As I walked closer to FUUSN from my car last Sunday morning, I spotted the peak of a white tent in the churchyard. Then, I smelled food cooking—a beckoning, welcome scent. And I felt a little sad for anyone in West Newton who wasn’t FUUSN-bound that morning.
And so many of you were: Some 100 or so cooks, servers, and diners sat together around round tables, mostly inside, but with a small, hearty contingent outside as well. I heard from one person that organizers and volunteers had arrived before seven that morning to cook, set up tables, drape them with tablecloths, and attend to things that many of us wouldn’t think about. This, after weeks of planning and deliberating every detail. They cooked food for carnivores, omnivores, vegetarians and plant-based eaters, even offering an educational corner on plant-based foods.
And when everyone else arrived, the energy was palpable–part reunion, part feast, it felt to me like the community homecoming so many had been awaiting. Meanwhile, Kate Thibeault anchored a Zoom breakfast call attended by seven people, making the morning truly inclusive.
That energy carried into the sanctuary, too. Roughly 112 people filled the pews to hear the music and the sermon, to welcome five new members to the congregation and to thank Pat Rohan for his longtime service and deep commitment to FUUSN’s membership initiatives. It’s as full as this rather new staff member had ever seen the sanctuary. When I went home that afternoon, the only word I could think of to describe the morning was “joyful.” That afternoon, the joy continued with the FUUSN musicians’ concert benefiting the UU Urban Ministry.
Thank you to the breakfast crew, headed by Chris Dame, with able leadership on the plant-based front from Susanne Greelish and Julia Huston. And here’s to all of you, whether you shared breakfast inside, outside, or over Zoom, who attended the service or the concert (in person or online)—you all showed up and created the joy.
More Membership Notes
• New Member Services Committee Teams! FUUSN’s member services committee is going through a bit of a transformation right now, and we need you–see if you think it’s a good fit:
We’re dividing into four teams: visioning, Sunday morning through first year, lifespan membership and programming, and communications. These teams will meet once a month for less than an hour. The four teams will meet together for about an hour and a half each quarter to touch base and swap notes. We particularly need folks for the visioning (to discern and articulate FUUSN’s membership vision) and communications (website, Realm, listservs, outreach/publicity, etc.) teams.
Ideally, the teams will include people from a variety of backgrounds, and at a variety of life stages. This committee will play a key role in creating connections within FUUSN and beyond during a critical time within the congregation and in public life.
And we will have fun along the way as we plan fun activities and strategize! Questions? Interest? Please email Membership Coordinator Heather Beasley Doyle (heather@fusn.org or heather@fuusn.org)
• Greeters Needed! If you want a fun, no-fuss way to support FUUSN, please consider being a Sunday morning greeter. Whether you’ve been here one week or 40 years, if you like attending in-person services and you like seeing other people in the sanctuary (and helping visitors feel as at home as you do), being a greeter could be a great way for you to nurture the FUUSN community. Please contact Jeannie Chaisson for details (chaissonrn@rcn.com).
• Breakfast Photos! You can find some photos of Sunday’s breakfast in this newsletter. You can find even more here (photo credits :Chris Dame, Kit Ryan, Emily Gelbert, Dede Vittori and Heather Beasley Doyle).
–Heather (heather@fusn.org)
