Buying tickets for Emma's Revolution is easy online - Just click HERE !!!
We are promoting this concert all over the Tampa Bay Area so don't wait.
Coming Friday, November 17th to the Octagon!
E-Octagram
October 20, 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

October 22, Sunday
-- Open Issues
Why gridlock rules Washington, and how we can fix it." This was the topic at a USF forum last week, as reported in the TB Times by William Marsh. Copies of his report will be handed out before the discussion.

-- Sunday Service
Service Leader: Rev. Patrice Curtis, "An Atheist Blessing", 10:30-11:45, Octagon
An Atheist Blessing: This Sunday we will explore the work of healing the world.

-- Refugee Committee -ESL Informational Meeting, 12:00 to 1:30 pm,, Maxwell Library
You don’t need any teaching background! Each class is organized and the tutors receive suggestions and hands-on material to work with one or two students. Find out more about this exciting program today.

October 27th, Friday,
Fourth Fridays in the Food Forest, 6:00-9:00
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!
Check out the facebook page for more information  HERE.

October 29th, Sunday
Open Issues- tba
Service- tba

October 29th, Sunday,
Black Lives Matter meeting, 12:15-2:15 pm, Chorale Room,
Please join the monthly UUC Black Lives Matter meeting to learn about lynching in St. Petersburg, the state of Florida, other Southern states, and the U.S. We will view some maps and videos and read some local history. We will brainstorm about how we can best educate ourselves and other white people about the history of lynching and move towards truth and reconciliation. Eileen Senn will be facilitating. 

November 2, Thursday:
End of Life Choices
Our November 2 nd  meeting will be a talk by Kayt Kennedy about dementia and Alzheimer’s. Kayt leads a caregiver’s support group for the Alzheimer’s Association. She is also going to talk about the Peaceful Pill Handbook because she says that she would look to that resource if she got a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. She would not choose to go through the long, drawn-out dying process that is Alzheimer’s. 

November 2nd, Thursday:
Women's Lunch at Benedicts, (768 N. Belcher Rd. Clearwater) 12:00-2:00
Please email or call Kayt Kennedy to let us know you're coming so we can make accurate reservations. Email:  kaytkennedy@gmail.com , Phone:   727-735-3570

Wednesday November 8th:
Exhale! 6:00-6:45 pm, Octagon
Hold the second Wednesday of each month open for some quiet moments of mindfulness and connection.

November 11th & 12th
Seniors Actors Guild presents "Committed"
Live theater in the Octagon, Saturday 7:00 pm and Sunday Matinee performance at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $15.00 at the door and $13.50 if you buy in advance in the office. Tues-Fri 9 am to 12 noon. Call 727-531-7704 for more info.

November 17th, Friday:
Emma's Revolution , 7:30-10:30 pm, Octagon
Tickets are still available by going to www.uuc.org

Coming up: December 10th, Sunday: Special Congregational Meeting on the Budget , 12:30 - 2:00 after service in the Octagon.
Also on December 10th is the Annual Bake Sale




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

October 22nd, 2017

Service Leader:
Rev Patrice Curtis

"An Atheist Blessing"
Theme of the month:
Healing
  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 Susan Hegner and is available at 727-531-7704 ext. 5.  

Open Issues
Sunday, October 22nd, 2017 
9:30-10:20 am
Patio Room
Why gridlock rules Washington , and how we can fix it." This was the topic at a USF forum last week, as reported in the TB Times by William Marsh. Copies of his report will be handed out before the discussion
  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. 
Special Congregational meeting on the budget December 10th,12:30 pm after service. This is the same Sunday as the Bake Sale. So people can attend the service, the bake sale and the meeting. Fun for all!!!
FAST TEAM LEADERS INVITE YOU TO THE ANNUAL ASSEMBLY
On October 23 rd at 7PM at Holy Family Catholic Church, FAST will be holding the 14 th Annual Assembly. This is the first of four major FAST events that will be held this year. FAST members from all 39 congregations will gather to choose the issues we will work on this year. The committees working on affordable housing and civil citations for youth have requested that we continue the work and the FAST Board has agreed that that work needs to continue. This means we will be choosing one new issue at the Assembly. The committee on education has asked that FAST members vote for youth concerns so that we can continue to monitor the implementation of restorative justice practices in the school system. The other issues that came up from home gatherings in other congregations are: mental health and drug treatment; transportation; health care; hunger and nutrition; environment; jobs and wages; crime and gun control; credit and debt; and senior concerns.
Want to carpool?   contact Theo Betjemann 727-489-7470
Want to join us for dinner before the event? Contact Gretchen Craig 940-453-3456
Stop by the Social Justice Table to sign up or get more information. Don’t forget to wear your UUC tee shirt.

g
" Surreal Sojourns :
Digital Photography by Barbara D. Boss."
Continues at the Octagon til mid-November
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 aB
Childcare will be available in Spirit Space during the concert for
kids 4 to 8.
  Our Ticket Site is up and running!
Click HERE to buy tickets in advance.
Tickets are $18.00 in advance and $22.00 at the door. Don't wait, reserve your seats now!


November 17th, Friday in the Octagon at 7:00 pm
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. 
Exhale
Wednesday, Nov 8th
A Gathering for Sitting and Moving Mindfulness.
Exhale begins November 8th from 6-6:45 in the Octagon. Hold the second Wednesday of each month open for some quiet moments of mindfulness and connection.
New Office volunteers needed.
The UUC office is looking for volunteers to fill the first, third, and sometimes 5th Wednesdays of each month. While our volunteers are mostly women we do have one man who is volunteering at the front desk and he really enjoys it. We are a fun bunch and we guarantee you will enjoying interacting with your fellow congregants as well as helping with valuable admin work. To join the Office Team contact Alyssa at 727-531-7704 or email her at admin@uuc.org.
Volunteers Needed

Refugee Committee Tutoring Program
Informational Meeting
Sunday, October 22 at 12:00
Maxwell Library

This past year, the Refugee Committee began an English as a Second Language program for our Arabic neighbors living in the apartment complexes near UUC.
The students gather on Saturday morning from 9:30 to 11:00 and are assisted by an amazing group of UUC volunteers. You don’t need any teaching background! Each class is organized and the tutors receive suggestions and hands-on material to work with one or two students.
Most volunteers come every Saturday, but there
is no problem when you have guests, vacation, or other commitments. The program has been a rewarding experience for both the students and our members and we invite you to become involved.
Barb Foley (908) 377-2234

The Mitten Tree Needs a New Shepard-- Is It You?

For many years UUC has sponsored a Mitten Tree to provide Christmas presents for local children and families in need. This year we need an organizer for this event. It is a time limited project...just requiring a few Sundays in November and December. Information and directions from past years make this a do-able project for a new person. If you would like more information about the Mitten Tree please see Marlene Calderone or contact her at  mcaldero@tampabay.rr.com . If no one volunteers to head the effort we will not have a mitten tree this year.
A HUGE THANK YOU
And see below for more ways you can help...

This really is a wonderful, caring community. In just one week, we
answered the urgent call and were able to fill up three cars with food ,
clothing and baby supplies that Mike Manning, Susan Allen, Linda Stoller,
and Harriet Ha-Sidi drove to South Florida to benefit the Coalition of
Immokalee Workers. This week, the Migrant Justice Team sponsored our
first rice and beans luncheon to kick off our rice and beans collection to
bring to the returning migrant workers in Plant City. If you were unable
to donate this week or would like to donate more, we will also be collecting
this Sunday, October 22. If you would like to help bring food to the Plant
City workers on Saturday, October 28, please contact Harriet Ha-Sidi.
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. 
-- Black Lives Matter, Sunday, October 29 th  ,12:15-2:15 pm in the Chorale room. 
Please join the monthly UUC Black Lives Matter meeting to learn about lynching in St. Petersburg, the state of Florida, other Southern states, and the U.S. We will view some maps and videos and read some local history. We will brainstorm about how we can best educate ourselves and other white people about the history of lynching and move towards truth and reconciliation. Eileen Senn will be facilitating. 

-- Humanists Activities Coming Up
A note from Bill Norsworthy...
  Professor Anthony Brunello’s talk yesterday was excellent and well received by all who heard it. The topic was the politicization of religion. If you would like a copy of the talk and the bibliography of sources referenced, please reply to this email and I will forward them to you.
 Upcoming events for our group include the following:
 
October 20-22  FreeFlo – The annual conference of the Florida Humanist Association in Orlando. They have lined up some wonderful speakers. For details, go to:   http://www.freeflo.org/
 
November 19     Herb Silverman , founder of the Secular Coalition for America. He was the interviewer of Richard Dawkins at their UUC appearance in 2015.
 
December 9      WinterFest – our celebration of the Winter Solstice. We join with other Tampa Bay area freethought groups for dinner and entertainment as we look forward to the shortest day of the year. This will be held at UUC in the Social Hall.
 
Please make note of these events. I hope to see you at all of them.

Bill Norsworthy
Co-Facilitator

--End of Life Choices, November 2, Thursday, 1:30-3:00 pm, Westwood Room
  Our October meeting was a convincing presentation by Gay Lyn Birkholz about writing a letter to our family and friends regarding our end-of-life wishes. Unfortunately we never got a chance to draft those letters. I was very impressed by Gay Lyn’s presentation and wrote my letter even though I have already talked about these issues with my family a number of times. I discovered a significant difference. I put some very concrete information in the letter because, unlike a conversation, the letter can be kept and referred to in the future. I suggest we write these letters at our December 7th meeting. That way, whether you send the letters or give them to your family and friends, you may get to have some discussion over the holidays.

Our November 2 nd  meeting will be a talk by Kayt Kennedy about dementia and Alzheimer’s. Kayt leads a caregiver’s support group for the Alzheimer’s Association. She is also going to talk about the Peaceful Pill Handbook because she says that she would look to that resource if she got a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. She would not choose to go through the long, drawn-out dying process that is Alzheimer’s. 
 
On Sunday, November 12 th , our C & C group will be presenting the morning service in the Octagon. I am going to be giving the main address and a couple of other members will be reading poems about taking risks. I hope we will be able to hand out a lot of literature and answer questions for members of the UU community. 
 
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, November 2 nd , at 1:30 pm in the Westwood Room in the main building of the home of the Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater at  2470 Nursery Rd . We will take a love offering for the use of the room, lights, air conditioning, etc.
Warmly,
Marcia 
What's Happening at UUC
Coming this November to the Octagon Arts Center! Tickets available at the UUC office.
Rev Patrice is a panelist at Eckerd College OLLI Course

UUC Member and long-time educator and corporate consultant, Susan Gore, is teaching a class at Eckerd College for their Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program called: LGBTQQIAATS+: Making Sense of an Identity-based Alphabet Soup.

In addition to Patrice, there will be other panelists representing a range of backgrounds and experiences.
Molly Ellowis is a self-described lover of books, dancing and people; she also is the mother of two adult children.
Marge Keller is a self-described "butch lesbian feminist" and former chef who lives in the Town Shores over 55 community in Gulfport.
Charlotte Lambert-Jolley is an animal rights activist and a model who manages a high-end salon in St. Pete. Charlotte was the Oct. 2014 Playboy Playmate and is married to Rachel Lambert-Jolley.
Rachel Lambert-Jolley is a St. Pete native with strong ties to the community. A former NCAA Division 1 soccer player, Rachel has coached youth club teams for ten years. Rachel also owns a social media business, H2H Social, assisting brands with social media content and strategy.
Ann Menz is a former anti-war activist who now has MS and is a wheelchair user living at Alhambra Health and Rehabilitation Center in St. Pete. 
Kay Trinkle is a retired graphic artist and educator, who chose to remain closeted until retiring to protect her job. She is new to Gulfport, moving into town just this year.
(more information on time and dates to come.)
Adult Religious Enrichment Presents
Readers Forum
 Readers Forum next meeting is October 13th. 10:30 am, Chorale Rm.

On Oct.27,and Nov.3rd, we'll discuss "Evicted:Poverty and Profit in the American City "by Matthew Desmond.
FOOTNOTES FROM THE LIBRARY:

AV Materials Ready for Checkout at the UUC Library

The new Audio-Visual section is growing! Check it out. It is on the right hand side bookcase as you walk in the door.

One of the selections is "The Long Strange Road", which is the history of Unitarian Universalism from the beginning to the recent past.

Since this is a very valuable set, (It was almost half of our budget when we bought it.) Please try to keep it all together and check it out for no longer than 14 days.
Something else that is new is that we have reverted to the check-out notebook in place of the individual slips. Please PRINT neatly, and use the Full Title of the selection that you are checking out, including AV materials.

If you have comments or requests please let me know.   bcgotts@gmail.com.
Tuesday Morning Duplicate Bridge

Come and join the game at 9:00 every Tuesday in the Patio Room. We are experienced and not experienced and yes, we use boxes as it is helpful to those of us who don't hear all that well! Give us a try. We would love to have you come by one Tuesday. For information, call Jane Torell  727-400-4149
Beyond UUC...
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.