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Online Joys & Sorrows Submission Form
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Join Us for These Weekly Online Events!
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Sundays at 10:45 a.m.
(no coffee hour June 7)
Virtual Coffee Hour
(meeting ID: 664 917 485)
Sundays at 12 p.m.
Yuuth Group
or call 1-413-398-0207 (PIN: 744 756 177#)
Zoom-In Lunch with Rev. Tricia
or call 1-646-558-8656
(meeting ID: 105 353 699)
Thursdays at 4 p.m.
Drop-In Chalice Circle
or call 1-646-558-8656 (meeting ID: 882 782 496)
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Visit the publication
archives on our website!
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First UU Society of Burlington
152 Pearl Street
Burlington, VT 05401
(802) 862-5630
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Join Us for Online Worship This Sunday!
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Rev. Tricia Hart, Erika Reif & Margo Whitcomb, Sam Whitesell, James Stewart and FUUSB Virtual Choir
"What Are We Learning?"
This has been a remarkable time in the life of this congregation - happening as it is amid a global pandemic and a nationwide protest against the violence of racism. Books and articles and movies and documentaries will summarize the meaning of it all at some future time... But what does it mean to us now? How are we growing, in this time, as people of faith?
This week's service will be available online at 9:45 a.m., to allow time for members to register for the annual meeting.
2020 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY - 11 a.m.
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| Annual Meeting This Sunday |
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 Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance
This year's annual meeting will be historic. We will be meeting via Zoom! If you are a voting member, you should have already received your warning in the mail. We will be voting on four items: 1) Approve the minutes from last year's annual meeting, 2) Approve the slate of nominations, 3) Approve a request from the Property Team to use Meeting House Fund money for maintenance on the Meeting House, and 4) Approve the 2020/2021 Fiscal Year Budget. We need to have at least 45 members at the meeting to reach a quorum, so please plan to attend
this Sunday, June 7 at 11 a.m.
Please note that Registration opens at 10:30 a.m. When you check into the Zoom meeting you will be put into a waiting room. You may be there for a little while; please be patient. You will then be put into a registration room with a staff member who will check you in. No one will be admitted into the meeting after 11:05 a.m.
Having an annual meeting via Zoom is a bit complicated, but we have done the research, practiced, and are confident that we can do this and do it well. We are asking for everyone's patience and kindness as we navigate this new way of doing Annual Meeting.
Along with the warning, you also received some Annual Meeting Instructions. Please read these now and become familiar with them. You can find links to the Summary Budget, Annual Meeting Instructions and Warning, and Annual Report on our website:
uusociety.org/members/meeting-minutes/
We look forward to seeing you!
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Anti-Racism Silent Vigil
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 Zoe Hart
This Sunday, June 7 at 1 p.m. we will join in solidarity with our neighbors at St. Paul's Cathedral and other Burlington faith communities in a 30-minute silent vigil in protest of the racist acts of recent days and those of our long racist history. We will have Side With Love and Black Lives Matter signs from our Love & Justice vigils and participants are also invited to bring their own signs if they would like. We will be wearing masks and maintaining social distance. All are welcome to join us in front of the First UU Meeting House. For those who are unable to safely join in this activity and others, we will miss you and hold you with us in spirit.
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Love & Justice Vigils
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Zoe Hart
First UU Is Open for Justice!
With the governor's easing of restrictions on gatherings, starting last week we have resumed our weekly Love & Justice vigils every Wednesday, 5:15-5:45 p.m. in front of the First UU Society Meeting House. We gather with masks and maintain six feet of distance for safety. If you are feeling in good health and can do so safely, please join us any Wednesday. We'll try to have extra masks, but if you can bring your own, please do. We know that during this ongoing pandemic, many who would like to show up are unable to do so safely. Know that we hold you with us in spirit whenever we gather.
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Seeking New Yuuth Group Advisors
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 Gabriel Ely, Youth Ministry Coordinator
Could you benefit from youthful inspiration or authentic connection during this time of physical distancing? Our wonderfully thoughtful group of yuuth is looking for new advisors for our expanded virtual meeting schedule! We are especially in need of advisors for our Yuuth Group meetings on Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. We provide each other support, explore our values, and play interesting games. If you're interested, want to dip your toe in the water, or have questions, let me know!
- Gabriel,
[email protected]
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| Youth Bridging Ceremony |
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Gabriel Ely, Youth Ministry Coordinator
Are you a graduating high school senior? Are you interested in being part of this year's bridging ritual for youth bridging into young adulthood? Send me an email!
-Gabriel,
[email protected]
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Zoom Coffeehouse and Campfire
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 Todd Schlossberg
Come to Our Monthly Second Saturday Zoom Coffeehouse and Campfire
Saturday, June 13 at 7:00 p.m.!
Join dear friends, next Saturday night
To share music and tales, and smiles so bright
Songs, poems, and stories, lift up and inspire
Warm your hands and your heart at our online campfire!
Who: Everyone! Invite friends and family!
How: via Zoom, on your computer, tablet, or phone
When: Saturday, June 13, at 7:00 p.m.
Share: a song, an instrumental piece, a short story or poem, a sleight of hand, or just watch and listen
To reserve a slot on the open mic list:
Please let me know the genre (e.g., song, poem, etc.),
and plan to perform one piece (about 5-6 minutes max.) to start, so that everyone has a chance to share. If we have time, we'll go back around the campfire and perform more pieces. This month's theme at the UU is
compassion - feel free to share a piece that reflects that theme, or whatever moves you.
Zoom Invitation:
Meeting ID: 880 8422 4318,
Password: 933904
Audio only:
1-646-558-8656; enter meeting ID: 88084224318#; 1#; password: 933904#
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Staying Connected
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 Sarah Russell
On
Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. the Membership Team will be holding a virtual "Staying Connected" gathering. "Staying Connected" is primarily intended for "newish" folks to get acquainted and learn a bit more about First UU Society. It is very informal; we simply go around the "room" introducing ourselves, collecting and answering questions.
We've hosted three of these gatherings so far; all were well-attended with positive feedback. We warmly invite you to join us via Zoom. We look forward to seeing you!
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General Assembly - It's Not Too Late!
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 Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance
General Assembly (GA) will be held June 24-28 as a 100% virtual event! Have you ever wondered what GA is all about? This is your chance to check it out from your own home. Learn about GA at
uua.org/ga. Registration is still open and is only $150:
uua.org/ga/registration. FUUSB has
15 scholarships available if you need help with the registration fee.
If you would like a scholarship, please email Christina at
[email protected]
as soon as possible. You will need to register on your own, and we will send you a check to reimburse you for the fee.
FUUSB has 10 Delegates (members who can vote at GA). If you plan to attend GA Business sessions and would like to be a delegate, please email Christina. For more information about being a delegate, check out the UUA webiste:
uua.org/ga/congregations/delegates
Please contact Christina if you have any questions!
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| Staff Participating in GA |
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During the week of General Assembly, beginning June 23, several FUUSB staff members will be participating in GA Professional Days and GA activities. Please know that if you contact staff during that week, we may not be able to respond right away. Thank you!
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The Black Heritage of Burlington
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Linda Cooper
Your Racial Justice Team brings you a Walking tour: The Black Heritage of Burlington, Saturday, June 27, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Take a walk along Archibald and Elmwood Streets with historian Elise Guyette to discover some of the African American history of the Old North End. As we walk and talk, we will encounter a former black church, a black-owned grocery store, the former home of black barbers who worked on Church St., a hotel that was once in the "Green Book" and more. Meet at the George and Elaine Little Park on the corner of North Winooski and Archibald. Elise Guyette is author of Discovering Black Vermont: African American Farmers in Hinesburg, 1790- 1890.
Please register at this link.
We are limiting this event to the first 20 who sign up, with a minimum age of 18, and ask that you bring some funds for a donation to our walk leader. We also ask that you wear a facial mask and maintain social distance throughout the event.
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Reminder: Angel Fund
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 Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance
Many members of our Society are unable to make a pledge for the 2020/2021 fiscal year because of the pandemic. Some have lost their jobs and some are just too unsure of their financial situation to make that type of commitment.
We also know there are other members who are more financially secure right now and might be able to make a gift in addition to their pledge, to help cover the loss of pledge income we're seeing in these uncertain times.
So with a starter gift from a very generous member, we have created the Angel Fund for one-time gifts to help replace lost pledge income due to the pandemic. Our hope is that members who are unable to pledge will feel some sense of relief knowing that the Society will not be negatively affected by their inability to pledge at this time.
To date, we have raised just over $7,000 from 40 different contributors!
We hope you will consider making a gift to the Angel Fund. Gifts can be made by sending a check to the Society with "Angel" in the memo line or by giving online from our website:
uusociety.org/donate
. Please contact Christina at
[email protected]
if you have any questions. Thank you so much for your generosity!
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Reminder: Guide to Online Giving
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Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance
Many of you have been deciding to make your pledge and other gifts to the Society online. This is a wonderful idea that we support wholeheartedly. Giving online is safe and cuts down on administrative time processing checks. If you're considering this way of giving, but you're still a bit confused, here are the basics:
Where to set up your gift - If you are a member and have a Realm account, just log in to your account and click on Giving. From there you can either make a one-time gift or set up automatic payments. If you do not have a Realm account, you can make online gifts from our website:
uusociety.org/donate/. From there you can also make a one-time gift or set up automatic payments.
How to make sure your gift is credited to the right fund - When you set up online giving, there are several funds to choose from; here is a guide:
- Angel Fund - This fund helps replace pledge income lost due to COVID-19 (applied to 2020/2021 fiscal year)
- Share the Plate - This fund is like putting money in the basket on Sunday morning; it is split 50/50 between the Society and a nonprofit.
- 2019/2020 Pledge - Gifts to this fund will be credited to your current year pledge.
- Gift - All to FUUSB - Gifts to this fund will go to the current year general fund.
- 2020/2021 Pledge - Gifts to this fund are credited to your pledge for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
- Youth Group - This fund supports our Youth Group.
- Boston Trip - Gifts to this fund support our youth going on the Boston UU History Trip.
- Discretionary Fund - This fund assists members of our community with personal financial needs.
What methods of giving do you accept? - Credit cards, debit cards, or automatic debits from your savings or checking account. There are fees involved with these, but the fee is smallest for automatic debits. If you would like to cover the fees, you will be given the opportunity to do so while setting up your gift.
How often can I give? - You can make one-time gifts as often as you like! If you plan to set up automatic giving, you can choose to give every week, every two weeks, every month, twice a month, or every three months.
Can I give to more than one fund at a time? - Yes! You can choose which funds you would like to give to and how much you would like to give to each fund.
Can I text my gift? - Yes! You can text a gift to FUUSB at any time by texting Steeple to 73256. You will be given the opportunity to give to any of the funds above.
If you ever have questions about online giving, please contact Christina at
[email protected].
Thank you so much for your generosity and support of FUUSB!
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Reminder: Online Joys & Sorrows Form
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While in-person services are suspended due to the pandemic, we want to provide an alternative way for you to share your Joys & Sorrows with the congregation.
An online Joys & Sorrows submission form is now available at this link.
Joys & Sorrows will be shared in the service as much as possible. Since online services are available publicly on the FUUSB YouTube channel, we will not read full names or personal details.
Thank you for your help as we experiment with this new online tool.
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| In Memoriam |
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Our dear friend, Anna Klock, passed away on May 28, 2020. Anna had been an active member of FUUSB for 18 years. For many of those years Anna and her husband Bill traveled every Sunday from their home in New York all the way to Burlington to share worship with us. We will share any memorial service plans as they become available.
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