Sunday, February 2 at 10 a.m.
Worship Leader:
Rev. Patricia Hart
Worship Associate:
Cheryl Herrick
"Learning Resilience"
Why are some human beings, or families, or communities, or cultures, particularly resilient? Living through difficult challenges plays a part... but the kind of deep resilience that keeps people centered, determined and even joyful does not inevitably result from finding a way through hard times. How can we help one another grow stronger?
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Visit the publication
archives on our website!
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Join Us for Worship This Sunday!
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Sunday, January 26 at 10 a.m.
Guest Minister: Rev. David Ruffin
Worship Associate: Judy Brook
When I was growing up, "integrity" meant doing what was right and being a good person. That, in turn, meant a whole host of "shoulds" and "should nots," which could sometimes make integrity feel pretty heavy. This heaviness could inspire a certain spiritual discipline, making me feel like I was on the right track...but was I?
What if, as poet prophets like Mary Oliver have counseled, our most important work of integrity is truly to share our unique light (our intrinsic goodness) with the world? And what would shift in our lives if we embraced the radical notion that there is no more reliable way to connect with and share our "soul shine" than to follow our own JOY?
This Sunday, let's experiment. What if, just for soul shine's sake, I followed my joy in a different direction? Might the experience we share actually have more integrity? I hope you'll join me to find out... (HINT - Come ready to sing!)
David Ruffin is a Unitarian Universalist minister, artist and educator who came to Vermont for a sabbatical two and a half years ago and hasn't been able to leave. Early in his ministry he founded the alternative community, The Sanctuary Boston, a spiritual home for young adults and other seekers not finding a fit in more traditional church environments. He then served as Assistant Minister at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, OK. Prior to ministry, David worked as an actor and singer based in New York City and still takes great joy in music and the arts. Since coming to Vermont, David has dived into sustainable agriculture and outdoor education, working with the Metta Earth Institute in Lincoln, VT, Crows Path's Field School in Burlington, and the Walden Project, an alternative outdoor school program of Vergennes Union High School.
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Game Night on Saturday
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 Erika Reif, Director of Lifespan Faith Development
Saturday, January 25,
5-8 p.m. in the Community Room!
Come join UU families and friends for Game Night!
We will have
games
out to play and you're welcome to bring a favorite, too. Because any gathering is more fun with food, it's also a potluck, so bring a dish to share. Homemade or store-bought is fine; don't stress! And you can skip the plates and utensils-we've got that covered!
Come for a little bit or the whole time; bring all your ages (and your inner child, too). Play an old favorite or learn a new game; our new Ping-pong table is also open and ready for play!
Childcare staff will have kids' games out or just play in the Nursery, whatever's needed to make the night fun for all!
We look forward to having you join us!
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Fresh, Hot Soup on January 26!
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 Erika Reif, Director of Lifespan Faith Development
Please
come enjoy
some hot soup and the warmth of community
after
the
service on
January 26
.
4th-7th grade students, raising money for their heritage trip to Boston this spring, will be serving up vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous options. There will be something for everyone. Lunch will be served immediately after the service in the Community Room.
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Raise the Minimum Wage - Postcards to Legislators
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Sunday, January 26 after the service in the Parlors and Community Room - Please write one
Our Raise the Wage postcard writing was such a success on Sunday that we ran out of postcards. So we're going to do it again this Sunday in order to help the 80,000 Vermonters who make less than $15/hour and all other low and middle income Vermonters. We, FUUSB and Raise the Wage Coalition members, will be in the Parlors and the Community Room downstairs with postcards and fact sheets for you to write your legislators. Direct contact with our own legislator is the most effective way for us constituents to let our representatives know what is important. Please help us act for justice. We can raise the wage with a veto-proof majority but only with your help.
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UUA Knotty Conversations
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Peggy Owen Sands
The Racial Justice Team invites you to join a webinar series, called Knotty Conversations. The webinars are to support congregations working to dismantle white supremacy. The UUA will host five free webinars, one per month. You can sign up for one or all of the webinars. The first webinar will be January 30 from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
You may access the webinar in the comfort of your home, or you may join a group at the UU.
The UUA asks that you register online at this link.
If you are interested in joining a group at the FUUSB, please email Peggy Owen Sands at
[email protected]
We plan to sponsor a group discussion about our experiences with the webinar on Sunday, February 2.
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8th Grade OWL Request
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The UU 8th Grade Owl Program is hoping to find an outgoing pregnant person to speak to the class on
Sunday, February 2, coming in about 9:45 a.m. to meet the facilitators and answering questions for about a half hour. The person would have to be comfortable with being vulnerable, a little silly, and honest even with intimate details. Some individuals have brought their partners along to answer questions with them. This is a great opportunity to help educate young learners about this stage of life. Please contact Erika Reif at
[email protected] or 802-862-5630, ext. 28.
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Speaking of Stewardship
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 Nancy Knox
This year's Stewardship campaign (our annual FUUSB pledge drive to support our budget) will happen in March. We're going to invite
everyone
to
COTTAGE PARTIES
- fellowship gatherings where you'll have a chance to socialize with your fellow UUs and have fun! We are looking for people in each neighborhood or town to host groups in their homes, as well as helpers and facilitators. To help us get organized, we'll be doing two workshops on Saturday, February 8
, here at the UU - anyone can attend one of the workshops.
If you'd like to host or help out at one of these COTTAGE PARTIES in March, please email the Stewardship Team at
[email protected]
and let us know if you'd like to host, help or facilitate, and whether you'd like to attend the morning (9 a.m. to noon) or afternoon (1 to 4 p.m) session on February 8
. NOTE: Childcare will be available for the morning session - Let us know if you need it (with number and ages of children). Thank you!
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Save the Date - Climate Justice Kickoff Meeting
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Jud Lawrie
A Climate Justice Team at First UU has been proposed. This rescheduled meeting will discuss the climate emergency facing us, the concept of climate justice, and the proposal to form a Climate Justice Team.
Sunday, February 16,11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (after the service)
Please mark your calendar and plan to join us. If you have any questions, contact Jud Lawrie at
[email protected].
"There is no Planet B"
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| Parking at FUUSB |
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 Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance
Where the heck do we park around here?
Are you confused about parking at FUUSB? Have you been wondering if you can park here during the week? What if you can't find parking on Sunday morning? Well, I'm going to try and answer all these questions!
- Sunday Parking - On Sunday mornings the entire row that faces the back of the Meeting House, the two spots that face the white Clarke Street house, and one spot near the handicapped ramp are all reserved for people who need accessible parking. Please do not park in these spaces unless you truly need to. In an effort to be as welcoming as possible, it would be great if you left parking under the solar carport for visitors. Everyone else may park in the upper parking lot, on the street, or in the parking lot located on Elmwood Ave. You can access this lot by driving from our lot between the two brick buildings, turn right on Elmwood Ave., and the parking lot is on your left.
- Weekday Parking - During the week we rent out our back parking lot to people who work on Church Street. Anyone parking in our lot Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. must have a parking sticker or you will be ticketed and/or towed. Members with parking tags may park in the oval during this time for no more than 3 hours at a time. Member Parking Tags go on sale every September; watch the eNews for details. During the week there is one handicapped parking spot located on the northeast corner of the building.
- Evenings and Saturdays - All day Saturday and every evening after 5 p.m., you are welcome to park anywhere in our lot or in the oval.
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From the Care Network: Meals Still Needed!
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Thank you so much to all of you who have so generously signed up for and already taken meals to Miriam (Tammy) Strauss and Rebecca Anderson. Your kindness is greatly appreciated. There are still many opportunities to contribute.
To those of you living in Essex, Jericho and points east of Burlington - Miriam lives quite close to the 5 corners in Essex Junction. Since you are close by, please consider taking her a meal while you are out and about. Thank you. I have also just added some more days to Rebecca's calendar for her recovery period after the treatments are done.
Here is the link to these meal trains:
Welcome page for First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington
(Note: If you can't find this link in the future, it is always in the eNews in the left margin.)
On behalf of the Care Network,
Sarah Weber,
802-373-0197
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Nursery Adult Childcare Providers Needed
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We have need for more adult childcare providers to take an occasional/flexible shift in our nursery. This is a paid position and allows you engagement with families and precious time working alongside a youth provider and caring for infants and toddlers on Sundays and the occasional special event such as game night. Working in the Nursery is a great way to serve the community, connect with other families, and make a little money! Here's a
link to the job description
.
If you think you would be a good fit, contact Margo Whitcomb, Faith Development Assistant, at
[email protected]
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First UU Society - JUMP "Transportation Angel" Sponsor
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 Wanda Hines, JUMP Director
Last year, with the elimination of Food Bag collections, in November Wanda Hines, Joint Urban Ministry Project (JUMP) Director visited the First
Unitarian Universalist Society. Members traditionally have spent an average $26 for Food Bags, previous overall value $2,562.
The Director personally invited members to get involved by asking, instead of organizing a personal hygiene and cleaning supply drive, to organize a Transportation Assistance Collection drive for which in return they are named "Transportation Angels" for the month. A successful $2500 Transportation Assistance Collection drive will sponsor all client transportation needs for the entire month.
Enormously successful, the First Unitarian Universalist Society's Transportation Assistance Collection raised over $5000, enough to sponsor all JUMP client transportation needs for not only one, but TWO entire months; whether transportation gas assistance, bus pass assistance or bike assistance. Congratulations!
Take note, while the traditional identified "basic needs" are food, shelter and clothing, in reality the minimum prioritized level of "basic needs" have moved to include transportation assistance, healthcare, education, sanitation, and internet. At JUMP the most prioritized
level is transportation assistance.
Overall, in 2019 Transportation Angel Sponsorships raised: $12,224
January -- Charlotte Congregational Church sponsored 50% of client transportation assistance
August -- Rick Robinson, independent donor sponsored all client transportation assistance
October -- Cathedral Church of St. Paul sponsored all client transportation assistance
November -- Ascension Lutheran Church sponsored 50% of client transportation assistance
December -- First Unitarian Universalist Society to start the new decade will be sponsoring all client transportation assistance for the entire months of January & February 2020
Client data has established what clients really need most. Last year, 45% of client households requested
Transportation
Assistance Support (TAS). JUMP spent
$24,725 for Gas, $6,422 for Bus Passes and $455 for Bikes. Combined, JUMP spent a needed $30,452 for TAS; equaling 30% of all vouchers requested.
Further data revealed the top purpose for transportation usage is appointments, work/job interviews and medical. Creating sustainable transportation access helps reduce transit costs, allowing clients to spend money on other essentials.
First
Unitarian Universalist Society's success and fellow 2019 Transportation Angel Sponsors will be used as best practice models to help encourage other faith communities, rotaries, businesses and organizations to get involved.
If you'd like to learn more or get involved, please contact Wanda Hines, Director, at
[email protected].
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