First Universalist Society in Franklin

05/31/2026

Happy Pride Month! Pride Month is observed in June as a tribute to the people involved in the Stonewall Riots. It is a month that calls us to celebrate and to learn important history. There are lots of ways to celebrate with pride right in our own community.

5.31 - Medway PRIDE flag raising, 9-11:30 am
5.31 - Franklin Pride flag raising, Town Hall 1:00 pm
6.6 - Boston Pride For the People
6.12 - Pulse Night of Remembrance
6.14 - Woonsocket Pridefest, 12-6 pm
6.19 - Juneteenth
6.20 - Providence Pridefest & Parade
6.27 - Bellingham Pride Fest, Bellingham Town Common, 11 am-3 pm
6.27 - Celebrate with PRIDE, Franklin Town Common 12-4 pm
6.28 - Stonewall Riots Anniversary

Posted by the Welcoming Congregation Team of First Universalist Society in Franklin. FUSF is a Unitarian Universalist Welcoming Congregation located at 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin MA. For further information about FUSF please explore our website at https://fusf.org/.

05/16/2026

Sunday, May 17th is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. To spotlight the advances and challenges, the theme of this year is: “at the heart of democracy”.

IDAHOBIT, observed annually on 17 May since 2005, commemorates the 1990 decision by the World Health Organization to remove homosexuality from its International Classification of Diseases. Since then, the day has served as a focal point for raising awareness of the violence and discrimination still faced by LGBTQIA+ people across the globe.

“At the heart of democracy” reflects how truly democratic society must be grounded in justice and freedom for everyone. Time and again, LGBTQIA+ people have resisted authoritarian policies and exclusionary legislations, rolled up their sleeves together with all the good people caring about their communities, and sowed the seeds of change.

Helpful site with more information about this year’s IDHOTB: https://may17.org/
Let’s take some time to reflect on our second UU principal and how it relates to IDAHOBIT with these words from Rev. Emily Gage:

“Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations points us toward something beyond inherent worth and dignity. It points us to the larger community. It gets at collective responsibility. It reminds us that treating people as human beings is not simply something we do one-on-one, but something that has systemic implications and can inform our entire cultural way of being.

“Compassion is something that we can easily act on individually. We can demonstrate openness, give people respect, and treat people with kindness on our own. But we need one another to achieve equity and justice.”
—Rev. Emily Gage, Unity Temple, Chicago, IL

Posted by the Welcoming Congregation Team of First Universalist Society in Franklin. FUSF is a Unitarian Universalist Welcoming Congregation located at 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin MA. For further information about FUSF please explore our website at https://fusf.org/.

04/28/2026

FUSF has the Prescription for Peace and Quiet: A Walking Meditation
Did you know that the First Universalist Society in Franklin has a labyrinth on its grounds? FUSF congregants built a 7-Circuit Classical Labyrinth in 2008 with the generous funding of a Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation’s Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grant. The labyrinth was restored in 2025 by a labyrinth builder and designer to accommodate both the growing trees surrounding it and walkers with limited mobility. It is now a beautiful 5-Circuit Concentric Classical Labyrinth made of crushed stone.

The Labyrinth is an ancient spiritual tool with one path leading to the center and back out again. It is a sacred space where one walks with an open heart and an open mind. The twists and turns provide for a calming walk and/or a reflective journey.

In honor of World Labyrinth Day on May 2, the First Universalist Society in Franklin invites you to add walking a labyrinth to your list of things to try at least once. We hope that it will become an important part of your regular spiritual practice. Our labyrinth, which is listed on the World-Wide Labyrinth Locator, is nestled in our beautiful pine grove and open to the general public from sunrise to sundown. We hope to meet you on the path.

04/19/2026

The week of April 20-26 is International Le***an Visibility Week, including Le***an Visibility Day of April 26! has been recognized since 2008 and it is celebrated in many countries around the world. Let’s celebrate le****ns and work towards creating an intersectional society where all are treated equally and fairly.

Actions:

Wish your le***an friends a Happy Le***an Visibility Day and let them know how much you appreciate them.

Learn more about: le***an subcultures, history of the d**e march, community symbols, q***r terms, q***r literature, and more at https://www.q***revents.ca/q***r-culture/le***an-visibility

Sign up for UPLIFT the quarterly newsletter from the UUA's LGBTQ Ministries https://www.uua.org/lgbtq

Find out more at https://www.le***anvisibilityweek.com/

Posted by the Welcoming Congregation Team of First Universalist Society in Franklin. FUSF is a Unitarian Universalist Welcoming Congregation located at 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin MA. For further information about FUSF please explore our website at https://fusf.org/.

Le***an Visibility Week aims BOTH TO celebrate le****ns and show solidarity with all women in our community. We believe in unity, and lifting up those who are most marginalised.

04/13/2026

Announcing FUSF's new minister, joining us this August! The Board of Trustees is delighted to announce that FUSF has entered into a two-year contract-to-call agreement with the Rev. Chris Scheller. Rev. Chris is currently the Minister of Community Life and Learning at the UU Church of Greater Lynn. He has served their congregation in this role for the past five years. Rev. Chris brings a deep knowledge of adult faith formation and religious education overall, and extensive training in leading mindfulness and spiritual practices drawn from Buddhist, Christian, earth-based, and other spiritual traditions. The Search Team was attracted to Rev. Chris’ thoughtful and moving sermons, collaborative leadership style, and active commitment to social justice and anti-oppression work, among other things.
Read more on our website: https://fusf.org/2026/04/08/announcing-fusfs-new-minister-rev-chris-scheller/

04/09/2026

On April 10th GLSEN is hosting their annual Day of Silence in support of LGBTQIA+ youth. Which actions do you plan on taking?

Visit GLSEN’s site for more information:
https://glisten.org/campaigns/dayofsilence/

Posted by the Welcoming Congregation Team of First Universalist Society in Franklin. FUSF is a Unitarian Universalist Welcoming Congregation located at 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin MA. For further information about FUSF please explore our website at https://fusf.org/.

Day of Silence Is Friday, April 10th! Join us for this day of action against the bullying and harassment of LGBTQ+ students in schools.

04/07/2026

In light of the rhetoric coming from Washington DC, Rev. Bev is opening the sanctuary tonight from 7 - 8:30 pm. We will gather in solidarity, hope and prayer. If you would like to be in sacred space tonight with like-minded people with peace on their hearts and minds, join us.

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) calls for the preservation of the Armenian Christian community in Jerusalem, Nagorno/Karabakh, and around the world, as today marks 110 years since the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, during which 1.5 million Armenians were systematically killed by the Ottom...

03/30/2026

On March 31 we celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility ( ) by uplifting the accomplishments of transgender and non-binary people and by advancing awareness. Let’s join the celebration and work towards justice by spending time today and this week learning about the accomplishments and successes of transgender and non-binary people.

Resources:
GLAAD has some history and resources for TDoV:
https://glaad.org/tdov/
GLSEN Resources for Allies, Students, & Educators: https://www.glsen.org/activity/transgender-day-visibility

Posted by the Welcoming Congregation Team of First Universalist Society in Franklin. FUSF is a Unitarian Universalist Welcoming Congregation located at 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin MA. For further information about FUSF please explore our website at https://fusf.org/.

Each year on March 31, the world observes Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) to raise awareness about transgender people.