Dear KUUF Community,

Today, like many of you, I am breathing a sigh (and weeping tears!) of relief. The inauguration ceremony this morning was a historic moment. And after the last four years, a welcome change. I hope you are spending some time this week nurturing those feelings of joy and hope. There is much to rejoice! And we will need that joy and that hope to carry us through in the months ahead.

Because we still have a long way to go yet. This week hopefully you received the email from our Parish Nurse, Jennifer Ingalls, with a link for those 65 and over to sign up to receive your COVID vaccine. Here is the link again, in case you need it: https://www.chifranciscan.org/patients-and-visitors/covid-19/vaccine-information

There has been a lot of confusion about the rollout of this vaccine. And it hasn’t been easy for everyone who needs it to get access. But I encourage those of you who are eligible to take the opportunity to make an appointment. New slots open up every day, so even if it says there's nothing available, keep checking. If you have any questions or concerns, please remember you can always send Jennifer an email at nurse@kuuf.org and she can answer your health questions. She is an invaluable resource for KUUF and we are so grateful to her!

In the weeks ahead you will be getting more information from the Moving Forward Task Force and the Board of Trustees on a plan for moving forward through the “re-opening phases” of this pandemic, as outlined by Governor Inslee recently. KUUF will not be making any major shifts in the immediate future, but we want to be prepared for the moment when it arrives, and we want you to have the information as well. We are all keeping our eyes on the Kitsap Public Health District COVID page and keeping on top of the science. If you haven’t done so, I encourage you to sign up for those updates, as it will give you lots of important information in the months ahead: https://kitsappublichealth.org/CommunityHealth/CoronaVirus.php

One of the shifts happening in our community is that our children and teachers are slowly going back to in-person school. This is an enormous stress on our kids and families, and our teachers. And I want to hold our littlest and most precious members, and all those who care for them, in our hearts and minds right now. Our children have been affected by this pandemic in ways we don’t know yet, and won’t know for a long while. And when we come back together in person, it will be part of our charge as their village to help them make sense of what happened during this time. I know you join with me in sending all of our children, and our families and teachers, our blessings of love in the weeks ahead. (And to our children, I hope someone reads this to you: We love you. We believe in you. And we are with you! We know you can do it!)

This week feels like another emotional shift in this long pandemic era, as we look forward to the possibilities of accountability, healing, and renewal. It is also a time filled with worry, excitement and anxiety. Remember to reach out to pastoral care if you need support. You can email us at pastoralcare@kuuf.org.

And remember that regardless of what the winds of change bring, we are still a beloved community, moving through this moment as one congregation, and that we will get to the other side of this before too long. Today, and this week especially, may you feel the hope and certainty that while this moment came to pass, it did not come to stay.

Much love and many blessings to you,

Rev. Jessica