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The Fellowship Fun Day FUNdraiser is this Sunday, September 10, immediately after our Mingling of the Waters service. Please join us!
Here are some Fun Day Facts you should know if you’ll be attending the event:
- There will be a picnic meal available at no cost – goodwill offerings accepted.
- Tickets will be sold at a booth near the food for $1.00 each or 12 tickets for $10.00. Please bring CASH or CHECK since we won’t be able to accept card payments for this event. If you’d like to get tickets early, watch for folks selling tickets in the lobby before service that morning.
- Baked goods, popcorn, balloon animals, face painting & games for all ages will require 1 ticket each. The cost to try to dunk one of our ministers will be 5 tickets for 3 chances (throws).
- Plan to tour the Native Gardens near the back of our property.
- Please bring lawn chairs so you can relax with friends.
- If you’ve volunteered to bring items or help at the event you should have heard from a member of the Fundraising Team. If you haven’t yet heard from us, please email Angie Miller at starlight4302@gmail.com.
- Proceeds from ticket sales will be used to cover the cost of this event with excess funds going toward our operating budget.
See You There!
Angie Miller, Mary Gerlach, Brianna Gallagher, Denise Smits, Nadine Miller, Theresa Hannah
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What’s In Your Justice Tool Belt? Wondering how you can sharpen your skills for making the world a better place? Whether you do justice ministry here at the Fellowship or in the wider community, you’re invited to our series of justice-making skill-up workshops! Plan to join us for any or all of these great learning opportunities on the following Sundays at 12:30 pm:
September 17th – Facilitation Skill Up
November 19th – Understanding Impacted Communities
January 28th – UU Theology & Anti-Racism (w/ special guest Rev. Dr. Andrea Johnson)
March 17th – The Art of the Ask
May 19th – Evaluation Is an Act of Love
Questions? Email Assistant Minister Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave at hannah@fvuuf.org.
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 | Click the image for a video about the worship focus for September
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Sunday, September 1010:00 am CT - In-Person and Livestream
Mingling of the Waters 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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Coming Home – Our Annual Mingling of the Waters CelebrationThis Sunday, September 10th marks the final 10:00 am service and the kickoff of our program year with our annual Mingling Of the Waters service. This year in addition to the ritual of water mingling, we will also recognize our Board and Religious Education volunteers. Bring your water and join the fun!
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New Sunday Coffeehouse Service at 9:00 AM starting September 17!As we return to Sundays with two services (9:00 AM and 10:45 AM), just a reminder that we are embarking on a new experiment!
Our early service at 9:00 AM will be a “Sunday Coffeehouse.” It will take place in the Fellowship Hall instead of the sanctuary and will include a light breakfast.
During the service, there will be more opportunities for individual and group sharing and conversation, and the whole service will be 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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Contact director of religious education, Kim Hartman (kim@fvuuf.org), if you would like to help.
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Photo by Vin Jack on Unsplash
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| Religious Education Has a New Name!In keeping with our UU tradition of practicing a life-long search for truth and meaning, our Sunday classes have a new name. “Religious Exploration” better captures the spirit of this fluid journey of discovery.
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Our 2023-2024 Religious Exploration Program Year Begins September 17!Calling all young curious minds and adventurous spirits! Come join us in our new religious exploration programs beginning in mid-September. We will join together 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.
Registration is open. Click on the button below.
Coffee House Service Childcare (9:00 am)
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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Why I'm a Liberal Religious Education VolunteerSince moving to Appleton and becoming a member in 2009, the Fellowship has supported me and my family through many life stages and ups & downs. Like most of you, I've found ways to give back through gifts of time, talent, and treasure. I've had the opportunity to serve as a Board, Search, and Audit Committee member. While all those lay leadership roles have been important, none have been as impactful and personally meaningful as my work as a Religious Educator.
Through volunteering time in the Nursery, Spirit Play, and OWL programs, I've directly contributed to the lifelong spiritual development of my children and yours. And while cultivating values that align with our principles - dignity, compassion, curiosity, and respect - I've had the privilege to grow in mind and spirit as well. Religious Education is much more than just childcare; it is an opportunity to participate in a sacred act of intergenerational fellowship and learning.
Please consider joining me as a Religious Educator! Contact Director of Religious Education, Kim Hartman, to learn of the many ways you can share your time across the spectrum of youth and young adults.
Eric Riggers
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The Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, elected UUA President at General Assembly in June 2023, offers a message of welcome at the start of a new congregational year for Unitarian Universalists.
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Tour Our Beautiful Grounds This Sunday
The Fellowship grounds encompass around 5 acres including about 1 acre devoted to our award-winning Native Garden. One of the nicest Native Gardens in the tri-county area. If you haven’t seen it, please stop outside behind our sanctuary and stroll along the paths, relax on a bench, and take in the beauty of the gardens; the flowers, the fragrances, the butterflies, and the birds. On Sunday, September 10, after the Mingling of the Waters service, Landscape Committee members will be near the gardens during the Fellowship Fun Fest to answer questions or give tours. Stop and chat with them; you’ll be very glad you did. Read More
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Our Wonderful Building & GroundsIn September we’re focusing on the part of our budget that we most often don’t notice, the cost of our building and grounds. Much work on the part of staff and volunteers means that we are able to arrive each week to a parking lot and sidewalks that are cleared of snow or walk past lawns and gardens that are trimmed and lovely, into a building that is warm or cool with lights, sound and screens working. We travel through hallways, kitchen & bathrooms that are clean and stocked. Everything we see and use is kept in great working order for us. The cost of making our visits to the Fellowship so breezy is substantial. In fact, this category is the 2nd largest in our budget at $123,735 for 2023-2024. READ MORE and enter for a chance to win three free chances to dunk one of our ministers.
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Tell Me More!Sunday, September 17, 12:30 pm
Join one of our ministers and a member of our Generosity & Engagement Ministries for an informal 90-minute session to learn more about Unitarian Universalism and this Fellowship.
This is a great opportunity for newcomers to learn more, and for longtimers to refresh their connection to this congregation and to the larger UU tradition.
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There’s still time to sign up for Journey Groups!A few of our journey groups still have spaces for this year, especially those groups meeting by Zoom. Registration is now first-come first-assigned, so register soon to join one of these meaningful groups to help you deepen your connection to yourself, your values, and the Fellowship. To find out more about Journey Groups, click here. To register for a group, click here.
Registration closes on September 17.
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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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Principles for a Healthy CongregationThe Healthy Congregation Team (HCT) uses the Fellowship’s Principles for a Healthy Congregation to help guide us as we support our community through difficult and important conversations and challenges. However, it had been many years since they were originally adopted! The HCT reviewed the EXISTING Principles for a Healthy Congregation and found that most of the ideas in it were spot on. We did feel that clearer language would help get our message across even better, so we have revised and are asking for feedback on our NEW VERSION of our Principles of a Healthy Congregation. You can share your feedback with the HCT HERE, and email Rev. Hannah with questions or concerns.
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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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Coffee and Condoms Concerned about reproductive justice? This new group forming under the umbrella of the Gender Justice Action Ministry Team will meet on the second Thursday of each month starting September 14th from 6:30-8:00 pm at the Fellowship. We will work with Planned Parenthood representative Marianne Radley Wellhouse to help support Planned Parenthood clinics by making condom packets, Make A Plan kits, and collecting period supplies. We will receive updated education on the current state of reproductive rights in our state and plans for moving forward. Oh yes, and there will be coffee too! Contact Karon Sandberg at karonsandberg@att.net with questions.
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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. This includes topics such as normalizing different family dynamics, trans and nonbinary joy, inclusivity, and gender-diverse perspectives. Some of these themes include growing up in a two-mom household, wearing whatever clothing makes you happy, colors have no gender, and embracing children while they explore their identity. This list includes a variety of titles including picture books and YA novels. As some of you may be aware, there are book bans sweeping the nation. This includes public school district bans - right here in Wisconsin - and state government bans - following anti-trans legislature in Florida, Texas, Ohio, Missouri, Utah, South Carolina, and more. We as a community are looking to counteract censorship and provide these necessary resources, in book form to little free libraries in the area. Gender JAM has a book registry on Bookshop.org. Anything purchased on the Bookshop registry will be automatically shipped to the Fellowship.
There is a bin for the collection of these and similar titles in the sanctuary lobby. The list of titles will also be on the signage above the collection bin. We will be collecting these books from September 3rd to October 29th.
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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!
- Latino Fest on September 9th
- People’s Town Hall on September 16th
- Inter-Tribal Powwow on September 16th
- International Day of Peace on September 17th
- What’s In Your Justice Toolbelt on September 17th
AND MORE!!!
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