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Update to Director of Music Position
By Steve Sieck
How do we share resources equitably? How do we lead sustainable and compassionate lives?
I have been a member of the Fellowship since the day after we moved to Appleton in 2010. Now, I also serve, with deepest gratitude, as our Director of Music. As a member first and employee second, I want to announce that I will transition from a 0.6 position to a 0.5 position in this new fiscal year. This is a small change that I hope will address these questions.
I proposed this change for these two reasons:
1) I am grateful for our community’s support for music as an essential part of the Fellowship life. I hope that by reducing my hours slightly, we can share more resources for ministry internships, religious education, and facility upgrades.
2) My work at Lawrence University is more than a full-time position on its own. I cannot sustainably continue to give the equivalent of 24 hours of work every week to the Fellowship. While I will be reducing the number of meetings I attend going forward, I will maintain my commitments to musical communities like choir, mUUse, pop-up choir, and to Sunday service music.
I am writing to clarify that this is a decision that I made and brought to Rev. Christina, not a decision that was made for me. I feel deeply supported by members and staff. I am writing to state my ardent support for growing the music program at the Fellowship. When our music needs outpace what I can manage in 20 hours a week—and I hope to see that day come soon—I look forward to bringing on a second music staff member. (This model of several professional musicians working part-time is seen in many large UU congregations.) I am writing to clarify that this decision was made well before Covid-19 put music-making with one another on hold, though I hope it alleviates a part of the financial stress that our Fellowship faces for the time being.
Thank you for your love and support. Keep singing!
Peace,
Steve
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Finding Our Way—Staying Apart to Stay Safer
By Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
This past Sunday I gave a sermon in which I explored the new reality we find ourselves in—a much longer-haul situation than originally envisioned with physical distancing being recommended for a longer time period than any of us would like. Once that sermon is up on the website podcast, I encourage you to listen to it if you didn’t “attend” service on Sunday.
In that sermon, I reiterated that we, along with the majority of our neighboring faith communities, are committed to remaining open, but keeping our buildings fully closed, at least through August. The Wisconsin Council of Churches put out a comprehensive and scientifically-sound guide to reopening, based on gating criteria from the Badger Bounce-Back Plan, and we intend to utilize that as a guide for reopening. We’ll re-assess and follow the guidance of scientists, medical staff, and public health officials and will be in contact with you for our autumn plans, as the summer proceeds.
The UUA recently sent out guidance that encourages fully virtual operations for the coming program year, through May 2021, and while the Fellowship leadership are not yet certain how we will interpret that guidance, we are committed to keeping our physical risks low even as we continue to offer spiritual, emotional, and social support through email, phone calls, Zoom gatherings, Facebook, and other media.
Please reach out to us if you need any help getting connected. We can’t wait to embrace you in person, but until then, know that we embrace you from a distance.
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Upcoming Service
Sunday, May 31 at 10:00 am central
Link for Worship Service HERE
Call in: 312-626-6799 with meeting ID 176 319 484
Click HERE for the Order of Service.
"Why Was I Born?": A Service of Questions by Rev. Leah Ongiri
This poignant title of the song popularized by Billie Holiday—and our special music for the morning—will set the stage for one of our traditional question sermons. Come with a question or few (about Unitarian Universalism, the world, or anything else), and Rev. Leah will spontaneously respond to as many as time allows. This service is up to you! What questions are on your mind and in your heart?
Sunday Morning Connections for Children & Youth!
• Children’s Chapel (grades 4K-6) 9:00- 9:40 am
• Youth Connection (grades 7-12) 11:00-11:40 am
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link for children and youth connections. Register your child(ren) HERE. If you have questions, contact director of religious education, Kim Hartman, at kim@fvuuf.org.
- Click HERE for information on future services.
- Listen to past sermons HERE.
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Click HERE for more information on these offerings!
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Adult Faith Formation
Thursday, May 28
6:00 pm Releasing Trauma Engergy with Movement with Heather Chantelois-Kashal bit.ly/UUFellowship password UU
Sunday, May 31
10:00 am Worship Service HERE
Monday, June 1
6:00 pm Check In with Marie Luna, director of congregational life bit.ly/UUFellowship password UU
Wednesday, June 3
12:00 pm Gratitude, Spirituality, and Spiritual Practice with Galen Guengerich (see article below for more information)
Thursday June 4
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| Religious Education - Children and Youth
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Children and Youth Connections
We invite all young people to join us to share our time and hearts together!
Sunday Morning
• Children’s Chapel (grades 4K-6) 9:00- 9:40 am
• Youth Connection (grades 7-12) 11:00-11:40 am
Weekday Meetings
• Kid’s Connection- (grades 4K-6) Thursdays 4:00-4:30 pm
• Youth Connection- (grades 7-12) Wednesdays 4:30-5:00 pm and Fridays 6:00-6:30 pm
The Zoom link is the same for all children and youth gatherings. Registration acts as our directory for the year, so we ask everyone to register your child(ren) HERE.
Please contact director of religious education Kim Hartman at kim@fvuuf.org or religious education assistant Eve Rosera at eve@fvuuf.org with questions or concerns.
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Click HERE for details about all these groups.
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| - Fellowship Community Journal
Ongoing, submit your work to leah@fvuuf.org
More information HERE.
- Joyful Mind Zen Sangha
Saturdays, 7:00 am
- Men's Group
First Wednesdays and Third Tuesdays, 7:00-9:00 pm
- Smiling Dandelion Sangha
Sundays, 6-7:30 pm
- Spanish Charla
Saturdays, 10-11:00 am
- Spill it Sister
Second Thursday of the month, 6:30-8:00 pm
- Third Thursday Book Club
Third Thursday of the month, 2:00 pm
- UU Parenting Support Group
First Monday of the month, 6-7:30 pm
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Special Author Event!Wednesday, June 3rd
12:00-1:00 pm
Must register to receive Zoom Link information by emailing marie@fvuuf.org
We are very fortunate to have UU Minister Galen Guengerich joining us! He recently published a book called The Way of Gratitude, a handbook for anyone seeking a sense of belonging and purpose in our chaotic world. Anchored by resonant poems, guided spiritual practices, including “gratitude goals” and suggestions for meditation and fasting, this book focuses on developing a sense of purpose, deepening personal relationships, and establishing a connectedness to all things in a way that brings hope to the everyday. He will be exploring gratitude, spirituality, and spiritual practice in our time with him.
Galen Guengerich is senior minister of All Souls Unitarian Church, a historic congregation in Manhattan. He graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and earned a Ph.D. in theology from the University of Chicago. Guengerich is the author of God Revised: How Religion Must Evolve in a Scientific Age and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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New Online Meeting Format for the 2020 Annual Meeting!
Pre-Annual Meeting Q & A and Candidate Meet and Greet
Please join us via Zoom (no registration required) at 6:00 pm, Wednesday, June 10.
This informational session will review the proposed 2020-21 budget process and introduce candidates for election. Members of the Executive Team and Governing Board will be on hand to answer your questions.
Annual Meeting
Please join us via Zoom (registration required) at 11:00 am, Sunday, June 14 after the Flower Ceremony.
After the service, please plan to join the Annual Meeting a few minutes early so that we can establish quorum and record attendance. All are welcome to attend this virtual meeting, but registration is required. There will be a separate link to register, and you can register anytime between now and just before the meeting. Register early, we plan to start the meeting at 11:15 am! After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. All members in one household should each register separately.
Please visit our annual meeting information web page HERE for the appropriate meeting and registration links, as well as additional details.
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|  The Stonewall Generation: A Conversation with the Author
The Fellowship is excited to announce that we are the first to host a conversation with the author of this brand new book! Learn more and register HERE.
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Virtual Engagement and InvolvementWhile it is hard to connect in meaningful ways while physically distant, we want to try to do what we can to help. We ask everyone who reads this article to fill out this short 5 minute survey to help us see how people are engaging with the Fellowship while we are not able to be together in person. SURVEY
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Update your Zoom App!Zoom will be requiring an update on May 30th. This means that if you don’t update it by that date, it will update the next time you open zoom, including Sunday service. Either give yourself a few extra minutes to do it that morning, or update it now. Click on this link and follow the steps HERE.
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Photo Project Deadline June 1As we prepare for our annual celebration of Flower Communion on June 14, we are trying to find a way to celebrate at a physical distance. Before June 1, please email a close up or selfie of yourself to photos@fvuuf.org. If there are multiple people in your home, please send a photo of each person. These photos will be combined into a beautiful image of a flower. Submission of your pictures to the email address above will be considered as your authorization to use in the mosaic, printed publications or brochures, display at the Fellowship, and on the Fellowship’s website and social media.
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Drive-Thru Empty 2 Full Pan Collection a SuccessThank you to all who participated in the Essentials JAM first ever drive-thru E2F Pan collection. 47 pans were handed out and they all came back filled with delicious meals that were gratefully received by Apricity (a residential treatment center for those dealing with substance abuse). We appreciate the generosity of everyone who made the extra effort during this challenging time.
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General Assembly: Now Virtual!
General Assembly, the annual national conference that gathers thousands of Unitarian Universalists, is a tradition beloved by many. It is a time of celebratory reunion, participatory governance, and leadership development. Going virtual will allow it to be accessible to a more diverse and global audience. It will also help reduce our carbon footprint, which aligns with our commitment to care for the earth and environment. Learn more and register HERE.
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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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Masks Available at Fellowship Little Free Library If you have need for a home-sewn mask, we are attempting to make them available in our little free library on Philip Lane in front of the Fellowship. People without masks are encouraged to get and wear them. People who sew or have extra are encouraged to offer them. Please use caution when visiting the library by using a wipe or plastic to touch the handle and/or using sanitizer directly after contact. Also make sure to wash anything you take. We are also accepting donations of cleaning supplies, non-perishable food items, and toilet paper. If masks have all been claimed when you get there, please email leah@fvuuf.org and we will try to get more. Please feel free to spread the word about this resource.
Need a sewing machine to make masks? Contact Marie Luna at marie@fvuuf.org.
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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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Your subscription to information at the Fellowship!The Weekly Scroll newsletter is the Fellowship’s main form of communication to connect with our members and friends. This newsletter email list is not only used for the weekly scroll, but also for other important all Fellowship emails and notifications, including annual meeting notices and more. To remain informed and connected, please do not unsubscribe from any communications from the Fellowship, or you will be removed from the list for the Scroll as well.
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Click the image to give online.
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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 Though the Fellowship building remains closed, 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.
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Click here for the current financial report.
Click here for the May Governing Board meeting agenda.
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