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This year at the Fellowship we’re holding two weekend “camps” to encourage connection, learning, deepening, and fun for people of all ages.
On October 12-13, we’ll be hosting our first camp – Our Values Take Flight! The camp will take place at the Fellowship and will be held from 9:00 am-4:00 pm on Saturday and after services from 12:00 pm-3:00 pm on Sunday.
Registration for camp is $40 per person, regardless of age or track. This fee covers light breakfast and snacks, camp materials, and a t-shirt. Registration deadline is SEPTEMBER 22.
For all the details about the camp and registration, click the button below.
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Sunday, September 159:00 am Central Time in-person
informal coffeehouse-style service with conversation
11:00 am Central Time in-person & livestream
traditional service with sermon
Radical Welcome: A kickoff to our “Wholly Human” program year, and the first “Tools for Being Human” Sunday! by Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
Click HERE for Worship Service Zoom Information & the Order of Service
• Visit fvuuf.org/middlehour/ to learn more about middle hour.
• Watch past sermons on our YouTube channel.
• Upcoming Services HERE
• See our website HERE for information about our Sunday religious exploration classes for children and youth.
• Share the Plate: In September we share the plate between the Fellowship and Zion Lutheran Housing Initiative.
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10:10 AM Middle Hour
Middle Hour offerings this Sunday:
• Vote Your Values / Get Out the Vote! with the UU the Vote Team
• All Are Welcomers: Being an Agent of Radical Welcome with Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave
Click HERE for future Middle Hour offerings.
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Pop-Up Choir This Sunday!
This Sunday, September 15, all are invited to be a part of our POP-UP CHOIR at the 11:00 AM service. Please meet in the Sanctuary (up by the piano) at 10:20 AM. We'll be singing "When We Are Singing" arr. by Kevin T. Padworski.
Thanks! Hope to see you Sunday morning!
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Sunday Service Focus
We focus our services each month on a topic so we can explore different aspects and go deeper. Our children’s Religious Exploration program and our Journey Groups & Chalice Circles for adults also follow along with these same focus areas.
Wholly Human: The Focus for the 2024-25 Program Year
At the Fellowship, we practice what it means to be human, and we practice making our lives and our world a better place. We do not all agree on the same theology or beliefs about God, the afterlife, or other questions of faith, but we do agree that being human means we need each other and we need community. And so, we strive to be that community for each other and for those who are still seeking. Join us this year for a focus on the skills and themes that help us live into our wholeness – to be wholly human.
Tools for Being Human
Approximately once a month, we will focus our Sunday service on skills, life hacks, and tools for being human. Our schools, families, and society might not teach us these skills, but they are useful for the challenges of human life and relationships! Themes include radical welcoming, apology and reparation, healing religious baggage and trauma, having a human body 101, and more.
The focus for September is Enter, Rejoice and Come In! (Invitation)
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Sunday Services at the Fellowship
(September 15 through May 18)
9:00 am – Sunday Coffeehouse Service & Childcare People of all ages are welcome to attend the Sunday Coffeehouse Service, a relaxed, conversation-based service without a full sermon. This service takes place in the Fellowship Hall around tables with coffee and bagels. If kids prefer to attend childcare during the 9:00 am service, they’re welcome to do so.
10:10 am – Middle Hour and Fun & Friends – Stay after the first service or come early to the second service, to enjoy opportunities for learning and connection with other Fellowship adults. Kids will enjoy Fun & Friends time in the Religious Exploration wing for play and building community.
11:00 am – Traditional Service & Religious Exploration – Everyone starts in the sanctuary for the traditional service, and children are “sung out” to Religious Exploration classes after the Wonder Box about 15 minutes into the service. This service includes traditional elements like hymns, ritual, and a sermon.
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| | Religious Exploration - Children & Youth
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Religious Exploration Program Year begins this Sunday, September 15!
Our 2024-2025 Religious Exploration Program Year begins this Sunday. We warmly invite all young curious minds and adventurous spirits to join us in a journey filled with fun and friendship. Together, we will explore our values through enriching lessons and activities that promote spiritual, ethical, and intellectual growth in our students.
We have some new and exciting changes for your kids this year, along with old favorites. One week a month will be spent learning more about other world religions (Hinduism, Paganism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and others). Another week we will learn about our new UU values of Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, and Generosity (JETPIG). The following weeks will continue with our previous curriculum: Soul Matters. Come Join Us!
Click HERE for information about each of our programs including nursery, children’s Sunday Religious Exploration, and HERE for our teen programs; Crossing Paths, Being a Teen, and Our Whole Lives.
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Embark on a Journey with Some of the Most Wonderful Souls You Could Ever Hope to Meet!
Each one of us possesses our own unique talents and gifts, and it is this vibrant tapestry of uniqueness that makes our Religious Exploration Team so terrific! Most of us may not come from formal teaching backgrounds, but what we all share is an abundance of kindness in our hearts and an insatiable curiosity in our minds!
Are you intrigued but hesitant? Take a leap of faith and plan a day to immerse yourself in a classroom. Experience the beautifully welcoming environment without any obligation and see for yourself the possibilities that await!
If you’re yearning to broaden your horizons and forge deep connections with some truly remarkable individuals, please reach out to Kim Hartman or Jill Williams for more information.
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Fun and Friends Begins on Sunday!
Meet us in the Potter Room for Fun & Friends. It is a supervised time for community creation through play, games, and art for our kids ages 4K through 5th grade (approximately ages 4-10).
Older kids are invited to attend coffee hour or one of the adult Middle Hour offerings. Our nursery will be open for our youngest friends, ages 6 months to 4 years.
We Need YOU! Let’s pull together to make this happen for our community!
We are still in need of adult volunteers who are willing to supervise the Fun & Friends room or the nursery. Fun & Friends volunteers do not need to be teachers, regular RE volunteers, or have any experience! Anyone over the age of 18 (and at least 21 for the nursery) who can pass a background check is welcome to apply. Contact Ms. Kim or Ms. Jill if you'd like to help out in this way! (kim@fvuuf.org or jill@fvuuf.org)
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| | Adult Learning & Connection Opportunities
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Express Yourself: Art to Music Sept. 18
The second offering of Express Yourself is Art to Music on Sept 18. We meet 6:00-7:30 pm. Come experience the joy of creating, letting go of the outcome, and leaning into being present for each choice, each line. Art to Music is about allowing yourself to create in conjunction with various genres of music, noticing how your lines and approach change depending on the influences in the space.
Allowing the journey of creation to guide you rather than your vision of what you think you want to create is a spiritual practice that helps us better appreciate the unplanned moments in our lives. Put another way: It's about the journey, not the destination.
Cindy will provide various types of paper and drawing materials. Feel free to bring anything you prefer to use.
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Finding My Next Home
When: Wednesday, September 25 @ the Fellowship
Time: 10 am – 2:00 pm
Maximum: 25 participants
Seminar Presenters: Margaret Alexander, Beth Belmore, Kathy Rose
Cost: Free of charge to participants
A voice in the back of your head tells you that you can’t stay in your home forever. You know you need to start looking at options. How would you do that?
This workshop will provide resources to assist in this journey. It will include presentations by community organizations, as well as opportunities to talk about your own needs and wishes in small groups. Registration is required.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunch. Beverages, snacks, and desserts will be provided.
To register, please send your answers to these questions HERE by emailing Beth Belmore at Belmore.bjean@gmail.com. Text Beth at 920-832-1356 with questions.
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| | Connect & Commit Spotlight
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JBear Photography – Individual and Family Sessions!
Sign up for a time slot by clicking HERE.
On September 29, Jerry Behrendt (Fellowship member and photographer) will be offering the opportunity to have your individual, family, or group photos taken at the Fellowship, in plenty of time to print those holiday cards! Jerry is donating his time and asks that you pay for this service by giving back to the Fellowship. You can pay with a check written to FVUUF with “Photos” in the memo line, or pay via our online giving portal, HERE, select the Fellowship Fundraiser tile and follow the prompts. Any amount is welcome, with a suggestion of $100 per session. After the session, Jerry will edit the photos and send you a private link to view and download your photos and print them however you wish. In case of inclement weather, we have scheduled a rain date of October 27. Any questions? Contact Rev. Christina (christina@fvuuf.org).
You can view Jerry’s photography website, here: https://jbearphoto.com/.
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Watch for upcoming Connect & Commit opportunities and events.
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Changing Hearts and Minds: A Conversational Approach Training
Sunday, October 6th at 12:30 pm @ the Fellowship
Limit 20. Please register HERE. A soup lunch will be provided.
Join this hands-on training facilitated by Planned Parenthood WI on how to talk and listen respectfully about the challenges and needs of reproductive rights with those who may think differently than we do.
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Vote Your Values
Over the last 14 years, the people of Wisconsin experienced a gerrymandered legislature in both Wisconsin’s Assembly and Senate. Many important policy issues were ignored. But now we have good news. On November 5th, the people of Wisconsin will be able to vote with new Fair Voting Maps for Wisconsin’s legislature.
We now have an opportunity to vote for candidates that align with our values. We can elect candidates who will address key issues such as access to health care insurance, the overcrowded prison population, voter suppression, support for Special Education in public schools, improving mass transit systems, and protecting our environment.
With new voting maps, your voting district may have changed. You can find voter information on registration, polling locations, absentee voting, and early voting at: Vote411.org OR www.myvote.wi.gov.
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 | Click the image to view the Justice Hub
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Justice HubCheck out the Justice Hub, featuring an easy-to-use calendar! Each event on the calendar includes time, location, and program details to help you learn more about how to get engaged with our wider community.
When you click on an event, at the bottom of the description you can click “Copy to my calendar” to add the event to your calendar and never miss a chance to act courageously for justice in our world.
- Sept. 14, Latino Fest at Pierce Park 10 am- 3 pm
- Oct. 1, Book Study Kickoff, Poverty, by America, author Matthew Desmond, 6:30 pm, hosted by ESTHER at 116 E. Wisconsin Avenue, Appleton
- Oct. 5, NAMI Walk. Register HERE.
- Oct. 6, 12:30 pm at the Fellowship. Please Register HERE for Changing Hearts and Minds; A conversational Approach Training about Reproductive Rights hosted by Planned Parenthood
- UU the Vote Reminder: You can find voter information on registration, polling locations, absentee voting, and early voting at: Vote411.org OR www.myvote.wi.gov.
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| | Ministry Call & Co-Ministry
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From the Ministerial Call Discernment Team
Important Dates
- Sunday, September 22: Rev. Hannah will preach on the relationship between a called minister and the congregation. That afternoon, there will be a multi-platform Q&A session at 1:30 pm, followed immediately by a dessert social.
- Sunday, November 10: Rev. Hannah and Rev. Christina will co-preach about trust and shared ministry
- Sunday, November 17: Congregational vote on a proposal to call Rev. Hannah as our co-minister
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Fall Sunday Helpers Needed!
If you are willing to help in a simple, hands-on way to make our Sunday mornings smooth and successful, please let Rev. Christina know (christina@fvuuf.org). Each role is approximately once per month, at either the early or later Sunday service.
We need:
• Ushers (hand out programs, help with offering) – 3 needed for 9:00 am
• Service Hosts (help set up and at later service help with Zoom) – 1 needed for 11:00 am
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Looking for Ways to Help?Being of service to the Fellowship helps this community run smoothly and it also helps you feel more connected to other people and the mission and work of our shared community. There are many types of service opportunities for all different types of people! Click HERE to find out what works best for you.
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Care and SupportTo submit a Joy or Concern, fill out the form on our website or contact Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave, Assistant Minister, at hannah@fvuuf.org or 920-731-0849. For pastoral emergencies call 920-383-1565.
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