Our In-Person Return!
We are slowly returning to in-person gatherings at Northlake.
We are proceeding slowly as we try to navigate the daily pandemic changes along with staff and volunteer requirements to assure things are set up safely. Thank you for your patience!
Right now we have all our meeting spaces set up so that people can attend either in-person or via Zoom. We are all used to how to do this by Zoom from home now. Who would have guessed that being in-person feels like a hurdle at times?
Here are the guidelines for coming into any Northlake gathering:
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- No food/drinks indoors.
- Wear a mask at all times indoors.
- Observe a social distance of at least 3 feet, and don’t assume people are comfortable hugging! Ask permission or comfort before touching friends.
- Keep fans on, windows open, and air circulating in any room you are in.
- Keep attendance of anyone physically present so that we can contact people if we learn of a possible COVID contact.
- Register ahead of time so we can assure we do not overcrowd the space.
Our goal is to open the Sanctuary in November so that people can be in our worship space together on Sunday morning. However, we are going to restrict this space to those who have been vaccinated. This will be a trust system, and we know that each of us will honor this. There are folk who run the online service from the Sanctuary who have vulnerable people they live or work with, so they cannot risk COVID exposure. Please respect this.
We will continue to offer a group Zoom experience from Adams Hall for those who prefer that option. This will be a place for those who may not be vaccinated for a variety of reasons, but still wish to worship in community.
Remember, we need each other during these times, and we have been apart far too long! But we still cannot rush into community.
Overwhelmed?
– Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee, Minister
In so many conversations these days I am hearing the message that people feel overwhelmed; there are too many changes, too many expectations, and not enough time or energy to keep up. Many of us feel great demand from the problems we are asked to solve and the amount of work required for these tasks. Our usual problem-solving efforts don’t seem to fix the problem, leaving us with a feeling of defeat or failure. At the end of the day we may feel we are failing, or we may feel we are in a broken system that is too hard to work in.
What if we changed our mind set about this? What if, instead of trying to fix things, we let go?
The reality is that we are in a time of great upheaval in our country, culture, society and world. There has been a shift in the way the world has worked; something has ended but a new thing is not yet ready to begin. It is a time of change where systems and processes will break down. This is supposed to happen, it is part of a natural rhythm, and although it is uncomfortable, we can’t fix it.
Susan Beaumont writes about this, saying: “What if we shifted out of the “something is broken” mindset? What if we embraced the seismic shifts before us, acknowledging that they are beyond our knowing or our control? What if the problems you feel pressured to master aren’t relevant in the greater scheme of all that is unfolding?
If you give yourself permission to let the problems go unsolved, the overwhelm will dissipate and you will be able to approach the challenges more creatively. You can embrace the opportunity, without being engulfed in overwhelm.”
Just like food breaks down to become a compost that fertilizes new growth, we can acknowledge that the systems breaking down allow for new growth. Letting go can be an active approach to allowing change. It may be uncomfortable and foreign, but yield more than the busy work of daily striving.
Consider this your invitation to step back, observe, and move into a different way of approaching the changing world.
November Sunday Services
Nov. 7th: Drawing Our Circle Wide | Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee
Last year the Unitarian Universalist Association published the findings and recommendations from a group charged with examining the structures and habits of UU congregations and institutions that have hindered our anti-oppressive, anti-racist progress. We will examine this report as we engage in the work of becoming the beloved community we strive to embody.
Nov. 14th: A Practice of Self Culture | Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee
We often ask if UU’s borrow spiritual practices from other traditions, or if they have their own form of spiritual practice. Self-culture is that practice, rooted in our history and theology. It is the practice of self-examination, self-formation and self-consecration. We will learn more about this during this sermon.
Nov. 21st: Prophet Words & Deeds: Our Second Source | Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee
One source of holy inspiration comes from the words and actions of everyday people who live in the world. This could be a poet, and farmer, someone incarcerated, an eleven years old. There are things people do that inspire generations. These prophetic words and deeds are the Second Source that we, as Unitarian Universalists, use to inspire and guide us.
Nov. 28th: Values Based Investing: A Religious Practice | Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee
It is not polite to talk about the money we have, but there does need to be a time of personal introspection about it. As U.S. citizens we invest money in companies, but may have no idea how our capital may be used. This service will talk about investing in what we value, and making sure we are not supporting companies that violate our basic morality.
Save the date:
Dec. 5th: Creating A Sustainable Future | Paula Cole Jones
Paula Cole Jones is a life-long Unitarian Universalist and a Management Consultant with over twenty years of experience in designing and facilitating workshops and dialogues for leaders and organizations. She is an innovator of institutional change. In 1999, Paula founded ADORE, A Dialogue on Race & Ethnicity. Her work includes being a leader in advancing the 8th Principle and the Community of Communities as practices of the Beloved Community. Paula is the author of a UU World Magazine cover story, Reconciliation as a Spiritual Discipline. She is also the editor of a Skinner House book, Encounters: Poems about Race, Ethnicity and Identity and a contributing author to three Skinner House books, including the UUA Common Read, Justice on Earth.