Does your family have sneakers they are no longer using? Green Earth Ministry is ready to ship them to GotSneakers.com for reuse or recycling. Simply place pairs of sneakers into one of our labeled collection bins, which are in the Great Hall of the mansion and in the hallway outside Chu Hall in the Gateways Center. Top-quality used sneakers can earn the Fellowship as much as $7. More importantly, they won't become solid waste. This collection ends on September 26. After that, please take old sneakers to your local recycling center or put them into collection bins for used clothing and shoes, which are commonly found in shopping center parking lots.

It’s not too early to think about your Service Auction item! From dinners to hikes, anything is possible! More details soon! Contact serviceauction@muuf.org for more info.

Late in the spring Noelle Jensen announced her intention to step back from leading the Welcome team. Noelle Jensen stepped up in 2021-2022 to co-chair the Welcoming Table with Mia Comes and Carrie Davis and continued on after Mia and Carrie stepped out of their leadership roles. Noelle has been at MUUF since the last 2 craft shows and has raised her son Soren in the Religious Education program. She is a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice. We thank Noelle for her service and are so glad she will be continuing on the Welcome Table and team. Her positive, sunny energy adds so much to the team. Irene Mendelson will be stepping up to lead the Welcome Team. Irene Mendelson joined the Welcoming Ambassadors to build on her natural inclination to talk to many different people during coffee hour. When Donna Becker stepped out of in December 2025, Irene stepped up to take on the coordinator role. Irene has been at MUUF since September 1986 shortly after she started dating Bob Scott. Bob and Irene raised their daughter Elisa in the Religious Education program. Over the years Irene has served in a number of roles at MUUF, including Treasurer, chair of the technology committee for five years, and Service Auction co-chair. She still sings in the choir. She was an information technology project manager at Bayer until being laid off at the end of 2024. She is still figuring out the best use of her time since she is not working. If you have any ideas about our welcoming ministry, feel free to contact Irene or any member of the Welcome Team.

We need your help to staff our Fellowship table on Sunday, September 27th! Our presence at the upcoming Fall festival is a wonderful opportunity to share our vibrant UU community with Morristown. People thrive in community, and your smiling face at our table can help newcomers find their spiritual home. How you can help: Review the schedule and pick a slot that works best for you. Spread the word - encourage someone you'd like to spend time with to volunteer with you. Welcome festival-goers and share what makes our Fellowship special. Thank you so much for your time, your energy, and your dedication to growing our community!

Our Annual Potluck Lunch in Chu Family Hall follows the Ingathering Service on Sunday, September 13th. Bring a dish to share based on your last name: A - F: Dessert G - L: Side Dish / Salad M - Z: Main Dish Drop off your dish in Chu Family Hall before the 10 AM Ingathering Service.

Starting on October 4, the Board of Trustees invites you to join us at Coffee Hour on the first Sunday of each month at the Board Coffee Table. Members of the Board will be available for questions, concerns, and open dialogue on issues concerning our congregation. Look for us at the table near the piano in Chu Hall - we look forward to talking with you!

I've started collecting some great suggestions for outings we can take together. You can email me if interested, at sloe@muuf.org, and I can connect you with the member who submitted the idea; or go the websites posted below for more information. First, Laura Alper recommends Premiere Stages, the resident theater company at Kean University in Union. Their next play is the NJ premiere of "Flawless," from September 3 - 20th, a 75- minute production described as follows: "A writer and an AI software designer engage in a battle of wits to create the next great play in this darkly comic tale about the impending intersection of technology and creativity." Seems highly topical, in light of Jerry Weinstein's recent lay led service regarding our interaction with tech, and all the hype about AI these days. Use code "FLAWPOST" for $5 off tickets. Laura also suggested Montclair State University's "Peak Performances" - Coming up September 25, at 3 pm, is a FREE presentation at Montclair State University - yep it's Shakespeare-nerd material but it's free! RSC Script-In-Hand Hamlet "The Royal Shakespeare Company culminates its residency at MSU with a look into the rehearsal room, and a script-in-hand performance of Shakespeare’s tragic masterpiece, Hamlet." More info when you grab your free ticket, required for admission. Click here! October 3 will be an opportunity for a free livestream of the "Battle of the Siblings," featuring MUUF alum Sarah Bernadette Matsushima, when the show is reprised in Boston, MA. Look for the link in a newsletter closer to the date. Coming up October 10 at 2 pm: The inaugural Light Opera of New Jersey Youth Ensemble Concert, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 140 S. Finley Avenue in Basking Ridge, NJ. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for students and folks 65 and up. Click here! Anyone have any suggestions for November? Finally - SAVE THE DATE for Amahl and the Night Visitors, 3 performances December 5 and 6 in Chu Hall. MUUF discounts will be offered when tickets go on sale closer to the date. The production is described here. Be like Laura! Send me your ideas! Even talking about going builds community, y'all!

The Welcome Team will be having their next meeting on Tuesday, September 8 from 7pm to 8pm in Room B in Chu Hall. Anyone who wants to come early, please bring your dinner at 6pm. If the welcoming ministry appeals to you, please come in person or join on Zoom. Contact Irene Mendelson if you need the Zoom link. There are a number of roles that are available that can fit different time commitments: If you enjoy greeting people, the front door greeter is for you -- arrive 20 minutes early on a Sunday. If you want to greet newcomers more formally, a spot on the Welcome Table might fit -- getting them name tags and signing them up for our online newsletter prior to the Sunday service. If you can give some time before and after the service, please volunteer as an usher -- handing out orders of service as people enter the Meeting Room, passing the plate during the offertory, and counting the money after the service. If you enjoy connecting people and making them feel welcome during coffee hour, the welcoming ambassador might be a fit.

In February we posted a Transylvania Tidbit introducing Rev. Mihály Bálint, the interim minister replacing the now-retired Rev. Dénes Pálfi. It proved difficult to make contact and for months we got no response. However, recently at a concert at the Shelter Rock UU church on Long Island, Gabor made contact with their Partner Church Committee, and thereby obtained a contact in Transylvania who was able to facilitate communication with the new minister. He has now replied to our email, and confirmed that he is an interim. We don't know yet how or when a permanent replacement will be named. In the meantime, Gabor has been named to the Board of Directors of UUWYN, the UU World Youth Network, an organization that promotes and facilitates worldwide UU youth exchanges, in Transylvania of course, but also India, Philippines, Africa, Latin America, etc. In this capacity Gabor will be attending the 48th Francis David Unitarian Youth Conference in Kolozsvár (Cluj) Romania, in October. While he is there, Gabor will visit personally with Rev. Bálint, probably in Sinfalva, which is an hour drive from Kolozsvár. He will clarify the timing of naming the permanent replacement minister, and confirm our desire to continue our 30+ year relationship. In addition, the 125th anniversary of the birth of Ferenc Balázs, the influential Transylvanian minister who was described in the book ALABASTER VILLAGE: OUR YEARS IN TRANSYLVANIA By Christine Frederiksen Balazs (we have a copy in the Partner Church Corner) https://www.biblio.com/book/alabaster-village-our-years-transylvania-morgan/d/160851176 The village of Mészko (Alabaster Village) is literally 5 minutes drive from Sinfalva, right across the Aranyos river, so Gabor will participate in that event also. Here is a map showing the relationships between these places.

Do you have sneakers that don't fit or are worn out? Green Earth Ministry will collect used sneakers (kids and adults) from September 8th - 26th for recycling by GotSneakers.com. Please place your used sneakers in the labeled bins that you'll find in the mansion's Great Hall and near the entrance to Chu Family Hall. GEM will ship them to GotSneakers for reuse or recycling, and the Fellowship may receive a small payment. GotSneakers cleans and recirculates 90% of the sneakers it receives into secondhand markets at home and abroad, to be worn and loved again. The most sustainable path a sneaker can take is to go into reuse and be given a second life. When a pair reaches its true end of life, it can be broken down — ground, separated, and reused to create something new: countertops, shelves, insoles, laces, even new footwear. No sneaker goes from GotSneakers to a landfill. This collection is for pairs of sneakers, no single sneakers. Also, please do not bring in heels, sandals, wedges, water socks, or rain boots. Instead, donate them to a local charity, homeless shelter, or other organization, or put them into a shoe and clothing collection bin at your town's recycling center or at a shopping center. Thank you for taking part in this collection!

Does your family live in Morristown? Be one of 80 Morristown households to help reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while cutting municipal costs for waste removal. Your food scraps will be composted commercially, allowing acceptance of a wider variety of items than with home composting. This pilot program will begin on Tuesday, September 9, 2026. To learn more and to sign up, click here.

The first line of the New UUA Curriculum, A Woven Faith, for 0-4 year olds is, “These sessions are rooted in the belief that even very young children are capable of being meaningful, valued partners in congregational life.” Seeing this sentiment coming from a UUA commissioned and authored curriculum (The first in at least ten years) excited both the Children’s Faith Formation Team and the volunteers that work with that age group. And since Rev. Sasha’s arrival we have celebrated four Baby Dedications with more young children joining us every week. The confluence of these two facts, coupled with the addition of the Morgenthaler Ferm Family “Our Whole Lives” (OWL) Room has allowed us the opportunity to add a class for 2-4-years-olds to begin their Faith Formation journey. Children will join Ellery Churchmouse each week to explore Unitarian Universalist values through play. Each session features an illustrated letter from Ellery and an everyday object to discover together. This playful approach meets young children where they are, allowing spiritual curiosity and UU values to emerge naturally and joyfully. Children are also given time for self-directed play with the materials from Ellery or other toys in the room. This allows them to delve further into the value being taught that day. They are able to use their imagination to discover UU values and interpersonal relationships. As Mr. Rogers Says, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” Classes will take place from 11:30-12:30 two Sundays a month in the Morgenthaler Ferm Family “Our Whole Lives” (OWL) Room (Room A). We could use a few more volunteer teachers. If you are called to help lead this exciting new class, please reach out to Nick or our Lead Teacher for this class, Megan Hein. If you want to sign your child up for this class, click here. If you want to learn more about the class, click here. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our Director of Lifespan Religious Education, Nick Wallwork.