Ever since the pandemic took over, a lack of certainty has become one of few constants in our lives. Now, here we are - perched on a knife-edge of uncertainty about what the future holds for our country, our neighbors, the world. How can we be faithful to our better angels in this moment – within ourselves, and in our communities?
Thank you to all who have contributed donations to this year’s Autumn Auction! Bidding is now open online until November 21. Go to the auction website at auctria.com/auction/FUUSBtogetherto register and bid on one or more of the many items available. The Holiday Wreath Sale is also part of the auction!
The Faith Development team will present an adapted Zoom version of Stone Soup for our Sunday, November 22 service.
This is pre-recorded and affords all families and individuals an opportunity to play a role, or more! We are soliciting interest from any and all to participate. It would involve filming from the comfort of your own home, on your device, with scripts, direction and help provided by Faith Development Assistant and theatre professional, Margo.
This is time-sensitive and we hope to have it cast by the end of this week and filmed by the end of next. The show must go on! For details, contact Margo:[email protected] or (802) 862-5630, ext. 2600.
From the Racial Justice Team
Zoe Hart
The Racial Justice Team is excited to offer REWIRE, a racial identity group for white people to unlearn racism. Participants explore racial identity formation and learn how to be effective allies for racial justice. The program consists of 8 facilitated sessions spread over 6-8 months.
REWIRE was designed by All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma to support white members of All Souls’ multicultural community to uncover, identify and “rewire” internalized white supremacy, both personally and systemically. Tulsa community members face both a particularly potent historyand present reality of systemic racism, and All Souls has been on its own particular journey of intercultural community building and racial justice work, after members of another, predominantly black, church community joined All Souls in 2008. With their willingness to share their REWIRE curriculum with us, we have an opportunity to benefit from all that they have learned on their journey.
To learn more about REWIRE and other Racial Justice Team offerings, visit our Racial Justice Resources page. Or if you’ve heard enough, visit our registration page to sign up. Registration is open until December 9 and the class can hold up to 16 people. Additional registrants will be put on a waiting list for a future FUUSB offering of REWIRE.
Please join us as we strive to bring our vision of beloved community closer to reality.
Restorative Circles
Nancy Hellen, Healthy Congregation Team Co-Chair
TheRestorative Circles group is continuing our monthly meetings and reaching out to interested people that might like to join us. Recently we have a few newcomers so it's a great time to join as we practice and learn the process together. The Restorative Circles process is a way for people in conflict to re-establish their relationships to each other and their community. In a Restorative Circle, we seek to restore broken or strained covenantal relationships between members, friends, and staff of FUUSB. It is safe, structured, inclusive, transparent, and includes facilitated gatherings. If you have questions, are interested in learning more, or think you might like to join us please contact Nancy Hellen at[email protected].
Holiday Schedules
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, FUUSB staff will be off on November 25 and 26.
For all JUMP Community, Volunteers and Board members:
It is with great sadness that we inform the JUMP community of the passing of Beth Dreibelbis. Beth had a long battle with medical issues and this past Friday suffered a seizure that took her life.
Beth Dreibelbis was a much beloved member of our JUMP community. She served in many capacities at JUMP, including a time as JUMP Board President. She was always willing to do whatever called upon to do. Husband Doug Dreibelbis noted, one of her many gifts was to see in others what they could be, not what they were in the moment.
For those of us wishing to remember Beth with a memorial gift, it was her wish that donations be made to her chosen organization, JUMP! Donations may be made to jumpvt.org in her name or sent by mail to JUMP, P.O. Box 1657, Burlington, VT 05402.