 |
|
|
Having trouble viewing this message? Scroll to the bottom & click the link to view this email online. The newsletter is long and may get clipped. Please scroll down to the bottom and check for a "view entire message" notice to make sure you see all of the content.
| |
Rising Together 2026: Investing in Liberation
Saturday, January 24th, 2026
9:00 am – 3:00 pm at Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Are you rethinking your understanding of what freedom and safety mean in our world today? Are you wondering how to imagine a liberated future where we invest in each other rather than policing, prisons, and immigration enforcement? Are you curious about how abolition movements are grounded in spiritual work? Join us for Rising Together 2026: Investing in Liberation!
The event is free, open to the community, and includes a light breakfast, snacks, lunch, and childcare. We are also hoping to offer home hospitality connections for anyone who is traveling from out of state. Please register by January 8th if you’d like to buy a t-shirt, or at least by January 20th to help us plan for food and other logistics!
| |
Sunday, December 21
For All That is Our Life: An Updated Turning of the Year Service by Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave
• 10:00 am Central Time in-person & livestream
• Nursery care and childcare for children up to 5th grade available
| |
Greening the Holidays Continued... Join us at 11:00 am this Sunday, December 21, to make bows, boxes, and gift card holders out of construction paper and scrapbook paper. All are welcome.
| |
Sunday, December 21
The Solstice Faeries: An All-Ages Winter Solstice Celebration by Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
• 4:00 pm Central Time in-person & livestream
• Nursery Care Available
• Watch past sermons on our YouTube channel.
• Services details HERE
• See our website HERE for information about religious exploration programs for children and youth.
• Share the Plate: In December, we share the plate between the Fellowship and Hope & Help Together.
| |
Hello Musical Friends -
We need help with music for Christmas Eve! If you can help, please fill out THIS FORM, or send it to someone you think will want to help!
| |
Music Ministry
Hello friends, old and new! Our music programs are rolling, and we hope you'll join us! If you have questions or want to see the schedule of rehearsals, you can look at our Music Ministry page HERE or contact Tam Masters at tam@fvuuf.org - they'll point you in the right direction. If you want to be involved, let us know, HERE.
- December 21 - 3:00 pm Joyful Noise Choir rehearsal, performance at 4:00 pm
- December 28 - nothing scheduled
- January 4 - 10:00 am Joyful Noise Choir rehearsal, performance at 11:00 am
For information about our Music Ministries and the upcoming schedule, click the button:
| |
Middle Hour
Learning, Connection & Fun for All Ages on Sunday Mornings.
Sunday, January 4:
- Newcomer 101 – Join friendly folks from our Membership Team for an informal information session and Q&A about Unitarian Universalism and this Fellowship
- “Forging Freedom” January service theme – Join this Sunday’s lay worship leader to discuss the theme of the month and our earth teacher, lava and volcanoes, and how you too can be inspired by these ideas and symbols. You will also have the opportunity to add to your home altar.
Click the button to see what's coming up:
| |
|
As the 2025 Calendar Year-End Approaches… Check your List!
A Note from our Director of Finance and Operations
As we near the end of the 2025 calendar, there are so many responsibilities, so many things to do! When you are making your list and checking things off, I want to remind you of the importance of end-of-year giving.
Giving to the Fellowship is your ultimate gift in an uncertain world! Your gift supports the ministry and mission of the Fellowship and helps sustain programs that strengthen and enrich our Fellowship community, but also our broader community, from social justice initiatives to community education, support groups, and partnerships that uplift those who need it most. Creating an environment of compassion, equity and progress, but above all hope and love.
We are grateful for the generous support from all who have contributed to the Fellowship thus far in 2025 with time, talent, and financial resources. Thank you for all you do and all you give.
Your financial gifts not only help the Fellowship and the community but also offer the opportunity to take advantage of smart tax-saving strategies. Maybe you have been notified by your retirement plan or IRA that you must take a Required Minimum Distribution in 2025, or sat down with your financial advisor and found you need an additional tax deduction. If you would still like to make your tax deductible* end-of-year gift, there is still time to do so.
How can you give? You can contribute online, at the Fellowship on a Sunday or through the Fellowship office during the week, or by mail, and more. For details about these options, giving timelines, and other ways to give, see the complete list HERE. We invite you to choose the method of giving that is the best fit for your financial situation.
Wishing you all the best this holiday season… Thank you for your generous support!
- Phyllis Schmitt
*Tax laws are complex and specific to each individual donor’s situation. Please consult your tax advisor as to the deductibility of these payments. Only intangible religious benefits were provided as defined by the IRS.
| |
Inclement Weather Policy
Wisconsin winter is upon us, and it is never easy to predict when weather conditions will be severe enough to warrant closing the Fellowship or cancelling Sunday services. Please click the button below for details about our inclement weather procedures.
| |
Mountain of Food - Final Call
This Sunday, December 21, is the last day to donate to A Mountain of Food; ESSENTIALS: Food and Shelter for All JAM caring drive this holiday season. Essentials is helping to stock two local pantries: Double Portion and Kaukauna Library Little Free Pantry. The focus this week is to donate anything you’d like in your pantry. Any non-perishable, shelf-stable food items with an expiration date beyond 1 month are welcome, as are hygiene items such as soap, shampoo, toilet tissue, and Kleenex. Please drop off items in the Fellowship lobby no later than Sunday, December 21. Any questions, please contact Angie Miller at starlight54302@yahoo.com. Thank you for supporting our neighbors, stocking local pantry shelves, and making this food drive a success.
| |
 | Click the image to view the Justice Hub
|
|
Justice Hub
Check 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.
| |
Soup Saturday
Saturday, January 3, 5:00 pm
Soup Saturday, soup bread, potluck, fun! buffet in backgroundJoin us for a low-key evening of fun, friends, conversation, and a potluck dinner. Soup is welcome! But feel free to bring whatever other potluck food you wish to share (including vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free options), bread, sides, maybe dessert… and your appetite! Games to share are also welcome.
| |
You Are Not Alone
Wednesday, January 21, 6:00 pm
Support for all of life’s chaos: addiction, illness, transition, grief, political angst, caregiving, and more.
| |
Check out the Events & News website page for all of our upcoming events:
- January 3 - Soup Saturday
- January 18 - Tell Me More
- January 21- You Are Not Alone
- January 24 - Rising Together 2026
- March 14-15 - Spring Weekend Camp - "Blue Boat Home"
| |
| | Religious Exploration - Children & Youth
| |
Exploring Judaism Up Close!
Our Crossing Paths students and families wrapped up their Judaism Unit with a visit to Moses Montefiore Congregation on Dec. 4. With our good friend Jerry Zabronsky as their guide, they got an inside look at Jewish faith and community, asked thoughtful questions, and discovered more about our Jewish neighbors in Appleton.
Highlights of the visit included peeking inside the Holy Ark and exploring the kosher kitchen. What a wonderful evening for curious minds!
| |
Discovery and Friendship Happen Every Week! Join us in our Religious Exploration Classes
Our Religious Exploration programs spark curiosity, friendship, and spiritual growth. Each week, kids and teens explore big ideas, make friends, and practice living with compassion and purpose as they grow into our UU values — together.
There’s a place for every young seeker to connect and grow! Click here for information about each of our programs, including nursery, children’s Sunday Religious Exploration, and our teen programs: Crossing Paths, Being a Teen, and Our Whole Lives.
| |
The Engagement Hub team wants to feature your team or group on a Sunday morning so you can get the word out to the Fellowship community about who you are, what you do, and how to get involved. Use the form link below to choose a Sunday, and then have at least one person from your group or team available to light the chalice at each service (9 & 11 am, no speaking required! We'll just call you up to light the flame). You'll also host the Connection Corner table in the Fellowship Hall during Middle Hour (10 am) that same day, giving you a chance to share information, activities, or just talk to people!
CLICK HERE TO SIGN YOUR TEAM OR GROUP UP FOR A SUNDAY!
| |
Office Closed
The Fellowship office will be closed Thursday, December 25, through Friday, January 2, 2026.
| |
Care and Support
To submit a Joy or Concern, fill out the form on our website or contact Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy, Co-Minister, at christina@fvuuf.org or 920-731-0849. For pastoral emergencies, call 920-383-1565.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
