There are so many folks who contribute their time and talents regularly to make our community the special place that it is with all its activities and all its functions. The Board would like to recognize a few of our amazing volunteers this year. New Volunteers Those who have seen a need and stepped in to help out - if you recently took on a role with one of our teams, volunteered to work on a project, or helped out when you saw a need, thank you for stepping in and giving your time to our community. We’d especially like to give a shout-out to new members and friends who have stepped into volunteer roles - Sheila Battaglia, Rachel Barry, Barbara Long, Gary Gu, Matt Barry, and Dori Wolfe. Thank you so much for jumping into our community feet first and doing the work that was needed! Long-time Volunteers So many of you volunteer your time and talent to making this a community of love, good works, and wonder. It’s hard to acknowledge everyone who makes a difference in the life of our Fellowship, but I’d like to lift up some exceptional volunteers this year: Shari Loe In addition to being the face of the highly successful Mortgage Prevention campaign this year, Shari has been teaching 3rd-5th graders in RE, ran several great events, acts as legal consultant, and has done so much for our Fellowship over the years it is hard to list, including holding the office of President of the Board of Trustees as we ramped up the Gateways project. Franklin Heller Franklin also held the office of President of the Board at one time, and has always been one to volunteer to help out in any way he can, including working with Shari last fall on the Mortgage Prevention campaign and serving on COM. Over the last few months, he has helped resurrect the Social Justice Council, and is leading a group of very effective volunteers to reach out into our community and help others, rally people to protest and write letters, and work to make “good trouble”. Helene Ferm Also a mover and shaker when it comes to volunteering for our community. Helene was instrumental in the work on planning and building our new building and monitoring, along with Sandra Persichetti, contractors and plans for the Gateways project, and is still our monitor as we grow into the building. She was part of the Mortgage Prevention team as well and her work on all of this is appreciated. She is rolling onto the Finance Committee this term and we welcome her to this new role. Noelle Jensen So many hats! - greeter, newcomer meeting facilitator, welcoming table regular, scheduling maven, social justice warrior, UUFaithActionNJ activist, Nominating Committee member, Meditation group leader, and one who always shows up to table for fairs and festivals. Noelle is a rock, reliably anchoring some of our most important work. Carrie Davis ... who also shows up for all the fairs, sets up and breaks down the tabling setups, and helps coordinate tabling volunteers for getting our name and work out into the larger community. She has served faithfully for years on the Faith Formation Team, both as leader and as teacher, and she uses her training and experience in dealing with unusual children in dealing with us and ours. Always willing to help when asked, she also willingly loans us her spouse, Tim. Tim Davis Tim is rolling off the Board this year, but you all know he regularly works on anything that he sees needs doing - he is a mentee of John Franklin in policy governance work, he’s been our creative consultant on our physical facilities - from paint colors to art to textures of floors, he chaired the Facilities Committee for years and worked tirelessly in that role, then was asked to serve on the board as the Trustee at Large for Stewardship, and has put on at least three fun and creative Annual Budget Drives (this year’s the Fellowship of the Giving, for instance) and all the work associated with gathering pledges, convincing Board members to call delayed pledging folk, and running the kickoff and closing receptions. He’s been keeping us grounded on the Board and will continue to work on policy development on the policy governance team. Steve Parker One of our Gateways construction heroes, Steve has been chairing the Facilities Committee, where he literally works daily behind the scenes to keep our physical facility running smoothly - chasing leaks, keeping tabs on issues, and keeping our plantings alive. He knows almost all the secrets of our mansion, including how to sweet talk the electrical panels. He also acts as one of our legal consultants when needed and sits on our Policy Governance Committee. He is stepping down from the Facilities chair position and plans to finally finish his goal of completing the parts of Appalachian Trail he hasn’t done yet. These volunteers are the epitome of the movie “Robots” motto “See a need, fill a need.” - they work hard to make our community run. We thank you all for your hard work and dedication to our Community, and want you to know you are very much appreciated. There are so many more of you that work in obvious and not-so-obvious places in our community. Please don’t feel excluded or overlooked - we invite you all to nominate a volunteer for our upcoming Volunteer of the Month recognitions. Please send your nominations to Board@muuf.org

The Morristown UU Fellowship Annual Congregational Meeting was held on Sunday June 7th, after service & snacks. We heard the annual Board Report from Nan Perigo, President of the Board of Trustees, and the Minister's Annual Message from Rev. Sasha Ostrom. We also had presentations by Judie Romano, representing the Nominating Committee, Tom Perch, representing Endowment, and David Horst, representing Finance and the Board as our Assistant Treasurer. In addition, we expressed appreciation for all the work done this year by Leadership and other MUUF volunteers. Thanks to all for your attendance at this important annual event. We exceeded our quorum minimum by nearly double, and held three votes - one on the Slate of Candidates, one on the Endowment, and one on the Annual Budget for 2026-27. All the votes were counted and all the resolutions passed. See the Meeting Folder and click on the slideshow of the Meeting to review the new Board and Committees members as well as the information on the other two resolutions. There is also a slide deck on the MUUF Year in Pictures to peruse. The 2026 MUUF Annual Report is also available at that link, so you can see what our groups, committees, and teams have been doing this year. The website will be updated with our newly elected leaders after July 1, once the new program year begins. Please contact the Board at board@muuf.org for more information.

This Sunday, after a much-anticipated service on UU values from Broadway, our CommUUnity will gather at our Annual Picnic. We'll have kids activities, games, face-painting, and FOOD! Bring a side dish or dessert to share - preferably cold dishes so we don't have to worry about keeping them warm - or just bring yourself! We'll enjoy food and fellowship together. Also, if you can, volunteer to help out - we've got setup, cleanup, and supervising the bounce house to do in short shifts...sign up to help at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080844ACA923A0FD0-64395859-work#/ See you Sunday!

As many of you know, I am privileged to serve as the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Meadville Lombard Theological School. Please join me for a reception and a "Get to Know A UU School" talk led by long-distance MUUF member Dr. Elias Ortega, Meadville's President, at the home of Revs. Anya and Scott Sammler-Michael at 10 Grenada Place in Montclair at 5pm this Sunday. Rev. Anya is a past Board Chair of Meadville who graced us with her wisdom at our recent May Board meeting. Please come and RSVP to her at revanya@uumontclair.org.

As you may know, the Fellowship will be hosting their first-ever theatrical performance in Chu Hall in December: the family-friendly classic, Amahl and the Night Visitors, presented by Light Opera of New Jersey. The company is very excited to be coming into our community and want to show it by offering a special MUUF discount on their upcoming production, HMS Pinafore, to be presented July 11 at 2:30 and 7:30 and July 12 at 2:30 at the Sieminsky Theater at Fellowship Village, 8000 Fellowship Road in Basking Ridge. Several of you already attended Light Opera’s A Cappella Jamboree, presented on May 24. Full disclosure – I am a long-serving member of the Board of Trustees of Light Opera of NJ. I first heard the amazing First Take!, the contemporary barbershop ensemble that wowed everyone at our Gateways Glitter and Song Event, at last year’s A Cappella Jamboree. Light Opera of New Jersey also sponsored the artisanal chocolates and fruit served by TeaTime Chocolates at the Glitter Event. LONJ’s Gilbert & Sullivan productions are a highlight of their season, and almost always sell out! H.M.S. Pinafore is a comic operetta satirizing the British class system. It’s filled with catchy tunes, clever lyrics, and a humorous plot. It follows the story of a naval captain’s daughter who falls in love with a lower-class sailor, despite her father’s plans to marry her off to the First Lord of the Admiralty. It’s a delightful mix of love, mistaken identity, and social commentary, all set to catchy tunes. Its lighthearted humor and engaging story make it suitable for audiences of all ages. Use the code “MUUF” for your 10% discount as a member. (Unlike the Early Bird discount also offered by LONJ, the MUUF discount is available up to the day of the performance, if still available at that time): Tickets – Light Opera of New Jersey. While on the website, please be sure to check out the option to join Friends of Light Opera, which includes talks about the music and the shows and other perks at no charge beyond your initial $50 per year, including a special recognition celebration on September 27. Friends of Light Opera – Light Opera of New Jersey

The Green Earth Ministry committee will be collecting old sneakers and used water filters quarterly for recycling. The next collection will be on Sunday September 13 and Sunday September 20. Many thanks to those who have contributed sneakers and filters in the past. Just this year, we have collected around 20 filters and over 10 pairs of sneakers. Thank you for storing sneakers and filters over the summer and keeping them out of the landfill!

Humanity’s demands for resources vastly exceed nature’s ability to supply them. Food, water, climate, and extinction emergencies are unfolding before our eyes. 8 Billion Angels tells the truth about the conflict between the size of our global population and the sustainability of our planet. It dispels the misperceptions that technology can save us, that reducing consumption is the only answer, and that the blame lies solely in the developing world. Using breathtaking cinematography, the film takes the viewer on an immersive and emotional journey into the lives of farmers, fishermen, and others as they witness an unfolding global crisis. The film inspires real solutions toward sustainability and a better quality of life for all of Earth’s inhabitants. 8 Billion Angels was released in 2020 as a 79-minute feature film. PBS has broadcast it in a 54-minute classroom edition. The 8billionangels.org website has links for viewing the two versions on demand. After watching the film at your convenience, join GEM in a discussion on Zoom on Monday, July 13, 7-8 pm. We’ll talk about the documentary and about population trends and related information and issues since 2020.

The Rutgers Synder Research Farm at 140 Locust Grove Road, Pittstown, New Jersey, enlists volunteer pickers every Wednesday morning starting at 8:00 am. Fruits and vegetables picked go to 20 different organizations whose clientele directly benefit from the produce. For more information or to arrange carpooling, reach out to Steve Gruber.

The Fellowship's Fiscal Year is ending on June 30th. Before that date, please make sure you have: Fulfilled your 2025-2026 pledge Pledged for the 2026-2027 year and updated any automatic payments to reflect your new pledge Put in for reimbursement of any expense you incurred on behalf of the Fellowship Your continued generosity is greatly appreciated, especially as we head into a tough budget year. Please reach out to Katy at accounting@muuf.org if you have any questions.

In May, the Sunday Plate collected $1,537 for local organizations. The recipients were NORWESCAP, Homeless Solutions, UUA Side with Love, Interfaith Food Pantry, and RAMP (Refugee Assistance, Morris Partners). Thank you for your continued generosity!

As previously reported, we are working on giving our Library a bit of a clean up. A team has been put together and have developed a vision statement for the Library: "Our Library seeks to provide a warm and inviting sanctuary that honors the roots of our faith, resources the work of our present ministries, and seeds the ideas that will shape our future." To achieve this, you will see some changes in the next few weeks. We will be keeping a table for teams and groups to meet. We are looking to include more “Soft Seating” so that the Library is also a place to enjoy the resources on its stacks. We are also looking to update the lighting in the library With the amazing Morris County Library just a stones throw from our doors to get every volume one needs, we have sought to see what makes our library unique to us. As such, we are working on curation of our books. We are hoping to highlight current programs by giving our current book clubs shelves to share their selections and highlight previous UU Common Reads and Fellowship Authors. We are continuing to honor our history with our Partner Church Shelves. The books that are on the shelves will align with our UU values to highlight world religions, UU theology and history, children’s books used in curriculum, relevant social just texts, among others. Another goal of ours is to let folks know “what” and “why” we have the books, artifacts, and art that is on display. We are working to increase our signage and to feature scannable codes with more information online. This is where we need your help. We would like descriptions of any of the items on the shelves. Some items hold deeply significant importance, while others are just nice looking items. I don’t know which is which. So if you happen to know the story behind a chalice or vase or other trinket, please go to this form and share the history. Items without a written history will be flagged as “replaceable” for future curation. To help with our curation, we are enacting a donation procedure. First, please DO NOT just leave books in the library. If you would like to donate a book, please contact the Library Team (library@muuf.org) with the books you would like to donate. We are asking everyone donating a book to share with us two things. What is the personal significance (Why is this book or item important to you?) and what is its value to the Fellowship (Why do you believe members of this Fellowship should engage with it?) If you would like to see the entire procedure, please click here. Lastly, we are working to digitize our collection. You will have opportunities to see our catalog online and to “check them out”. We hope to include these descriptions in that database. There will also be a tablet to set up a self check out feature in the future (We will share more about that once we finalize all of the features). Please excuse our appearance for the next few weeks as we make some of these changes. And if you have any questions, please email Nick at nwallwork@muuf.org of the Library Team at library@muuf.org.

Missed out on custom Fellowship gear last time, or have another blank t-shirt begging for a makeover? You're in luck! We are running our iron-on custom swag station for the next two Sundays. Here is how it works. Grab a blank t-shirt, apron, or any iron-friendly fabric you have at home. We have three unique designs available (including "Shared UU Values", "Side with Love", and the classic "MUUF Logo"), with sizes scaled perfectly for both adults and kids. Bring your items over to us, and our team will be on-site with a heat press to flawlessly apply the transfers. Bring your items to the Annual Meeting or catch us out in the sunshine at the Fellowship Picnic! Adult sizes are $5 and kid sizes are $2 While we will have plenty of supplies on hand, some of our most popular designs are limited. If you have your heart set on a specific look and want to make sure we hold one for you, please contact Nick ahead of time. Dust off those blank totes and tees, and let's get ready to rock our Fellowship pride! See you this Sunday!