On Sunday, April 8, there will be lockdown drills during both services that will involve all those participating in Religious Education and OWL classes. Holding these drills, along with annual fire drills, is part of our congregation's safety policy and practices; this is our third year holding them. Though only those involved with RE and OWL classes will be participating in the actual lockdown drills, everyone in the Meeting House, including all those in the Sanctuary, will be made aware of the drill's occurrence as the blue lights associated with these drills, and actual lockdown scenarios, will be flashing for the duration (no more than 5 minutes) of the drills. 

We ask that all those present in the Sanctuary, including and especially parents/responsible adults of children attending RE and OWL classes, please remain in the Sanctuary and refrain from leaving or trying to connect with their children during the duration of the drill. (Adults who want to be with their children during the drill will be invited to head downstairs with the children when they depart for classes, and can return to the Sanctuary after the drills conclude). While the blue lights are flashing in the Sanctuary, our worship leaders will share a brief message about safety practices, then return to the regular content of the worship service. 

It should also be noted that a BPD officer will likely be present during the drill occurring during the 11:00 service so as observe and make subsequent suggestions for future drills. (We have incorporated suggestions from prior drills into our current practice.) If you want to debrief the drills afterwards, members of the Safety Team and staff will be present on the far side of the Community Room during fellowship time to chat with you.

We do not want to surprise anyone with the occurrence of the drills, so it will be pre-announced early in the service during the Welcome time. We encourage parents/ responsible adults with children who will be participating in these drills to share the above information with them prior to the drills, so as to lessen any anxieties. Also, RE teachers will have a chance to talk briefly with the kids about what will happen during the drill when they arrive at their classrooms.

While we hold these drills as part of our responsibility for and commitment to safety and preparedness, we also know that having to hold them in our faith community can bring a range of feelings, including sorrow, dismay and anxiety. We also understand these types of drills can be particularly distressing or triggering for some of us. We invite you to take care of yourselves around the drills as works best for you (if you prefer not to be present in the building during them, you are welcome to depart when the children leave, and return at a later point in the service). Please be in touch with us if you have any questions or need support in advance of the drills:

- For technical questions about the drill/building safety, contact Bob Furrer (Facilities Manager): [email protected].
- For questions about what will be happening in RE classrooms, contact Andrea Spencer-Linzie (Dev. Dir. of Family Ministry) and Erika Reif (RE Assistant): [email protected], [email protected].
- For pastoral support, contact Rev. Mara or Andre Mol: [email protected], [email protected].

With sincere thanks for your understanding and cooperation,

The FUUSB Staff and Safety Team

Your Board of Trustees is seeking two individuals to serve on the transition task force, which will conduct the search for a transition minister to lead our Society for the next two years.

The charge of the transition task force is to review applications from potential transition ministers, interview candidates and recommend a candidate to the Board. This will be based upon the candidate's strengths and best match of skills within our stated priorities of focus and momentum for our Society's programming. The timeline is late April and May.

All those who are interested and have relevant experience are invited to complete the Declaration of Interest information listed below and return it by no later than April 15 to Debby Bergh ( [email protected] ) and Dan House ( [email protected] ).

 

Declaration of Interest to join Transition Task Force:

-Name

-Contact information

-Reason for interest

-Relevant experience

Welcoming the Stranger, Our Neighbor: 

An Introduction to the 

New Sanctuary Movement

Holy Family Parish Center, Essex Junction,   Sunday, April 15,  1:30-5:30 p.m. 

To register, email Melissa Battah of Vermont Interfaith Action at  [email protected] .

Click here for more information!

Saturday, May 5, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., 

Susan B. Anthony Room. 

Refreshments and child care available.  Registration for child care will end on April 28. 

Please click here to RSVP!  

Parents, Stewards, Advisors and other Congregants are warmly invited to join Rev. Mara, Andrea Spencer-Linzie, Director of Family Ministry, and members of the Religious Education Team for a lively exploration of the future of Faith Formation at FUUSB. A member of our UUA's New England staff team will be on hand to facilitate our conversations.

As you know, we are in a time of transition in how we staff and run our religious education program. Andrea Spencer-Linzie came aboard in December as our Developmental Director of Family Ministry to help us through this transformation and prepare the way for the eventual arrival of a second minister, whose portfolio will include faith formation for all ages.

This important dialogue will provide an opportunity to discuss Faith Formation at FUUSB, and to learn more about "Family Ministry," an emerging form of faith formation that focuses on community-building and connection across generations. Come, be part of this conversation as we begin to chart the future of spiritual growth and learning in our congregation across all ages and stages, including our faith formation for children and youth, youth group, young adult ministry, OWL (Our Whole Lives sexuality education), adult faith formation and intergenerational programming.

 

GA is in Kansas City, Missouri from  June 20-24 . Think you might be interested? Check it out on the UUA website: 

uua.org/ga

If you're planning to attend the 2018 UU General Assembly in Kansas City, MO and need some help paying for your registration, then I have good news for you! FUUSB has a small pot of money available to assist members with their GA registration fees. Adult registration is $395 until April 30, and $450 from  May 1-June 24. You can find more detailed registration information at  uua.org/ga/registration.

If you would like to apply for a grant, email Christina Fulton at  [email protected]  by April 22. On  April 23 we will award grants and mail reimbursement checks. I hope to see you at GA!