Join Us for Worship This Sunday!

May 24 at 4pm

Rev. Erica Baron

Mark Power-Freeman, 
Worship Associate

Values and History 

UNUSUAL START TIME: 4PM!

Throughout Unitarian Universalist history, there have been times when UUs courageously lived our values, and times when UUs betrayed our values. How can we learn from both the high points and the low points of our history as we seek to make our values real in the world today? 

Rev. Erica Baron serves on the New England regional staff of the Unitarian Universalist Association, supporting congregations through joys and challenges large and small. She previously served as a minister of UU congregations in Kingston, NY, Rutland, VT, and Bennington, VT. Her earliest experience of Unitarian Universalism was as a kid in our own Faith Development program here in Burlington.

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.

Here is a Minister's Message - less than a minute long - to remind you about this coming Sunday's service.

Children & Youth This Sunday

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

Families are invited to worship together in the Sanctuary. 


Childcare and children's programs will resume on May 31. 

Looking Back to Sunday

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior MInister



Here is the text of Rev. Karen's sermon, "Love & Boundaries, Part II."  

Our Earth Teacher this month is Dandelions and the Time for All Ages was a story of Mulla Nasrudin & Dandelions, so some ended up on our stone ritual table.

Annual Meeting Warning

Submitted by The Nominating Committee 

The congregation is warned that the Annual Meeting of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington will be held on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 11:20 a.m. The meeting will be held both

in-person at the Meeting House and remotely via Zoom at this link https://bit.ly/3OQUPVM

Detailed information on how to participate online will be emailed prior to the meeting date.


The following items of business will be voted on by the membership:


● Accept the minutes from the 2025 Annual Meeting, available online at https://uusociety.org/members/meeting-minutes/


● Elect candidates for openings on the Board of Trustees, the Officers of the Society, the nominating Team, and the Endowment Fund Team. see page 2, here.


● Vote on the proposed 2026/27 budget. A summary of the proposed budget is included with this warning and is also available online at https://uusociety.org/members/meeting-minutes/

All Active Members (people who signed the membership book as of 5/10/2026 and made a pledge and contribution of record in the last year) and all Life Members are eligible to vote.

Nominees can be nominated from the floor with the prior consent of the nominee.

American Flag Public Art Protest Project

Submitted by, The Democracy Project 

Please join the Democracy Project on May 31st as we host Terry Zigmund, studio mate of Rodney Lowe, to create pieces for this public art project. Participants will create messages on fabric describing the impact that policies put in place by the federal government since 2025, have had on their lives. The fabric messages will be sewn together by Terry to create a large flag that will be displayed in Winooski.

May 31st during coffee hour

Materials provided
Location: Outside with coffee hour, or in case of rain, PT Barnum room, downstairs

Learn the Chalice Words in Spanish

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior MInister

Want to learn how to speak the Spanish version of our Words for Lighting & Extinguishing the Chalice?

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

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 a month away! As spots fill up, consider joining other UU friends & families at Elmore State Park for a weekend of play, eating, and community. 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! 


Daytrippers are welcome! Feel free to come for Friday' evening's potluck, spend the day with us Saturday, or join us for our short Sunday worship before enjoying the park. 

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

Additionally, a congregant in our community is looking to share the space and split the cost of a lean-to for the weekend. She is open to sharing with an individual, couple, or family! If you're interested, please contact Mo (mo@uusociety.org) to learn more. 

at sunergy.vt@gmail.com with any questions.

Don’t miss the Upcoming Deadline for Reduced Rates at UU Weekend at Silver Bay!

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

Comradery, colorful fall scenery, campfires, kids’ programs, canoeing, and culinary pleasures await you at a coveted setting on Lake George from October 9-11, 2026 (with an option of extending your stay until October 12!)


Join the nearly 200 people who have already registered for this weekend, a highlight of the fall season! Like these early registrants, you can receive the lowest rates for the UU Weekend at Silver Bay if you register by June 7th.  Remember – your room, meals from Friday dinner through Sunday (or Monday) lunch, programs, activities, and entertainment are all included in the price. Children under 6 are free and there are substantial discounts for older children and youth.


Access additional information about Silver Bay and UU weekend, including the registration form, the 2025 schedule, and a slide show, at https://albanyuu.org/blog/uu-silver-bay-weekend/