Still need to turn in your pledge? It's not too late!

Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance

As of today, we have received 176 pledges for $375,876 which is 74% of our goal! That is amazing, and thank you to everyone who has completed a pledge card. Help us get all the way! If you have not filled out your pledge card- now is the time. Click on the button below and complete your pledge card.  Not sure if you've completed a pledge card for the 2026/2027 fiscal year? Go ahead and complete one again, or email xina@uusociety.org to find out.  

If you need more information about pledging, please visit our website.

This coming week, members of our Stewardship Team will be contacting congregants who have not completed their pledge. Please lighten their load, and complete your pledge card now.

Join Us for Worship This Sunday!

March 29 at 10 a.m.

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister

Dan York, Worship Associate

"A Great Need"



The Passover story is a story of breaking that which binds us. It is the story of risking liberation. In this time of growing resistance within us and resistance growing around us, let us see what inspiration we can receive from one of the most powerful stories within Judaism. Rev. Karen will share some of the stories of her pilgrimage to Berlin last summer to learn of acts of resistance that took place there as the Nazis rose to power.

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 Chalice Choice Activities on the lower level. This week’s Chalice Choice includes a special musical workshop led by Liam, our Director of Music! 

We've had some troubles with staffing recently, so unfortunately the nursery will not be staffed this week but the space will remain open and available for those who would like to use it. We plan to reopen the nursery for the month of April and plans beyond then are still being determined.

Looking Back to Sunday

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior MInister

Here is the text of Rev. Karen's sermon, Lessons from Icarus: A Sermon on AI.

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

After the service, some FUUSBers got together and made signs for the upcoming No Kings Day.

Submitted by Eileen Blackwood, President of the Board of Trustees

In the week since the Board's vote on the Apartheid-Free Communities Pledge and communications came out from me and Rev. Karen, there has been constructive communication, some public, some private, as members of the Society have engaged with each other and the Board about our FUUSB democratic processes. Thank you for living into our values and covenant.

The Board has been planning to hold a general listening session this spring. Now we have even more reason to do so. We have scheduled it for April 19th after the Sunday service. This listening session will be held in person in the sanctuary.  

We, along with our Executive Partners (Rev. Karen & Christina Fulton), are also actively exploring options for a facilitated community engagement activity on the topic of the Apartheid-Free Communities Pledge, with the goal of strengthening our congregation’s capacity for learning from and with and listening to and with each other on this topic. Stay tuned for more information on this activity.  We hope all who are able will consider attending, as the more of us who participate, the stronger the health of our congregation!

Multigenerational Game Night this Friday!

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

Friday, March 27th 5-8pm

Mark your calendars because this Friday is Game Night, and we hope you (and your inner child) will join in on the fun with UU families and friends of all ages!

We'll have an abundance of games at the ready, and you’re always welcome to bring any of your favorites. In the past we've had jigsaw puzzles, Dominoes, Jenga, Ticket to Ride, Rumikub, Azul, group card games, Pictionary, Clue, and more. Feel free to bring a dish to share for our “no-stress” potluck, or just bring yourself (and/or friends)! You can pop in for a quick game or stay for the whole evening. Either way, come ready to eat, play, connect, and fuel up on joy before a weekend of protest! 

UU Orientation Class #1 this Sunday-

March 29^th!

Ann Guardiola, Membership Team

Upcoming Sessions:

• New to UU Part 1: THIS SUNDAY, March 29th, 2026 11:30 am-1:00 pm (IN-PERSON) 

• New to UU Part 2: Sunday, April 19th, 2026 11:30 am-1:00 pm (IN-PERSON)

New UU Part 1 : Getting Acquainted provides an overview of Unitarian Universalist history and beliefs, including our Seven Principles and Six Sources. Upon completion of Part 1, attendees will be invited to Part 2.

New UU Part 2: Getting Connected A spiritual exploration between newcomers and existing First UU Society members. The session also includes information about activities, programs and Ministry Teams here at our First UU and an overview of the process for becoming a Member of the congregation.

If you can’t make the upcoming sessions above, we will offer two more sessions on the following dates:

• New to UU Part 1: Sunday, April 26th at 7pm via Zoom

• New UU Part 2 Sunday, May 3rd at 11:30pm to 1:00pm (IN-PERSON)

TO REGISTER: Go to the Orientation for Newcomers page on the FUUSB website to register.

If you have questions about New UU orientation sessions, please email membership@uusociety.org.

Online Input-Gathering Sessions

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior MInister

Mark your calendar and plan to attend one of these online input sessions: https://zoom.us/j/96566061293

The Annual Egg Hunt Needs Your Help!

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

Our annual Egg Hunt is coming up on Sunday, April 5th, and we need your help to make the magic happen! The hunt will take place in the Memorial Garden after the Easter multigenerational service, and children of all ages are invited to take part in the fun.

Keeping tradition, we ask that each family that plans to come bring 8-12 stuffed eggs per child. Eggs should be filled with small non-food items – think stickers, pocket change, seashells, seed paper, tattoos, mini origami, friendship bracelets, pretty rocks, or other fun trinkets and treasures. Reused and upcycled items are especially welcome! 

To make this easier (and more sustainable), we have an abundance of plastic eggs ready to be picked up and reused. Starting this Sunday, they will be available to take at both entrances so please bring some home to fill, and return them before the hunt.

No Kings Rally-- March with your fellow UU's on Sat. 3/28 at 11:30am

Democracy Project

Saturday, March 28th is No Kings Day! If you are interested in marching with fellow UU's and their friends, join us at the Meetinghouse at 11:30am and we will march together to the Burlington No Kings Rally in City Hall. There will be parking available but the Meetinghouse is not open so no bathrooms open. Hope to see you on Saturday!  

LGBTQIA+ group meeting 4/12: Come to the opening of the "Authentic Selves" exhibit!

Elizabeth Allen, LGBTQIA+ Group

Hi everyone!

The LGBTQIA+ group usually meets on the second Sunday of every month from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

Instead of a regular meeting in April on 4/12, we have a special treat: the opening of the Authentic Selves art exhibit in the Arc Gallery on the second floor of the meeting house!

Find out more below, and we hope to see you there!

--Elizabeth

“Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families” is an exhibit of photographic portraits from Family Diversity Projects. It will be on display at the Meeting House from April 12 through April 24. Through beautiful images of trans and nonbinary people with their families and accompanying personal accounts, this exhibit seeks to educate people about the trans and nonbinary community and challenge damaging myths and stereotypes.

Just Books Club

Palestine Solidarity Team, Racial Justice Team, Immigration Justice Team

The Palestinian Solidarity Team, the Racial Justice Team, and the Immigration Justice Team propose a book group to read books focused on intersectional justice issues. We tossed around a couple of ideas for a first book and settled on this Winner of the National Book Awards 2025 for Nonfiction: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El-Akkad. Info here.   

We selected it because several people had already bought it, and were excited to be part of this book group, or had already read the book and recommended it to us. We are thinking to meet Tuesday, May 5, early evening (or May 7). If this effort interests you, message me and let me know if that time works for you: PalestineSolidarity@uusociety.org  Also, let's think about our next book too. One idea is to alternate fiction and nonfiction. 

Workshop: Making Home Without Walls: Lessons from Jewish Antizionism 

Palestine Solidarity Team

For as long as Zionism has existed, there have been robust movements of Jewish people making the case that it was the wrong direction for our people. In this workshop, we will dive deep into these histories, to learn lessons for how we might grapple with the troubling directions that Israel has taken in our time. We will explore contradictions that were present in Zionism from its origins, draw insight from Jewish movements of the past about other paths toward Jewish safety, and consider how we might make use of those lessons for responding to Israeli aggression, antisemitism, and fascism today. The Palestinian Solidarity Team is cosponsoring this workshop with Jewish Voice for Peace VT/NH chapter. We invite you to register for this hybrid workshop on Sunday, April 12, 2:00-5:00 PM: Making Home Without Walls: Lessons from Jewish Antizionism. It will be held both in person at First UU and online. 

What is Antisemitism? From Right-Wing Weaponization to Collective Liberation

Palestine Solidarity Team

When are accusations of antisemitism pointing to a genuine problem we all need to take seriously, and when are they inflating Jewish fears to shield Israel from legitimate criticism? In this workshop, we will learn how to sort one from the other. We will trace the origins of the idea that criticism of Israel is antisemitic, and we'll learn how this idea poses dangers for Jews and non-Jews alike. We will build an analysis of antisemitism that moves us away from ethnonationalism, and toward liberation for all instead. Join Jewish Voice for Peace of Vermont & New Hampshire as we work to re-connect real struggles for Jewish safety with the struggle for everyone's safety and freedom.

The Palestinian Solidarity Team of First UU is cosponsoring this event with JVP. We invite you to register for this hybrid workshop on Sunday, April 26, 2:00 - 4:30PM, (Hybrid) What is Antisemitism? From Right-Wing Weaponization to Collective Liberation. It will be held both in person at First UU and online.  

Donate to the FUUSB Spring Auction!

Avery Hamill, Auction Team

The auction is now accepting donations for our upcoming spring auction! Please consider what you can donate to help us raise as much as we can for our community. Check out the website here and donate. And make sure to save the date for our in-person auction happening on May 2nd, starting at 5 pm at the meeting house. 

Online bidding begins on April 17th. 

Questions? Send us an email: springauction@uusociety.org 

Date with Death Club in March

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior MInister

Register for March's Date with Death Club at this link. Space is limited and this fills up, so don't let this chance pass you by.

Mark your Calendars for the Annual Elmore Campout!

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

Elmore State Park, June 19-21

One of First UU’s most-loved gatherings is coming up this June! We'd love for you to join FUUSB friends & families at Elmore State Park for a weekend of play, eating, and community. We’ll kick things off with a Friday evening potluck, gather for a campfire sing on Saturday, and a lovely 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 7 households signed up (including 4 families with kids), and space is limited with only 6 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.

Spring Graduation Homestay Launch

Homestay Team

The Homestay Team announces our Spring Graduation Homestay is launched. Please share the site far and wide among friends and family! Questions: homestay@uusociety.org

Click here or the button below for access.