Good People of UU Ventura,
In October, we will be sharing worship with fellow UUs from three other local congregations.
Though I hesitate to call anything a silver lining in the midst of so much upheaval, holding worship completely on-line has opened opportunities for new connections within and among our communities.
Our theme is The Spirit of Democracy. The ministers from Live Oak UU Congregation in Goleta, the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, UU Ventura, and UU San Luis Obispo will each preach on democracy. This theme reflects an urgency in our time and helps us address the sacred and participatory ritual of voting and the power and fragility of our democratic institutions.
This is a kind of collaboration and support across congregations that we can’t do when meeting at the same time and in separate buildings miles apart.
Perhaps we will pick up some ideas – and share some of our own – in addressing the conundrum of creating a meaningful worship experience on-line.
The collaboration will also give four hard-working Worship Teams and Ministers a bit of a respite.
And we get to live more deeply into our relationships within this association of congregations.
I’ve told y’all before that we are technically not a ‘denomination’ but an association of religious communities that freely enter a covenant, ‘promising to one another our mutual trust and support.’ We all help create the UUA, which is short for the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.
Each Minister and Worship Team will be responsible for a service in October. The ministers will have a roll in two other.
Each church will also do separate Offerings, Joys and Sorrows, and Coffee Hours.
- Here is the Worship Zoom Link for Oct. 4, 11, 18, and 25 all at 10 am.
- Here is UUCV’s Own Coffee Hour Zoom Link.
- For Offerings go to: https://bit.ly/2S9V8tH
Leave Worship Zoom after each service, then join everyone ‘back at UUCV’ for our usual virtual Coffee Hour where we will also do Joys and Sorrows.
Also note that we still be giving our collection away each Sunday. The link will be shown each Sunday, though you can give any time through the week.
Here is the lineup:
- Oct. 4 – Democracy as our Spiritual Practice, Rev. Tamara Casanova Suzuki, Live Oak UU Congregation
- Oct. 11 – Expanding the Franchise, Rev. Julia Hamilton, Santa Barbara. This service will also have music Emma’s Revolution, activist folk/rock singers from Oakland.
- Oct. 18 – The Best-Worst Form of Government, Rev. Dana Worsnop, Ventura
- Oct. 25 – American Pie: The Day Democracy Died (Again), Rev. Rod Richards, San Luis Obispo
I am so looking forward to worshiping with 400-500 UUs from the Central Coast, and still getting to see y’all in community afterward.
With anticipation,
Rev. Dana