Worship in November: Gratitude
Gratitude is a cornerstone of living a meaningful life. The spirit of gratitude can dwell in our hearts regardless of the external realities of our lives. Let us join in worship and cultivate this gratitude together.
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Humanist Forum
The Humanist Forum regularly meets every Sunday at 9:15a in Hobart Hall. All are welcome to attend.
This Sunday’s topic will be an extended discussion about the book
Daring Democracy
by Lappé and Eichen, and how the “threatened” conservative and alt-right movements set out to change the American mindset and rig the rules in their favor.
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Community Sharing in November: Alliance for Fair Food
The Alliance for Fair Food (AFF) seeks justice, dignity and respect for all farmworkers as part of a broader vision of justice for all peoples. The AFF works in partnership with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), building a vibrant, diverse national network that takes action in pursuit of fair wages and working conditions for farmworkers through the Campaign for Fair Food.
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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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Meetings this Sunday, November 12th
*The
RE Committee
meets in Room 4 at noon.
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From the Minister
Every Act a Prayer
The white 19th Century theologian Theodore Parker wrote in a popular essay,
The Transient and Permanent in Christianity
, a prayer that God would send us a real religious life where "Every Act was a prayer." On social media I've seen several comments about how prayers are not enough, that it's time to act in a country with statistics that tell us that our current gun laws are not sufficient. As legislators and politicians continue to send their prayers, more people are being killed. Las Vegas. A Baptist Church in Texas. And we ask ourselves, when will it end?
It will end when people of faith are willing to raise their prophetic voices and put their money where their mouths are, and organize their power to equal if not surpass the power of the gun lobby. Religious life is sometimes political, just as theology is shaped by the political movements of the day, as history or herstory reveals.
As we gather this month in worship around the theme of gratitude, I am grateful for the power and possibility we have as an organization and as Unitarian Universalists. How might we raise our voices?
Rev. Allison Farnum
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Music Notes
Musical Calendar
November 12: Rebecca Donlan covers Josh Groban's ballad
Thankful, and the Choir sings the heartwarming anthem
Rejoice and Be Glad.
November 19: The Choir sings a new version of beloved UU hymn
We Give Thanks, and Angela Melton shares an offertory.
November 26: Watch the weekly E-News for details.
December 3: The Choir and Band team up for the rousing Gospel song,
Let There Be Peace.
December 3: 1:00pm HOLIDAY SING-ALONG! See article below for more details.
December 4: Please welcome Suellen Kipp as Amy's maternity leave begins.
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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Religious Education News
I have returned from Denver, Colorado with loads of new ideas and resources to apply to our Religious Education program. It was especially powerful to learn from so many religious education professionals how the Family Ministry model was empowering their children, youth, and families and improving the quality of the programs they offer. It is so exciting to see revolutionary new ideas bringing about powerful results in our congregations nationwide.
One of the most exciting things we will be setting up now that I'm back is a UUA supported youth group. This will allow our youth to participate in youth cons across the state as well as other UU youth activities across the country. The youth group will be open to kids age 14-18 and will involve elements of worship, community building, and of course loads of free-form fun. Our youth group will be designed for youth empowerment and offer participants a chance to use their group to work for social justice, racial awareness, or any projects they see fit.
There are lots of other projects to be set up for our elementary and junior high youth as well, and I look forward to structuring a sustainable calendar of events to benefit the spiritual needs of these communities at our church as well. This is an exciting time in UUCFM's RE program as we look ahead to Family Ministry at our church and all the new opportunities that will bring.
Jenn Blosser, Director of Religious Education
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Join the FUUn BUUnch for LUUnch after Church
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12th 12:30p at a different Perkins location:
PERKINS RESTAURANT
12300 S. Cleveland Ave.
Fort Myers, FL 33907
(239) 936-1150
DIRECTIONS:
From Shire Ln. at the Church, turn right and drive west on Daniel’s Parkway. Turn right onto 41 and drive south toward Crystal Drive. Perkins is just north of Crystal Drive on the West side of 41.
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Kitchen Clean Up Time
On Monday November 13th at 9:00a, we will begin a wipe down and cleaning in the church kitchen. All are invited to come that morning to help. Stay for the Women's Circle Potluck Lunch at 12:00 noon. Our kitchen gets a lot of use during the year and it needs to be taken care of by all of us.
Thanks for your time,
Dorothy Van Howe
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Baby Sprinkle
Join us for a Baby Sprinkle on Sunday, November 19th at noon in celebration of our Director of Music's Baby Girl arriving in late December. Sign up to bring food or help with potluck here:
The Laursens are registered at Amazon:
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Come Join The FUUn BUUnch For Dinner
Saturday, December 2nd at 6:00p
La Grotta
(under new management)
9520 Marketplace Road
Ft Myers 33912
239-332-5500
DIRECTIONS:
Drive E/W on Daniels Parkway toward 75. Turn North on Danport Way (Just east of Denny’s). Turn Right (East) on Marketplace Road (first road). La Grotta is on the right across from the Marriott. If you miss it, go round the circle, head west. La Grotta is 500’ west of the circle on the left.
Please call John E. Fischer, 267-992-6566 Or email
[email protected] by Sunday, November 26, to reserve your place. Management needs exact numbers to schedule staffing.
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The 3rd Annual Holiday Sing-Along!
Sunday, December 3rd at 1:00p
Come sing and enjoy Christmas carols, Hanukkah songs, solstice chants, and other wintry favorites. We’ll pass the Santa hat to benefit the South Fort Myers Food Pantry, a partner of the Harry Chapin Food Bank. Request a song by Friday, November 17th for a $25 donation. Please bring a friend and a holiday treat to share.
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December Shopping
The Arts & Crafts Fair and All Church Bake Sale is happening in Hobart Hall on Sunday, December
3rd, and Sunday, December 10th immediately following the service. Please mark your calendars and bring a friend. New this year is a "Next to New" booth for donations or 50/50 consignment. Teri Cooper & Barbara
Mannix [email protected]
are in charge. For an Arts Booth, contact Patricia Linhoff,
[email protected]
. To volunteer, contact
[email protected]
.
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Dinners Go Round for 2018
Dinners-Go- Round are now forming for January through April 2018!
Denis and Linda Jensen are organizing Dinners Go Round for January through April of 2018. These monthly potluck dinners offer you a chance to get to know your fellow UUCFM Members on an informal basis. One dinner is held each month at a host UUCFM member’s home on a date determined by the host and participants.
If you didn’t participate last year and would like to do so this year, please email Denis Jensen by December 15th at
[email protected] and let him know. Please include your names, telephone numbers, addresses, and email addresses in your email to Denis and also let him know if you would consider being a host for one of the four monthly dinners, or if there is one or more of the four months where you would not be able to participate. Also advise Denis if you will require wheelchair accessible dinner sites.
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Rummage Sale
Save your gently used items for our UUCFM Rummage Sale! The sale will happen over 3 days- Friday, January 19th, Saturday morning, January 20th, and Sunday afternoon, January 21st. Contact Deb Lewis for details
[email protected]
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Games and More!
Saturday, January 27th, our church- sponsored Scouts present a Casino Night for our UUCFM general budget needs. Hobart Hall will be a festive environment of Casino Tables and a Buffet Supper. Doors open at 6:30p. Bring friends. Limited advance tickets are for sale @ $20, includes $3,000 worth of playing chips. To volunteer contact Suzanne Ziemer at
[email protected]
or
812-332-3450
.
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UUCFM Book Group
The UUCFM Book Group meets each Wednesday from 1:00 to 2:30p in the Library. We are now reading a 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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Women's Circle
Attention UUCFM women: Don't miss our Women's Circle meeting at noon on Monday, November 13th. Bring a potluck item to share. The program following our lunch will be a discussion of "My Most Unusual Thanksgiving." See you then, and feel free to bring a guest.
Linda Jensen
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Next Connection Circle Begins Sunday, November 19th
Come one, come all to the next Connection Circle beginning Sunday, November 19th! New members, long-time members, and visitors are welcome. In each of six sessions we'll discuss meaningful spiritual topics through the sharing of our personal stories and experiences. Participation in a Connection Circle is a great way for "potential", new, and old-time members to get to know each other on a deep level and to feel more connected to our church community. This facilitated 6-session group will meet from 12:15 to 1:45p on the following Sundays: November 19th, December 10th, December 17th, December 31st, January 14th, and January 28th. Participants are expected to attend all 6 sessions. For more information
and to register, please contact Nancy Letts at
[email protected] or call at
401-741-2712.
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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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UUCFM eBINGO
We will be selling eBingo cards for the 2
nd round this Sunday after the service in Hobart Hall. Don’t forget to get your play cards. The more participants, the bigger the jackpot! Buy an extra set of cards for your friends and family. Join in the fun every time you open your email.
[email protected]
Bill Petrarca
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Community Wednesday
Community Wednesday is held in Hobart Hall. All are invited. 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.
Community Wednesday Activities for November:
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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Bed & Breakfast Volunteer Opportunity
We are preparing for another year of UUCFM’s Bed and Breakfast program. Through the generosity of host families within our congregation, we have raised $3000 to $5000 a year for the church operating budget for many years. We provide this service to UUs and/or their friends from around the country. This
program cannot happen without volunteers and we need your help!
What’s needed to be a host? The host provides one bedroom and bathroom and a basic breakfast each morning of the guests’ stay. The guests are usually one or two people. The breakfast can even be a “do it yourself” if your guests are early risers or you have to go to work and they want to sleep.
Do I have to entertain the guests or take them places?
No! They will have their own transportation. If you have favorite restaurants to recommend, or other local travel tips, they are always appreciated. You are not expected to provide entertainment, transportation or extra food. For the most part, guests are off
doing their own thing most of the day and evening.
When and for how long? Guests stay from one to seven nights during the months of January through April. (Most stay only two or three nights.) You choose when and for how long you can host and then your requirements are matched with those of the guests. Even if you can only host for two nights in March, for example, that is a big help. February and March tend to have the biggest demand.
All money received from the guests as they stay in your home goes directly to the UUCFM operating budget. I haven’t even mentioned how interesting and fun this experience can be for the hosts. We have met so many great UUs through this experience!
Please consider being a host! Before you say no, talk to me. Just try it once…
Mary Nies, Program Coordinator
239-466- 7933
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Holiday Decorations
Kimberly Littleton is looking for some volunteers to help put up holiday decor in November. If you are interested, please contact Kimberly at:
[email protected]
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Let's Keep UUCFM Clean!
Please be mindful when leaving trash around campus. This is what happens when bagged trash is not put into the.dumpster, making cleanup overwhelming.
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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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Cape Coral Teens Make Fertility Bracelets
Teacher Rachel Montrose shows Fertility Bracelets that her Ida Baker High School Key Club students made for the GRACE Project’s November trip to Guatemala.
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Lifeline Screening at UUCFM
Why Get Screened?
Taking preventive steps such as making lifestyle changes and getting health screening may help you avoid a stroke or other serious health events in the future. Early intervention is important.
If you are over fifty, if you have diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, or if you have a family history of stroke or heart disease, you may be at risk, even if you feel great. Actually four out of five people who suffer a stroke have no apparent symptoms and nearly 30% of strokes occur under the age of 65. The good news is that according to the National Stroke Association, 80% of strokes can be prevented. Life Line Screening will help you find out if you are at risk, so you and your doctor can take the next steps and be proactive about your health.
Where: Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers
When: Thursday, November 16, 2017
Pre-registration is required. The Wellness Package includes 4 vascular tests for $139 ($129 with our member discount). The screenings take 60-90 minutes to complete. In order to register for this event and to receive a $10 discount off any package priced above $129, please call 1-888- 653-6450 or visit
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SWFL Gay & Lesbian Chorus
SWFL Gay & Lesbian Chorus with
Tropical Storm present
There's No Business Like Snow Business
2017 Holiday Concert
Saturday, December 9th in Hobart Hall
6:00pm Dinner
7:00pm Concert
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Travel with UUs
The Gilded Age Meets Downton Abbey in England
,
May 6-14, 2018
The unique university town of
Oxford
, with its amazing bookstores, eclectic museums, and historic pubs, is our home for 5 nights. While learning from a Blue Badge English Guide about the Victorian era and the American heiresses who married English aristocracy to save their estates, we visit
Highclere Castle
and
Blenheim Palace
. In the Midlands, we visit
Althorp House
and have
High Tea
in Leamington Spa. For 2 nights we stay in
Ironbridge,
the symbol of the industrial revolution in England. A Victorian town shows us how people lived and worked in late 1800s. All of this is wrapped in the bow of Downton Abbey. We enjoy the film sites at Highclere,
Basildon Park
, the charming
Cotswolds,
and in
London
. The itinerary aims to be mindful, informative, and fun. Contact
Beverly Carr
for all the details:
[email protected]
thank you!
Beverly Carr
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Nov 17 Denis Jensen
Nov 20 Theresa Bahre
Nov 21 Erin Everson
Nov 21 Mary Murray
Nov 23 Mary Dryden
Nov 26 Carolyn Thompson
Nov 28 Bob Krieger
Nov 28 Jennifer McFadden
Nov 29 Liz Taggart
Nov 30 Amy Laursen
Nov 30 Bob Nies
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Newsletter Editor: Jill Carville
(239) 561-2700
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