Delivered during our 3/28/21 Sunday Service, this is the fourth in our "Yes We Can!" series of member testimonials as part of the 2021 – 2022 UUFP Canvass "Making the Foundation for What Follows."

Good morning!

My name is Ann Kunze, and I have been attending the UUFP for just over a year now.

I had been driving by the fellowship every day for about four years thinking to myself, “I really need to check them out!”  I finally got up the courage to attend the first Sunday of January 2020. I remember Bobbie Schilling greeting me at the door, introducing herself and handing me a packet of information. I spoke with other members that day who were interested in why I chose the UUPF, and they shared their stories with me. I felt pulled in!

Since that day, Rev. Andrew’s inspirational sermons have given me so much to think about every week, and discussions in the forums have always been thought provoking. I came to realize that right now I needed the UUFP, and maybe they needed me too.

I was born into a Unitarian Universalist family. My parents were founding members of a small congregation, much like ours, in Bridgewater, NJ, in the 1960s. So, I had some idea of what UUs were all about. I now wanted to become more involved in giving back to my community through social justice work, helping out in different ways, finding out just what I could get involved in, as I had been brought up to do.

We all join for different reasons, but I think we all give back for the same reason: to help others and ourselves.

In the last year, being with everyone online and in some social distancing face-to-face encounters, I realized that what I needed most right now was a place to feel appreciated, valued, and cared for…like a family!

Even in this time of social distancing, I have gotten to know many of you, and I feel that sense of family.

We all join for different reasons, but I think we all give back for the same reason…to help others and ourselves. As a new member, and to other new members out there, I want you to know that through the UUFP there are many ways to help give back. It seems a little overwhelming at first how many groups you can join. But I’ve learned that there are a lot of really smart people here to help you find the cause that fits right for you and your schedule.  There are so many ways to give back through the programs offered, and for that I am grateful. From attending workshops, forums, and meetings of many different topic I have attended in just the last year, I have come to a better understanding about theology and spirituality and what those terms mean to me. These are things I never really thought about too much before, but somehow I knew I needed to define for myself as I journeyed through this life.

I also am looking forward to a new place of worship. I don’t have the same attachments to the current building that most of you do, I don’t think I’ve even been in every room there. Having a new place, that is new to everyone, smells like fresh paint, and wandering around amazed at what we have accomplished is so exciting to me!!

This last year, the UUFP has given me more than I could have expected. You all have been excellent stewards for me, and now I’m ready to be an excellent steward for the UUFP. So, I want to thank you all for your kindness, caring, and stewardship!

UUFP IS MY FAMILY!