bracing thinkers on race, gender, and capitalism of our time” (Rebecca Traister). This stunning debut collection—in all its intersectional glory—mines for meaning in places many of us miss, and reveals precisely how the political, the social, and the personal are almost always one and the same.
-Adapted from an Amazon review
Four times a year, the WUUC Book Discussion Group gathers to read and talk about a nonfiction book. You only attend the meetings about books that interest you, so we end up with a different group of participants every time. We meet to connect and talk about a book in depth. Anyone is welcome to suggest a book and/or lead a discussion. Contact Alaine to RSVP, suggest a book, or offer to host a future discussion.
by WUUC | Jun 29, 2020 | Announcements
By John Hilke
Our collective Covid-19 experiences raise quite a few questions about several aspects of our lives. Some of our past Notes 4 Earth have highlighted the impact on our future carbon footprint associated with potential increases in online work relative to office work, changes in what we buy and where we buy from, and changes in how we spend our time.
This month, I raise some questions about post-Covid-19 life
at WUUC and the potential impacts on WUUC’s carbon footprint.
Worship: Although it may be some months from now, we will likely be returning to in-person worship at some point in the future. Might we want to continue with online worship opportunities too? For some, online worship may be the only way to attend WUUC worship due to illness, travel, mobility issues, or moving to another area. I’ve noted that attendance at worship is higher on average than it was at most in-person worship services before March, remembering that many people participate in our worship with a significant other or with young folks. Does this reflect the convenience factor of attending worship remotely? Would providing alternatives to in-person worship change how often you would attend in person?
Coffee Hour: More than a few have noted that coffee hour seems more likely to be meaningful and less likely to fall into “taking care of church business.” Some important connections seem to be in the making and sometimes in-depth conversations emerge. We miss the hugs.
Committee and Small Group Meetings: Some have noted that there are plus factors and minus factors about online committee and small-group meetings. Weather and night risks associated with driving are largely eliminated with online meetings. We miss the hugs, but sometimes we have an easier time taking turns and being reflective. Do we want to continue online alternatives to in-person meetings?
Food for thought, perhaps?
Take care and be as safe as possible under the
circumstances.
John Hilke
by WUUC | May 29, 2020 | Announcements
On May 27, 2020, WUUC’s Board of Trustees adopted a coronavirus reopening plan. As the Board adopted the plan, it affirmed that we are all held in love and covenant, and that we are responsible and accountable to each other. The Board also affirmed its commitment to following best practices and WA State and King County guidelines and regulations.
The plan below will be updated as WA State and King County release additional information about reopening phases and best practices.
Coronavirus Building and Grounds Reopening Plan for WUUC
Adopted byWUUC Board of Trustees May 27, 2020; to be updated as needed
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, WUUC has committed to following WA State and King County guidelines and regulations. WUUC commits to making its best efforts to continue to follow WA State and King County guidelines and regulations.
As of the writing of this plan, King County is at Phase 1 of WA State’s Reopening Plan. We are currently under the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. We anticipate that the earliest King County will move to Phase 2 is June 1. The very earliest King County could move to Phase 3 is June 22.
WUUC will be hosting a pop-up blood donation center for NW Bloodworks from June 9 – 19.
Rev. Diana Smith will be ending her ministry at WUUC in June 2020. Minister Dan Lillie will begin his ministry at WUUC on Aug. 15, 2020.
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Our Unitarian Universalist faith centers covenants. One of the covenants that we make with one another is to try to keep each other safe and growing in body, mind, and spirit. We don’t often talk a lot about this covenant, but we trust that it’s there. And sometimes we do talk about this covenant explicitly, like when a congregation’s leaders create safety policies and procedures. During the coronavirus pandemic, this has been needed and has become clear in new ways. We’ve learned that congregations have a significant role to play in how covid-19 spreads. We can take actions that help slow the spread and protect members and friends of WUUC and the wider community. We’re committed to doing that as a faith community.
As UU faith communities, we’re also committed to justice. As UUs, we affirm our interdependence, we commit to encouraging each other’s spiritual growth, and we declare that we will work for a world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. One of the ways that we live these commitments out in congregations is by working to ensure that the congregation is accessible to all. In the recent past, WUUC has worked on this by beginning to use a hearing assistance system, creating wheelchair spaces in the sanctuary and access improvements around the church, by supporting Welcoming Congregation renewal, and by attending to dietary needs, amongst other things. As WUUC has moved online due to the pandemic, we continue to be conscious of the need to not create a two-tiered congregation where some members can meet in person and others can’t due to health concerns and are thereby excluded from full participation. This commitment is directly related to our faith’s commitment to justice. At the same time, we recognize the importance of contact with other humans, including in-person, safe contact, for emotional and mental wellbeing.
Finally, as we reflect on how to proceed, we affirm that congregations aren’t limited by buildings. While we love our sacred spaces and this congregation is deeply connected with WUUC’s buildings and grounds, WUUC is not the buildings and the grounds. Rather, Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church is a group of people who are committed to being a congregation and are bound in covenant with one another.
Proposed Plan for WUUC May 27 – August 31, 2020 (Possibly into the Fall)
Building Use
From May – June 2020, only employees and volunteers who need to use the church building for essential purposes are allowed to work at WUUC (administration, finance, custodial and maintenance services, building safety checks, Rev. Diana Smith’s preparation for leaving WUUC, necessary material gathering for summer religious education). No meetings or gatherings are allowed at WUUC except the blood donation center. Anyone exhibiting symptoms of Covid-19 or diagnosed with Covid-19 must not enter the building.
- Requirements for using the building:
- Employees and volunteers who are allowed to use the building must have a face covering with them and use it if another person is within 10 feet.
- Employees and volunteers who are allowed to use the building need to schedule work days so that only one employee or volunteer is actively using the office space (main office, minister’s office, library) at once. Incidental use of other areas by someone dropping off something, someone who is permitted to use the grounds using the bathroom, etc, may occur. A second or third employee or volunteer may use another part of the building (sanctuary or religious education classrooms) for an essential purpose at the same time another volunteer or staff member is using the office for an essential purpose.
- Employees and volunteers using the building must maintain good hand hygiene and wipe down surfaces before and following use. WUUC will provide supplies for doing this.
- NW Bloodworks must ensure necessary hygiene is maintained during the pop-up blood donation center’s operations. The minister will ensure staff ad volunteers are aware of the donation center’s operations so that staff who are permitted to use the building for an essential purpose can alter their work hours and take other necessary precautions.
- Only after the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order is lifted and before June 8 or after June 22, may music be recorded in the sanctuary. If King County is in phase 2, then up to 5 people may be in the sanctuary to record music provided they each remain at least 6 feet or more away from all others, every person wears a mask, and no one is singing, shouting, playing a wind instrument, or breathing deeply to play music (i.e., everyone present to record music must be breathing at normal levels/not forcefully behind a face mask). One or both exterior doors must be kept open to provide additional air circulation.
From July – August 2020, if King County is at Phase 2 or 3 then the above considerations will continue to apply except and including that:
- Staff and volunteers may use the building for a wider range of purposes provided they continue to meet the mask, hygiene, health, and area separation requirements.
- No groups may meet in the building except that renters who use the building for support groups (AA, NAMI, Buddhist chemical dependency group) may use the sanctuary or portable 2 provided they meet physical distancing, hygiene wipe-down, health, and mask-wearing requirements listed above, as well as the currently-applicable state limits on size of gathering. As of the writing of this plan, in Phase 2 the limit will be 5 people and in Phase 3 the limit will be 50 people. (It is unlikely that 50 people could use a WUUC indoor space and maintain distancing requirements. If it looks like King County will enter Phase 3 during the summer, WUUC’s Board of Trustees will review updated guidance (see Resources at end of plan) and determine whether the cap will be 50 people or fewer. The participant cap will not be raised until WUUC’s Board has reviewed applicable information.) These rental groups may use the grounds for their gatherings if they desire.
- The same requirements related to music playing and recording apply.
WUUC’s building will not be used for the rummage sale through the summer.
Responsible Parties: Through June 2020, the minister is the responsible party for ensuring communication of these requirements and responding to non-compliance. From June 29 – August 15, after receiving input from the Board of Trustees, the Board President will be responsible for communicating requirements and responding to non-compliance. Beginning August 16, the minister will be the responsible party. All employees, volunteers, and friends of WUUC are responsible for their own behavior.
Employee Work Patterns
Employees will be encouraged to continue to telecommute throughout the summer. The health and safety restrictions and requirements in the Building Use and Grounds Use sections will apply to employees who need or want to use the building.
Responsible Parties: Through June 2020, the minister is the responsible party for ensuring communication of these requirements and responding to non-compliance. From June 29 – August 15, after receiving input from the Board of Trustees, the Board President will be responsible for communicating requirements and responding to non-compliance. Beginning August 16, the minister will be the responsible party. All employees, volunteers, and friends of WUUC are responsible for their own behavior.
Grounds Use
During Phase 1, individuals may conduct landscape or building maintenance activities on WUUC’s grounds. If more than one person needs to work on the grounds at once based on the type of work being performed, those individuals must ensure they maintain physical distancing, mask-wearing, health, and hygiene guidelines. They may use WUUC’s bathrooms if they have a building key, ensuring that they maintain required, posted hygiene and safety practices in WUUC’s buildings. No one may use WUUC’s grounds if they have symptoms of or have been diagnosed with Covid-19.
WUUC’s grounds remain open during Phase 1. Individual congregants are not prohibited from using the grounds for spiritual purposes but groups are not allowed to meet on the grounds. WUUC also reminds all members and friends that it’s crucial that we all follow the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order and limit non-essential travel in order to slow the spread of covid-19.
During Phase 2, no more than 5 – 8 people may gather together on the grounds, maintaining physical distancing, mask-wearing, health, and hygiene practices. If WA State updates the information for numbers of people and how groups may be configured for Phase 2, then those numbers will apply. However, if Public Health – Seattle & King County or another local government agency has more stringent requirements in place, those will apply. WUUC will work to update this plan with applicable information as it becomes available.
During Phase 3, as of the writing of this plan no more than 50 people may gather together on the grounds, maintaining physical distancing, mask-wearing, health, and hygiene practices. If WA State updates the information for numbers of people and how groups may be configured for Phase 3, then those numbers will apply. However, if Public Health – Seattle & King County or another local government agency has more stringent requirements in place, those will apply. It is also questionable whether a gathering of 50 people could use WUUC’s grounds and maintain distancing requirements. If it looks like King County will enter Phase 3, WUUC’s Board of Trustees will review updated guidance (see Resources at end of plan), as well as roofing repair plans, and determine whether the cap will be 50 people or lower. The participant cap will not be raised until WUUC’s Board has reviewed applicable information.
If King County moves to Phase 3 and allows gatherings of up to 50 people, then WUUC’s Board of Trustees may also decide to hold the rummage sale on WUUC’s grounds. The Board will make such a determination after it is clear when the local area will be in Phase 3. WUUC’s Board will review guidelines and regulations for retail services as well as those for outdoor gatherings as part of determining if and how to hold the rummage sale.
Responsible Parties: Through June 2020, the minister is the responsible party for ensuring communication of these requirements and responding to non-compliance. From June 29 – August 15, after receiving input from the Board of Trustees, the Board President will be responsible for communicating requirements and responding to non-compliance. Beginning August 16, the minister will be the responsible party. All employees, volunteers, and friends of WUUC are responsible for their own behavior.
Worship
Through August 2020, all WUUC worship will continue to be broadcast from worship participants’ homes using Zoom. Any pre-recorded music or other segments will be recorded following safety practices outlined above. Individuals recording in their homes is the preferred practice.
Responsible Parties: Through June 2020, the minister is the responsible party for ensuring communication of these requirements and responding to non-compliance. From June 29 – August 15, after receiving input from the Board of Trustees, the Board President will be responsible for communicating requirements and responding to non-compliance. Beginning August 16, the minister will be the responsible party. All employees, volunteers, and friends of WUUC are responsible for their own behavior.
Updates to This Plan
Through June, Rev. Diana Smith will be responsible for updating numbers and other information in this plan, including consulting with the Board of Trustees on updates.
From June 29 – August, the Board of Trustees will be responsible for updating numbers and other information in this plan.
WUUC’s Board of Trustees and minister Dan Lillie will reassess this plan in late August or September after he begins serving WUUC. This plan will remain in effect until the Board adopts a new plan.
Resources
by WUUC | May 28, 2020 | Announcements
By John Hartman
Pandemics like the coronavirus may occur more often when climate change is unabated. Warming and changing weather patterns shift the vectors and spread of disease.
Heavily polluting industries also contribute to disease transmission. Studies have linked factory farming — one of the largest sources of methane emissions — to faster mutating, more virulent pathogens.
Similarly, the same populations that are bearing the brunt of the health and economic effects of the coronavirus are the same populations that bear the brunt of fossil fuel pollution — which in turn makes them more vulnerable to serious complications.
Dealing with the impacts of coronavirus while addressing climate change doesn’t have to slow down the economic recovery. Outside of war, climate change is the only issue large enough to provide the economic recovery needed to help employ the millions of people out of work. A climate-focused economic recovery.
