Come Celebrate Easter’s Power of Renewal – Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens

Come join us this Sunday, April 17th, 11am by Zoom or masked/vaxxed in person. The name “Easter” comes from the Teutonic goddess of spring and the dawn, known as Oestre or Eastre. Easter is a time of renewal, rebirth, and celebration. Our Easter celebration will include harp music and story by Patrick McGee, a smidgen of history by Richard Thieret, a large round of joy and beauty from all who wish to share, and a seed exchange/gifting for all who wish to give or receive seeds for their gardens. Your excess garden seeds and your thoughts about renewal are most welcome.

We’ll end at noon with an outdoor Easter egg hunt for our children and others who are young at heart. Children are welcome to arrive at noon for the outdoor-only hunt if they are either unmasked or unvaxxed or both. (That’s because kn95 or equivalent masks and vaccination cards are required for attending indoors in order to protect our most vulnerable members.)

NOTE: Our board is still requiring vaccination cards and kn95 or equivalent masks of folks entering the building for Sunday services. We have many folks who truly appreciate us flipping the “usual narrative.” Usually Zoom is for those who are at risk where in-person places are not safe for them. At the fellowship, we’re doing Zoom for anyone who doesn’t want to wear a mask or get vaccinated, thus keeping the fellowship safe for the most vulnerable. We do, however, allow our presenters to unmask when speaking in the front of the fellowship. Some choose to stay masked.

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Meeting ID: 823 6539 7153

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Meeting ID: 823 6539 7153

NEWS ABOUT OUR APRIL 10th ANNUAL MEETING

UUFA members held the 2022 Business Meeting on Sunday, April 10, following the service. Thank you to everyone who participated in and contributed to the success of this meeting. Our Fellowship community is truly a special place! Several important items were discussed and voted on at the meeting.

The UU Fellowship of Athens has a new Vision Statement:

We are a thriving community whose members experience a deep sense of belonging, caring and hopefulness. We open our doors to all who long to engage in activities that nourish the mind, body, and spirit. We work to effect positive change by putting our minds, hearts, and Unitarian Universalist principles into the service of our community, region, nation, and world.

And a new Mission Statement:

Building connections, serving one another, renewing spirit, inspiring action.

We voted on a new Leadership Team for the fiscal year starting on July 1. Many thanks to Richard Thieret for standing for President, and to Barb Harrison for stepping in as President-Elect. Fred Snell will take over as Sexton, Marilyn Zwayer will continue as Recorder, and upon stepping down as President, I will continue as Treasurer. Andy Ray, Jessie Robison, and Roberta Robison will continue as At-Large members of the Board. When you see him, please thank Brian Richards for his years of service on the Board in multiple roles, including President and At-Large Member.

We voted on a modest Budget for the new year, one that regrettably does not yet provide funding to restore our quarter-time minister. However, as our Pledge Drive is coming up, it may be possible to make changes to our spending plans. So here’s hoping for a generous response to the pledge drive! Of course all we can ask is that our members and friends donate according to their means. All contributions of your time and talents to the life of the Fellowship–above and beyond pledges of treasure–are valued and appreciated!

Finally, we voted on changes to the UUFA Bylaws, most of which serve to simplify the required committee structure and to make other organizational changes better suited to a congregation of our size.

The revised Bylaws and other materials related to the Annual Meeting will be available soon on the Elvanto platform (which should be accessible to all Members,) as well as on our website: www.uuathens.org. If you have any questions or thoughts about plans for the Fellowship, please feel free to reach out to me or any member of the Board.

Susan Westenbarger (she/her)

suusanw.uu@gmail.com
240-305-0860

NEWS FROM UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST JUSTICE OHIO (UUJO)

UUJO’s Environmental Justice Team presents our April Connecting the Dots progam. We will be discussing community gardens in rural Ohio and their impact on access to fresh food and mitigation of food deserts.