Dear FUUSN Community,

Your newly elected Board of Trustees is looking forward to continuing our work to promote our Congregation’s vision of a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive faith community in right relationship with one another. We are aware that the pandemic has taken a toll on many of our lives. It will take time for us to adjust to coming back together in person, and we look forward to beginning that process at the July 21st FUUSN picnic at the Cove in Auburndale.

A key priority for the upcoming year continues to be supporting our commitment to discerning and dismantling the conscious and unconscious racism that shapes our daily experiences and is embedded in our institutional structures, practices, and culture. As you may recall, one initiative involves centering our faith and actions more intentionally around the seven existing UU principles as guidelines for how we relate to each other and how we act in the wider world. Another is to promote a series of open conversations within the community about adopting an 8th principle proposed by the Black Lives of UU that is currently being considered for adoption by the UUA as a whole.

The proposed 8th Principle reads as follows:

“We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”

(For more information about the 8th Principle, you can go to the following website: https://www.8thprincipleuu.org/)

We invite each of you to participate in these open conversations with an open heart and an open mind over the coming year. We are looking forward to connecting with each of you and to working together to build a truly beloved community here at FUUSN. To that end, and as always, we welcome your input and feedback as we go through the year.

In service,
Your Board of Trustees
Demie Stathoplos – Chair
Barbara Schmitt – Vice Chair
Brian Hicks
Chris Krebs
Hattie Kerwin Derrick
Stephanie Kendall
Naomi Wolfe – Youth Rep
Tom Kisiel – Youth Rep
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