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Sunday, November 5,
9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Rev. Phyllis B. O'Connell, Sabbatical Minister
"Knee Deep in Abundance"
What does it mean to be knee deep in abundance? Most likely it doesn't mean one person has greater wealth or more material resources than another. Wouldn't we agree that abundance is a state of mind more than anything else? And if not, then what is it really?
Worship Associate: Rodney Lowe
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Visit the
eNews
archives
on our website
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| Daylight Saving Reminder for November 4 |
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Remember to set your clocks
back
one hour on
November 4
! Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. next Sunday, November 5.
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Join Us for Worship This Week
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Sunday, October 29 at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
"General Assembly 2017: Resist and Rejoice"
General Assembly (GA) is the time each year when thousands of UUs come together from all over the U.S. We come together to worship, to sing, to learn, to make connections. This year, in New Orleans, the theme was Resist and Rejoice, and over 4,000 UUs came to do just that, including 30 people from our congregation. We elected a new UUA president. Throughout GA, the work against white supremacy and for racial justice within the UUA were the predominant themes in workshops, reports, and business items. GA is our connection to the wider UU universe, a time of inspiration that is infectious. We want to try to share that excitement with you, and to do that we will learn a few new songs and share video clips, including a piece from our own Rev. Mara's Sunday service.
Worship Team: Gene Bergman, Wendy Coe,
Woody Fulton, Zoe Hart, Rodney Lowe, and Sally Russell
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| Religious Education Class Schedule |
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Martha Dallas, Director of Religious Education
Upcoming Sundays for prescho
ol through 7th grade: 
October 29:
Classroom Sunday
November 5: Classroom Sunday
preceded by Children's Chapel
November 12: Scheduled Classroom Sunday is replaced by special surprise activities for Martha's Goodbye Party.
November 19
:
Multigenerational Thanksgiving worship (Martha's last Sunday)
November 26
:
FUNday
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| New Members Welcome - Small Group Ministry |
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The Small Group Ministry program is a vital part of most UU congregations across the nation. Groups are comprised of six to ten members or friends who meet once or twice a month for two hours, have a lay leader, a regular meeting format, and a topic or questions to stimulate thinking. Joining a Small Group Ministry Group is a great way to become more connected with our Society without the additional commitment of a volunteer role. Most people feel that their time meeting with their group contributes to their own sense of well-being, at the same time that they are present for others.
The following Small Group Ministry Groups would welcome new members:
Evening Groups:
Wednesday - Eckhart Tolle Group (5:45 to 7:45 p.m.)
Thursday - Finding Our Truth (6:00 to 8:00 p.m.)
Afternoon Groups:
Thursday - Creative Spirits (3:45 to 5:45 p.m., once a month)
Friday - First Fridays (1:00 to 2:30 pm, once a month)
Morning Groups:
Tuesday - Seekers (10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)
Saturday - Wise Together (10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)
Unless indicated, the groups listed meet twice a month either at the meeting house or in member homes. While more of the groups currently have just women in the group, the Eckhart Tolle group is mostly men with a broad age range, and First Friday has both men and women, mostly retired.
The Eckhart Tolle group is currently the only "affinity" group, with meeting topics drawn from the work of Eckhart Tolle, author of
The Power of Now and
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. Eckhart Tolle is said to be (currently) "the most popular spiritual author in the United States" (Wikipedia). Rather than identifying with a particular religion, Tolle's ideas are influenced by a variety of the world's spiritual writings and are well-suited for discussion by those who honor UU principles and values.
To join one of these groups or for more information on Small Group Ministry, look for the Small Group Ministry sign in the Parlors this coming
Sunday, October 29, after both services; check the poster in the hall outside the Parlors; or email
[email protected]. I will respond as quickly as possible.
Hope Baker-Carr, Coordinator of Small Group Ministry
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| Community Chorus Starting Next Week |
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T
he first rehearsal of the new Community Chorus will be on Wednesday, November 1
from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. in the Parlors.
Who may join: All are welcome, children and adults alike! We will sing music along the lines of what a group of Freedom Singers would sing, such as peace and protest songs (i.e. This Land is Your Land, I've Got Peace Like a River). No experience nor audition required. You do not need to read music. Guitars and hand percussion welcome as well!
Rehearsal schedule: Monthly - The first Wednesday of the month from November to May, from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m.
Sunday service schedule: Monthly - Every first Sunday of the month from November to May for the 11 a.m. service (second service). Call time is 10:15 a.m. for the Chorus in the Sanctuary.
Note: For the first rehearsal we ask that all children under age 18 be accompanied by a parent or guardian for the full rehearsal, as we will have a brief meeting in the last 15 minutes of rehearsal to discuss a chaperoning plan that mutually works for all involved, in order to ensure that there's enough adult supervision in the room.
Please contact Jennifer Carpenter, Music Director, with questions at
[email protected].
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| New UU Getting Acquainted Class |
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 Nina Dahlstedt Buss, Membership Coordinator
Would you like to learn more about Unitarian Universalism? Find out about some of our activities? Meet other newcomers? If so, please come to the New UU Getting Acquainted class on
November 5 from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in the Susan B. Anthony Room (upstairs). RSVP is helpful but not required. Contact Nina Dahlstedt Buss at
[email protected] with questions or to RSVP.
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| Black Lives Matter Challenges and Responses |
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Zoe Hart
After the service on Sunday, November 5 at 10:15 a.m. or 12:15 p.m., join members of the Racial Justice Task Force upstairs in the Susan B. Anthony Room for a discussion about challenges to the Black Lives Matter movement and ways that we, as allies, can respond to those challenges individually and as a community. This discussion is one of a series of events aimed at helping our Society make a decision about supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and putting up a Black Lives Matter banner.
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| K-1 OWL Parent Info Session |
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Martha Dallas
Kindergarten and First Grade OWL (Our Whole Lives) Parent Info Session
WHEN:
Sunday, November 5, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Attendance is optional but encouraged for parents of kindergartners and first graders. We will provide an overview of this upcoming age-appropriate human sexuality program. This is your chance to bring questions before making a final decision about your child's enrollment this year. It won't be offered again until 2019-2020. Contact Martha Dallas:
[email protected]
.
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| November Book Group Meeting |
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The monthly Book Group will meet on Tuesday, November 14 at 12:00 p.m. November's book: An Address in Amsterdam by Mary Dingee Fillmore. Click here for more information!
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| Pledge Alert!!! |
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Christina Fulton, Director of Operations and Finance
At the very end of the last fiscal year, many people discovered that they had not paid anything on their pledge! How could this happen, you might ask? Well, most of these people thought their pledge payments were set up to be charged to a credit card or taken out of their bank account every month. Perfect! What could wrong? Ahhh, what could go wrong... Let me count the ways:
1. Your set-up had an end date of June 30 of the prior year and you forgot to go in and update it in the system.
2. Your credit card was compromised and you forgot to put your new card number in the system.
3. Your credit card expired and you forgot to put the new expiration date in the system.
4. You moved to a different bank and you forgot to change your bank info in the system.
So you might be thinking, "How can I tell if my pledge is up to date?" The answer is easy! Earlier this week you were emailed or mailed a Giving Statement. Please check your email inbox or junk folder and find your Giving Statement. Make sure that the payments you thought were set up are actually reaching us. If they are not on your statement, then go to our website,
http://www.uusociety.org/Contributions, log into your account, and make the necessary updates.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact me at
[email protected] and I will do my best to help. Thank you all for your generous support of our mission through your annual giving!
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| In Case You Missed It... |
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Lynn Douglas
If you missed the announcement last Sunday about participating in Martha's celebration, please check in at the main office
on Sunday or during the week. Mary will be happy to help you. For other questions, contact Lynn Douglas at
[email protected].
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| Justice Volunteer Opportunity |
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 Zoe Hart
Have you been looking for a way to get more involved at First UU, but not ready to sign up for a long-term commitment and monthly meetings? Here's a great opportunity to make a short-term commitment and make a difference.
Guest at Your Table is the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee's annual program to raise support for and awareness about their work to advance human rights. UUSC is the service arm of our UU faith. Their work challenging injustice and advancing human rights around the globe is supported by contributions from UUs like us.
First UU's Justice and Outreach ministry is seeking a volunteer (or two or three) to coordinate this year's Guest at Your Table campaign. UUSC provides all the materials we need and Zoe Hart, the Justice and Outreach lay lead, will work with you to put together a plan for the campaign. This job is a short, six to eight week commitment with a relatively light effort each week.
If you're interested or have questions, please contact Zoe Hart at
[email protected] or (802) 373-7583.
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Update From the Care Network Team
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We have a new request this week. Kathy Bonilla's family needs help once a month with light cleaning. For details, call Kathy
(802-355-8971
) or contact Sarah Weber
(802-373-0197
). To sign up, click the link below.
All active requests, whether meals or rides or help with other things, can now be accessed from one place. Click here:
The First Unitarian Universalist Society homepage
and scroll down just a little. This same link is also on the Society Facebook page.
Thank you for all your support.
On behalf of the Care Network,
Sarah Weber
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| Afterword for October 22 |
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 Rev. Phyllis B. O'Connell, Sabbatical Minister
References for last Sunday's sermon include the following:
Choral Anthem: Song of Kabir (p
oetry by Kabir, 1440-1518; music by Elizabeth Alexander, b. 1962)
Reading: from the novel
Safekeeping by Jessamyn Hope
The quote about millions not knowing what to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon is by Susan Ertz.
And the quote about time and the basketball score was by the late Rev. Ric Matsen, troubadour, p
oet and folk singer.
The sermon was based, partly, on Rev. Phyllis's essay in the book of essays called Landscapes of Aging and Spirituality by SkinnerHouse Press.
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| History of Our 200-Year-Old Meeting House |
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 Mary Gade
Questions you have never asked, but might wonder about:
- Has there always been a platform in front of the Sanctuary?
- When were the original box pews removed?
- Is the slate roof the original?
- Is the steeple the original?
- How would the Sanctuary look in European décor?
For the answers to these and other questions, help yourself to a copy of the booklet 1816 - 2016, The First Two Hundred Years of the Old Brick Meeting House of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington. It is now available, free of charge, in the Parlors and the main office.
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| Lost and Found Reminder |
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If you have lost an item at the meeting house, remember to check the lost and found basket and bulletin board just inside the main office for small items like jewelry and glasses. For larger items, check the lost and found bin in the Community Room, or the coat rack by the Parlors.
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