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Sunday, May 27
at
10 a.m.
Worship Lead:
Andre Mol, Ministerial Intern
Worship Associate:
Kenneth Russell
"Service of Remembrance"
Join us for our annual Memorial Day weekend service of remembrance. We will create a communal space to recognize those we have lost. There will be time in the service to light a candle and share the name of someone you wish to remember.
Note: Sunday, May 27 is the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington. Please click here to find information about the marathon route and street closings.
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Visit the publication
archives on our website!
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Summer Worship Schedule
Starts This Week!
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This
Sunday, May 20
, we will begin our
one-service
summer schedule. Join us for worship at
10 a.m.
on
Sundays!
Please keep in mind that parking may be in
shorter supply, so you may want to allow extra time.
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Join Us for Worship This Sunday at 10 a.m.!
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Sunday, May 20
at
10 a.m.
Music Sunday
Join us for a music-filled service with Jennifer Carpenter, Music Director, Sam Whitesell on piano, Wayne Schneider on organ, our FUUSB choirs and a chamber orchestra who will perform "Missa Gaia" or "Earth Mass" by Paul Winter. This is a larger work that blends elements of jazz, African, Brazilian, and classical music in a beautiful celebration of all Earth's creatures. You'll even hear recorded tracks of wolf howls and whale songs that interplay with the musicians! Come one, come all!
Worship Associate: Melinda Lee
Children are welcome to stay in the Sanctuary for worship this and every Sunday. This Sunday, we are also offering supervised multi-age childcare outdoors on the west lawn throughout the service. All children must be signed in and out by a parent.
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| Welcome, Rev. Susan Milnor! |
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The Board and the Transition Search Task Force of Jill Allen, Suzy Comerford, Dan House and Debby Bergh are excited to announce the hiring of Rev. Susan Milnor as our two-year Transition Minister. Susan is an Accredited Interim Minister who has served four congregations as Interim Minister, most recently the First Religious Society in Newburyport, MA. She has also served two congregations as a minister and one as a long-term co-minister. She has a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, a BA and MA in English literature from the University of Tennessee, and three semesters of law school from the University of Virginia before she decided law was not her calling. We interviewed a number of good candidates for the position and all feel Susan is an excellent fit for us. Susan has strong anti-oppression commitments, a collaborative leadership style, is an open and direct communicator and a strong worship leader. She is excited to join us for two years as our Transition Minister to partner with us as we do the deep discernment about the future of our community and continue support for our social justice work, and our lay ministry.
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| FUUSB Annual Meeting - June 3 |
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The 2018 FUUSB Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday, June 3 at 11:15 a.m. It is essential that members attend annual meeting in order for us to have a quorum and be able to pass important items on the agenda. We will also be taking time to say goodbye to several staff members who will be leaving us at the end of this fiscal year. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend!
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| New UU Part 2: Getting Connected Class - This Saturday |
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Nina Dahlstedt Buss, Membership Coordinator
Have you taken the New UU Part 1: Getting Acquainted
class? Would you like to learn more about the programs and activities here? Are you considering becoming a member of the congregation? If so, please sign up for the New UU Part 2: Getting Connected
class. The class will be held from
10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
this Saturday, May 19
. To sign up please contact Nina Dahlstedt Buss at
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| Summer Childcare at FUUSB |
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 Erika Reif, Religious Education Assistant and Childcare Coordinator
As we move into single-service Sundays we will also begin to offer outdoor childcare for all ages!
While children are always very welcome to remain in the Sanctuary for worship, from now through September, weather permitting, kids are also welcome to join our childcare staff for outdoor play! The group meets in the Memorial Garden on our west lawn.
On rainy days childcare for all ages will be available downstairs in the nursery and/or the Community Room.
Children can join the group before or at any point during the service, but they must be signed in and out by a parent! We do offer a "hall pass" program for older kids, basically a permission slip we keep on file to allow your older child to sign themselves in and out of our care throughout the summer.
Remember to have children dress appropriately for the weather and wear sunscreen as necessary.
We're looking forward to some beautiful Sunday mornings in the garden!
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| From the Racial Justice Task Force: Discussion About BLUU's Proposed 8th Principle |
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Martha Molpus
Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU) has drafted a proposed 8th principle which states, "We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions."
The Racial Justice Task Force is hosting a discussion for folks who want to learn more, ask questions, and share ideas about BLUU and this proposed 8th Principle, to be considered at General Assembly this summer. Join us after the service this Sunday, May 20 from 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. in the Community Room, with light refreshments provided.
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| Marathon Street Closings - May 27 |
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The Vermont City Marathon is being held in Burlington on
Sunday, May 27. Please check out the links below in case you need to use an alternate route to or from the Meeting House that day. Reminder: Our summer one-service worship schedule has begun! Join us for our 10 a.m. service!
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| What Are Restorative Circles? |
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In the spring of 2017 the Healthy Congregation Team (HCT) decided to pursue understanding Restorative Circles as a possible resource for our UU Society. To that end they sent interested congregation members to a weekend workshop/training on Restorative Circles run by Sarah Elizabeth Anderson at the UU church in Norwich.
Upon their return the workshop attendees recommended to the HCT that a group of UU members able to competently facilitate the restorative circles process be established. A small group of UU members has been working for past year at honing its skills. We plan to have circles as an option for the community by this fall.
The Restorative Circles process is meant to provide a safe place for the people of a community who are in conflict - along with their worried friends - to meet together to develop a mutual understanding of the si
tuat
ion, and to develop a mutual understanding of what needs to happen to set it right. While we are often able to work out conflicts and misunderstandings among ourselves - perhaps with the aid of techniques like non-violent communication or reflective listening - at times we get stuck. If we do and the conflict between a few does not get resolved or worsens, and, as a consequence, the whole community suffers, then it is these situ
ations that Restorative Circles are meant to help. The ba
sic idea is a structured communication process through which people can be clearly heard by those they want to be heard by, all can safely listen, and all can create a plan through which the community is restored to living and working together respectfully and safely.
Briefly, the RC process goes like this: a community member contacts the RC team about a conflict they are part of or aware of, and for which they think a restorative circle is needed. After a number of preparatory steps (not described here) a circle is held. During the circle a series of carefully crafted questions are posed. Participants will both answer the questions, listen, and reflect back to speakers what they understood was being said. This speaking and being heard, gently repeated until all that needs saying has been heard is the essence of the Restorative Circle process. It develops a mutual understanding, held by each and all circle members, of their own and others' roles in the conflict.
To insure the structured process is followed, and to help the circle's members do the work of restoring relationships disrupted by painful events, two trained facilitators are also part of the circle. In addition to simply leading members through the process the facilitators' job is to follow and understand the meanings being developed so as to make sure none are overlooked, and, most importantly, to stay present in a "multi-partial" way, that is to experience each person with non-contingent positive regard.
Restorative Circles are meant to help members of a community who are in conflict and those affected by the conflict to return to (to restore) harmonious relationships within the congregation. The structure of the process itself is quite detailed, explicit and carefully crafted. There is not room here to describe all its detail, but - fear not - the HCT will find a way to provide you with an opportunity to learn more in the coming months!
The Restorative Circles team: John Byer, Gwendolyn Evans, Sarah Forbes, Stuart Graves, and Betty Moore-Hafter
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| From the Care Network Team |
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HAVE A DESIRE TO HELP the Care Network Team BUT AREN'T SURE HOW?
Share a meal with one of the following families. Details of what each family likes and dislikes are included in the meal train entry. (See link below).
- Miriam (Tammy) Strauss is dealing with long-term health issues caused by being rear-ended by a cattle truck. One meal every week is a major support to her. Hannaford, Rite Aid or gas station gift cards are also welcomed. Meals can be delivered either to her home in Essex Junction or to her place of work in South Burlington. See the meal train for more details.
- Kathy Bonilla has been fighting a long-term health battle and she and her two granddaughters truly appreciate the help that a few meals a week can be.
HOW TO REACH THE CARE NETWORK TEAM
Please let the Care Network Team know if you are aware of someone in the community who could use some support, whether it be a visit, a comforting prayer shawl, or a meal. The email is:
[email protected]
.
On behalf of the Care Network Team,
Sarah Weber, (
802) 373-0197
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| Thank You! |
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 Erika Reif, Religious Education Assistant
Last Sunday, May 13, we took time to appreciate the contributions made by our religious education teachers, youth advisors, theme circle facilitators, small group leaders, and all those who volunteered their time, energy, and love to contribute to faith formation in our congregation! We created a "Sticky Wall of Gratitude" which is displayed in the front vestibule. It is not too late to add a note of thanks to someone who helped you grow this year!
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