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Welcome Back!
I hope you have all found many moments of joy together during this soggy summer!
Before I begin to talk about the official start of the program year in September, I want to make sure that you're all aware that our new Senior minister, Rev. Karen G. Johnston, will be leading her first two services with us this Sunday and next, outdoors on the front lawn of the meeting house. Outdoor summer garden childcare is available during these services, for kids of any age, so while I know many of you take a break during the summer, I really encourage you to consider joining us for one or both of these weeks. This Sunday, we'll be making pinwheels of our UU values and next week the sermon is inspired by the Barbie movie and we've acquired some pink beach balls to add to the multigenerational fun! (Wearing pink is optional!)
As we approach September, I'm reminded of a series of talks I attended given by a highly respected colleague, Katie Covey. She talked about how busy families are in our current culture and how much less likely we are to attend Sunday services every week. Yet, many of us desperately want to grow spiritually within a faith community and we want our kids to feel the support and nurture that only a multigenerational community can provide. She suggested we think of the Sunday services and the programs we offer each week as links in a chain, and that we offer more immersive experiences, that will be the "jewels" that chain is connecting. The idea is that we offer several longer chances for families to break from the regular routines and spend more time engaging with each other and with our faith, and we don't worry so much about trying to get people into pews and classrooms each Sunday. I think anyone who has ever formed relationships and felt transformed by an experience on a retreat or a summer camp knows what I mean. To that end, we are trying to encourage more of those experiences, these "jewels"; not that we don't want you all here every Sunday morning, we do! We know that our lives will be busy, and we might not make it here as much as we mean to, and we can still become the community we want, learn, and grow together!
So, as you look through this newsletter, seek out the jewels coming up this fall, in particular the opportunity to travel with other families to the March to End Fossil Fuels in NYC on September 17th and the all-inclusive UU Weekend at Silver Bay , October 13-15th. And, we will do our best offer engaging programming and opportunities to build community each Sunday as well!
In Faith,
Erika
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As drops of rain that find each other and build to become a track, a rivulet, a stream, a river, a sea, so are we drawn together; so are we fortunate to find each other; so are we bound together, on this shared passage toward an unknown ocean and eternity.
-Elizabeth Lerner Maclay, So Are We Bound Together
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September 10, 10:00 am
Get your water ready!
We mark the start of the congregational year with the UU tradition of Water Ingathering. All are encouraged to bring a small container of water that has meaning to you; maybe it's from a puddle in your garden, a sprinkler you play in, a beach that you visited, the lake where you swim, the tap in your kitchen, wherever you find it, please bring it in to join our collective pool. This will be a multigenerational service, meaning that while the Nursery will be open for littles who need it, this service is designed for families to stay together in the Sanctuary. As this is also the day of Burlington's Pride celebration, this year will include a "Glitter Blessing" as well. Wear rainbow colors if you like!
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Pride Parade: Let's Celebrate Together!
September 10, 12:00 noon
Families with children are invited to join our multigen group of marchers, including the high school YUUth group, in the 40th annual Vermont Pride Parade. We're joining with members of the Middlebury and Montpelier congregations and have invitations out to others in the region as well. Particularly exciting is the possibility that several middle school youth and their families may be joining from the Plattsburgh congregation! There will be food available after the Water Ingathering Service, as well as stickers, tattoos and flags to borrow!
I would love to hear from you if you plan to come, though last minute marchers are always welcome!
erika@uusociety.org
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March To End Fossil Fuels | |
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September 17, New York City
Several families from First UU are already planning to get on buses chartered by 350 Vermont and travel to NYC for the day to take part in this global protest in advance of the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit. There are still seats available and we hope more of you will join us! This is a multigenerational call. For the 2014 Climate March we sent a bus filled with FUUers who ranged from infants to people in their 80s. That experience was powerful for those who took part, both for being part of such a large and important action and traveling and marching together.
I know that no one has been able to ignore the effects of climate change this summer, including our children. The antidotes we have to hopelessness in the face of it, are that we don't yet know the end of the story, despite the dire foreshadowing, and that we have each other, and we can act together. Because of this, I think that taking part in this sort of action can be beneficial for our kids, who we know are being affected by this, whether we speak about it or not.
There isn't much time to plan, so if your family or your youth is interested please let me know ASAP (erika@uusociety.org) so that we can begin to coordinate. Buses will leave at approx. 5:30am and return after 11pm. Chaperones are available for high school aged youth to travel with us without a parent.
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October 13-15 Silver Bay Conference Center, Lake George, New York
Our new Director of Youth and Emerging Adult Ministries, Rowan Van Ness, and her family (wife and 1.5 year old) are hoping to recruit a group of families with young kids, single people, elders, young adults, youth, and YOU to join in the fun at a UU conference for a couple hundred UUs of all ages.
You could participate in activities ranging from summer camp activities like archery and boating, to poetry discussions and lectures by guest speakers, tarot readings and temporary tattoos, camp fires, and more! (See draft schedule.)
Registration is $275 for adults, $167 for youth (ages 13-17), $116 for children (6-12), and free for those under 6 and includes lodging, meals, snacks, and activities. Most UU Burlington participants will stay in cottages together, ranging from 2-7 bedrooms, with shared bathrooms. Scholarships available.
Accommodations are limited so please be in touch with Rowan (rowan@uusociety.org) ASAP if you might possibly be remotely interested in joining our group or coordinating our Burlington contingent!
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As Unitarian Universalists we do not baptize or christen children, but we do hold Child Dedication Ceremonies, a ritual of welcome and love, inviting all present during the service to support the child and their family in the journey of growing up and exploring in faith. The pandemic stalled what was once a twice annual ritual which we hope to restart this fall. While we traditionally dedicate babies, there is no age limit.
If you would like to have your child dedicated at First UU on October 1, 2023, or to find out more, contact Erika, erika@uusociety.org.
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Big Blue Trunk & Parent Circle | |
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September 24, Meeting House Grounds
Save the date! Once again The Big Blue Trunk, will be here to entertain kids with ball-shooting contraptions, games and balloon animals. Starting after the Reflection For All Ages, (approx. 10:15) children are invited to head outside (bring a sweater!) for fun and games, supervised by childcare staff.
After the service, the fun continues as children and their families are invited to stay for a light lunch and Parent Circle. While kids are entertained, we parents will circle up for a little orientation to the year, some ice-breaker games of our own, and the opportunity to share our hopes for the year in Faith development.
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Register For Faith Development | |
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It's that time of year again! Please take a moment to click on the link below and register your children. From infants in the Nursery to high school youth, registration helps us plan and provides us with important contact information.
Registration!
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Guides and Helpers Needed | |
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We all want to offer a rich and inviting set of programs for our children and youth this year, and in order to make that happen we need you!
To be a Faith Development Guide, you do not need to have all of the answers; in fact, serving in this way can help adults on their own faith journeys. Consider modeling lifelong learning and spiritual development by caring for our community, seeking truth, and acting for justice, with our younger UUs.
There are opportunities both big and small. Fill out this quick form to indicate interest, and see a list of ways to help, including those that do not involve supervising kids and do not need to happen during the service on Sunday morning. Please reach out with any questions!
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If you know any rising 8th or 9th graders who would benefit from the Our Whole Lives, comprehensive sexuality program, please pass this along!
We have a smaller than average number of kids in the 8th grade cohort, so we really need students from the broader community to round out the group, and parent to parent word of mouth is often the most effective way to promote the program!
With a holistic approach, OWL provides accurate, developmentally appropriate information about a range of topics, including relationships, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, sexual health, and cultural influences on sexuality. For more information about lifespan OWL curricula follow this link.
The 26 session program will run on Wednesday evenings from early September to early April, led by trained and experienced facilitators.
For more information or to register click here.
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Summer childcare for all ages, whether inside or out, is staffed by 3 care providers, usually two teenagers and an adult supervisor, and is very responsive to the needs of the particular kids who show up that week. They will prioritize safety, but be flexible, pulling out materials or organizing activities that work for those present. This could look like a bunch of older kids playing whiffle ball or ladder toss supervised by a teen just outside the garden while smaller kids play with a water table inside the fence. It could look like a handful of kids, with staff in tow, wandering the grounds on a nature scavenger hunt. We don't offer specific programming but try to make each Sunday special!
Please sign children in and out. Please take kids to the restroom before the outdoor service, otherwise staff may need to bring a child to their parent for a bathroom trip. For children entering fourth grade and above, you can check a box giving them permission to leave the group and find you after the service, but please remind them to let staff know before they go!
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August 20: (Special Activity: make your own UU Values Pinwheel)
9:45- Summer Garden Childcare
10:00- Outdoor Worship begins
11:00- Outdoor Coffee Hour on the lawn.
August 27: (Barbie Sermon & Barbie beach balls!)
9:45- Summer Garden Childcare
10:00- Outdoor Worship begins
11:00- Outdoor Coffee Hour on the lawn.
September 3:
9:45- Summer Garden Childcare
10:00- Outdoor Worship begins
11:00- Outdoor Coffee Hour on the lawn
September 10:
9:45- Nursery Open
10:00- Multigenerational Water Ingathering in the Sanctuary
11:10- Outdoor Coffee Hour on the lawn with snacks
12:00- Pride Parade
September 17: (Offsite: March to End Fossil Fuels in NYC)
9:45- Nursery Open
10:00- Families begin worship in the Sanctuary together
10:15- Children's All Ages activities
11:10- Outdoor Coffee Hour
September 24:
9:45- Nursery Open
10:00- Families begin worship in the Sanctuary together
10:15- Children's Fun Day with The Big Blue Trunk
11:10- Outdoor Coffee Hour on the lawn
11:15- Parents' Circle
October 1:
9:45- Nursery Open
10:00- Families begin worship in the Sanctuary together with Child Dedication Ceremony
10:15- First day of age-based groups for children
11:10- Outdoor Coffee Hour on the lawn
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