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 Click HERE for our mailing address and staff email addresses or call 920.731.0849.
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| A Note About Fellowship Activities and Staff
Like many of your workplaces and schools, the Fellowship building remains closed until further notice. Yet our virtual doors are open and accessible! Your ministers are available to provide pastoral care and support via phone, email, video conferencing, and social media. Program staff is working to deliver meaningful worship and creative opportunities to engage with the Fellowship community in a variety of ways.
Your administrative staff continues to provide support with limited office presence. All core staff will continue to monitor their voice and email messages and respond to you as promptly as they can.
We will continue to communicate any significant or urgent changes to the Fellowship’s operational status via all Fellowship emails. Normal (or new normal) offerings and activities will continue to be communicated via the Fellowship’s weekly Scroll. Announcements and events will be posted on our Facebook page and all are welcome to share in our Facebook group.
Please read further for more Fellowship news and ways to connect…
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Upcoming Service
Sunday, March 29 at 10:00 am central
Worship Service with Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
Have You Seen the Rainbow? It's easy in life, and especially in trying times, to search for the meaning, lesson, or goal, but sometimes in doing so we miss out on what is in front of us and how we might not "find" but rather "make" meaning. UU singer-songwriter Peter Mayer will join us by Zoom!
Sunday Morning Connections for Kids & Youth!
This Sunday will be a little different than last week. We will have worship at 10:00 am at the same link as before: bit.ly/UUFellowship
We’ll also have two separate gatherings before and after service: 9:00 am for kids (elementary/ younger age) and 11:00 am for youth (middle/high school).
To join one of those gatherings, click the link you received in your email! Registered families and teachers received an invitation.
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Click HERE for more information on these offerings!
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Connect at a Distance
Thursday, March 26
Friday, March 27
Sunday, March 29
Monday, March 30
Tuesday, March 31
Wednesday, April 1
Thursday April 2
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Blessing for Healthcare Workers
Click here for a special blessing from Rev. Leah for those who work in healthcare these days, or know someone who does.
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New to Zoom?All of our online Sunday services and most of our activities will be happening via zoom. Go to http://zoom.us/test for guidance on how to connect and visit www.tinyurl.com/zoomUU for a tutorial video about how to use it. If you are still having problems, email Marie Luna at marie@fvuuf.org and she will find someone to talk you through it.
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Defining Spiritual Practice
Why are spiritual practices important, and how might you frame them in a new way? Join us as we share our experiences and learn from each other. Led by Marie Luna, director of congregational life.
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NEW WRITING PROJECT!
Fellowship Community Journal
The coronavirus global pandemic is a historical event. Amid the many challenges of this time, we have the unique opportunity to join people throughout time and culture who, finding themselves in unprecedented situations, pick up personal diaries. Making it a habit to record a few thoughts, questions, memories, ideas or longings can be tremendously helpful in cultivating hope and calm, whether it’s a daily disciple or a more occasional activity. And it leaves a fun record for us and our descendants! Let’s take it one step further at the Fellowship, and weave our individual voices into a collective tapestry. Rev. Leah will send out monthly prompts to encourage reflection. Consider writing a paragraph, page, or more (however often you might choose) and send it to her at leah@fvuuf.org. She will compile them, with the intention of being able to share the collection with the community at a program or worship service sometime in the future
Community Journal: March Writing Prompt
When and how did you first learn about the novel coronavirus? What kinds of conversations did you have with loved ones, and at work? How seriously did you take the threat? What did you first do to prepare for new measures of precaution, isolation, quarantine, and distancing? If you journal on these subjects or anything else, please consider submitting your work to leah@fvuuf.org.
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4 Spiritualities Small Group Zoom Meeting Sunday, April 5 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Topic: Music and Spirituality
We will meet and share music or sounds that are either a part of our current spiritual practice or something that we are considering incorporating into a spiritual practice.
Send Mary Ellyn Vicksta at mev500@yahoo.com a link or a MP3 file of your music (or sounds) by April 2 and she will compile a playlist to share during the Zoom meeting. If you want to play something (like a flute or the piano or drums) you can perform that live! And it's OK just to join the Zoom meeting and listen to what others have contributed.
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Governing Board MeetingThe Governing Board will meet on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:00 pm. Click HERE for the agenda.
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UU Parenting Group: Online!
Parenting is rarely easy, and this is a particularly trying time. The Fellowship’s parenting group is continuing to meet virtually to support one another as we navigate the challenges of parenting during the coronavirus, along with continuing to provide space to talk about all aspects of parenting. People who are actively parenting or preparing to, serving in a parental role, and/or taking care of children as a parent, guardian, grandparent, etc. are welcome to join. We discuss the joys and hardships of parenting, share how we cope with the day-to-day responsibilities, talk about supporting our children without ignoring our own needs, and practice a little mindfulness. Contact Erin at vand0379@umn.edu for more information.
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Wellspring Wednesday: Online Version!
Sacred Prehistoric Sites in the Fox River Valley
The Fox River waterway has seen active human habitation since the end of the last ice age. Various native cultures honored sacred spaces near springs, rivers, and lakes with petroglyphs (rock art), petroforms (rock arrangements), and earthen mounds. Through maps, aerial images, and early historic writings, Mark Walker will provide a virtual tour of these cultural and spiritual spaces.
Mark Walker is a Fellowship member who is also connected with the Wisconsin Archeological Society and the Wisconsin State Historical Society. He helps build new segments of the Ice Age Trail, explores caves with the Wisconsin Speleological Society, and leads Fox Valley UU Men’s Bike & Hike Adventures.
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Big News from the Immigration Justice TeamThe Fellowship has been planning on supporting an asylum seeker for the last couple months. Please join us in welcoming Mayra and her son Henry as they start their new life in Fox Valley. In this time of being physically distant we will not be able to have a public welcome, but will do so as soon as we are able. We will all have opportunities to help Mayra and Henry feel welcome and safe. As we become more acquainted with each other we will let you know about ways you might be able to help – from financial support to sharing a meal. For now Mayra and Henry are settling in at their new home. Learn more about our journey HERE.
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2020 Annual Congregational SurveyTake 15 minutes and help out the Fellowship Governing Board and Executive Team! We want everyone to fill out our annual congregational survey. The information gathered in this survey is of critical importance as we evaluate progress toward The Fellowship’s goals and identify areas in which we need to dedicate additional time and resources. Your opinion counts. All responses are anonymous.
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Stewardship Campaign Update
Our stewardship campaign was scheduled to wrap up this Sunday, March 29, but the pandemic has thrown a wrench in our plans. We will pick up with our pledge campaign when things become more clear.
For now, here are some things for you to know:
* If you are unable to make a pledge or fulfill it right now due to financial hardship or uncertainty, we understand and will be back in touch when the world and the economy are more stable again. Please just let us know if you can’t fulfill your current pledge (contact Phyllis@fvuuf.org or call the office), and reach out to one of the ministers if you are in need of emotional or financial support.
* If you are relatively more financially secure, please remember to turn your pledge form in so we can improve our budget forecasting.
* For those with financial stability, we also strongly ask you to continue paying on your pledge, and supporting the Fellowship financially so that we can continue to pay our staff who are working hard to offer much-needed services during this time. People are being asked to continue supporting restaurants through gift cards or takeout orders, to continue paying their childcare, hairdresser, or cleaning staff. We are doing the same—paying our staff (even those who can’t work right now) because of YOUR generosity during this uncertain time, while holding other expenditures to a minimum. Some of you have offered to pay your 2020-21 pledge early, or have offered additional financial support on top of the pledge. This is not required—we all have different circumstances—but if you can do so, we would greatly appreciate the cushion to help us get through the next few months.
* Online giving coming soon! We will communicate it via Facebook, our website, and the Scroll when it becomes available.
Thank you for your generosity.
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Protect Our Democracy - UU the Vote
Request an absentee ballot
During this new reality, while we are struggling to get groceries, constantly wash our hands, and make sure our kids stay safe, life does go on. Other important things are also happening, like the upcoming April 7 election and the need to protect our democracy and VOTE.
Take the safe route and request an absentee ballot HERE. You will need to photograph your driver’s license, state ID, or other proof of identification. Do this now if possible; deadline is April 2, 2020.
In addition to the presidential primary, it includes election of our state supreme court judge as well as local races. If any of your family or friends are not registered yet, the deadline for online registration has been extended to March 30 HERE. Find information on the candidates HERE.
If you don’t have a witness for your absentee ballot…
Unfortunately, the pandemic and the Governor's order will make it impossible for some Wisconsin voters to obtain a witness signature on their mail-in absentee ballot from an adult United States citizen, if there is no such person in their household. If you are self-quarantining, intend to vote by mail-in absentee ballot, AND you live alone or do not have an adult US citizen in your household, then please contact our partners at Fair Elections Center, Jon Sherman, at jsherman@fairelectionscenter.org or (845) 596-9081. If you know someone who is in this position, please forward this message along or better yet make a call to speed the process up. We need to identify people who are facing this barrier to voting ASAP.
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Email Scam Warning!
It seems that while most people have drastically changed their normal lives and routines during this pandemic, scammers have not taken a break. In fact, we have once again seen an uptick in suspicious /malicious activity from scammers at this time, and no one is immune to this type of activity.
There have been many recent reports or questions from members and friends at the Fellowship regarding an email that appears to be coming from Rev. Christina. The emails that people are seeing often start with an initial email saying something very vague, like trying to reach you or I need your help, etc. If you reply they continue with their request, which is to ask you to purchase gift cards, scratch off the codes or pins on the cards and send a photo via return email. The bottom of one particular email request being reported actually appears to have Rev. Christina’s full name, as well as the Fellowship’s address in the signature block of the email.
Please be advised that these are not legitimate emails and are coming from a gmail.com account, not a Fellowship email account. Remember, Fellowship leadership and staff will NEVER email direct requests for money or gift cards! Do NOT respond to any email that says it’s from a Fellowship staff person unless it is coming from an “FVUUF.org” email address.
While we would ordinarily encourage you to double check with the Fellowship office if you are unsure we do not have the capacity to respond at this time. Please ignore any emails that have a staff person’s name, but are not from an FVUUF.org address. If we need to communicate with you to request your assistance in any financial capacity we will do so with a phone call, or through our normal newsletter communication.
If you have received these or any similar emails appearing to come from the name of a Fellowship minister or staff member, please click on the following link to the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information webpage, and scroll to the bottom of the page for information on how to report phishing emails HERE.
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