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Weekly Newsletter of the
First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton
September 11, 2024
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Note: Our Zoom Worship link has changed! We will change the link each year to improve security and preserve the integrity of our services. | |
Worship Service:
This Beautiful Love
Rev. Joel Miller
Sunday, September 15, 2024 at 10:15am
Our national association of congregations put love at the center of our values in June. I used to struggle with love as a spiritual practice when I believed it had to do with feelings. Especially since I can have days I don't feel especially loveable and days I don't feel especially loving. I was relieved to understand this love we are centering is not a feeling, but a spiritual practice.
This Sunday also kicks off our Religious Exploration program for the year. We'll have a Blessing of the Backpacks during the service so if you or your loved ones are in school, bring your backpack for a very special blessing.
Important Note: Kids are invited to wear pajamas on this day. We will be tie-dyeing shirts in our Elementary Level Sunday AM RE Program.
You may also join us on Zoom: https://bit.ly/fuusn-worship-2024-2025
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From the Co-Ministers
We had a great first week at FUUSN with you all. We are excited to be working with such a great staff and leadership and part of a congregation with so much dedication and care.
As your Co-ministers, we are sharing a single position. Clergy Couples who serve co-ministries successfully share the role of ministry, while delineating specific responsibilities. We've created the chart below to clarify this for us all. The Point of Contact (POC) for each ministry area should be contacted to schedule program meetings or to respond to structural or organizational needs but both ministers may be contacted to provide pastoral care and support.
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Rev. Joel
- Worship*
- Pastoral Care*
- Head of Staff
- Governance
- Steering Committee
- Operations Council
- Denominational Affairs
- Leadership Development
- Finances
- Lay Ministers
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Rev. Debra
- Worship*
- Pastoral Care*
- Social Justice and Community Connections
- Membership Growth
- Stewardship
- Communications
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Community Breakfast
Sunday, September 15 at 9am
To welcome all of you back to FUUSN, on Sunday, September 15th from 9:00 AM until 10:00 AM, we will offer an all-you-can-eat breakfast of pancakes, eggs, biscuits, bacon, fruit, and other vegan offerings for $5 each and kids under 12 eat for free.
Important Note: Kids are invited to wear pajamas on this day. We will be tie-dyeing shirts in our Elementary Level Sunday AM RE Program.
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Oops! Corrections to FUUSN Events Calendar
There were several errors in the printed events calendar handed out at service last Sunday. Please note these on your calendar or download and print a revised copy:
- The Community Breakfast on Sept. 15 is at 9am, not 11:30am
- The UU Plant-Based Eating Club Potluck on Sept. 22 is not at the Waltham UU, but the one on Oct. 20th is.
- The Over 60s presentation for October is on Meditation, and November is on Cancer Therapies.
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How to Read the Whole Newsletter
When you read the newsletter in your email, do you find that it's cut off partway through? To read the whole newsletter, look for something like this link at the bottom in Gmail:
| You can also find a link to the entire newsletter on Facebook or on our website at https://fuusn.org/news-events/news/newsletter-archive/. | |
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Friday, September 13
6-6:30pm: Zoom Vespers
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Sunday, September 15
9-10am: Community Breakfast, Parish Hall and Kitchen
11:40am-12:15pm: Alternative Coffee Hour, Alliance Room, Children's Chapel, and Ministers' Parlor
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Thursday, September 12
1-2pm: Annual Pledge Drive Meeting, Alliance Room
6-7:30pm: RE Committee Meeting, online
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Tuesday, September 17
7pm-9pm: Operations Council Meeting, Chapel and Zoom
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Spread the Word!
Help us tell our community about FUUSN Events! Forward this newsletter to a friend - Share a Facebook post - Invite friends to our Facebook events, such as the upcoming Expo - post events to your local parents mailing list!
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Volunteers Needed for Upcoming Events
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Volunteer Opportunities for Lifespan Religious Exploration
(and not just on Sunday morning!)
You have an opportunity to share your time and talent with our religious exploration programs across the lifespan. If you are not already volunteering this year, I hope you will consider finding time to volunteer with our programs. We are expanding beyond Sunday morning so you won't even have to miss worship in order to volunteer for some of these opportunities. If any of these seem interesting to you or you have questions, please respond to Devin Shmueli. They are:
Nursery: Sunday Mornings
We need more folk to volunteer to be in the nursery with our littlest ones to lighten the load on volunteers providing care for this cohort. This cohort is the future of FUUSN.
Coming of Age Childcare: Select Friday Nights and Other Times
When Coming of Age gathers, we need childcare support because we have a batch of mentors who have not mentored before. Some of them have young children who cannot be left home alone at home. This is one way to help make our Coming of Age program a HUGE success.
Elementary-Level Sunday AM RE (K-5th Grade): Sunday Mornings
This cohort will have three formats: Club UU, Soul Matters, and Spirit Play. They will get to choose the name of their program during their first session so it is no longer called "Elementary-Level Sunday AM RE" and reflects who they are as a group! To learn more, stay tuned for the September Learning and Growing Newsletter that will come out tomorrow.
Junior Youth Group and Our Unitarian Universalist Traditions (5th-7th Grade): Select Sundays from 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
A program that explores UU Identity, Theology, and History and incorporates social and justice-oriented activities.
World Blessings: Multi-Generational: Two Sundays Monthly starting in October from 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM (Setup 4:00-4:30, Cleanup 5:30-6:00) (Two Adult Facilitators, One Youth Facilitator Needed)
A program that explores world religions and cultures while preparing and sharing a meal representing the religion or culture of the day. Field trip options to explore and learn more deeply will also be provided.
High School Youth Group (8th-12th): Gathering Times Vary
This allows youth to gather together for social and justice-oriented activities and the Youth Group will have an overnight trip in the spring.
Adult OWL Program: TBD (One Facilitator Needed)
This program requires that facilitators receive online training. Using values, communication skills, and spirituality as starting points, this program explores sexuality issues for adults of all ages. Builds an understanding of healthy sexual relationships, affirms diversity, and helps participants accept and affirm their own sexuality throughout their lives.
Note: RE Volunteers must have attended FUUSN for at least a year and will be background-checked prior to working with children and youth.
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FUUSN Community Expo - Sunday, September 22, 2024
We will host an expo of our FUUSN groups and committees from 11:30am - 1pm (during coffee hour) on Sunday, September 22, 2024 in the Parish Hall.
Invite your friends to experience what FUUSN has to offer!
Come and find out what the FUUSN community groups and activities have to offer! At the FUUSN Community Expo you will learn about:
- our spiritual offerings
- volunteer opportunities
- social justice work
- our events and retreats
And so much more…
Questions? Contact FUUSN-Community-Expo@fusn.org
Do you need to register your committee/group? Fill out this form.
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Soul Matters Sharing Circle Groups to Start in September
Last year, FUUSN had over 20 people in four Soul Matters Groups meeting monthly to explore and share on various spiritual topics. The groups are provided with a packet that enables members of the small group to explore a topic in the way and to the depth that suits them personally and then share on that topic at a group meeting. These groups enable all of the members to share what is going on for them and are different from other small group ministries we have had at FUUSN in that they are not discussion-based - Soul Matters is built around deep listening. To learn more about our approach, click here.
Groups reform each church year in September/October which enables members to get to know a different group of people more deeply. We know this will be popular based on how well attended all our groups were - it became an important touchstone for our group members. Newcomers are more than welcome!
If you would like to learn more about joining a group this fall or have an interest in taking a 2 hour training course* to become a facilitator for a group, please click here. If you have difficulty with Google, please email us at contact-member-services@fusn.org.
*New Facilitator Training offered Sept. 17, and Sept. 28.
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Bill Holland's Celebration of Life - Sept. 21 at 2pm
A memorial service for Bill Holland will be held at FUUSN on Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 2pm. You may view his obituary here.
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Over 60s Yoga Presentation
September 29, 2024, 11-1:30pm
Yoga - Presentation plus Practice with Helena Froehlich and colleagues - Alliance Room
The Over 60's Committee, Helena Froehlich and colleagues from the Isha Foundation will have a presentation and yoga practice for beginners and practitioners alike.
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World Blessings
This year, our multi-generational offering will celebrate cultural and religious diversity, and the program, called World Blessings, will start in October and go through May. The group will meet on one or two Sundays per month from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM, and will include people of all ages from 3rd grade and up.
An important tenet of Unitarian Universalism is an appreciation of our world and its many blessings. World Blessings introduces participants to our world's diverse countries, religions, and holidays through the shared activity of cooking. Cooking is a fun activity that helps keep people of all ages engaged and participating while they learn about the world.
I am seeking a few co-facilitators, including one of High School age. If you think you are interested, please let me know. We’ll form a team to lead this fun program together. If you would like to facilitate, please email Devin.
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Our sincere thanks to everyone who helped with our Ingathering and Water Ceremony! So many people contributed to make this a fantastic opening to the year, but a special shout-out to Jud Leonard who got the Zoom audio working just in time.
Photos by Neal Klinman and Jenise Aminoff
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Have a news item you want to share? Want to schedule a FUUSN Event? Please use our web forms! Note that any event using physical space at FUUSN must be approved by Fran, and until you receive confirmation from her, that event will not be scheduled or added to our Events calendar.
Submissions for each newsletter must be sent in by the preceding Tuesday at 9am.
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First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton www.fuusn.org | 617-527-3203 | | |
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