Join Us for Worship This Sunday!

Sunday, January 21 at 10 a.m.

Kathy Bielawa Stamper, Worship Leader

Melinda Lee, Worship Associate

“Voices from Ukraine –

Vermont: Are We Still Listening?”

What lessons can we learn from Ukrainians displaced by Putin’s war and those remaining in-country to serve Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)? Why should we pay attention to this geopolitically complex region of our world? How might we, as UUs, help promote peace, empathy and understanding?

FUUSB member Kathy Bielawa Stamper, a 2022-2023 Fellow in the Engaging Eurasia Teaching Fellowship Program at Harvard, recently returned from volunteering with Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Her connection to Eastern Europe stems from her immigrant parents, particularly her father, Mieczyslaw, a Roman Catholic Pole born near Lviv, Ukraine (formerly Lwow, Poland) in 1924, who was taken to Nazi Germany as a 16-year-old forced laborer during WWII. Kathy is volunteering to coordinate February 2024 Voices From Ukraine-VT programming in our community.

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 in the Community Room.

We are temporarily requesting that everyone mask while in the Meeting House. 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!

Rowan Van Ness, Director of Youth & Emerging Adult Ministries

Sunday, January 21

Children start in the sanctuary with parents and caregivers this week. 6th-8th graders will explore the January theme of liberating love, Undercover Kindness Agents will train for their next mission (2nd-5th grades), and Spirit Play (PreK-2nd) will wonder about the week's story and continue their cardboard creations! Nursery care is also available.

Mt. Philo Up & Down on Sunday

Rowan Van Ness, Director of Youth & Emerging Adult Ministries

Sunday, Jan. 21, 1-3 p.m. at Mt. Philo

Youth (14-18) and Young Adults (18-35)

An annual event in which the YUUth Group hikes up Mount Philo and sleds (or hikes) down! This year, we’ll be partnering with our Young Adults to do the Mount Philo Up & Down together. We'll meet at 1 p.m. at Mount Philo (or earlier for those carpooling from the UU Society). Bring sleds, if you want them!

Please register to let me know if you or your youth are planning to attend, so we know who to wait for and I can help you all connect to organize carpools.

Here's the link to the video recording of last Sunday's service.

Here's the text of Rev. Karen's sermon, "Best of Intentions."

Thank you, again, to Frank Davis for the illustration of the Time for All Ages.

YUUth Group (Ages 14-18)

Rowan Van Ness, Director of Youth & Emerging Adult Ministries

The YUUth Group is going to be meeting on alternating weeks between January and March. We still welcome any and all youth to join us for our gatherings, for a mix of community building, deep sharing, and service to our larger community. Please RSVP to Rowan ([email protected]) if you are able to join us! 

Weekends: Jan. 21 (Sun. 1-3 p.m., Mt. Philo Up & Down), Feb. 10 (Sat. 9-11:30 a.m., FUUSB-wide, multigenerational midwinter retreat), and Mar. 17 (Sun.11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.) TBD.

Tuesdays: Jan. 23, Feb. 6, Feb. 20, Mar. 12, & Mar. 26.

Free Weekly Yoga Series

Claire Graham-Smith 

Free 6-week yoga series "Yoga for All"

Every Level Welcome

Offered by Teacher-in-training, Claire Graham-Smith

Starting Tuesdays, Jan. 23-Feb. 27, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Bring your own mat or big towel. We will be in a carpeted space. Accessible access and easy parking in the side Oval, Clarke St. side.  

Questions? Email Claire here

New - Getting to Know You Gathering Dates with Rev. Karen

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister

NEW DATES ADDED. If you tried to sign up for a Meet & Greet with Sweet Treats & Rev. Karen this past fall and found all the slots taken, there are now additional opportunities for you to participate - These additional dates are the last to be offered. Click here for more information. Space is limited to provide an intimate format for getting to know each other. We apologize in advance if all of the spaces fill up quickly. If you have already attended one of the meet and greet gatherings, please let others have the opportunity to participate.

If you are interested in attending one of these gatherings, please sign up at signup.com/go/riZSvFW.

Eclipse 2024: Did You Know?

Susan Ogden, Eclipse Team

• The path of the 2024 eclipse will cross over Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and tiny parts of Tennessee and Michigan.

• The path of the 2024 eclipse is about 9,200 miles long from beginning to end.

• We are still accepting donations for the FUUSB Eclipse Homestay Project!

Visit this site to donate: 

https://tinyurl.com/EclipseUUHomes

Or contact a member of the Eclipse Team: [email protected]

Order Your Eclipse Shirt Now!

Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance

Help FUUSB raise money by ordering your Eclipse Shirt now! “From Daylight to Udder Darkness” - These amazing shirts have Sarah Rosedahl’s wonderful artwork and come as T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, and Hoodies, in both adult and youth sizes! You don't have to be experiencing the Eclipse in Vermont to wear one, and our Society's name is not on the shirt. Order one for yourself, and order some as gifts! And share the link with your friends, because they'll want one too!

Order at: https://bit.ly/EclipseCowShirts

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister

January's Earth Teacher is GRAVITY. This Earth Teacher may pop up at different times and in different places in our shared congregational life. On your own, you can use the January packet to explore this Earth Teacher and deepen your relationship with this part of the Natural World. On some weeks, the eNews will include an Earth Teacher Project invitation, such as this:

From now through June, on the 1st or 2nd of each month, we'll host an online Reflection Session - sign up through Realm.

Online Joys, Sorrows, & Gratitudes Form

If you would like to share a joy, sorrow, or gratitude, we invite you to fill out our online Joys, Sorrows, & Gratitudes Form, available at this link and in each week's eNews.

Joys, sorrows, and gratitudes are shared in Sunday worship services as much as possible. Since our live-streamed services are available publicly on the FUUSB YouTube channel, we will not read full names or personal details.