We Are Going!
Faith Development Newsletter
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In the springtime we remember: the promised land is not a destination—it is a way of going. The land beyond the Jordan, that country of freedom and dignity and laughter—you carry it inside you all the while. It is planted in your mind and heart already, before you ever start out, before it even occurs to you that in order to leave that life in Egypt, the intolerable bondage of that life, what you need to do is stand up and walk forward.
-Victoria E. Safford
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Dear Families,
I'm sure I'm biased having been raised in Northern New England, but I like that we get to celebrate Easter before spring is fully established. I like to see those few brave, bright flowers pushing up out of mostly brown earth, surrounded by more gray, dead grass than fresh green- but still the green coming, trees only just forming buds, no showy blossoms yet. For me this is a season of promise, of becoming.
My colleague, Liza Earle-Centers, from the the Montpelier congregation, mentioned a reflection she once shared on Easter:
With children gathered all around her, she held up a basket covered in beautiful cloth. "Would you like to see what's in my Easter basket?" she asked.
The children drew closer ready for the big reveal, she pulled off the bright cloth, and, "Ughh!", they recoiled.
The basket did not contain painted eggs, candy, bunnies, or chicks, instead there was a collection of old, wrinkled, slightly smelly vegetables.
What do shriveled beets, rubbery potatoes, soft rotting onions and browning garlic have to do with Easter? She pulled them out one by one to reveal small green shoots of life emerging from the decaying orbs. Easter is a holiday about resurrection, and there it was, resurrection in a basket.
At Easter we celebrate the rebirth of life after the desolation of winter, and so many of our Easter traditions focus on what is shiny, fresh, and new: the egg, the chick, the bunny, the flower, but I love that our climate doesn't quite let us forget in this moment the fertile decay from which the new shoots spring.
Life springs from what is rotting and in order for there to be rebirth some part must die. That's what all the season's holy stories tell us. The act of becoming will always require us to let go of what we once were to become what we will be; and perhaps it is easier to face that personal transformation now in this season of hope, as we witness the inevitable progress of Earth's blossoming into spring.
So come pluck bright eggs from the still mostly barren ground, consider resurrecting an old sock into a new bunny (see below) or decorating an empty branch with symbols of bright hope. We will sing our Alleluias in praise of the awakening earth and reflect on this month of becoming, nurturing the tiny green shoots of hope as they push their way out of our pale winter selves!
-Erika
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The Great Stuffie Meeting House Adventure! |
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In case you missed it, here's your chance to experience a weekend at the Meeting House with our stuffie friends. It was a fun filled, action packed adventure, with food, stories, games, teambuilding and more. Enjoy! |
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Are you looking for an opportunity for fellowship and fun within our FUUSB community? Well, so are we! We have two Game nights scheduled on Zoom this month, one a little different from the other, but both really fun! These events are geared towards adults, youth, and families with older kids and co-hosted by the Everest/ McConnell Family!
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Game night X 2!
Thursday April 1, 7:30-8:30:
Come be an April Fool with host and FUUSB Youth group member, Memphis Everest. We will play games on the Jackbox Games platform. He’s got the games, but to play them you need to bring a phone (separate from the screen you’re Zooming in on), one for each player or work as a team, and we’ll help you figure it out from there. Don’t worry it’s pretty simple!
There are several games he might introduce, but they tend to be fast-paced, silly, verbal games, like Balderdash or the part of “Says You” where they make up definitions to words and everyone tries to guess which is true.
Thursday April 15th, 7:30-8:30:
This time our host will be Memphis’s dad, and FUUSB treasurer, Kameron McConnell, leading us in a more game-show-style of fun. These games will be somewhat tailored to our FUUSB audience, with UU History Jeopardy, a Where’s Bernie? photo challenge (think where’s Waldo but with Bernie and his mittens), and more! These games will not require an additional device, just sign into Zoom and we’ll do the rest.
Come as a family and play as a team, or come as an individual on your own screen.
No sign-ups are required, just show up and have fun!
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Annual Memorial Garden Egg Hunt Returns!
All Children Invited - Rain, Snow, or Shine!
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Sunday April 4, 10 am - 1 pm
The hunt is on, adapted for safety this year. Drop in anytime in this 3 hour period and check in with Margo or Erika to find out how many eggs each child should hunt for. We'll be allowing two families at a time into the garden. (If your family needs or would prefer to be alone in the garden, just let us know upon arrival.)
Unlike in past years, we'll provide the eggs, and fill and hide them in advance. As is FUUSB tradition, contents will be a random assortment of mostly reused beads, toys, and trinkets with no food or candy. (Caution should be used with the littlest hunters as these items may be choking hazards.)
Please wear masks and practice safe distancing while on the grounds.
See you there!
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UU Virtual Easter Egg Hunt
The Easter Bunny has been quite busy. And, I’ve been coordinating with a number of UU congregations across the continent - including ours - to bring you a Virtual Easter Egg Hunt!
It will go live Saturday, April 3, 2021 - the day before Easter - and remain active throughout April. This way, you can spend the whole month exploring the UU net (did you know a Unitarian Universalist actually invented the World Wide Web?)!
All ages are welcome. There are two different levels of difficulty, but all paths lead you from one UU websites to another where each has hidden their egg until you reach the prize at the end!
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Live Zoom Family Chapel
Sunday April 11, 9:15-10:00
We'll explore the April theme of Becoming, and look ahead to Earth Day in our third online Family Chapel, where we'll light the chalice, share joys and sorrows, sing and play together.
Please note the earlier start time!
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Resurrected Sock Bunny or Hare
Follow the simple instructions in this video to create an adorable creature from one of those those lone socks we all accumulate. A charming way to celebrate this season of renewal and rebirth, with a nod towards environmental stewardship.
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Osterbaum -
Easter Tree or Branch
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Originally a German tradition - Decorate a branch for an Easter display, and hang it with eggs (paper, card, or blown eggs all work wonderfully) and colorful yarn or ribbon.
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These are sometimes done with flowering branches, which are lovely, but I like the symbolism of starting with the bare winter branch and adding the color, manifesting the spring that is to come as a display of faith. |
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Sojourner Truth
March 28th, Theme: Commitment
Our Unitarian Universalist statement of principles, also lists the sources of our faith "The living tradition we share draws on many sources including words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion and the transforming power of love."
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While Truth was not a Unitarian or Universalist, her story can inspire us to strengthen our UU commitment to change by continuing to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion and the transforming power of love. |
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Awake, thou wintry earth!
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!
-Thomas Blackburne
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