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December 24 Services4:00 pm CT Zoom Only
7:00 PM CT in-person & livestream9:00 pm CT in-person & livestream
--No Service on Sunday, December 26--
“God Bless Us, Every One!” by Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy, Senior Minister; Ali Peters, Assistant Minister; Rev. Jim Coakley, Affiliated Community Minister
Unitarian Charles Dickens is often credited with “saving” or “inventing” Christmas as we know it, through his book A Christmas Carol. This evening we will celebrate the season with scripture, carols, and snippets of story and reflections based on Dickens’ tale of Scrooge, Crachitt, Tiny Tim, and the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future.
4:00 pm family service will be held only on Zoom. Grab a take-home bag from the bin outside the Fellowship front doors by the 24th to actively participate from home.
7:00 pm & 9:00 pm services will be held both in-person and on Zoom, geared toward adults with some interactive components.
If you plan to participate from home grab a candle for Silent Night in the take-home bin outside the Fellowship front doors by the 24th. The 9:00 pm service will include our annual observance of Christian communion in the Transylvanian Unitarian tradition.
Click HERE for Worship Service Zoom Information and the Order of Service
- Listen to past sermons HERE.
- Watch some of our past services on our Youtube channel.
- See the religious education section below for details about online and in-person classes. See our website (here) for more information about all Religious Education classes for children and youth.
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Monthly Evening Service Wednesday, December 29 at 7:00 pm CT on Zoom
Join us for a Zoom worship service led by our Assistant Minister, Ali Peters. On the last Wednesday of each month, we will hold an informal evening service to re-center ourselves during the week, connect more deeply with one another, and hold each other in community. All are welcome! If you have questions, please reach out to Ali at ali@fvuuf.org. Log-in information is available on the services page of our website HERE. We hope to see you there!
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Take-Home Materials for Christmas EveOur 4:00 pm family service will be only on Zoom, so if you plan to attend, pick up a kit for every child in your home who will participate (adults are welcome to get candles and take a kit if you plan to participate too).
7:00 pm and 9:00 pm services will be offered in-person and on Zoom, so if you plan to attend online grab a candle and wax-catcher for everyone who needs one.
Both are available for pickup on a table outside the Fellowship doors.
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WellspringJanuary 12, 6:30 pm CT, in-person and online
Read It Again: Picture Book Wonders with Deb Andrews
If you have a chance to read to children or remember doing so, or love hearing stories for all ages at the Fellowship, you may have walked away with a surprised feeling: “That book was not just for children. I liked it too. The author said so much in so few words, and the pictures were works of art." In this workshop, we will look at a few inspired and inspirational picture books and reflect on 1) Why they work for children and adults; 2) How the authors boiled down their messages to communicate simply and powerfully; 3) What delights and moves you about these stories, and; 4) Why it’s worth devoting a small section of your bookshelf to picture books. Click HERE for more information.
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Grief Book Group: It’s OK That You’re Not OK by Megan DevineFive Sessions: January 20, February 17, March 17, April 21, May 19 –6:00-7:30 pm CT in person at the Fellowship
Join Assistant Minister, Ali Peters, and Care Team Member, Debbie Wagner, on the third Thursday of each month starting in January as we journey with grief together using Megan Devine’s book, It’s OK That You’re Not OK. This group is a space for those who are grieving the loss of a person (no matter how long ago the loss) as well as those who would like to explore how to best support others in their grief. For the first session, we will gather together without having read any of the book.
Please email Cyndi@fvuuf.org to register. Due to the sensitive nature of grief, registration will close after the first session and we ask that participants try to attend as many of the five sessions as possible. If the cost of the book is a barrier to participation, please let us know so that we can assist.
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Men's Group Outing at Bubolz SAVE THE DATE! January 23, 2022. As an alternative to the usual Winter Retreat, the Fellowship Men's Group plans a partial day at Bubolz Nature Center. We want to enjoy skiing, hiking, or snowshoeing in the morning. For those who are interested in meeting indoors from 1-3:00 pm, we have reserved a large room in the Bubolz Nature Center where we can keep healthy space and hold a 2-hour discussion. The topic will be Five Goals for a Fulfilling Life. All who identify as male in the Fellowship are welcome even if you are not a member of the Men's Group. We will expect everyone meeting indoors to be vaccinated and to wear a mask. If you might want to join us, please contact John Duffin at japple51@gmail.com or Dave Vicksta at dvicksta1@yahoo.com for more information or just to sign up.
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Heart-to-Heart Relationship Enrichment RetreatThe Heart-to-Heart team is planning to host another weekend relationship enrichment retreat in the fall of 2022. It will take place the evening of November 4th to early afternoon on the 6th at the Daycholah Center (formerly the Pilgrim Center) in Green Lake, near Ripon.
The retreat is a great way to get in touch with yourself and your partner(s) on a deeper level. People in committed relationships - same-sex, opposite-sex, poly, married, and unmarried – who are committed to their partners and to their relationships are welcome. The retreat is led by Fellowship members Debbie Wagner & Veronica Flower, Pete Smaby & Tim Watson, and Beth & Bart De Stasio.
Click HERE for more information and HERE for the registration form. Email h2hfvuuf@gmail.com with questions about the retreat. Limited scholarship assistance may be available for Fellowship members. Contact Minister Ali Peters ali@fvuuf.org or call the Fellowship office at 920.731.0849. 11 reservations are available, so please register early!
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Community Office Hours
Join Rev. Christina for informal conversation over a cup of something delicious. We can just get to know each other or you can bring something you’d like to discuss—the conversation will be guided by whoever shows up! Christina will also have a bag of conversation prompts if needed, and sometimes our staff, board president, or other lay leaders will join us. Thursdays from 12:30-1:45 pm CT as noted below, and the location will rotate monthly to reach different parts of our community
January 6, 13, 20, and 27 – Tempest Coffee Collective, 181 South Riverheath Way #1100, Appleton
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Time Flies - A year end note from our Director of Finance and Operations
Every year, it seems that December 31 arrives even quicker than it did the year before, or at least quicker than we would have imagined.
We are grateful for the generous support of all that have contributed to the Fellowship thus far in 2021 with your time, talent, and financial resources. Thank you for all you do and all you give.
As we approach the end of the calendar year I would like to remind those of you who have not yet made your monthly, quarterly, or annual operating contribution to the Fellowship and are financially able, that there is still time to make a contribution for the 2021 tax year.
Your contributions to our operating budget, as well as our endowment and our Fellowship special collections and fundraisers, support the continuance of our flourishing, loving, and welcoming community. Your donations make a difference by helping the Fellowship... READ MORE
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SWIM 2021 Registration OpenSWIM is a week (December 27 – January 1) of virtual UU fun, fellowship, and growth with workshops, concerts, and special events. SWIM is an intentional, inter-generational community of Unitarian Universalists and friends, including awesome people like you! We normally gather in South Florida in December, but will again meet virtually in 2021. For further information and to register, visit SWIMUU.org.
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Office ClosedThe office will be open from 8:00 am to noon on Friday, December 24. The office will be closed for general business Monday, December 27 through Friday, December 31.
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click the image for current information
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Essentials: Food and Shelter for All Thank you to everyone who donated items to the Kaukauna Public Library Pantry! The receiving librarian commented that our group delivered A LOT of donations. Everything will be appreciated; many folks use the Pantry as a resource for food and personal care items.
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The Justice Hub webpage has information about our JAMs, justice events, and opportunities here at our Fellowship and out in the community right at your fingertips any time you need it.
• What you can do to support the work of the Poor People’s Campaign
• ESTHER interfaith community organizing information
• UUA’s Side With Love offers resources at the Action Center
• Updates on the ongoing fight for fair maps in Wisconsin
If you want to share something on the Justice Hub webpage, please do so by completing this form by Thursday to be posted when the page is updated each weekend. Submissions may be subject to staff approval and editing.
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| Religious Education - Children and Youth
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Holiday Religious Education Sunday Classes Schedule Reminder
Our Religious Education schedule has been modified to align with our Sunday services schedule for the Holiday Season.
December 24, 4:00 pm CT "God Bless Us, Every One!" (Zoom only)
Our family service will be held only on Zoom. Be sure to grab a take-home bag from the bin outside the Fellowship front doors between December 12-24th to actively participate from home.
January 2, 10:00 am CT Spiritual Practices 2: In Praise of Cozy (Zoom Only)
In November we learned about "pathetic spiritual practice," remembering that spiritual practice (like anything) is worth doing pathetically rather than striving for perfection and then not doing it at all. If you missed that service, check it out on our YouTube channel. Today we'll learn about some spiritual practices that we might not usually consider spiritual practices. Wear your coziest pajamas, bring your favorite warm drink, and join us (only on Zoom!) for a service about grounding ourselves in practices that help us feel safe and comforted. Perfect for a cold time of year as we look toward 2022!
This will be an all-ages service so we encourage families to participate together! No Religious Education today.
Crossing Paths 10:45 am CT resumes on January 16
This class for students in 7th -12th grade meets on the first and third Sunday of each month, and will resume on Sunday, January 16 both in-person and on Zoom.
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| Small Groups: A great way to connect!
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Join a Small Group!All are invited to check out our Small Groups for connection and spiritual growth. The full list can be found on our website! Click on the image to learn more about our groups.
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