Dear Ones,

Remember where we all were two years ago? March of 2020 began relatively mildly. People were just beginning to hear about a new virus called COVID-19, a novel coronavirus.

Beaufort had seen only a few cases so far, but was just beginning to report deaths from COVID-19, when UUFB suspended all in-person worship and meetings immediately after the service on Sunday, March 15, 2020. Little did we know what lay ahead of us at that time.

As a world, as a country, and as a community, we’ve been through a difficult two years. For many months, we isolated from one another and from our families and other loved ones. In June, 2021 we returned to in-person worship and were able to gather through the summer. We’ve been through two more cycles of suspension and return, as we return to in-person worship and meetings beginning this coming Sunday, March 6, 2022.

While this has been a difficult time, there’s much to be grateful for. I’m grateful that our congregation has only suffered the loss of one member to COVID. I’m grateful very few of our members contracted the virus before vaccines were widely available. I’m grateful for our members’ patience with the learning curve on how to make things work on Zoom. I’m grateful for all of you.

As we return to our Sanctuary for in-person worship, we will also be able to continue to offer online worship for those who are at a distance from Beaufort, or who feel more comfortable continuing to worship from their homes. We will be hybrid, both in-person and online!

We will not be perfect. We’ve made some compromises in the interest of keeping costs down and getting it going. We’re still waiting for some equipment for which we’ve experienced delivery delays. It should be at least as good as what we’ve been experiencing for those tuning in on Zoom.

We’re looking at a new learning curve, and I’m sure we can manage a little more patience and good humor. Because we’re going to be together again!

Rejoice!

Blessings,
Rev. Lori