Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Pottstown

“Be Patient. Be Kind. Wear a Mask.” ~ Sign seen in various business establishments

I routinely drive by the Pughtown Agway which has the above message up on their sign board since they re-opened in March (full transparency, they end the message with “No Mask – No Service”). I still smile every time I see the sign because those simple words pretty much sum up all that it is needed to get by in this world right now. And this holds true for the UUFP.

 Being Patient  means to accept delays, problems or setbacks without becoming annoyed or anxious. It will be very important for the members and friends of the UUFP to be patient as we continue to move forward with utilizing technology for our Sunday services. If you have participated in any of the on-line vespers, services or coffee hours, you have seen that there have been many “glitches” along the way. The Worship Committee and Technology Committee are working hard to improve the experiences (and their efforts are greatly appreciated). We are learning as we go. So please join us for Sunday Services and please be patient as we continue to learn and evolve using the technology.

Being Kind  means to show a friendly, generous and considerate nature. Kindness is not a new behavior for the members and friends of the UUFP. Especially when it comes to being generous. People within the fellowship have historically been generous with finances and with their time. I would like to ask that people continue with their generosity as we move forward with our virtual presence. If you have suggestions as to how to improve the on-line experience, please share. If you have experience with technology and you have ideas or would like to assist with improving the experience, please let the Technology Committee know. If you have ideas for how to improve the flow of Sunday services or ideas for topics that are more suitable for the on-line platform, please let the Worship Committee know. Please be generous with your support of efforts to evolve our on-line presence.

 Wear a Mask.  My mask protects you. Your mask protects me.

In Gratitude, Linda

“I’m thankful there is no “going back to normal.” Instead, we go forward with the slow, hard, beautiful, daily work of transformation.” ~ Anonymous

I will ask you all to bear with me as we take a quick journey back to the year 1985. Some of the highlights of that year was that the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in the U.S., the original MacIntosh computer was launched (citing the “mouse” and “icons” as major advancements), the first mobile phone from Nokia was released (it weighed 11 lbs. and had to be carried in a bag) and Windows 1.0 was launched. During that same year, Aretha Franklin released a song that would go on to be a major hit entitled “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” I find it humorous that all the technologic advances of the year are quite outdated, yet we are still asking “Who’s Zoomin’ (ZOOMing) Who?” Parents are ZOOMing children, friends are ZOOMing friends for HappyHours, bosses are ZOOMing employees for meetings, and even our own ministers are ZOOMing vesper services to members and friends of the UUFP.

A major part of the transformation the UUFP must undergo in order to survive as the pandemic continues, is to more fully embrace technology  as a way to engage with each other. There are two things that need to occur in order for us to be successful with technology. The first, is to ensure that we have the right infrastructure and hardware to support our future needs. Rick Duske is currently evaluating what upgrades will be required for us to better leverage technology to create quality interactions. He will be evaluating various streaming services to see which might be the best for our needs. In addition, thanks to the UUA, our fellowship now has a full subscription to ZOOM at a discount price. Rick is doing a great job with this and his efforts are greatly appreciated.

The second thing that is required for success involves the members and friends of the UUFP. The Fellowship needs everyone to embrace technology as an option to interact with each other. Over the next few weeks, we will be experimenting with holding “Virtual Sun- day Services.” I want to encourage everyone to try to participate. Not only to provide feedback to help to improve the experience, but also just to “see you,” although I realize that there is nothing like seeing someone in person.

However, until this virus is better controlled, technology get-togethers are the next best thing. If you do not know how to use the technology, please reach out to Rick Duske or a member of the board and we will set up a time to help you learn the new technology. We will be sending out reminders regarding services, and I encourage everyone to try to attend.

So, if you haven’t done it already, it’s time to throw out that bag phone and “ZOOM” someone.

In gratitude, Linda