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Fellowship Re-Start Weekend with UUA Staff: October 1
As fall is upon us, it feels like a fresh start here at the Fellowship in many ways-- fully returning from the pandemic, Rev. Christina returning from medical leave, and Rev. Hannah's new ministry with us.
Join us for an important Re-Start Weekend on October 1! The Rev. David Pyle, executive director of our UUA Mid-America Region, will join us to facilitate conversations and activities that will support our fellowship as we restart in so many ways, and will help us move forward into a healthy future. He will work with our staff and governing board on Thursday and Friday (September 29-30), but Saturday, October 1 will be open to everyone. This will be a success if as many people as possible make it a priority to come, so please mark your calendars!
Saturday, October 1:
9:00 am to noon - Gathering for EVERYONE at the Fellowship – Come one, come all!
Rev. David Pyle will lead us in a gathering and centering time, followed by a chance to collectively tell our story through the lens of collective joys and concerns.
1:00-4:00 pm - Gathering for Fellowship Leaders - If you feel like a Fellowship leader -- a lay minister, a group or committee leader, participating in Leadership Path, or if you serve in some other leadership capacity, this time is for you. Others are also welcome if they want to participate. Rev. David will lead us in an exploration of covenant, relationship, myths, and norms around our congregation, lessons from our history, and roles and responsibilities.
Sunday, October 2 - Rev. David will attend services and stick around after for conversation.
We hope to see you there!
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Sunday, September 189:00 & 10:45 am CT In Person and Livestream
You Are Not Alone. I Am Here.
by Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave
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 the religious education section below for details about Sunday RE classes. See our website HERE for information about all our religious education classes for children and youth.
- Fox Cities Marathon - Sunday, September 18. Please be mindful when driving to services on Sunday. A course map is available HERE.
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September Focus: You Are Not Alone (Journey Group and RE focus: Belonging)
You matter, exactly as you are, and without each and every one of us, our community would not be what we are. When we know that we belong to one another, we feel both supported by and responsible for one another. “Come, come, whoever you are,” and gather together for this series as we explore the power of community in forming and transforming our lives.
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| Religious Education - Children and Youth
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Religious Education - New Program Year InformationAll of our 2022-2023 Religious Education Programs will begin on or after Sept. 18, 2022. Sunday Religious Education programs are offered at 10:45 am September through May. Summer options are different.
Registration is open. Click HERE to register your children.
Sunday Programs
Sunday School classes meet at 10:45 am only
Nursery (9:00 and 10:45 am): Ages 6 months–3 years
Children will be supervised in a safe and nurturing environment that encourages creativity and sharing.
Pre-K through First Grade: Ages 4-7
Students are introduced to the rituals and classroom structure of religious education. These include chalice lighting, joys and concerns, and UU values. Our goal is to build an environment of safety and curiosity that begins the path to individual UU and spiritual development.
2nd through 5th Grade: Ages 7-11
Students in this group will gather for the chalice lighting and sharing of joys and concerns before being introduced to a lesson based on our monthly themes. After the lesson introduction, they will continue their exploration of the topic by choosing one of two (or more) activities to participate in via breakout rooms.
Crossing Paths - Grades 6-8: Ages 11-13
This course leads students through an exploration of various contemporary religions. Each unit culminates in a visit to local houses of worship alongside of non-UU members of our community, and to experience different expressions of faith.
Wednesday Night Youth Program
Being A Teen (BATs) - High School grades 9-12: Ages 14-18
Last chance to register - kick-off is this Sunday, September 18
This program focuses on four areas of concentration: UU identity, self-exploration (including elements from our former Coming of Age program), life skills, and sexuality (including elements from the 10-12th grade Our Whole Lives Curriculum www.uua.org/re/owl). This experience gives our youth the opportunity to continue forming their faith identity, do deep self-exploration, connect with Fellowship friends, and more deeply consider how they want to live their values today and as they grow into young adulthood.
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 | Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay
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| Emergency Evacuation Drill Next Sunday!We will be having an Emergency Evacuation Drill on Sunday, September 25 after each service. There will be detailed written instructions handed out that day, but here are the three main things you need to know:
1. You may want to bring your jacket into the sanctuary or classroom with you because, when the fire alarm is rung, you will need to get up and immediately head to the exits; if you are sitting in the front of the sanctuary, you will exit out one of the side exit doors. Those in the rear of the sanctuary will exit out the main doors and proceed through the side door near the Legacy Room. Adults with mobility limitations will have the option of sitting in chairs outside near those exits. All other adults will gather in the overflow parking lot in the office building next to the Fellowship. This might involve walking on unpaved ground, so please wear sensible shoes!
2. All RE children and youth will also participate in the evacuation drill. Nursery kids will leave early to avoid the loud alarm, but all children and youth will gather by the little free library on Philip Lane.
3. Once the All-Clear is sounded, parents/ guardians MUST sign their children and youth out from the RE volunteer. Once signed out, families can return to the building or to their cars. Everyone is welcome to return to the building for coffee, cookies, and conversation!
This will be timed, so let's see how quickly and calmly we can evacuate the building. Thank you in advance for your participation!
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Thank You Worship Artists!A special thank-you to our fabric artists who collaborated with the service-planning team to create a beautiful work of art in our sanctuary. Margaret Alexander, Nan Middleton, Marie Rohrer, and Dawn Shaw did an excellent job including congregation members to trace and cut out our hands-on fabric, and then they assembled the hands to display the spirit of our September theme: You Are Not Alone. You can see more beautiful visual art in the coming months as we strive to incorporate all of our senses into our Sunday morning experience.
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“Share the Plate” – An Exciting New Way to Share Your Generosity!Generosity outside our walls has been and continues to be, important to the members of the Fellowship. This year we are changing how we manage the outside-our-walls collections.
Beginning in October the Generosity Ministries Team (GMT), in cooperation with the Fellowship Justice Action Ministries (JAMs) and Executive Team, will select a local or UU-specific organization to receive half of that month’s collection. Each Sunday during that calendar month funds received through the collection plate, or through online giving will be shared, with half of the funds used to support the Fellowship budget and the other half sent to support the organization of the month.
We hope this system will allow more people to participate in the outside-our-walls collections. This is one of the many ways the Fellowship supports those within and beyond our walls.
Watch an upcoming newsletter for an announcement of the October recipient organization.
Your Generosity Ministries Team,
Ann Fisher (Chair), Wendy Bolm, Theresa Hannah, Suzanne Marnocha, Patrick Mitchell, Julie Putman, and Aaron Sherer
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Robot and Refreshments with the RevsYouth! Join our ministers for a laid-back monthly evening of food and conversation. We will use 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: September 28, November 30, January 25, February 22, March 22, April 26, May 24
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Feed the Hungry- Empty to Full Pan CollectionPlease bring frozen pans back to the Fellowship on Sunday, September 25. The filled pans will be taken to Pillars Adult and Family Shelter to be used for their evening meals. If you have questions contact Deb Muench (debmuench@icloud.com or 920-422-1852).
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The Justice Hub is on hiatus but the need for justice is not. Keep fighting the good fight justice warriors!
"Because when we show up today, we are already standing up for the tomorrow we made." - Amanda Gorman
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