Dear Ones,

As I write this Hurricane Dorian has devastated the Bahamas, and is just about to reach the southeast coast of Florida. A mandatory evacuation order has been in place for the coastal counties of South Carolina for almost 24 hours. Nursing homes are being evacuated. My UU Coastal Clergy group has cancelled this week’s scheduled meeting. A chaplain friend in Charleston is living in her hospital office until after the storm passes. The UUFB buildings are boarded up, and I’m waiting to see how the hurricane turns – if it turns.

Every year as we enter hurricane season I’m simultaneously grateful and frustrated. Grateful because we usually do have some warning of when the storms will come, and how strong they will be. Frustrated because the warnings are imprecise and the official warnings (e.g., evacuation orders) are based on a “worst case scenario.” It’s hard to know what to expect, and that’s very frustrating!

I still expect that on September 8th we will celebrate our annual Water Service. If you have water to share from summer adventures, great! If you have water from your own backyard or tap, great! Any and all water is welcome, even rainwater from the hurricane! If you forget to bring any, we’ll have pitchers of water for you to pour from to add to our common bowl.

IF we need to cancel the service, members will receive an email and there will be a notice on the UUFB Facebook page.

Remember to mark your calendar for the Founders’ Weekend Celebration in October, marking UUFB’s 20th anniversary as a beacon of liberal religion here in Beaufort! Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 12, and a special celebratory service on Sunday, Oct. 13. Our Minister Emerita Rev. Nan White will be preaching, and I’m sure she will have a great message for us.

Stay safe, everyone.

Blessings,
Rev. Lori Hlaban