Why FUSF?
In this busy world, Why FUSF? When there are so many houses of worship, Why FUSF? During times when resources are already stretched thin, Why FUSF? Read below to find out the “Because” that have led these members to call FUSF home:
- Tom DiGioia
I started coming to FUSF in the mid 90’s and signed the Membership Book in 1997. I’m a long-time member, but I didn’t come easy at first. I grew up Catholic and went to St Bonaventure University, a Franciscan Catholic University where I had a great experience. But something was always off for me from a religious and spiritual perspective. As I aged, I plodded on with my Catholic traditions; it was what I knew. … Continue reading Tom DiGioia - Julie Sutherland
“We pledge to walk together”—to me, these words that start our unison affirmation say so much about this special community that we have here. When we first walked into FUSF over 27 years ago, we had 2 young sons, who were 2 and 4 years old at the time. Though my husband Michael and I were raised in different faiths, we had similar spiritual beliefs and mostly wanted to find a religious foundation for our … Continue reading Julie Sutherland - Jennifer Neville
My name is Jen Neville. My pronouns are she/her. I joined FUSF somewhere around 2018. I first came here to find a place where I could bring my daughters and have them grow up in some sort of spiritual tradition, but I certainly did not want their upbringing to be like mine: full of guilt and fear. At the very first service I attended, Michele shared a song she had written, and I left in … Continue reading Jennifer Neville - Birch Duggans-Warf
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 - Marian Szymanski
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 - Linda Plukas
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 - Nicole Harter
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 - Ann Willever
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 - Deb Prudhomme
My journey at FUSF has been one of spiritual growth and transformation. It was only six short months ago when a beautiful angel guided me through the doors of the meetinghouse and what a beautiful world I found. Six months ago, I knew no one. Not. A. Soul. Things have certainly changed since my first visit when I walked along that cold February walkway and entered the meetinghouse. Greeting me at the table was a … Continue reading Deb Prudhomme - Drew Bogner
It’s been over a year since my wife Karen and I first heard the Words of Welcome from the pulpit. We came to this meetinghouse looking for community, for a place where like-minded people held similar values, and where people were accepting and loving. We were welcomed when we arrived and many of you, (strangers then, but now our friends) talked with us after the service. We felt a connection to you almost immediately, as … Continue reading Drew Bogner - Wayne Toye
In the Fall of 1989, my wife, Joan, and I, along with our young sons, attended our first service at FUSF. We were familiar with the UU faith, but didn’t really know what to expect. We found a small but fast-growing community (much like Franklin at the time) consisting of both older members as well as young families, with a growing religious education program. We both soon found our way into the community, Joan as … Continue reading Wayne Toye - Susan Dubinsky
My love affair with FUSF began in 1993, when my neighbor invited me and my kids to come to church with her family. We both were blessed with our children coming to us through adoption. That Sunday, the children’s Religious Education program was about a mother bear adopting a baby bear. Growing up Catholic, it was very interesting to have a woman minister who spoke about issues that felt relevant to me. During that first … Continue reading Susan Dubinsky - Caitlin MacDonald
I’d like to tell you a little bit about why I donate my time, talent, and treasure to FUSF. I’d rather not talk about me, though—let me tell you about my children. When my oldest, precocious child was 3, she began asking some very big questions: what is God? What happens when you die? Where do babies come from? I decided we needed a place to explore answers to these questions. As she has grown … Continue reading Caitlin MacDonald - Celeste Falcone
When I come to FUSF on Sundays, in many ways it is like a little vacation. I am brought into a very special sacred space with the beautiful chalice quilt, the wall of art to contemplate, and the view of creation splendidly revealed through our glass wall. I am invited to be still and calm. I am treated to the thoughtful, lovely stories and lessons, presented to our children by our director of religious education, … Continue reading Celeste Falcone - Rand Barthel
I am a UU “lifer”—I’ve been a UU since I was 4-years old, attending five UU congregations in my lifetime. My earliest UU memory was of the fellowship at the Dartmouth College chapel, where I remember scissors, glue, and reading a book about the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Then there were more years of scissors and glue in the RE program of the Birmingham Unitarian Church in Birmingham, Michigan. I stepped away from active participation during … Continue reading Rand Barthel