The Madison Unitarian | July/August 2023

Cover photo by Molly Backes

FROM THE EDITOR

Molly Backes, Communications Coordinator

Happy summer, everyone! You may notice that this issue is a little different than usual. For one thing, we don’t have a theme this month. Or... we have a few. Most months, the theme of this newsletter is the same as the monthly worship theme, which the worship team uses to shape their services and which many of us discuss in our journey circles. But the summer months don’t have official worship themes, and anyway we’re packing two months’ worth of content into this issue! We’re looking forward to two great months of community, family, and fun—including an All UU Gathering at Vilas Park on August 13, when we’ll meet up with members from James Reeb and Prairie to worship and feast and play together—so we decided that our unofficial theme should just be “Summer.”

But then Janet found some great content in the UU Soul Matters resources around the theme of “Play,” and our friend Rev. Suzelle Lynch is leading a service on July 2 called “The Power of Play,” and Rev. Kelly AJ is giving a sermon called “The Play’s the Thing” on July 16, so our theme is also “Play.” And then I fell down a research rabbit hole about our Signature Oak Trees (more about that in a second), and decided I needed to write about them, but our oaks don’t really fit the theme of “Summer” or “Play,” so our theme is also “Molly Talks About Trees.”

Another difference is that this issue has service descriptions for both July and August. If that’s confusing, we also post service descriptions on our website, Facebook page, and Instagram account, so you can always check in those places as well.

The last difference is a small one in terms of formatting, but a big one for our community: July 1 marks the beginning of the new year for our

Board of Directors! Outgoing Board president Alyssa Ryanjoy shares her reflections on page 6, and we can look forward to hearing from our new Board President Jenny Seeker Conroy in the future. You’ll find a complete list of the 20232024 Board on the last page of this newsletter.

Now back to the thing where I fell down the rabbit hole. Because we didn’t exactly have a theme for this issue, I thought I’d write my editorial essay about the group of four large trees just north of the Landmark side of the building. And then I thought, “I wonder how old they are?”

As a writer, I am accustomed to following branching paths while doing research. One question leads to more, and next thing you know it’s four hours later and you’ve learned a lot about what kinds of suitcases people carried in 1941 but haven’t yet written a single sentence. It’s one of the dangers—and joys —of writing.

Trying to answer the seemingly simple question of how old our oak trees are sent me down many unforseen paths, but in this case, it was all joy. I exchanged many emails with ecologist extraordinare Brent Haglund and later spent an hour outside with him, looking at our trees and learning about our prairie. I dragged our facilities manager Tom Miskelly into my process, I sent about a hundred texts to my friend at the UW ecology lab, I dug through our archives. In the end, I had so much information that I decided to break it into two essays. This month, you can read about the historical, ecological, and spiritual significance of our oak trees. You’ll just have to wait until September to find out how old they are!

FROM THE MINISTERS

Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson, Co-Senior Minister

Being Iconic to Each Other

When I worked as a hospital chaplain, I spent most of my days visiting patients and their families —that’s the job, after all. Still, rare is the job that is just one thing: even if the focus of my work was on spending time with the sick, the troubled, and the bereaved, accompanying them and helping them to process and make meaning of their experiences, that was never the whole of my day. There were meetings to attend, organizational and educational projects to participate in, and forms to fill out. The chaplaincy department I worked in began experimenting with an electronic system for recording patient visits while I was there. You would log a visit by entering details about the time and the number of people involved, and checking off various boxes for common chaplain functions:

Prayed with patient (Yes/No)

Discussed concerns about health and mortality (Yes/No)

Listened to patient’s faith story (Yes/No) Etc.

One of these check boxes read, “Provided iconic/ symbolic value.” It was one that I checked only infrequently. But when I did mark it off for a visit, it was because I sensed that the person or persons I was with got some specific meaning out of being visited by a chaplain. Often, there was some ‘priestly’ role that my being there seemed to satisfy for the patient: they wanted to say something to, to hear something from, or just to be in the presence of someone with a spiritual vocation (and, generally, with perceived spiritual authority). It didn’t seem to matter much to most people I met in the course of that job that I was a chaplain, but for the people it did matter to, it really mattered.

Chaplain or minister or any sort of religious leader is an office with a lot of symbolic associations; it can be iconic of a lot of different things to a lot of different people. But, in truth, this is not so unusual. We constantly search, consciously or unconsciously, for symbolic meaning in the world and the people around us. It’s one of the things we’re particularly good at as human beings. This person reminds us of an old boyfriend; that person brings to mind a hated teacher from middle school. The boss who plays the mentor – or the adversary; the neighbor who plays the role of the neighborhood organizer – or oddball. Not everyone we meet finds some iconic meaning in their relationship or experience of us, but, at the same time, it’s impossible to know when it’s happening most of the time, and we can be sure that it is happening some of the time.

In the Eastern Orthodox church, an icon is a particularly beautiful and carefully made image of a saint or other religious figure. The painting is used for devotion: it holds before the worshipper the ideals and lessons of the person depicted. To slip (by accident, and perhaps unaware) into an iconic role with another person is no small thing, then. It can happen anywhere: on the street, in our homes, and even here at church. It can be found in the act of a greeting, or exchanging some deep question at coffee hour, or offering help or asking for it. There are moments when we summon up a lesson or ideal for another person. We can’t fully anticipate this— I’m not even sure we can prepare for it very well— but we can try to be mindful of the possibility and take special care because of it. The meaning in each of our lives is always there. Now and then, because we are lucky enough to be alive, someone catches special sight of a fragment of it or we do the same for them.

FROM THE MINISTERS

Rev. Kelly Crocker & Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson, Co-Senior Ministers

A Word of Thanks from Team Kelly

Dear Friends,

It has been another incredibly rich year here at First Unitarian Society. We continue to be honored and humbled by the privilege of being your ministers. We are seeing you all move deeper and deeper into the work of co-ministry, becoming more active in this community, finding your place and your work, holding and caring for this congregation as your very own spiritual home, doing the work to make it grow into the community of deep welcome and belonging we know it can be. We are grateful for the ones who worked with us as co-leaders in this experiment of shared faith.

There are four folks who completed their service on the FUS Board of Trustees:

Alyssa

Ryanjoy, FUS Board President

Lorna Aaronson, John McGevna, and Annelise Alvin, Youth Advisor

We owe these four a huge debt of gratitude. They served tirelessly through difficult conversations, hard decisions, challenging moments, as well as times filled with laughter and joy and all the beauty of people working together toward a common goal. They served with a great deal of love and grace, understanding and compassion, holding the best interests of our community at heart through it all.

We also had the immense privilege to work with the five members of our Mission and Vision Task Force:

Emily Smith, chair

Emily Cusic Putnam, Larry Johnson, Lisa Munro, and Joy Stieglitz Gottschalk

For the past year, these folks have listened to you, thought deeply about your comments, your hopes, and your visions of who we are as a community, and brought it all together in two statements that beautifully reflect who we are now and who we hope to be in the years to come. The hours they spent, the countless meetings, the spreadsheets filled with your feedback, they did all that work and more with good humor, fellowship, curiosity, and compassion. They were a joy to work with and learn from and we are forever grateful.

It takes all of us to create this community of love and hope. From ushers and greeters, coffee makers and ministry team leaders, CRE teachers and Journey Circle Facilitators, our hearts are filled with gratitude for each and every one of you. This community lives and breathes with and through you and it remains our great honor to live amongst you here in fellowship and gratitude. We look forward to the years to come and to all we will build together and all we will welcome through these doors into the love of this community. ◊

As the 22-23 church year closes, our Board of Trustees is energized by the growing momentum in our congregation. From seeing new faces at services to having a full slate of delegates at General Assembly, we can feel the deepening engagement of members and friends along with programing that continues to shift and change in ways that resonate with those who are learning about FUS. How wonderful it has been to see a thriving co-ministry, well-attended programing, and the reengagement of members and friends after a period of extraordinary challenges. We deeply appreciate the work of our ministers, staff, and all of you who give in many ways to our community.

As we reflect on our work this year, we’re grateful for the opportunity to focus on our strategic goals and look ahead to the future as we discern how the Board can best support FUS.

We continued our commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression work in our congregation, participating in Nehemiah’s “Black History for a New Day” course to deepen our own competency in systemic racism. Our governance committee worked with a local non-profit to begin a review of our Board policies and bylaws through an anti-oppression lens.

Engaging with these community organizations was also part of a concerted effort to be more connected to our community and denomination. Board members have taken advantage of learning opportunities through the UUA and spent a day with our Congregational Life Consultant from the MidAmerica Region for deeper discussion about Board responsibilities and strategic planning. Through a recently started group, we also are connecting with other large UU congregation boards.

FROM THE BOARD

Alyssa Ryanjoy, Outgoing Board President

We are thrilled with the work of the Mission & Vision Task Force, and are very pleased with the decision to convene this group and involve the full congregation in creating these important statements about who we are and why we are here.

I am excited about the incoming Board, both the new members and those continuing from this year. A special thank you to Jenny Seeker Conroy for stepping into the role of Board President. There are great opportunities and important challenges that our congregation faces in the coming years. I know our Board will be grounded in care for our community as they navigate these and consider with all of us what it means to question boldly, listen humbly, grow spiritually, act courageously, and love unapologetically.

Being on the FUS Board of Trustees for the past three years has been a deeply meaningful experience that has expanded my love and appreciation for this incredible community. While I have always cherished our congregation, being on the Board has given me a front-row seat to witness the love and care that permeates our spiritual home. When I was asked to be Board President, I imagined it would be a challenging and important but relatively thankless role. The appreciation and support that so many of you have shared during this time though has been very impactful and moving. Thank you for the uplifting notes, thoughtful conversations, and hugs.

Lastly, I am beyond grateful to all the Board members I have served with who have led with love for this community, dedication, thoughtfulness, resilience, and courage. I have learned so much from all of you and we are blessed that you have chosen to share your time and talents with our community. ◊

From Blossoms

From blossoms comes this brown paper bag of peaches we bought from the boy at the bend in the road where we turned toward signs painted Peaches

From laden boughs, from hands, from sweet fellowship in the bins, comes nectar at the roadside, succulent peaches we devour, dusty skin and all, comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.

O, to take what we love inside, to carry within us an orchard, to eat not only the skin, but the shade, not only the sugar, but the days, to hold the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into the round jubilance of peach.

There are days we live as if death were nowhere in the background; from joy to joy to joy, from wing to wing, from blossom to blossom to impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.

Li-Young Lee, 1986

The curriculum boxes are filled, the registrations are processed, the supplies are well-stocked… we’re ready to launch into another year of children’s religious exploration. We’re excited that this year ALL of our curricula will be accessible online, saving FUS many hours in creating binders for teachers, and saving many trees from destruction! Curricula have all been updated to utilize more current resources, to include more voices from our BIPOC communities, and to allow for greater movement and community-building in our classrooms. We’re mostly all set, except for one little thing… TEACHERS! We still have quite a few openings for teachers, without whom we are unable to offer classes.

As you probably know, FUS does not have a budget that allows for paid teachers in our CRE program. We depend solely on volunteers, and this community has always come through for us, for which we are VERY grateful! Great connections have been built among our teaching teams (which typically have four teachers), and our children have been nourished by the wise and caring guidance of our volunteers. At the time of this writing, 73% of our teachers have taught before! That’s amazing, and, I believe, a testament to the value that they see in teaching. So why do they do it? Surely there must be other ways for them to spend their time! Here are the top ten reasons that I have heard from our teachers about why they teach (not listed in order of importance or prevalence!):

1. Being around kids brings them joy! They look forward to the fun and curiosity that they are a part of when they’re in the classroom (which is roughly twice a month).

GEARING UP FOR CRE

Leslie Ross, Director of Children’s Religious Exploration

2. Teaching brings them closer to their own understanding and experience of Unitarian Universalism. They feel their faith more deeply because of what they’ve learned from teaching.

3. It’s their way of paying it forward. Their children went through the CRE program and many other parents and volunteers took the time and energy to teach them. Now that their children are grown and gone, they feel it’s their turn to help care for others’ children.

4. Children are our future! Unitarian Universalism holds values that are important to them and to the future of our world. They want to be sure that they’ve played a part in promoting those values.

5. They learn so much from the kids in their class! They often feel more like the student than the teacher. The kids’ perspectives on things, their open-mindedness, and their compassion for each other all fill them with awe.

6. They get to be creative! The craft projects they do with the kids are fun and remind them of things they loved to do as a child.

7. It’s a great way to meet other adults, in addition to kids. They have become friends with some of their co-teachers, and they’ve really enjoyed getting to know some of the parents.

8. Every week during chalice lighting, the kids recite “This is the church of the open mind, this is the church of the loving heart, this is the church of the helping hands.” Kids need to see adults model how our church is and that these are more than just words—they are a covenant with each other. Teachers want to model that through service to our children and parents and by arriving with an open mind and a loving heart.

(con't on page 9)

GEARING UP FOR CRE

(con’t from page 8)

9. The kids make them laugh, and who doesn’t need more laughter in their lives?!

10. Worship services are recorded and can be watched later, so they no longer have to choose between hearing the service or teaching the kids. They can have it all!

If you haven’t taught before, at least one of the above reasons is bound to speak to you! If you

have taught before, then you probably nodded your head to at least one of the reasons. Please consider stepping up to teach for the 2023/24 year. Our kids need you. Our FUS community needs you. Our denomination needs you. Our world needs you!

Contact Leslie Ross, Director of Children’s Religious Exploration, at leslier@fusmadison.org to learn more about the opportunities to teach and the classes available.

Blessing of Play

May the month ahead brim with merriment, with joy, with revelry and experiment and glorious, irrelevant efforts for no particular purpose but play.

May we be each other’s conspirators in gigglement and glee, in dashing, in daring, in delight.

May we remember that children and crows and otters and kittens are wise in ways that we would do well to emulate, that is, in their instinctive impulse toward game and contest and exploration.

This month may your body play. May your mind play. May your spirit play.

And with the Divine, the Source of all ebullience everywhere, may you dance playfully to the music of your own light heart.

from Soul Matters, 2021

THE OAK TREES

Afew weeks ago, I found Mary Jane Hamilton’s 1991 book The Meeting House: Heritage and Vision on the extensive shelves at my parents’ house. It is an oddly-shaped book, longer than it is tall, with a folded cardstock cover the color of a paper grocery bag. Flipping through it, I looked at familiar images from FUS’s history: site plans, construction of the iconic prow, a group of men standing around a shovel at the ground-breaking ceremony, a group of women holding up the curtain they’d woven for the Hearth Room—the same curtain that now hangs in a glass case outside my office. There are pictures of the Stonehaulers—the women and men who helped transport a thousand tons of dolomite rock from a quarry outside Sauk City to our site in Shorewood Hills over the course of many weekends in 1949 and 1950. In the story of our congregation, we honor the Stonehaulers as our forebears, the people who with their own hands and determination built this church.

In his 1947 design for FUS, Frank Lloyd Wright called it “A Country Church for the Madison Unitarians.” Back then, this spot—now solidly in the middle of the city—was a rural suburb. Early visitors to the Meeting House report being able to see all the way to Lake Mendota. Hamilton writes: “In keeping with his vision of a rural church, Wright sought to preserve a nearby grove of oak trees where he hoped the parishioners would picnic after Sunday services, as he had in his youth with the Lloyd Jones family [...] near Spring Green.” Though I’ve long been familiar with Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture and site-based design, this was the first time

I’d encountered the idea that Wright specifically identified our oak trees as a part of his overall vision for the Meeting House.

Growing up at FUS, I loved our oak trees. In my CRE class called “Religion Without Walls,” our teacher and resident ecologist Brent Haglund encouraged us each to find our own sacred spot somewhere on campus; mine was in the wide, low branch of one of the old oaks north of the Loggia. (Recently Brent told me that some of the lower branches of the oaks needed to be cut down in the 90s because they “were killed by kids climbing on them,” and I had to confess that I was one of those kids!) In my family, my dad was the UU who brought us to church on Sundays, and my mom was a recovering Catholic who said that the only church she believed in was nature. Climbing into the oak tree and settling myself against its sturdy trunk, listening to the leaves whisper against each other while the adults were still inside the Landmark, I discovered a way to unite my parents’ theologies: I could be at church and in nature at the same time.

(con’t on page 11)

Molly Backes, Communications Coordinator

Meeting House with oak trees, ca. 1951

OF FUS

(con’t from page 10)

According to the nature writer Margaret Roach, oak trees “support more life-forms than any other North American tree genus, providing food, protection or both for birds to bears, as well as countless insects and spiders, among the enormous diversity of species.” A keystone species, oaks are the glue that holds an entire ecosystem together. You could also say that they hold the land itself together—their large root systems help to keep the soil in place, increasing rainwater absorption and preventing erosion. In this season of drought, the wide canopy of our oaks has provided relief from the scorching sun for the plants and animals beneath them. While most of the grass on our campus is as yellow and dry as straw, the growth under the oaks is still green.

Oak trees have been sacred to people in cultures across the world for millennia. In many traditions, oak trees are also significant meeting places— sites of holy rites and rituals, gathering places for community meetings and celebrations, landmarks for travelers. When our congregation decided to build our Meeting House alongside an oak grove, we joined an ancient tradition that countless numbers of our ancestors observed before us, a tradition that may be as old as humanity itself: gathering in community under the oak trees to celebrate and wonder and mourn and grow together.

Researching our oak trees took me into the FUS archives, where I found an entire box of minutes, memos, invoices, and letters from the members of the Grounds and Landscaping Committee(s), representing nearly 75 years of work. As I flipped through the documents, I found myself unexpectedly moved by how much people have invested in the care of our land—not just their time and money, but their physical and intellectual and

emotional labor. (Some of the letters about landscaping plans are intense! It turns out UUs have strong opinions about things—who knew?) Our oaks connect us not just to the ancient generations of ancestors who held such trees sacred but also to the more recent generations of FUS members who loved and cared for these trees, specifically.

As the stewards of an iconic architectural landmark, we can sometimes get bogged down in the Frank Lloyd Wright of it all. We are a dynamic community—living, growing, exploring, changing, gorgeously imperfect and human—that dwells in a building which can sometimes feel more like a museum than a home. The story of the Stonehaulers is important because it reminds us that though this place represents the unique vision of one man, it also embodies the love and labor of the community members who built it. In the decades since, we have used the term to remind ourselves, too, of the love and labor it takes not only to build a church but to keep it going and thriving. In my book, every person who has tended to our land over the last 75 years is a Stonehauler, too.

Brent Haglund calls the four oldest oaks on our campus the “Signature Oaks.” They are the oldest members of our community, witnesses to this place long before we showed up. Oak trees can live for hundreds of years, so with any luck, they will stand witness long after we’re gone. It’s hard to imagine what the world might look like in the future, but the oaks, with their slow growth and long timelines, help me to see what it could be. The people caring for our trees 75 years from now haven’t been born yet, but they will be connected to us, just as we are connected to those who came before us. The oak trees—beloved elders, sacred meeting place—will make family of us all.

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

Perceptive Prayer

The beauty of summer nights is how they go on— light lingering so long we can imagine ourselves immortal. For moments at a time.

And winter days— their own kind of beauty. Any swatch of color: hint of leaf bud, sway of dried brown grass, even litter—

a bright yellow bag light enough for the breeze to lift and carry, can render itself as pleasure to an eye immersed in gray.

May we learn to love what is both ordinary and extra. May our attention be a kind of praise. A worship of the all there really is.

Grace Bauer, 2014

A SUMMER OF SERVICES

Summer Schedule: In-Person & Online Sundays @ 10 am

JULY 2 THE POWER OF PLAY

Rev. Suzelle Lynch

Why do so many adults think play is just for kids? The world’s leading researcher on the science of play says it’s the key to happiness, health and better relationships. A leading game designer says that when we are playful, we come alive to the joy of the moment. A well-known naturalist says play lifts us into the world of ordinary miracles. Rev. Suzelle Lynch invites us to come out and play with her today, and learn more about the Power of Play. Linda Warren plays solo piano music by Debussy, Dello Joio, Davis, and Guaraldi.

The Rev. Suzelle Lynch (she/her) has served UU congregations in Brookfield, WI, Bremerton, WA, Dallas, TX, and San Diego, CA. She’s a graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry and is a co-founder of Black Lives Matter to Wisconsin UUs. Prior to ministry, Rev. Suzelle was a communications professional for a robot company, an artificial language laboratory, and a big insurance company. For fun she writes songs, makes hats, walks labyrinths and does upcycle sewing. Suzelle is semi-retired and lives in Janesville, WI with her fiancé Tom Ness.

JULY 9

MOSAIC THEOLOGY: MAKING MEANING LIKE A MAGPIE

Rev. Andy Karlson

Fifteen years into his career as a hospital chaplain, FUS community minister Andy Karlson has decided to stop feeling guilty about not having a systematic theology. Join us to explore how we balance intuition with accountability, piecing together little pieces and trusting in the gradual revelation of the whole. Music for piano duet played by Bryan Rainey and Linda Warren, as well as a choral selection by the “Anybody Choir” (please join us!).

JULY 16

THE PLAY’S THE THING

Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson

“All the world’s a stage,” wrote the Bard of Avon, and the lot of us merely players upon it. In this service we will draw on lessons and insights from the world of the theater, to see what one of the greatest human venues for playing pretend might teach us about that stage that is our world. The Solstice Harp Ensemble plays music honoring the Summer Solstice featuring Mary Ellen Bell, Chelcy Bowles and Linda Warren on celtic harps.

JULY 23 CREATING BELONGING

20s and 30s Group: Emily Smith, Bryan Rainey, Erin Hawes

In this service, members of FUS’s 20s and 30s group will reflect on how belonging happens within ourselves and our communities. Our 20s and 30s is a group of young adults who meets monthly for fellowship and spiritual discussion. This service was informed by the thoughts, ideas, and hopes of the group. The FUS Chime Choir will play two hymn arrangements, and Linda Warren will play two piano solos.

JULY 30 RESISTING TYRANNY

Rev. Jim Foti

For most of us, daily life goes on as before while authoritarianism continues its creeping rise. And that’s part of the playbook, a feeling of normalcy as freedoms and democracy erode. The good news: Resistance is NOT futile, and can even be joyful. Join us as guest speaker Rev. Jim Foti explores what’s at risk and what’s working, and how we can live out our deepest values in these times. Rev. Foti is a freelance UU minister based in Minnesota and Wisconsin. A Milwaukee native, he received his B.A. from UW-Madison and his Master of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. From 2014 to 2022, he served as an assistant minister at the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis and recently served as sabbatical minister at United UU Congregation in Waukesha. Prior to seminary, Jim had a 20-year career as a newspaper journalist, including three years at the Milwaukee Journal. Music includes pieces for solo harp by Skaila Kanga, Kim Robertson, Pearl Chertok, and Verlye Mills.

A SUMMER OF SERVICES

Summer Schedule: In-Person & Online Sundays @ 10 am

AUGUST 6 POETRY SERVICE

Rev. Kelly Crocker, Roz Woodward, and FUS Poets

We continue our beloved tradition of sharing the poems of our FUS community. Poets from our congregation will read selections of their own work on the topic of summer, play, whimsy and wonder, all that these summer months bring to us. Many in our community draw upon poetry to inspire us with fresh insight, give voice to our deeper thoughts and emotions, and strengthen our sense of who we are and the meaning of our lives. We continue this tradition because we honor the voices of the poets among us and know that poetry has the power to heal us, challenge us, and bring us together.

AUGUST 13 @ 11 AM UU GATHERING AT VILAS PARK!

with the ministers and members of FUS, JRUUC, and PUUF

We are so very excited to share that we will be hosting a Madison UU Gathering in the Park! Ministers and members of First Unitarian Society, James Reeb UU Congregation, and Prairie UU Fellowship will be creating a service that celebrates the connections that live among us as UUs. We hope that you will join us for worship and fellowship, bring a picnic and stay and enjoy the day together. The FUS Anybody Choir will sing the spiritual “Keep Your Lamps.”

AUGUST 20 CELEBRATING PRIDE

Revs. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson and Kelly Crocker

Now more than ever, we must find all the ways we can joyfully and enthusiastically support, uplift and love our LGBTQ+ family. The attacks on this community are relentless and our siblings are tired and worn. Join us as we find the strength together to celebrate the rainbow of folks who live their lives and celebrate their loves unapologetically and out loud. This is a time to pledge our support and our willingness to fight for their freedom, their rights, their very existence. We must care for those in the LGBTQ+ community as if all our lives depend on it, because it does. This Sunday we will care for our people, we will joyously celebrate them all, we will shout out the beauty of their lives and their love.

AUGUST 27 ASK TEAM KELLY

Revs. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson and Kelly Crocker

This is the second time we are holding this service that is created by YOU! Last year we answered your questions on the meaning of our chalice, what UUism means to us, how we reconcile with the destructive forces of our world, and more. Now it’s your turn again: send us your questions and we will do our best to answer as many as we can in one service!

COMMUNITY INFORMATION

AUGUST WORSHIP SERVICES NEED YOU!

The month of August holds two services that require your participation. Please send your submissions to Rev. Kelly C at kellyc@fusmadison.org. We would love to have your voice in poetic form and your questions answered in August!

August 6 Poetry Service: Please send your poetry submissions to Kelly C by July 23. We welcome all poems on the theme of summer, play, wonder and whimsy, whatever these summer months mean to you!

August 27 Ask Team Kelly: Please submit your questions for Team Kelly by August 13. Do you have a burning theological question? A UU or FUS history question? A question about a moral, social, justice issue in our world? A question about what brought us here or about our work together? Please send them all! We can’t guarantee that we will be able to answer all your questions during the service but we will try!

COMMUNITY INFORMATION WHEEL OF LIFE

We are so saddened to share the news of the passing of Rev. Jerry Mosser on June 15. Jerry was a gentle spirit, a compassionate soul, who served our congregation as an affiliated minister, sang in the Society Choir, led us in circle dances on the accordion, taught classes, worked with our Lay Ministers and Quest program, and counseled and supported many of you. Jerry was a force of love in this world, and he changed us in ways too numerous to mention. We send our love to his wife Anne, their family, and all who love and miss Jerry.

Our hearts were heavy to learn of the passing of Tom Garver on June 9. Tom has been a part of our community here for many years and brought an indomitable spirit, an eye for beauty, and a quick wit that we deeply miss. Tom was generous and kind, creative in both how to make the world beautiful and how to help the people of this world, especially the young. He believed in service and helping others and brightening our days with a wicked sense of humor. Tom, along with Nancy Webster, was the creative genius behind our orchid sponsorship program. Our love is with all those who knew and loved him deeply.

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

CONNECT WITH FUS ONLINE!

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/

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

Jenny Seeker Conroy, President

Chuck Evenson

Joy Stieglitz Gottschalk

Emily Cusic Putnam, Secretary

Emily Smith

Ann Schaffer

Ed Zapala

Zizi Brandt, Youth Liason

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.