• Home
  • rainbow flagA Welcoming Congregation
  • Safe Congregation SealKeeping Safe
  • Capital Campaign
    • Contact: Capital Campaign
  • DONATE/REALM
  • TUCWomen
    • About TUCWomen
    • Join Us
    • Events
    • Contact
  • Contact
  • Instagram

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport

10 Lyons Plains Rd., Westport, CT 06880 - Ph: (203)227-7205 Sunday Services: 10:00 AM

uua-logo-2
  • Calendar
    • Calendar
    • SOUNDINGS
    • Communications Guidelines
    • ZOOM Instructions
    • Tips For Making Videos
    • Event & Space Reservations
    • TUUCWSocial Email List Ground Rules
  • Welcome Visitors
    • UU Orientation
    • Directions & Services
    • Special Ceremonies & Dedications
    • Our Congregational History
    • Our Faith
    • What is a Unitarian Universalist?
    • We are Unitarian Universalists
    • How did you become a Unitarian Universalist?
    • History of the Flaming Chalice
    • UU History in 8 Minutes
  • About Us
    • Our Mission Statement
    • Our Vision Statement
    • About Our Ministers
    • Our Staff
    • Getting Involved
    • Board of Trustees
    • Governance
    • The Naming Committee
    • Healing and Resilience Task Force
    • Congregant Celebration
    • Pastoral Care Chaplains
    • Our Welcoming Congregation
    • Photo & Video Galleries
    • Links – Beyond Our Walls
    • SOUNDINGS
    • Communications Guidelines
    • Events & Space Reservations
    • Pledging
  • FAITH FORMATION
    • Faith Formation for Children and Youth 2022-23
    • Welcome to Family Faith Formation
    • This Week in Family Faith Formation
    • Faith Formation Age Groupings 2022-23
    • What to Expect on Sunday Mornings
    • OWL Information at a Glance
    • Youth Ministry
    • Adult Faith Formation
    • Soul Matters
    • Keeping Safe
    • Faith Formation Registration
  • Social Justice
    • Welcome to Social Justice
    • Advocates for Prevention of Gun Violence
    • Beardsley School Committee
    • Immigration and Refugee Committee
    • KIVA Microfinance Committee
    • Racial Justice Committee
    • Westbridge Coalition
  • Music Program
    • Music Choir Schedules
    • Evensong
    • Our Minister of Music
    • The Music Committee
    • The Bell Choir
    • The Choir (Women and Men)
    • Special Projects Choir
    • Once & Again Singers
    • Children’s Choir
    • Teen Choir
    • The Chamber Choir
    • Sight-singing Classes
    • Cabaret
    • Voice Classes
    • Love Is the Spirit
    • Tune My Heart To Sing
    • Support Our Music Program
  • Sermons & Poetry
    • Minister’s Messages
    • Sermons – Audio
    • Sermons – Video
    • Rev. John T. Morehouse’s sermons
    • From Your Senior Minister: Facing Grace
    • Facing Grace – Rev. John’s blog
    • Rev. Frank Hall, Minister Emeritus – sermons
    • Rev. Frank Hall, Minister Emeritus – Dear Friends
    • Intern Minister’s sermons
    • Guest Minister’s sermons
    • Poetry & Readings
    • Communications from Your Ministers
  • Live Stream

A Minister’s Message – One Year Later – March 16, 2021

March 16, 2021 by Rev. Dr. John T. Morehouse - Senior Minister

What a difference a year makes. A year ago we shut down our worship service to in-person attendance. The first service of the pandemic was broadcast on my IPhone over Facebook. It was something of a disaster. The picture from the phone was like looking into a mirror; the sanctuary appeared reversed. The signal kept dropping. The sound was poor.

Now we have two high-resolution cameras and several area microphones picking up the worship service. We were able to open our sanctuary to under thirty people in the early fall but were forced to close that off again in November. We rewired our sanctuary for high-speed Wi-Fi and found ways to broadcast both live and recorded worship at the same time.

Looking to the future, I have established a comprehensive tech team to create a hybrid worship experience, one that can be enjoyed in person and also live streamed to those who want to attend virtually. We will be making critical changes to both our audio and visual systems in the near future. When we are able to welcome people into our worship service, we hope to have a new, first-rate audio system and large screens tucked under the beams so the congregation can enjoy the pre-recorded portions of our worship service and read the words to the hymns, allowing us to put down the hymnals and, someday, clap our hands to the music.

Our Re-open Task Force is waiting for our infection rate to drop below the critical threshold. While we encourage those of you who can get vaccinated to do so, we will not require vaccinations to attend the service. I feel strongly that vaccinations should not be a wall to being able to join in person again. We will wait until the health of all of our people can be reasonably assured. While that may be frustrating, it is, I believe, the best course of action.

In the meantime we have grown and even thrived in this last year. Our overall giving is back up to pre-pandemic levels. We still need everyone to make a pledge, and I hope you will go online today and join us in this commitment by clicking HERE.

We have learned so much about ourselves. In this past year, we have learned that being a part of a community is absolutely essential to our survival. Many of us have found a way to be even more involved in the life of our congregation through meetings, classes and other online events. We have welcomed new members, touched the lives of many, and learned more about ourselves than we ever did in person. We will continue to rely on the virtual platform to connect with each other. We now have folks joining us from across the country. More importantly we have found a way to connect once again with those who, for a variety of reasons, have been unable to attend in person.

I am so proud of what we have become in this last year. I know we will continue to grow and reinvent ourselves as a community.

Stay connected, Rev. John

Filed Under: Minister's Message Tagged With: Minister's Message, Rev. John. T. Morehouse

  • Minister’s Messages
  • Sermons – Audio
  • Sermons – Video
  • Rev. John T. Morehouse’s sermons
  • From Your Senior Minister: Facing Grace
  • Facing Grace – Rev. John’s blog
  • Rev. Frank Hall, Minister Emeritus – sermons
  • Rev. Frank Hall, Minister Emeritus – Dear Friends
  • Intern Minister’s sermons
  • Guest Minister’s sermons
  • Readings & Poetry
  • Communications from Your Ministers

     The Unitarian Universalist
     Congregation in Westport
     is a member congregation of the
     Unitarian Universalist Association

      CLICK HERE if you have any questions      about The Unitarian Universalist
    Congregation in Westport

Congregational Hours: Tuesday - Friday
9:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Summer Hours:
July & August until after Labor Day:
Tuesday - Friday 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM

CLICK HERE to contact the web master

CLICK HERE to opt in to receive
the Weekly Congregational Email Blast

Copyright © 2023 · Visit us at The Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport - 10 Lyons Plains Rd., Westport, CT 06880 - All rights reserved.