September 10, 2019

Dear FUUSE Friends, 

I hope summer has offered you moments of rest and joy.  This summer was a time for rest and also a time for rebuilding.  It’s a time for vacation and study leave for the minister – I read a pile of books that I look forward to sharing with you and did some climate organizing and updating. Your Board chair spent lots of ‘grandfather’ time, as well as time checking in on the renovation and wrapping his head around being Board chair. 

Our building has certainly been undergoing some transformation.  We’ve walked through it several times now; it feels strange to have it be so empty of the usual church activities, and it is exciting to see the new possibilities beginning to take shape.  If you haven’t stopped by, do.  It looks a little rugged at the moment but it won’t be long before we’ll all see something new.  And you will see why it’s a good idea for us to not try to be in our space this fall!

We begin church just as there is a major push for a Climate Strike and actions to demand our government and corporate leaders take immediate action to reduce carbon emissions.  The UUA is a cosponsor the Climate Strikes. You might want to sign the letter this link which describes why UUs are backing these strikes. https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-on-letter-people-of-faith-for-the-climate-strikes/  I hope you’ll find a way to participate in the strike or other actions that support the changes so needed in our world.  You find more information about the strikes here www.strikewithus.org.  

We will have our Sunday services at the PEA Chapel.  Lots of thinking has gone on this summer about the logistics of being in this new space, and we look forward to being ourselves in a different space.  Bring a friend, we’ve got lots of room!  And our theme for the year comes from one of the books I read this summer, Wayfinding.  It’s about finding our way in the world literally and it’s about telling the story of who we are.  It turns out those two things are connected in the way our minds work.  And the larger world is in turmoil and asking for us to help a find a new way of being together and of leading change.  Join us for a year of wayfinding.  

Kendra and Cliff
 

Our first service in the PEA chapel will be Sunday September 15th at the usual 9:30am.  It is also our annual Water Service, so remember to bring a bit of water from your summer – hose water, rain water, ocean water.

Now for some details about how things will work in our new space:

Parking:

• There are a few parking spaces for people with mobility issues right behind the church – enter off Tan Lane.

• Otherwise, parking is along Tan Lane, on Front Street, and on local side streets. There is also a good sized parking lot on the left hand side of Tan Lane at the bottom of the hill by the Tan/Main intersection.

Building Facilities:

• We can use Phillips Chapel Sundays from 8am till 1pm. The doors will be locked and unlocked by PEA security.

• Someone from PEA facilities will be onsite while we are there. They can help with all building-related questions, and will take care of things like snow removal (hard to think about that now!)

• There is both an elevator and staircases between the first floor and the lower level, where we will have Coffee Hour.

• The bathrooms are downstairs, accessible by elevator.  There is one small bathroom on the main level, tucked behind the chancel, but it is best not to use this bathroom during services. 

• There is a large room just off the sanctuary. Noise leaks between this room and the sanctuary so it isn't a good space for RE, but it is available to us after our service for meetings or other gatherings.

• In the cellar, there are two rooms for Hindu and Muslim prayer. It is ok to go into them for reflection and prayer, but please note that they are no-shoes spaces.  There is also a small Kosher kitchen off the main kitchen, the door is always closed, and we should not use it.

Worship:

• We will be using stick-on name tags. If you’d prefer to keep track of your regular name tag, feel free to pick it up from the FUUSE office and bring it to/from services each week.

• You will be able to pick up hymnals as you enter the sanctuary, and will be asked to return them to carts as you leave.

• We will be doing Joys and Concerns and candle lighting in a new way, which Kendra will explain during services.

Coffee Hour:

• Coffee Hour will be in the basement. There are several round tables, and plenty of chairs, making this a comfortable space.

• We will be using compostable cups, or you can bring your own cup if you prefer.

RE:

• RE will meet both above and below the sanctuary, and sometimes outdoors. Children will follow the DREs and their teachers to the appropriate spots.