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What’s In Your Justice Tool Belt? Wondering how you can sharpen your skills for making the world a better place? Whether you do justice ministry here at the Fellowship or in the wider community, you’re invited to our series of justice-making skill-up workshops! Plan to join us for any or all of these great learning opportunities on the following Sundays at 12:30 pm:
September 17th – Facilitation Skill Up
November 19th – Understanding Impacted Communities
January 28th – UU Theology & Anti-Racism (w/ special guest Rev. Dr. Andrea Johnson)
March 17th – The Art of the Ask
May 19th – Evaluation Is an Act of Love
Questions? Email Assistant Minister Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave at hannah@fvuuf.org.
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 | Click the image for a video about the worship focus for September
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Sunday, September 1710:00 am CT - In-Person and Livestream
All In With Love at the Center
by Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
Click HERE for Worship Service Zoom Information & the Order of Service
• Watch clips of our services on our Youtube channel.
• Upcoming Services HERE
• See our website HERE for information about our Sunday religious exploration classes for children and youth.
• Share the Plate:
o In September we Share the Plate with Appleton Pride. Learn more about Pride here.
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New Sunday Coffeehouse Service at 9:00 AM starts this Sunday, September 17!As we return to Sundays with two services (9:00 AM and 10:45 AM), just a reminder that we are embarking on a new experiment!
Our early service at 9:00 AM will be a “Sunday Coffeehouse.” It will take place in the Fellowship Hall instead of the sanctuary and will include a light breakfast.
During the service, there will be more opportunities for individual and group sharing and conversation, and the whole service will be more informal than the second (more traditional) service.
For more information about the experiment, visit our website at https://fvuuf.org/sunday, or watch the two videos Rev. Hannah and Rev. Christina created here or here.
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Fox Cities Marathon - September 17
This Sunday, September 17, over 5,000 athletes participating in the Community First Fox Cities Marathon, ThedaCare Half Marathon, and the Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Specialists Relay Marathon will be passing through the Fox Cities! The races start at 7:00 am at the UWO-Fox Cities campus in Menasha and will finish at Riverside Park in Neenah. A course map is available HERE.
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| | Religious Exploration - Children & Youth
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Contact director of religious education, Kim Hartman (kim@fvuuf.org), if you would like to help.
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WE NEED YOU!!! Help Us Offer Full Programs and Childcare
To offer full childcare and programs, we need to fill the following volunteer positions:
• Childcare in the nursery:
• 9:00- three openings
• 10:45- Two openings
• Crossing Paths: Two Lead Teacher openings, Three Assistant Teacher openings
Please contact director of religious education, Kim Hartman, at kim@fvuuf.org if you would like to help.
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Photo by Vin Jack on Unsplash
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| Religious Education Has a New Name!In keeping with our UU tradition of practicing a life-long search for truth and meaning, our Sunday classes have a new name. “Religious Exploration” better captures the spirit of this fluid journey of discovery.
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Our 2023-2024 Religious Exploration Program Year Begins this Sunday, September 17!Calling all young curious minds and adventurous spirits! Come join us in our new religious exploration programs beginning in mid-September. We will join together in fun and friendship to explore ourselves and our values through enriching lessons and activities that are designed to nurture our student’s spiritual, ethical, and intellectual growth.
Click here for information about our Sunday programs. For information about our teen programs; Crossing Paths, Being a Teen, and Our Whole Lives, click here.
Registration is open. Click on the button below.
Coffee House Service Childcare (9:00 am)
Children are highly encouraged to attend the 9:00 am Coffee House service; childcare is available for young people in grades 4K-5 who are better served in a self-directed play environment.
Structured activities include: Chalice Lighting, and Joys and Concerns
Free choice activities include Legos, reading corner, cooperative games, etc.
*Regular RE classes will continue to be offered at 10:45 am
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Pop-Up Choir This Sunday! This Sunday, September 17, we kick off a new program year and return to two Sunday services. Fellowship Choir will be singing this Sunday, but we'd also like to invite anyone else who would like to join us! We'll be singing "Love is Love is Love is Love" by Abbie Betinis. It's a great song and VERY easy to learn! Please come as you are - you don't need to prepare anything! However, if you'd like some preparatory resources, please email john@fvuuf.org! If you're coming to the 9:00 AM service, please meet in the Sanctuary (up by the piano) at 8:15 AM. If you're coming to the 10:45 AM service, please meet in the Sanctuary (up by the piano) at 10:15 AM.
If you're unable to join us this Sunday, other POP-UP CHOIR dates this fall are:
• October 15
• November 26
• December 17
Please watch the newsletter for more information about those POP-UP CHOIR dates!
Fellowship Choir - Please Join Us!
Ever thought about joining the Fellowship Choir? Now's your chance! We would LOVE to have you join us as we begin a new year together! Rehearsals start Thursday, September 14, and happen weekly on Thursdays from 7:00-8:00 PM at the Fellowship. No experience is necessary, but the ability to match pitch is appreciated! Please contact music director John Popke (john@fvuuf.org) for a full schedule, if you have questions, or if you'd like more information!
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| | Generosity & Engagement Ministry
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Our Wonderful Building & Grounds - Part 3
As we spend this month appreciating our wonderful building and grounds, let's not overlook the many volunteers who help keep us in comfort while we’re here. Do you enjoy a coffee before service? Our volunteer coffee hosts arrive early to have the coffee ready. They quietly keep everything stocked for the coffee service and clean it all up afterward. Volunteers also take the towels and table linens from the kitchen and Fellowship Hall to wash and return clean and fresh. The people who greet you, hand you the order of service, take the collection, and teach our children each week are, in most cases, volunteers. There is a volunteer in the back of the Sanctuary during each service making sure the Zoom connection is working and monitoring questions or comments there.
Did you know we have a landscape committee that works very hard to keep our lawns, gardens, and pond area looking beautiful? Please take time to tour the Fellowship’s Award-Winning Native Show Gardens just behind the sanctuary. A couple of times a year this group may ask for help with a particular project – mulching or weeding for example.
Are you interested in helping with any of these volunteer services? Many hands make light work, of course. Please go to our website: fvuuf.org/ways-to-help to see descriptions of our many volunteer opportunities and to get started.
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Fun Day SuccessThe Fellowship Fun Day FUNdraiser on Sunday, September 10 was a success! We had an attendance of around 200 people and raised about $1,500 for the Fellowship’s operating budget. Thank you to everyone who set up, ran an activity, brought food, served food, sold tickets, cleaned up, or helped out in any way.
With gratitude, from your Fellowship Fundraising Committee:
Angie Miller, Brianna Gallagher, Mary Gerlach, Theresa Hannah, Denise Smits, Nadine Van Lieshout
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Tell Me More!Sunday, September 17, 12:30 pm
Join one of our ministers and a member of our Generosity & Engagement Ministries for an informal 90-minute session to learn more about Unitarian Universalism and this Fellowship.
This is a great opportunity for newcomers to learn more, and for longtimers to refresh their connection to this congregation and to the larger UU tradition.
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Final call to sign up for Journey Groups!A few of our journey groups still have spaces for this year, especially those groups meeting by Zoom. Registration is now first-come first-assigned, so register soon to join one of these meaningful groups to help you deepen your connection to yourself, your values, and the Fellowship. To find out more about Journey Groups, click here. To register for a group, click here.
Registration closes this Sunday, September 17.
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Strategic Plan Conversation – September 24Join members of our Governing Board in the Legacy Room after each service (at approximately 10:05 and 11:50) on Sunday, September 24 to discuss the newly finalized Fellowship strategic plan. The strategic plan lays out a three-year plan for meeting goals to move our congregation forward toward our mission and vision. The first year includes details for goal implementation, the second year is a little less detailed, and the third year is a rough draft. Each year, we will move the plan forward by adjusting the goals, filling out the details, and adding new plans for the third year in each cycle. In this way, the strategic plan will always be a living document to guide us on our path. View the Strategic Plan here.
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Sunday Helpers Needed:
• In search of a few more Welcomers for Sunday mornings this coming program year, to help greet people as they come in our building and help newcomers get settled in.
• We are also looking for a few more folks to serve as Ushers to hand out programs and take the offering on Sunday mornings. 10:45 AM service, once per month.
• Finally, we are in URGENT need of more people who can help make and serve coffee and tea on Sunday mornings, at either the 9 AM or 10:45 AM services, once per month.
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Ukranian Family Thanks the Fellowship for our SupportThanks to the Fishers (Justin, Ann, and children Leo and Clara) who are members of the Fellowship, we have supported a Ukranian family who immigrated earlier this summer to the Fox Valley.
Here they share a photo of their families together, as well as a letter from the Chehorka family sharing about themselves and a thank you for the gifts our community provided for them when they arrived as newcomers to our community.
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The Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, elected UUA President at General Assembly in June 2023, offers a message of welcome at the start of a new congregational year for Unitarian Universalists.
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Care and SupportTo submit a Joy or Concern, fill out the form on our website or contact Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave at hannah@fvuuf.org or 920-731-0849. For pastoral emergencies call 920-383-1565.
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Gender Justice Action Ministry TeamGender JAM, a new Justice Action Ministry, encompasses issues surrounding reproductive justice, bodily autonomy, and the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. As this new JAM forms at the Fellowship, we’ve got many exciting projects in the works! If you’d like to get involved in advocacy around trans inclusion, reproductive justice, or LGBTQIA+ rights, please email Rev. Hannah at hannah@fvuuf.org.
As a part of this initiative, the ministry is holding a book drive centering on education and intersectional identities. Check out the Justice Hub for details.
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Coffee and Condoms Concerned about reproductive justice? This new group forming under the umbrella of the Gender Justice Action Ministry Team will meet on the second Thursday of each month starting September 14th from 6:30-8:00 pm at the Fellowship. We will work with Planned Parenthood representative Marianne Radley Wellhouse to help support Planned Parenthood clinics by making condom packets, Make A Plan kits, and collecting period supplies. We will receive updated education on the current state of reproductive rights in our state and plans for moving forward. Oh yes, and there will be coffee too! Contact Karon Sandberg at karonsandberg@att.net with questions.
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Click the image to read the Justice Hub
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Justice HubCheck out our Fellowship’s Justice Hub for up-to-date information about how to get involved in social justice in our community!
Sept 16, People’s Town Hall, 4 pm
Sep 16, Neenah-Menasha InterTribal Pow Wow, 1-4 pm
Sept 17, Justice Toolbelt, 12:30 – 2 pm
Sept 17, International Day of Peace, 1-4 pm
now through October 29th: Gender Justice JAM team collecting books
AND an action alert from the Wisconsin UU State Advocacy Network!
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