Here we are in December of 2020, a year like no other in our lifetimes. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on so many things we all used to take for granted, like family and friends gathering for the holidays and celebrating the season together at our church services. Thanks to our wonderful minister, music director, RE director, and our volunteer geek squad we can all still see each other through Zoom services and meetings. However, it sure will be nice to see each other in person when it is safe to do so once again.
The last thirty days have brought major changes for our congregation, country and world. The elections are over and many in our congregation worked diligently to implement locally the national UU THE VOTE initiatives. Special thanks to Sarah Hunter and Eva Lou Goodwin-Noriega for their work in this area.
Hope is on the horizon now with the recent announcement of efficacious corona virus vaccines on the way. This news makes me optimistic that we can meet again in person sometime in 2021. This will be such a good thing for all of our psyches when it happens.
We have all soldiered on through the trials of the pandemic and I am so proud of all we have accomplished in spite of the obstacles.
Our first ever all digital auction took place in November and it was a great success. Special thanks to Tom Loughrey for taking the lead on this new auction method and to all the auction committee members and everyone who donated and purchased items.
Our choir continues to hit it out of the ball-park each Sunday and for special events such as the Interfaith Thanksgiving music celebration and the Transgender Day of Resilience and Remembrance service all led by our very own Beth Syverson. These are huge undertakings at any time and even more so now that it must all be done digitally.
One more shout out in this letter must go to the Buildings and Grounds committee volunteers who have been working so hard on the remodel of the RE/Administration Building. Special thanks to Craig Spery, Bob Loeschen, Cory Brown, Bob Gersky, Tom Loughrey, Anna Ryan and Audrey Prosser for all of their work on this project which is almost completed. It looks marvelous!
I wish you all, my dear friends, a happy and safe holiday season.
Debra Quam
President@ocuuc.org