Join Us for Worship This Sunday!

January 11th at 10 a.m.

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister

Betsy Ferries, Worship Associate

"The Gift of Silence"

Silence has so many meanings - for different contexts, different people, different histories. Silence has different textures, different weights. Rev. Karen will lead this service having just returned from a 9-day silent meditation retreat.

Join us for worship in person in the Sanctuary, or online. The livestream link and order of service will be shared at bit.ly/FUUSBWorship, or visit our YouTube channel.

Following the service, all are welcome to Coffee Hour in the Community Room.

While at the Meeting House, anyone is welcome to wear a mask. In the spirit of caring for each other, please stay home if you have any cold or flu symptoms. Thank you.

Children & Youth This Sunday

Erika Reif, Director of Lifespan Faith Development

Families will begin the morning together in the Sanctuary. After the Time For All Ages, children and youth will be escorted to their Faith Development exploration groups on the upper and lower levels. Childcare for infants and toddlers is available throughout the service in the Nursery on the lower level.

Looking Back to Sunday

Here is a link to the sermon from Sunday, From Stillness to Bold Action: Practicing Mature Spirituality in Troubled Times from our guest minister, Rev. Marybeth Redmond.

Here is a link to the video recording of last week's service.

Family Chapel participants created collaborative artwork, reflecting on the ways our stories change from one year to the next.

Looking Back (to Christmas Eve)

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister

Here is the homily Rev. Karen gave at this year's Christmas Eve service: Choose Hope.

Pastoral Visiting: Caring for each other and our community

Heidi Duke, Pastoral Visiting Team

The FUUSB is hoping to expand our Pastoral Visitor Team! This group of compassionate individuals is part of our Care Network Ministry and works with Rev. Karen to help congregants who could use extra support during times of illness, stress, transition or isolation. During their monthly visits, Pastoral Visitors create a space of compassion and empathy and are attentive witnesses as congregants share what is on their heart.

The Pastoral Visitor Team meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 4:45 to 6:30 at the Meetinghouse. Regular attendance is required. Pastoral Visitors also need to be available an hour each month for their visits with congregants. Additionally, prospective Visitors are asked to attend a training session which includes a Friday evening and the following Saturday to prepare you with the skills you will need. This training is tentatively scheduled for mid-March.

Pastoral Visitors must be members of the congregation, fill out a brief application, and pass a background check. If you would like to be part of this important ministry, please fill out the application here.

If you would like to hear more about Pastoral Visiting or have any questions, please reach out to the Chair of the Pastoral Visiting Team, Heidi Duke, at heidi.j.duke@gmail.com. Thanks!

Youth-Parent Meeting & All Youth Lunch

Erika Reif, Director of Lifespan Faith Development

Sunday, January 11 -- 11:30am-12:30pm 

Alcott & Dix Room 

Pizza lunch for parents & youth! Vegan and conventional options.

If you're the parent of an 8th-12th grade (or equivalent) youth at First UU, please consider staying after the service this Sunday to 

• connect with other parents, 
• share ideas for the future of the youth programming this year and beyond, 
• and discuss supporting special events and trips for our youth. 



Simultaneously, youth are invited for food, connection, and fun, mostly separate from the parent group, but with a little overlap at the beginning and end!

Coffeehouse this Friday, 1/9

Coffeehouse Team

Come to the Open-Mic Coffeehouse & Dessert Potluck!

This Friday, January 9

Potluck dessert and open-mic sign-up starts at 6:30 p.m.

Open mic 7-9 p.m.

Join us in the parlors, for the first Open Mic and Coffeehouse of the new year! Share your song

or spoken word piece. Original works and creative covers always welcome. Or, just come to enjoy the music, poetry, and fellowship. Amplification and mics provided.

If you’re able, bring a dessert dish to share. Coffee, tea, and refreshments will be provided. All ages and talents are welcome, especially newcomers! Invite friends and family. With the cold

weather, upper respiratory infections are more prevalent - Face masks are welcomed, but not required.

GLBTQIA+ affinity group meets this Sunday

Elizabeth Allen, Member

Happy new year from the newly formed GLBTQIA+ social group! Welcome, welcome, to one and all for our next meeting, which will be after services on Sunday, January 11, from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM or so in a corner of the sanctuary. We'll chat, review what we agreed on during our first meeting, and discuss possible directions for the future. Again, all are welcome, and we'd like to specifically clarify that this includes allies too! Reminder that you can always join the GLBTQIA+ group on Realm for updates too.

Looking for deeper connection?

Join one of this Sunday's Drop-in Circles!

1) Sunday Circle: Discussion about Sermon

Rev. Karen will be back from her silent retreat, and she’s bringing the stillness home to us. But what does "silence" mean in our noisy lives? Is it a sanctuary or a challenge?

Don’t just rush back to the noise after the service next Sunday on 1/11/26. Join us for a Sunday Circle—a deeper dive into this morning’s sermon. It’s a small-group space to share your thoughts, listen deeply, and connect beyond the coffee hour chatter.

• When: Sunday, Jan 11th @ 11:30 AM (Post-Coffee Hour)
• Where: Whitney Young Jr. Room
• Format: Small groups (5-8 people), structured sharing, and a chance to be truly heard. This is a drop in Circle so no registration is required.
• Questions? email: Themecircles@uusociety.org

Come find the "still, small voice" with us. All are welcome!

2) Discover the Earth Teacher: Butterfly, Caterpillar & Chrysalis

Join us on Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 11:30 in the parlors, as we explore the profound lessons of transformation through this month's Earth Teacher. Whether you feel like you are currently in a state of "goop" or are ready to stretch new wings, there is a place for you in our circle.

Earth Teacher connects us with the modern-day Religious Naturalism movement, as well as with Unitarian Universalist values of interdependence, in which we honor the interdependent web of all existence. With reverence for the great web of life and with humility, we acknowledge our place in it.

This is a drop-in Circle no registration is required.


Questions? Need an Earth Teacher packet email gailbeckvt@gmail.com

Date with Death Club- Jan. 24th

Rev. Karen G. Johnston

Date with Death Club returns after a December break. Meeting most 4th Saturday of the month, in January we are meeting on the 24th, 10 - 12:45. Our topic is Good Life and Good Death: What do people mean when they say “a good death?” And how is that connected to having “a good life?” Is it the same for everyone? Are there barriers to a good life? What do these terms mean for you?

Attendance is limited and by registration. Click here to register.

De-escalation Training: Jan. 17th from 1-4pm

Kim Watkin, FUUSB Board Member

Have you ever been in a situation where you wished you could diffuse a tense conflict or disagreement? 

The Democracy Project of the FUUSB is sponsoring a De-escalation Training on Saturday, Jan. 17th from 1pm to 4pm in the Community Room of the FUUSB. 

Register for this De-escalation Training here (the Events page of Realm) OR you can email Kim Watkin at watkinfam@aol.com and she can register you.  

Only 50 spots available. Open to FUUSB Members and Friends.  

Cost? A sliding scale of $0-50 and a donation of an item for the Sunday Morning Breakfast: orange juice, half and half, ground coffee, socks, warm clothing. 

This de-escalation training will focus on skills that are helpful to manage conflict, reduce violence, and improve safety for everyone. We will:

• Discuss and practice situational awareness 
• Explore tools for tracking a crisis 
• Explore whether or not to engage in an escalation
• Practice methods for diffusing an altercation
• Learn about the nervous system and the need for self-regulation

The training will also include an exploration of our identities and how they interface with de-escalation.

Our trainers include:

• Leif Taranta is a local organizer who you’ll find at most leftie protests acting as a de-escalator and caring for our community. They work for the Climate Disobedience Center and help coordinate the Vermont Solidarity Network among many other projects.
• Rachel Siegel is a local political and community organizer, educator, and former Executive Director of the Peace and Justice Center in Burlington. She is also a dancer, a performer, and the mom of two young adults. She has a small business called Toward Liberation.

Spring Homestay Announcement

Homestay Team

The Homestay Team is excited to announce UU Homestays for area college graduations are in the works. We had some success for fall parent weekends and hope to increase the bookings for the Spring. Here’s what one inquiry told us: It’s great to have an alternative to hotels and airbnbs!

If you are interested in donating space, please fill out this short survey so we can get the Spring website launched. Many of you provided Spring dates earlier in the year; please confirm and let us know of any changes in this form.

Also, we need help getting the word out. We are interested to hear from current parents of St. Michael's College and UVM students. We may be able to advertise on certain social media sites with posts from members of parents-only groups. Please email:  homestay@uusociety.org. 

  The Homestay Team Thanks You!

Tuesday Theme Circle

Gail Beck, Member

THE TUESDAY AFTERNOON RECHARGE 

Looking for a mid-month spiritual tune-up?

JOIN THE 3RD TUESDAY THEME CIRCLE. 

Start time: 2:00 PM. End time: 3:30 PM.

• Small group  
• Facilitated  
• Deep thoughts

We use the monthly UU Theme Packets to explore "The Path." It’s 60 minutes of connection that beats scrolling your phone.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2026: We’re tackling the concepts that actually matter:

• Resistance & Resilience  
• Attention & Possibility  
• Curiosity & Flourishing

WANT IN? Drop a line to ThemeCircles@uusociety.org for info.

Inclement Weather 

Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance

It's Vermont in the wintertime and that means it's time for snow, ice, slush, power failures, and so much more! If this lovely winter weather becomes extreme, the Society may choose to cancel Sunday Worship and other Sunday events, close the offices, or cancel meetings and events on other nights of the week. 

If we decide to cancel, we will put a notice on our Website, on our Facebook Page, in our Facebook Group, on Community Messenger on Realm and we will send out an email to the Enews mailing list. So in case of bad weather, these are the places to look for updates. 

If you have a meeting or event scheduled on another day of the week and need to cancel, do your best to send a notice to those who are expected to attend and contact a staff member so that we can put a notice on the door and cancel any Caretaker staff that are scheduled to work.  You can find the full Inclement Weather Protocol on our website. Remember to stay safe; don't travel on dangerous roads.