UpdatesReopening Team Update ─ July 22, 2021
This is a time of hope and looking forward. Our team's "reopening" label isn't quite the right word. We as a community are more like turning a corner, embracing the challenges of a new future for First Church. First, we recognize new concerns about Covid variants being more powerful and easier to pass on, about vaccines being our great savior but not quite 100% effective. With an eye on science and faith in human resilience we're willing right now to say OK to certain future plans, knowing anything and everything can change. If so, we'll just have to deal with it. "Soft reopening" is a phrase being used for where to start. It means in-person worship service, but not Religious Education, youth group, or social hour just yet. Our beloved Rev. Kathleen's final service will be on August 22. We've okayed the worship planning people to prepare for in-person worship on that day, in the Meeting House, with all of us wearing masks. (Services are open to the public and we can't assure everyone will be vaccinated.) On August 29 we've okayed a similar plan for in-person worship but no other "normal" aspects of gathering together. Rev. Arvid Straube has graciously agreed to lead this service. Masking will be required for everyone. We do encourage families to come, we'll have some activities available for youngsters who want to play while the adults worship. (Or the other way around!) Families, please come. We'll have more to say about any additional protocols. For now, consider the dates, and consider whether you might want to come: a survey will be forthcoming later this week. On September 5 we've given the green light to a "grand" reopening service, led by our Social Justice Ministry Team. This will include an in-person meet-and-greet with our transitional minister, Rev. Michael Brown. This will be a coffee and socializing Sunday, pretty much the whole deal (with some protocols). While we'd love to give the go-ahead to South Bay for a similar start-up, this can't happen until October when the Food Pantry is relocated and space is freed up for services. In September, the plan is to meet for services at a park in South Bay; details will be announced in August. A survey about interest in attending in-person services will be reaching you. More details about times, on-line alternatives, how we'll continue to stay safe, plans for Rev. Kathleen's going-away, all of that will be coming. For now, please enjoy the moment, and enjoy the steps forward we'll all be taking. Reopening Team Update ─ June 10, 2021 Our experiences with small group meetings are going well. No major issues have arisen, and we feel more confident about how other meetings may go. Any other small groups that wish to begin to meet on campus should apply for permission through Robie Evans. Church groups are free to meet off campus. Vaccinations are recommended. Mask wearing should continue. Of course anyone with symptoms should not participate. Each group leader should keep track of those who attend. Larger groups, up to about 30 people, will now be permitted to meet on campus. Please apply through Robie Evans to get the okay. The on-campus mask "mandate" continues, along with the other recommendations set out for small groups. The church has acquired a portable sound system which could help facilitate large group meetings. About outdoor worship services: Sites such as the park in the South Bay area where the farewell for Rev. Tania will be held may be suitable for South Bay services. This is being investigated. For Hillcrest, renting a large enough canopy and other requirements and costs are being looked into. About indoor worship services: Improved meeting house air circulation may allow for Hillcrest services while the weather remains warm enough. Heating work remains to be done before services in colder weather can happen. A possible target date of sometime in September is being looked at but no decision has been made. Budget constraints remain with respect to holding any in-person worship services, inside or out. The church budget is up for approval at our general meeting on June 20. Passage of the budget will help clarify these considerations. A red-yellow-green system of personal badges is being looked at. Red badge: for whatever reasons I request appropriate social distance please. Yellow badge: approaching me is okay but please no physical contact. Green badge: I'm comfortable interacting as we did before the pandemic. FUUSD Reopening Team Update: April, 2021
Your team studying how to safely resume in-person activities at church realizes full well how anxious everyone is to return. The team continues to look at government regulations, agency guidelines and scientific details. Much care lies behind any recommendations... Read More 12-30-20 Update from Your First UU Reopening Team
As vaccines begin to roll out and we mark the longest nights of the year, many of us are celebrating our first hints of future light and hope at the end of what has been a long and lonely ten months... Read More. 12/9/20 Q&A with the Reopening Team
The Reopening Team has been researching and responding to your questions as our region continues to experience fluctuating and sometimes confusing COVID guidelines. As San Diego is currently in Tier 1 (Purple) on the state's infection scae, gatherings of any size are considered unsafe. However, we have been sharing ideas and we invite you to read the questions and answers so far. Steve H. sent in this one "I agree that we cannot get back to “normal” for many, many months, maybe years. But that does not mean that we must have no in-person activities. Please tell me if you think this suggestion is not advisable, and why." Read the full Q&A and add your own questions. |
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10-8-20 Update from Your First UU Reopening Team
The team is studying how and when we might safely come together again in person. The following is an example of the thinking we believe is worth sharing. Here is the beginning of a recent article by an Indiana physician. Read More.
The team is studying how and when we might safely come together again in person. The following is an example of the thinking we believe is worth sharing. Here is the beginning of a recent article by an Indiana physician. Read More.
Overall Purpose and Goal of the Team
While First UU Church of San Diego (First Church) has curtailed in-person activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we remain an open, mutually supportive community, actively adapting to meet the needs of our congregation and the larger community.
The "Reopening Team" will act as a facilitator in providing new ways of carrying out church activities under the conditions and restraints of the pandemic.
The team will provide recommendations to the First Church board and congregation regarding the safe, gradual resumption of in-person participation in Sunday services and other gatherings, at both the Hillcrest and South Bay campuses.
The Reopening Team acknowledges the complexity of health and safety risks involved with returning to in-person services, as well as the personal value and health benefits gained from meeting in community.
The Reopening Team will try to find and recommend the best balance between these.
The "Reopening Team" will act as a facilitator in providing new ways of carrying out church activities under the conditions and restraints of the pandemic.
The team will provide recommendations to the First Church board and congregation regarding the safe, gradual resumption of in-person participation in Sunday services and other gatherings, at both the Hillcrest and South Bay campuses.
The Reopening Team acknowledges the complexity of health and safety risks involved with returning to in-person services, as well as the personal value and health benefits gained from meeting in community.
The Reopening Team will try to find and recommend the best balance between these.
General Procedures
(a) Gather and synthesize the best available evidence-based information about how the novel coronavirus which causes Covid-19 is spread, and about best practices for minimizing transmission in group settings.
(b) Engage with as many members of our diverse and multigenerational congregation as possible in trying to determine which potential scenarios and practices are best suited to their safety, comfort and dignity in the reopening process.
(c) Exchange information and collaborate with other faith-based organizations developing best practices for reopening their sites.
(b) Engage with as many members of our diverse and multigenerational congregation as possible in trying to determine which potential scenarios and practices are best suited to their safety, comfort and dignity in the reopening process.
(c) Exchange information and collaborate with other faith-based organizations developing best practices for reopening their sites.
Overall Approach
(a) Acknowledge the complex health and safety challenges posed by returning to in-person services, but also value the personal and health benefits gained from a return to communal gatherings.
(b) Prioritize the physical well-being and safety of congregants and visitors over factors such as the speed of reopening. Be more cautious than aggressive. Proceed gradually, and assess the consequences of incremental steps taken before taking additional steps.
(c) Be aware of and draw upon the reopening efforts of local health agencies, other churches and certain other organizations, and adapt their planning and practices to meet the specific needs of our own congregants and visitors.
(d) Acknowledge the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on People of Color and other vulnerable populations in our community. As new data consistently confirms this we will communicate to the board and congregation ways in which we can support those who have endured job loss, eviction, loss of a loved one or otherwise suffered during the pandemic.
(b) Prioritize the physical well-being and safety of congregants and visitors over factors such as the speed of reopening. Be more cautious than aggressive. Proceed gradually, and assess the consequences of incremental steps taken before taking additional steps.
(c) Be aware of and draw upon the reopening efforts of local health agencies, other churches and certain other organizations, and adapt their planning and practices to meet the specific needs of our own congregants and visitors.
(d) Acknowledge the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on People of Color and other vulnerable populations in our community. As new data consistently confirms this we will communicate to the board and congregation ways in which we can support those who have endured job loss, eviction, loss of a loved one or otherwise suffered during the pandemic.
Initial Outlook
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has issued guidelines that say in-person gatherings will not be appropriate through May, 2021. (see https://www.uua.org/pressroom/press-releases/message-uua-president-updated-guidance-gathering.) While this date at first may have seemed like a stretch too far, it now appears it could even be optimistic, as no one can foresee the pandemic’s future path and impact in the months to come. We will continue to reassess which strategies will minimize risk of transmission of the coronavirus while allowing for interpersonal and spiritual connection.
Online Worship Services
Our online services and group meetings will continue indefinitely. They provide opportunities for worship, fellowship and communication. They create opportunities to offer and receive support and to address pandemic-related challenges. And they increase access for new people not already connected with our community. As some in-person gatherings and services are gradually judged safe to resume, online services will continue for those who for any reason are not able or do not wish to be physically present. It is possible, perhaps likely, that online services will evermore constitute a part of what this church offers to its various members, friends, and welcome newcomers. While we cannot fully replace the value of in-person gatherings as we once knew them, we are confident First Church can adapt to the new circumstances and continue to live our values in new ways throughout these challenges. We are no less interconnected spiritually while we are physically separated, and we will seek to engage and grow during our online worship with the same fervor in the future that we brought to First Church’s campuses in the past.
Team Members
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Nina Douglass, MSW
Clinical social worker/therapist, bilingual in Spanish. Former Boston-based OB/Gyn and HIV medical social worker, providing crisis intervention counseling and training to hospital providers. Former clinical supervisor to SDSU social work interns at San Diego International Rescue Committee. Rebecca Fielding-Miller, PhD, Behavioral Sciences and Health Education Assistant Professor at UCSD's Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health and the Center on Gender Equity and Health. Former Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa (2006-08), and Fulbright Scholar in Swaziland (2013-14). Emily Fletcher Kaestner, MD General Pediatrician, bilingual in Spanish, in practice with Children's Primary Care Medical Group in Chula Vista. On Behavioral/Mental Health Committee there to provide and oversee healthcare for teens with mental health concerns. Earned M.D. from UCSD, trained at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Oakland. George Longstreth, MD Retired from Kaiser Permanente. Was a gastroenterologist more than 40 years, enjoyed practice and clinical research on gastrointestinal disorders. Before the pandemic, did many volunteer medical evaluations for Survivors of Torture, International. Currently an Associate Editor for a gastroenterology journal. Stephanie Webber, PhD, Biological Sciences Formerly Vice President, Head of Development Pharmacology, Agouron Pharmaceuticals. Responsible for pre-clinical pharmacology, toxicology and virology studies to support clinical trials and FDA approval of drugs for HIV and cancer. Harry Griswold, MFA, Creative Writing Career experience was in computer science. Taught at Xerox, SAIC, UCSD Extension, others. Now leads writing workshops. Helping the team as a writer, editor. |
Who to contact |
