President’s Message — May 2023

“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” ~ Helen Keller

The UUFP is a community that comes together and accomplishes many things. A perfect example is the wonderful intergenerational Easter Service that was led by Ruby Barnthouse and Monica Buckley. Young and old enjoyed themselves that day. An interactive story, an Easter Egg hunt and making flowers enabled everyone to participate. It was such a success, that we are planning to hold more intergenerational services in the future. A big thank you goes out to Ruby and Monica for all the time and effort they put into that service.

Another way that our community unites to accomplish things is during our annual pledge drive that will be held at the beginning of this month. While our caring community is driven by the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism, it takes money to keep us going. Everyone has been incredibly generous over the years in their financial sponsorship. Last month I outlined the goals that the Board of Directors would like to achieve in the next fiscal year and there will be some additional expenses like hiring a full-time RE teacher. In addition, I already know of one unexpected expense that is a result of the retirement of our long-term friend and cleaner, Chester Weiss. Not only did Chester do a great job keeping our fellowship clean, but he was also “quite affordable.” We will need to pay more to have the fellowship cleaned. You will hear more about the pledge drive and the spending plan from our treasurer, Kris Barnthouse.

And Save the Date for our Annual Congregational which will be held after the Sunday Service, June 11, 2023. In addition, there are other ways to support the fellowship financially. If you shop at Giant, purchase a Giant card from us, where the fellowship gets 5% of the total value spent. If you would like to participate, let me know. I place the orders at the beginning of the month. Another way is to make a “donation in kind” whereby you donate an item or items that the fellowship needs. For example, Mary Ryan buys all the paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, etc.) for the fellowship. She then fills out a “donation in kind” form for the amount that she spent. We then send her a letter that she can use for tax purposes since it is a charitable contribution. If you would like to do that, please speak to a Board member. We can help identify what items are needed and when. (Would anyone like to buy some mulch for the children’s play area??) Please do not just donate anything. Unfortunately, we are in the process of cleaning out items that individuals very lovingly donated but we do not need. Just ask before you donate. And, a big thank you to Mary for the paper products.

The last bit of community news that I will share is that we will be adding a new community: a bee hive is coming to our fellowship. UUFP friends Justine and Chad Towarnicki raise bees at their own home. They have kindly offered to bring a hive to our fellowship for the summer. Not only will our grounds benefit by having more pollinators around, members and friends of our human community will learn more about these important creatures and how they fit into our ecosystem. The hive will be off to the side of our grounds so there should be no more risk of getting stung by a bee than you normally would by just being outside. Thank you to all in our community. We are more powerful together.

With gratitude, Linda

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UUFP’s Annual Potluck

UUFP’s Annual Potluck is a Picnic this year! This year the membership committee decided to change it up a bit and have our Annual Potluck outdoors! There will be games for the children and tie dying for everyone.
Here are the particulars:

  • Saturday, May 20th at 3:00 PM
  • Each person or family brings a dish
  • BYOB
    Fun for everyone!
    Rain date: Sunday May 21st
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Ideas Discussion Group

Our Ideas Discussion Group will resume on Tuesday May 2nd. These conversations are open to adults with curious minds who have a desire to discuss and share ideas on a diverse variety of topics. We’ll meet at the Fellowship at 7:30pm.
We invite you to bring to our first meeting a short reading or article by you or another person; a piece of music; a poem or short story; or perhaps an activity — essentially, anything that inspires you and that you would like to share with others. Or simply join us for good company and conversation. See you there!

Let’s shine some light on some of your favorite topics!

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Sunday Service, May 7, 2023

Emerson as Spiritual Guide.
Rev Kim Wilson

UU minister Barry Andrews says, “I believe Emerson is best understood as a spiritual guide and a spokesperson for an alternative American spiritual tradition.” In his book on this topic, he helps make Emerson’s message accessible and relevant to contemporary religious seekers like ourselves.

Please join us for coffee hour after service in the Social Hall.

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Sunday Service, May 14, 2023

Magic Recipes:
Science and the Profound Meaning of Spring.
Speaker: J D Stillwater

Eggs and seeds are quintessential symbols of birth and spring, but did you ever really contemplate the magic that hides inside them? The new science of emergence is like 1+1 = poetry; it’s magic, but also rigorous science, and spring is full of this magical unfolding. The secret is (shhh…) we are that magic, too!

Please join us for coffee hour after service in the Social Hall.

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Sunday Service, May 21, 2023

Expressing Possibility.
Speaker: Emily Quarles-Mowrer

When searching “May” on the internet, the first result I receive is grammatical: “may” is the word used to express possibility. That is a fitting word to celebrate springtime, when the world around us is celebrating the possibility of new life, new growth, and the steady march toward the long, warm days of summer. With the coming of May, perhaps we too, may experience the possibility of growth.

3rd Sunday Potluck follows the service

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No Sunday Service Today, May 28, 2023

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend! Please join us for our next service on June 4th.

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President’s Message: April 2023

“Success is easy to achieve once you set your mind on a specific goal” ~ Aristotle

Every spring the Board of Directors meet to set goals for the UUFP to help us deliver on our Mission and values. These goals then help to inform on our decisions as to where we would like to invest in our fellowship and spend our money. These goals are a primary driver of our yearly budget. The board routinely reviews our progress on our goals and modify if necessary.

So, how are we doing with regard to this year’s goals? We have made great strides in achieving the goals which include the ongoing improvement in the aesthetics of our building, delivering spiritually nourishing and engaging Sunday Services (without a minister), hiring a nursery attendant, starting a program for “Tweens,” starting a Women’s Group, and creating a marketing committee that has done a great job increasing our on-line advertising. All these efforts have led to an increase in attendance on Sundays, an increase in the number of children in attendance on Sundays and an increase in rentals – all of which has strengthened our financial position.

The Board met in mid-March to develop goals for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The decision was made to keep the same goals as last year, but change our plan of action in achieving those goals. While you will receive a more in-depth explanation of each goal during our pledge drive and Annual Congregational Meeting, I wanted to provide an overview of what those goals are.

Ensure that UUFP remains a viable religious community: We will do this by managing our finances responsibly, invest in technology/sound system that would improve the sound quality of our on-line services as well as enable Sunday Services to be heard throughout the building and to continue to invest in updating our buildings and ground. We discussed developing a 5-year plan that would include the timing of some of the more expensive projects like new flooring in the original part of the building, fixing the cracks in the ceiling of the sanctuary and cleaning/replacing the sound tiles in the sanctuary.

Continue to offer spiritually nourishing and engaging Sunday Services: We will do this by appropriately financing the Worship Committee’s budget, developing a feedback mechanism so that we can identify those speakers who meet the needs of the Sunday Service attendees and then routinely engage those speakers.

Enhance support and function of the Worship Committee: We will look to add members to the Worship Committee as well as add more lay leaders. The Worship Committee will continue to have a strategic approach when lining up speakers to ensure that the topics are in alignment with the fellowship’s interests and UU principals.

Invest in Religious Education: We will do this by hiring someone to manage the RE Program for ages 5 through 10-year-old children as well as continue to build out programs for the “Tweens,” Teens, and adults.

Enhance Community awareness of UUFP: We will do this by continuing to hold events that include the surrounding community, supporting and leveraging our Marketing Committee to “get the word out” about the UUFP and invest in a new sign for the front of our property.

The fellowship has had a lot of successes this past year to be proud of (and there are still three months left in the fiscal year!). These successes are due primarily to our remaining focused on the goals we set and to the people who have given of themselves and their time to pull-through those goals. The Board of Directors believe that if we continue to focus on these same goals for next year, we will have even more success. Please feel free to let us know your thoughts.

In gratitude, Linda K.

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Sunday Service, April 2, 2023

To What Do You Commit Yourself? Speaker: Rev. Kim Wilson

Commitment to someone or something involves dedication, loyalty and faithfulness. To put it another way, it means unwavering devotion, hard work and sometimes infinite fortitude. What is it in your life that calls forth your deepest commitment?

Coffee hour follows the service.

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Sunday Service, April 9, 2023

Easter Sunday Service. Lay Speaker: Monica Buckley; Lay Leader: Ruby Barnthouse

Spring is in full swing! Join us as we celebrate the season of hope, renewal, and community at our Easter Sunday Service. This interactive, all ages service will include an Easter egg hunt and a community craft project. We hope we will see you there!

Coffee hour follows the service.

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