E-Octagram
September 15, 2017
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   Save the Date    UUC Sunday Service  Serve   UUC Committees   
  
What's Happening at UUC   Adult Religious Enrichment   UUC and Beyond    
THE UUC WEEK AT A GLANCE
September 17th, Sunday WATER COMMUNION
-- Open Issues: 9:30-10:20 am, Patio Room
Gretchen Craig, an award winning author of historical novels , many of which are set in antebellum Louisiana among the Cajuns, Creoles and slaves. To quote Gretchen "What interests me is how ordinary people lived in other centuries and how they struggled to live ethically in a world of challenges" She will talk about living a writer's life, the writing itself and publishing fiction. Gretchen is a member of UUC and sings in our choir.
-- Sunday Service: Water Communion, Service Leader: Rev Patrice Curtis, 10:30-11:45, Octagon

September 17th, Sunday: Humanists Meeting CANCELLED

September 17th, Sunday : A Course in Mindfulness, 12:30-2:00 pm, Patio Room

September 20th, Wednesday - Board of Trustees Meeting, 7-9:00 pm, Chorale Rm

September 22nd, Friday: Fourth Friday in the Food Forest, Friday, September 22nd, 6:00-9:00 pm ENJOY, FOOD, FUN, FROLIC and A GROWING COMMUNITY!!! 

September 23rd, Saturday: Leadership Development with UUA Congregational Life staff member Carleton Elliott Smith . 9:30 am-12:30 pm, Social Hall.
UUA Congregational Life Consultant Carlton Elliot Smith will be with us to talk about gracefully dealing with the joys and challenges of being in ministry together.

September 24th, Sunday
-- Open Issues , 9:30-10:20 am, Patio Room
Barbara Boss on her exhibit of surrealistic and abstract art at UUC .  "Surrealism and the Subconscious"
Dr. Barbara D. Boss is an abstract/surreal artist as well as a retired 
research scientist, Oriental Medicine doctor, dean, and professor. 
The current show in the Octagon Art Gallery displays 42 unique
digital photographic creations from her collections. She will discuss 
the history of surrealism and the importance of the subconscious mind
 in the creation of this expressive form of art, as well as her work.
-- Sunday Service

September 29th, Friday : A UU Yom Kippur Service, 6:30-7:30 pm, Octagon
Join us for this interactive service of personal reflection.

September 30th, Saturday : Fall Art Show Opening:
Surreal Sojourns, art by Barbara D. Boss, 3:00-6:00 pm, Octagon RESCHEDULED FROM SEPTEMBER 9TH.

October 1st, Sunday :
-- Open Issues: Gursagar Singh, DVM. “How to Relate to Humanity” . Dr. Singh is a local veterinarian who came here in 1982 from Punjab, India. His passion is delivering the very best care for pets, but it extends well beyond that.  
--Sunday Service

October 1st, Sunday: Black Lives Matter, 12:15-2:15 pm, Chorale Room
This is our "September" meeting. Susan Allen facilitating: The topic will be White Supremacy Culture, the Water We Swim in (and the spinach in our teeth). It will be facilitated by Susan Allen.

October 1st thru 8th is Interfaith Week
There will be events scheduled throughout Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Interfaith Week continues to promote a message of conversation, 
Events at UUC in the Octagon:




Meet with Rev. Patrice Curtis
If you would like to meet with Rev. Patrice contact the office at 727-531-7704. If you wish to contact her, please call
(510) 852-9304.
Rev. Patrice Curtis
 Service 
Sunday at 10:30

September 17th, 2017


""



  Pastoral Care Associates

UUC has a strong team of lay Pastoral Associates who offer confidential, emotional support and spiritual companionship to fellow church members. You can access pastoral care by contacting Rev. Patrice Curtis at 727-531-7704 ext. 5 or revpatrice@uuc.org .
Please note that emails sent to the front office are not confidential; emails to Rev. Patrice are.
This week’s pastoral care associate is Drinda Lombardi and is available at 727-531-7704 ext. 5.  

Open Issues
Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017 
9:30-10:20 am
Patio Room
Gretchen Craig, an award winning author of historical novels, many of which are set in antebellum Louisiana among the Cajuns, Creoles and slaves. To quote Gretchen "What interests me is how ordinary people lived in other centuries and how they struggled to live ethically in a world of challenges" She will talk about living a writer's life, the writing itself and publishing fiction. Gretchen is a member of UUC and sings in our choir.
  Flowers for Sunday Services
If you would like to supply the flowers for an upcoming Sunday service in honor of a special event or person in your life, please email Laura Daniel at flowers@uuc.org . She will help you coordinate your contribution. 
Leadership Development with UUA Congregational Life Consultant, Carleton Elliott Smith.
UUA Congregational Life Consultant Carlton Elliot Smith will be with us to talk about gracefully dealing with the joys and challenges of being in ministry together.
September 23rd, Saturday: 9:30 am-12:30 pm, Social Hall.
Lunch will be served; please RSVP to the office (727-743-1830). 
All UUC'ers are invited. At 9 am, coffee and simple breakfast items will be available. The workshop will be from 9:30-12pm. Lunch for those who RSVP'd will be available until 12:30. Then, we will move into Board-only workshop from 12:30-2:30.
  Save this date: Friday, November 17th, 2017. Emma's Revolution is coming to Clearwater!
Emma's Revolution, the award-winning “activist power duo” of  Pat Humphries & Sandy O , will perform in our Octagon at 7:00 pm. 

July 2017: Emma's Revolution's CD, "Revolution Now", was released to Folk DJs nationwide and 
topped the June charts at #3 Top Album. Their song "Sing People Sing" tied for #2 Top Song and every track on "Revolution Now" was played. 
For now, save the date and soon we will have information on where and how to get tickets. 
Exhale! 
A Gathering for Sitting and Moving Mindfulness.
Exhale resumes October 11th from 6-6:45 in the Octagon. Hold the second Wednesday of each month open for some quiet moments of mindfulness and connection.
Immokalee devasted by Irma
The need for essential supplies — from food and diapers to clothing, especially undergarments and socks — is growing by the day. If you are interested in lending support to farmworkers in Immokalee and other surrounding communities, contact Julia Perkins of the CIW at julia@ciw-online.org.
UUC In Action... Upcoming Committee Meetings
Please get your meeting information to events@uuc.org NO LATER than one week before the next E-Octagram (publishes on Thursdays). If there are changes, they must get to the above email NO LATER than the Wednesday before publishing. Thank you. 
 
-- Fourth Friday in the Food Forest, Friday, September 22nd, 6:00-9:00 pm
ENJOY, FOOD, FUN, FROLIC and A GROWING COMMUNITY!!! 
We host these monthly gatherings to bring a diverse, intergenerational, multicultural, multiracial, interfaith crowd to our garden to share food , fun and community. It is FREE to the public, so invite all of your friends!
This is also a POTLUCK, for those inclined to share food (optional). We also prepare produce directly from the garden to share.
We are crowdsourcing ideas and energy to determine how YOU, our beloved community, would like to see our garden evolve and grow.
Input from the invested will be directly incorporated into the planning for creation of the space that will best serve the needs of the growing local community. YOUR INPUT IS VALUED!!
Check out the facebook page for more information  HERE.

-- Black Lives Matter, Sunday, October 1st, 12:15-2:15 Chorale Room This is our "September" meeting. The topic will be White Supremacy Culture, the Water We Swim in (and the spinach in our teeth). It will be facilitated by Susan Allen.

-- End of Life Choices, Thursday, October 5th, 1:30-3:00 pm, Westwood Room
What's Happening at UUC
Artist Opening, Sat, September 30th.
"Surreal Sojourns:
Digital Photography by Barbara D. Boss."
Barbara Boss is a surrealistic abstract artist who creates unique photographic expressions. Her lifelong interest in biology, both flora and fauna, has fueled a fascination with the shapes of ordinary and extraordinary objects. Her work often reflects these themes.For more info contact Jaki Wilsun at jakiwilsun@gmail.com

Special Note: Barbara is speaking at Open Issues next Sunday the 24th at 9:30 am in the Patio Room about her 'iphotography' and purpose of  her work.
Opening Reception: 3:00-6:00 pm, Saturday, Sept. 30th, 2017 in the Octagon.
Show remains on display until November 2nd and can be viewed from 9-noon Tues-Fri and noon-1:00 pm on Sundays.
Adult Religious Enrichment Presents
Readers Forum
 Readers Forum will resume on September 22nd.

Our first book will be "Camino Island" by John Grisham. We will finish it on Sept.29. Alex and I will be gone on Oct.6 and will appreciate any suggestions for the next book on Oct.13. Hope to see you all! Susan Linehan
This Course Begins Wednesday, October 4th
Cakes for the Queen of Heaven - ON THE THRESHOLD:   In the six-session continuation of the course, Volume II, we will continue our journey into the past to reclaim the stories of powerful women to be found in ancient Judaism and in early Christianity. We will also look at the global silencing and brutalization of women that accompanied the rise of patriarchal religion and society. Finally we will celebrate the exciting new world-view and theology that has emerged in our time, and explore the personal and social changes that may be suggested by that new world-view and theology. We will continue the complex process of telling a new story. Please RSVP your interest to Amy Lewis  amyalewis@me.com . October 4 through November 8, in the Patio Room
A COURSE IN MINDFULNESS
 
THIS COURSE WILL RESUME SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th in the Patio Room 12:30-2:00 pm
From the UUC Librarian: Our Librarian, Bruce Gotts requests that no more books be donated to the library until further notice. The UUC Library is across from the Social Hall entrance. It is open on Sundays after service and books are available for check out with a self-checkout system. For more information contact our Librarian, Bruce Gotts   bcgotts@gmail.com
Beyond UUC...
For the fourth year in a row, Interfaith Tampa Bay and Integral Church will host Tampa Bay Interfaith Week – an opportunity to see how the rest of your community celebrates the sacred in a casual, open, educational setting.
This year’s theme is “I Am Your Neighbor.”
During Interfaith Week, individuals and families are encouraged to visit the many churches, temples, mosques, meditation centers and spiritual communities across Tampa Bay to gain a better understanding of the people, values, beliefs, practices and cultures that make up our dynamic and vibrant region.
This year, the event will run from Sunday, October 1-8 and include free panel and roundtable discussions at various campuses and venues including such topics as: non-violent communication, religious innovation, spiritual community, eastern and western philosophy, universal values, creating accommodating and welcoming spaces, musical performances and more.
This year’s Tampa Bay Interfaith Week will include:
  • An official Interfaith Week proclamation by St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman.
  • An Opening Ceremony at St. Peter’s Cathedral featuring music, interfaith prayers and opening remarks by the mayor.
  • A Closing Ceremony at Temple Beth-El.
  • Panel discussions, interactive workshops, film screenings, dance, music, food and more
  • Open houses and involvement from various faith communities including those of the Baha’i, Buddhist, Catholic, Christian, Christian Science, Episcopal, Interspiritual, Jewish, Muslim, Quaker, Taoist, Unitarian Universalist, Unity and more.
Tampa Bay Interfaith Week continues to promote a message of conversation, compassion, peace and pluralism and holds the Bay Area up as an example of a community based on mutual respect, cooperation and collaboration.
For More Information Click HERE
Unpacking Whiteness
More than half of all Unitarian Universalist congregations took part this spring in a teach-in about white supremacy culture
In the largest joint effort among Unitarian Universalist congregations in recent memory, 706 congregations—68 percent of the total 1,038 congregations—participated in a White Supremacy Teach-In in April and May to examine how a culture of white supremacy plays out in UU spaces, including within congregations. 
At  Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater , Florida, the Rev. Patrice Curtis , a black minister in a predominantly white congregation and area, said she set a “deeply pastoral perspective” for their May 7 teach-in. “I said that what we were engaged in that morning was incredibly vulnerable work,” said Curtis. 
In lieu of a sermon, three white congregants who are members of the recently formed Black Lives Matter Committee shared personal stories on why racial justice is important to them. “We each had very different life stories that we hoped people could connect with,” said Susan Allen . A gathering at the church immediately afterwards drew about twenty people who were eager to talk about what they’d heard and share their own experiences, she said.
To read the entire article please click this link: http://www.uuworld.org/articles/unpacking-whiteness
Celebrate RCS' 50th Anniversary with us. You will enjoy dinner from Clear Sky on Cleveland, dancing to the Spenser Rd band, plus have the opportunity to bid on a South Africa safari, a Costa Rica getaway and other exclusive auction items! Click here to make your reservations today.
Faces of Domestic Violence Luncheon is October 17th.
 
Please RSVP for the 16th annual FACES of Domestic Violence Luncheon to benefit The Haven of RCS on Tuesday, October 17th. 
Last year's luncheon raised over $25,000. With your help, we hope to surpass that accomplishment. Seating is limited and we expect that every seat will be reserved again this year. 
We look forward to seeing you Tuesday, October 17th at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 409 Old Coachman Road, Clearwater FL 33765. Doors open at 10:30am; the luncheon and program start promptly at 12pm(noon). RSVP HERE

I appreciate you,

Kirk R. Smith
President & CEO
Explore Cuban education, arts and culture Jan. 7-16th, 2018 with Witness for Peace
Explore Cuban education, arts and culture in January of 2018 with Witness for Peace. Get to know Cubans from all walks of life while taking part in this People to People Delegation, a travel and study experience we’ve been leading to this island nation since 1999.  
 
This trip is aimed at educators and others who want to visit and study Cuba's urban and rural educational programs from primary to university levels, including professional schools such as the Latin American School of Medicine and the National School of Arts. Included are meetings with professionals, families, elected officials, neighborhood organizing committees, and visits to artists’ collectives, museums, and historical sites.
For more details about the trip click HERE.