God continues to move in new and creative ways among us in spite of our circumstances. It has been amazing to see how our entire community has stepped up to care for one another during this time—from making masks and serving meals to adapting to new technologies and means of connecting. The grace and engagement you’ve shown throughout this unprecedented way of doing church has been incredible. Thank you!

Though we have never stopped having church (or being the church), we know you are wondering when we will “re-open” our church building again. We yearn to gather together in community, and we continue to have conversations with deacons and seek the wisdom of medical professionals and community leaders as we prepare for that day. With numbers of those affected by COVID-19 on the rise and more and more businesses opening up this month, we have made the decision to continue worshipping and gathering online for now. Even as some around us will begin opening their sanctuary doors, we believe this is the safest approach. At this time we are looking to early July as our earliest possible start date for resuming in-person gatherings, with the knowledge that this date may need to be extended.

Why? Well, in the conversation around “re-opening” there are myriad factors to consider each with their own deeper questions, like:

– What are the current trends with virus in our community?
Are cases continuing to rise or leveling off? How is it affecting certain populations? As more businesses open up, what are we learning about how (if at all) it is continuing to spread?
– How many people can safely gather in one place?
Inside or outside? With family and friends? What about visitors? Can we all fit in our potential worship spaces (sanctuary, fellowship hall, outdoors)?
– When we can gather in large groups, how will that look?
Where will we gather? When will we gather? Can we all gather in one service or will we need multiple services to follow necessary protocols to keep everyone safe? We will still have the option to worship from home if we’re in a vulnerable population or feel safer at home? Will we need to wear masks?
– When we gather what can or can’t we do?
With whom or how near to others can we sit? Can we sing? Can we offer childcare safely to our members and any visitors?

These are just some of the questions playing into our decision to “re-open,” but we hope they give you a glimpse into the thought process as we’ve spoken with the Deacons, participated in conversations with Mayor Barker and the doctors leading the city’s response to the pandemic, and considered our community – your wishes and your needs. If you have questions for us, don’t hesitate to ask!

Through it all there is good news to share and exciting things ahead: We continue to be UBC, to uphold our values of being an inclusive, inquisitive, community-minded church and to live out the gospel of Jesus through our lives. During this time of being online, we’ve been able to invite more and more people in to see for themselves who we are, what we’re about, and experience being part of UBC.

And, just because we won’t be gathering in-person for a little longer, this doesn’t mean we won’t still be gathering! We’ve got a lot to look forward to!

We’re working with our friends from across CBF Mississippi to bring you a special Pentecost worship service on Sunday, May 31. Keep your eyes out for details and links to join! After that, our time with Narrative Lectionary comes to a close until we begin again in September. We’ve planned three exciting sermon series to carry us through our worship over the summer:

Back to Basics, An Exploration of the 13 Attributes of God: June 7 through July 5
If you’d like to read along with us between services, we’ll be using Rabbi Rami Shapiro’s The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness as a guide. Grab a copy and read along!

The Book of Ruth: July 12 through August 2

Unsung Heroes: Overlooked Heroes in Scripture: August 9 through September 6

And after we wrap up our May Missions Month next week, we’ll continue our Wednesday night gatherings on Zoom in June and July with TheoEd Talks. These 20 minute videos from contemporary theologians and practitioners like Diana Butler Bass, Shane Claiborne, Pete Enns, and Wil Gafney engage a variety of topics surrounding our faith. We’ll watch one talk each week and break into small groups for discussion. Join us! If you’re not already on our email list, sign up HERE to receive links each week to these gatherings.

We look forward to these gatherings and more as we start our summer together as UBC.

As always, you belong!

Kat and Brett