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October 2017 Volume 34 Issue 10
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Important Information for All Members:
How Did You Weather the Storm?
The storm may have been over two weeks ago but many of us are still feeling its impact. We are now in a different cone of uncertainty. Life has not returned to normal. UUCFM is here to help in a number of ways. Already many of us have checked on folks to see if they are OK. Some, are helping others clean up debris at their home or the church. Many us are telling our story and listening the the stories of others. Still others are helping parts of the community that were hit harder. It is normal to feel unsettled even after you are able to return to your home. If you need to talk with someone about your storm experience, please feel free to contact Neil Yesu,
[email protected] who can put you in touch with a Pastoral Care Associate. Your Community Ministers are also available.
Some of you may be worried about the finances of paying for storm damage and other costs not covered by insurance. Perhaps your out-of-pocket costs are less than your deductible but more than you feel you can comfortably cover. If this sounds like you, please do not hesitate to contact the Reverend Margaret Beard
[email protected]. Your costs
may be able to be covered by a block grant our congregation hopes to receive from the UUA Southern Region’s "Disaster Relief Fund." At the most recent board meeting, the board authorized the following process.
The first step is to email Rev. Beard
[email protected] to arrange a time to speak on the phone about your situation. You will need to be able to give a ball park amount which we will use to help determine our congregational request for the block grant. Please contact Rev. Beard no later than Tuesday October 3rd even if you feel you have only partial information about your need for help with non-reimbursed costs. After we hear the amount of our block grant which is approved, the money will be disbursed by Rev. Beard through our congregation’s "Minister’s Discretionary Fund." Your request and the disbursement of money will be confidential and known only by Rev. Beard and one board member who will sign the checks. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Rev. Beard.
If you are in a position to contribute to the Fund, please do so at:
https://giving.uua.org/Irma-aid. As of this writing the fund has received over $65,000. It is a good start but more is needed. As we receive more information we will share it with you. UUCFM has always been a caring congregation. We know that together we can get through just about anything.
Rev. Margaret Beard
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Worship in October: Unity and Diversity
As we have begun more intentional programming in the church around multicultural awareness and facilitating healing conversations on race and ethnicity through Beloved Conversations, this month we explore the tensions with the theme of Unity and Diversity. Come and join us for our annual multigenerational
Honoring the Beloved Dead
service the last Sunday of October. Bring trinkets/photos of beloved dead to place on the altar in the sanctuary before the service and bring a family dish to share that reflects your ancestral roots for the potluck feast following.
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Sunday Coffee Hour
Sunday's Coffee Hour is provided by volunteers from the Women's Circle on the first Sunday, CUUPS on the second Sunday, Humanist Forum on the third Sunday, Men's Group on the fourth Sunday and if there is a fifth Sunday, it is All Church. Any donations of food, snacks or cash are welcome.
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Community Sharing in October: Visuality
The mission of
Visuality
is to enhance and sustain the health and well-being of the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning) community and allies through programs, educational events and services.
Visuality
was originally a youth and young-adult only program. Recently, the community center became a center offering services for all members of the LGBTQ+ community.
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Humanist Forum
The Humanist Forum regularly meets every Sunday at 9:15a in Hobart Hall. All are welcome to attend.
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Meetings this Sunday, October 1
Cell Tower Buy-Out Discussions
At noon this Sunday in Room 7, Bill Petrarca will discuss proposals currently before the Board of Trustees regarding possible buy-outs of the church’s cell tower lease. Anyone interested in knowing more details about the possible transaction or having comments that the board should consider in their deliberations, please join Bill.
RE Committee
The Religious Education Committee meets in the Conference Room at 11:45a.
Social Justice
The Social Justice Committee meets at noon in Room 1.
Newcomers Meeting
There will be a meeting for all newcomers to the church who would like to learn more about us in Room 4 at noon.
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Board Thank Yous
The Volunteers of the Month are Walter & Simone Ittenbach! Thank you to all the volunteers who helped out to clean up the church and grounds after the hurricane, especially the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
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Music Notes
Musical Calendar
October 1: Classical pianist Alexandra Carlson!
October 8: As we host Betty Osceola, Angela Melton leads the Choir in singing a Dakota pipeline protest song,
Water is Life ~ Mni Wiconi.
October 15: The Choir and Band join forces to rock USA for Africa's 80s ballad,
We Are the World.
October 22: Austin Pierce covers the edgy folk song
Your Next Bold Move by Ani DiFranco, and the Choir does an encore performance of Hezekiah Walker's gospel number
I Need You to Survive.
October 29: For our service honoring our beloved dead, Karen Feinan and Keith Hamlin pair up for folk song,
This Love Will Carry, by Dougie MacLean and Kathy Mattea, and the Choir shares the mystic pagan round,
The Gates, by Reclaiming.
The next
Music Committee meeting is TBA.
The UUCFM Choir
rehearses most Wednesday nights from 6:45-8:15p, and on Sunday mornings from
9-10a in the Sanctuary. It's free and there are no auditions. Please email me in advance so that a music folder can be prepared for you. Come join us in singing!
The UUCFM Band
rehearses most Wednesday nights from 6:00-6:45p, and on Sunday mornings from 9:00-10:00a in the Sanctuary. If you would like to play your instrument during a Sunday service, please email me to coordinate the details. Come join us in making music together!
Amy Laursen, Director of Music
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Pachamama Alliance of SWFL
First Thursday Game Changer Gatherings
The Pachamama Community of Southwest Florida invites you all to gather the first Thursday evening of each month at 6:30 pm for inspiring speakers, Pachamama Alliance updates, coffee, tea and pot-luck desserts. We gather in in Hobart Hall as Game Changers and Awakened Dreamers. We will show a short inspiring Pachamama produced YouTube clip for each gathering. Here is what we have planned for the rest of 2017:
Want to experience something unique and fascinating?
“Journey into the Self—Journey into Change”
Featuring
Rev. James Reho
, who has returned from his amazing journey with the Achuar tribe, who are
dream readers living in the Amazon forest of Ecuador. These
indigenous peoples, who have a rich, ancient culture, first inspired and now participate with Pachamama Alliances worldwide as we do, with the shared vision of helping create a more sustainable, just, and fulfilling way for human beings to live on this planet.
Date:
Thursday Evening, October 5
th
Time: 6:30p
Place: Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers - Hobart Hall
Bring: If you like, bring a potluck dessert and bring a friend!
Thursday, November 2nd
6:30p
Speaker TBA
Exploring the Qualities of a Game Changer
Thursday, December 7th
6:30p
Author, Yogi and Health educator Nancy Loughan will be addressing need need for a Spiritual Practice to ground in doing the political work needed at this time.
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FUUn BUUnch Reminder
Saturday Dinner, September 30th at 6:00p
For all those who have signed up for the FUUn BUUnch for an exotic dinner at the THAI GARDEN
Located in the College Parkway Plaza
Thai Garden
7091 College Parkway, #15
Fort Myers, FL 33907
(239) 275-0999
Directions:
The THAI GARDEN is in the College Parkway Plaza on the South side of College
Parkway just west of Route 41, near
Office Depot and
First Watch.
FUUn BUUnch BrUUnch!
Join the FUUn BUUnch BrUUnch Gang SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8th AT 12:30p for breakfast/lunch at
Mimi’s Café
at Bell Tower Shops at 5070 BellTower Shop Ave, Fort Myers, Fl 33907. 1-239-561-0073
Please RSVP to John or Bob by Tuesday, October 4th.
(The restaurant requires firm numbers by this date.)
Or
DIRECTIONS:
Mimi’s Café is on the north east corner of Daniels Parkway and Route 41 in Fort Myers, Fl. If you need special directions or help, call John or Bob at the numbers above or Mimi’s Café at 1 239 561 0073.
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Holton Eco-Preserve, Family Gardens Kick-off Delayed
2 Weeks
Hi friends of the Eco-Preserve and the Family Gardens,
Hurricane Irma has setback our work schedule for the gardens by about 2 weeks. We have some damage that we have to repair and the delivery of soil has been delayed as well. Furthermore, the automatic watering system is not working because we still have no power in the gardens. So we think we can catch-up by the 15
th of October. So our first day is now set for October 15
th.
We will, however, stay on our 1
st Saturday of the month schedule for our gardening meetups. For new gardeners, you can come and finish your signups, get your bed assignments, get questions answered.
Thank you for your understanding of this extraordinary situation.
Bill Petrarca
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UUCFM eBINGO Kickoff
Because a number of players still do not have email access yet, we have delayed the kick-off of eBINGO until next Monday, October 2nd. The jackpot is $135 and you have a 1 in 20 chance to win! Because we're extending the kick-off one week, we'll sell more eBINGO cards next Sunday after service. That should boost the pot a little more!!
This is the email address you should contact once you have a winning card or if you have a question.
Have a safe week and we'll be in touch net Monday.
Bill Petrarca
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UUCFM Book Group
The UUCFM Book Group meets each Wednesday from 1:00 to 2:30p in the Library. Next Wednesday, October 4th, we review Chapter 8, the last chapter in Joseph Campbell's
The Power of Myth
. If you haven't attended for a while or have never attended, please join us. This session should be worth your time. The very next Wednesday, October 11th, we begin a new book by international peace-maker, Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD, (forward by Deepak Chopra),
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life, (3rd Edition) Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships (Nonviolent Communication Guides)
. Over 1,000,000 copies of this book have been sold and it has been translated into over 30 languages.
"Nonviolent Communication shows us a way of being very honest, without any criticism, insults, or put-downs, and without any intellectual diagnosis implying wrongness."
--- The Author
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Optimal Living Group
The Optimal Living Group is open to all and does not require attending every session. We meet in the Sanctuary on the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 4:00-5:30p. We discuss how to live optimally, including practical ways to cope with life's challenges and issues. Helping others and developing maturity in ourselves is part of our quest. We explore many paths and techniques for enriching our lives and making a difference for others. For more information, fill out a blue card found in the pews or email Neil Yesu:
[email protected].
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Mindfulness Meditation
Join us on Monday evenings to explore the very simple and satisfying practices of mindfulness and meditation. You don’t need experience with meditation, nor do you have to be a Buddhist. Do please bring an intention to quiet the mind and the body in a supportive group of UU members and friends with a similar intention - people who want to carry mindfulness into their daily lives. We meet Mondays from 6:30-8:00p in the Sanctuary. If you have any questions, please contact Gary Robbins at
[email protected]
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The Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist group meets Sundays at 1:45p in Room 1.
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Community Wednesday
Community Wednesday is held in Hobart Hall. Bring friends and neighbors, too. Join us each Wednesday for a delicious meal prepared by Chef Joy for a small donation. After the fellowship and fine fare from 6:00- 6:45p, join your favorite programming event, committee meeting, or social activity. Child care is provided until 8:30p.
Regular Activities for October:
4:00-5:30
Optimal Living Group (1st & 3rd Wed)
6:00-6:45
Community Meal
6:00-6:45
Band Rehearsal in Sanctuary
6:45-8:00
Choir Rehearsal in Sanctuary
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South Fort Myers Food Pantry
Urgent need for canned goods! If you have a lot of canned goods left over from your hurricane stock, please consider donating them to the Food Pantry this week. There is a collection basket in the Narthex by the middle door.
If you have questions or are interested in volunteering, email
Fran Rose at
[email protected]. Put "Food Pantry" on the subject line of your email.
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Member to Member
Church Member in Urgent Need of Room to Rent
Randall Gann is in urgent need of a room to rent. Circumstances beyond Randall's control have resulted in his losing his current living quarters. If anyone knows of rental availability to help Randall, please contact him at
239.834.2946.
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My UU Story
Amy Laursen:
Elegance of Science
One fall day at Florida State, I was walking through the student union and saw a flyer that read, “Do you want to get together and talk about the questions of life, the universe, and everything? Free pizza!” There were about a dozen of us who would meet on weekday evenings in a gazebo or on the green, and we talked about everything: our spiritual upbringings, transitioning into adulthood, how to cope with 9/11. And we practiced meditation and held pagan ceremonies. That Campus Ministry was my introduction to Unitarian Universalism.
At the time, I was exploring different beliefs, but by the end of college I decided that science was my preferred world view. Its elegance made my heart sing. It was a breath of fresh air to have so much clarity. And, science’s humility about its own limits filled me with gratitude. It seemed like the term atheist best described me, but the word came with so much baggage. I remained closeted for a long time, especially since as a young musician I needed church jobs for steady income over the summer.
One Sunday morning, in 2006, I was sitting at the piano in a small church, when I realized that I couldn’t take it anymore. The pastor had preached many ideas I found questionable, but that day he said that if people didn’t believe that demons were real and active in their personal lives, they were not good Christians and were going to hell. I dismissed the idea immediately, but as I looked around at the earnest faces in the congregation I realized that many of them were taking him seriously. Since my working there lent his words credibility and provided an emotional connection to his message, I quit as soon as I was able.
The next Sunday, I went to the UU Church of Tampa, and as I was shaking hands and introducing myself, one man asked about my personal beliefs, and I replied that I was an atheist. Instead of cringing and saying something awkward or demeaning, he genuinely smiled and welcomed me. I felt a flood of relief for being able to share openly and be accepted. I’ve been a UU ever since.
P.S. A couple of years later at the UU Church of Tallahassee, Rev. Robin Gray introduced me to the term humanist, which is how I describe my beliefs today.
Note: Amy is now
Director of Music at UUCFM.
About My UU Story
Each month, the Membership Committee would like to publish your UU story- either converted or born UUs. How did you become a UU, or how did our religion affect your life? Alternatively, do you have a one paragraph remembrance of your first reaction to being in a UU church and/or learning about the religion? To share your story, please contact Joy Sokeitous at
[email protected]
Joy will help you edit and she will provide questions to help you develop your story.
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Yarn
Because of the generous gift of Judie Marble and a previous gift from Patricia Linhoff, UUCFM has a fabulous supply of yarn and some knitting needles. The intention is for this yarn to be used for the making of Comfort Shawls that the Caring Network distributes to members. You can find further information about the shawls at this link
www.shawlministry.com . The yarn can be found in the boxes inside the door of the office. The office may be accessed Sundays through the Library door, which will be unlocked.
When you have completed a shawl, contact Diane Buckley at
[email protected]. Your efforts will be greatly appreciated as the shawls are treasured by their recipients.
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2018 Women's Retreat
It's time to start planning to attend the 2018 Florida UU Women's Retreat, April 13-15. Flyers will be available in the Narthex. This year, we are again sending this information to all the Florida UU congregations at the same time that this mailing is going out to you allowing more UU women to learn about the retreat.
We are looking for volunteers to participate in the program planning. If you are interested and we hope you are, please contact us. Program planning can take place from anywhere in the state, so don't be reluctant to sign up to help.
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If you are a UUCFM Community Sharing Partner, a regular Facility User, or have UU related news to share, you are welcome to submit announcements for publication in our Greater Community section of the newsletter. Please send announcements in by each Wednesday for publication in the Thursday
E-news.
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Shalom Life Center Help Wanted- Teen May Apply
Shalom Life Center is looking for someone to help with the setup of our weekly Friday evening services which are held either in the Sanctuary or Hobart Hall. We begin on Fridays at 5:30p which involves the setting up of chairs and tables for about a half an hour and again after the service at 9:30p putting away tables and chairs and assisting with general cleanup. In addition to regular Friday nights we are also seeking help with our monthly Saturday night events which also require the set up and take down of chairs and tables and general cleanup. If you are interested please contact Lawrence Dermer at
239-218-3433
or email
[email protected]
. This is not a volunteer position, we are offering compensation as well as community service hours if applicable.
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Oct 11 Roady Blosser is 14!
Oct 11 Jeff Hutchinson
Oct 15 Ted Brown
Oct 17 Holley Rauen
Oct 18 Doc Gatto
Oct 18 Jane Petrarca
Oct 23 Ruth Fotovat
Oct 23 Gordon Woodworth III
Oct 27 Sima Robbins
Oct 30 Peter Golbitz
Oct 30 Jersey Blosser is 17!
Oct 30 Sue Magee
Oct 31 Don Burget
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Newsletter Editor: Jill Carville
(239) 561-2700
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