 |
|
|
Having trouble viewing this message? Scroll to the bottom & click the link to view this email online.
| |
Generosity MinistryLast spring, the Generosity Ministries Team (GMT) asked you to fill out and turn in your "last pledge form ever." This is because we've moved away from pledge drives and are moving towards a model where we all have a deeper, ongoing relationship with the financial health of the Fellowship. As we move forward into the new calendar year, we're offering more ways to check in on how much you're giving, how your dollars keep the Fellowship going, and how even small increases to your giving can have a positive impact, so keep an eye out for information in your inbox on how to take part.
As always, we rely on your input to help us plan our operating budget for the fiscal year, July 1 – June 30. If you are new to giving at the Fellowship or if you intend to increase your annual support for the Fellowship’s operating budget, you can do so HERE by completing the Giving Intention Form.
Your Generosity Ministries Team,
Ann Fisher (Chair), Wendy Bolm, Theresa Hannah, Hilary Haskell, Suzanne Marnocha, Julie Putman, and Aaron Sherer
| |
Eliminating Medical Debt with Our Abundance!
At the Fellowship we practice building a world in which everyone's worth and dignity are upheld. We are guided by a love that we know holds everyone, and we strive to be that love for each other and for the wider world.
Our Fellowship's Ministers' Discretionary Fund (MDF) is set aside to assist people in our circle of concern who are in need of tangible care. During the pandemic, our congregation members and friends were overwhelmingly generous, and the MDF currently has an abundance of funds. We plan to keep $10,000 in that fund to cover the ongoing needs of those nearest to us. But on January 31, 2023, anything above and beyond that amount will be donated to RIP Medical Debt. Medical debt is a crushing weight for so many people in our nation, given the for-profit insurance systems which force people to make impossible choices between food, medicine, life-saving procedures, housing, and other essentials. If we can help relieve that debt for some people and help them feel loved in the process, then we are living our values. RIP Medical Debt buys unpaid debt for pennies on the dollar, allowing each dollar donated to eliminate $100 of medical debt.
To donate to our Ministers' Discretionary Fund, visit fvuuf.org/give, choose Online Giving and select Ministers Discretionary Fund, or text the amount you want to give, space, MDF ($50 MDF) to 833-278-1690 and follow the prompts. On January 31, anything in our MDF above $10,000 will be donated to RIP Medical Debt. Our goal is to donate $10,000 to eliminate $1 million in debt. Thank you for your abundant, generous love!
| |
Sunday, January 159:00 & 10:45 am CT In Person and Livestream
Martin Luther King, Jr., the Beloved Community, and the Kingdom of God
by Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
Click HERE for Worship Service Zoom Information and the Order of Service
- Watch clips of our services on our Youtube channel.
- Upcoming Services HERE
- See our website HERE for information about all our religious education classes for children and youth.
- Share the Plate: The January Share the Plate organization is the UUA Disaster Relief Fund! Learn about Share the Plate on our website HERE. Learn about the Disaster Relief Fund HERE.
| |
Service Series Starting January 15What could God possibly be? The five Sundays from Jan. 15 to Feb. 12 will cross two focus areas -- Being Calm in the Storm & Drawing the Circle Wide, but they will also go deeper into an exploration of the many ways people understand God -- or have different names, metaphors, and practices to connect with that Mystery beyond all understanding. UUs sometimes think they must accept or reject the idea of God or Gods -- but there are so many more options available to us!
| |
January – Peace in the StormStorms rage throughout the world, throughout our lives, and sometimes within our own hearts. As we begin the year with new resolutions and hopes, we seek to center ourselves amidst the storms. This month in our Fellowship we will turn toward each other, and to the many ways we can name and experience the divine, to find and make spaces of peace.
| |
| | Religious Education - Children and Youth
| |
|
Youth Twilight Zone HourWhat are your friends saying about our Youth Twilight Zone hour?
• “It’s fun!!!”
• “It’s great! EVERYONE should come!”
• “It’s not the boring class you are probably thinking it is.” -paraphrase from someone you know
• “I love it!”
• “It is amazing; really gets you thinking!” -paraphrase from another person your age
• “Two thumbs up! Way up!” -Kim Hartman (DRE)
• “SIX out of five stars” -probably something Amanda K. would say
Meet with us on Sunday to share popcorn and relax with friends while we view another compelling episode during the 10:45 service. Your host and teacher Amanda Kramp; SUPER FAN and a walking encyclopedia of the series, brings a whole new level of understanding and appreciation of the show. You’ll be glad you came… if you DARE!!!
Amanda is so excited to share the series, that she made this video just for you!
| |
Upcoming Open Meeting on January 24thJoin us for the second of our series of congregational Open Meetings this year to help encourage conversation and the flow of information here at the Fellowship. Tuesday, January 24, 6:30-8:00 pm in the Fellowship hall (unfortunately this meeting will not be offered on Zoom).
Prior to the meeting, our Justice Action Ministries (JAMs) will be hosting a light dinner! Come enjoy dinner and conversation starting at 5:30 pm. The meeting will have three areas of focus:
1. Justice Action Ministries and the future of justice work here at the Fellowship. We want to find out your ideas and how you want to get involved in our justice efforts.
2. Update from Generosity Ministries Team on how stewardship looks these days.
3. Hear about our new Human Resources Committee and an update on our staff team.
| |
Robot and Refreshments with the RevsYouth! Join our ministers for the next monthly evening of food and conversation. We are reading the book “Psalm for the Wild Built” (A Monk and Robot Book) by Becky Chambers, which explores themes of life, humanity, and society in a far-future setting where the world is actually pretty great. The main characters are a gender nonbinary monk whose God emphasizes comfort, and a robot who has never encountered a human. Get the book and follow along (only one chapter a month!) or we’ll provide a short explanation of the chapter before we begin chatting.
6:00 pm Wednesdays: January 25, February 22, March 22, April 26, May 24
| |
CABARET is Back!Saturday, February 18 we will again have our winter “fun-raiser” but with a twist. Due to legal and insurance red tape, this will be a dry cabaret, so our theme is “Let’s make the desert bloom”. We’ll still plan on an evening of music and fun with munchies and NA drinks, so please sign up to help make it happen. We'll need performers, setup and kitchen crews, and people to donate food and drinks and loan us coolers and card tables. The signup sheets are in the Fellowship Hall. Thanks for helping to make the desert bloom! Contact Mary Gerlach at gerlachmz@gmail.com with questions.
| |
UU Buddhist Fellowship Holds Convo in Racine, April 27-30The national Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship holds regular Convos, and in April of 2023 the UUBF Convo will be held in the Midwest for the first time, with the distinguished Buddhist teacher and climate change activist David Loy, author of Ecodharma: Buddhist Perspectives on the Ecological Crisis. The Convocation will be April 27-30 at the beautiful DeKoven Center in Racine, Wisconsin. There are opportunities for both in-person and online attendance, as well as a public talk on Saturday, April 29. To learn more and to register (early bird discount closing soon) please visit https://uubf.org/wp/convocation-2023/.
| |
Annual Giving Statements for Tax year 2022
Tax year 2022 contribution statements will be mailed on or before January 31, 2023.
Reminder: You must receive a written acknowledgment dated prior to the filing date of your tax return to claim a tax deduction.
| |
Care and SupportTo submit a Joy or Concern, fill out the form on our website or contact Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave at hannah@fvuuf.org or 920-731-0849. For pastoral emergencies call 920-383-1565.
| |
The Territory Film ScreeningJoin Green Sanctuary in the screening of the documentary film The Territory on Sunday, January 29 at 12:30 pm at the Fellowship. The Territory provides an in-depth look at the tireless fight of the Indigenous Uru-eu-wau people against the encroaching deforestation brought by farmers and illegal settlers in the rainforest of Brazil. Take part in the discussion following the movie.
| |
 |
Click the image to read the Justice Hub
|
|
Justice HubCheck out our Fellowship’s Justice Hub for the most up-to-date information about how to get involved in social justice in our community!
This Week:
• MLK Day events in Appleton
• Green Sanctuary film screening on Sunday 1/29
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
