Fellowship member Connie Ussery leads the UU Water Communion next Sunday, and you can participate. But you must act now. (Or before Thursday at 11 a.m.)

The Water Communion (aka the Water Ceremony) is a Unitarian Universalist ritual created in the 1980s to evoke, explore and celebrate the Sixth Principle (world community) and the Seventh Principle (the interconnected web). Our Fellowship has practiced this by inviting people to bring samples of water, often from places they’ve visited, and share brief stories about what that water meant to them.

We’re doing it differently this year for two reasons.

First, there’s a pandemic. We’re not meeting in person. We videotape our services in advance, for our YouTube channel, but we still want you to participate. Here’s the new plan. Drop off your (small) water sample at the entrance to Grace Fellowship Hall. Include a card with a short explanation of why this sample is important. Do this before Thursday at 11 a.m. Then send email us alerting us you left a sample. (Your email also could include your thoughts about the water and even an appropriate photo. But remember, it’s not about vacations this year. It’s about principles.)

Second, the Unitarian Universalist Association has been emphasizing a change in the focus of the Water Communion. This year, our ceremony will be less a travelogue, less a report on recent vacations, and more about on your personal relationships and thoughts about water and the principles of  Unitarian Universalism.

We hope you’ll participate. If you do leave a sample of water at Grace Fellowship Hall, also send us an email to [email protected] alerting us it’s there. (You also can write your short thoughts in the email, too, instead of writing them on a card, if that is easier for you.) If you want to participate but cannot drop off you sample in time, let us know that too. We’ll figure something out. Put “Water Communion” in the subject of the email. (For example, email us a thought and ask us to find a surrogate water sample for you.)

We hope you’ll participate, but remember—the deadline for submission is THURSDAY MORNING AT 11 A.M.