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Rising Together: A Day of Renewal, Learning, and Connection for Justice-Seekers and Community-Builders


Saturday, April 29th
9:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Fellowship
Lunch Provided
Are you working to make the world a better place, professionally or as a volunteer? Do you feel isolated or burned out, wondering whether you’re really making a difference? Do you long to feel more connected, capable, and courageous in your community? Is social justice something that feeds your heart and spirit as well as your mind?
Then Rising Together is for you! Learn more and RSVP HERE.

Sunday, March 26

9:00 & 10:45 am CT - In Person and Livestream
Gender: A Real Drag by Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave
Click HERE for Worship Service Zoom Information and the Order of Service
•  Watch clips of our services on our Youtube channel.
•  Upcoming Services HERE
•  See our website HERE for information about all our religious education classes for children and youth.
•  Share the Plate:
    o  The March Share the Plate organization is Even Start Family Literacy – Appleton & Menasha.
  o  In February, $1,108.51 was raised for the Diverse and Resilient. Learn about Share the Plate and past recipients HERE.
March: Peeling Back the Layers
We come to the Fellowship to be known and loved in our fullness. But in order to be known in such depth we must be willing to share ourselves with honesty and learn from others with openness. Join us this month as we set down our armor and peel back layers, revealing and celebrating hidden complexities and truths. 

Religious Education - Youth

Youth fUUn Night - No Gathering in April

We will be taking take a break from our usual monthly gathering on April 1 to focus our energies on planning upcoming spring events. Please plan to join us when we meet again on May 6.

Bridging Seniors - Final Call

On Sunday, June 4th we will take time in our service to honor/acknowledge/congratulate our high school seniors who will graduate this spring. We will collectively celebrate this pivotal moment in the life journey of our youth and welcome them into our midst as new adults.
Please contact Kim Hartman, director of religious education, at kim@fvuuf.org by March 26 if your child plans to participate in this service.

Notes & News

Half Day Sit

Come experience the joy of zazen with Joyful Mind Sangha on March 25, 7:00 am - 12:00 pm in person and on Zoom at the Fellowship. Potluck lunch to follow.
We will be doing zazen (sitting meditation), a short zen service, followed by a dharma talk. For the rest of the morning, we will alternate between sitting and walking meditation. We will end the formal retreat with a closing circle followed by a vegetarian potluck. If you bring a dish to pass, please make sure it’s vegetarian. For more information, please contact Taizan Alford at taizan.alford@gmail.com. All levels of experience are welcome.

Abolition is about relationships! And so is the Spring Seminar!

The 2023 Intergenerational Spring Seminar, Demilitarization & Abolition: Resist Policing and Empire, will be hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Association Office at the United Nations in close partnership with the Unitarian Universalist College of Social Justice and the UU Service Committee. The event aims to instill in Unitarian Universalist youth and adults a commitment to global engagement and the skills to take action locally to address global issues. Adult online registration closes on March 30. 
Join us online April 1-3. Registration rates are tiered to ensure everyone can participate, including a no-cost option. Details and registration HERE.

Soup Saturday

April 1, 5:00-6:30 pm
Join us at the Fellowship for an evening of soup, bread, friends, and conversation. We will need people to bring soup (including vegetarian and vegan), bread, maybe dessert… and to come hungry. Details HERE.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Ecumenical Good Friday Service

Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Appleton
April 7, 12:00 pm
11:00 am to participate in choir
Come to reflect and consider the lessons in story, scripture, poetry, and music of Good Friday. An offering for Pillars will be taken, and a combined choir will sing. Rev. Hannah will also be participating! All are welcome.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Plant Sale - May 21st

The Partner Churches and Green Sanctuary committees are sponsoring our annual plant sale on Sunday, May 21st, from 8:00 AM to Noon. Donations of perennials, vegetable seedlings, annuals, ornamentals, houseplants, and other garden/landscape items would be greatly appreciated. Donations (with plants labeled please) can be dropped off on the morning of the sale. Please contact Vickie Milde (vicmilde@hotmail.com) if you will be providing donations, would like to volunteer to help with the sale, or have questions.

"Seeking Awen": A UU Adult Spiritual Retreat

Friday, July 14th - Sunday, July 16th 
Please join fellowship members Heather Westley, Todd Grimm, and Mary Ellyn Vicksta for an adult spiritual retreat in the Northwoods! This retreat will affirm our UU Principles of encouraging spiritual growth and respect for the interdependent web of all life. Awen is a druidic term for inspiration and blessing, which we will seek while diving fully into nature to uncover the great mysteries of the forest.
Details Here

UUA General Assembly

Want to learn more about Unitarian Universalism, meet UUs from across the world, and represent our Fellowship in important decisions? Our annual UUA General Assembly will be online and in Pittsburgh, PA from June 21-25. To learn more check out uua.org/ga or email Rev. Hannah!

Election of New Unitarian Universalist Association President
by Rachel Walden, UUA Communications Senior Manager for Digital & Marketing Strategy
It is an exciting time in Unitarian Universalism as we prepare to elect a new president of our Association. The UUA President is the primary public and spiritual leader of Unitarian Universalism, as well as the UUA’s Chief Executive Officer. They help to lead Unitarian Universalists on a path to Beloved Community, in which people of diverse backgrounds, identities, and theological beliefs can thrive. Voting will open in early June and presidential forums begin this weekend. We invite you to meet the candidate for UUA President. Learn how you can participate in the forums in the information and link below.

Do You Want to be Part of the Democratic Process at the Fellowship?

Maybe you have visited the Fellowship recently and are considering membership, or have attended for some time and have not yet joined. While all are welcome at the Fellowship regardless of membership status, membership holds some specific responsibilities and privileges.
One of which is the opportunity to vote at our annual meeting. Our bylaws state members are eligible to vote at congregational meetings and hold office after they have been members for a period of eight (8) weeks.  
Our 2023 annual congregational meeting is scheduled for June 4, making the last opportunity to officially join as a voting member April 8, 2023. Please contact Rev. Christina at Christina@fvuuf.org or Rev. Hannah at Hannah@fvuuf.org, or visit our membership page for more information.

2023 Annual Congregational Survey

The Fellowship Governing Board and Executive Team are hoping that all members and friends of the Fellowship will participate in 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.
The survey includes 59 questions and may take around 15 minutes to complete. The questions are about Fellowship demographics, how we live, and our engagement with the Fellowship over the last 12 months. All responses are anonymous.
We will report on the survey results at the 2023 annual meeting. We administered the same survey last year and plan to continue asking the same questions every year so we can track our progress over time.
The survey will be available through March. Thank you so much for sharing your input.
Click Here for Survey

Care and Support

To 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.

Justice Action Ministry

Help with a Meal at Pillars Adult Shelter

Please join Essentials JAM by providing and/or serving a meal to the residents of Pillars Adult Shelter on Monday, April 3rd. Please click on the link to sign up to provide a portion of the meal or to serve the meal. Meal items will need to be delivered by 5:00 pm to Pillars Adult Shelter located at 1928 W. College Avenue, Appleton. Servers will serve the meal and clean up between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm. If you have questions, please contact Angie Miller at 920.810.7968 or angela.miller@oneamerica.com. Thank you!

Braiding Sweetgrass Book Discussion

If plants are our teachers, what are their lessons, and how might we become better students? Green Sanctuary is looking forward to your participation in the discussion of the book Braiding Sweetgrass on April 20 at 6:00 pm at the Fellowship. See you there!
Click the image to read the Justice Hub

Justice Hub

Check out our Fellowship’s Justice Hub for the most up-to-date information about how to get involved in social justice in our community! 
Feeling overwhelmed by our world? Check out our Fellowship Justice Hub for important ways to connect, learn, and serve in our community, including… 
- UUA Trans Day of Visibility Family Event
- ESTHER’s Madison Action Day
- CRUCIAL information for the April 4th Election
- Green Sanctuary Book Discussion
- And so much more!!! 

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