Sunday, November 19th: "UUFF's Annual Bread Communion Service." The breaking of bread is an ancient ritual of community that continues to be practiced around the globe. It has become a beloved annual tradition for our UUFF community to break bread together during a special service that is held during the Thanksgiving season. This Sunday, Rev. Renée and Gene Vinzant will guide us in this time of reflection and gratitude for the abundance of the harvest and for our thriving community. All are invited to join. If you are able, please bring bread and/or spread to share!

You can attend service in person at the fellowship building or view it remotely online via Facebook Live Stream. To attend via Facebook, click on: https://www.facebook.com/events/613561204122737/ and then click on "Watch Live Video. You don't need a Facebook account to access.

The UUFF Nursery (located downstairs) offers childcare during both the 10am Religious Exploration hour and the 11am Service. Please see Nursery Coordinator, Alex Emmons if you need to register your child(ren) or if you have questions.

Adult RE Mindful Discussion is held at 10am each Sunday in the downstairs common room. All are welcome.

Topic this Sunday: Teaching creativity for greater equity in the science classroom.

This week, we welcome Mindful Discussions participant Zephaniah Greenwell, PhD candidate, as our guest presenter. His research in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Arkansas is related to Chemical Education. According to Zephaniah, a common misconception is that scientists study facts and do not use creativity. This is reinforced by the way science is taught. By emphasizing the importance of creativity in science it is possible to create a more equitable classroom. This discussion is meant to identify ways that creativity is used in science and suggests how we can integrate the teaching of creativity into scientific learning. We hope you'll join us for an enlightening discussion. 

Youth (ages 11+) and Children's (ages 4-11) Religious Exploration Classes are offered each Sunday at 10am in the classrooms downstairs.

Questions about this Sunday or about YRE or CRE in general? Contact Leanda Gavin (lmshelby@gmail.com) or Stephanie Bentley (stephmacbentley@gmail.com).

We wish a very happy NOVEMBER Birthday to the following UUFF Members:

Susie Schroeder

Marty Smith

Fred Spies

Janet Titus

If you would like to send any of these fine folks a birthday card or note and cannot access the online directory, you may contact Fawn in the office (uuff.ar@gmail.com) for the address information. Also, if you are a member and have a birthday this month and are not on the list above, please let me (Fawn) know.

UUFF will host a Thanksgiving Potluck on November 23rd, starting at 2pm!

All are invited to participate in this beloved UUFF tradition. Members, families, friends, please plan to come and enjoy good food and great fellowship starting at 2pm on Thursday, 11/23. Those who wish to can remain after the meal for a time of games!

If you are able, please bring a potluck dish to share and your favorite game to play afterwards. There is a link below to sign-up to bring certain dishes and/or to help with set-up/clean-up. Signing up is not required, but it would sure be helpful to the organizers of this event (Carol Olson and Rebecca Bryant)!



https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B49AEA623A4FF2-45924719-thanks

Screening of "In a World Full of Loneliness" to be held in the UUFF Sanctuary this Sunday, 11/19, after the 11am Service!

Following the Bread Communion Service this Sunday, which is about community and connection, we will offer a screening of UUFF Member Jules Taylor's short film, titled “In a World Full of Loneliness.” All are welcome to stay and watch!

The screenplay, about the universal power of connection, was chosen as the winner of the 2022 Fayetteville Film Fest Pitch Contest. This short film is the result of over 200 community donors and many professionals over the course of this last year.

This Thursday, 11/16, is the last work day for the Grounds Team before they begin their well-deserved winter hiatus.

We are thankful to the Grounds Team (led by Laura Brewer) for their hard work and amazing artistry. The team has REALLY transformed the grounds (particularly the Memorial Garden and area in front of the fellowship building) this past year. Work days will resume in March of 2024.

UUFF's 2024 Stewardship Pledge Drive is in full swing!

A sincere THANKS to Members and supporting Friends who have already turned in the 2024 Pledge Covenant form or submitted a pledge online via the link that was included in a special email to Members last Friday!

For those who haven't quite gotten around to it, PLEASE make sure you submit your pledge (paper form or online) by December 3rd.

It is so important not just for financial considerations but also because we are a democratically led congregation, and UUFF bylaws stipulate that active/voting members must have a current documented UUFF pledge on record. For this reason, we ask that ALL members (even those who can't contribute financially) submit a pledge form each year as an official declaration of the understood covenant/commitment between each member and UUFF as a whole.

Please contact Fawn in the office (reply to this email) or 2024 Stewardship Pledge Drive lead, Edith Bradberry (edithb9155@sbcglobal.net), if you have questions or did not receive your pledge drive packet in the mail. There are copies available in the UUFF foyer.

Thanks for supporting this (your) fellowship!

-Written by Dina Nash-

Issue: Volunteering: turning beliefs and values into action. We hope the 11am Service this past Sunday inspired attendees to help support the work of charitable non-profits in our community. We heard from the leaders of two wonderful organizations in Fayetteville: Don Bennett of Tri Cycle Farms and Solomon Burchfield of New Beginnings.

At Tri Cycle Farms, they are growing food for those who don’t have enough, and they are teaching people how to farm organically and reconnect with the land and with each other in community. They are re-cycling the food left over or still in date but getting close to unusable at Whole Foods and other groceries. They are also composting some of the produce which can’t be used. They hope to turn their current level of 150,000 pounds of recycled food to 300,000, and they hope to build a greenhouse to grow during the winter: they already have a fund of $75,000, but this needs to double. Arkansas is the number ONE state in food insecurity! One in four Arkansans does not know where their next real meal is coming from, at least one day a week. If you would like to volunteer, call them and they will put you to work. Tri Cycle Farms was our Share the Plate recipient for October and received a nice $290 check from UUFF, thanks to your generosity.

New Beginnings NWA provides housing and offers life management education through active community engagement to up to 22 individuals at a time. The clients are people in the NWA community who have been chronically unhomed. The New Beginnings community has 20 cottages, a garden, a community room, and a kitchen. There are 6 paid professional staff, such as our speaker Solomon Burchfield, and the clients themselves also take an active role in staffing so that there is coverage 24/7. New Beginnings clients are empowered to create their own community policies and rules as well. Several clients have moved on into regular housing since the program started two years ago. UUFF did a special fundraiser to benefit New Beginnings last year and continues to provide ongoing support by supplying one meal a month for 22 people (coordinated by Brooke Eldredge) and by Sharing the Plate with them one month a year. Anything else you would like to do for them such as buying a Christmas present for a resident would be so wonderful! Right now, they are especially in need of volunteers to drive clients (using the New Beginnings vehicle) to medical appointments, housing appointments, etc. Contact them via the website (link above) or just drop by sometime and ask about volunteer opportunities! The site is located on West 19th St. off of South School Ave in South Fayetteville.

These programs are putting justice in action! We appreciate their work so much and are happy they have volunteer opportunities at whatever level you are comfortable working.

Dina Nash, Justice Team Lead

(501) 554-2200 / dinacnash2014@gmail.com  

DISCLAIMER: Please note that any personal views expressed by authors of articles within the UUFF eNews should be attributed to those authors as individuals and not to UUFF as an organization.

Calendar of UUFF Events for November 15th - 23rd

TODAY, 11/15 - 6:30pm - UUFF Chalice Team Meeting - Zoom

Thursday, 11/16 - 9-11am - UUFF Grounds Work Day - UUFF (last one before winter break!)

Saturday, 11/18 - Volunteers meet at 4pm for Game Day Parking - UUFF

Sunday, 11/19 - 9am - Sunday Meditation Group - Zoom (Ines sends out link each Saturday evening)

Sunday, 11/19 - 10am - Adult RE Mindful Discussion Group - Downstairs Common Room

Sunday, 11/19 - 10am - Youth and Children's Religious Exploration Hour - UUFF

Sunday, 11/19 - 11am - Main Sunday Service - UUFF or remotely via Facebook Live Stream

Sunday, 11/19 - After Service - Screening of Short Film by Jules Taylor - Sanctuary

Monday, 11/20 - 6pm - Sanctuary reserved for Covenant Group Gathering

Tuesday, 11/21 - 6:30pm - Special Board Meeting - Zoom

Wednesday, 11/22 - 6pm - Space Team Meeting - UUFF

Thursday, 11/23 - Starting at 2pm - UUFF Thanksgiving Potluck and Games - UUFF (ALL are welcome! Please see announcement above for details and to sign up)