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Dear Ones,
When I was in 9th grade, I went through the Protestant confirmation process at my childhood church. Much like the UU Coming of Age process, it was a series of classes that teenagers took to become adult members of the church and I found it to be a really valuable experience that drew me closer to a community that I loved. For the grand finale of the class, each of us was asked to write a statement of faith --a document professing what it was we believed when it came to theology and spirituality.
I wish I could find what I wrote and read it today! The girl who wrote that statement of faith feels like a distant memory. She’s a part of me, but she still had so much to see and feel and experience (and I still do!). She felt pressured to use the words and images of the faith community she was born into. She felt nervous to question, she felt preoccupied with fitting in, and she was still figuring out who she was.
That’s why I’m excited to start our Adult Coming of Age Class this Sunday. I’m excited to do this work again from where I stand now -- the work of intentionally exploring and articulating my beliefs and spiritual life in community with others. We are all constantly changing, growing, learning, and expanding our worldviews long beyond our youth. We are always coming of age.
I invite you to join us in this meaningful experience. You can find more information about our Adult Coming of Age Class below, under “Adult Faith Development.”
I leave you with these beautiful words of faith from the poet, Tanya Markul, and I look forward to hearing your own:
“forty-six”
by Tanya Markul
To me, being spiritual means:
Whispering to trees,
laughing with flowers,
falling in love with sunsets,
consulting the water,
and worshipping the stars.
One hand to my heart.
One hand to Earth.
And sparkles.
Tons of them.
With love,
Ali Peters, Intern Minister
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Sunday Service10:00 AM CST
Come What May
by Ali Peters, intern minister
Click HERE for Worship Service Zoom Information and the Order Of Service
- Listen to past sermons HERE
- Watch some of our past services on our Youtube channel
- Click HERE for information on hosting a traveling chalice in your home
- Students in 2nd through 6th Grade meet for Children's Chapel at 9:00 am CST via Zoom! See our website (here) for more information about all Religious Education classes for children and youth.
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Monthly Evening Service
Wednesday, January 27 at 7:00 pm CST
Join us for a worship service led by our intern minister, Ali Peters. On the last Wednesday of each month, we hold an informal evening service to re-center ourselves during the week, connect more deeply with one another, and hold each other in community. These simple services include a reading that is related to our current worship theme, a centering practice, and an opportunity to reflect and to share joys and concerns with each other. The theme for our January service will be “Flexibility.” All are welcome to join us! If you have questions, please reach out to Ali at ali@fvuuf.org. We hope to see you there.
Zoom link HERE, passcode UU
Call in: 312-626-6799, meeting ID 827 7074 7192
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Click the image above for details on all these events.
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January 7 - Fellowship Book Read with Rev. Leah Ongiri: Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes
Coming of Age for Adults with Ali Peters, intern ministerWeekly Sessions on Sundays 1/10 through 2/14; 12:00-1:15 pm CST
When we hear “coming of age,” we typically think of young people. And yet, we “come of age” again and again at various points in our adult lives as we go through changes in our lives and relationships. COA for Adults is a six-session series designed for adults of all ages to explore their spiritual journey and religious identity. Participants reflect on how they got to now, engage with texts as they relate to their spiritual lives, and craft a statement of faith about who they are as a person of faith. Each COA session builds on earlier ones, so participants are asked to attend as much of the series as possible.
Register in advance for COA for Adults HERE.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Learning to Dismantle White SupremacyThe events of the past four years in our country have left many of us baffled and despairing. It is impossible to ignore how these events have emerged from our country’s deep wounds of racism and white supremacy. Our Unitarian Universalist faith calls us to the urgent work of healing those wounds and we invite you into this work with us. During the months of February and March, we will be hosting an anti-racism virtual learning series on Zoom. The series is being created specifically for our Fellowship community in partnership with professional decolonization educator, Anjali L. Nath Upadhyay, who will co-facilitate the series along with Ali Peters, our intern minister. Keep an eye out for more information in future Scroll newsletters. We hope you will be able to join us.
Wellspring When the Barn Burns Down: Secret Stores of Resilience in Art and Being with Rev. Theresa I. Soto
Wednesday, January 13; 6:30-8:00 pm CST
My barn having burned down, I can see the moon.
-Mizuto Misahide, 17th-century Japanese poet and samurai
The idea of resilience can get easily warped to end up being something like the power by which we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. If that’s not it, what else is there? This exploration will allow us to recognize both our individual and collective resilience and how that can serve us as we move toward the futures of wholeness and connection that call us forward.
Click HERE for details.
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| Religious Education - Children and Youth
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Join Us at Lunch Club!Youth in grades 9-12 are invited to join us for conversation and community time together on Sundays at 12:30 pm CST. Be sure to bring lunch or a snack, and enjoy some time chatting with your fellow UU’s.
Youth interested in attending must be registered for RE in order to receive the Zoom link. Contact director of religious education, Kim Hartman, at kim@fvuuf.org with questions.
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Our virtual Sunday programs for young people meet at 9:00 and 11:00 am. We are excited about our classes which have been designed to be fun and engaging with online learning in mind. Don’t miss connecting with our Fellowship friends and family this year!
Program Year Format for Registered Students:
• Pre-K through 1st grade meets the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month at 9:00 am CST
• 2nd through 6th grade meets the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month at 9:00 am CST
*All students are invited to attend all classes; however the classes will be geared for the target ages.
• 7-12th grade meets each Sunday at 11:00 AM CST
Please visit our website for more information about our classes. Contact director of religious education, Kim Hartman, at kim@fvuuf.org with questions.
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Update from our partners in BanaybanayThe Banaybanay congregation sends their best wishes for a fruitful and safe new year to our congregation and has sent a letter filled with good news. Joevani Espanola has reconsidered his resignation and will continue to serve the Banaybanay congregation, which greatly values his experience and commitment. His wife, Jonabeth, is currently doing an internship in UU ministerial formation and will continue to be an important member of the leadership team. Thanks to the virtual plate passing donation from the Fellowship they will be able to begin church renovation this month. They continue to take precautions to avoid Covid 19 and at this time have not had cases in their congregation. To read the letter, please click HERE.
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The Justice Hub webpage has information about our JAMs, justice groups, justice events, and opportunities here at our Fellowship and out in the community right there at your fingertips any time you need it.
• Green Sanctuary book study of As Long as Grass Grows will be on January 25. Information is on the Justice Hub webpage regarding the book and how to obtain it.
• ESTHER (interfaith organizing) information: Taskforces and updates.
• Information about all the ways United Way offers support and resources for people in need, and how you can help.
If you want to share something on the Justice Hub webpage, please do so by completing this form by Thursday to be posted when the page is updated each weekend. Submissions may be subject to staff approval and editing.
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Virtual General Assembly Registration Open! General Assembly is the annual gathering of Unitarian Universalists, where we conduct the business of the Association, explore the theological underpinnings of our faith, and lean fully into our mission and principles. That remains true even when we cannot gather physically. Last year, GA had more than 4,900 registered attendees participate from remote locations around the world. Although we give up the face-to-face interaction and hugs that are prevalent when we meet in-person, we retain our dedication to community and make our experience more accessible and more environmentally sustainable.
Registration for virtual GA 2021 is $200 per person. Financial support for registration as well as a payment plan are available. General Assembly registrants receive access to the 2021 Online Participation Portal, including live, simulive, and on-demand video content, the virtual exhibit hall, chat features, support, and a (new!) GA mobile app. Learn more and register HERE.
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Click HERE for details about these groups.
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- Fellowship Community Journal
Ongoing, submit your work to leah@fvuuf.org
More information HERE.
- Fellowship Pen Pals - Click HERE for information.
- Joyful Mind Zen Sangha; Saturdays, 7:00 am CST
- Men's Group, First Wednesdays & Third Tuesdays, 7-9:00 pm CST
- Music-Making Online - Click the small groups link for information
- Pollinate (BIPoC), Email pollinate.BIPoC@hotmail.com for meeting information
- Senior Wonders - Contact Janet Hughes for information
- Smiling Dandelion Sangha, Sundays, 6-7:30 pm CST
- Spill it Sister, Second Thursday of the month, 6:30-8:00 pm CST. The next meeting is January 14 at 6:30 pm CST. Contact Kate Hancock-Cooke at rugbykate@new.rr.com with questions.
- Third Thursday Book Club, Third Thursday of the month, 2:00 pm CST. Click the link above for the reading list.
- UU Parenting Support Group, First Monday of the month, 6-7:30 pm
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