Join Us for Worship This Sunday!

May 17 at 10 a.m.

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister

Dan York, Worship Associate

"Love & Boundaries, Part II" 

Building community or being a part of community can be challenging, messy, clumsy - before it is rewarding or even while it is rewarding. Continuing our exploration of love and boundaries started last Sunday, we’ll explore more about what it looks like in our shared congregational life to discern and then embody boundaries and expectations that cultivate both welcome and growth. You don’t have to have attended last Sunday for this service to hold value. Rev. Karen is in the pulpit.

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

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

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. 



Please note that the nursery will not be staffed this week, but will be open and available to those who wish to use the space. 

Looking Back to Sunday

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

Here is the  text from Rev. Karen's sermon this past Sunday, Love and Boundaries, Part I. This coming Sunday brings us Part II. Here is the poem we used for the Call to Worship, "The Quiet Line" by Per Norrgren.

Before the service, Lance Smith led us in 15 minutes of Resistance Singing for Joy & Courage. Watch a 30-second clip here. This is an experiment that went very well, with many people participating. We have one more of these sessions scheduled before the end of the congregational year, so mark your calendar for June 7 at 9:40.

We gave out the fourth and final Five to Thrive check, this time to The Janet S. Munt Family Room.

Meet the Budget

Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance

Please join members of the Board and our Executive Team for a first look at our 2026/2027 Budget. 

This meeting will be held on Zoom, on Wednesday, May 13th at 7pm. This is your opportunity to see the budget you will be voting on at the Annual Meeting, and to ask any questions. We look forward to seeing you there. Click here to join the meeting.

May Date with Death Club- 5/16

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior MInister

May 16th is our next Date with Death Club session. Its title is Grief: Living & Losing, Learning & Loving. It's happening a week earlier than usual because of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Registration is required and opens today. Click here to do so.

This is not only our last Date with Death Club for the year, it is our last for awhile. Rev. Karen is taking a break from this class in order to be able to bring other Adult Faith Development opportunities to FUUSB next year. Stay tuned.

Eileen Blackwood, Board President

Agenda for Upcoming Board Meeting

The Board’s next regular meeting will be held on May 19 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm in the Parlors. The Zoom link for the meeting will be sent out on the morning of the meeting.

Tentative Agenda

silent observers welcome in-person as well as via Zoom 

(this agenda is subject to change)

• Welcome/check-in
• Minutes/consent agenda
• Senior Minister's report
• Monthly financial reports and final budget review
• Business under consideration
• Update on facilitated process re: Apartheid-Free Communications Pledge: Deepening Our Capacity to Engage Each Other
• Review revised Disruptive Behavior Policy (expected vote)
• President's report
• Update from Nominating Committee
• Annual meeting agenda
• August retreat agenda
• Report on meeting with Climate Response Team
• Fundraising task force

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior MInister

Please fill out this form if you would like to learn how to speak the Spanish words for our chalice lighting and extinguishing.

Erika Reif, Director of Lifespan Faith Development

If a child in your life is entering 7th or 8th grade, or the home-school equivalent, who would benefit from the comprehensive sexuality education provided by the Our Whole Lives program, now is the time to let us know by filling out this OWL Interest Form.

Our OWL coordinator and volunteer facilitators have begun the complicated work of mapping out a schedule for this 26-session series which will begin next fall. The sooner we hear from interested families, the sooner we can solidify that schedule.

Find out more about OWL in general, here. Contact Mary Anthony at OWL@UUsociety.org with questions about OWL at FUUSB.

OWL Coordinator

Erika Reif, Director of Lifespan Faith Development

With the two-part sabbatical of our Director of Lifespan Faith Development, we identified the need for someone to keep this important program going strong, so we are very excited to announce that we have hired an OWL Coordinator, starting now and continuing through the 2026/27 program year!

Please welcome them:

Mary Anthony (she/they) is really looking forward to coordinating the 7th & 8th grade OWL in the coming program year. They are a parent to three young adult children (two boys, 21, and a daughter, 18) and partner to two wonderful women.

Mary moved to Vermont in January and just graduated with a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Florida. When they aren’t facilitating OWL (this is their tenth series) Mary enjoys being outside among trees.

owl@uusociety.org

Event: Skilling Up for Hard Conversations on Israeli Apartheid & Palestinian Solidarity Sun. May 17th

Palestine Solidarity Team

Event: Skilling Up for Hard Conversations on Sunday, May 17 | 1:30 – 3:30 PM | First UU Society of Burlington

Join the Palestinian Solidarity Team at First UU Society and Jewish Voice for Peace for an interactive, in-person workshop designed to transform tense political discussions into opportunities for shared understanding.

Navigating topics like Israeli apartheid, antisemitism, and collective liberation can be challenging. This session provides practical tools to help you identify your core values, distinguish between "dialogue vs. debate," and master the art of "calling in vs. calling out." Participants will have the chance to practice these skills through guided scenarios, gaining the confidence to inspire meaningful action through productive conversation.

This event is hosted at First UU and is open to all who wish to build stronger bridges of "Solidarity with Palestinians." Please register soon to secure your spot. (This event will fill up.)

Nakba Day on May 15th

PST meets on May 20th, 1pm 

Palestine Solidarity Team

May 15th is the 78th anniversary of the Nakba — the date marks the original ethnic cleansing and the occupation of Palestine in 1948. Today, the Nakba continues as Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank endure ongoing death, destruction, and dispossession of their land.

As part of an ongoing commitment to the AIW, “Solidarity with Palestinians,” which passed during the UUA General Assembly in 2024, UU congregations across the country are recognizing the Nakba. Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East has these resources www.uujme.org to support individuals and congregations to take action. We are excited to share their special flyer on NakbaDay.

Additionally, you may go to Realm to view our curated list of the many events in Vermont to honor this day and learn more about our responsibility to work for justice. Please join the Palestinian Solidarity Team at our next meeting on May 20th, online, 1-2:30 pm. Email PalestineSolidarity@uusociety.org for the meeting link.

To sign on to our request for endorsement of the Apartheid-Free Communities Pledge at FUUSB, or simply learn more about it, go to http://www.bit.ly/UUValues  

Annual Elmore Campout:

Reserve Your Spot Now!

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

Elmore State Park | June 19–21 

One of First UU’s most loved multigenerational gatherings is less than two months away! As spots fill up, consider joining other UU friends & families at Elmore State Park for a weekend of play, eating, and community. We'll kick things off with a potluck on Friday evening, on Saturday we'll gather for a campfire sing, and we'll finish the weekend together with a Sunday morning worship. In between, there will be plenty of time to fellowship, relax, hike, swim, paddle, play games, make s’mores, and enjoy the beauty of our surroundings. All activities are optional; just come and share in loads of fun! 

This is an event for all ages! We already have 11 households signed up (several being families with children), and space is limited with only 3 campsites remaining. If you’re thinking about joining, now is a great time to sign up so we can make sure everyone has a spot!

You can sign up here, or reach out to Chip Patullo at sunergy.vt@gmail.com with any questions.