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Strategic Plan Conversation – September 24Join members of our Governing Board in the Legacy Room after each service (at approximately 10:05 and 11:50) on Sunday, September 24 to discuss the newly finalized Fellowship strategic plan. The strategic plan lays out a three-year plan for meeting goals to move our congregation forward toward our mission and vision. The first year includes details for goal implementation, the second year is a little less detailed, and the third year is a rough draft. Each year, we will move the plan forward by adjusting the goals, filling out the details, and adding new plans for the third year in each cycle. In this way, the strategic plan will always be a living document to guide us on our path. View the Strategic Plan here.
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 | Click the image for a video about the worship focus for September
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Sunday, September 249:00 am CT - In-Person
Sunday Coffeehouse
10:45 am CT - In-Person and Livestream
Traditional Service with Sermon
Atonement, Apology, and Forgiveness
by Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
Click HERE for Worship Service Zoom Information & the Order of Service
• Watch clips of our services 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:
o In September we Share the Plate with Appleton Pride. Learn more about Pride here.
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New Sunday Coffeehouse Service at 9:00 AM Our early service at 9:00 AM is a “Sunday Coffeehouse.” It takes place in the Fellowship Hall instead of the sanctuary and includes a light breakfast.
During the service, there are opportunities for individual and group sharing and conversation, and the whole service is more informal than the second (more traditional) service.
For more information about the experiment, visit our website at https://fvuuf.org/sunday, or watch the two videos Rev. Hannah and Rev. Christina created here or here.
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| | Religious Exploration - Children & Youth
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We are excited for our 2023-2024 Religious Exploration Program Year!Calling all young curious minds and adventurous spirits! Come join us in fun and friendship to explore ourselves and our values through enriching lessons and activities that are designed to nurture our student’s spiritual, ethical, and intellectual growth.
Click here for information about our Sunday programs. For information about our teen programs; Crossing Paths, Being a Teen, and Our Whole Lives, click here.
Please register your children today! Click on the button below.
Coffee House Service Childcare
Children are highly encouraged to attend the 9:00 am Coffee House service; childcare is available for young people in grades 4K-5 who are better served in a self-directed play environment.
Structured activities include: Chalice Lighting, and Joys and Concerns
Free choice activities include Legos, reading corner, cooperative games, etc.
*Regular RE classes will continue to be offered at 10:45 am.
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WE NEED YOU! Help Us Offer Full Programs and Childcare
To offer full childcare and programs, we need to fill the following volunteer positions:
• Childcare in the nursery:
• 9:00- three openings
• 10:45- Two openings
• Crossing Paths:
• two lead teacher openings
• two assistant teacher openings
Please contact director of religious education, Kim Hartman, at kim@fvuuf.org if you would like to help.
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Fellowship Choir - Please Join Us!
Ever thought about joining the Fellowship Choir? Now's your chance! We would LOVE to have you join us as we begin a new year together! Rehearsals happen weekly on Thursdays from 7:00-8:00 PM at the Fellowship. No experience is necessary, but the ability to match pitch is appreciated! Please contact music director John Popke (john@fvuuf.org) for a full schedule, if you have questions, or if you'd like more information!
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| | "Reach Our Goal" Campaigns
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Reach Our Goal
During the annual meeting in June members approved a 2023-2024 budget with a shortfall of $40,000. In a quest to cover this budget gap, the Generosity Engagement Ministries team is hosting “Reach Our Goal” campaigns, each designed to highlight areas of the Fellowship's budget that need additional support. Watch this space for a series of articles on each of the monthly highlight areas.
Click HERE for details about the Reach Our Goal campaigns.
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Our Wonderful Building & Grounds - Part 4
The cost of support for our building and grounds is substantial; just over $125,000 in this year’s budget. About $50,000 of that total is needed to pay our mortgage. Like your home, our building is the largest expenditure the Fellowship has made. The addition of our current sanctuary, the Legacy Room with outdoor patio, and the surrounding halls and bathrooms was completed in 2014 after a 3-year capital campaign that saw donations of over $840,000 and a mortgage of about $700,000.
Our mortgage has a 20-year pay-off period but requires renewals every 5 years. Our mortgage currently holds a very favorable interest rate of 3.9%. We’re locked at that rate until our next renewal in October 2025. By then our mortgage balance will be about $360,000.
Our building is something we can easily take for granted. We come for services, meetings, or events and don’t always stop to appreciate our beautiful surroundings. Please remember how fortunate we are and that none of this happens for free. Consider helping to cover the cost of our lovely home by increasing your regular giving or making a one-time additional gift this month. To give please visit fvuuf.org/give. If you would like to make this part of your ongoing giving, please let us know by completing a Giving Intention form.
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Sunday Helpers Needed:
• In search of a few more Welcomers for Sunday mornings this coming program year, to help greet people as they come in our building and help newcomers get settled in.
• We are also looking for a few more folks to serve as Ushers to hand out programs and take the offering on Sunday mornings. 10:45 AM service, once per month.
• Finally, we are in URGENT need of more people who can help make and serve coffee and tea on Sunday mornings, at either the 9 AM or 10:45 AM services, once per month.
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Ukranian Family Thanks the Fellowship for our SupportThanks to the Fishers (Justin, Ann, and children Leo and Clara) who are members of the Fellowship, we have supported a Ukranian family who immigrated earlier this summer to the Fox Valley.
Here they share a photo of their families together, as well as a letter from the Chehorka family sharing about themselves and a thank you for the gifts our community provided for them when they arrived as newcomers to our community.
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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 at hannah@fvuuf.org or 920-731-0849. For pastoral emergencies call 920-383-1565.
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Gender Justice Action Ministry TeamGender JAM, a new Justice Action Ministry, encompasses issues surrounding reproductive justice, bodily autonomy, and the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. As this new JAM forms at the Fellowship, we’ve got many exciting projects in the works! If you’d like to get involved in advocacy around trans inclusion, reproductive justice, or LGBTQIA+ rights, please email Rev. Hannah at hannah@fvuuf.org.
As a part of this initiative, the ministry is holding a book drive centering on education and intersectional identities. Check out the Justice Hub for details.
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Click the image to read the Justice Hub
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Justice HubCheck out our Fellowship’s Justice Hub for up-to-date information about how to get involved in social justice in our community!
- Gender Justice JAM - Next meeting Sept. 26, 6:30 pm
- Gender-diversity affirming book drive
- WUUSAN electoral justice event and call for action
- Rhythms of the World community diversity event September 23
- Walk in Our Shoes: Understanding the Latino Experience event October 7
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