Kitsap UU Fellowship Online Vigil

Dear beloved KUUF Community,

This is a time of grief and heartbreak. For some of us, this is not a new grief. We have carried it across multiple generations. For others of us, this moment feels new and unfamiliar. We are all being called to witness to the injustices around us, the injustice of the killing of George Floyd, the injustice of the murder of Stonechild Chiefstick, the injustice of the police brutality against black people, people of color and indigenous people throughout our nation’s history and up to today. A multi-state peaceful protest to this injustice has been co-opted by white nationalists, who have turned violent. And our police have responded by escalating the situation until riots have broken out in almost every major city. And all of this, in the midst of a global pandemic.

This Friday at 6pm we will be holding an online gathering to grieve together, as a KUUF community. We will grieve George Floyd and the loss of BIPOC life to police violence. We will grieve all that we have experienced these past several months. And we will support one another through this time of heartbreak. 

Friday, June 5, at 6pm

Kitsap UU Fellowship

Online Vigil

https://uuma.zoom.us/j/92558495821

Some of us have already shown up to protest actions, wearing our masks and carrying signs, to support the movement for Black lives. There is another protest today, in Poulsbo, and one on Bainbridge on Thursday, organized by the Kitsap ERACE organization. This is a group we can trust with whom many of us have a personal relationship. If you attend one of these protests, please be careful and follow the direction of the event organizers. https://www.facebook.com/events/581493419430083/?event_time_id=581493422763416

I am so grateful to all of you on the frontlines who are carrying our KUUF banner and taking personal risk to say that we as a community believe that Black lives matter. For those of us who feel the risk is too great, particularly because maintaining social distancing is very difficult when protesting, I would like to share another link with you. There is a huge amount that we can do from home to take action. I encourage each of us to do something on this list. https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234

You can also follow Kitsap SURJ for more actions and information in the coming days and weeks. https://www.facebook.com/groups/KitsapSURJ/

And this evening there is an online vigil hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Association. UUs from all around the country will gather to mourn together. https://www.facebook.com/events/565501584112407/

As we come together to grieve, let us lean on one another, using the collective strength of this beloved community to keep loving, keep fighting, and keep building the world which we all seek. A world of justice and dignity for each and every person, particularly Black, indigenous and people of color. Let us continue to say it loudly, that Black lives matter. And let us commit ourselves once again to upholding this truth, today and in all the days to come.

Blessings and gratitude,

Rev. Jessica

Bringing in the May

Dear KUUF Fellowship,

Happy May Day! I hope you have spent some time this week “bringing in the May” as they say, enjoying the flowers that are blooming and the sunny weather we have seen. Thank goodness for those moments of sunshine! Because it is Week 8 of social distancing here in Kitsap County and frankly, I miss you! I have spoken with so many of you lately, over the phone and on Zoom. I love seeing your faces and hearing your voices. And yet, it isn’t quite the same, is it? How wonderful it will be when we can all be together again.

The good news is that so many of you are managing well. You are caring for your families and connecting with loved ones and getting outside. Many of you have become tech experts! And a huge amount of you are bravely tackling your internet on Sunday mornings, to worship together and experience community in a new way. One of my favorite moments of the week is when I press “broadcast” on our Zoom webinar and I see each of you, one by one, pop into our virtual worship space. I especially love when you say hello in the chat! And when you share with us who is sitting with you in your home, watching alongside you. Thank you for all the ways, large and small, that you are staying engaged with the KUUF community. Your willingness to try new things and be a part of KUUF, wherever we are, is so important right now. 

This week I have been thinking a lot about how to stay engaged. Growing up, May Day wasn’t just about flowers in my house. We also celebrated the labor unions and workers’ rights. And this May Day, more than ever, I feel called to celebrate the essential workers in our communities, who often go unseen but who provide a critical foundation for our daily lives. During this pandemic, they have put themselves at risk to keep the rest of us safe and comfortable. And I am inspired by their service. 

Perhaps you are also inspired. Perhaps you are wondering, like me, how we might be of service in this time. KUUF is working with our neighbors at KIAC, the Kitsap Immigration Assistance Center, to put together several ways we can be of service and help those who need it the most. Suzanne Rowley from KIAC has written a beautiful letter for this newsletter, about ways we can help. Please do take a moment to read it.

And remember, one of the greatest things we can do to be of service right now is to stay home. That’s one of the best ways to support our essential workers. Stay home and stay healthy, take care of yourself and your loved ones, and reach out when you need help. The last part is where I come in. If I haven’t heard your voice in a while, you can be sure that I would like to hear it. If you have a moment, give me a call or send me an email and say hello. 

And if you need help, financial or otherwise, myself and the entire KUUF community is here for you. You are not alone.

Worship will continue to be there for you on Sunday mornings. Our board is available Wednesday evenings on Zoom. And I have my regular office hours every week. Bring your knitting and a cup of tea and lets chat! As this moment unfolds before us, our connection with one another will light our way through. So don’t forget to let your light shine!

Blessings on a beautiful May Day,

Rev. Jessica

The Light of a Hundred Chalices

Dear KUUF community,

Recently some members of our KUUF family have reached out to me with news of loved ones who are ill, some gravely, with COVID-19. Most of these loved ones are in the hospital and are not allowed visitors. This means that families are separated, from one another and their community and their minister, at a time of grief and death. 

One of our members asked me what we could do as a community, to accompany those families who find themselves in this heartbreaking situation. In moments like this, Christian churches often offer "prayer chains.” With the support of our small group circle leaders, KUUF is going to begin something called a “Chalice Chain." 

When I am told of someone in our KUUF community who is sick with COVID-19 and alone in the hospital, I will contact the leaders of our small group circles and ask them to light a chalice. (A chalice can be formal, or it can simply be a candle.) They will contact the folks in their circle and ask them to do the same. We have over a hundred people in our collective circles. We will light our hundred chalices together and in this way, no one is alone. And in my prayers with the family, I can say we have lit our chalices for them, and that we are with them.

If you have not yet joined a small group circle, I invite you to take this opportunity. We want to stay connected with you. And we want to include the light of your chalice in our chain.

And if you know someone who could use the light of a hundred chalices, please call or email me. 

I am so grateful to you all, for the ways you are staying in relationship with one another, despite how difficult this can be right now. We are building new ways of being together and we are staying connected. Through online worship, small groups, Zoom gatherings and simple phone call check-ins, we remain a beloved community. Our building is a lovely building, but we are the fellowship. And we are so blessed to be in this community together.

Love,

Rev. Jessica