Thank you to the guests, musicians, staff, and volunteers who made the Service Auction Kickoff party unforgettable! Our new Gateways Center sparkled as guests mingled, feasted, danced, and began bidding on more than 100 meals and gatherings, handcrafted items, and services. But it’s not too late to join the fun. Bidding is now open online . Bid Now If you’re unfamiliar with the process, there are lots of helpful instructions on the Service Auction Webpage : Online bidding will end on Sunday, Nov 24, at noon . During coffee hour that day, we will have helpers to assist anyone having trouble with the online bidding process. We will notify hosts and auction winners of their auction results shortly after Thanksgiving.  Billing Statements will be distributed at that time. We will advise you on how you can pick up any physical items you have won and provide methods for paying your bill. If you still have questions or need assistance accessing the list of auction offerings, please reach out the the Service Auction Team .

The Board and Staff would like to thank Dan Reidy, Harry Harris, Hazel Bell, Suzie Harris, Rev. Joel Miller, and others who helped shepherd the project PR Jumpstart. This project was chosen by the Board using a procedure recommended by the Endowment Committee and represents the first Endowment Fund Allocation. The purpose of PR Jumpstart was to support our mission by reviewing and improving our internal and external public relations (PR) marketing tools. The PR Jumpstart team presented the results of their work to the congregation on May 23rd, 2024 with a PowerPoint presentation that can be found in our Realm Files . The PR Jumpstart Project team activities, with the support of a professional marketing consultant, included creating a resource library, updating our style guide, and running an initial marketing campaign. Outreach Postcard The new style guide includes an updated Fellowship logo that links us more closely with the UUA. The initial marketing campaign includes outreach to 1000 families within a 10-mile radius in the form of a postcard. In the future you will be seeing this content being sent from our staff and Communications team that Rev. Sasha is currently in the process of convening our new Communications Team. If you are someone with experience with modern communications, including especially church communications, and are interested in being considered for the team, please contact Rev. Sasha . Thank you PR Jumpstart team for providing us with tools to reach out to our wider community more regularly and more effectively and bringing your work here to a close!

This Sunday, December 8th, there will be a Special Congregational Meeting to vote on the proposed budget for the Solar Project immediately following service in the Meeting Room. The YouTube recording from the November 24th budget information session is available for viewing. If you are unable to attend the meeting on December 8th, please complete and return this proxy form .

VIEW CATALOG Our Service Auction is just days away. The Auction Team is excited to be sharing this very special evening with all of you. Tickets are $25 at the door. If you’re on the fence about this, here’s what Rev. Sasha shared recently:   “I’ve spoken with about 54 people in my 1-on-1s “meet and greets” so far, and I was struck by how many people mentioned that auction events played a big role when they were still new to MUUF in helping them meet people and build connections and community here.” Think of it as a fast-track to integrating into our community. We promise to meet you half-way. It’s the party that keeps on giving all year long! Here’s what you can expect: The Doors to the Gateway Center will open at 5pm. Enter through the new entrance to the Gateways Center and check in at the registration table where you will receive a list of our Auction items. You can also peruse the Catalog online . (We recommend viewing by selecting “Catalog List” and sorting by “Item” for the best experience. There is also a “Calendar” tab that gives monthly display of Events.   Raffle Prizes will be on display in Chu Hall . Tickets can be purchased on site. Winning raffle tickets will be pulled later in the evening. No need to be present to win.  Enjoy delicious food and beverages, and live music from some of your favorite Sunday morning musicians.   Our silent auction area opens at about 6:15.  Our generous congregants have offered more than 100 items , including many group events. There are even two large events planned for our new Chu Family Hall. And do not miss Rev. Sasha’s offer to change her hair color (for a price, of course). There’s something for everyone! Indulge in delectable desserts and continued socialization What happens after Saturday night? Bid sheets are put into our auction software and we will re-open the auction online by Tuesday , so that you may continue to bid throughout the week. On Sunday, Nov 24, we will offer a last chance to bid online at the Fellowship during coffee hour.   Helpers can assist anyone having trouble with the online bidding process. Our auction will end at noon on November 24. Hosts and auction winners will be notified of the results shortly after Thanksgiving . You’ll receive a bill and instructions for picking up your items and making payment. If you still have questions or need assistance accessing the list of auction offerings, please send a note to ServiceAuction@muuf.org .

Nov 6 Held By Love: A Post-Election Vigil When: Nov 6, 2024 4:30 pm Where: Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit Join us for Held By Love: A Post-Election Vigil sponsored by Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and UU FaithAction NJ.  We will meet in person and online .  All are welcome for this time of music and readings – no matter the outcome – to reclaim all that is not on the ballot: our hope, our love, and our agency to act.

The opening party for the 2024 Service Auction will be held in the Chu Fellowship Hall on Saturday, November 16, from 5PM to 8PM. The $20 price (per person) for early-bird tickets ends November 10. The price then goes to $25 per ticket, which is still a bargain. Children under 18 are free. The Service Auction team will be selling tickets in the Terrace Room after Sunday’s service. You can also buy tickets at muuf.org using the “Give” tab or through Realm. If you need a ride to the party on November 16, email us at serviceauction@muuf.org. If you can’t make it, you may designate a proxy to place bids on your behalf for a donation of $20. Bidding for the service auction will start in-person during the kickoff party on November 16 and will continue online from November 18 – 24. There will be no bidding on Sunday, November 17, the dedication day for the Gateways Center. The online auction will end at noon on November 24, and the service auction team will be available to provide bidding help on Sunday morning, November 24, at the Fellowship.

The latest postcard mailing inviting prospective new members to visit the Fellowship is in the mail. As previously shared, this pilot promotional campaign targets neighbors with similar demographics to our congregation. This is the 2nd of 3 mailings targeting 1000 households. The postcard messages are also being shared on our public Facebook and Instagram pages. As a pilot, this campaign is aimed at helping this audience find our Fellowship and UU while providing us information on how we can best reach and welcome other demographic groups as well. Remember – we need your help in building our loving community and growing our Fellowship! You can do so in two important ways: Spread the word! Share the social media posts — or the postcard images themselves (see below) — with anyone you think might be interested in learning more about us. Welcome our visitors! Be on the lookout for newcomers and give them a warm Fellowship welcome before, during, and after our Sunday services. Stay tuned for one more post where we’ll share our final postcard message.

For the past week, the General Contractor has been working on the final “punch list” items. This included brick repair, hanging of plaques, and removing all of equipment. There are still a few small things that need to be wrapped up before the final cleaning of the building and turn over of the keys can take place. We hope that everyone is getting excited for the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting of the Gateways Center on November 17th following the worship service! Once the Certificate of Occupancy for the building is issued by Morris Township (anticipated to be received in the next two weeks), we will have the tables and chairs for Chu Hall delivered and begin getting ready for the big day! As we are getting ready, the building will remain closed until the live Service Auction Kickoff Party on Saturday, November 16th. We know that everyone is excited to be in the new building, but this is necessary for everyone’s safety. Last Saturday, 16 people (including four of our staff one of our Senior High youth) attended a two-hour training on use of the new kitchen equipment. There may be an additional training session next year, if you would like to be an approved kitchen user, please ask Sandra Persichetti or Diana Hart to add you to their invite list. Our sound contractor is completing the new A/V system in the Chu Hall and will be training our A/V volunteers. Please contact Alex West if you wish to be trained on the new system. Training on the new coffee maker Going over the controls of the convection oven Showing how to work the oven vent fan View of Chu Hall almost ready for the Ribbon Cutting! The Contractor has emptied out his office! Plaques hung in the Loe Family Courtyard of Compassion

The deadline to submit offerings for the Service Auction has been extended to Sunday, November 3, and the Service Auction Committee will be available in the Terrace Room to provide assistance after Sunday’s service. You can also find out more about the Service Auction online at the Fellowship website here . When your donation is ready—with a catchy headline, description, photo, date (if applicable), and minimum bid/fixed price—go to our Together Auction platform. Click “Donate a new item” and fill in the blanks. If you have any questions related to your offering, type them into the description box, and we’ll get back to you. The opening party for the Service Auction will be held in the new Gateways Center on Saturday, November 16, from 5PM to 8PM. The $20 price for advance tickets ends November 10. The price then goes to $25 per ticket. Children under 18 are free. After Sunday’s service, The Service Auction team will be selling tickets. We can take payments in cash, by check, or via Venmo. You can also buy tickets at muuf.org. Go to the “Give” tab on the far right and select “Make a Donation.” Under “How much would you like to give?”, input $20, $40, $60, etc. based on the number of tickets you want (through November 10). Use the pull-down menu in the “Fund” box to choose “Service Auction” and press “continue.” Bidding for the service auction will start in-person during the kickoff party on November 16 and will continue online from November 18 – 24. There will be no bidding on Sunday, November 17, the dedication day for the Gateways Center. The online auction will end at noon on November 24, and the service auction team will be available to provide bidding help on Sunday morning, November 24, at the Fellowship.

This year’s pledge drive did not meet the proposed goal of $470,000. As a result, the Finance Committee proposed the following budget adjustments to decrease the anticipated budget shortfall. These reductions were approved in the October Board meeting. These line items have been decreased by the following amounts: Custodian: $2,000 Music: $750 Hospitality Hour: $600 Religious Education: $3,000 Postage: $100 Worker’s Compensation: $500 Landscaping (spring cleanup): $3,000 Leadership Development: $400 Stewardship: $500 The Finance Committee will continue to evaluate the budget versus actual and make additional recommendations to the Board if needed as the year progresses.

Nov 17 Gateways Center Ribbon Cutting When: Nov 17, 2024 11:30 am Where: The Gateways Center at the Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship You are invited to attend the ribbon cutting for our new building addition – the Gateways Center at the Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship . RSVP by Email or on Realm by 11/12 Over ten years in the dreaming, design and building, our new Gateways Center will serve our growing community, and welcome all. Featuring: Al & Minda Chu Family Hall Uhrhane Wilson Family Welcome Gallery Loe Family Courtyard of Compassion in Memory of Lee, Hardy and Claire Loe Morgenthaler Ferm Family OWL Room [sales_countdown_timer id=”salescountdowntimer”] More information on the Progress

Members of all ages are invited to participate in planning and leading a multigenerational Sunday Service that interweaves four December holidays: Solstice, Hannukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. Production meetings will begin in late October, leading to rehearsals in November and December, culminating in sharing Winter Weavings with our whole congregation on December 22. Our goal is participation by lots of people of all ages, exploring and interweaving stories, readings, dramatizations, pantomimes, dances, instrumental and choral songs, and many candles! There will be lots of ways, large and small, for lots of people to be involved in planning, performance, and production. How can you and your household be a part of this celebration? Please contact service coordinator Barbara Castellana Stasiak as soon as possible to talk about how you can share your talents and creativity as part of the cast and/or crew. This celebratory service was first created in December of 1993, inspired by the poetic mission and covenant statement that we had adopted in May of that year. Reviving it in December 2024 is an opportunity to once again weave the fabric of our Fellowship community from the varied religious and cultural traditions that are the strands of our separate lives.