Sunday, October 8 at 10 a.m.

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister

Judy Brook, Worship Associate

“Reckoning with Our Heritage: Unitarian Indian Boarding Schools”

In recognition of Indigenous People’s Day, and in keeping with our Soul Matters theme of heritage, Rev. Karen will explore the lesser-known history of two Unitarian Indian Boarding Schools, which were part of a much larger and insidious system to eradicate Native culture and identity throughout North America. Part of exploring our heritage is reckoning with parts of our past when we caused harm or were not on the right side of history. The choir is singing.

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.

Children & Youth This Sunday!

Erika Reif, Director of Lifespan Faith Development

Sunday, October 8

Group Explorations Begin!

Families will begin in the Sanctuary together. After the Reflection for All Ages children and their guides will be sung out for the second session of group explorations! 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. 

Sunday Service Timing

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister

Several people have asked Rev. Karen what time they can expect a typical Sunday service to be over. The content of our Sunday services fills 70 minutes, so we ask that all FUUSBers anticipate that most services will conclude around 11:10. We have coordinated this with Faith Development classes, which aim to end at 11:20 - Parents are much appreciated in holding off on picking up their kiddos until that time.

This past Sunday we had the honor of Rev. Dr. Petr Samojský as a guest in our pulpit. There were multiple requests for the text of his sermon, which Rev. Petr has generously honored. You can read the text of his sermon, "Murdered for His Faith," by clicking here.

Here is the video link for last Sunday's service: Oct. 1, 2023 FUUSB Worship Service

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!

Memorial Services

A Celebration of Life for Timothy Baker Swanson will be held at All Souls Interfaith Gathering, 291 Bostwick Farm Road in Shelburne, on Saturday, October 7 at 11 a.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Me2 Orchestra – Classical Music for Mental Health at 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 on Sunday, October 8 from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. Proceeds from this show will be donated to the Me2 Orchestra.

A Memorial Service for Deborah Ragione will be held on Tuesday, October 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the First UU Society of Burlington's Meeting House.

Memorial donations may be made to Deborah’s favorite nonprofit, the Humane Society of Chittenden County.

Deborah Della Ragione Obituary

New Daytime Theme Circle for October

Gail Beck, Sharing Circles

If you have any interest in joining a monthly daytime Theme Circle on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays, please contact [email protected].

We offer an evening Theme Circle on the third Wednesday of each month from 6-8 p.m.



What are Theme Circles?

Theme Circles meet at the Meeting House, once per month for two hours, to discuss, explore and reflect upon our monthly spiritual theme. Groups are designed to be time-limited rather than ongoing. Sign-up is generally held in September for the fall term which lasts four months, and January for the spring term which runs five months. 

Each circle is led by a trained facilitator and follows a program outlined in the monthly guide called The Path. This publication (which is available to everyone in the congregation) includes readings, thought-provoking questions, and additional resources that help participants clarify their thoughts and feelings about the monthly theme.

For more information about or to sign up for Theme Circles, please email [email protected].

Art Curator

Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance

FUUSB is looking for a Curator for the Arc Gallery. We need someone who is interested in finding and scheduling artists who are interested in showing their work in our gallery for a month or two at a time. Artists are responsible for hanging and removing their art themselves. This is a volunteer position. If you are interested in this position, please contact Christina at [email protected].

Staffing Announcement

Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance



We have some staff changes that began on October 1, 2023, that I'd like to share with you. First, Mary Williams will now have the title of Administrative Specialist. Mary's hours will be less than before, and she will mostly be working from home. The major change is that Mary will no longer be handling space scheduling and rental requests. She will still be scheduling Zoom meetings. And second, Erin Barbot will now have the title of Ceremony & Scheduling Coordinator. Erin will be working additional hours and will be working from the Meeting House on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in addition to her time working on Weddings and Memorial Services. Please read the article in this eNews for more details on how these changes will affect you.

We are so very fortunate to have these two talented women on our staff. They each bring amazing skills and dedication to their jobs and are both dedicated to supporting the mission of FUUSB.   

Update on Requesting Space & Zoom Meetings

Erin Barbot, Ceremony & Scheduling Coordinator

Mary Williams, Administrative Specialist

As you read above, Erin is now scheduling all in-person meetings and events, and Mary is continuing to schedule Zoom meetings. We ask that for all requests for both in-person and Zoom meetings, please submit the online request forms below. If you are planning a hybrid meeting, please submit both forms. Your responses automatically go into a spreadsheet, which helps us keep track of and schedule each request. Emails can get lost, so submitting a quick form is the best way to request a meeting. 

• Space Use Request Form - Please request at least 2 weeks in advance.
• Zoom Meeting Request Form - Please request at least 1 week in advance.

Our meeting request forms can also be found on our website on the Forms page and the Space Use page.

If you have any questions about space requests, please email [email protected], or for Zoom questions, email [email protected]. Thank you!

The Buddy System

Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance

Remember when you were a kid and your teacher always told you to find a buddy? Well teachers are really smart people. With daylight saving time coming to an end on November 5, it will be getting darker earlier. And when you leave the Meeting House in the late afternoon or evening, chances are it will be very dark as you head to your car in the parking lot. So we’re suggesting you find a buddy. Find someone who is leaving at the same time as you, and walk out together. Don’t leave anyone alone in the building after a meeting; stay with them until they’re ready to leave, and walk out together. This is not only common sense, it’s part of our mission, “caring for each other and our community.”  

Are You Sick? Please, Stay Home.

Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's to monitor our symptoms and stay home when we are sick. If you haven't been to the Meeting House lately, you may be surprised to know that we've had nearly 200 people in the building on Sundays. Our congregation is filled with people who are at varying risks of catching COVID and/or the flu. So we ask that you follow this advice from the CDC.

1. If you have any of the common Flu Symptoms or the common COVID Symptoms, please stay home.  
2. If you have been exposed to COVID but have no symptoms, please stay masked in the building.
3. If you have tested positive for COVID, please isolate.

Remember, staying home doesn't mean you will miss the Worship Service; you can always watch the live-streamed service. And meetings can be held via Zoom, by scheduling a Zoom link with Mary. 

While at the Meeting House, anyone is welcome to wear a mask. They can be found in the wall dispensers at both entrances.

Thank you!

Seeking an Hourglass

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister



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]

For the latest news from the New England Region UUA, check out the October newsletter at this link.