Our Weekly Fellowship Connection
Online Sunday Service Alternatives Due to COVID-19
Latest News
UPDATE ON COVID-19 Message Created March 20, 2020
- Sunday Services Suspended Until Further Notice
- Fellowship Building Closed to Everyone Except Necessary Staff and Authorized Personnel
- All Face-to-Face Group Meetings and Activities Suspended
Dear UUFDC Members & Friends,
In order to protect our Fellowship and our community from the growing risk of Coronavirus transmission, the Governing Board has taken the steps outlined above effective immediately.
Even as we suspend all our face-to-face group activities, I want to assure you that we are actively maintaining the critical work of our Fellowship.
Care for Members & Friends: Our Caring Committee continues to help Members in need, and is actively reaching out to those who may be especially vulnerable at this time. If you need help or can offer it, please contact committee chair Trish Black (contact in UU Directory https://uufdc.org/directory/ ). The Caring Committee will also be our liaison to the Interfaith group that is helping Door County’s fire departments coordinate non-emergency care throughout the county. The county fire departments have created a county-wide task force and have established an on-line portal for those who need help and those who can offer help. Here are the links:
To request help:
To volunteer to help:
“Sunday Services”: Our Sunday Services have always been a core element of our community, providing a space for us to grow together spiritually, intellectually and morally. While we can’t meet as a group, we will continue offering a virtual forum to connect with each other. Each week, we will share a combination of short videos, readings and music via e-mail, organized around our UU principles of compassion, understanding and justice. We will also give Members and Friends the opportunity to share joys and concerns, keeping us connected in spirit if not in body. At a time like this, it’s more important than ever to maintain ourselves as a loving, caring community.
Financial Management: We are also a practical community. As we look to make a difference with our actions, we know we need to be financially sound to meet the challenges ahead. The Finance Committee is beginning to evaluate potential impacts, and will report back to the Board and the Fellowship in the weeks to come.
Board Meetings: The Governing Board has begun holding weekly Zoom meetings on Wednesday evenings to stay on top of this quickly evolving situation. If you have an issue that requires our attention, reach out to me, to our Administrator Sara McKillop, or to any Board member with your ideas and concerns.
Staying Connected: During this period of isolation, we have to use all of the tools at our disposal to stay engaged with one another. Most of our Members are comfortable with e-mail, so that will be our primary form of communication. However, we’ll also make regular use of our Facebook page and website, we just created a UUFDC YouTube channel to share videos and music, our Board and committees are holding virtual “face-to-face” meetings via Zoom, and of course we can always pick up the phone to talk. Let’s use these tools not only to exchange practical information, but to check up on each other, enjoy a laugh or a song, talk about art and poetry, and share our joys and concerns.
Thank you for all the ways you support our Fellowship. It’s good to know we are navigating these challenging days together.
Tom Toerpe, Governing Board President, president@uufdc.org
Fellowship Board & Administration:
Fellowship Administrator, Sara McKillop, contact@uufdc.org, 920-854-7559
Board Officers:
President: Tom Toerpe
Vice President: Bob Dowling
Treasurer: Cynthia Stiehl
Secretary: Anna Knapp
At-Large Governing Board Directors:
Paula Christensen
Susan Leeder
David Studebaker
Contact information can be found in our Fellowship directory info, updated monthly on our website: https://uufdc.org/directory/ You will be asked for a password once or twice, contact the Administrator if you need the password. The directory is a useful tool for all of us to stay connected with one another.
$1000 SOCIAL JUSTICE SCHOLARSHIP
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County (UUFDC) is pleased to announce a $1000 scholarship to be awarded to a Door County graduating senior who demonstrates an outstanding personal commitment to social justice.
This scholarship opportunity is open to all of Door County’s graduating high school or homeschool seniors. The deadline to submit an application is March 31, 2020. Application guidelines, requirements, and materials can be found at the Door County Scholarship Network website at http://www.doorcountyscholarships.org/finder/search/scholarship/?id=238
A commitment to social justice is one of the founding principles of Unitarian Universalism. As the Unitarian Universalist Association website explains,
“Justice is at the core of our faith. Our congregations are called to make a positive difference in our wider communities. We work to serve, to raise awareness, and to support and partner with people who face injustice. We advocate, organize, and act for justice to live out the values of our faith.” (www.uua.org/justice-programs)
Through this scholarship, we encourage local students of any faith – or no faith – to persevere in the struggle for social justice, wherever and whenever they find it. The student does NOT need to be a member of the UUFDC to apply for this scholarship.
A representative of the Social Justice Committee would be happy to attend the student’s awards night, if any, to formally announce the recipient of the scholarship. Award money will be paid directly to the student’s college at the beginning of their second semester of study.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact UUFDC at 920-854-7559 or contact@uufdc.org.