Unfortunately time ran out and we were unable to hold our traditional "Meet the Budget" gathering. Please read over this Meet the Budget memo before Annual Meeting on Sunday. It will give you a quick look at this year's budget changes. I will have hard copies of this memo available on Sunday morning.

Meet the Budget Memo

Full Budget

 

This fall, we will form a new social action task force focused on Sanctuary and Solidarity. This task force will explore actions that we can take to support immigrants and refugees in our community. As part of this work, the group will actively develop stronger partnerships with community organizations like Migrant Justice and with members of our interfaith community in Burlington.

If you are interested in joining this task force, please email Rosanne Greco at [email protected]. Information on our first meeting will be distributed late this summer.

 

Children and youth of all ages are welcome to join us on summer Sundays! June 4 & 11, we will sing children from the sanctuary after the first portion of the service, to join the group supervised by our childcare staff team. Parents must sign children into childcare. Starting June 18, services will not have a dedicated time for children to leave, so parents may sign children in before the service, or slip out to do so at any time. Weather-permitting, the group plays outside; otherwise they are in and/or near the basement-level nursery. Once again, should a child arrive to join the supervised group without a parent present to sign them in, staff will send them back to their parent with a "hall pass"- like mini-form for parents to sign, indicating their permission for the child to be with the group. Parents, please cooperate with these procedures to help our staff ensure the safety of children in their care!

 

 Many hands make light work in our UU Memorial Garden! Let me know if you'd like to help spruce up the garden before June 4th (the picnic!). I plan to be there on Wednesday, May 31 at 2 pm with annuals to plant - bring gloves and a bucket for weeks! Questions, or interested? Contact me, Nancy Knox at [email protected]; or 373-4281. Thanks!

Included in the warning for the Annual Meeting on June 4 is a proposal to use up to $10,000 from the "Meeting House Fund" to make necessary repairs to the Steinway A-3 piano that resides in the sanctuary and adds so much to our Sunday services.

The piano was purchased in 2010, was manufactured in 1926, and resided in a private setting until we purchased it through the generosity of members of the society. It was little used in its original setting, and since we acquired it has been used every Sunday, and on many other occasions. We were aware at the time it was procured that it would eventually need major work, as you might imagine anything 91 years old would. Several pianists, including Wayne Schneider, have recommended that its action be rebuilt. The problem, from the pianist's point of view, is the difficulty in obtaining a consistent pianissimo. Allan Day, who located it and has tuned and maintained it since, attributes this to the age of the linkages between the keys and the hammers, plus the age of the felts of the hammers. Accordingly, we plan to replace those parts. This will render the instrument excellent for our use,as well as making it more welcoming for guest concert pianists.

Prior to First UU moving to two Sunday services, the sanctuary piano was little utilized, and it quickly became clear that the instrument we had at that time would not suffice. Since then, the Steinway has become essential in both services. This proposal seeks to utilize up to $10,000 from the endowment fund, and although our quote from Allan Day from two years ago is $7,000, it is wise to be prepared for any contingency.

A word about the above mentioned "Meeting House Fund" that exists for "the maintenance, improvement and purchase of the Society's long-term fixed assets in perpetuity." This piano proposal is exactly the kind of project that this endowment fund was created for; and, if you appreciate the music that adds so much to our worship experience may we suggest that you consider making a special contribution to this fund to insure that future needs are funded when the need inevitably arises.

Many thanks,
For the Music Committee

 

Click here to read the budget summary.

Thank you to the 19 wonderful folks who've ALREADY indicated their desire to help out in RE next year! They are:

Christine Vatovec
Ann Rathbone
Tiffany Tillman
Jeff Trumbower
Rachel Schek
Jennifer Callahan
Caitlin Waddick
Josh Fairfax
Adessa Yeager
Cheryl Herrick
Melinda Lee
RJ Lalumiere
Tana Randall Wolfe
Jenn Schollmeyer
Michelle Connor
Mary Beth McNulty
Krista Nickerson
Paddy Kwass
Kim Brockway

Awesome folks, right?! If you'd like to explore UUism alongside them, take a quick minute to complete this little form and indicate your preferences and/or limitations. I'll then follow up with you over the summer to match you with a role in the program and give you the info you need to be an RE Steward with us. Thanks everyone!

 

Come and celebrate after the Annual Meeting! It will be a lovely, sunny day and we will gather on the lawn for yummy food, sidewalk chalk, good conversation, labyrinth exploration...Please sign up to bring your favorite sandwiches or other goodies. See you then!!

New UU Class June 10th: Would you like to learn more about Unitarian Universalism? Find out more about our own Burlington UU Congregation? Meet other newcomers? If so, please sign up for the New UU Class! The class will be held June 10th from 9am -12:30 here at the Meeting House. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board outside the Parlors or you may e-mail Nina Dahlstedt Buss at [email protected]

 

The UU book group will meet Tuesday, June 13th from 12:00-1:30 in the SBA room. We are discussing The Dream of the White Village: A Novel of Stories by Philip Baruth. The book is a compilation of 13 stories of the lives of residents of Burlington in the 1970's and 90's. All are welcome to join us!

 

by Rachel Schek

Please join us for the June gathering of Mother Up! on Thursday, June 8th, 5:30-7:30 in the basement community room. We will celebrate our community and our planet with a family drum circle! Total participation, fun for all ages, led by Saragail Benjamin, local entertainer, educator, and drum circle facilitator. www.SaragailBenjamin.com

A simple, vegetarian (vegan option) dinner for all ages will be included. Childcare is provided for young children in the nursery. All are welcome.

RSVP with food allergies and childcare requests to [email protected]
Please use our Facebook event to invite friends https://www.facebook.com/events/1259352917482778/

 

The Healthy Congregation Team is cancelling our final Deep Listening Meet-Up this June 11th.  Please continue to practice your listening skills.  The Healthy Congregation Team will have more learning and practice opportunities planned for us all in the 2017-2018 Society Year!

 

Everyone who wishes to enroll their children in next year's RE programming must complete a 2017-18 Registration form, which will be ready soon. I'll email the link directly to parents, and will also include it in summer eNews and provide it on our website. Thank you!

 A member of our congregation needs some help getting around. She would like assistance getting to Sunday service (either 9 or 11.... she is flexible) and to a weekly commitment at St. Paul's Cathedral in Burlington. She has a special vehicle that meets her needs, but she needs someone to come to her house and drive her in that special vehicle. She also needs help navigating through the cathedral building on Thursdays once she gets there. The time commitment would be roughly 2:30 to 5 pm on Thursdays. She would be happy to barter for rides, too.

(We are using the Meal Train application to help schedule rides.... this link is really for rides, not for meals.)

Rides for Jill:  https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/820k64

Erica, Missa, and Mira: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/qvmnd8