“Autumn teaches us the beauty of letting go. Growth requires release – it’s what the trees do.” ~Ka’ala
The UUFP is continuing to evolve and grow. With the addition of new friends and members come many new ideas on how to strengthen our community and ensure its existence. Moving forward often requires us to let go of “how we do things.” One of the exciting things that UUFP will be moving forward on is to hire a teacher to manage Religious Education for our children. While “the Moms” have done a great job with their volunteering as RE Teacher, many Sundays, we found ourselves scrambling at the last minute to provide coverage for RE. We need to provide a consistency to the children as they are on their own UU journey. The good news is that Megan Mickle, the woman who is currently providing care in the nursery has a Master’s in Education and is very willing to step in. Now we just need to find someone to provide nursery coverage. If you know of anyone who would like to spend time with the youngest members of the fellowship, please let a member of the board know.
However, sometimes growth requires financing. The RE situation is no different. While this expense was not planned for, we will hopefully be able to cover it without tapping into our savings account. Even if we have to use some of savings, remember, this is an important investment in our future. All members can help to minimize what we draw out of savings by doing two things:
- If you shop at Giant, please consider buying Giant Gift cards through the UUFP. We get 5% of the value of each card sold. These cards can be used to purchase anything that you might buy at Giant: food, wine, beer, and gas. The holidays are coming up and many of us will be baking, hosting parties and family get togethers. Why not shop at Giant and help the UUFP? If interested, please contact me.
- And speaking of parties, if you or someone you know is looking to host a holiday party or need a larger space for family get-togethers, why not rent the UUFP. The number of rentals is increasing. Spread the word!
Unfortunately, something else is spreading – COVID. The “good” news is that the medical community knows a lot more about this virus than they did before and there are now updated booster shots available. In addition, it’s the time of year we also need to worry about influenza and RSV. Our UUFP community is precious, and we all need to chip in and do our part to keep ourselves and others healthy. Please, if eligible, consider vaccinations and booster shots. However, the most important (and easiest) thing that any of us can do is that if you do not feel well, please stay home. Enjoy our services either via Zoom or watch it later on our YouTube channel. We all benefit when each of us takes accountability for our own health.
With Gratitude, Linda K.