April 14, 2021
Dear Members and Friends of UU Casper:
The Board of Trustees of UU Casper thanks you for your generous support this past year. Thanks to you, we have been able to adapt to changes and remain centered in our mission. When we closed our doors March 16th, 2020, we were able to shift quickly to online Sunday services, and have continued to offer weekly meditation, book club, and Lunch With TED. We’ve also added the weekly Coffee and Conversation and monthly Freethinkers. We have kept our RE youth connected through near-monthly socially distanced get togethers, continued supporting local non-profits through our Care N Share program, and expanded the Minister’s Discretionary Fund to help those who face economic hardship. Last August we opened our building to small group gatherings with Covid-19 precautions, although most groups have opted to continue meeting on Zoom.
Our goal was to keep our “spiritual doors” open and that we have! As we look forward to another year, we are doing the work to reopen our physical doors again for Sunday services while keeping the virtual environment available. This adaptation has, in the long term, expanded our capabilities to be more inclusive and accessible than ever before. It has been wonderful over the past year to welcome guests to our services from around the country and even overseas. We can now support attendance while members and friends stay home or travel.
While we have been out of the building, the Building and Grounds Committee took this time to make improvements to our lobby space. By removing the wall between the lobby and the coatroom, the lobby space has been expanded. Also, new wooden railings have been built to improve the safety of the ramp from the lobby into the sanctuary. We have also invested in tech improvements and equipment to facilitate “dual” in-person/Zoom services and other gatherings. The building is waiting for us! As we move back in, we will probably not merely go back to business as usual.
In being forced to adapt, we have gotten good at it. In the next year, as we work together in a covenanted way, let’s continue to adapt in ways that are centered on our mission to foster individual spiritual growth, ethical living, inclusive fellowship and engagement with other faith traditions, and to raise awareness in our community of a visible and viable Unitarian Universalist presence. The Trustees continue to plan for UU Casper’s future, and an important part of that process includes launching our annual spring operating fund pledge drive. Below is a link to a pledge form for the fiscal year July 2021-June 2022 operating fund for you to complete and return in the next couple weeks.
You are welcome to contact Treasurer Laura Gossman (307-259-4469, laurag@uucasper.org) with your questions or comments. As always, all such communications, pledges, and donations are kept strictly confidential.
As a reminder, donations can be made by check sent to UU Casper’s address, or online (uucasper.org/ donate).
We are committed to keeping our “spiritual doors” open and our beloved community strong and vital as we journey together through this uncertain, challenging, and exciting time of reopening.
With love and gratitude,
Reverend Leslie Kee and the UU Casper Board of Trustees