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Sunday, December 30
at 11 a.m.
Worship Leaders:
Maeve McBride and Kristin Kany
"Together in Sacred Space"
To mark the end of 2018 and to usher in 2019, we will gather together to create a shared sacred space. With song, meditations, and an end-of-year ritual, we will practice finding stillness, cultivating connected-ness, and deeply listening for guidance in the coming year. Similar to our end-of-the-year service last year, this service will be led by Maeve McBride and Kristin Kany, two of our lay worship associates.
On December 30, we will have one service at 11 a.m.
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Need Spiritual Support?
If you think you may need spiritual support for anything that touches a tender spot in your spirit, please call our
Spiritual Support Line
at (
802) 870-0447
.
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Visit the publication
archives on our website!
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Join Us for Worship This Sunday!
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Sunday, December 23 at 9 and 11 a.m.
Worship Leader:
Rev. Andre Mol, Developmental Assistant Minister for Pastoral Care and Membership
Worship Associate: Melinda Lee
"Mystery in Waiting"
The Christian season of Advent is a time of waiting and reflection before the arrival of the Christmas holiday. Many Unitarian Universalists do not observe Advent but perhaps there is something to be gained in the spiritual practice of waiting, especially amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Intentionally resting in the stillness that comes with waiting opens us up to the mystery and possibility in our lives.
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| Gingerbread Houses and Holiday Crafts |
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 Erika Reif, Family Ministry Assistant
This Sunday, December 23, after the Reflections for All Ages, anyone who wishes, child, youth, or adult, may join Andrea in the Community Room to make "gingerbread" houses from graham crackers decorated with an array of colorful sweets, and create holiday ornaments as well! This multi-age activity will take the place of Family Ministry classes for children.
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| From the Music Director Search Team |
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The search committee has met several times now. We have hammered out the job description and a notice we can use to advertise the job, and will post it soon.
Before we can interview applicants, we need to hear your thoughts about the music program at First UU. We know the program needs to satisfy the diverse needs and tastes in our congregation, and each of you is part of that diversity.
Therefore, we will be hosting a listening session at 12:15 p.m. this Sunday, December 23
. Please come and share what is important to you about the music program.
And don't hesitate to talk to us any time - We have light blue name tags so you can find us.
Steve Rainville, Mary Peabody, Priscilla Douglas, and Tom Hyde
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| Holiday Schedule for Worship Services |
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Please note the following schedule for our worship services during the holiday season. We hope you will join us!
Monday, December 24:
Christmas Eve Services at 4, 6, and 8 p.m.
4 p.m. - Multigenerational No-Rehearsal Christmas Pageant
6 p.m. and 8 p.m. - Service of readings, carols, anthems, homily, and
candlelighting, with Rev. Susan Milnor, Rev. Andre Mol,
and Adult Choir
Sunday, December 30: One service at 11 a.m.
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| "No-Rehearsal" Christmas Pageant |
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Our 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve candlelight service on Monday, December 24 is especially geared towards families with younger children, featuring our "no-rehearsal" Nativity Pageant, and filled with favorite carols. Children are invited to leap into the roles of Angels, Shepherds, Animals, Wise Ones and more! There are enough parts and costumes for every child or adult who wants to participate!
We are in need 4 or 5 adult pageant helpers. You will help put costumes on the children and point them in the right direction when it's their turn to enter the scene. Andrea will email you the script in advance, and ask you to arrive between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. You will also help clear the chancel and Sanctuary of pageant props and costumes and stow these away at the conclusion of the service, so that the 6:00 p.m. service is ready to go.
Please let Andrea know if you can help out!
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| Christmas Eve Candlelighters/Ushers |
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 We are in need of volunteers to be Ushers and Candle Lighters for our Christmas Eve services. There are still openings for two people at the 4 p.m. service. Volunteers must be at least 12 years old and be able to arrive 45 minutes prior to the service. Use this link to sign up:
http://signup.com/go/oqNXfBq
If you have any questions, please contact Christina at
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| Christmas Breakfast |
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 Lynn Douglas
FUUSB Christmas Breakfast: December 25 from 8-10 a.m.
Still plenty of help needed Christmas morning. Make a strata, bring orange juice, etc. Bring your best conversation and be hungry!
Or call Lynn Douglas at 318-2663, or email
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| FUUSB Offices Closed for the Holidays |
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The Society offices will be closed from Monday, December 24 through Tuesday, January 1
, so that staff members can celebrate the holidays with their families. We will reopen the offices on Wednesday, January 2.
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| End of Year Giving |
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 Christina Fulton, Director of Operations and Finance
For those of you planning to pay your pledge before the end of the 2018 calendar year, here are a few things to remember:
- FUUSB is required to follow IRS rules which state that a gift must be "delivered" to the Society by December 31 for it to count as a contribution for that year. That means that if you are sending us a check in the mail, it must be postmarked by December 31, 2018. If it is postmarked after that, even if the check is dated for December, I cannot count it as a 2018 contribution. It also means that if you are paying with a credit card, the transaction must be fully processed by December 31st. So please do not wait until December 31 to pay with a credit card, because that transaction will likely not be fully processed until January.
- Donations of Stock - Donations of stock allow a member to support causes important to them without affecting personal cash flow. Generally speaking, the most tax-advantaged approach is to donate stock held for more than one year that has appreciated in value. This provides for a larger charitable contribution and avoids tax on the capital gain. For losing stock, sell it first and then donate the cash. Individuals considering it should consult with their tax or financial advisor.
- Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA - Making a direct transfer from an IRA allows a member age 70½ or over to avoid a tax hit on the annual required minimum distribution. In this case, the charitable contribution must go directly to the Society, not the taxpayer first. This option requires some advance planning, so individuals considering it should consult with their tax or financial advisor.
- Postdated checks - The date of mailing will not make any difference if the check is postdated. A postdated check is not an immediately payable contribution, but it is a promise to pay on the date shown.
- Advance Charitable Deductions - If you regularly pledge to the Society, you might consider pre-paying part or all of your 2019 pledge, thus advancing the deduction into 2018. This can be especially helpful to individuals who marginally itemize their deductions, possibly allowing them to itemize this year and then take the standard deduction for 2019.
- For more information on giving/pledging to FUUSB, please check out our website: http://uusociety.org/donate/
If you have any questions about your pledge status, please contact Christina at 802-862-5630 ext. 22 or
[email protected]. We will be sending out 2018 Tax Year Giving Statements by the end of January.
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| "Highlight Burlington" at FUUSB |
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 David McFeeters, Facilities Manager
This year First Night has become Highlight. Here at the First UU Society it will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 31, and last through 9:30 p.m.
We are again recruiting volunteers to help with the event here at the Meeting House. Each volunteer will receive a bracelet that can be used to attend events across Burlington before or after their shift. We are hoping for three volunteers per shift.
The three volunteer shift times are: 12:45 to 3:45 p.m., 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and 6:15 to 9:15 p.m. There is a volunteer sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the Meeting House hallway. Please contact David McFeeters at
[email protected] or 802-862-5630 ext. 23 with questions.
Details about Highlight Burlington are available at
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| Highlight Lasagna Dinner |
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Jenn Schollmeyer
Calling all: Lasagna Makers, Cookie Bakers, Servers, Clearers and Setter Uppers!
The High Light Lasagna dinner is a family-friendly event during which we feed lots of hungry and chilly High Light participants a hearty, tummy warming spread! Please join in for a fun and rewarding evening by cooking your favorite tasty lasagna, baking cookies and/or becoming part of the special team of workers who make this event possible. This year the Yuuth Group is raising money for our annual Service Trip. We hope to go to Cape Cod to do animal rescue or another environmental job.
We need: Lasagnas (fresh from the oven) and Baked Goods to be delivered between 2 and 4 p.m. Dec. 31st. We are serving from 4:00 - 8:00 and need Volunteers to sign up for shifts from 2:00 - 5:30 and 5:15 - 9:00.
Sign-up sheets for Lasagna Makers, Cookie Bakers and Volunteers are at this link:
You can also sign up on the bulletin boards for Lasagna Makers, Cookie Bakers and Volunteers. Please sign up and help make this a memorable event!
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| We Need Your Input! Saturday, January 5 |
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Your Board of Trustees has hired Mark Ewert of "Stewardship for Us" to help our community examine our strengths, challenges, risks, opportunities and culture. Mark joins us the weekend of January 5
th
to meet with various groups and committees of the Society. As we are particularly hoping for input from newer members, youth, and those in our community who are not currently on a committee, lunch time with food provided will be open to all interested members. So please join us at the Meeting House at noon on January 5
th
for a rich discussion. All are welcome! The final schedule will be out soon.
Your Board of Trustees
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| Transition Workshop - January 13 |
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If you have not already attended a Transition Team Workshop...
The Transition Team will again be holding a Transition Workshop to reflect on where the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington is just now. This session will be held
Sunday, January 13 at 12:30 p.m. in the Community Room.
The past year has been a time of much change at the First UU Society. In truth, most of us don't like change unless it is change we particularly seek. When it happens, though, what falls within our power is how we respond and adapt, whether we use it as an opportunity to grow. If we do, that's a creative transition.
This workshop is the same as the workshops held in early December. It is designed to lay the groundwork for important decisions this congregation must make. Participants will work in small groups to reflect on a short series of questions. The point is to understand better both the strengths of this community and the challenges it faces.
Bagels and light snacks to be provided, along with childcare. Please RSVP as directed below, including whether you will need childcare. I look forward to seeing you.
Blessings,
Rev. Susan
Please RSVP at this link:
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| Socially Responsible Santa |
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 Christina Fulton, Director of Operations and Finance
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Socially Responsible Santa program this year! We collected over $3,600 and were able to give cash gifts to 30 families. The generous spirit of this congregation shines through in so many ways. Have a wonderful holiday season!
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| Tuesday Book Group |
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 Barbara Doody
The Tuesday book group meets on the second Tuesday of the month from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in the Susan B. Anthony Room. Below is the list of books for the months ahead. We are always open to new readers!
January:
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
by Candice Millard
February:
Still Life
(Chief Insp. Armand Gamache #1) by Louise Penny
March: The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump
by Michiko Kakutani
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| Proactive & Gracious |
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Suzie McCoy
"Proactive & Gracious"
Sunday, January 27, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.
Community Room
Please join visiting presenter Jennifer Greene of Long Island, NY, as she screens
"Cesar Chavez: Respect for All," an inspiring 22-minute video on the universal rights advocacy of Cesar Chavez, featuring his great-grand-niece, Genesis Butler, a 9-year-old girl of African American, Apache, and Hispanic descent. This will be followed by a talk, "Heeding Genesis & Eating for a Small, Hot, and Hurting Planet: What Gets In Our Way?"
A UU since her teens, and now a climate justice activist, Jennifer Greene is interested in the socio-psychological factors that impact our food choices. Jennifer investigates this topic with a compassionate, nonjudgmental approach that meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans alike can appreciate. What is carnism? How can I loosen its grip, so that I'm more free to make food choices that reflect my values? What if I'm a farmer whose livelihood depends on breeding and using animals? How can FUUSB members make a difference locally and beyond? How does the "Proactive and Gracious" food policy work at Jennifer's home congregation?
Come explore this important and relevant topic with us! Light lunch provided.
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| Guest at Your Table: Justice Across Borders |
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 Suzie McCoy
Guest at Your Table is the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee's (UUSC) annual intergenerational program to raise support for and awareness about their work to advance human rights. The UUSC is a 77-year-old human rights organization that focuses on three core areas: Rights at Risk, Environmental Justice & Climate Action, and Economic Justice.
UUSC depends upon the support of UU members and friends to continue its vital work around the world. Please participate in this year's Guest at Your Table campaign by making a tax-deductible contribution online at uusc.org/givetoguest, or take a red brochure and envelope available in the parlors or tables in the sanctuary.
Any amount is welcome, but a gift of $125 or more will be matched by the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock. Thank you!
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| Holiday eNews Schedule |
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Please note that there will be no eNews
on
December 27 or January 3
.
The next issue will be published on January 10.
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