There are so many ways to get involved at FUUSE. Maybe you like to sing or knit or are interested in social justice. Maybe you’ve got fundraising experience, love working with kids, or want to help maintain our buildings and grounds. 

If you’re new to FUUSE, one of the best and easiest ways to meet people is to be an usher or greeter at our Sunday service or help with Coffee Hour. For a lot of FUUSE members and friends, making those first few connections inspires them to get even more involved. 

Below are some FUUSE activities we invite you to attend, as well as different Committees and Teams you might consider getting involved with. While some of the leadership roles are appointed by the Board and are chosen by vote by the congregation, most teams and committees are open and welcome your participation!

Find out what’s going. Check out the FUUSE Calendar.

FUN & FUUSE!

First Friday Coffee House 

Held the first Friday of every month in the FUUSE Community Room, the Coffeehouse is an informal gathering that begins with a featured performer, followed by an open mic for poets and musicians. The Coffeehouse has been running at FUUSE since 2008 and has featured notable Seacoast poets and musicians, as well as storytellers and visual artists. The Coffeehouse is family friendly and handicap accessible. Coffee and tea are provided, donations gratefully accepted. 

FUUSE Choir

The FUUSE Choir welcomes experienced singers and novices alike. Wednesday rehearsals are fun and educational. The choir performs during worship service and at special congregational events throughout the church year. Reading music is an advantage, but not required

Beach Clean Up

If you care about our environment and clean oceans, consider joining with FUUSE friends for Beach Clean Up. Your efforts will do more than help wildlife and keep the beach safer for humans. The information you record from the debris you collect will help The Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation learn about trends in marine pollution and help find solutions. Beach Clean Up generally happens on the first Sunday of each month. 

Mindfulness Meditation (via Zoom)

Join member Heather Crowley, certified mindfulness meditation teacher, in community to practice mindfulness meditation virtually. Guided meditation is offered once a month on Saturdays at 4 pm, via Zoom and occasionally also in person at FUUSE. The practice lasts approximately 30 minutes. FUUSE members and friends are welcome. No meditation experience necessary.

Knitting Ministry

This group’s mission is to give members, families of members, and friends of the church, a hand-knit item (shawl or scarf) when they, or a family member, have encountered a difficult life event—such as loss, accident, or illness—or when long-term members are moving away. 

Circle Dinners   

Circle Dinners are potluck meals where FUUSE members and friends gather in members’ homes to socialize in small groups over good food. These dinners are a wonderful to way to make and deepen connections. The host usually prepares the entree, and guests fill in with side dishes and dessert. 

Art & Poetry Gatherings (occasional)  There are many writers and artists at FUUSE who enjoy getting together to share their work. These occasional gatherings will be announced in E-FUUSE and our calendar. 

COMMITTEES AND TEAMS

Aesthetics Committee

This committee seeks to ensure that the Parish Hall and Parsonage are aesthetically pleasing, while meeting the functional needs of the congregation. Projects have included installation of acoustical panels to control noise in the Community Room and the creation of a name tag holder that members can access easily. This committee frequently collaborates with the Property Committee.

Caring Committee

The Caring Committee exists as a ministry to help FUUSE members with situations of temporary crisis or transition, due to difficult events such as illness or death, or in the case of happy events such as a new child in the family.

Our committee works confidentially with our minister to be as aware as possible of members in our community who need support.   We are always happy to have help from the greater congregation to —occasionally —cook and deliver a meal or help with memorial service reception food.   It takes all of us to support each other in our Beloved Community!

Green Team

Inspired by the Unitarian Universalist Seventh Principle—respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part—the Green Team works toward a healthier, more sustainable future. The Team is continually seeking out practices and initiatives that will help our faith community live a lighter carbon footprint.

An accredited Green Sanctuary Congregation, FUUSE has received official recognition for completing the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Green Sanctuary Program. Green Team activities and initiatives include the following: 

• Beach Clean up
• Multiple recycling projects 
• Holiday Shopping table featuring gently used goods 
• Slide presentations highlighting important environmental messages 
• Opting-up to the Exeter Community Power Program 
• Collaborating with other local organizations seeking to save our planet. 

Knitting Ministry

This group’s mission is to give members, families of members, and friends of the church, a hand-knit item (shawl or scarf) when they, or a family member, have encountered a difficult life event—such as loss, accident, or illness—or when long-term members are moving away. 

Membership Committee 

This Committee supports FUUSE’s mission of building a caring, inclusive community by welcoming newcomers, assisting with the transition from newcomer to member and providing meaningful activities that increase our connections to one another. Should members leave, this Committee seeks to learn why and to determine whether the departure has something to teach us about FUUSE.

Responsibilities of this committee include: 

• Track Blue Cards, which capture information about interested newcomers 
• Personally reach out to interested newcomers via email, phone, or in person
• Organize Circle Dinners
• Assist with New to UU Pathways classes
• Update Welcome Guide 
• Collaborate with Minister to Plan New Member Service in the Spring 
• Reach out and track members who have fallen away to update yearly membership list 

Music Committee

This committee supports music at FUUSE by supporting the work of the Music Director and choir and by setting committee goals that create the best possible music elements for our church. We want music to be a top reason people decide to walk through FUUSE’s doors again and again!

Our committee meets once per month for about an hour, helps the director to get choir members, organizes the choir calendar, assists with filing used music in the music library, helps to locate and schedule guest musicians, and helps to coordinate budget. We strive to: 

* have a wide variety of music, vocalists and musicians in our services, integrating the many talents of our congregation

 * educate ourselves continuously about all that is involved in creating a dynamic music program 

* connect with other committees at FUUSE and be aware of our shared goals and projects 

Outreach Committee 

The Outreach Committee reaches beyond the FUUSE walls by providing meaningful ways to connect, support, and enrich others through service, spirit, and financial contributions.

Religious Education (RE) Committee 

The Religious Education Committee works with our RE Coordinators to plan and design our Religious Education programming and activities.

Social Justice Committee (SJC)

This committee seeks to inspire participation by the congregation in local, national, and global issues that promote peace, human rights, economic justice, and eco-justice. The committee uses a focus group structure whereby members choose a specific area of interest and then brainstorm ways to educate and/or promote action among church members, friends, and the greater community. Focus groups include a Water Affinity Group, a Forest Affinity Group, and SJC is looking into forming a group that explores Core Values. The committee particularly welcomes collaboration with the Children’s Religious Education Committee. 

Welcoming Circles 

Welcoming Circle is a team of volunteers who work together to provide a welcoming, safe and comfortable environment for the Sunday Service, coffee hour, and more. Presently, we have six teams of five volunteers. We continually welcome and need new volunteers!

Responsibilities include the following: 

• Greet and give Order of Service 
• Pass out Name Tags 
• Usher 
• Collect offering 
• Count the offerings, and track attendance, and make bank deposit
• Coffee Hour set up, clean up, and hosting 

STANDING COMMITTEES

While some of the leadership roles are appointed by the Board and are chosen by vote by the congregation, most teams and committees are open and welcome your participation! 

Finance Committee 

This committee proposes an annual operating budget to the Board of Trustees, makes recommendations to the BoT on the investment of funds, and provides advice and assistance on financial issues of importance to the Society. 

Nominating Committee 

The Nominating Committee cultivates leadership at FUUSE by identifying members to fill open positions among the Officers, Board of Trustees, and Standing committees 

Personnel Committee 

This committee oversees the hiring of the church staff, excepting the Minister; the maintenance of job descriptions, tracking of staff evaluations, and negotiation of terms and agreements relating to compensation, benefits, and employment status. 

Program Council
The Program Council facilitates the development and coordination of church programs. The Program Council coordinates the Church calendar, enhances intra-church communication, initiates, advances, or modifies programs and activities, provides leadership development and training, and ensures that committee leaders have the information and resources needed to carry out their function. The Program Council supports the inner workings of the church community and assists in achieving the objectives of the Society as directed by the Board of Trustees.

Property Committee 

This committee is responsible for the overall upkeep and maintenance of the Society’s buildings and grounds.

Stewardship Committee 

This committee organizes and carries out the Society’s annual pledge-drive; promotes and maintains legacy giving, and oversees all other fundraising activities of the Society. 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES (BOT)

The Board of Trustees is responsible for enacting the policies, priorities, and objectives of the Society; conducting its legal affairs; executing employment agreements at the recommendation of the Personnel Committee, overseeing and evaluating the performance of the Minister; appointing certain Standing Committee members; presenting an annual operating budget to the Society for approval, and administering that budget. Trustees are nominated by the Nominating Committee and voted on by the Congregation at the Annual Meeting