Yet More Phishing Spam

Our phisher is at it again. Several FUUSNites have received spam emails supposedly from Rev. Debra requesting assistance. We repeat: our co-ministers and staff will never send requests like this, and we will certainly NEVER request that you purchase gift cards for us. Do not respond to these emails. Report these as spam and delete them.

Please Respect Staff Offices

While it's lovely that folks feel comfortable dropping in to talk to staff, please do not enter staff offices when they are not present unless you are specifically authorized to do so. In particular, do not drop things off in staff offices unless you have received prior permission to do so. It makes it more difficult for staff to do their jobs when they find surprises in their office or are interrupted by folks picking up things they stashed there. If you have donations to drop off, please contact staff before bringing it in.

UU Common Read Comes to FUUSN

The Racial Justice Ministry is pleased to invite you to the first round of a new book discussion workshop based on Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg’s On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World, the UU “Common Read” for the 2023-2024 year. The book is an evocative application of the work of Maimonides, a Sephardic rabbi, philosopher, and Torah scholar of the Middle Ages, toward making repair in personal relationships, communities such as FUUSN, and in broader society.  

We will read the book in sections across five weeks, and complete a series of personal reflection, journaling, and discussion activities, with ten community members and two facilitators per group. We intend to offer three groups: two in-person groups and one zoom meeting, likely all on Sundays at varying times of the day, beginning January 12th.  

We have designed this program to be a learning and personal growth experience and an invitation to work purposefully to make the world a better place in which to live. We hope you will find the experience thought-provoking, emotionally impactful, and inspiring in terms of the possibilities for enhancing your own life and the lives of others with whom you come in contact.

Interested? Many of you have already signed on at the Racial Justice table on Sundays. If you haven't yet and are interested in joining, please email Meg Holland, by Dec 2Oth.

Healthy Baby/Healthy Child Holiday Toy Drive - Please Bring in Your Unwrapped Gifts This Sunday

Healthy Baby/Healthy Child is a holiday gift-giving project sponsored by FUUSN in conjunction with the Boston Public Health Nurses. Children whose families are unable to provide gifts for them have been identified by the nurses. This is an opportunity for you and your children to give to others in need during the holiday season.

This year, you can provide a gift in one of two ways:

• If you stopped by the holiday tree in the Parish Hall on December 1st or 8th, to find out how to purchase a gift for a specific child, please return your unwrapped gifts to FUUSN by Sunday, December 15th .
• You may still purchase a gift for any age child using the Amazon wish list created by the nurses. The link is: http://bit.ly/4fHC4fy. The gifts should be shipped directly to Elise Morantus Petion at the gift registry address and need to be received by Friday December 13th .

Thank you!

Wendy Atamian, Susan Bartlett

Fill Up Those UUSC Guest at Your Table Boxes by Dec. 22

Our UUSC Guest at Your Table boxes will be collected Sunday December 22. This supports the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. UUSC advances human rights worldwide. They partner with communities displaced by climate change, work with communities affected by natural disasters and economic hardship, support the right to safety and justice to asylum seekers, defend access to water . This program takes place during the holiday season. Gifts of $150 or more are matched by the UU Congregation in Manhasset, NY. Website for online donations: http://donate.uusc.org/fuusn24 Donations payable to UUSC can be sent to: Guest at Your Table-UUSC, PO Box 808, Newark, NJ 07101-0808

Farewell from Jenise Aminoff

Dear FUUSN,

It pains me deeply to make this announcement, but I have made the difficult decision to leave FUUSN in order to focus more fully on my family’s needs. Don’t panic – I’m not leaving until after the big Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event (see Save the Date below).

I have really enjoyed my time with FUUSN and getting to know all of you. I’ve learned a tremendous amount in a short time, and I’m proud of the accomplishments we’ve made together: creating a whole new web site, improving the Chime newsletter, completing a wildly successful ministerial search, developing better publicity processes, and upgrading our network infrastructure.

You are all so blessed to have such a dynamic and talented community. I admire your dedication and your creativity, and I am grateful that, for a brief time, I was able to be a part of it.

Thanks for everything,

Jenise Aminoff

Advocate for Changing the Massachusetts Flag

The sight of our state symbol – a settler’s hand holding a sword over the head of an Indigenous figure, with a Latin motto, “She Seeks a Quiet Peace Under the Sword” – has been a longstanding offense to all of us in Massachusetts who care about justice for Native people. Native leaders have been steadfastly calling for our flag and seal to be changed for more than 50 years. Today, Massachusetts is the last state in the country still flying a flag of overt white supremacy. Eighty-two cities and towns in Massachusetts have taken formal votes in support of a new state flag and seal.

Please urge the governor to do what she has promised. She campaigned on pledges to remove barriers of systemic racism and promote the ideals of justice and equity. She has promised to move ahead with creation of a new state flag and seal.

In this moment of national reckoning, Massachusetts needs to take a clear and unambiguous stand for Indigenous rights, racial justice, and harmony between all the people who now share this land. Please take a moment today to email or call Governor Maura Healey with this message, and share this email with other friends in Massachusetts.

Governor’s Office, Boards and Commissions

Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St. Room 271-M

Boston, MA 02133

617-725-4010 / appointments.governor@mass.gov

Governor Healey, please swiftly appoint the advisory committee to design a new flag and seal for Massachusetts. A settler’s hand holding a sword over the head of an Indigenous figure is not a symbol we should be teaching to our grade school children. Please see this work through to completion, so that the Commonwealth may have a new state flag and seal that stand for true peace, justice, harmony and equity between all people who now call Massachusetts home.

Parents Night Out - Friday, December 13, 2024, 6-9pm

Member Services and the RE Committee have worked together to offer Parents free childcare for ages 6mo. through 5th grade (6th and 7th graders become helpers) at FUUSN once a month between December and May, starting on December 13.  Reserve space for your kids today and plan that date night (RSVP required)! 

Soul Collage®: Images, Intuition, and Insight with Isabel Phillips, Ed.D - December 14, 2024, 9am-1pm

Take a break from your thinking brain and rest in your imagination and creativity! Follow what fascinates you. There will be images galore, meditative music, and grace-filled time to follow your curiosity and wonder.

SoulCollage® begins with the process of choosing and then combining images on a 5” x 8” card to create your own personal deck of SoulCollage® cards. What you learn from each new card draws you more deeply into your own wisdom, intuition and self-discovery. 

Gift yourself with breakfast followed by three hours of spaciousness in community and see what you might bring into being!

Space is limited to 10 people, and the cost is $25 which includes breakfast and all card-making materials. Please email Devin to reserve your spot today. Reservation is not complete until payment is received. 

Newcomer Potluck - Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 6pm

If you are new or still feel new, or if you are reconnecting after being away for some time, you are invited to a potluck dinner in the Alliance Room at FUUSN on Saturday, December 14th at 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM. Children are welcome and childcare will be provided if desired.

Come talk with other newcomers who are interested in Unitarian Universalism and FUUSN. There will be time to discuss our congregation's services and activities and to ask questions, as well as time just to get to know one another.

Please RSVP to tell us if you can come and what you would like to bring. We will provide beverages.

For years these friendly, informal potluck suppers have been a favorite way for new people and current members to get to know each other better. We look forward to having this opportunity to be with you! 

No-Rehearsal Pageant Rehearsal - December 15, 2024

This year's Christmas Pageant is switching to a no-rehearsal-needed format. That said, if you or your child would like a prominent role in the pageant, we will be holding a brief rehearsal on Sunday, December 15th at 12pm to give you an opportunity to run through the role before the Christmas Pageant Service on December 22nd. You can still participate in the pageant if you do not attend this rehearsal! Contact Devin for further information or to let him know you'd like to help out with the pageant.

UU Plant-Based Eating Club Small-Group Potlucks - Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 6pm

The UU Plant-Based Eating Club is hosting small-group potluck dinners to be held on Sunday, December 15, at 6pm. We will host these plant-based potluck dinners in the homes of multiple PBEC members, with each group comprised of 7-10 people. If you are a PBEC member, you may sign up here, and you will receive an email assigning you to a private home a few days prior to the event. If you are not yet a PBEC member and would like to be, or are not sure if you are on the list, please send an email to UU-Plant-Based-contact-us@googlegroups.com.

While we intentionally welcome newcomers and anyone who is interested in eating more plant-based food regardless of where they are on their journey, all items brought to our potlucks must be completely plant-based and contain no cheese, dairy, eggs, etc. Recipe suggestions are available. More information about the Plant-Based Eating Club is available here.

Christmas Caroling, Dec. 15th and 17th

Did you miss the caroling at the Holiday Fair? Here are two more opportunites to celebrate the holiday season in song!

• Sunday, Dec. 15, 12-2pm in Newton Center
• Tuesday, Dec. 17, 3pm in Evans Park

Contact Anne Watson Born for details and to reserve a songbook.

Holiday Services 2024

December 21: Winter Solstice Service at 6pm

Rev. Joel Miller

On the eve of the winter solstice, we gather to reflect on the ways that the darkness nourishes us and the light beckons us. After readings and music from many traditions’ observances of this longest night, we process outside and offer our hopes for the light to come. This service will not be available on Zoom.

Dec. 22: Christmas Pageant and Carol Sing

Devin Shmueli and Anne Watson Born

Join us for this festive, all-ages celebration of the Christmas Story in word and song, followed by an enthusiastic singing of carols! Bring your Christmas cheer or find it here!

Dec. 24: Christmas Eve Services at 7 & 10pm

Rev. Dr. Debra Haffner and Rev. Joel Miller

7pm: Join us for a beautiful service of lessons and carols to recall the timeless Christmas story and let it enter our hearts anew. Our Sanctuary Choir will sing, and we will end the service with candlelight and “Silent Night.”

10pm: This cherished service brings readings to celebrate Christmas, winter, and new birth alongside musical offerings spanning many genres. Join us for quiet beauty, contemplation and spiritual grounding to ring in Christmas. This service will not be available on Zoom.

Dec. 29: Quaker Service

Anne Watson Born

Our annual Quaker-style service will be held on Sunday December 29, 2024 at 10:15am in the Sanctuary. “…group silence is a type of communion, using both the religious and secular meaning of the word. We are taking sustenance and solace from each other, receiving a blessing of the spirit. We are also communing together, experiencing community, in silence with each other. We are all focused on becoming present to ourselves so that we can become present to others.” (Heather McRae-Wolf) This service will not be available on Zoom.

Christmas Day/First Day of Chanukah Potluck

Rev. Debra and Rev. Joel are hosting a potluck lunch at 1 pm on December 25th for FUUSN members. Please sign up now, and we'll be back in touch about what's needed. Location to be determined based on size of group.

Please RSVP

Volunteer to Provide Coming of Age/Parents Night Out Childcare

Here’s a chance to get to know FUUSN children on a day that isn’t Sunday! We’re offering childcare for younger siblings during Coming of Age, and we're planning several Parents' Nights Out. Volunteer for childcare so that parents can have a night out!   Not-so-fun fact: Did you know that babysitting can cost $25 - $35 an hour?????  

Calling all FUUSN Instrumentalists - Come and Play on Sunday, December 22 at the Pageant Service!

Ukes, guitars, horns, flutes, whatever... We'll be playing Deck the Halls, Jingle Bells, and a great Peter Mayer tune. 

Email Anne Watson Born at music@fusn.org for details and charts.

You Can Find All Volunteer Opportunities on our Website

Not sure how to sign up for something? Looking for ways to connect and contribute to our community? Just go to the Volunteer page on our website: https://fuusn.org/give/volunteer/

Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. at FUUSN

January 20, 2024, 9-11am

FUUSN is delighted to announce that we will be hosting the City of Newton's 57th Annual Community Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 20th at 9am in the Sanctuary. This event will be widely publicized and televised! Rev. Debra will participate, and FUUSN's choir will join the Myrtle Baptist Church's choir in song. Please join us for this historic event.

Over 60s Sponsored Presentation:

Philosophical Religion: FUUSN’s Heritage

January 26, 2025; Alliance Rm/Zoom

12-1:30 pm. Lunch bites provided.

Guest Presenter: Arthur Anderson, J.D., author, researcher. Arthur will remind us of an overlooked history of Greek philosophy which provided the roots of our New England Transcendentalists’ journey as dogmas and creeds became overturned and dismissed, - establishing our Unitarian society! Come join us on this important, eye-opening journey.