The Service Auction is Here!
Join us TOMORROW, March 14 at 4:30-9:00 p.m. to bid for some fabulous good and services all supporting some very worthy causes.
For more information on the March 14 Service Auction click here.
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Donate Your
Books
Start your spring cleaning by gathering books from your shelves to donate to the FUS Library Book Sale, scheduled for Sunday March 29 at 9:00-1:30 p.m. Drop them off in the FUS Library anytime. Your contributions will be greatly appreciated.
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| Summer Assemblies
The Summer Assemblies Committee, chaired this year by Jim and Holly Leighton, is looking for people who are interested in sharing their experiences, their passions, and their energy. We need both speakers and committee members.
If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact us or find us at church.
Thanks, and see you this summer!
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Updates
and Reminders
Meeting Date Changed
The date for March Green Team meeting has changed to Tuesday, March 24. It's still 7:00 p.m. in the Clara Barton room. (The original date was Monday, March 23). Please join us!
Adult Education Series on Poverty meets on Thursday evenings in March at 7:00-9:00 p.m. For more information about this series click here and scroll to pages 4 and 5. You can attend one or attend them all!
The FUS Community Chorus meets the first and third Wednesdays each month at 6:15 - 7:00 p.m. All are welcome!
Ceremony for Grieving and Healing
Sunday March 15.
FUS holds a special, short service for those who are grieving from noon to about 12:15 the third Sunday of each month in the Sir Isaac Newton Room (#107). For more information click here.
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For Your Information
Remember that you can forward The Unitarian FLASH to a friend at any time. Simply scroll to the bottom of each edition of The Unitarian FLASH and click on the link called "forward email." Forwarding The Unitarian FLASH will not add the recipient to any email lists, or allow entry of any spam into their inbox, but it will allow you to share the information in the The Unitarian FLASH you'd like them to see with just a quick click!
Donation Options
FUS is pleased to offer congregation members the convenient option of making donations right on our website. Families are making an increasing number of payments and donations online. If this donation method appeals to you, we encourage you to visit the FUS website, locate the link to our donation page and follow the simple process for setting up both regular offerings and one-time gifts. Parking at FUS
The Vineland Parking Ramp attached to Walker Art Center is available for FUS parking on Sundays. The cost is $1, and coupons for $1 are available in the FUS Office. Simply park your car in the ramp, remembering to bring your ticket with you as you leave the parking facility; come to FUS and stop by the office to pick up a coupon.
FUS News
The Unitarian FLASH features only a selection of stories events at FUS. For more details and other stories visit the FUS website and view recent The First Unitarian newsletters. Electronic Versions of The First Unitarian Newsletter are available at the FUS website. They are posted there each month. If you would like to stop receiving the printed version via postal mail and access the electronic version instead, simply contact the FUS Office with that request: 612-377-6608, or send an email request by clicking here.
Visitors Orientation
If you are interested in learning more about the Society, contact Teresa West, Membership Director at 612-377-6608 ext. 104 or by clicking here.
Flower Sponsorship
Fresh flowers enhance the Sunday morning experience for all of us and are a lovely way to honor a loved one, a special day, an event, or a remembrance. To provide flowers, please stop at the FUS office to fill in a flower sponsorship form or click here.
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FUS Email Contacts
Phone: 612-377-6608
Fax: 612-377-2151 | |
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Greetings from Mount Curve!
It's all happening at FUS! Make sure you're here for  it all! The Service Auction is TOMORROW, Celebration Sunday is this Sunday, the Spring Breakfast and Pageant of Spring is March 22, and the first Eat 'N Meet of the season March 25. View the March edition of The First Unitarian newsletter to learn more. |
Celebration Sunday - Now More Than Ever!
On Sunday, March 15 
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March Book Chat
This Sunday March 15, 9:30 a.m., Lower Assembly Hall. American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation's Drive to End Welfare, by Jason DeParle. In this definitive work, two-time Pulitzer finalist Jason DeParle cuts between the mean streets of Milwaukee and the corridors of Washington to produce a masterpiece of literary journalism. All are welcome, whether you've read the book or not. Join us in discussing this courageous book! Copies are available in the FUS Bookstore.
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Social Action
* Peace rally organized by Iraq Peace Action Coalition (IPAC), Saturday, March 21. Rally: noon/ March 12:30. MLK Park, 270 Kent St., St. Paul. Sign up and/or sign postcards at the TAKE FIVE table on Sunday.
 Make a difference with only five minutes of your time on Sunday. Stop by the TAKE FIVE table this Sunday to sign postcards and get information about these issues:
* Marriage Equality Bills at the Capitol
* Troops Out Now - End the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan
* Support investments in quality child care and early childhood education
* Saving renters' credit |
Spring Breakfast and Pageant of Spring
Spring Equinox Celebration
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Make it your "rite of spring" to welcome the
new season with fellow FUSers for a morning of
festivities. Bring the whole family -- it's an
intergenerational affair. 
Spring Equinox Breakfast
Lower Assembly Hall
Serving from 9:00-9:45 a.m.
Tickets at the door
Adults: $7, youth 18 & under: $3
Sing-along Songs of the Season
Upper Assembly Hall
9:45-10:25 a.m. with the Eclectics
Intergenerational Assembly 10:30 a.m.
The Pageant of Spring
Upper Assembly Hall
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Join us on Wednesday evenings March 25-May 13  this spring at 5:45 p.m. in the Lower Assembly Hall for some yummy eats and fabulous company. Then at 7:00 p.m. move upstairs to the Dietrich Room for the evening's free program. Attend one, or attend them all. Bring a friend-or more! All are welcome!
Essential Facts:
* A vegetarian option is always served at each dinner.
* Suggested donation rates for Eat 'N Meet dinners are: adults $7, children $5, with a maximum of $15 per family, however if the cost is prohibitive for you, please be our guest.
*Childcare is provided free on-site.
*The programs are free and open to all.
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Photo Directory
FUS has arranged with LifeTouch to issue a new  photo directory. We will be taking photos of all members and friends of the First Unitarian Society on March 24-29 and March 31 and April 1-4. The sitting is free, and all will receive a free 8x10 portrait and a directory, with the option to purchase other photos. We need YOU to sign up for your sitting time. Follow this link to sign up on-line.
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Radio FUS Is On the Air
If you're at the Society on a Sunday morning and  want to hear the service but for some reason you can't be in the Upper Assembly Hall, bring a radio. Services and other events in the Upper Assembly Hall that use the sound system are now broadcast on 88.1 on the FM band. Assemblies are also aired on our assisted listening devices available in the office, but your own FM radio now can pick them up, too--anywhere on the first two floors and in the front and rear yards of FUS.
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Sponsor Refreshments
Having refreshments at the social hour after the assembly honors our appetite-a bit of sweetness before a meal, a little something to munch with coffee, maybe a treat that isn't available at home. The donations given at social hour help with the cost of the coffee, but they don't cover the cookies.
That's where you come in: for $35 you can sponsor refreshments on a Sunday, or for $20 or $40 you can designate a special celebration that includes a decorated cake(s). There will be a sign recognizing the donor and the occasion.
Here's your chance to sign up for spring birthdays,  recognize graduations, and satisfy the congregational sweet tooth.
Slots are available for the first, third, and fifth Sundays throughout the spring; second Sundays are when we have soup lunches, and the Alliance has generously underwritten fourth Sundays.
To sponsor refreshments simply complete the appropriate form and deliver it with your payment to the FUS office. Forms are available on the "Ask Me" table in the Lower Assembly Hall on Sunday mornings, in the FUS office and on the FUS website.
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An Invite to Passover Seder
Or Emet welcomes members of First Unitarian  Society interested in Humanistic Judaism to attend the community pot-luck Passover Seder at FUS on Saturday April 11 at 5:00 p.m. The Minnesota Congregation for Humanistic Judaism offers a secular alternative for persons who believe a rational worldview and Jewish identity are complementary. For more information about Or Emet, click here and about Society for Humanistic Judaism, click here.
The Community Seder follows a Humanistic Jewish service featuring participation by children and adults. This potluck event features traditional Seder foods and volunteer assistance provided by all attendees. Seder fees are $10 for adults/teens and $5 for children under 12 years.
Reservations are required and are being accepted now. To make you reservation, please contact:Evelyn Lessin or Nancy Schwartz providing your name, phone number, number of people, and meal contribution (to serve 8-10).
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UU Events
There are a number of great events being offered by and for Unitarian Universalists in our area. Click here and scroll to page 13 to learn more.
Openings Available for Participation in Online Covenant Groups
We have a few available spaces for people who would like to participate in an online Covenant Group. CLF online covenant groups are designed to build community amongst people in distant locations, providing the opportunity for deep listening and sharing, and for spiritual growth within a covenanted community. Communication is entirely via email or our Online Learning Center. Participants agree to participate fully, and to listen and respond with respect and compassion. If you are interested in participating in a Covenant Group, or in finding out more about them, contact our minister for lifespan learning, Lynn Ungar. Workshop on Changes in UU Governance
The UUA Board of Trustees is moving to the CarverŠ Policy Governance model in the Fall of 2009. You are invited to participate in an online workshop, to learn more about this change. There are two opportunities to participate: March 12, Thursday, at 7:00 p.m. and March 24, Tuesday, at 7:00 p.m. Registration is limited, so you may wish to register early. For more information about this opportunity, click here. Register Now for 2009 Prairie Star
District Conference
April 3-5 In Duluth. "Our Blue Boat Home: Living the Seventh Tradition" is the theme of the 2009 Prairie Star District conference of the Unitarian Universalist Association April 3-5 in Duluth. Click here for all information--including facts about youth programming and child care.
Social Justice Pre-Conference Workshop:
"Successful Strategies for Environmental Justice." Friday April 3, 1:30-4:30 p.m., UU Congregation of Duluth. For more information click here.
Making Your Summer Plans?
Registration is now open for Camp StarTrail, our new UU summer camp for all ages. Click here for more information. Our Theme Speaker is Rev. Kendyl Gibbons, Senior Minister at First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis. Her topic is "Toward Wisdom: How to Recognize and Become a Spiritual Grown-Up, With or Without God."
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You're Invited!
Join us for these great events!
- FUS Service Auction: TOMORROW, March 14 4:30-9:00 p.m.
- Adult Education Series on Poverty: Thursdays March 19, and 26 at 7:00-9:00 p.m.
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Book Chat: March 15
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Celebration Sunday: March 15
- Ceremony for Grieving and Healing: Sunday March 15 at noon.
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Spring Breakfast and Pageant of Spring: March 22 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
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Eat 'N Meet: Wednesday, March 25 5:45 p.m.
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March Forums and Assemblies: Sunday mornings. Click here and scroll to pages 2-3 for program descriptions.
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For an updated list of events at FUS visit the calendar.
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