Planning for and Addressing Pandemics in Your Community

When outbreaks of life-threatening disease are spreading, and the possibility of pandemic is near, we can often feel helpless. But as communities of faith, we have a significant role to play in the prevention of pandemics and the response to pandemics when they occur.

Leading Our Congregations During a Pandemic

From emergency operations planning to adapting worship on Sunday mornings, we can slow the spread of disease by finding ways to gather with or without the physical presence of staff and parishioners in our building. 

UUA Guidance on "Reopening" In-Person

• Updated Guidance for Gathering, a 5/14/20 letter to congregational leaders by UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray. UU congregations are essential, but must remain virtual until the pandemic truly subsides.
• UUA Guidance on Gathering In-Person When COVID-19 Subsides, released 5/14/20

Leading Sunday Services Electronically

With technology and creativity, we can continue gathering virtually even when in-person gatherings are ill-advised. It is our strong UUA recommendation to not gather in person, and we advise everyone to heed their local health departments' recommendations.

• Adapting Sunday morning for virtual worship
• Worship resources for the COVID-19 pandemic

• Using UUA-copyrighted materials in virtual worship

Ministering to Children, Youth, and Families

• Multigenerational Ministry in an Age of Physical Distancing
• Parenting During a Pandemic
• The robust Lay Spiritual Care Training for non-ordained leaders includes a module on Children and Youth.

Connecting With and Caring For People 

• Pastoral care and support networks during pandemics
• A robust Lay Spiritual Care Training for non-ordained leaders.

Adapting Small Group Ministries and Affinity Groups for Adults

• Technical guidance for adapting small group meetings to be online

Holding Memorial Services When Gatherings are Restricted

• A guide to planning online memorial services offers guidance on videoconference gatherings as well as preparation for multiple in-person celebrations of life when gatherings are able to resume.

Addressing Financial and Employment Challenges

With hourly workers having fewer hours, annual pledge kick-off services canceled, and income uncertain, congregations have entered a financially-uncertain time during which we are all challenged to live our values despite very real financial fear. How can we be good employers? How can we foster financial generosity? What technical skills do we need to do an offering online on a Sunday morning?

See resources and guidance for: 

• Congregations as employers during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Self-care and staff care during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Stewardship during virtual Sundays 
• Collecting the offering electronically
• Facing financial stewardship challenges (including pledge drives that have been disrupted)

Holding Business Meetings

• Insights on the legality of holding official meetings online during a pandemic
• Technical guidance for online virtual voting in all-member congregational meetings being conducted virtually

Developing and Activating an Emergency Operations Plan

• Emergency operations plans for pandemics

Engage With Our Growing Library of Resources

• The UUA's Leadership Resource Library has multiple guides, frameworks, and collections of crowd-sourced wisdom on how congregations can approach ministry in a time of pandemic.
• Find all #COVID-19 tagged resources on UUA.org

A time of pandemic is indeed a time that reminds us of the Interconnected Web of All Existence. Whatever we can do to nurture the health of the web in such a critical time is a true way to live out our Principles.