Most weeks our services are both in-person and online, but occasionally our services are via Zoom only. Scroll down to below this Welcome section for the specifics about this coming Sunday’s service as well as other activities.
It is a special pleasure to welcome visitors! We invite you to join our services, whether online or in person. Information about the next service is provided further down this page. We invite you to communicate with us and also find out about our monthly Welcome Session by completing our Visitor Form located here .
Please also note that you can stay current with us by subscribing to our monthly newsletter and weekly email notices via the tan button that reads, “Yes, keep me informed”. You will find it at the very bottom of each page.
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REOPENING INFORMATION
Thank you to our Audio Visual and Zoom Production teams for making combined in-person and online services possible!
Circumstances are in flux with the COVID delta and omicron variants. The Unitarian Universalist Association has issued new recommendations around meeting in person. Here is a link to their 2021 Guidance for UU Gatherings. They recommend that we not meet in person when the risk is “Very High” or “Severe”. Here is also a link to the COVID Act Now data, which indicates transmission risk factors by county. We are in Montgomery County in Ohio, with zipcode 45458, which has been consistently showing a “Very High” or “Severe” risk level. We follow many of the guidelines of our national association but do independently determine our own particular policies. Our Board is still fine-tuning our policies.
Worship for the Weary will continue to be a Zoom-only service (Thursday evenings from 6:30 – 7:00 PM).
The Sunday morning service on January 16th, 2022 will be IN-PERSON, on ZOOM, and also on FACEBOOK.
You can access our worship services online with a computer, tablet, or smartphone or via phone dial-in. Please understand that we are committed to in-person and online worship and are striving to offer Multiplatform worship services as often as possible.
Unfortunately, it is much more difficult to provide Multi-platform worship than it is to provide online only or in-person only. We do not yet have the technology or staffing to do this easily or smoothly. We ask you to extend the staff and volunteers an abundance of grace, humor, and appreciation as we learn how to do this together. Also, we are having problems with our AV system that prevent us from doing things in-person that we were able to do before suspending in-person gatherings.
Rev. Kellie and the Board respect that our congregants and visitors have different health, safety, social-emotional, and spiritual needs so we strive to make our services as inclusive as we can by providing different participation methods as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding and support!
In-Person Participation (when applicable)
- Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, we require in-person participants 3 years old and older to wear a well-fitted mask that covers their nose and mouth while in the building.
- We will not have coffee service as we are not allowing food & drink per UUA COVID-19 guidelines.
- Finally, we ask you to participate online or via phone if you are sick or have been in close contact to someone with COVID (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period).
Worship
Sunday Service, IN-PERSON, on ZOOM, and also on FACEBOOK this week
January 16th, 2021 from 11:00 AM until noon
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
with Rev. Kellie Kelly
To join us at 11:00 AM on Zoom, please use the link below:
https://uuma.zoom.us/j/95381147453?pwd=Wng5YXFTUnJ0NU44aHhySUxCQjBrUT09;;
worship
Meeting ID: 953 8114 7453
Passcode: 869000
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,95381147453#,,,,*869000# US (Chicago)
+16468769923,,95381147453#,,,,*869000# US (New York)
If you are joining by phone only, dial by your location:
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 953 8114 7453
Passcode: 869000
Please note the following:
- Technical assistance is available one half hour prior to the service.
- This service will be recorded and/or live-streamed to Facebook. If you do not want to be included in the recording, please turn off your camera, mute your microphone, and change your name to “MVUUF” (these are all Zoom options once you join the meeting).
- If you would like to submit a joy or sorrow for the service, or an announcement, please email Rev. Kellie by 10:00 PM on the prior evening (minister @ mvuuf.org).
On Thursday evenings
Worship for the Weary
A shorter, more reflective service, that is in addition to our Sunday services, still held on Zoom at this time.
Thursdays, normally from 6:30 – 7:00 pm
We offer this shorter, more reflective service as a way of providing a bit of peace and comfort during these trying times. We “gather” on Zoom for music, readings, and reflection.
Please join us by using the link below:
https://uuma.zoom.us/j/94627169638?pwd=ZEVXZi9kYXNlZklHUkJKaTFlVzF2UT09;
Meeting ID: 946 2716 9638
Passcode: 869000
One tap mobile
+16468769923,,94627169638#,,,,*869000# US (New York)
+13017158592,,94627169638#,,,,*869000# US (Washington DC)
To join on your cell phone or land line, you may also call 1-929-205-6099 and make sure to enter the Meeting ID when prompted.
News
Check out this recent article from the Dayton Daily News about our Peace Heroes Trail!
Photo credits: Maury Wyckoff
OFFICE HOURS
Jennie Freiberger, our Fellowship Administrator, holds in-person office hours Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 9:30am-3:00pm.
To learn more about our minister, Rev. Kellie Kelly, and all of our staff members, as well as how to contact them, follow this link.
Other Events and Activities
Please note: We are in a period of transition, with some activities on Zoom and some in person. Please check with the leader of a group or activity if it does not say here whether the event is in person or on Zoom.
On Sundays, in addition to our service and youth religious education, we have Women’s Group at 9:00 AM and also a Scripture Study at 9:00 AM. At this point, both are still meeting on Zoom.
We hold a virtual Coffee Hour after the Sunday service one week a month, at approximately 12:00 noon, the first Sunday of each month. This is on Zoom until we are fully meeting in person again.
MUSIC: The Choir meets weekly, on Zoom at this time, from 7:00-8:00 PM.
Our monthly Acoustic Jam is usually the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM, with our first meeting in 2022 on January 18th. Contact Music Director Sara Davis at music @ mvuuf.org for more information about participating in music activities.
We have a Death Cafe, normally the fourth Monday of the month at 7:00 PM, still on Zoom.
Other monthly meetings include our Social Action Committee, the West Dayton Action Group, the Transgender Alliance Group, and the Chalice of the Willow (Covenant of UU Pagans). You will find more specifics about our programming around Anti-Racism toward the bottom of this page.
Our Facebook page is listed as “Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship”. You will find various announcements there.
For specific questions or to be put in touch with a group you may also send an email to info @ mvuuf.org.
Children and Youth Religious Education (CYRE)
CYRE COMMITTEE
Wednesday, January 12th, 7:00 PM
Our Children and Youth Religious Education (CYRE) Committee meets on the second Wednesday of the month and is open to ALL! Whether you have children in the CYRE program or not, the committee is always looking for people to teach classes and/or volunteer to help with family-friendly activities. If you have any questions and/or to obtain the link to the Zoom meeting, please contact our Director of Religious Education, Somaya Bernard, re @ mvuuf.org.
CYRE CLASSES
Due to initially there being no vaccine for those 12 and under, CYRE has postponed weekly classes and is instead doing monthly family events. We will be revisiting this decision in the new year when there are more safety options for children. Additionally, we are not able to offer nursery services at this time at our in-person services.
If you haven’t already, please register so we have an idea of who is in the program this year and are able to get information to you. Click on this registration link.
Message from Our Director of Children’s Religious Education
We’re very excited about our January CYRE events!
This month the all-ages event will be a kick off event for our Stuffed Animal Sleepover. We will meet at the fellowship at 1:30 PM on Sunday, January 16th to bake cookies for the stuffed animals. Please contact me with any food allergies so that I can put together the cookie menu.
For the youth event we will be meeting at the fellowship on Sunday, January 23rd (after the stuffed animal sleepover service) at 1:30 PM. From the fellowship we will be taking a trip to Jungle Jim’s International Grocery Store in Cincinnati. The advisors leading this event will be myself and Shannon Harper; we will provide masked transportation to Jungle Jim’s from the fellowship for anyone that wants it.
If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can email me at re @ mvuuf.org.
–Somaya Bernard, Director of Religious Education
Getting Involved
CONNECTING WITH MVUUF
Whether you are an “old” member, a newcomer, a long-time friend, or an occasional visitor, you are reading this because you are somehow “connected” to the Miami Valley UU Fellowship. We are glad you are here! We are trying something new to help more of us become connected to the fellowship in a meaningful way. You know we have a lot to offer, and we know you have something to offer us, but how best to find your niche? The hope is that I can help you on that journey.
Send an email to connection @ mvuuf.org and it will magically appear in my email. If you put the word “connection” in the subject line, I’ll know that it is VERY important, and I’ll read it immediately. You may ask questions, tell me about yourself, include your phone number if you’d like to talk, and we will begin searching together. Unitarian Universalism can open your eyes and your heart and MVUUF is “where it’s at” in Dayton.
In the spirit,
Diane Colvin, Connection Coordinator
SEEKING TECHIES & AUDIO-VISUAL PRODUCERS
We are seeking folks who might be interested in being part of our Multi-Platform Task Force. This is the group of individuals who are supporting our multi-platform services.
- If you have ever pointed a camera or smart phone at something to take a picture or video, that qualifies you. We will have a need for a variety of technical skills levels.
- If you think technology is fun to play with, you have officially found your tribe.
- If you have experience working with AV equipment, Zoom or other virtual meeting tools, or OBS (open broadcast system), we definitely could use your help.
Multi-platform options are important to ensure we can include our members and friends who cannot attend in person, whether that is due to distance, health, schedules, or any challenge.
We are currently using a camera called the Logitech Mevo. It is very compact and easy to use. It takes a little bit of agility to screw it onto its floor stand, but after that you use an “app”, and it is as simple to operate as tapping on a smart phone screen. Detailed instruction and practice is provided.
If you are curious about how this works, we would love to show you more. Please contact Garlene Staton at Producer @ mvuuf.org if you are interested or have questions.
Public Statement, and Programming Around Anti-Racism
In light of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police on May 25, Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is issuing a public statement to the community, and we offer resources to assist us in the processes of mourning, learning, and action.
As Unitarian Universalists, we believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every human being. We believe that we are all connected to one another: what affects one of us, affects all of us. Our Unitarian Universalist faith calls us to commit our time, resources, and hearts to the important work of ending police violence and all other parts of our country’s systemic anti-Blackness. Our faith calls us to do this today—not tomorrow or some distant someday.
PUBLIC STATEMENT
- As people of faith, Unitarian Universalists affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all persons and work for social justice to embody that dignity.
- We condemn racist police practices that deny Black people in this country human rights and, in the case of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd and so many before them, the very breath of life.
- It has gone on far too long.
- We side with the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in love and we side with all impacted by murder and other violence as a tool of oppression by people of power.
- We urge the greater Dayton community to reflect deeply on our criminal justice system and how to transform it into one of restorative justice that is safer for everyone.
- This is the time to join with others to raise our voices and stop this oppression by police and by white vigilantes.
- Holding police accountable is an essential step.
- Recognizing that racist police practices are a symptom of pervasive and systemic racism in our national culture and institutions, we re-commit ourselves to anti-racism work.
Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Rachel Feltner, Board President
Rev. Kellie C. Kelly, Called Minister
Alice Diebel, Affiliated Community Minister
Anti-Racism Ally Group
Are you a white person with questions, ideas, concerns or just want a place to have discussions about what is going on? Then please join our Anti-Racism Ally group. Each meeting will allow for learning, actively practicing being allies, open discussion, and creating actions we can take to follow and support Black, Indigenous and all People of Color (BIPOC) in our congregation as well as residents in the larger community.
This group typically meets on the 4th Thursday evening of the month. Our next meeting is on January 27th at 7:00 PM. We hope you can join us in the new year as we keep the discussion and action for a more just world front and center. We are loosening the structure of our meetings, so participants are invited to bring their own topics to share, or you can simply listen if you choose. Most importantly, we value your presence at our meeting!
If you have questions, would like meeting access information, or would like to provide input before a meeting, you are welcome to contact the group Co-Leaders, Kristen at KristenBeireis @ gmail.com or Bill at rossviva @ hotmail.com.
