Try to praise the mutilated world. Remember June’s long days, and wild strawberries, drops of rosé wine. The nettles that methodically overgrow the abandoned homesteads of exiles. You must praise the mutilated world. You watched the stylish yachts and ships; one of them had a long trip ahead of it, while salty oblivion awaited others. You’ve seen the refugees going nowhere, you’ve heard the executioners sing joyfully. You should praise the mutilated world. Remember the moments when we were together in a white room and the curtain fluttered. Return in thought to the concert where music flared. You gathered acorns in the park in autumn and leaves eddied over the earth’s scars. Praise the mutilated world and the gray feather a thrush lost, and the gentle light that strays and vanishes and returns.
Adam Zagajewski, 2002Translated by Clare Cavanagh
In the spring of 1995, I stood at the front of the Landmark Auditorium with Anne Kosseff and Meaghan Gustafson and harmonized on the Byrds’ song “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season).” We’d been practicing for weeks. This was our contribution to the Coming of Age service our class presented to the congregation. Later in the service, I read the famous lines from Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran that begin: “Your children are not your children / They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.”
At the end of our service, an adult from the congregation handed us each a rose in full bloom with the thorns still on, signifying our entry into the season of our lives when we could no longer be protected from all of life’s threats and stings—symbolically affirming that we were now mature enough to understand that the beauty of life is in its complexity, thorns and all.
I don’t know when our congregation began the tradition of having our Coming of Age class design and lead a service, but my older sister Valerie Tremelat did it in 1988, so I do know that it’s a ritual we’ve observed annually for at least 35 years. I don’t know how many people have sung “Turn! Turn! Turn!” or read from The Prophet in that time, but I’m willing to bet they’ve both been popular choices. What I do know for sure is that for as long as most of us can remember, we have handed the pulpit over to our teens and celebrated their place in our congregation. They share their questions and ideas, their beliefs and wishes and hopes for the future, and we listen.
The COA service is always one of my favorites on our calendar. I love the symbolism of the roses. I love hearing what this year’s group of teens have to say. And I love the way it reminds me, every year, to pause and think about myself at fifteen. To consider what I knew then and what I know now, the ways that my beliefs have changed since then and the ways they have expanded and deepened.
This spring’s COA service was particularly poignant for me as I celebrate a year (already!) of working here as the communications coordinator. In the last year, I have reconnected with so many familiar faces from my youth and have met a great number of new friends, too. This year has also deepened my friendship with Anne. After singing together at our COA service, we ended up attending the same small college and have been connected through our tight-knit alumni group ever since, but being back at FUS has given me many opportunities to reminisce with her (or, more realistically, ask her to help fill in my spotty memories). As I listened to this year’s COA group deliver their “This I Believe” statements, I thought about how lucky I am to have a friendship that stretches back to our own Coming of Age season.
If I could offer one gift to our current group of Coming-of-Agers, it would be that each of them has an Anne of their own. I hope they keep at least one connection from their group, so that no matter where in the world they go from here, and no matter when or how they come back, they’ll always have someone else who remembers the day they stood in front of the congregation together and accepted a rose in full bloom, thorns and all. ◊
There are many rituals in our shared life that we hold dear. Our annual Water Communion and Flower Communion Services, which begin and end our church year; Winter Solstice and Christmas Eve Services, which remind us of the light in each of us and the beauty to be found in darkness; and the Coming of Age service, when we hear heartfelt and thought provoking Belief Statements. For Unitarian Universalist clergy, as for clergy in most faith traditions, a ritual we honor and value is that of sabbatical leave.
A sabbatical is an extended period of leave from one’s usual work, especially for rest or renewal. The root word literally means “ceasing,” and has its roots in the Sabbath ritual of a day of rest and in the practice of letting fields lay fallow for a season so that rejuvenation of the land can take place. The recommended guidance from the UUA and the UUMA is for ministers to accrue one month of sabbatical for each year served, to be taken between the fourth and seventh year of ministry. The average ministerial tenure in a UU congregation is five to seven years, so the practice of sabbatical provides an intentional time of renewal and rejuvenation to help make longerterm ministry healthier and more sustainable for both minister and congregation. They provide opportunities for new perspectives and continued growth—personal, spiritual, and institutional. Kelly and I both accrue this sabbatical leave as part of our covenant with you.
I have gratefully served FUS since July 2001. This coming year marks my 23rd year of ministry here. I have previously taken one sabbatical: four months in 2010. After the past 13 years of ministry, including 5 years of ministerial transition and interim work, the Board of Trustees has approved a sabbatical for me for six months, February through July of 2024. I plan to use
this time for rest, reflection, renewal, intentional spiritual practice, time with my children and family, refilling my spiritual well, and hope to return to FUS rejuvenated and refreshed.
More information will be coming to you as the sabbatical time approaches. Rev. Kelly AJ and the FUS staff, along with the Board of Trustees, plus all our committees and ministry teams who share responsibility for our ongoing programs and operations, will ensure that FUS will remain a vibrant and busy place in my absence. In addition, we will be hiring a ¼ time Sabbatical Minister to work alongside Rev. Kelly AJ.
Sabbaticals are opportunities to move more deeply into our hope of shared ministry. One of the greatest ways for you to embrace this opportunity is to use my absence to care well and often for each other, serving one another and this community with compassion. A minister’s sabbatical is a time to draw upon strengths as a congregation, a time for personal and institutional growth, and an opportunity for renewal in commitment to the community. It can also be a time to reflect on the congregation’s relationship with us, your professional ministers, and how we can best collaborate together in years to come. This is a wonderful time to celebrate the shared ministry of our community and each member’s work and commitment to our shared congregational life.
Rituals help us mark the passing of time, convey values, make meaning, and return to deep wells of regeneration and renewal. Done well, ritual is a pathway to new ways of being and a shelter from life’s storms. I am so deeply grateful to have this time to engage in the ritual of sabbatical renewal and look forward to sharing more in the months ahead. ◊
We gathered in the month of May to recognize and celebrate certain milestones in our congregation. Full of promise, commitment, and transformation, the rites of passage we witnessed included children, youth, young adults, and adults in our faith community. These rituals serve to remind us that we are a part of a long history of faithful and loving members who have come together over time to create beloved community.
We celebrated New Member Recognition , acknowledging and naming those who had recently—or not so recently—signed the Membership Book. We had not held a ceremony to honor the newest members of the congregation since 2019. What a joy to again be in person to share in this celebration!
We participated in Child Dedication to name and affirm our commitment to this named child, and to all our children, as they grow and change and learn. We agreed to love, guide, and cherish each one.
We witnessed our Coming of Age teens step into a deeper role in our shared life. Following a year of creating intentional community with their peers and class facilitators, our youth shared thoughtful and engaging worship in their Coming of Age ceremonies. As a faith community, we promise to walk with them in the work of living our faith within our walls and in the world at large. We hold firm to the promises we made to them when they were young children, and we continue to companion with them on the path of open-minded understanding and open-hearted presence in the lives we share.
We recognized the children and youth of this congregation and those who walked with them this year in our CRE Program during Teacher Recognition. Those who teach our young people commit to helping shape the present and the future of Unitarian Universalism. We give thanks to the teachers, youth advisors, youth mentors, and parents in our community.
We shared our commitment to one another as unique and wonderful humans as we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Flower Communion. This annual ritual celebrates beauty, human uniqueness, diversity, and community. For decades, this beloved tradition has provided meaning to many UU congregations around the world. As we celebrate Flower Communion, we also celebrate and support our sister congregation, the Unitarian Church in the village of Nagyajta (in Romania)
Our presence here as we witness these ceremonies deepens our connections to one another and to this community. It shows us the power and promise of ritual. In that power, we are reminded that we are “one strong body.” We are called to uphold the promises that we make to one another and to this faith, the promises to support and maintain the ongoing life, health, and work of this community. Most importantly, we are called to come together in mind, body, and spirit to create a more humane, just, and loving world. ◊
Janet Swanson, Director of Membership & Adult Programs
“Ritual preserves and renews tradition, conveys values, makes meaning, draws on deep springs, evokes feelings, goes beyond words, connects past and future in the present, and gives cause for hope.”
Touchstones 2023
Friday Night Social JuStice Film: JuNe 9
In-person with potluck, hosted by the MOSES Team (Madison Organizing in Strength, Equity, and Solidarity) in the Atrium and Commons. Featured film is Breaking the Cycle.
aNybody choirS: SecoNd SuNday oF each moNth—JuNe 11, July 9, auguSt 13
We will have several opportunities this summer to sing in a choir in worship. Our "Anybody Choirs" are for anybody and everybody—all are welcome!
The schedule each time will be:
8:20 am: Arrive, get music, find a seat
8:30 am: Rehearse
10 am: Sing in worship service
11 am: Turn in music, get coffee, done.
Come once, twice, or all three times!
bleSSiNg oF the aNimalS WorShip Service: JuNe 11
Including a visit from Haven’s Petting Farm
SuNday WorShip Service From uua geNeral aSSembly: JuNe 25
madiSoN SiNgS!: July 10, July 17, July 24
FUS and Madison Symphony Chorus will again co-sponsor community singing events. All are welcome. We hand out music for a choral masterwork, warm up our voices, and rehearse. The evening culminates in a low-key, no audience "performance." Schedule and repertoire subject to change.
July 10: Mozart "Requiem"
July 17: Beethoven "Mass in C"
July 24: Faure "Requiem"
Friday Family outdoor movie Night: July 14
With s’mores and beverages
WedNeSday Family muSic Night: July 26
Bring your own instruments and voices
Friday Family outdoor movie Night: auguSt 11
With s’mores and beverages
labor iN the pulpit WorShip Service: September 3
There are many connotations to the word "ritual." Depending on the context, we might associate it with words like rite, ceremony, sacrifice, repetition, commemoration, honor, return, habit, acceptance, holiday, and healing. There is a LOT of music used in rituals, but most of this month's playlist is music that addresses the list of words above. I have highlighted a few below. Here is the link: https://open.spotify.com/ playlist/0D9aKlCY7boKiojg1kbFqN
I included Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” from his suite of incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream . We usually only get to hear it played by organ, but I have selected Mendelssohn’s original orchestration. I have also included the original versions of Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” from Lohengrin and Pachelbel’s “Kanon & Gigue” (the second half is usually left off when accompanied a bride’s entrance...most brides don’t want to dance a jig upon arriving to the altar!). Similarly, I have included the original version of Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance No. 1,” a portion of which is traditionally heard at graduations. The 23rd Psalm is an oft-requested reading at funerals and memorials; I included a setting by Howard Goodall for chorus and orchestra.
Other than “Auld Lang Syne,” the US does not have many New Year’s Eve musical traditions. However, several other countries do. Attending a performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony has been a New Year’s Eve ritual in Japan since World War I. In Austria, the Vienna Philharmonic plays Johann Strauss waltzes and polkas, one after the other. I included a couple on our list,
and some other champagne-y songs for good measure, including Strauss’s own “Champagne Chorus” (from Die Fledermaus ).
“Méditation” from Massenet’s opera Thaïs is an entr’acte performed between two scenes. The title character, a courtesan, considers abandoning her hedonistic and luxurious lifestyle to take holy orders. It is during this time of reflection that “Méditation” plays, the solo violin symbolizing her meandering—but ever-ascending—thoughts as she chooses her path forward.
“May the long-time sun shine upon you, all love surround you, and the pure light within you guide your way on” is a text often sung at the close of a yoga practice. There are several melodies, and I have included recordings by Satkirin & Ferenz and Snatam Kaur. I invite you to seek out the original recording by The Incredible String Band (“A Very Cellular Song”), but have opted to not include it on the playlist.
Bobby McFerrin’s album Circlesongs is remarkable because of his use of repetition, which can produce a trance-like effect in the listener. I included one track from it but commend the entire album to you. I also included McFerrin’s rendition of the spiritual “Ev’rytime I Feel the Spirit,” which talks of returning to a state of prayer frequently.
I have included the entirety of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring . Stravinsky wrote of the work’s conception, “I saw in my imagination a solemn pagan rite: sage elders, seated in a circle, watching a young girl dance herself to death. They were sacrificing her to propitiate the god of Spring.”
Pianist Bil Groth created an entire album of stunning and creative piano solos based on UU hymns. I included several tracks from it on this month’s playlist, and recommend the entire album.
Performances of hymns and spiritual songs by Jim Scott, Bernice Johnson Reagon, CeCe Winans, Beautiful Chorus, MaMuse, and Brother Sun round out this month’s playlist.
I hope you find one or two tracks on the playlist that encourages your spiritual growth. I want to hear your ideas for tracks to add to this or any playlist, so email me suggestions anytime at drewc@fusmadison.org. Happy listening!
We are heartened when each year the barn swallows return.
They find their old nests, teach their young to fly, lining up on the barn roof for their first flight.
They remind us, for now, some rituals of this good earth continue.
Jonathan Greene, 2018
Every spring, the Coming of Age class presents a service of their own design which represents the culmination of their final year in our Children's Religious Exploration program. This beloved rite of passage signifies the transition from childhood to adolescence in our community. The service, which includes readings and music the teens choose and perform themselves, features a “This I Believe” statement from each member of the class in which they share their perspectives with the broader congregation.
We’ve chosen a few sentences to highlight from each “This I Believe” statement to give you a taste of the thoughtfulness, humor, and wisdom these young people bring to our congregation. You can watch the entire 2023 Coming of Age service here: tinyurl.com/fusCOA
“If you are open-minded to anything such as new experiences and new opportunities, you can potentially have more fun and learn new things. Sometimes things as simple as trying a new food, smiling at someone who walks by you who you don’t know, exploring a new place, and going outside of your comfort zone can all be great ways to be open-minded and find joy in your life.”
“Part of being a Unitarian is coming together with people from different beliefs and cultures, and uniting as one, no matter what our beliefs on God are. This is why I chose to be Unitarian: it’s a place where everyone can thrive and nobody has to feel left out.”
“Games are much more than a form of entertainment; they have the power to educate, inspire, connect, and enrich our lives in many ways. Whether we are alone or with others, games offer a unique and valuable experience that has the potential to improve and enhance our lives in many ways.”
“Music also has its own meanings and associations. Each song I listen to carries its own landscape and set of mental images. However it’s experienced, and however it presents itself, music is something that’s very important to me. It changes the way I experience things, and it lets me see its images, stories, and landscapes.”
“I truly think that the experience of living in a different country for any time period is very valuable to a person’s character. You undergo moments that are incomprehensible if you did not experience them yourself. In life, I will take the lessons that I learned in Hungary with me. I will make sure to welcome anyone who moves to the US because I know how it feels to be alone in an unknown country.”
“To put this plainly, putting patience into practice presents a perfectly painted picture that appears to be paradise, but I find it to be painfully apparent that patience isn’t always practical. I think if the world were to use patience to our advantage it would feel far more enjoyable with less stress and better results, all thanks to patience.”
“Reading is, to me, magic. Reading is a way for people to reach out to each other, sharing their thoughts, concerns, emotions. Their ideas, their stories, the way they see the world. A way of past generations speaking to us, telling us of their experiences, and of the lessons they’d learned.”
“One of the most important way people can have a positive perspective on life is by looking at the little things, for example, from where you are sitting in this room, look around you and try to point out all the items that you can see that are green. As you look around, you might start to notice things that you didn’t realize were there. You might even feel like now green things are everywhere, and the same goes for positivity. If you really look for it, it’s everywhere.”
“We humans are still nature, even though we may not always think of it or realize it. We occasionally think of ourselves as higher beings than the animals outside of our apartments, houses, and cities, but really, we are just different. When I am in nature, I don’t feel alone. I feel surrounded by life in a more pure form than I am used to seeing anywhere else.”
“I’m supposed to stand here and make a statement on what I believe, but I believe in many things: happiness, anger, fear, family, loss, nature, love, trial and error. Of all these things I had to pick from, I found change at the center of it all.”
(con’t on page 12)
(con’t from page 11)
“Communities can be very different from each other. They can be big or small, and they can form for many different reasons. Communities are important to me because of the people you can meet and the experiences you can gain while you’re there.”
“Creating lyrics helps me to understand my thoughts and feelings. Having the clarity of understanding what you’re feeling, even just for a second, reminds us what we are working for and helps us hope for the future. I’m not saying that music will stop all the negativity in your life. But I
am promising that by looking into ourselves and exploring our thoughts and feeling through music, that we will receive a better clarity of the present and more hope.”
“I might not be able to stop world hunger, but maybe I can comfort a friend who’s feeling sad. I might not be able to stop violence in the world, but maybe I can volunteer and help people in my community that need it. I might not be able to give everyone in the world an equal voice, but I can show appreciation and love to the people around me. Maybe that’s what being a good person is about: doing what you can with what you have.”
It doesn't have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones; just pay attention, then patch a few words together and don't try to make them elaborate, this isn't a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which another voice may speak.
Mary Oliver, 2007Summer Schedule: In-Person & Online Sundays @ 10 am
Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson
Rituals form when we take an action which could be purely practical or mechanical—lighting a candle, ringing a bell, eating a piece of bread—and place it in a context that gives it new or special meaning. The process of audio sampling, which has been so crucial to the popular music in the last 40 years, does much the same thing, just with sound. Join us for a playful and adventurous worship service about forging new meaning through novel combinations, and changing history without ever intending to. Linda Warren will play solo harp music by harpist and composer Laura Zaerr, a friend of Linda’s since they took harp lessons together when they were children.
Rev. Kelly Crocker & Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson
Animals bless our lives with their playfulness and affection and through their trusting presence. They are our teachers and our companions, whether in our homes or in the natural world. We gather to celebrate the many blessings that these creatures bring to us. Dogs, cats, hamsters, snakes, lizards, and all well-behaved pets are invited to join us, with their humans, for our service of blessing and remembrance. This service will be shorter than usual, and we invite you to think about bringing your animal loved one with you for a blessing. If your loved one has passed on, please send their photo to Rev. Kelly C to share time of memory. Stuffed animals are welcome to join us for a blessing, as well. Anybody Choir will sing an American Folk Hymn, “Sun Don’t Set in the Morning,” and Linda Warren will play arrangements of familiar hymns for piano.
Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson
The great teacher and writer bell hooks said, “The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others.” But love is not so simple as just a feeling, an idea, or an abstraction. Love is thing to be put into practice; actions we choose to take, again and again and again. On Juneteenth weekend, come share in a service about the loving work of collective freedom as a spiritual practice. In recognition of Juneteenth, Linda Warren will play piano solos by Black composers.
General Assembly Worship Service
The pandemic has wrought change and created uncertainty for institutions, like our Unitarian Universalist congregations, and our wider world. Who and what are we becoming, individually and collectively? We explore these themes as we gather in community to celebrate the best of who we are. Service will be held in Atrium Auditorium as usual, where we will project the virtual service live from General Assembly, the annual UU national get-together. Speakers will include Stella Anderson, Janice Marie Johnson, Rev. Danielle DiBona, Rev. Nancy McDonald Ladd, and sermon by Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti, Senior Minister of the UU Congregation of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Expect a longer service than usual, with a timing of approximately 90 minutes.
Being in the hospital for any reason and length of time can be a very stressful experience. You might want to have a visit from one of our ministers or from a Lay Minister. Hospitals and rehabilitation centers will not inform us that you are with them unless you specifically ask them to contact us. Even if you say you are a Unitarian Universalist, it doesn’t automatically mean they will let us know. We recommend you have a Lay Ministry business card in your wallet so you can easily find the number to call or give a business card to your medical support person so they know to call us. We want to support you well through all the challenging times of life, and we need to know when that’s happening. Please contact Rev. Kelly C if you would like business cards mailed to you, or pick them up at the Welcome Table in the Commons.
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/
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
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
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
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
Alyssa Ryanjoy, President
Lorna Aaronson
Annelise Alvin
Jennifer Seeker Conroy (President Elect)
Joy Stieglitz Gottschalk
Emily Cusic Putnam
John McGevna, Secretary
Ann Schaffer
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.
