Sunday, October 1 at 10 a.m.

Rev. Petr Samojský, Guest Minister,

with Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister

"N. F. Čapek, Murdered for His Faith"

Norbert Fabian Čapek was the founder of the Czech Unitarian Association and the Flower Communion. His life and ministry offer great inspiration to us. Basic characteristics of Čapek’s theology will be explained. He was murdered in the concentration camp in Dachau; his death just emphasizes his simple message: freedom and conscience. This worship connects us to our international heritage.

Rev. Dr. Petr Samojský serves as a minister of the Prague Unitarian Congregation in the Czech Republic. He is a graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School as well as Chicago Theological Seminary. While living in the US, he served as a chaplain at St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, and as a minister at the UU Church of Greeley, Colorado. Petr is married and lives with his family and six cats near Prague. His hobbies include literature, poetry, music, and he actively plays the Indian sitar. He and his family are traveling in Vermont and have been kind enough to share their time with us.

Join us for worship in person in the Sanctuary, or online. The livestream link and order of service will be shared at bit.ly/FUUSBWorship, or visit our YouTube channel.

Please join in our multigenerational activity after the service (around 11:30) with Rabbi Jan from Ruach haMaqom, the synagogue that resides within the Meeting House. We’ll meet in the Memorial Garden and learn about the Jewish holiday, Sukkot.

Following the service, all are welcome to Coffee Hour, either outside in front of the Meeting House or in the Parlors, depending on weather.

While at the Meeting House, anyone is welcome to wear a mask. In the spirit of caring for each other, please stay home if you have any cold or flu symptoms. Thank you.

Children & Youth This Sunday!

Erika Reif, Director of Lifespan Faith Development

Sunday, October 1

Group Explorations Begin!

Families will begin in the Sanctuary together and take part in the Child Dedication Ceremony, before children and their guides are sung out to the first day of small group exploration! If your children are not yet registered, please escort them and fill out a new family form with their group guides. The Nursery will be open throughout the service for infants and toddlers. 

Learn About Sukkot with Rabbi Jan

Erika Reif, Director of Lifespan Faith Development

October 1, 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

By now most of you know that we share our building (and our grounds) with the Jewish Renewal congregation, Ruach haMaqom. Soon, they will be erecting a Sukkah in our Memorial Garden to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, which Rabbi Jan Salzman describes as "the most important Holiday in the Jewish Calendar (no kidding)." All ages are invited to bring your coffee hour beverages along and take a few steps into the garden to visit the Sukkah, shake some Vermont lulavs, and deepen your understanding of this neighboring faith! 

For those who watched online or were present for Sunday's service, rest assured that the dramatic interaction between Rev. Karen and James, our Music Director, was staged. James is fine. Rev. Karen is not so dense.

Each year, the UUA sponsors a Common Read, inviting UUs across the nation and the world to read the same book and use it to reflect on our lives of faith and conscience. This year it is On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg. Rev. Karen preached on this book this past Sunday. The UUA has created a curriculum to guide congregations who want to go deeper together. You can find it by clicking here. If you are interested in facilitating or helping to facilitate an adult faith development offering on this topic, please get in touch with Rowan Van Ness, our Director of Youth & Emerging Adult Ministries ([email protected]).

You can read the text of Rev. Karen's sermon here. Feel free to subscribe to her blog (upper right corner) or share any of her blogposts with those whom you think might appreciate their message.

Here is the video link for last Sunday's live-streamed service: Sept. 24, 2023 FUUSB Worship Service

Invitation from the Climate Justice Team

Caitlin Waddick, Climate Justice Team

On September 17, I marched, chanted, created art, sang, and danced in NYC with tens of thousands of people to draw attention to climate justice. It was more fun than many meetings, yet the most important work is always the work that we do, right here. We are the ones!!  

If you are seeking a way to act, join FUUSB’s Climate Justice Team to discuss potential projects through our connections within our Society, our community, UUA, and partner organizations, such as 350VT and Vermont Interfaith Power and Light.  

The Climate Justice Team will meet in person (with a hybrid option) on October 1 at FUUSB after the service, 12 - 1 p.m. Send optional RSVPs to Caitlin here. Our living meeting minutes are here: bit.ly/CJT-Agenda.

YUUth Group

Rowan Van Ness, Director of Youth & Emerging Adult Ministries

Calling all high school youth to join our YUUth Group, meeting on Tuesday evenings from 6-8 p.m. upstairs in the Susan B. Anthony Room! We'll have pizza, play games, and go a bit deeper as we reflect on the big questions and plan service projects. All 9th-12th graders (or homeschool equivalent) are welcome. Please be in touch with Rowan ([email protected]) if you have any questions! 

Emerging Adults Group

Rowan Van Ness, Director of Youth & Emerging Adult Ministries

Our Emerging Adults Group will have its first meeting on Sunday, October 8 after the service in the Susan B. Anthony Room upstairs, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. A light lunch will be included. All 18-25ish year olds are welcome. Please RSVP to [email protected] and include any food needs so Rowan can get a good amount of food. Hope to see you there!

Seeking an Hourglass

Does anyone have a large hourglass, the kind with sand inside that keeps time? Rev. Karen would like to borrow it as a prop for a service at the end of October. The bigger the better. Please email her if you have one to lend. [email protected]

Plants in the Sanctuary

Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance

Our beautiful plants in the Sanctuary are ill. Their roots have been overwatered to the point of root rot. We believe that we have several people, staff and members, who are all trying to take care of the plants, which has resulted in too much watering. We have a member of the Flower Power Team who has agreed to take full responsibility for the plants. They are now trying to dry them out a bit and bring them back to health. So, if you have been watering the plants, please stop doing so. Our lovely plants will thank you.  

Collecting Nuts, Cones, & Pods for Wreaths

Nuts and cones are falling, garden clean-up has commenced. If you have any of these or other natural materials on your property or in the woods where you walk, please consider collecting a bag or two for wreath decorating.

Leave bags marked "wreaths" on the shelf above the coat rack or arrange for a pick-up. Thank you! Contact Sarah Forbes here.

Eckhart Tolle Chalice Circle

Eckhart Tolle Chalice Circle is accepting new members. Our meetings are from 3 to 5 p.m. every other Sunday online. Please email Jeff Byam here if you have any questions or would like to join. Many blessings!

How to Renew/Purchase Member Parking Tags

Just a reminder that September is the time for FUUSB members to renew or purchase parking tags, which allow you to park along the oval driveway next to the Meeting House for non-FUUSB business. Parking guidelines can be found here.

To renew or purchase a member parking tag:

1. Contact Mary at [email protected] or 862-5630 ext. 21.
2. In your message, please provide: your name; car make, model, color, and plate number; parking tag number if possible; and whether you need a new tag.
3. Pay for your tag ($45 per tag). To pay online, click the Make a Gift button on the Donate page of our website (select “Member Parking Tag” under Fund). Or you can mail a check to FUUSB, 152 Pearl St., Burlington, VT 05401, or drop off a check or cash in a labeled envelope in the mailbox by the east entrance. Note "Oval Parking" on the check memo and envelope.
4. If purchasing a new tag, Mary will mail that to you.

If you have parking questions, please contact Blake at [email protected] or (802) 862-5630, ext. 23.

Thank you!