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What's in an hour? - A message from Rev. Christina - As we have engaged in the last couple months in our stewardship season, contemplating together what it means to support the Fellowship financially, we have had a series of parties hosted at members' homes. It was fun to participate in a few of these. One of the first things we would ask at these parties (to get everyone warmed up!) was, "What is one of your favorite memories of the Fellowship?" It was such a joy to hear many people say "I have too many to count, it's hard to name just one!" And then to hear the meaningful memories that so many of you have of the Fellowship. These included stories of being welcomed warmly the very first time you came in, often by Marie, our congregational life coordinator, or by Kim, our director of religious education, who took the time to walk you and your kids through the religious education wing to help you feel at ease. As the stewardship parties went on, we would allow time for questions. One question that arose was, "We keep hearing that we need more staff and for our staff to have more hours. I don't disagree with that, but I am having trouble understanding what that would mean, or what tangible benefit those hours would have for my experience of the Fellowship." This is an excellent question. The stewardship focus this season is on "justice starts here," meaning that if we are going to create justice out in the world, we also have to create it here at the Fellowship, by fairly compensating our staff for their time and hard work. It also means that we give them enough hours to do the work they are tasked with, so they don't burn out and have poor work/life balance. Right now, many of our staff work way more than their paid hours to keep things running smoothly. That's unjust. So, paying them fairly and giving more hours would help with that! It would also mean some tangible benefits provided to the life of the Fellowship. Here are a few... - Hours for a building manager would ensure our existing staff have time to do their job, instead of checking fire extinguishers, mouse traps, and moving tables and chairs. Phyllis, Cyndi, and Marie are the primary staff who end up doing a lot of these tasks, and they would be freed up to answer your emails and questions promptly, support groups and events, update our social media and website, and warmly welcome newcomers on Sunday mornings. - Hiring our audio-visual technician, Adam, as part of our budget would ensure our Sunday services, events, and memorial services have consistent, quality sound and video which makes it easier for everyone (including folks with hearing issues) to hear. We hired Adam this year and are paying him out of a fund set aside with some of the excess funds from last year. We want to ensure his position is a regular part of our budget for continuity's sake. - Adding hours for our religious education assistant, Eve, would give her the time to transition many of our paper forms to online ones! We're hoping for more volunteers next year who can each have smaller workloads (that is, more RE teachers who each teach once a month instead of twice, for example) which would make it easier for our volunteers. But, more volunteers means more staff time coordinating and supporting them. Eve would help Kim with that. She would also have more time to support our RE safety policies, which include doing reference and background checks, and processing registration forms to adequately understand the needs of the children in our programs. This would free up Kim to focus on curriculum development and increasing ministry to families. - Adding hours for our music director would give time to further recruit and support our volunteer choir members, musicians, and ensembles. It would also allow for our music ministries to expand-- perhaps hosting meditative singing once a month in the evenings, or creating a justice choir to sing at community vigils and marches, or a bell choir, or something else we haven't yet thought of. We are nearing the end of stewardship season, and the pledges are coming in. Many of you have raised your pledge-- thank you, thank you! If you have not yet turned in your pledge form, we absolutely need you to do it (yes, you, every single household!) so that we can plan our 2018-19 budget responsibly. We set a very ambitious and bold budget goal this year-- $100,000 more than last year-- and I believe we can get there if we all do our part so that we can provide our beloved community with the staff and resources we need to thrive, and continue to welcome every single person who finds this place, and to nurture every single person who calls this their spiritual home.
With love... -Rev. Christina
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Upcoming Services Sundays 9:00 & 10:45 am
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March 25 Ostara Pageant with Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
This all-ages service is in celebration of the neo-pagan festival of Ostara, the goddess whose role is to bring the springtime. Let's celebrate spring and new life with the help of our children and youth, and learn where the "Easter Bunny" came from, after all! April 1 Expect the Unexpected by Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
This Easter falls on April Fool's Day, so let's contemplate the power of "the unexpected," and how we can use the surprising messages of Easter in our own lives.
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Spring Equinox Ritual
Sunday, March 25 at 12:30 pm
All are welcome to join the Spirit of the Seasons Ritual group in celebrating the turning of the year. This ritual is for all ages, and will include several activities welcoming the spring. After the ritual, we will share a potluck meal together.
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Youth - a special Koru basics series just for you!
"Stressed out? Not sleeping well? Feeling overwhelmed? Want an edge in the sport you play? Sign up for this 4-session class (Tuesdays in April - 3,10,17,24 from 6:30-8:00 pm) to learn the Koru basics of meditation and mindfulness. It is easy to understand, easy to do, only takes a few minutes, and offers a variety of techniques. It is written specifically for young people, so if you are in middle school, high school, or college - this is the class for you! Rachel Raasch will be joining in our learning community! Youth, if you are interested in this youth-only class and/or have questions, please contact Theresa Spoehr @ cmtheresa@gmail.com or 920.428.0793. Snacks provided. RSVP is required to Theresa or Cyndi by March 27th for materials to be prepared.
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UU Night Out
Join us at The Source Public House on April 3 at 6:00 pm for great conversation, lots of laughs, and amazing food. If you haven't tried The Source, you are in for a treat! Small menu, all ingredients are locally sourced--high quality ingredients leads to high quality, delicious food. My favorite restaurant; this is home away from home for Cindy! The Source is located a couple miles from the Fellowship, 890 Lake Park Road. Join the Facebook group by friending Cindy Darling and asking to join UU Night Out. Or send Cindy an email to get added to the reservation: kitsudarling@gmail.com. Feel free to call or text with questions: 920.205.9635. See everyone on April 3!
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Fellowship Passover Seder
Join us for a community Passover Seder at the Fellowship on Saturday, April 7 at 5:00 pm. A traditionally Jewish celebration open to people of all ages and religious backgrounds, this festive evening of music, worship, fellowship, and feasting will celebrate freedom, spring, and the story of the Exodus through an interactive service and shared meal. This year's special collection will be be taken to support Harbor House, a local domestic violence shelter. Contact Cyndi Polakowski at cyndi@fvuuf.org or sign up on the sheet in the Fellowship entry lobby. Contact Jaclyn Kottman at jaclyn.f.kottman@gmail.com for more information.
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Appleton Wellspring Wednesday
April 11, 6:30 pm
Taking a lead in Social Justice, last June Fellowship members voted to become a sanctuary church, if needed, for an immigrant facing deportation. Join us on April 11th for Wellspring Wednesday when we will discuss concerns of the local immigrant community. We will learn more about our immigrant neighbors and how we can work for change. The evening will be led by Marsha Dawson a member of the Fellowship's Shared Sanctuary Ministry team and ESTHER's immigration task force. Contact Cyndi Polakowski to sign up.
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General Assembly Funding Available
If you are planning to attend our Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly (GA) this summer, please let Rev. Christina know! We will need to assign delegates who can vote as representatives of our congregation. Also, if you’re in need of funding assistance, please let Rev. Christina know by April 15. We have a small fund to provide scholarship assistance, and depending on the number of people in need, will disburse those funds accordingly. GA will be held from June 20-24 in Kansas City, MO, an easy day’s drive from Appleton. For more information, especially for those who might be considering attending for the first time, check out the article below.
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General Assembly (GA) is the annual meeting of our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Attendees worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through democratic process. Everyone is welcome to attend. Click the image for more information.
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Justice starts here!
Q&A — - Do I need to pledge? Yes! Me? Yes! You. Every household, every year, so we have a record.
- Even if I pay with automatic debit? Yes. We need a record of your intended commitment so we can budget and be fiscally responsible. The pledge is your promise. Then, you pay, which is your contribution.
- Does the Fellowship have other funding sources? Very few. 93% of our income comes from pledges.
- Can’t I just put money in the basket? Sure, you can do that! We also need some idea of how much you plan to give this year, so we can responsibly budget.
- What if I have to change my pledge mid-year? No problem, just call Phyllis, our business administrator. Things change, that’s ok. We understand.
We need your help in order to continue our mission…please return your 2018-2019 pledge form by March 30th!
We are grateful to all of you who have submitted your pledge forms. However, there are still many of you that we have not heard from. Please remember the Fellowship operates on a fiscal year of July - June, and requests pledges from our membership on an annual basis, even those members who are participating through EFT. Pledges help the Fellowship plan ahead, and prepare a viable operating budget; which includes all personnel and administrative costs, program expenses, and building and grounds maintenance. All of which are needed to enable the Fellowship to carry out its’ mission. Click here for more information and for an online pledge form. You may also find blank pledge forms and envelopes in the Fellowship Hall. Please contact Phyllis Schmitt, Business Administrator, at phyllis@fvuuf.org or 920.731.0849 with questions about your pledge.
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Welcome to our recent new members!
Linda Bjella
Rick Bjella
Amy Luebke
Andrew Olson
Ginger Muenster
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Spring/Summer Art Theme
Although we won’t be hanging the next art show until later in April or May, we’d like to let you know the theme will be EMERGENCE. Feel free to get those creative juices flowing. We’ll let you know the specific date later. -Mary Gerlach, Art Committee
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Joyful Mind Zen Sangha Notice
The Tuesday night meditation group will not be meeting April 3 through May 8. Tuesday evening meditation will resume May 15. All are welcome to join the Joyful Mind Zen Sangha sessions on Friday and Saturday mornings at 6:30 am.
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Pronoun Stickers on our Nametags
Pronoun stickers are now available in the Fellowship Hall - stop by and put one on your tag when you are in the building. Why use them?
• They make it easy for know which pronouns to use when you aren’t sure.
• They allow people with uncommon pronoun-sets to communicate them easily.
• They prompt a conversation about gender and raise awareness that gender is complicated.
• They create a welcoming environment for people of all genders Note: Please feel free not to use pronoun stickers if you are not comfortable or are not ready to share this information.
When you are the only person who needs to communicate your pronouns, it can be uncomfortable. You don’t want to be misgendered, but the fact that you’re saying something about pronouns while other people aren’t marks you as different from them. By encouraging broad adoption of pronoun stickers on nametags, you help create an environment where that kind of conversation is normal. As a person who is transgender, nonbinary person or gender non-conforming, or a person who is misgendered for other reasons, communicating about gender helps avoid being misgendered. As a cisgender person or someone else who is reliably correctly gendered by others, explicitly stating your pronouns contributes to a community standard that communicating about gender is something that is normal here, making it unremarkable for everyone including the people who need it What if I misgender someone?
• If you immediately notice you made a mistake acknowledge, apologize, and correct it as quickly as you can.
• If you realize it after the fact, you can apologize in private.
• In both cases, it is important to quickly move on rather than spending excessive time apologizing or making excuses.
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Rev. Christina's Community Office Hours
Most Thursdays (unless otherwise noted), 1-3:00 pm, drop-in, no RSVP required! If you'd like to make an appointment to chat with Rev. Christina aside from these times, contact the Fellowship office. March - 22 and 29
Shellattes - 330 N. Commercial St., Neenah April - 5, 19, 26 (not on the 12th)
Caramel Crisp & Cafe - 200D City Center, Oshkosh May - 3, 10, 17, 31 (not on the 24th)
Lou's Brew - 233 E. College Ave., Appleton
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| Click here for the current financial report. Click here for the current Governing Board meeting agenda.
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Thank you for reading The Weekly Scroll, and pardon any typos.
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| Quick Links
Joys and Concerns
As your faith community, we want to celebrate your joys with you and support you through times of concern. To share a joy or concern with our ministers and/or at services, please email Rev. Leah at leah@fvuuf.org. To be added to the Joys and Concerns email list, contact Cyndi Polakowski at cyndi@fvuuf.org.
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Weekly CalendarFriday, March 23 6:30am Joyful Mind Zen Sangha 10:00am Photography as a Spiritual Practice
Saturday, March 24
6:30am Joyful Mind Zen Sangha Sunday, March 25
9:00 & 10:45am Worship Services 10:00am U-Youth Choir
12:30pm Spirit of the Seasons
6:00pm Smiling Dandelion Sangha Monday, March 26
9:00am Goddess Group 6:00pm Partner Churches
7:00pm Green Sanctuary
Tuesday, March 27 6:30pm Joyful Mind Zen Sangha Thursday, March 29 7:00pm Fellowship Choir
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Book Club Books First Monday Book Club
Contact Chris Wales at kcrark@new.rr.com for the current book.
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