Dear UUS:E Members and Friends:
I warmly invite you to join us for a virtual worship service, Sunday morning, March 15th at 10:00 AM.
We will use Zoom as our platform. Some of you are familiar with Zoom and some aren’t. Here’s what you need to know:
First, if you would like to join by video on any device, you can do so by clicking on this link a few minutes before 10:00 AM:
https://uuma.zoom.us/j/157706597
However, your device must be properly enabled. If you have not used Zoom video conferencing before, go to https://zoom.us/support/download. Downloading Zoom is free and quick. I recommend that you do the download as soon as possible to make sure you are all set for 10:00 am.
Second, you can also join the virtual service by phone. Call 1 (646) 876-9923 a few minutes before 10:00 AM. You will be prompted to provide a Meeting ID. That ID is 157 706 597#. You may be prompted then to provide a participant ID. If so, ignore that prompt and just hit # again.
Regarding the Service, we will be lifting up your joys and concerns during the service. If you have a joy or concern you wish me to name during the service, please send it to me by 9:00 AM on the 15th at [email protected].
Please note, Zoom is a fabulous resource, but it is not always reliable. Sometimes the connection is glitchy. Sometimes there’s a lag between the speaker and the audio on your computer. This may not work for everyone. For that, we apologize in advance. This is the first time we’ve ever done this, so we expect there will be glitches, especially technical glitches. If we have problems on our end, we’ll do our best to fix them in real-time. If you have problems on your end, please let me know afterward at [email protected]. We have folks who can troubleshoot with you during the coming week. In short, we will learn from whatever problems arise, so that we can make the experience better for everyone on future Sundays during our suspension of regular programming.
Also, please note that when you arrive in what we expect will be a big online group, your computer or phone will be muted. We respectfully ask that everyone remain muted for the service. One unmuted computer or phone with a dog barking or a siren whirring in the background—or even just shuffling papers–can make it difficult for everyone else to hear.
We anticipate that the service will last between 30 and 45 minutes. It will feel similar to our regular minister-led services. The sermon will be shorter. There will be no hymns, though Mary Bopp will be providing beautiful piano music. If we have our act together, we will record the service and post it to the UUS:E website afterward.
Obviously we don’t know how long this shutdown will last. We hope these virtual Sunday services will serve as a meaningful way UUS:E members and friends to stay connected to each other during a very challenging time.
With love,
Rev. Josh
Note: I will post the sermon text on the website soon after the service. Click here to read the latest sermon. And don’t forget to sign up for Dialogue From Your Home—Join The Discussion. Contact the Church office at [email protected] or call 860-646-5151. We will do our best to get you connected.
And watch for the recording on our YouTube Channel. Be patient, it may take us a bit of time to post. 
