Come home for the first time! Come home again! Join us as we celebrate the start of a new congregational year with our annual ritual to bring our collective waters into one offering. You are invited to bring water that is meaningful to you – from the hose in your backyard, from a faucet in your home, from a neighbor who has cared for you, from a brook or lake or pond or ocean that has been your good company. Given this summer in Vermont, it is important that we acknowledge that power of water in our lives – both its generative qualities and its destructive powers. The choir will be singing. Rev. Karen will be introducing a new practice of “homegrown holy water,” inviting the congregation to offer its egalitarian blessing. It is also PRIDE in Burlington, so we will offer a special glitter blessing – facilitated by a team of youth and children – for those who would like to opt in. It will be a JOYFUL occasion! Please consider joining FUUSBers, joining other Vermont UUs, marching together in the Pride parade after the service.
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.
Following the service, all are welcome to Coffee Hour, either outside in front of the Meeting House or in the Community Room, 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.
Minister's Message
Yet another message (this one's 5 minutes) from Rev. Karen with a heads-up about several upcoming events you don't want to miss...
September 10 Offering Recipient
Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister
While most offerings this month will be shared with the Chittenden Asylum Seekers Assistance Network, Sunday’s offering will go to a different recipient.
On this day, when our Water Gathering ritual connects us more strongly to wider Unitarian Universalism and to other UU congregations both far and near, Sunday’s recipient is our neighbor UU congregation in Montpelier. We hold close in our hearts our siblings whose congregational life was temporarily pulled into chaos by this summer’s catastrophic floods. This year, of all years, how could we celebrate the life-giving qualities of water without acknowledging water’s destructive powers as well? How can we not bring into our circle of care our sibling UUs who were so deeply impacted?
In August, our offering was shared with the UU Disaster Fund, from which the Montpelier congregation received the highest grant possible: $50,000. It was good and right to support that cause. Yet, in being a good neighbor, we are asked to bring our focus more closely to home. There is far more need than what that grant, or other donations, or insurance, can cover. So this Sunday, as an integral part of our Water Ingathering, we will share 100% of our offering with the Unitarian Church of Montpelier.
Here is the video link for last Sunday's live-streamed outdoor worship service with Guest Minister, Rev. Erin Gingrich: September 3, 2023 FUUSB Worship Service
Burlington Pride 2023 - Sept. 10
Rowan Van Ness, Director of Youth & Emerging Adult Ministries
Burlington Pride is happening on Ingathering Sunday this year, September 10. We are connecting with high school youth and people of all ages from other UU congregations' groups around the region to march in the parade together after services! Meet up in the Memorial Garden after the service to grab a bite to eat and get ready for the parade. Be in touch with Rowan ([email protected]) to get involved or keep an eye out for more details.
Short-Term Volunteer Opportunity:
Pride Fence Weaving
We need help to weave rainbow colors in the fencing in front of our Meeting House in preparation for Pride Day, September 10. We will be weaving at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 8 and hopefully finishing on Saturday, September 9 at 2:00 p.m.
Circle Group sign-ups are beginning, and signing up for one is easy!
Currently there are Chalice Circles where the group explores a topic and meets twice a month; Chalice Circles are intended to be a place where one can build long-term bonds. Theme Circles, which center on the theme from The Path newsletter, meet once a month and are a 6-month commitment; the group opens for sign-ups again in the spring.
Here is a link to view the currently running Circles. There is room for more participants, groups and facilitators. For more information or to sign up, please email [email protected] or [email protected].
Stop by the Circle Group Table at Coffee Hour on 9/10!
Register For Faith Development
Erika Reif, Director of Lifespan Faith Development
It's that time of year again! If you have children or youth who plan to take part in Faith Development programs at First UU this year, please take a moment to click on the link below and register them. From infants in the Nursery to high school youth, registration helps us plan and provides us with important contact information.
Rowan Van Ness, Director of Youth & Emerging Adult Ministries
Come to our UU Young Adult Kickoff on Sunday, September 17 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Susan B. Anthony Room! Food will be provided. This will be an opportunity to connect with other young adults (roughly 18-35ish) who are interested in connecting with others in this age range for chalice circles, social events, and more. We are also starting a new "Emerging Adult Group" for young adults roughly 18-24ish,which will likely meet monthly on Sundays after services. Please be in touch with Rowan ([email protected]) to RSVP, so she can get enough food, or to get connected to either/both of these groups!
Pledge Payments & the New Year!
Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance
It's a new fiscal year, and that requires some updates to your pledge payments. Please log into your Realm account to make sure the following things are correct:
Automatic payments are scheduled - Sometimes when people schedule automatic pledge payments, they give it an End Date of June 30. If you did that, you will need to schedule new payments for this year.
Automatic payments are for the correct amount - If you changed the amount of your pledge during the stewardship campaign last spring, you will need to change the amount of your automatic pledge payment in Realm. This does not happen automatically; you must log in and do it yourself.
Automatic payments are for the current pledge year - If you had automatic payments scheduled last year and you want to just keep it going, you need to make sure that those payments are being credited to the new 2023/2024 pledge year. I did try to update these, but you should log into Realm to make sure.
Set up automatic payments - If you don't already have automatic payments, but would like to, now is the time to do it!
If you have any questions or concerns about updating your automatic giving, please contact Christina at [email protected].
Child Dedication - October 1
Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister
Child Dedications are a joyful covenant between a child’s family and the congregation, recognizing that the raising of a child is a community blessing. Senior Minister, Rev. Karen G. Johnston, and the Director of Lifespan Faith Development, Erika Reif, will be leading such a ceremony for a group of children during the service on October 1. Dedications can happen soon after birth or adoption; they can happen for an infant, a toddler, a preschooler, or an older child.
If you would like to have your child dedicated at First UU on that morning, or to find out more, contact Erika, [email protected].
Member Parking Stickers
Blake Ewoldsen, Facilities Manager
Mary Williams, Society Administrator
Each September, FUUSB members may renew or purchase parking tags, which allow you to park along the oval driveway next to the Meeting House for non-FUUSB business (shopping, etc.) for up to 3 hours. Parking guidelines can be found here.
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.
Pay for your tag ($45 per tag). You can pay online using 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 and place it in the FUUSB mailbox by the east entrance. Note "Oval Parking" on the check memo and envelope.
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.
We can sell or renew up to 50 parking tags this year. They are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Thank you!
Silver Bay UU Conference - Oct. 13-15
Rowan Van Ness, Director of Youth & Emerging Adult Ministries
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to get together with a couple hundred Unitarian Universalists of all ages from around the region? 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.) Director of Youth and Emerging Adult Ministries, Rowan Van Ness, is hoping to bring a group of families with young kids, elders, young adults, youth, and YOU to join in the fun this year. The conference is at Silver Bay Conference and Retreat Center. 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. Financial assistance available. Accommodations are limited, so please be in touch with Rowan ([email protected]) ASAP if you might possibly be remotely interested in joining our group or coordinating our Burlington contingent!
Mary Williams, Society Administrator
We are seeking article submissions for the next Steeple newsletter, which is published four times per year. The deadline to submit articles is October 2, and the word limit is 400 words. If you would like to write about a FUUSB project or team for the upcoming issue, or have questions, please email [email protected]. For more details, please visit uusociety.org/information/newsletters-publications. Thank you!
Online Order of Service, Online Giving, & More
Mary Williams, Society Administrator
Here is a quick reminder about the QR code labels inside our gray hymnals: The labels say, "Scan this QR code for access to the order of service, newcomer card, online giving, & pledge card." Scanning this code with your smartphone takes you to the Live-Streamed Worship page on our website, which can also be found via this link: bit.ly/FUUSBWorship. The page also includes links to the live-streamed service, our YouTube channel, and more. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
In Memoriam
Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance
We have two memorial services scheduled in the near future; please mark your calendars accordingly.
Timothy Baker Swanson - A Celebration of Life will be held at All Souls Interfaith Gathering at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 7, 2023.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Me2 Orchestra – Classical Music for Mental Health at https://me2music.org, or another organization of your choice. In addition, there will be a concert, a “Tribute to Tim Swanson – with Tim’s groups: the Beerworth Sisters, Minced Oats, and Sean Ryan” at the Shelburne Vineyard from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 8. Proceeds from this show will be donated to the Me2 Orchestra.
Deborah Ragione - A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the First UU Society of Burlington's Meeting House.
