Flatten the Curve* – Heighten the Connection
(*For more information on “flatten the curve”, click here.)

Meditation Mondays (Rev. Eric, Kelli)

Table Talk Tuesdays (Rev. Marian)

Nature Walk Wednesdays (Brian)

Story Thursdays (Amber)

Curiosity Fridays (Rev. Eric)

Justice Saturdays (Rev. Marian, JAM)

Spiritual Sundays @ 10am (Rev. Marian)

An email will be sent each morning letting you know how to engage with each of these online connections. All will be available through www.firstuucolumbus.org. Discussions will be on discordapp.com. A link will be provided.

If you are interested in assisting or providing content, please contact the host. Thanks!

Community Chat Time
Thursdays 6pm–8pm

Rev. Marian, Rev. Eric and others will rotate hosting weekly Community Chat Time on Zoom. This will be a time to see each other and check in.

Keep up your connections! We recommend keeping your same time so the transition points will be easier.

Please contact Rev. Eric or Rev. Marian to set up Zoom meetings for your groups. We have Zoom Pro accounts that allow longer meeting times.

See calendar below for current offerings.

Please keep up your generous giving. This crisis is affecting many in our community with some First UUers already losing their jobs. Many others are working shorter hours or are on furlough. For those who can, please help us help each other.

Of course, we still need to keep everything else going as well. We will get the roof fixed. We will pay our staff, including part-timers so they won’t lose pay during this time. This is living our values right here at home.

You can give online on our website. You can use bank by mail bill pay or send a check. You can also text to give at 614-879-1480.

Additional church-wide activities and events will be posted on Friday’s News of the Congregation.

RE News includes information about family and child-focused activities.

Mondays, 10am–2pm, Church (coat closet off main lobby)
Donations for the Needy
The church will be open on Mondays from 10am – 2pm for drop-offs of non-perishable food and other items for Jacques to deliver to Athens county.

Note that this is NOT a ‘social’ time so that we can avoid spreading germs, including to each other and our staff.

ONLINE
Wednesday, March 18^th, 7:30–9pm
Book Discussion
Led by Dana Reynolds
Join us online for a discussion of the book, “Out of Flames,” which is the story of the life of Michael Servetus, a fatal heresy, and his book, one of the rarest books in the world. Servetus was at the beginning of the Radical Reformation and the non-trinitarian movement, the precursor to the Unitarian movement in Europe.

We will meet online and will continue our discussion of Part I. The book is available at Amazon and on Kindle.

***To attend, send your name and email address to Dana so a ZOOM invite can be sent to you.

***Online via ZOOM***
(see end of email to get ZOOM ready)
Go to www.firstuucolumbus.org and click on link.
Sunday, March 22^nd, 10am, Online only.
“Let Your Light Shine” led by Rev. Marian and Caroline Mocharski
Caroline Mocharski, youth representative to the Board of Trustees, and member of the Coming of Age class, shares her thoughts and reflections about how we can kindle the fire of community together.

Gift cards are needed to provide food for Edith Espinal, Miriam Vargas, and the Honduran family living at Just North. Kroger cards are preferred. Please contact Jan Phillips to arrange logistics.

At any time, but especially during the severe social restrictions placed on us because of the COVID-19 threat, normal and important human interactions may be hard to maintain.  First UU wants to extend its love and support to the people who call us their church home. To this end, we are creating a system to stay in regular contact with those in our church community who may feel vulnerable, lonely, or just in need of more human connection.What is UU Cares?
UU Care will work similar to a buddy system. People volunteer or request to be paired up with another First UUer. The pair checks on each other regularly, most likely with a phone conversation, to see if they are OK or need anything. Daily check-ins are recommended, especially during this time of heightened anxiety and threat of serious illness. The most important thing is to check-in. The length of conversation is up to the individuals.How do I sign up?
You simply let someone on the Pastoral Care Council know you are interested. You will then be paired with another First UUer. If you have a preference, you can let us know with whom you would like to paired. In order to get to know each other better, we strongly encourage cross-generational pairing when possible.

When does it start? And for how long?
UU Caresb will begin as soon as we receive enough names to make pairings. We will always care and want connection, but these check-ins are initially designed to cover the social-distancing guidelines for best practices during the coronavirus pandemic. We strongly suspect that many of these check-in pairings will continue well into the future. The timeline is up to the individuals involved.

What if more care is needed?
This is not a medical check but a general well-being connection point. If needed, Rev. Marian, Rev. Eric, or the Pastoral Care Council can offer pastoral assistance. If medical attention is needed, people are always encouraged to seek medical care. Also contact us if you cannot reach your partner as scheduled.

Can pairs be reassigned?
If necessary, we can reassign you to a new pairing. Send your request to Bob Mills.

Who can sign up?
Everyone who calls First UU home.

Pastoral Care Council
Bob Mills, Team Lead
Rev. Eric Meter
Rev. Marian Stewart
Su Farnlacher
Rev. Kathleen Fowler
Carole Wilhelm
Rev. Alison Wohler

Using Zoom

Step 1: Download Zoom (in advance of the meeting)

Computer:

1. Visit https://zoom.us/download and click on “Zoom Client for Meetings”.
2. Locate the Downloaded file
3. On a Windows computer:
   • On the bottom left of your screen, you should see the ZoomInstaller.exe file begin to download. When the download is complete, double click it.
4. On a Mac computer:
   • Open Finder and click on Downloads.
   • Locate the ZoomInstaller.exe file and double click.
   • Follow the on-screen instructions to complete installation.
3. The Zoom Installer will appear and begin to “Initialize”.
4. Once complete, you’ll see the Zoom Cloud Meetings welcome screen. This means you have successfully installed Zoom onto your computer.
5. At this time, you may close the program. You are now ready to join a meeting.

Mobile Device 

1. Click your app store icon.
2. Search “Zoom” and look for “Zoom Cloud Meetings”
3. Click on Install (Android) or Get (Apple) and follow the prompts to complete installation.

Step 2: Join a Meeting

1. Click on the link for the meeting. In the case of our weekly service, the link is https://uuma.zoom.us/j/688970121 Meeting ID: 688 970 121.
2. A dialogue box will appear asking you if you want to “Open Zoom Meetings?” Click “Open Zoom Meetings.”
3. Zoom will open on your computer or device. As soon as the meeting begins, Zoom will open. You may now participate in the meeting.
4. NOTE: Be sure your microphone is on MUTE unless it is your turn to speak. Click the Mute button to mute your microphone and the Stop Video button to stop the video.

To listen to the service by phone:

1. To dial in by phone, call 646 876 9923.
2. When prompted for the meeting ID, type it in. For services, the meeting ID is 688 970 121.
3. Then, be sure to dial “6” to mute your microphone. Press 6 again to unmute, if it is your turn to talk.

Need Help?

A quick video for downloading the ZOOM app is here.
For additional assistance, email Rev. Eric or Rev. Marian.