Minister's Post, Fri Jul 23

Dear Ones,

As LoraKim and I march through our 60s (like, it seems, Sherman marching to the sea) the thought of retiring from settled UU ministry does occur to me. I wanted to let you know. I am eyeing the summer of 2023 -- two years from now -- as a possibility for stepping down from the pulpit of this wonderful congregation I have had the honor of serving since 2013. That's not definite at this point, but I did want to go ahead and let you know it's under consideration.

We have, then, this question to consider together: What can we accomplish together in two more years? I look forward to your thoughts.

Yours in the faith we share,
-Meredith

Covid Review

The Worldwide numbers are not reliable, and likely are greatly underestimating the actual prevalence of Covid-19. These numbers may nevertheless give us an indication of trends.

New Cases
New cases per day, worldwide:
Week ending Jun 23: 365,204 per day.
Week ending Jun 30: 379,021 per day. Change from previous week: +3.8%
Week ending Ju1 7: 409,917 per day. Change from previous week: +8.2%
Week ending Jul 14: 471,628 per day. Change from previous week: +15%
Week ending Jul 21: 521,485 per day. Change from previous week: +11%

New cases per day, US:
Week ending Jun 23: 12,160 per day.
Week ending Jun 30: 13,631 per day. Change from previous week: +12%
Week ending Jul 7: 16,082 per day. Change from previous week: +18%
Week ending Jul 14: 27,290 per day. Change from previous week: +70%
Week ending Jul 21: 42,068 per day. Change from previous week: +54%

New cases per day, NY+NJ+CT:
Week ending Jun 23: 768 per day.
Week ending Jun 30: 800 per day. Change from previous week: -4.2%
Week ending Jul 7: 807 per day. Change from previous week: +0.9%
Week ending Jul 14: 1,280 per day. Change from previous week: +59%
Week ending Jul 21: 1,960 per day. Change from previous week: +53%

Deaths
Deaths per day, worldwide:
Week ending Jun 23: 8,316 per day.
Week ending Jun 30: 7,825 per day. Change from previous week: -5.9%
Week ending Jul 7: 7,672 per day. Change from previous week: -2.0%
Week ending Jul 14: 7,874 per day. Change from previous week: +2.6%
Week ending Jul 21: 7,913 per day. Change from previous week: +0.5%

Deaths per day, US:
Week ending Jun 23: 317 per day.
Week ending Jun 30: 268 per day. Change from previous week: -15%
Week ending Jul 7: 226 per day. Change from previous week: -16%
Week ending Jul 14: 275 per day. Change from previous week: +22%
Week ending Jul 21: 254 per day. Change from previous week: -7.6%

Deaths per day, NY+NJ+CT:
Week ending Jun 23: 18 per day.
Week ending Jun 30: 16 per day. Change from previous week: -11%
Week ending Jul 7: 13 per day. Change from previous week: -19%
Week ending Jul 14: 13 per day. Change from previous week: 0%
Week ending Jul 21: 12 per day. Change from previous week: -7.7%

New cases of Covid-19 are rising. In the US, the number of new cases per day is over 42,000 -- that's 2.6 times what it was two weeks ago. This rise in cases is tempered by the fact that deaths from Covid are not substantially increasing -- and, for the USA, declined a bit this week.

Nationwide, the proportion who are fully vaccinated reached 45% on Jun 17. Since then, it has crept up only another 4.3 percentage points -- and now stands at 49.3% fully vaccinated. (In NY, we reached 50% on Jun 13, and are now at 56.2%). Our tri-state area (NY, NJ, and CT) has 10% of the US population, but is seeing only 4.7% both of the new cases and of the deaths, nationwide.

Practice of the Week

Unitask.

This summer, we’re looking at spiritual practice in the “give it a try” category. If you’re not regularly doing this week’s practice: give it a try: Unitask.

In our busy lives, how often do we find ourselves doing more than one thing at a time? Many days, it seems that multi-tasking is an ingrained part of life. For ONE WEEK stop multi-tasking. Try it and see how it feels. You may find you want to do this all the time -- not just occasionally.

For example, work on the computer without the TV or radio on, or drive the car without listening to the radio or a CD. Exercise or eat in silence. When you fold the laundry, only fold the laundry, without also talking on the phone or watching TV – and when talking on the phone, do only that, giving the conversation your full and undivided attention.

Research has found that there is no true multi-tasking. What we’re doing when we think we’re multi-tasking is actually switching back and forth – which, from a performance standpoint, reduces effectiveness and efficiency, and from a spiritual standpoint, means you’re never fully present for anything.

"Multitasking is less productive than doing a single thing at a time. Multitasking reduces your efficiency and performance because your brain can only focus on one thing at a time.”

For the complete post, see, "Unitask."

See also our SPIRITUAL PRACTICE DIRECTORY

Unitask

Practice of the Week
Unitask

Category: Occasional: These are practices suggested for "every once in a while." Some of them are responses to a particular need that may arise; others are simply enriching occasional enhancements to the spiritual life. All of them are worth a try at least once. And any of them might become a regular and central part of your spiritual practice.

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally... When we commit ourselves to paying attention in an open way, without falling prey to our own likes and dislikes, opinions and prejudices, projections and expectations, new possibilities open up and we have a chance to free ourselves from the straitjacket of unconsciousness.” (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

In our busy lives, how often do we find ourselves doing more than one thing at a time? Many days, it seems that multi-tasking is an ingrained part of life.

For ONE WEEK stop multi-tasking. Sounds simple, right? Try it and see how it feels. You may find you want to do this all the time -- not just occasionally.

For example, work on the computer without the TV or radio on, or drive the car without listening to the radio or a CD. Exercise or eat in silence. When you fold the laundry, only fold the laundry, without also talking on the phone or watching TV.

"Research conducted at Stanford University found that multitasking is less productive than doing a single thing at a time. Multitasking reduces your efficiency and performance because your brain can only focus on one thing at a time. When you try to do two things at once, your brain lacks the capacity to perform both tasks successfully. Research also shows that, in addition to slowing us down, multitasking lowers your IQ." (Udemy course description)

"The world’s greatest fictional detective is someone who knows the value of concentration, of “throwing his brain out of action,” as Dr. Watson puts it. He is the quintessential unitasker in a multitasking world. More often than not, when a new case is presented, Holmes does nothing more than sit back in his leather chair, close his eyes and put together his long-fingered hands in an attitude that begs silence. He may be the most inactive active detective out there. His approach to thought captures the very thing that cognitive psychologists mean when they say mindfulness. When we learn to unitask, to think more in line with Holmes’s detached approach, we may be doing more than increasing our observational prowess. We may be investing in a sounder mental future — no matter how old we are." (Maria Konnikova, "The Power of Concentration," NYTimes)

"Every day, I call my mother in the assisted living facility where she now lives, back in France. Every time, I struggle with staying present with her, as she keeps on asking the same questions, over and over again. Is everyone ok? When do I see you next? How is the oldest one (my daughter)? How is baby (my brother's child)? Boredom sets in, and I catch myself multitasking. Glancing at computer screen, checking on latest tweets, reading the news, . . . meanwhile talking to her. Today, I purposely resisted the urge, and chose to only be with her. And found a whole stack of emotions, underneath boredom. First, was aversion to situation, wishing for times past without Alzheimer's. Then, came sadness, from the irrevocable loss. Then, empathy for her, and what must be a terrifying experience. Today, I make another vow. To 'unitask', as much as possible." (Marguerite Maneau-Rao)

For Journaling

How does doing one thing at a time feel?

* * *
For list of all weekly practices: "Practices of the Week Index"

Minister's Post, Fri Jul 16

In prayer, we take a moment to solemnly remind ourselves of our purposes and our gratitude, that they may guide and affirm our actions and our being. Will you, then, pray with me?

This Week's Prayer

Dear Earth and Waters, Air and Sky,

The letter to the Ephesians, written by either the Apostle Paul or a later author strongly influenced by Paul, reminds us:

“For we are what he has made us, created...for good works,...prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

Combining and adapting some alternative translations, we get:

“For we are the universe’s handiwork, its poem, its work of art. We are the product of seen and unseen forces of Nature, the poetry of the cosmos etched into life and etched on our lives. Created to do good works, to live the good life, as from the beginning has been our purpose.”

Dear Earth, waters, air, and sky: we are your Poem, written with contradictions, confusion, wounds, scars – written to love and be loved. Like a poem just begun, we do not know how it will end.

May the people of Cuba, who have been experiencing some of the biggest anti-government protests in decades, be comforted and fortified in their exhaustion, rage and longing for the Poem of their lives to become one of freedom, equality, peace and plenty.

May the people of Haiti be comforted and fortified in their distress over the recent assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. May the global community have wisdom in what help is truly needed. May the Poem become one of justice and peace.

May the people of South Africa be comforted and fortified amidst violent deadly protests, riots and looting following the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma.

The Poem of planet Earth is hurting. May all the beings and ecosystems be fortified and headed for recovery.

Our hearts and thoughts and prayers are with the Western United States where oppressive heat and fires rage on for a third week.

And with India where monsoon season lighting strikes killed dozens and injured many last weekend.

And with Florida manatees dying of starvation in record numbers due to polluted waters killing off the seagrass that is their food.

And with the 11 eleven countries where only 1% percent of the population is currently vaccinated.

And with the places around the world experiencing second, third, fourth and fifth waves.

May we have the courage to live into our creativity -- to make real the Poem we want to see.

We give thanks for conservation efforts in Kazakhstan where there has been restoration of the population of the once critically endangered Saigia Antelope.

We give thanks for the European Union’s sweeping raft of climate change proposals aimed at carbon neutrality by 2050.

We give thanks for the health care workers on the front lines of the Covid-19 struggle.

We are daily invited to pick up the pen of our lives and co-create with You, Earth, Waters, Air, and Sky.

Amen.

Covid Review

The Worldwide numbers are not reliable, and likely are greatly underestimating the actual prevalence of Covid-19. These numbers may nevertheless give us an indication of trends.

New Cases
New cases per day, worldwide:
Week ending Jun 17: 367,417 per day.
Week ending Jun 24: 367,429 per day. Change from previous week: 0.0%
Week ending Ju1 1: 377,798 per day. Change from previous week: +2.8%
Week ending Jul 8: 417,459 per day. Change from previous week: +10%
Week ending Jul 15: 482,453 per day. Change from previous week: +16%

New cases per day, US:
Week ending Jun 17: 13,014 per day.
Week ending Jun 24: 12,458 per day. Change from previous week: -4.3%
Week ending Jul 1: 13,874 per day. Change from previous week: +11%
Week ending Jul 8: 17,028 per day. Change from previous week: +23%
Week ending Jul 15: 28,704 per day. Change from previous week: +69%

New cases per day, NY+NJ+CT:
Week ending Jun 17: 881 per day.
Week ending Jun 24: 762 per day. Change from previous week: -14%
Week ending Jul 1: 795 per day. Change from previous week: +4.3%
Week ending Jul 8: 868 per day. Change from previous week: +9.2%
Week ending Jul 15: 1,357 per day. Change from previous week: +56%

Deaths
Deaths per day, worldwide:
Week ending Jun 17: 8,501 per day.
Week ending Jun 24: 8,279 per day. Change from previous week: -2.6%
Week ending Jul 1: 7,757 per day. Change from previous week: -6.3%
Week ending Jul 8: 7,739 per day. Change from previous week: -0.2%
Week ending Jul 15: 7,803 per day. Change from previous week: +0.8%

Deaths per day, US:
Week ending Jun 17: 340 per day.
Week ending Jun 24: 317 per day. Change from previous week: -6.8%
Week ending Jul 1: 258 per day. Change from previous week: -19%
Week ending Jul 8: 224 per day. Change from previous week: -13%
Week ending Jul 15: 262 per day. Change from previous week: +17%

Deaths per day, NY+NJ+CT:
Week ending Jun 17: 20 per day.
Week ending Jun 24: 16 per day. Change from previous week: -20%
Week ending Jul 1: 16 per day. Change from previous week: 0%
Week ending Jul 8: 11 per day. Change from previous week: -31%
Week ending Jul 15: 13 per day. Change from previous week: +18%

New cases of Covid-19 are rising. In the US, there were 69% more new cases this week than the week before. While the rate of new cases is barely more than 1/10th of what it was last January, the 28,000 new cases a day that we're now seeing is more than twice what it was two weeks ago.

Nationwide, the proportion who are fully vaccinated reached 45% a month ago, and since then has barely budged. It's still less than half the population. (In NY, it was over 50% a month ago, and is now at 56%). Our tri-state area (NY, NJ, and CT) has 1/10 of the US population, but is seeing only 1/20 both of the new cases and of the deaths.

Practice of the Week

Failure Gratitude.

This summer, we’re looking at spiritual practice in the “give it a try” category. These practices aren’t the sort to do every day, and they aren’t helpful slogans to keep in mind throughout your day. Maybe you’ll only ever do this practice once every 5 or 10 years, but if you haven’t done it, do.

This week: make a list of all your life's failures. If you’re in the middle of a major one right now, then don’t list that one. List the past failures. Give yourself a couple days to make the list as complete as you can.

Then go through the list, noting what you gained from each failure. Perhaps it taught you something which you then have used to succeed. Perhaps it brought about a change (a new town, a new job) which you came to be grateful for. Perhaps it set you free – liberated you from some idea of what you thought your life was supposed to be that just wasn’t serving your flourishing.

If it taught you a lesson you then used for a subsequent success, that’s nice – but the even greater gift of failure comes when it frees us from the tyranny of success. Without failure, we might imagine that success and achievement was all there was to life. What a miserable existence that would be.

Then: say thank you to each one of your failures – and be as specific as you can about what you are thanking each one for.

What gratitude do you have for each of your failures?

For the complete post, see, "Failure Gratitude."

See also our SPIRITUAL PRACTICE DIRECTORY

Failure Gratitude

Practice of the Week
Failure Gratitude

“So you think you are a failure, do you? Well, you probably are. What’s wrong with that? In the first place, if you have any sense at all you must have learned by now that we pay just as dearly for our triumphs as we do for our defeats. Go ahead and fail. Embrace failure! Seek it out! Learn to love it. That may be the only way any of us will ever be free." (Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues)

“The exclusive worship of the bitch-goddess Success is our national disease.” (William James)

"Reaching Success demands strange sacrifices from those who worship her.” (Aldous Huxley)

Failure's benefits fall roughly into two sorts: (a) Failure paves the way for a subsequent success, and (b) Failure frees us from the trap of success.

Well-known examples of success emerging from failure come from the scientific world: penicillin, Velcro, Teflon. The world of business is now emphasizing the value of failure in setting up eventual success. Numerous business schools actively preach one simple message: Fail faster and fail better!

In fact, a Stanford Business School professor recently reported a new trend: young entrepreneurial job seekers are listing their failures on their resumes! Instead of boasting about their successes and awards, they proudly promote their marketing missteps and start-up disasters, and what they learned from them. By sharing what they learned and how they used that learning, they display their ability to look at their failures with creative eyes, not as dead ends and bungled attempts but as lessons and brave test runs.

An even greater value of failure arises not when failure leads to success, but when it frees us from the tyranny of "that bitch-goddess, Success." In such failure we can be liberated from a view that life exists solely for achievement. Sometimes, it’s time to dance, laugh, just celebrate being alive -- rest in the grace of the world and be free of the need to make yourself into anything more than what you are. Failure can teach us the humility to find joy in what we have and are. Without failure, we might imagine that success and achievement was all there was to life. What a miserable existence that would be -- never satisfied, nothing ever good enough!

So try this practice: Make a list of all your life's failures. Give yourself a couple days to make the list as complete as you can. Then go through the list, noting what you gained from each failure. Perhaps it taught you something which you then have used to succeed. Perhaps it brought about a change (a new town, a new job) which you came to be grateful for. Perhaps it helped you become free. What gratitude do you have for each of your failures?

* * *

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE DIRECTORY

Minister's Post, Fri Jul 9

In prayer, we take a moment to solemnly remind ourselves of our purposes and our gratitude, that they may guide and affirm our actions and our being. Will you, then, pray with me?

This Week's Prayer

Dear Earth and Waters, Air and Sky,

We know that love is an interpretation of experience – a meaning that we understand some acts to express. We may choose to interpret you, Earth, waters, air, and sky, as extravagantly pouring out your love upon us. Let us take a moment to step into that interpretive mode. Let us understand the reality around us as drenching and anointing all of creation.

Let us imagine that out of love for us, the universe provided us a home and brought forth astounding beauty. Earth and waters, air and sky: standing, sitting, rolling, or lying in the midst of your vast love, we pray in gratitude. Let us, for our part, love you, dear planet, in return for your love for us. Let us, for our part, love our fellow creatures, our fellow vertebrates, our fellow mammals, our fellow primates, our fellow humans – our neighbors.

A possible new species of humans made the news in the last couple weeks – called Homo Longi: the dragon human. Not an ancestor of homo sapiens, but a cousin species that lived at the same time as our ancestors around 150,000 years ago. Scientists have not reached consensus on whether the discovered skull represents a unique human species, or is a Denisovan. But what is increasingly clear is that the earth brought forth at least a handful of human species who at one time shared the planet with our sapiens ancestors.

There’s a story there – about who we are, and the legacy we inherit. Do we say we are competitors who out-competed the other homo species? Do we say we are cooperators, that our unusually hyper-social nature allowed our species to cooperate to survive? Probably we cooperated at competing. Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? The evidence of science opens us to profound wonder.

In this mood of wonder and prayer, we turn to the world of today.

Our hearts go out to the victims and families of the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. 17 days after the disaster, 129 people are either confirmed dead or unaccounted for.

We share the shock and fears of the people of Haiti, after Wednesday’s assassination of President Jovenel Moïse threw an already turbulent nation into chaos.

Our hearts cry out for an end to this pandemic. New cases of Covid-19 were up 15% in the US this week over the week before. Deaths continue to decline, but for how long, in the face of rising cases?

We ask of ourselves the mindful intention to delight in what is good, to confront what is cruel, to heal what is broken.

Amen.

Covid Review

The Worldwide numbers are not reliable, and likely are greatly underestimating the actual prevalence of Covid-19. These numbers may nevertheless give us an indication of trends.

New Cases
New cases per day, worldwide:
Week ending Jun 17: 367,410 per day.
Week ending Jun 24: 367,422 per day. Change from previous week: 0.0%
Week ending Ju1 1: 377,805 per day. Change from previous week: +2.8%
Week ending Jul 8: 416,459 per day. Change from previous week: +10%

New cases per day, US:
Week ending Jun 17: 13,015 per day.
Week ending Jun 24: 12,464 per day. Change from previous week: -4.2%
Week ending Jul 1: 13,874 per day. Change from previous week: +11%
Week ending Jul 8: 15,993 per day. Change from previous week: +15%

New cases per day, NY+NJ+CT:
Week ending Jun 17: 881 per day.
Week ending Jun 24: 762 per day. Change from previous week: -14%
Week ending Jul 1: 795 per day. Change from previous week: +4.3%
Week ending Jul 8: 868 per day. Change from previous week: +9.2%

Deaths
Deaths per day, worldwide:
Week ending Jun 17: 8,484 per day.
Week ending Jun 24: 8,262 per day. Change from previous week: -2.6%
Week ending Jul 1: 7,747 per day. Change from previous week: -6.2%
Week ending Jul 8: 7,724 per day. Change from previous week: -0.3%

Deaths per day, US:
Week ending Jun 17: 333 per day.
Week ending Jun 24: 309 per day. Change from previous week: -7.2%
Week ending Jul 1: 252 per day. Change from previous week: -18%
Week ending Jul 8: 208 per day. Change from previous week: -17%

Deaths per day, NY+NJ+CT:
Week ending Jun 17: 20 per day.
Week ending Jun 24: 15 per day. Change from previous week: -25%
Week ending Jul 1: 16 per day. Change from previous week: +6.7%
Week ending Jul 8: 11 per day. Change from previous week: -31%

The good news is that deaths from Covid-19 are still declining -- in our world, the US, and in our region (NY, NJ, and CT).

New cases, however, are now climbing. In the last week, new cases per day increased by 10% worldwide, and by 15% in the US. New cases also grew in our tri-state region, though not as much as the US overall.

Nationwide, the proportion who are fully vaccinated is now at 55% -- up less than a percentage point from one week ago. We won't put the coronavirus behind us until vaccination rates are higher -- and the rising number of new cases per day underscores the need for greater vaccination.

Practice of the Week

Create a Home Altar.

For the summer, we suggest some Worth a Try spiritual practices. This week: Creating a Home Altar. UU minister Rev. Johanna Nichols writes: The presence of my personal home altar connects me to the sacredness of life. The sacred objects on my altar call forth the sacred in me that connects with the sacred in nature and with the sacred in worship. It beckons me to pause, to reflect and to regain my sense of balance and wholeness.

Whether we do so intentionally or not, each of us creates an environment in our home that nurtures us through our senses — sight, sound, touch, taste, and scent. An altar can nurture you through your senses, add meaning and beauty to your life, remind you that the holy is present wherever we call home.

Your home altar should reflect your personal spiritual story. It doesn't matter whether it consists of a candle, a bell, and a statue of Buddha, or a piece of cloth, or a glass bowl and a photo on linen crocheted by your grandmother. It doesn't matter if you pay attention to the four directions or just gather your own precious objects and mementos. What is important is who you are in the presence of your personal altar. For there, you have created a place where you are invited to recognize the sacredness of life, where you are invited to "wake up!" and be whole. For the complete post about Creating a Home Altar, see the post, "Nature Practice."

See also our SPIRITUAL PRACTICE DIRECTORY

Religious Education: July 2, 2021 - Surveys, Registration, Fall Overview

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Religious Education & Faith Development Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains July 2, 2021 2021-2022 Religious Education Theme: Community, Wholeness, and Discovering Our New Normal Fall Planning   The RE Council is working on plans for fall as we transition back into our building. Initial information is below.  It will help us to know your thoughts and plans.  Your responses to the survey for RE volunteers (below) and the congregational survey with specific questions for RE families (coming mid-July) are important as we continue planning our building reopening, classes, and activities. We also ask that all families submit a new RE registration using the link below. Thank you!  Gratitude for Lyra  Please join us in gratitude for Lyra Harada, who has served as Children's Music Coordinator at CUUC since the fall of 2017. Throughout her time with us, she brought creativity, music, and joy to children and youth in R.E.  We have appreciated her talent as a musician, her resourcefulness as a teacher, and her warmth as a person.  Read more about Lyra's service to the CUUC community HERE.  Summer 2021 RE Registration Available NOW We ask all families to please submit a new RE registration to assist us in planning classes and activities for 2021-2022.  We appreciate you completing the registration form as soon as possible.  Click here for the registration form.  Survey for RE Volunteers  Available NOW We are deeply grateful to our many volunteers for your commitment to RE ministry. You make it all possible!   As we plan for the coming year in RE, it will help us to know who will be available to volunteer, your interests, and your comfort level with various activities. This volunteer survey is separate from the congregational survey about reopening that all will receive mid-July since we need to collect contact information from volunteers while the mid-July congregational survey will be anonymous.  Continuing and new volunteers, please click here for the survey.  Summer Camps There's still time to register for UU and local summer camps and activities.  We compiled a list of online and in person opportunities for you in this Google doc .  Worship Services Continue joining us Sunday mornings throughout the summer for online worship.  Orders of service are uploaded to our website prior to each Sunday. Click here to join our 10am Online Sunday Worship Service | Phone in (audio only): 646-876-9923 | Webinar: 761 321 991 · Passcode: 468468.  Join Virtual Coffee Hour after worship, Meeting: 336 956 2210 · Passcode: 468468. Tracy Away in July I take the bulk of my vacation in July and will be moving to Poughkeepsie with my family. While my commute to CUUC will be a little longer, I look forward to an exciting new year ahead with you!  While I'm away, please contact RE Council Co-Chairs, Christine H (christineharan@yahoo.com) and Laura G (lkgoodspeed@gmail.com); Administrator Pam P (admin@cucwp.org); or Rev. Meredith (minister@cucwp.org). CUUC Reopening Survey  Coming Mid-July Please watch for a survey going out to the whole congregation mid-July asking for your thoughts and needs related to a safe building reopening in September.  There will be questions specifically for RE families.  Your input is important!  The congregational survey will be sent out mid-July in the e-Communitarian and RE newsletter.   Fall 2021 The Religious Education (RE) theme for 2021-2022 is Community, Wholeness, and Discovering Our New Normal.  Given current local trends, we anticipate being able to gather in person this September with safety measures to protect those in our community who are unable to receive a vaccine.  Our reopening plan will center science and guidance from the CDC and local health officials.  We are eager for the familiar pre-pandemic community we hold dear.  At the same time, we are returning as changed people affected by the pandemic in ways we may not yet understand.  As a faith community we can hold all of this, reconnecting joyfully and safely as we learn how we have grown and changed over the past year and a half and what our needs are moving forward.  Our community is a curriculum as we model what it looks like to hold all we bring with grace and understanding.  September and October We anticipate that people will return at their own pace this fall and even in the building might have different comfort levels for interaction.  During September and October, we will be mostly outside and online.  We are working on activities that highlight our beautiful and sacred grounds, discussions about spirituality whole families can participate in together, junior and senior youth groups, and children's play groups to name a few.  Whole congregation worship services will include measures to protect those vulnerable in our community.  The sanctuary activity area will be put away but individual activity boxes will be available.  We will discuss childcare needs and options with PreK families.  November Conditions permitting, we will begin RE classes in November utilizing familiar curricula for K-12th graders, including Coming of Age for 8th-9th graders.  There will also be a special program for COA mentors and other adults interested in an adult COA-type of class.  Taking into account family input on the upcoming mid-July congregational survey, we may offer a mix of in person and online classes.  We will not, however, attempt to hold activities where some children or youth participate in person and others remotely. The sanctuary activity area will reopen when it is safe to do so.  Online Activities Given the convenience of meeting online, we expect to continue offering some activities online.  This may include a group for parents, activities for the whole family, and others.  Again, your feedback on the upcoming mid-July congregational survey will inform our planning.  Future of Faith Formation Before the pandemic, we were already exploring new directions in faith formation and religious education to better respond to changing family and community needs. Later this fall, we will resume our future-looking work.  In my June 6th RE Sunday reflection, I highlighted some areas we will be discussing, including scheduling challenges as extracurricular activities are increasingly held Sunday mornings, more support needed for parents/caregivers and volunteers, new models of faith formation that resonate more in current times, and the critical role of the whole community. Input from families will be important as we explore new schedules and ways to offer Religious Education.  Input from the CUUC community will be important as we identify goals we can realistically support.  We will create a short-term RE-Vision Advisory Group comprised of people from various communities in CUUC to support the RE Council in this work.  The advisory group will meet 5-6 times over the year, offering diverse perspectives, and sharing and receiving information in the community as opportunities arise during coffee hour and other informal conversations.  We are excited about this work and hope you will participate! Announcements and Resources for Children, Youth, Young Adults, CUUC, LGBTQIA+  & BIPOC & Our Local Communities, Plus Summer Camps Click Here for All Announcements & Resources   Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains   468 Rosedale Ave · White Plains, NY 10605-5419