Join Us for Worship This Sunday!

October 25 at 10 am

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister

Warren Baker, Worship Associate

Memento Mori

Remember that you, too, shall die. Sounds morbid to some and wise guidance to others. The wisdom in this spiritual practice has been known in many world traditions over the ages — not taking life for granted, using our mortality as a tool for skillful living. As we approach that season when many traditions - Nature-based, Christian - recognize the importance of honoring our dead, how might this be true for us? Rev. Karen is in the pulpit.

Join us for worship in person or online. The livestream link will be shared at bit.ly/FUUSBWorship.

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

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

Families will begin the morning together in the Sanctuary. After the Time For All Ages, children & youth will be escorted to their exploration groups on the upper and lower levels of the Meetinghouse.

The Nursery opens at 9:45am and remains available throughout the service for infants & toddlers.

The photo on the right is from Chalice Choice last Sunday. While thinking about the value of interdependence and the lessons we can learn from spiders, children & youth worked together to weave a web using string and leaves. Check out their creation on the Faith Development bulletin board at coffee hour!

Looking Back to Sunday

Here are links to the poems referenced in Sunday's sermon and here is Rev. Karen's sermon, "Restor(y)ing Eve."

Eve, After by Danusha Laméris

I Have Been a Stranger in a Strange Land by Rita Dove

Autobiography of Eve by Ansel Elkind

Applesauce for Eve by Marge Piercy

Here is the Vermont Network's updated guide for community members on how to support someone experiencing domestic violence.

You can view a recording of last Sunday's service here.

Join Us for Game Night this Friday!

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

The first Multigenerational Game Night of the year is two days away, and we'd love to see you there! Details: 10/23 in the Community Room, 5:30-8pm.

Game night is so special because in one room there are families, longtime regulars, and people who've never attended, all there to connect, play games, and have fun together. It's a great opportunity to build community!

There are lots of games going on at once, so hop into whatever looks fun or gather a group for a particular game you want to play. Part of the fun is that you can make it whatever you want, so if you have a favorite game at home, bring it!

Food-wise, it's a potluck, but don't stress about it. You're welcome to bring something to share (from home or store-bought) or just bring yourself! Kids can play the games they love with our childcare staff while grown-ups try some games of their own, or everyone can play together. Totally up to you!

Stay for 30 minutes or for the whole evening. Either way, come ready to make new friends and reconnect with old ones!

Special Congregational Meeting

Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance

The FUUSB Board has called a special congregational meeting to be held on Sunday, November 8th at 11:40 a.m. This meeting will be held in the Sanctuary and on Zoom. As always, anyone is able to attend, but only members will be able to vote at this meeting.  

There will be two questions voted on at this meeting:

1. “Shall the Congregation approve the use of principal from the Meeting House Fund in an amount not to exceed $70,000 to pay for Meeting House boiler repairs, including partial replacement as necessary during the 2026-2027 winter and eventual replacement and possible increase in request to the Meeting House Fund?”
2.  “Shall the Congregation of First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington endorse the Apartheid-Free Communities Pledge (AFCP) organized by a coalition sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee?”

The full text of the AFCP reads:

“We affirm our commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people and all people; we oppose all forms of racism, bigotry, discrimination, and oppression. We declare ourselves an apartheid-free community and to that end, we pledge to join others in working to end all support to Israel’s apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.”

Please note that if you plan to attend via Zoom, you will need to register ahead of time. Once you register, you will be sent the link to the meeting. Ballots have been mailed to all Life Members of the Society. They are the only members who may vote by absentee ballot. All other members have been mailed a copy of the Warning. You can go to our website www.uusociety.org, and click on the box in the middle of the page for the Special Congregational Meeting to view the Warning, Agenda, and Zoom registration link.

Facilitated Small Groups- 10/25 & 10/26

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister

Rev. Karen recorded this message to the congregation last night, inviting more people to register for our upcoming facilitated small groups. Check it out!

At the end of October, in preparation for our November 8th Special Congregational Meeting, we are holding facilitated small groups to discuss what speaks to our hearts and values about the Apartheid-Free Communities pledge and our Society voting on it. Please watch this 7-minute message from Rev. Karen that explains what these groups are for and what they aren't about.

If you would like to participate, there are two options - an in-person opportunity after the service on Sunday, Oct 25th (lunch provided) until 2:30 - and an online opportunity on Tuesday, Oct 27th, 6 - 8pm.

At the end of each of these facilitated small groups, a representative of the Board will present information about the logistics of the Special Congregational Meeting and the vote.

IN-PERSON

You can register for the in-person October 25th facilitated small groups using this form. Please plan to stay until 2:30. Lunch will be provided at 11:30 - 12:10 and small groups will gather in the sanctuary at 12:15. Registration closes either when all the slots are filled or Friday, 10/23 at 8pm.

ONLINE

You can register for the online October 27th facilitated small groups, 6 - 8pm, using this form, which will close at 10am on 10/27.

You do not have to be a formal Member of the Society to participate in these conversations, but you do need to be an active congregant. To vote on November 8th, you can attend, but only Members may cast a vote.

Seeking Welcome Ambassadors!

Kim Watkin, Welcome Ambassadors

The Membership Team is looking for more people to serve as Welcome Ambassadors on Sunday mornings.  

We are looking for people who would like to greet our visitors to the Meetinghouse ( as well as be a friendly face for our regulars too) and spend a little time talking to them before and especially after the service on Sunday mornings. 

The time commitment is a half hour before the service and a half hour after the service. There is a flexible way to schedule your committed time--most Welcome Ambassadors serve ever 6 to 8 weeks.  It is whatever fits your schedule! 

If you are interested in learning more about what it means to be a Welcome Ambassador, please email Kim Watkin at membership@uusociety.org and she will follow up. 

Questions & Answers about the Apartheid-Free Communities Pledge

Palestine Solidarity Team

Join FUUSB’s Palestinian Solidarity Team to explore endorsing the Apartheid-Free Communities (AFC) pledge.

Our conversations center on the UUA's 2024 Action of Immediate Witness (AIW): “Solidarity with Palestinians,” which calls on congregations to sign, amplify, and carry out the pledge. We will do a pair-share activity.  All questions and answers are welcome. 

Watch this video from iUUs for Justice in the Middle East to hear testimonies of communal joy, moral grounding, and renewed vitality from fellow UU pledge endorsers.

Join an upcoming session:

• Online here: Sunday, 10/25 | 7:00–8:00 pm 
• In Person (FUUSB): Sunday, 11/1 | 11:30 am–12:30 pm
• In Person (FUUSB): Friday, 11/6 | 12:15–1:30 pm 

Stop by our table in the Community Room after the service for printed copies of the AFC pledge, the AIW, our new Q&A document about the pledge at FUUSB, and a Q&A developed for UU Congregations (by UUJME). (And visit Pali Answers to see if you agree.) Discover why Palestinian solidarity has been a UU issue for over 50 years, and what it means to join partners globally in opposing Israel’s apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation. 

RSVPs appreciated: PalestineSolidarity@uusociety.org. 

Is Israel an Apartheid State?:

An Evening With Mousa Ishaq + Book Group 

Palestine Solidarity Team

The FUUSB Palestine Solidarity Team is honored to present a talk by Palestinian-Vermonter Mousa Ishaq on Oct. 28 from 7-8:30 pm in the society’s Community Room. Mousa will weave his personal connection to Palestine into a presentation on the question: Is Israel an Apartheid State? Save the date and invite a friend. 

Mousa was born on the West Bank, and his family still has property there. He is the chair of the Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Program and has been active in it since its creation in 1991. He is a member of Ascension Lutheran Church, in South Burlington, which has a sister congregation relationship with the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, Palestine. 

Additionally, we are hosting a book group discussion on Nov. 4, 7-8:30 pm, online and at FUUSB, on Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed El-Kurd. It was a New York Times Best Seller, a USA Today bestseller, and a national indie bestseller, as well as winner of the 2025 Palestine Book Award. Copies of this book are available at deep discount when we table after upcoming services, or email us  PalestineSolidiarity@uusociety.org. See this review. This event is co-sponsored by the Peace and Justice Center. 

Faith Development Registration

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

A reminder for families with children & youth: Please register for the 2026-27 program year at this link!