Share the Plate
“Share the Plate” will be split with half going to support our Fellowship’s ministries, and the other half going to support a worthy organization.
Share the Plate – April 2024 
The April Share the Plate recipient is Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Wisconsin.
This month our recipient was one of three nominees submitted by congregation members and friends, winning a vote by students in Religious Exploration classes.
For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers and children. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people. Visit https://www.bbbsecw.org/ to learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Wisconsin.
Fellowship member Mary Gerlach told students in her presentation that, “ Big Brothers Big Sister does a lot to help children from one-parent homes or homes where parents are not able to spend quality time with their kids. I have been a Big Sister to 5 girls, and I have seen the need that these kids have for guidance and understanding. The agency has social workers to help find good matches for kids and supply them with fun and educational activities. Many boys and girls are on the waiting list for a “Big” so the need is great”.
To donate: Drop your offering in the collection plate or, visit fvuuf.org/give Choose Online Giving or VancoPlus Mobile, select “Share the Plate”. To text a donation, text 833-278-1690, enter the $ amount, space, Share ($50 Share). Or mail a check to FVUUF (2600 Philip Lane, Appleton WI 54915) with “Share” in the memo line.
Reach Our Goal April Focus: Religious Exploration
Religious Exploration – The Fiscal Side
This year, our religious exploration program has 105 registered children and youth with a budget of around $11,393, not counting staff expenses of paying and supporting our Director of Religious Education Kim Hartman, our Religious Education Administrative Assistant Jill Williams, our preschool RE teacher Becca Linekin, or our wonderful nursery and childcare staff, and other staff support, which is an additional $182,562 in our 2023/2024 budget for RE. Our parents and caregivers pay registration fees, and there are costs associated with many of our programs to offset some of these expenses (fees and fundraising bring in approximately $6,250), but it is up to our community as a whole to help support our youngest UUs.
In our RE program, children play and make friends, learn to live their UU values like caring for other people and the earth, learn healthy sexual education in OWLS (Our Whole Lives), and all about the faiths of our neighbors in Crossing Paths. Our BATS (Being A Teen) teens explore their own spirituality and what it means to be a part of the UU community.
The time, energy, and support that our young people receive from their experiences in our RE program are priceless! But they do have an associated cost.
Please give generously to our Reach Our Goal Campaign this month to support our wonderful Religious Exploration program.
To give please visit fvuuf.org/give or use the preprinted envelopes in the lobby. Envelopes can be dropped in the locked box on the wall outside the office door, or in the collection basket. If you intend to increase your ongoing giving, please let us know by completing a “Giving Intention” form. You will find a link to the form on the right side of the page at fvuuf.org/give. Thank you!
A monthly income and expense summary is available on the governance page of our website https://fvuuf.org/governance/
