FUUSN Celebrates 175 Historic Years

Banner reading "175 Anniversary 1848 - 2023 FUUSN" where the letters of FUUSN are made of photos of many people.

Our historic Society is celebrating its 175th Anniversary! Join us in any of the following events to learn how FUUSN has contributed to local and national history and how we continue to strive for greater connection, a stronger community, and social and racial justice in our time.

October 22, 2023, 10:15 – Worship Service

Our 175th Anniversary Celebration kicks off with our worship service. All are invited to attend.

October 22, 2023, 11:30am – Anniversary Lunch

Join us for soup, salad, bread, and a cake to celebrate the 175th birthday of our congregation. Lunch will be $5/person, children under 12 are free. Volunteer to help with lunch. To pay in advance or at the lunch, text “FUUSN Meals” to 73256 to pay using your mobile device. Please consider paying the processing fee to help us better fund our community meals.

October 22, 2023, 3-5pm – UU Choir Festival Concert and Reception

Singing. Fellowship. History. Community.

Under the direction of our intrepid Director of Music Ministry, Anne Watson Born, members of  UU congregations across New England will gather to perform for and with each other, in celebration of FUUSN’s 175th anniversary.

The event will include musical numbers by several Unitarian Universalist choirs and communal singing of hymns from the history of the congregation. The concert will conclude with the combined choir singing several  glorious choral works from our UU tradition.

This free public concert starts at 3pm, followed by a reception. Invite your friends!

November 3, 2023, 7:30pm – An Uncommon Education: The Allen School

An Uncommon Education: The Allen School is a 40-minute documentary film that highlights the educators, students, and legacy of the West Newton English and Classical School, better known as the Allen School (1854-1900). Founded in 1854 by local Unitarians, educators, and reformers Nathaniel T. Allen and Cyrus Peirce, the Allen School was a remarkable fifty-year experiment in progressive education. From coeducation and racial integration to physical education and learning through play, the school pioneered new ways of teaching and learning in the United States. The Allen School was located on the site where FUUSN now stands.

Produced by Historic Newton, this documentary describes foundational events in the early life of our historic church. A panel discussion with these distinguished guests will follow the film:

  • Katy Haywood, Myrtle Baptist Church Community Historian
  • Sara Goldberg, Historic Newton Curator of Manuscripts and Photographs
  • Joe Hunter, Producer of An Uncommon Education
  • Bob Ellertsen, Moderator and FUUSN member

Posters related to the film will be on display in the Parish Hall for the month of November.

Free and Open to the Public. Invite your friends!

Throughout the Year: Minister of the Month

Each month, we will put one portrait of a past minister out on display in the Parish Hall, with an exhibit describing details of that minister’s life within the context of their time. This information will also be shared in the newsletter.

Black and white portrait of an older man with grey hair and glasses, seated in ministerial robes with his hands folded upon his lap.October: Rev. Dr. Leslie Pennington

 

 

Black and white portrait of a man in his late 30s with dark hair and beard wearing Civil-War-era jacket, waistcoat, and shirt.November: Rev. Arthur Buckminster Fuller

 

 

Black and white profile portrait of a man with white hair, mustache, and beard wearing a formal suit and tie with his arms crossed.December: Rev. Julian Clifford Jaynes

 

 

 

January: Rev. Herbert Hitchens

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