Join Us for Worship This Sunday!

August 23 at 10 am

Rev. Karen G. Johnston, Senior Minister

Geoff Duke, 
Worship Associate

Annual Blessing of the Animals

Let us praise the creatures around us who give us joy, comfort, and occasional irritation. Be they furry or feathered or scaled, this is a chance to celebrate with humility the animal companionship that enriches our lives and teaches us how to be not just more human, but more aligned with our fellow earthlings. All (well-behaved) members of the Animal Kingdom are welcome! Bring your beloved animal friends (or representations of them) for a service devoted to honoring those beings that bring us such joy, comfort, connection and wonder. 

- Bring your furry, feathered, webbed, scaled and other animal friends, as long as you are confident that you have control over them (cats in cat carriers; dogs always on leash; etc.)

- If bringing the actual animal won't work, bring their collar, leash, chew toy or other representation! 

- There will be a special blessing for stuffed animal friends too!

- Bring a photo or other memento for those companions we've loved and lost. 



We will gather outside on the front lawn. If it rains, we are allowing animals in the sanctuary for this one occasion. Whether inside or outside, we will set aside animal-free space. Rev. Karen is our Worship Leader.

Join us for worship in person outside (weather-permitting), or online. The livestream link will be shared at bit.ly/FUUSBWorship.

Following the service, all are welcome to Coffee Hour on the Lawn (weather-permitting).

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 Sunday

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

This Sunday is our annual Animal Blessing: if you don't have a live animal to bless, children are welcome to bring a stuffie they'd like to bless instead! Although there is no childcare offered this summer, children's wiggles and noises are always welcome during services. As outdoor services continue, all are invited to come check out our worship engagement table with fidgets, pipe cleaners, clipboards for coloring/drawing, markers & pencils, sidewalk chalk, and more! As parents fellowship during coffee hour, outdoor activity baskets with: frisbees, ball toss, big bubble wands, stomp rockets, and other games will be available as well.

If a child needs a break, parents and caregivers are welcome to accompany them to the lower level to play in the unstaffed nursery or read in the children’s library (please leave the space how you found it). 

Looking Back to Sunday

You can view a recording of last Sunday's service here.

Democracy Project becomes

Building Democracy Team

Submitted by Kim Watkin, Building Democracy Team

We have an exciting update! The Democracy Project has been accepted as an Emerging Team at the FUUSB. We would like to be known as the Building Democracy Team from this point forward! We would like to share our purpose/mission/goals with you. See below. 

We are already planning activities this fall and would welcome new people to join our Building Democracy Team at our next meetings on Sundays Sept 13th and Sept 20th at 9:00am in the Reeb Room. 

Mission/Purpose Statement:

• The mission of the FUUSB Building Democracy Team (BDT) is to offer skill building workshops that seek to grow individual and community abilities to counteract the erosion of our democracy. Based on our UU Values, we provide support for pro-democracy activism by hosting pro-democracy messaging; providing opportunities to express and process grief, anxiety, hope, courage and joy; and through collaboration with other groups who share our purpose.

The BDT’s goals are:

• To discern the learning needs of our FUUSB community to strengthen democracy and offer skill building workshops using the principles of non-violent civil resistance/civil disobedience.  
• To create visible messages and signs for the larger community to show our support for targeted communities and for individuals who have been unjustly detained.
• To collaborate within FUUSB and the larger community with those who are engaged in pro-democracy activism.

The Property Team Needs You!

Devin Fallon, Facilities Manager

The Team is welcoming volunteers to help paint our fence and stain the east entrance railing. Weather permitting the work party will take place Saturday August 29th at 9:00am and Sunday August 30th, after the service. Paint, stain, brushes, and scrapers will be provided. Thank you!

2026-2027 Faith Development Registration

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant



It's that time of year again! Exploration Groups for Children and Youth are starting in September. Please, help us prepare by registering your children for the 2026/2027 Faith Development year at this link. 

We Need Your Help!

Volunteer in Faith Development Programs

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

Without the incredible team of volunteers who show up to guide and support the young people in our multigenerational community, we could not offer the Faith Development spaces that children & youth deserve. It takes many helping hands to support this work, and we are looking for more hands to grow our team of volunteers! 

There are many ways to be involved as a volunteer, some that are one-and-done commitments and others that allow more time to build relationships. In either role, you don’t need to be a teacher or expert in the UU Faith and you don’t need to prepare anything ahead of time. You just need to be willing to show up, have fun, be curious, and help create a welcoming and safe space for young people.

If you’ve been curious about volunteering, but would like to learn more about the role or connect with other volunteers, a great place to start is coming to our Volunteer Orientation & Safety Training on August 30th (11:30-1pm). Lunch and childcare provided! No commitment required to attend. You can RSVP and learn more here. 

Interested in learning more, but can’t make it to the training? You can still reach out! Contact Mo Singletary (mo@uusociety.org) or Erika Reif at (erika@uusociety.org) to learn more.

Sign-up Now For Middle School OWL!

Mo Singletary, Family Programs Assistant

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 (and find out more) by filling out this OWL Interest Form. 

Our OWL coordinator and volunteer facilitators have done the complicated work of mapping out a schedule for this 26-session series! Important to note: classes will begin with a mandatory Orientation Workshop for parents & caregivers on September 2nd. 

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

Martha Spear, Member

Sunday, August 30, 2026 from 830-945AM the LGBTQIA2S+ Group is hosting a Brainstorming Brunch Potluck upstairs at FUUSB. We are figuring out who we want to be! 

The two purposes of this gathering are:

1. For FUUSB LGBTQIA2S+ people and their allies, of all ages, to break bread together, build community and have fun.
2. To gather ideas from the congregation about what individuals want the group to do and be.

Thank you to everyone who has RSVP'd already! Please reply if you plan to join us--and even if not, please reply with your thoughts. Thank you very much.

Have a blessed day,

Martha Spear

Congregations and IRS Guidelines on Advocacy, Lobbying, and Elections

Christina Fulton, Director of Operations & Finance

As a religious organization, First UU Society of Burlington is required to follow certain IRS regulations in order to maintain its Non-Profit Status. It is truly important that we are all aware of what we are allowed to do and what we are not allowed to do. The UUA has published a great little guide called, "The Real Rules" that goes into great detail on this topic. But let's face it, it isn't exactly a page turner. So what do you really need to know? 

It is pretty simple really: Issues are ok, candidates are not. What I mean by this is that it is ok to advocate for issues.  It is not ok for FUUSB to ever show support for or against a candidate. Therefore, we can pass around a petition to support an issue, but we cannot pass around a petition to support a candidate. We can post in our Facebook group about an event about a particular issue, but we cannot post about an event to support a candidate. We could also put a sign up in the yard about an issue that we do not support, but we could not put a sign up for a candidate that we do not support.  So, Issues are ok and Candidates are not.  

If you are unclear or have any questions, contact Christina at xina@uusociety.org.

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! 

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, here.