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Enews Blast
January 5, 2012
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Our Mission: We gather to inspire spiritual growth, care for each other and our community, seek truth and act for justice. |
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Upcoming Worship Services!
Sunday, January 8th - 9 & 11 a.m.
Partner Church Celebration Sunday "The Dream of the Diaspora" The expression Diaspora describes people of a common ethnicity who moved away from their home community, and are currently living among foreigners. In the Unitarian Church of Transylvania, the term Diaspora is used for ethnic Hungarians of the Unitarian faith who are spread in areas where there is a vast Romanian majority, and where in many cases it is difficult to build autonomous, self-supporting church communities. Rev. Zoltan Kopandi-Benczedi is a Diaspora minister, living in the once thriving, now remote Zsil Valley in Romania.
Wednesday, January 11th - 5 p.m. Silent Meditation, 5:30 Reflections.
Sunday, January 15th - 9 and 11 a.m.
Martin Luther King Day Service - "The Second Smooth Stone: Just and Loving Community"
**Thank you to Mike Reilly (friend of Mark Kuprych) for this amazing photo of our Meeting House! |
 Farewell to David: Don't forget to arrive early (before 10:15) or stay late this Sunday for our between-service gathering in the parlors to honor departing facilities manager David McFeeters. If you appreciate all David has done to help us "go green" and husband our resources, be here to let him know! |
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Finger Food Needed!
 With our Partner Church minister in our pulpit on this Sunday Jan. 8, your Partner Church Committee is requesting anyone who is willing to bring some finger food of some variety for a reception after the 2nd service. Shirley McLane is cordinating the reception so please let her know about anything your are bringing. Contact her at shirleymclane@myfairpoint.net. Thanks
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Adult 2nd Saturday Potluck
January 14 at 6:00 p.m. in the parlors.
Contact Shirley McLane at 862-0543 for reservations. What are you bringing? Do you need childcare?
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 Please Take Note . . .
Rev. Roberta will be on vacation from January 2nd - 9th. If you have a pastoral emergency during this time please call the office and you will be directed to somebody who can support and assist you. |
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UU Book Discussion Group
Your are invited to the First UU on Tuesday, January 10, at 7:00 or Tuesday, January 17 at 1:00 as we discuss The Snoring Bird, by Heinrich Bernd. As this is a long book, and the meetings come early this month we would encourage people to come even if the book has not been read to the finish.
Naturalist Heinrich Bernd writes a memoir that takes us into the heart and soul of the eccentric Bernd family, especially father Gerd. The family escaped from Communist East Germany, survived for a while in Northern Germany, and later came to Maine. The reader gets a sense of 20th century biology, but above all his book gives us a fascinating story as well as science, history and beauty.
The book for February will be Uncle Tom's Cabin. |
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Religious Education News!
Upcoming Sundays for children and youth:
Jan 8... RE classes resume. Double session in OWL.
Jan 15... RE Sunday
Jan 22... Fresh Sunday! Mixed-age activities with a social justice theme. No OWL.
 Want to support RE in ways other than just teaching?
Please check out the volunteer opportunities we're making available at Volunteer Spot. So far, two RE-specific needs await: Sanctuary Fidget Fixer and Supply Closet Inventory Volunteer. Look for "Spot the Dog" further down in this enews blast and follow the links to sign up online and help us out! Thanks.
Teacher resources online! A reminder to all that handy links to curricula and other resources can be found on our website:
Teachers & RE Stewards
Thank you to: Anya Byam, Lynn Blevins, Suzie DeBrosse, Abbie Nelson, Christine Llyod-Newberry, John Grimm, Jennifer Woods, Brenda Balon, and Peg Rosenau. These folks have each taken the initiative to coordinate the teaching schedule for an RE class for the remainder of the year. If you are coordinating a team, and aren't listed here, let me know so I can thank you!
More thanks to:
The many people who will be sharing in the teaching of our UU children for the remainder of this year. Most of them also taught in the fall, too. Yay for you!
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Bringing Back Guest at Your Table Boxes
We hope that you are participating in Guest at Your Table to benefit the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. If you have been placing coins and bills in your Guest box during the holiday season, or participating by mailing a check to UUSC directly or renewing your membership online at www.uusc.org many thanks from the Denominational Affairs committee.
It is soon time for us to collect Guest at Your Table boxes, and make a tally of new and renewed members of UUSC from our First UU Society of Burlington. Our denomination's service committee, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, is an independent organization that depends on our individual memberships to support its work at home and around the world to improve people's lives.
On Sunday, Jan. 15 our committee will collect Guest boxes at each of the two services. Until that time, we hope that you will continue to add coins and bills to your box. Before returning the box on January 15, please count the money inside your box and replace it with a check for the amount you wish to donate to the UUSC. It is very important to fill in the form on the back of the box indicating the level of your membership. Denominational Affairs' goal is to increase UUSC membership from our First UU Society, so your help is much appreciated.
UUSC addressed envelopes are still available on the back tables in the sanctuary or in the parlor if you prefer to send your contribution directly. No matter how you choose to join or renew your membership, you can be proud that for over 70 years the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee has been a leading voice for social justice. You will be joining a community of more than 40,000 supporters who share your ideals and values. Thank you.
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Re-igniting Connections - a message from your stewardship committee
Anyone who even casually paid attention to the vast selection of football on television over the holidays saw, ad nauseam, many commercials. One thing jumped out to me in a couple of them. Both a major home improvement box store, and a major German auto manufacturer are using the phrase "that's the power of" ("the Home Depot" or "German engineering"); take your pick.
It made me think about stewardship. Specifically, it made me think about communication related to stewardship. We are about to begin our annual Stewardship Campaign. Your Stewardship Committee has met since October to plan the 2012 drive. To accomplish our plans, we will need help - help from all of you, and not only your pledge. We want to - need to - must - accomplish a successful result for this campaign. We will ask some of you to host small group "cottage" receptions in your homes. We will ask many others to be "visiting stewards," contacting people directly. We will ask still others to share their talents in a variety show kick-off to stewardship activities on February 11.
What has that to do with football commercials? Simple. We will unleash our communal strength to accomplish a major objective.
That's the power of this congregation.
Woody Fulton
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 Office Hours!
Our offices will be open from Monday, January 9th - Thursday, January 12th from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The offices will be closed on Monday, January 16th. |
OCCUPY THE SPIRIT TEACH-IN: We need your help!
Please help us get the word out to the greater community. We'd really appreciate it if you could circulate this to your friends and family, networks, Front Porch Forum, and other groups.
Occupy the Spirit teach-in: Exploring the spiritual roots of social transformation
Local spiritual leaders and community activists expound on the role of spirituality in social transformation. Speakers will be followed by participatory discussion.
Monday, January 16, 2012
6:30 - 8:30 pm
First Unitarian Universalist Society
We are also looking for volunteers to post flyers! Please contact Maeve McBride: maeve@ecoseeds.org
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Come Join Interweave For a Potluck!
Are you a former member of Interweave, the GLBTQA social group, or a new member looking to make connections? Come join Interweave for a very special potluck on the January 22nd at 12:30 p.m. in the Community Room. Meet new friends, catch up with old friends, have questions or comments, or want to what Interweave and the reinstated Welcoming Congregation Committee is doing this church year? Come join us for free food, donations for drinks appreciated, and join the conversation. Stop by to say hello to the new Chairperson of Welcoming Congregation Committee and Interweave Danielle Rochford.
Please contact Danielle Rochford at Dannir86@comcast.net or at 802-489-5051 to RSVP and to volunteer to bring a dish. |
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You too can support economic justice here in Vermont.
As you may know, a group we call "Occupy UU" has recently formed out of our FUUSB membership. Our goal is to support economic justice, initially by raising awareness and educating others about the disparities between the wealthiest and our lower and middleclass citizens.
On Sunday afternoon January 8th members of our FUUSB community can further support economic justice by uniting with members from other faith communities and speak about the need for a more equitable sharing of wealth here in Vermont.
From 3:00 TO 4:30 January 8 at Ohavi Zedek there will be a panel of Representatives and Senators, invited by Vermont Interfaith Action, to address questions of how our state budget and system of taxation can better meet the needs of Vermonters.
Attending this discussion is one step you can make in this worldwide movement toward fairness and a more equitable distribution of wealth. Come join us. We (you and I) are responsible for making legislators respond to the need for economic justice.
Cheryl Haller
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Volunteer Spot!
Spot the dog is our new Volunter Spot representative. Everytime you see Spot, you'll also see links to sign up for volunteer opportunities!
Our congregation is an amazing place with unbelievable people power! If you have made a New Year's Resolution to get more involved, volunteer your time, watch less tv, spend more time at church; then this is your chance! Many of our volunteer spot opportunities will take only a little bit of your time, but will make a huge difference. What a pay back!
Keep an eye on Spot the dog, he'll be bringing you new opportunities every week!
Click here to learn about becoming a Sanctuary Fidget Fixer!
Click here to learn about becoming an RE Supply Inventory Volunteer!
Click here to learn about becoming a Front Office Steward!
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