Homecoming, at long last! After two and a half years of mostly virtual church, we are moving into a time of mostly in-person worship. Last spring, as a few people started coming to church, I heard people crying. I was crying! Experiencing the resonance of our sanctuary reminded us of what we had lost during our months of virtual services--not only in music but in the warmth of physically being together. This year we are gathering in a new but familiar way. For those who cannot be with us in person, there will still be a virtual option, but the focus will be on the experience within the sanctuary. Kudos to our technology folks.
Welcome Back Everyone! Sunday School is back in person this year!! Church starts at 10:30, and we will be meeting during the church service. We head downstairs after the Message for All Ages around10:45. We will have registration on 9/11/2022, and our first class will be on 9/18/2022. Our older youth will meet on Sunday evenings every other week. More to come on this!
This summer, the FUUSM Memorial Garden was a sight to behold! Kudos first of all to Mike Schroeder who was the group leader for many years and has now moved and passed the baton to Patty Simon.
Adopted 8/17/22 We seek to be a community that is inclusive, hospitable, and safe for all people. To this end, our Parish Committee has adopted the following COVID safety protocols. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has developed a system of Green, Yellow, and Orange Community Levels based on hospitalization rates, hospital burden, and case rates. We will rely on the CDC’s Level for Plymouth County in adjusting our COVID safety protocols. You can check the current level for any U.S. county using this tool from the CDC: Leaders of programs that pose special risks because of the vulnerability of participants
Our Cash in the Plate offering for the month of August will go to the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. They are a national 501c3 that has been working on improving reproductive health and outcomes for people of color for over five years and has a presence in Massachusetts. They provide direct care and are focused on reducing the inequities that we know exist for communities of color. Like Planned Parenthood, they address all aspects of reproductive health. Since the Dobbs decision, they have been talking more directly about abortion care than previously. You can support this organization by writing a check to FUUSM
We are pleased to announce that Rev. Peter Connolly will be joining us on September 1 as our full-time interim minister. Rev. Connolly was a ministry intern with our Congregation back in the mid 2000’s, so he has history with us. He served a UU Congregation in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for eight years as settled minister. He expresses fondness for the time he spent with our Congregation as he prepared for a career in ministry.
Summer is almost here. As my ministry with you approaches its close, I am grateful that our plans for the coming year are beginning to fall into place. As you know, due to a clergy shortage, we were one of twenty Unitarian Universalist congregations in the U.S. that were not matched with an Interim Minister. Luckily, we have some talented ministers in our area who have had considerable experience offering part-time ministries to congregations like ours. In addition, we have dedicated staff and volunteer leaders who are ready to help with everything we need going forward while we prepare for our next ministries.
July and August mark a shift into “Summer Slowdown” where we let go of weekly choir rehearsals and music participation in Sunday services. This is a time to cut back on planning and practicing, to try out new music with no set agenda, to explore without a schedule. The usual hustle and bustle give way to longer and warmer days with sunshine, gardens, and diversion.
Thank you to everyone who made this year a success! I love being the Director of Religious Exploration, and I’m excited to announce that we rocked it this year!. I'm extremely grateful to everyone who contributed inside and outside the classroom. We were successful in having weekly Sunday School virtually, and by the end of the year we were able to consistently meet together in person. What will next year bring? We will see, but we are all optimistic that it will be mostly in person.
