The Madison Unitarian | December 2023

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DECEMBER 2023

M A D I S O N U N I TA R I A N

Mystery

IN THIS ISSUE December’s theme is: Mystery Poem: Winter Morning 3 From the Editor 4 From the Ministers 5 From the Board 6-7 All Music Weekend 8 Poem: [After The Bitter Nights] 9 A Month of Services

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Christmas Eve Schedule 12 Holidays at a Glance 13 Community Information 14 Contact Us

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NOVEMBER 2022

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NOVEMBER 2022

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Cover photo by Molly Backes 2

THE MADISON UNITARIAN

Winter Morning When I can no longer say thank you for this new day and the waking into it, for the cold scrape of the kitchen chair and the ticking of the space heater glowing orange as it warms the floor near my feet, I know it’s because I’ve been fooled again by the selfish, unruly man who lives in me and believes he deserves only safety and comfort. But if I pause as I do now, and watch the streetlights outside flashing off one by one like old men blinking their cloudy eyes, if I listen to my tired neighbors slamming car doors hard against the morning and see the steaming coffee in their mugs kissing chapped lips as they sip and exhale each of their worries white into the icy air around their faces--then I can remember this one life is a gift each of us was handed and told to open: Untie the bow and tear off the paper, look inside and be grateful for whatever you find even if it is only the scent of a tangerine that lingers on the fingers long after you’ve finished peeling it.

James Crews, 2019

DECEMBER 2023

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FROM THE EDITOR Molly Backes, Communications Coordinator

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hen I was six years old, I stepped on a nest of yellow jackets. We had stopped on the side of the road to pee, par for the course on family roadtrips, and then my dad, little sister, and I wandered a ways into the woods, where we found an abandoned train track. I remember the before and the after: first the woods, hazy and green, dappled light filtered through leaves, and then the pain.

We were somewhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Appalachian Mountains. Beautiful and remote. I stepped on the nest and suddenly I was surrounded by angry wasps: ferocious and unrelenting. I remember my dad yelling for me to run, but his voice came through a veil that panic had thrown between me and the rest of the world. On the other side of the veil, my dad yelled “Run! Run!” On my side, the wasps buzzed in my ears and my feet stayed frozen in place.

What a surprise it was to discover that the world can change in a second. That the ground can spin itself into a swarm and surround you faster than you can process it. I’m not sure if I knew before that moment. I’m not sure I know now. Maybe it’s something we have to discover again and again. Maybe it’s something we’re better off forgetting.

Eventually my dad caught up to me and grabbed me under his arm, a little girl statue, and carried me out of the woods. I had been stung 13 or 14 times.

My dad had 8 stings and my little sister had 3 or 4. My parents had no idea whether my sister and I might be allergic. Our first aid kit was what we had in the car, so I held cold cans of beer against my hot skin as my parents frantically tried to find a Ranger’s Station.

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THE MADISON UNITARIAN

There is something I appreciate about physical ailments: I like how they bring me back to my body. I like how they put my brain in its place. They remind me that no matter how smart I think I am, I’m not really in control, because I live inside a body that is subject to illness and injury. It keeps me humble.

It reminds me that I am a fragile mortal being in a world full of other fragile mortal beings, and our fragility and mortality binds us together in our brief and beautiful time on Earth.

Growing up UU, I sometimes envied my Catholic friends because their church had all the answers, while here at FUS I had to figure out on my own whether I believed in one or more gods and how I fit into the universal tapestry of all existence. I had a sharp, impatient brain that wanted answers, and I hated the uncertainty of our faith.

As an adult, I don’t trust anyone who claims to have all the answers. I appreciate the mysteries of life because just like physical pain, they keep me rooted in my humanity. I think about the thousands of generations of people who faced the same mysteries as we do, who looked up at the night sky and wondered about their role in the cosmos. The only certainty is that we’ll all die, but we humans go on hoping and dreaming and creating and falling in love anyway. It’s all so humbling. It’s all so beautiful.

The world hurts a lot these days. Some days it’s the gathering swarm, coming from all sides. Other days it’s the sudden jab, unexpected and sharp. Some days it feels impossible to keep going. We don’t have the answers. We don’t know what comes next. But even in the face of uncertainty, we go on loving the world. ◊

JULY/AUGUST 2023

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FROM THE MINISTERS Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson, Co-Senior Minister

The Mysterious and Wonderful World We Share

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taring long enough at the shapes and forms of the natural world, some human beings find there patterns and images. Many of us do it with clouds, for instance: this one looks like a dinosaur, that one looks like a bunny rabbit.

Something similar sometimes happens in stone: New Hampshire’s Old Man of the Mountain looked, until a few decades ago, like a face in profile, California’s Cathedral Peak resembles a church steeple, and Oregon’s Phantom Ship appears to float derelict in the waters that surround it. It often comes to us naturally to marvel at the wonders of the natural world. Those who would explain the mechanics by which these curiosities came to be—the flow of water vapor on air currents or the slow erosion of rock by wind and rain—are sometimes thought to be quashing this impulse: weighing down our native awe with dreary detail.

Sometimes, however, the puzzle is more complex and troubling than the semblance of a face on a mountainside, and the need to solve the mystery seems more pressing. In the Oklo mines in Gabon in West Africa in 1972, such a puzzle came to be found. The mines were dug for uranium, which can be used both to fuel nuclear reactors, to produce energy, and to make nuclear weapons. What they found during their digging was a very particular type of uranium that shouldn’t have been there: the sort you can only get after it’s been through a reactor. There was a small panic among the scientific team: this seemed to be evidence of some sort of tampering involving a dangerous, tightly controlled material, and the strange prospect of someone stealing ore, processing it (likely for the purpose of making a weapon) and then returning the leftovers.

Study and investigation eventually led to a conclusion perhaps as confusing but far more wondrous. Oklo is now held to hold the only known example of naturally occurring nuclear reactors.

A modern nuclear power plant produces energy by starting and controlling a nuclear reaction, with very specific materials and circumstances.

For it to work, everything has to be just so. And it seems that about two billion years ago, the natural flow of earth and water produced such a set of circumstances: the right amount of uranium in the right configuration, enough water to facilitate the process and the absence of other elements that would interrupt it. And this happened in not just one spot, but at more than fifteen points identified throughout the mines, sustaining reactions that lasted for hundreds of thousands of years, still well more than a billion years before the advent of complex life.

What I take from this, is that the world is bizarre and fascinating beyond our imagining; there is no limit to the mysteries it holds. So that attempts to understand or explain what is are not a barrier to wonder and awe: they are a necessary product of them, and a means, in turn, of sustaining them. It is in our nature to wonder at life’s mysteries, and it is an expression of awe to seek to explain them. In this month, as fall ends and winter approaches, as we engage, each in our own ways, with the many holidays of this time, I encourage you to turn your dreaming eye upon the world and seek out mystery. You may find puzzles to be solved, and learn from them. And you may find wonders whose full explanations elude you. Both are worthy of your attention, and your reverence. ◊

SEPTEMBER 2023 DECEMBER 2023

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e have new vision and mission statements at FUS that are composed of beautiful words and aspirational messages, but how do we get there? As the Vision and Mission Task Force can tell you, crafting these meaningful phrases was no easy task. But that effort pales in comparison to the work ahead as we work together toward fulfilling our vision.

FROM THE BOARD

Jennifer Seeker Conroy, Board President

strengths to move forward as a congregation.

Where do we already shine? Where do we struggle?

We had a robust discussion in my small group.

Many said they felt personally drawn to social justice efforts and that FUS is their opportunity to engage with like-minded people. Others said they excel at deep listening and radical welcome.

In other groups, members said fostering beAt our Fall Parish Meeting at the end of October, longing and authentic connection are areas that we began to explore that journey. Traditionally, spoke to them. the congregation discusses Open Questions to inform strategic priorities. These are defined in the As the discussion moved to how the congreFUS Policy Manual as calling for a “wider longer, gation can come together to realize our vision, conversation and challenges and inviting congreopportunities gation discussion came to light. We The vision of First Unitarian Society before decisions could do more to is to be a spiritual community of are made.” Open build a sense of Questions by their belonging. We will transform belonging and aunature do not simourselves and society through thentic connecply have yes or no tion amongst our the practices of radical welcome, answers. In fact, a members. While deep listening, and compassionate, precise answer is we want to welgenerally not the authentic connection. We envision come new memgoal. The ongoing a world fueled by love and justice. bers, some sugconversation, exgested that we ploration, and reshould first focus sulting action are ideal outcomes. on building deeper engagement with our current The Open Questions this year were around our vision, what it means to us individually, and how we can collectively move toward fulfilling the vision as a congregation in the coming years. The discussion encouraged us as members to reflect on where we can lend our personal strengths and passions at FUS. Ask yourself, which part of the vision resonates with me? What do I have a passion for? Where can I contribute? Next, we explored how we harness all those individual

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members. We could also look for ways to reengage members we haven’t heard from in a while.

In other group discussions, some suggested focusing on fewer key social justice areas that would encourage passion and energy in the congregation. Others mentioned forming deeper partnerships with minority-led groups in Madison and Dane County.

(con’t on page 9)

FROM THE BOARD Jennifer Seeker Conroy, Board President

(con’t on page 9) FUS has a lot going on, and it can be overwhelming for members and visitors. Several people recommended having easy ways for new members and visitors to engage and find their place. Overall, the conversations showed the investment and love our members have for FUS.

you soon. All this feedback will help us create our Focus Areas for the next church year.

I hope that we continue the conversation in the coming weeks, months, and years. We should constantly be challenging ourselves individually and collectively to move toward our vision. ◊

The Board of Trustees is sifting through all the post-it notes created at the meeting and compiling the common themes. We’ll share those with

DECEMBER 2023

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ALL MUSIC WEEKEND Drew Collins, Music Director

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by Linda Warren. This service lasts under an hour.

All ages welcome!

Saturday Service: Community Carol Sing

Sunday, December 10 • 9 & 11 am Atrium Auditorium A Lessons and Carols service filled with music interspersed with meaningful readings. Music of Tomás Luis da Victoria, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Camille Saint-Saëns, Benjamin Britten, John Rutter, Jethro Tull, a Jewish prayer for peace, familiar carols, and more. Featuring performances

by FUS Cherub Choir, FUS Choristers, FUS Teen Choir, FUS Meeting House Chorus, FUS Society Choir, Linda Warren on harp, and an ensemble of instrumentalists. This is a multigenerational service—everyone is welcome! ◊

ick off the holiday season with beautiful music that highlights the meaning of the season. There is nothing quite like an All Music Weekend at FUS. Music breathes life into the meaning of the season. We hope you will join us on Saturday or Sunday (or both!). Warm Wassail Punch, a special blend of fruit juices and spices, will be served at coffee hour both days. Come see why FUS's music program is considered among the best in Madison, and why this long-running tradition is so beloved.

Saturday, December 9 • 4:30 pm Landmark Auditorium Get ready to raise your voice! We will sing carols and hymns for Solstice, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and Winter both familiar and new. We will even take requests from the congregation!

Plus “Greensleeves” and other harp solos played

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All Music Sunday: “Welcome & Make Good Cheer”

SEPTEMBER 2023

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[After the bitter nights] After the bitter nights and the gray, cold days comes a bright afternoon.

I go into the creek valley and there are the horses, the black and the white, lying in the warm shine on a bed of dry hay.

They lie side by side, identically posed as a painter might imagine them: heads up, ears and eyes alert. They are beautiful in the light and in the warmth happy. Such harmonies are rare. This is not the way the world is. It is a possibility nonetheless deeply seeded within the world. It is the way the world is sometimes.

Wendell Berry, 2010

DECEMBER 2023

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A MONTH OF SERVICES In-person worship services: Saturdays @ 4:30 pm & Sundays @ 9 & 11 am Online worship service: Sundays @ 9 am

DECEMBER 2 & 3

IN DEFENSE OF UNCERTAINTY

Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson Certainty—about why we are, how we got here, and what will happen to us after we die —is something offered freely by many, if not most of the world’s religions. Unitarian Universalism affirms many things with confidence, but it also offers something different: a fluency with the uncertain.

Come to this service to celebrate both the deep convictions and confident positions of our faith, and the space for mystery and ambiguity that we cherish. Music by Bach, Respighi, Debussy, and Rainey, performed by Bryan Rainey and Linda Warren, piano-harp duet.

DECEMBER 9 @ 4:30 PM

ALL MUSIC WEEKEND: COMMUNITY CAROL SING

Get ready to raise your voice! We will sing carols and hymns for Solstice, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and Winter both familiar and new. We will even take requests from the congregation! Plus “Greensleeves” and other harp solos played by Linda Warren. This service lasts under an hour. All ages welcome!

DECEMBER 10 @ 9 & 11 AM

ALL MUSIC WEEKEND: “WELCOME ALL AND MAKE GOOD CHEER”

A Lessons and Carols service filled with music interspersed with meaningful readings. Music of Tomás Luis da Victoria, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Camille Saint-Saëns, Benjamin Britten, John Rutter, Jethro Tull, a Jewish prayer for peace, familiar carols, and more. Featuring performances by FUS Cherub Choir, FUS Choristers, FUS Teen Choir, FUS Meeting House Chorus, FUS Society Choir, Linda Warren on harp, and an ensemble of instrumentalists. This is a multigenerational service— everyone is welcome!

DECEMBER 16 @ 4:30 PM

WINTER SOLSTICE Atrium Auditorium

The longest night of the year, the Winter Solstice is the time when the light begins to return, and our days slowly begin to lengthen. It is a time to remember, in story and song, the hope that lives within this dark and fertile time and within each of us, as we recall the true light of our lives, the love that lives within, and the power we hold when we shine our light into the world and partake in the miracle of renewal. The Teen FUS Choir will sing.

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THE MADISON UNITARIAN

DECEMBER 17 @ 9 & 11 AM

THE MYSTERIES OF THIS WINTER SEASON

The hours of daylight are quickly being eclipsed by the hours of darkness as we approach the solstice on December 21st. These are the days when we are quick to light candles and welcome in the brightness they provide. Yet we are wise to pause for a moment in the darkness and explore the mysteries we can find there before setting off into the wonders of the growing light. Join us as we let the light and darkness bless each other and us. French and English Medieval carols performed

by Catherine Clewett and Linda Warren, Celtic harp duet.

DECEMBER 23 @ 4:30 PM

BLUE CHRISTMAS Landmark Auditorium

Each year we gather to share sacred space with kindred spirits as we acknowledge and honor our feelings of loss, grief, anger, regret, or pain during this season. Loved ones missing from the table, concerns about the state of our world, the pressures to live up to holiday expectations can make us feel blue rather than jolly this season. If this most wonderful time of the year is bittersweet and complex for you, please join us as we find peace in being with one another and find authentic ways of marking the holiday season with rituals that honor the realities and complexities of our lives.

Childcare is available for children 5 and younger. Drop off is in the childcare room.

DECEMBER 24: CHRISTMAS EVE

See page 12 for a full list of Christmas Eve services

DECEMBER 31 @ 10 AM

THE EMPTY PAGE

Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson A new year, a new beginning, a fresh start. How wonderful. How powerful. How...intimidating. On this New Year’s Eve day, join us for a ritual of releasing the year now past as we look toward the one to come. String Band plays the lost music from the Isle of St. Kilda. Joyce Carey, accordian; Philip Delaquess, cello; Todd Hammes, percussion; Marjie Marion, recorder; Leyla Sanyer, violin; Linda Warren, celtic harp. Childcare is available for children 5 and younger.

DECEMBER 2023

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CHRISTMAS EVE AWAY IN A MANGER: FAMILY NATIVITY SERVICE @ 2 PM ATRIUM AUDITORIUM

Our Christmas Eve services begin with our Christmas Eve Nativity Pageant. The service is gentle, warm, and full of wonder and love—a favorite of families with little ones.

We ask each family to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to a local food pantry. Those who choose to dress up may participate as an angel, a shepherd, a wise one, or an innkeeper. Please join us for this participatory and joyous celebration of the Christmas story.

WELCOME CHRISTMAS @ 4:30 & 7 PM ATRIUM AUDITORIUM & ONLINE

Gather for a celebration of the spirit that infuses this season with hope and joy and holy light. Through stories, music, carols, and poetry, we will honor the blessings and gifts of Christmas and celebrate holiday wonder old and new. We will end with the warm glow of candles and the soft choruses of Silent Night. The choir will sing at the 4:30 service. Childcare is available for children 5 and younger. Drop off is in the childcare room.

CANDLELIGHT VIGIL @ 10 PM LANDMARK AUDITORIUM

Enter together into the sacred space of Christmas Eve with this service of music, candlelight, and story. Join us as we welcome the spirit of Christmas into our world and into our hearts. We will also partake in a Christmas communion, sharing in the bread of community and the light of hope.

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THE MADISON UNITARIAN

Holiday Services & Events at First Unitarian Society of Madison

Community Carol Sing (Part of All Music Weekend) Saturday, December 9 @ 4:30 pm • Landmark Auditorium

Holiday Craft-Making & Atrium Decoration Party Saturday, December 9 @ 2 pm • Atrium Commons

"Welcome All and Make Good Cheer" (Part of All Music Weekend) Sunday, December 10 @ 9 & 11 • Atrium Auditorium & Online

Winter Solstice Service Saturday, December 16 @ 4:30 pm • Atrium Auditorium & Online

"The Mysteries of This Winter Season"

Sunday, December 17 @ 9 & 11 • Atrium Auditorium & Online

Blue Christmas

Saturday, December 23 @ 4:30 pm • Landmark Auditorium

Away in a Manger Family Nativity Service

Sunday, December 24 @ 2 pm • Atrium Auditorium

"Welcome Christmas"

Sunday, December 24 @ 4:30 & 7 pm • Atrium Auditorium & Online

Candlelight Vigil

Sunday, December 24 @ 10 pm • Landmark Auditorium

“The Empty Page”

Sunday, December 31 @ 10 am • Atrium Auditorium & Online

www.fusmadison.org DECEMBER 2023

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COMMUNITY INFORMATION WHEEL OF LIFE With heavy hearts, we share the news of the death of Jean Tews who passed away on November 7. Jean, and her late husband John, have been a part of this community for decades. Jean always brought a warm smile, a deep and infectious laugh, and a sense of abiding love and she will be deeply missed.

If you have a life transition you’d like to share with the readers of this newsletter, please send it to mollyb@fusmadison.org.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS Winter New Year’s Spiral

Sunday, December 31 — Monday, January 15 As we welcome the New Year, how might we invite light and hope into our hearts? We offer you the meditative practice of walking a Winter Spiral. Following worship on Sunday, December 31st, we will be creating a winter spiral on the grounds at FUS. We invite you to bring your evergreen boughs to FUS by December 29th.The spiral will be available for walking until Monday, January 15th. Join us in this family-friendly opportunity to create beauty and calm amidst the cold.

Holistic Living Class

with Rev. Jody Whelden Saturday, January 20 • 9:30 am - 12 PM Body/Mind/Heart Practices for health and healing. Saturday, January 20, 2024, 9:30am 12:00pm. Details will be available in January’s newsletter. Questions? Contact Janet at janets@ fusmadison.org.

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CONTACT US STAFF LEADERSHIP TEAM

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Rev. Kelly J. Crocker, Co-Senior Minister kellyc@fusmadison.org x.112 Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson, Co-Senior Minister kellyaj@fusmadison.org x.113 Monica Nolan, Executive Director monican@fusmadison.org x.115

Jenny Seeker Conroy, President

PROGRAM STAFF

Ed Zapala

Janet Swanson, Director Membership & Adult Programs janets@fusmadison.org x.124 Leslie Ross, Director Children’s Religious Exploration leslier@fusmadison.org x.119 Kristi Sprague, Social Justice Coordinator kristis@fusmadison.org x.125 Xan Hendrick, Program Assistant alexandrah@fusmadison.org x.116

MUSIC STAFF

Dr. Drew Collins, Music Director drewc@fusmadison.org x.121 Heather Thorpe, Children & Youth Choir Director thorpeh2@gmail.com Linda Warren, Assistant Music Director linda.warren@tds.net

OPERATIONAL STAFF

Molly Backes, Communications Coordinator mollyb@fusmadison.org x. 117 Cheryll Mellenthin, Project Coordinator cheryllm@fusmadison.org x. 130 Tom Miskelly, Facilities Manager tomm@fusmadison.org x. 120 Dan Carnes, A/V & Event Specialist danc@fusmadison.org Steven Gregorius, Event Specialist

Chuck Evenson Joy Stieglitz Gottschalk Emily Cusic Putnam, Secretary Emily Smith Ann Schaffer Zizi Brandt, Youth Liaison Mira Roffers, Youth Advisor Mason Shadle, Youth Advisor

LAY MINISTERS

Our lay ministers provide a confidential, caring presence to congregants undergoing stressful life challenges or joyous occasions.

Under the guidance of our called ministers, they promote the spirit of community through direct service in visiting the ill and healing, facilitating support groups, and more.

Contact a lay minister at 608.233.9774 x. 126

SOCIAL MEDIA

Get information about upcoming services and events, see photos and videos, and connect with other FUS folks on our social media platforms!

FUS Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/fusmadison FUS Community Virtual Gathering Space (FB Group) https://www.facebook.com/ groups/fusmadison Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fusmadison/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/fusmadison

DECEMBER 2023

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The vision of First Unitarian Society is to be a spiritual community of belonging. We will transform ourselves and society through the practices of radical welcome, deep listening, and compassionate, authentic connection.

We envision a world fueled by love and justice.

At First Unitarian Society, we question boldly, listen humbly, grow spiritually, act courageously, and love unapologetically.

FIRST UNITARIAN SO CIET Y OF MADISON 900 University Bay Drive • Madison, WI 53705 608.233.9774 www.fusmadison.org

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