As a pastor’s kid in the United Methodist Church, I know a thing or two about religion. When I was 16, after my father’s unexpected death, my faith began a slow unraveling. I went to college, lost a little faith. Got married and started grad school, lost a little more. Started a family and then a career, lost a little more. During that time, I also realized I was transgender and began an agonizing few … Continue reading Birch Duggans-Warf

This past Spring it seemed like everything was falling apart. My town, my country, the whole planet were all changing, and not for the better. I felt anxious and frustrated and nothing seemed to help, not even going to FUSF on Sundays. I started to attend FUSF less and less, only going on the Sundays that I had signed up to be the Fellowship Café Crew Chief. And even on those days I referred to … Continue reading Marian Szymanski

We’ve all found our way to First Universalist Society in Franklin by different paths. Our family had a scout in my husband Mark, who came to church first at the recommendation of his boss. Mark liked what he found, so I decided to check it out as well. My parents were just grateful we had found a church, any church, even if it was “weird.” It was about 30 years ago that I walked into … Continue reading Linda Plukas

I often answer the question about how I came to stay at FUSF with a joke about my son’s love of the treats during fellowship hour. And while the treats are very good, that wasn’t what kept us coming back for the last five years. It was just slightly deeper than that. My husband and I both grew up in the Catholic faith and then attended a Christian reform church while dating and through the … Continue reading Nicole Harter

My husband Jake and I have been part of the First Universalist Society in Franklin since the late 1980s. Originally, we sought out a congregation that would affirm our religious origins of Judaism and Christianity and would provide a place to raise our two sons. We found so much more! Over the years, we have received many gifts from this congregation. My family was nurtured with meals and childcare when I had back surgery. This community … Continue reading Ann Willever