The Madison Unitarian | January 2023

MADISON UNITARIAN

Rain, New Year’s Eve

The rain is a broken piano, playing the same note over and over.

My five-year-old said that. Already she knows loving the world means loving the wobbles you can’t shim, the creaks you can’t

oil silent—the jerry-rigged parts, MacGyvered with twine and chewing gum.

Let me love the cold rain’s plinking. Let me love the world the way I love

my young son, not only when he cups my face in his sticky hands, but when, roughhousing, he accidentally splits my lip.

Let me love the world like a mother. Let me be tender when it lets me down.

Let me listen to the rain’s one note and hear a beginner’s song.

Maggie Smith, 2017

Iused to work at a wildlife center where we had non-releasable bats, and each winter we would be called upon to rescue more. Many of our North American bat species hibernate in winter, which involves slowing their metabolic processes and lowering their core body temperatures in order to save energy during the long, cold season when insects—their favorite food—are nowhere to be found. Hibernation is an ingenious solution to the question of survival in a period of few resources. No food? No problem: just snuggle in among a thousand of your closest friends and sleep until the world warms up and dinner’s ready.

The problem comes when hibernating bats are disturbed halfway through the winter. It takes a significant amount of energy just to get all their systems back online, and if they use up all that energy when the mosquitos are sleeping under the snow, they become incredibly vulnerable to the elements with no way of replenishing their energy stores. This is where we came in: whenever a human disturbed a hibernating colony, we would end up overwintering as many of the bats as we could, feeding them and keeping them warm until the world outside could meet their needs again.

For many years, I identified with the bats. I have often felt that I was meant to hibernate. Unlike bats, I have access to grocery stores and a credit card, so I don’t need to wait until summer to find food, but many of the other resources I depend on to keep me going throughout the year—sunshine, kayaking, beers at the Terrace, fresh local produce—is in short supply in winter. What’s the point of feasting in November and December, I wonder, if I can’t then sleep until it’s time to pull the kayak out again? Winter felt like something I

FROM THE EDITOR

Molly Backes, Communications Coordinator

had to endure, and there were years when, lacking so much of what makes me happy in warmer months, I felt like I was just white-knuckling my way to March.

And yet. I was born here, in Wisconsin, and I belong to this snow and this darkness as much as I belong to the buzzing prairies and beer gardens of summer. Somehow it seems wrong to sleep through an entire season. So I turned to my musher friend Blair for advice on how to thrive in the coldest, darkest time. Unlike bats (and me, most of the time), her sled dogs are happiest in winter. Their thick, layered coats provide so much insulation that Blair has to make sure they’re not overheating when the temperatures are above 0ºF. From Blair, I learned the Norwegian saying “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes,” and the importance of trapping as much warm air inside your clothing as possible. With her guidance, I learned to keep myself safe and reasonably warm outside even when the wind chill dips into the negative double digits. More importantly, I learned to change my frame of reference regarding winter—not as something merely to endure, but something, possibly, to enjoy.

I don’t predict that I will become a true winter person anytime soon, but experimenting with leaning into winter—appreciating the bite and snap of frozen air, the way the light catches in the icy branches—has opened the door into another way of experiencing these long, dark months, and helped me to think about what else might feed me. I may not be a husky, but perhaps I can borrow some of the unfettered joy they feel as they cross the tundra by moonlight. Maybe it will even be enough to keep my soul nourished until spring comes again.

FROM THE MINISTERS

Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackon, Co-Senior Minister

In both the Danish and Norwegian languages there is a word—hygge—which translates as a sort of contented and particularly comfortable coziness. You may know of this already, as it’s become a somewhat popular concept to reference in the English language as well, as a foreign term that offers a convenient, single word for something that sounds attractive and lovely. In particular, it is something that can be used to market individual products and an entire lifestyle based around items curated for their feeling of warmth and nostalgic comfort. The attraction is pretty obvious: who doesn’t love being cozy, especially at this time of year?

But a crucial element of hygge, and of coziness in general, isn’t Instagram-ready polish or well-cultivated marketability. It is, instead, a sense of place. Not any one place in particular, but of being in place: swaddled, ensconced, or otherwise placed just so, either literally or metaphorically. Consider: the hobbits from JRR Tolkien’s fantasy novels have an entire society that basically embodies hygge. Their furniture and clothing and all the objects of their lives are not especially fancy or expensive, but they are comfortable. Their homes are not terribly large, but they are enough to feel at home in, built into the sides of hills like the habitats of burrowing animals.

We use the word den for both the homes of badgers and other such animals, and for a room in a house meant for comfortable sitting (however architecturally out of fashion it may presently be). When we are nestled in somewhere, like the children in Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem, we are experiencing the quality of a nest, or something nest-like. To have a place and to

feel secure and comfortable in that place. This is what it is to be cozy. This is what it is to experience hygge.

Our spiritual theme for this month is wintering: the activity many animals in the natural world engage in each year. They locate a place to be maybe a new one, maybe not and make it as secure and as comfortable for themselves as they can, as they settle in for winter. Living in the climate that we do, we each know more than a little about surviving in the coldest months, but there is more to life than mere survival. Wintering is also a matter of finding and forging a place of comfort and reassurance in the midst of hostile conditions; for ourselves, and for each other. As we consider what wintering means as a spiritual practice this month, I invite you to join me in considering what it might mean for our particular community. How our space which is partially built into a hill, after all can better be a place of comfort to nestle into when that is what is needed. How the fellowship between us can offer solace and relief to spirits too long in the cold.

SPOTLIGHT ON: CHALICE CHILDREN

The Chalice Children are our 3 and 4 year olds—our pre-K class. The focus of the Chalice Children is to learn about our faith community, celebrate the friendships they have here, and inspire their curiosity about the world around them. We focus on fostering creativity and wonder in our natural world, including our stars, moon, and rainbows. We had a Teddy Bear month where our pre-K friends worked on helping their bears make friends, nurture them when they’re sick, and help them to not be afraid. We also had a teddy bear picnic and led a parade! The highlights this year have been making friends, play time outside when possible, and the teddy bear picnic!

SMALL GROUP MINISTRY

Janet Swanson, Director of Membership and Adult Programs

There is a place where people see with their hearts and breathing is the common language where no mandate for sameness exists and that place is here if we so desire.

Ken Haynes

Small Group Ministry (SGM) at First Unitarian Society helps create stronger connections among individuals and supports greater engagement in our faith community. Small groups deepen members’ experiences and provide opportunities to listen to, and be present with, one another. Fostering a sense of belonging, and

providing support and spiritual growth, our SGM program exists for you—to explore new ideas, engage with like-hearted people, and discover more about ourselves and our collective work in the world.

Information can be found on our website at www. fusmadison.org/spiritual-programs/. Questions? Contact Janet Swanson, Director of Membership and Adult Programs at janets@fusmadison.org

Please note: as we continue to center the needs of our most vulnerable members and friends, some small groups meet only virtually. Check the News from the Red Floors each week for updated information.

Kinnic Eagan, Member of the Children’s RE Ministry Team

Chalice Children in 2022

COMMUNITY BUILDING, TOGETHER

Cheryll Mellenthin, Project Coordinator

Our season of Wintering is upon us—I love this time of year. As it gets colder, it is a perfect time to reflect on the warmth found in being together in community these past few months. First, thanks to all who participated in our Autumnfest Cabaret event in November! We were thrilled to see nearly 175 of you in person as you gathered for crafts, visited with our guests from Haven’s Petting Farm, supported our auctions, and raffles, enjoyed the food carts, and mostly the warmth of fellowship. The many first-time families to Cabaret were a highlight. And thanks to many more of you who also sponsored our event, donated food items to local community partners, and donated items for our fundraiser. A special note of thanks to our incredible volunteer team who planned, prepared, and set up this community gathering. It would have been impossible without you! We’re grateful to all for reminding us how joyful it is to share in this community life, together.

Next up, the planning has just begun for our Valentine Jazz Soirée, Saturday, February 11. Save this date! You won’t want to miss an evening of beautiful music, great food, and the perfect setting to share with those you love. As we have more details you can find them here, www.fusmadison.org/valentine. Finally, the Valentine Jazz Soirée supports our 2023-2024 Stewardship Campaign, which is just around the corner. Our belief that stewardship at FUS is all parts time, talent, and treasure, is an enduring concept you all know so well. The objectives for our Stewardship Campaign, as with seasonal events, are centered on our members and the strength of our entire community.

Autumnfest Cabaret success provided the spark for our Holiday Decorating and Craft-Making event in December. We provided the tree and decorations, the lights, the supplies for crafts and you made the magic happen. Together, you worked in community to bring the beauty of the holiday to life here at FUS. Again, we couldn’t have done this without the many members and families, who make FUS a thriving community.

Trimming the tree at the Holiday Decoration & Craft Making Party photo by Franz Mussared Varga

SCENES FROM FUS

A MONTH OF SERVICES

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

JANUARY 1 @ 10 AM

BEGINNING THE WORLD OVER AGAIN

Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson, Co-Senior Minister

Awake, arise, and greet a new beginning! The start of anything new benefits from letting go of (some of) what came before and setting an intention for the work ahead. On this New Year’s Day, join us for a ritual of releasing the year now past as we look toward the one to come. Music by Benjamin Britten and Norman Dello Joio.

JANUARY 7 & 8

THE REST AND REPLENISHMENT OF WINTERING

Rev. Kelly Crocker, Co-Senior Minister

Here in Wisconsin, January is the time we can fully sink into winter. This season can be the respite our bodies require, and a state of mind as we remember how to be still, how to rest, how to travel inward once again. This is not our usual state of being, as we are always trying to avoid the wintering period of our lives, those fallow and bleak times we all experience. We will look at how we can invite winter in and how we can best lie within the winters of our lives. Music will include Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Studies in English Folksong featuring FUS member Terri Felton on clarinet with Assistant Music Director Linda Warren on piano.

JANUARY 14 & 15

COMFORT THE AFFLICTED

Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson, Co-Senior Minister

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Comfort and challenge are both key functions of religion and of religious community--sometimes they seem to be complements to each other, and sometimes they seem to be in conflict. On this MLK weekend, we will reflect on the place of comfort in our era of controversy, and what it means for a spiritual community such as ours to be both a comforting and challenging place. In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, the music for today’s service will be piano solos by historic Black composers Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, William Grant Still, Oscar Peterson, and Margaret Bonds.

JANUARY 21 & 22

A GLACIAL PACE

Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson, Co-Senior Minister

While we have four whole seasons in Wisconsin, the larger world often thinks of us only in terms of the one. The particulars of the landscape of this state, this city, and this little plot of land where we make our spiritual home were largely defined for us long ages ago, by the motion of ancient ice. And of course in winter, many animals go to ground, making temporary homes in the earth. In this service, we will continue to explore our theme of Wintering by exploring our own place a bit, and the meaning to be found in it. In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, Society Choir will sing settings of Langston Hughes poems by Black composers Rollo Dilworth and Andre J. Thomas.

JANUARY 28 & 29

THE EMPTINESS OF WINTER

Rev. Kelly Crocker, Co-Senior Minister

This is a time of year when we consider who we are and how we want to be. We make resolutions, we resolve to change in some way, we want to add things into our lives. Yet perhaps a lesson of the wintertime is in the letting go, the subtraction, the making room for change to occur. This can be a time, if we let it be so, of getting ready, just as the earth is slowly gathering to emerge green and glorious and new. How do we prepare ourselves for new growth and what lessons of these winter days can we hold on to as we do? Linda Warren will play music by classical Jewish composers, in honor of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Music of Mendelsson, Mahler, Gershwin, and Previn.

WHEEL OF LIFE

We share the sorrow of all those grieving the death of Ramiah Whiteside who passed away on December 4. Ramiah was recently here speaking at FUS on his work as the Associate Director of EXPO, Ex-incarcerated People Organizing. Ramiah used his powerful and gentle voice to share the stories of incarcerated people and his goal to see the use of any form of incarceration to be the absolute last resort. We join the many who are grieving the loss of his bright light and we send our love to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him. May we carry his message, his passion, his light forward.

With deep sadness we share the news of the passing of Joan Burns on December 19, 2022. Joan, along with her late husband, Bill were long time members of FUS. We will miss her warm smile, her engaging laugh, her love and compassion for all of us. Joan lived with a deep kindness and generosity that impacted our lives in many lives. We send our love to Becky Burns and Jeanne Sears as they grieve the loss of Joan. A memorial service will be held on January 22, at 2 pm in the Landmark Auditorium.

Jim Kallson passed away on the morning of Christmas Eve surrounded by his family. We send our love to his wife, Pat, and their children, Kevin and Kent, and their families. Jim will always be remembered as a kind and gentle soul who loved to smile, joke, and laugh. A memorial is being planned for April 29 at Middleton Glen.

it to mollyb@fusmadison.org.

FUS Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fusmadison

FUS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fusmadison/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/FUSmadison

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/fusmadison Website: https://fusmadison.org/

STAFF LEADERSHIP TEAM

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

PROGRAM STAFF

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

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Alyssa Ryanjoy, President

Lorna Aaronson

Annelise Alvin

Jennifer Seeker Conroy (President Elect)

Joy Stieglitz Gottschalk

Emily Cusic Putnam

John McGevna, Secretary

Ann Schaffer

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

900 University Bay Drive Madison, WI 53705 608.233.9774 www.fusmadison.org @fusmadison