Updates from the 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.
Overall Purpose and Goal of the Team
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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. |
Team Members
See below for bios. Nina Douglass Rebecca Fielding-Miller Harry Griswold Emily Fletcher Kaestner George Longstreth Stephanie Webber Rev. Kathleen Owens, Lead Minister Rev. Tania Márquez, Assistant Minister Robie Evans, Director of Operations |
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.
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 Member Bios
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.
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.
