A quick summary of 2020 to date: January was long, February was fast, and March has been weird. As we journey into April together the essence of this month begins to unfold. One bit of clarity we do have – we will remain a virtual community for the month of April.
For our First Sunday of the Month Joys and Sorrows candles, you are invited to prepare a candle to light in your own home for the ritual and/or to place a candle in the chat box during worship on Sunday. A virtual candle will be available in the chat box for you to copy and paste for sharing. We are adapting with intention together.
We give thanks for the gifts of Zoom and other virtual connection platforms, even as we sometimes come to loathe the thought of sitting down for yet another Zoom meeting. Remember to be kind to yourselves and each other. Check in with each other about your access needs for virtual gatherings. In addition to bandwidth needs, we are embodied creatures who require breath and movement for wellness. You are invited to include practices of care in all of your Zooms – at least the ones connected to WSUU! Meeting facilitators can invite people to take some collective re-centering breaths, have a stretch session or a dance break – and for the really long gatherings, remember to make space for bio breaks.
Our first WSUU Mid-Week Connection resource was emailed out to you on Wednesday morning, April 1st – no fooling! We hope that these spiritual practices will offer you nourishment and tools for resilience. You are welcome to share the mid-week connection with all who may benefit from it and to use it as a resource for your Congregational Care Clusters.
For some of us, April has begun to unfold with grief, as the statistics about COVID-19 start to become stories of our own families and friends. If this is your story too, we witness and honor your grief and hope that you will share your experience when you are ready and let this beloved community care for you. As many of our ancestors have across time and geography, we too must learn to grieve together from a distance.
Remember, you are not alone. We love you.
In faith,
Rev. Deanna and Jade
Bridge minister and Board president