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September 6, 2018
Latest News
Join Us for Worship This Sunday!
Rededication of the Black Lives Matter Banner
Pride Parade and Festival
Potluck and Coffeehouse
Labyrinth News
From the Transition Team
Change of Date: Pastoral Care Associates Orientation
Demonstrating Our Values Through Eating
Fall Worship Service Schedule
Joys & Sorrows at FUUSB
Help Grow Souls!
Family Ministry Registration
Save the Date - Ordination of Andre Mol
Run for JUMP
 
 
 




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Join Us for Worship This Sunday!
Sunday, September 9  at  10 a.m.
chalice by river
Worship Leader: Rev. Susan Milnor

Worship Associate:  Judy Brook

"Endings and Beginnings" Multigenerational Service
Our Ingathering Service this year is for FUUSB the beginning of a transitional period, which follows the ending of a ministry. Where do we find ourselves at this meeting? What does it mean to be a people true to their calling during such a time? This will be the first of two sermons to try to locate us in this period, this one short. There will be a Reflections for All Ages, as well as a homily and a water ceremony.

This week's service will include a ritual of the joining and blessing of waters. Each congregant is invited to bring a small container of water from an important place in your life, which could be your home. Perhaps this is a natural body of water you regularly visit, some rainwater you have collected, or even tap water from your house. When you arrive, you will find stations throughout the sanctuary to contribute your offering. During the service itself, we will all participate in the joining and blessing of this water, representing the joining of our congregational community at the beginning of our program year.

Black Lives Matter Banner Rededication
Sally Russell, Racial Justice Team

This Sunday, September 9 immediately after worship, Rev. Susan will be leading a Ceremony of Rededication before social hour. Please join us in a circle around the Black Lives Matter banner in front of the meeting house. We will gather five minutes after the postlude ends.

Pride Parade and Festival 2018
Zoe Hart

The annual Pride Parade and Festival is this  Saturday, September 8  and First UU will be marching in the parade. Park at the First UU Meeting House and walk down to the parade staging area together at  11:45 a.m.  or meet us at the staging area (Hood plant parking lot on King St. between Church St. and S. Winooski Ave.) at  noon . We'll march and sing together all the way to the Pride Festival at Battery Park. See you  Saturday !
 
Potluck and Coffeehouse
Todd Schlossberg

Saturday, September 8 
FUUSB Sanctuary City Potluck and Coffeehouse:
 

Join us for Good Food, Good Company, and Sweet Late Summer Music

Now that the summer is winding on down
and the evenings have started to cool
and it's suddenly harder to park near downtown
'Cause the students are all back at school 

Let's gather together here at the UU
With good friends, good food, and some song
It's our monthly potluck and our coffeehouse too  
and you don't have to wait very long

This Saturday evening, the 8th of September 
Right here in the parlors behind us  
In case you forget, this may help you remember
So you'll know just where you can find us 

We get started at six, and tuck into the food
It's always a delicious meal 
'Round seven we start with the coffeehouse show 
Sing a song, read a poem if you feel
       
Bring something to taste, it won't go to waste
A salad, a soup, or a stew?  
All ages are welcome, bring a friend, or a few! 
Most importantly, just please bring you!

Where: FUUSB Parlors
Date: Saturday, September 8
Time: 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. 
Bring: A favorite dish (late summer en trees especially encouraged), an instrument, a song, a poem, or a story, friends and family members, yourself!
 
Labyrinth News
Labyrinth Sunday - Septemer 9
Join us at the Labyrinth after the service, weather permitting. The flags will be out around the labyrinth and someone from the Labyrinth Ministry will be there to answer questions and guide you on your walk. 

Labyrinth Maintenance
We need some help in maintaining the Labyrinth - weeding between bricks and cutting back the grass along the bricks. If you have a few extra minutes to lend a hand please feel free to help out. Thanks!

Carol MacDonald -  carol@carolmacdonald.com or (802) 862-9037. 
 
From the Transition Team
Kathleen Bonilla

This time of year is a time of change for us all. Camping gear changes into school supplies; petunias change into the red leaves of the maple tree. But this year change will be more challenging for us folks at FUUSB. We are just beginning our two year process of moving from a settled minister to an interim minister and hopefully to a new settled minister. To assist us with this transition a Transition Team has been established. The members of this team are Stephen Rainville, Jill Allen, Cheryl Herrick, Barbara Heeter, Kathleen Bonilla and our interim minister, Rev. Susan Milnor. This team will be assisting Rev. Susan and the congregation in the process of getting to know one another and will provide guidance to both during this interim period.  
 
To begin our new relationship with our interim minister, a Meet and Greet has been scheduled for Sunday, September 16 at 11:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary, following the 10 a.m. service. This will be an informal gathering in which we can begin to get to know Rev. Susan and her us.  
Subsequent to this event there will be smaller Transition Workshops for the congregation, with the assistance of the Transition Team and Rev. Susan to dig deeper into the transition process. The dates for those workshops will be announced as they are scheduled. We plan to schedule several of these workshops in order to accommodate peoples' schedules.
 
The purpose of the Transition Team is to assist the congregation with the transition. The Transition Team will not be part of the search for a new settled minister. This task will be designated to a Search Committee which will begin its work sometime next summer. In the interim if you have any questions regarding the transition please feel free to talk with one of the Transition Team members. They will do their best to answer your question, or if unable to, will point you in the direction of someone who can. Also, please try to attend one of the Transition Workshop meetings, dates and times TBD.  
 
Change may happen in our lives, but Transition is what we choose to do with it.
 
Change of Date: Pastoral Care Associates Orientation
Andre Mol, Developmental Assistant Minister for Pastoral Care and Membership

The orientation session for Pastoral Care Associates has moved to  September 18, 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.  This meeting is for anyone interested in joining the newly forming Pastoral Care Associates team at FUUSB. These associates will work closely with our ministers and our Care Network to provide pastoral care to members of our society. For questions about this team and the orientation session, please reach out to Martha Molpus, Lead Pastoral Care Associate ( mmolpus@sover.net ), or Andre Mol, Developmental Assistant Minister for Pastoral Care and  Membership ( andre@uusociety.org ).

Demonstrating Our Values Through Eating Dinner Invite!
Valerie Wood-Lewis

Find yourself thinking about how to apply social justice issues to your plate? Looking to reduce your meat and dairy intake for health reasons, to fight climate change, or to help animals?
 
Everywhere you turn, there are mentions of the myriad health and environmental benefits of moving your diet towards more plant-based foods. Curious how to do that, with ease and convenience in mind? Need some delicious new, tested, family-friendly recipes? 
 
Come to a delicious, free, plant-based dinner, complete with recipes to take home! Meet new UU friends, ask questions, and get inspiration to add more plant-based meals into your week, all in a non-judgmental atmosphere.
 
Tuesday, September 25, 6:30-8 p.m. in Burlington, pre-registration required. RSVP to Valerie at 859-0049 or  valerie@burlingtontelecom.net. Bon Appetit!
 
Fall Worship Service Schedule

On Sunday, September 30 , we will begin our regular  two service schedule.  Join us for worship at  9 and 11 a.m. on Sundays!

Joys & Sorrows at FUUSB
Andre Mol, Developmental Assistant Minister for Pastoral Care and Membership

You may notice a change to the format of the joys and sorrows book that is used on Sundays. This change is simply to help our ministers and caring volunteers follow up where appropriate with individuals who share something personal during worship.

While the format has changed, our ritual of sharing joys and sorrows during worship as a way of caring for each other has not changed. Please use this book to share a personal joy or sorrow to be read out loud during service. Please write your name if you wish for it to be shared as well.  

Sharing concern for each other includes respecting each other's personal information. Please do not share personal information or the name of someone else without their permission.

If you think you may need spiritual support for anything that touches a tender spot in your spirit (such as hospitalization, a death in the family, a spiritual crisis, or any life challenge), please call our Spiritual Support Line at 802-870-0447. This will connect you with Andre Mol, our Developmental Assistant Minister for Pastoral Care and Membership, or it will connect you with one of our trained caring volunteers.

Help Grow Souls! Help with Faith Formation!
Erika Reif, Religious Education Assistant

It's that time of year again! Fall is right around the corner and  Family Ministry at the First UU is in the process of recruiting stewards for 2018-19. We need volunteers to work with every age group from preschool through high school.

Whether you have taught a Religious Education class in the past or not, here is your opportunity to deepen your own faith while helping others form theirs. You do not have to be a parent to participate, and volunteering with children or youth is a great way to strengthen the ties between younger families and the rest of our beloved community!

If you are interested in leading or assisting in a preschool through 7th grade classroom or acting as an advisor to our YUUth group, please take a moment to  fill out this form   and Andrea, our Director of Family Ministry, will be in touch to discuss the specific opportunities that match your interests.

We are very excited to be offering two 8th Grade OWL classes this fall! In order to keep providing this invaluable opportunity to our youth and the youth of the larger community, we need more dedicated volunteers! Specifically, we are looking for individuals, 25 and older, who are willing to attend a weekend-long training and join our 8th Grade OWL teaching team later in the year or in fall of 2019.

Trainings are held in  Auburndale, Massachusetts, outside of Boston. FUUSB will cover the cost of the class and accommodation.
Please contact Andrea Spencer-Linzie, 
andrea@uusociety.org, if you are interested in becoming an OWL facilitator.

Family Ministry Registration
Erika Reif, Religious Education Assistant

Fall is almost here and so it is time to register children and youth for classes and YUUth group! 

As we take our first steps towards a Family Ministry model of faith formation, you may notice a change in the language we use; what we referred to in the past as Religious Education classes will now be known as Family Ministry classes, but will remain very similar in practice. 

We will also be rolling out some new opportunities for families to grow in faith together throughout the year, so expect to hear more about those soon!

I invite you all to register your children from the littlest nursery goers through seniors in high school with this  link to our database. Returning families are already known to the database, and I encourage you to create a log-in for yourselves; newcomers can register as guests.

It is very helpful to our planning process to get children and youth registered at the beginning of the year when possible, so your prompt action will be greatly appreciated!

Please contact me with any questions you may have about this process at  reassistant@uusociety.org.
 
Save the Date - Ordination of Andre Mol
Come join the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington to celebrate the ordination of Andre Mol into the Unitarian Universalist ministry on Saturday, October 27 at 3 p.m. with a reception following the service. Andre previously served as our ministerial intern and currently serves for this year as our Developmental Assistant Minister for Pastoral Care and Membership. RSVP here:  http://evite.me/6PUde3Rb8y
 
Run for JUMP on September 22!

Join us for the annual Run or Walk for JUMP on September 22 at 10:00 a.m.!
 
This year the run will be as fun as ever and has set a goal of raising $15,000 to support the work of JUMP (Joint Urban Ministry Project):
  • Vouchers for transportation, food, clothing, household goods, laundry, utilities, ID's and prescription co-pays
  • Thoughtful, caring support and informed referrals from JUMP staff and volunteers during JUMP's Drop-In Center hours: 9 a.m. to noon, Tuesday through Friday.
  • Food bags, personal hygiene items, cleaning products and toiletries for neighbors in need
Run for JUMP   is a fun event for students, adults, children, grandchildren and the entire family as it includes an open 5K run, a 1K run for kids under 14, and a 1K walk - all on Burlington's beautiful Waterfront.  Become an event sponsor or register as an individual to participate. Help those in need while also having fun! FREE PARKING!
 
Local businesses, including many restaurants, donate prizes for the top finishers, top team, age group winners, and youth and adult fundraisers. Every participant will have an opportunity to win terrific raffle prizes.
   
Register online at:
 
or download a registration form at: 
Also, forms will be available at event.
   
For more information or to sign up to volunteer:  visit  www.jumpvt.org  or please contact JUMP Director Wanda Hines at 777-3821, or email 
run@jumpvt.org if you would like to serve on the event committee, volunteer on race day from 8 a.m. - noon, or help recruit participants. We need your help to make the run the best it can be!