WellSprings News (Page 6)
In-Person Services Temporarily Suspended
Dear WellSprings, You may know that over the past week, daily case counts for Covid-19 have been rising in our area. As of Thursday afternoon, the transmission risk for Chester County had moved up into the “Very High” category, as measured by the website CovidActNow. Therefore, according to the UUA guidelines our Board adopted this Fall, WellSprings is temporarily suspending the in-person component of our worship gathering, beginning this Sunday, September 19. Personally, I feel frustrated by this… and I…
Celebrating WellCome Back Sunday
On Sunday, September 12th, we marked our return to in-person services with our annual “WellCome Back Sunday” celebration. We began with music, and then moved onto a special segment where we told a story about a villager going each day to a river to collect water in buckets – one of which had a leak. We needed a little help from the congregation for the end of the story… We also heard both Rev. Lee and Rev. Ken speak as…
New Covid-19 Guidelines for Fall
Info updated October 19, 2021 Over the Summer, we let you know that our Board & Staff would be reassessing local pandemic conditions, and our safety guidelines, as we planned for the return to weekly, in-person worship. As a result, we’ve made a few additions to the in-person guidelines. We’ve also clarified the conditions under which WellSprings may choose to suspend in-person Sunday services again. Here’s what’s changing: An RSVP Is Now Required. To help us provide reliable distancing and…
Sunday Morning: Now Online & In-Person!
This past Sunday, August 15th, marked the first time we’ve gathered together in person for Sunday services since March 8th, 2020. It was a wonderful day for our community in so many ways. The music, the fellowship, and spirit in the room was healing for us all after such a long absence. We are planning a second “Sneak Preview” service on September 5th at 10 AM. You can read our FAQs, which cover safety protocols, if you plan to attend.…
FAQ for Our In-Person Services
Updated March 25, 2022 Q: Are masks required? A: We will no longer require masks indoors. The CDC has created a new county-level risk framework, where only communities at “high” risk are advised to mask indoors. If you are ill, we prefer that you stay home – but we will ask that you continue to mask up at WellSprings if you are experiencing symptoms of illness, or if you’ve recently been exposed to Covid-19. For all others, the choice to mask will…
WellSprings Returns to In-Person Worship on September 12th
Dear WellSpringers, It’s finally time. 🙂 Our annual WellCome Back Sunday service on September 12th will be like no other… truly welcoming our whole congregation back into our gathering space for the very first time since March 8th, 2020. The room will finally be alive again with our energy and noise, our care and love for this community radiating with a new, impossibly hard-won kind of preciousness. For so long, we have not had access to this experience – and…
Welcome Beth Monhollen, our new Ministerial Intern!
Come September 1st, we’ll have another new face on WellSprings’ Staff Team… Beth Monhollen, a Candidate for Unitarian Universalist ministry and student at Meadville-Lombard Theological Seminary, will be joining us for the next two years, as our Ministerial Intern! I’m so excited to introduce Beth to our congregation virtually now – and, she’ll be here with us in-person on September 12th, when we re-gather physically for WellCome Back Sunday at the Montgomery School. In our denomination, an internship in a…
WellSprings Live Concert Recap
On Sunday, June 27th, our congregation gathered together in person for the first time since March, 2020. Our band played a selection of our favorite songs, as community members gathered beneath shady trees to watch the show. You can watch the show too! Click here to access a recording of our livestream. Our two ministers addressed the congregation in person for the first time in 15+ months. Rev. Lee rededicated our gathering space, and Rev. Ken led us in a…
Congregational Meeting Recap
At our Congregational Meeting on June 6th, the Board of Trustees shared five goals for the coming year, introduced new Board candidates, gave an update on our finances, and more! A full recording of the meeting is available online. You can also view the individual reports on the YouTube playlist, below. The report from WellSprings’ President Chris Chepel includes details on five new congregational goals for 2021-2022. They are: Assess, strengthen, and build on WellSprings’ partnerships in the community. Test…
New Guidelines for In-Person Gatherings
This month, the CDC released new guidance relaxing safety recommendations for people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Full precautionary measures, including masks and distancing, are still recommended for unvaccinated people. Our congregation is comprised of a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated people – especially while vaccines remain unavailable to children under 12. Further complicating this guidance is the reality that none of us has a fully reliable way to verify who is vaccinated. Different precautions will be needed at different types…
WellSprings is Having an Intern…
After discussion this Spring between myself and our Board of Trustees, I’m thrilled to share that WellSprings will be hiring a Ministerial Intern, to start in the Fall of 2021! WellSprings has been a teaching congregation before – supervising the internship of Rev. Greg Pelley from 2011-2013, and then my own internship, from 2013-2015. I’m so excited that once again, we’ll be able to support a new minister, in service to our wider Unitarian Universalist movement – and to see…
WellSprings Band, LIVE!
Join us as the WellSprings Band reunites to play – live and in-person! – for the first time in over a year, at the Montgomery School. Come sit outside and enjoy the music on Sunday, June 27th at 1pm, and help us rededicate the gathering space of our beloved spiritual home. Since we’ll be entirely outdoors, we’ve set a rain date for July 11th at 1pm. If you’re excited to join us, you may want to save both dates, on…