3/19/19

What a great St. Patrick's Day at FUUSE! We hope you were there to receive fellowship with leprechauns, enjoy spontaneous dancing to Stone Soup,  meditate on the pain in the world, and hear Reverend Ford minister about luck and danger.

• Do you appreciate the unique environment at FUUSE?  

• Have you made FUUSE a part of your life?

• Do you want to ensure that FUUSE is there for yourself, your family,  and others in the future?

Then donate to the Annual Fund supporting FUUSE in the next fiscal year beginning July 1!

With your support we can reach the overall FY2020 Annual Fund goal of $230,000.

Thank you to those who during the first five days of the campaign drive generated more than $52,000.

Click here to pledge your online gift today!  

The fund drive will wrap up at the end of March. However, all pledges received by March 22 will be entered in a raffle for a $100 gift certificate to Blue Moon Evolution in Exeter.  

Sincerely,

The Stewardship Committee

PS. Do you have a question? Would you like to speak to someone personally about pledged gifts to the Annual Fund? Email annualfund@exeteruu.org.

Stewardship Survey - Click here for Survey Results 

A number of FUUSE community members who completed the Stewardship Annual Fund online survey have volunteered to participate in focus groups. The Stewardship Committee will discuss the online survey results and identify action items that can be implemented by the Stewardship Committee.  Stay tuned for information coming out of the discussion groups. 

HISTORICAL - The Outreach Committee was formed in 2004 with the focus on local giving and service and the establishment of a greater contributing presence for FUUSE in the community.  The Outreach mission statement was adopted as follows:  The Outreach Committee reaches beyond FUUSE walls by providing meaningful ways to connect, support and enrich others through service, spirit and financial contributions.  In addition to researching and selecting local non-profits for our monthly Give-It-Away offering with a focus on homelessness, hunger, and youth and elderly, we also organize the yearly Thanksgiving baskets for SAU 16, Senior Santa gifts for Rockingham Meals on Wheels, collecting food for End 68 Hours of Hunger, CROP Walk, and assisting collection for Dignity Matters.  FUUSE supports these efforts wholeheartedly as we make a positive difference in our larger community.  Thank you!!  

FUUSE Ethics in Action Award - nominations due 11/11/19. Each year our congregation recognizes a member who is living our ethics out in the world.  Certificates for past recipients are displayed in the hallway between the Sanctuary and the Community Room.  Look for the wide variety of expressions of how we have made a difference: working with government, working with other churches, being a witness and an activist as a Unitarian Universalist.  These are people who guide us, inspire us, invite us along to participate more in public life. This grateful recognition might be presented to an individual, a dynamic duo, or a group living our UU values out loud in the world.  Click here for the nomination form.

Congrats to our past award recipients, however, they may not be considered for this year's award: 

Renay Allen Hitzrot (2018), Skip Berrien (2017), Jim Webber (2016), *Stephanie Marshall (2014), Gail Nostrom (2013), Sally & Rich Coleman (2012), Meg Schoene (2011), Frank Merrick (2010). Helen Kruppa (2009), Pat Yosha (2008), Bob Moore (2007), Doug Flockhart (2006), David Weber (2005), Paula Wall (2004), Marion Mengert (2003), Emily Friederichs (2002), Sylvia Foster (2001), Bo Stasiuk (2000), Donna Schlachman (1999) and Neal Ferris (1998). *2015 and 2013 - not recorded or not award years.

Elvanto Merger
You may have seen a notification that the company that provides our church management system, Elvanto, is merging with another company. This should be good overall for the services available to us, and will even reduce the total cost to FUUSE. Don't expect to see big changes. What you have used in Elvanto will stay much the same for the foreseeable future. The name will gradually change. As a result, we will begin referring to it as "chums," or FUUSE ChMS.  Improvements should come faster than they have in the past. Elvanto -- an Australian company specializing in church management -- has merged with a march larger American company named Tithe.ly, whose main product has been an online payment system, much like the MoGiv system FUUSE has used. MoGiv will continue to connect and work with the FUUSE administrative systems in Elvanto, while we direct new online givers to the less expensive and similar tithe.ly online donation platform.

Dear FUUSE members and families,

This past year the Board of Trustees set goals for itself which were informed by the results of the last congregational survey.  Specifically, three areas were identified as needing special focus: Leadership training, religious education and stewardship.  Here is an update on progress that has been made so far this year through the efforts of many in our community:

In the area of leadership studies, Jim Weber and Jane Oldfield Spearman are working on Leadership/Adult religious education joined by Janet Stephens and other members of the congregation. Possibilities include: Know Your Self as a Leader Using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Committee Leadership/ Meeting Management, and the leadership courses sponsored by the UA New England region. Courses will begin this winter.  Church members with experience and interest are stepping forward as course leaders. We welcome all who wish to participate.

In response to feedback from the survey, RE is thinking adjusting their model to make church a whole-life experience.   RE is moving towards full engagement of all of our young people – from toddlers through teenagers – in the activities and experience of church.  What this looks like is all ages with us in the sanctuary for much of the service.  The idea is that coming to church isn’t about being in another space for kids – or about adults having “time off” from their kids – but about youth experience in church.  Growing up engaged in a holistic relationship to the church community.

For the amount of time that kids are out of the sanctuary – the kids are now organized by age – the 3-6 year olds, the 2nd-5th graders and then 6th-12th graders.  This allows for peer conversation and learning that is age appropriate.  Activities are built to reflect on Kendra’s service for that week to keep the youth engaged in relevant conversation and topic.

We are also working to make sure that acts of service show up throughout the experience as well. There is no formal “youth group” this year – the 6th-12th graders will be doing activities outside of the Sunday services – but we will also be incorporating work and activities into Sunday schedules as well.

Finally, the Stewardship Committee plans to conduct research and outreach this winter to identify ways in which the Annual Fund yearly campaign can be improved and refined to better meet the diverse needs of FUUSE.  They have also set the goal of determining how the Annual Fund drive can be more fun, a joyful expression of our community, and shorter!  In order to do this, they plan to conduct an online survey to solicit opinions and ideas about the annual fund, host a focus group on stewardship topics, and finally hold an "old school" discussion meeting with the community If you are interested in this topic and would like to volunteer your particular expertise to execute these initiatives, please contact Donna Jensen at: DonnaJensen2001@yahoo.com

The Board of Trustees

Chair, Jane Oldfield-Spearman                        

Treasurer, Jim Breeling     

Secretary, Jim Webber                    

Members at large: Holley Daschbach, Leroy Jones, Karen Patnaude, Cliff Sinnott, Janet Stephens, and Jonathan Winsor

Ex-officio member: Rev. Kendra Ford