Sunday Worship Service
All Welcome to our Service at 10:30 am Sundays in the Miller Sanctuary
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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 farm workers 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 farm workers through the Campaign for Fair Food.
The Fair Food Program is a unique partnership among farmers, farm workers, and retail food companies that ensures humane wages and working conditions for the workers who pick fruits and vegetables on participating farms. It harnesses the power of consumer demand to give farm workers a voice in the decisions that affect their lives, and to eliminate the longstanding abuses that have plagued agriculture for generations.
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Humanist Forum
The Humanist Forum meets every Sunday at 9:15 am in Hobart Hall. All are welcome to attend.
This Sunday, November 25th we will explore the intriguing subject of how we humans interact with the living species in our surroundings. New discoveries have revealed a much more complex and varied awareness of the world in both plant and animal kingdoms than we have believed in the past. Jeremy Narby, a Cultural Anthropologist and biological scientist tells us what our relationships with other species might be, and must become if we are to survive.
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Social Hour
Sunday's Social Hour happens after the service every week and 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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BURN, our High School Youth Group meets on Sundays at noon in Room 4. All youth, ages 14-18, are welcome! Questions about the group? Contact Director of Religious Education, Jenn Blosser:
[email protected]
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IGNITE
, our junior youth group for ages 10-13, meets weekly from 12-1 pm in Room 3. Come join us for community, conversation, and finding your call to action! Questions about the group? Reach out to Jenn Blosser:
[email protected]
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SPARK
is our newest youth group. Exclusively for children ages five to nine, Spark will meet weekly from 12-1 in Room 2 to explore Unitarian Universalism and learn more about our church and each other.
[email protected]
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Youth Theater Troupe
The UUCFM Youth Theater troupe will meet on the following Wednesdays at 6:30 pm following the community meal:
December 19
January 2
January 9
January 23
January 30
Please contact Sima Robins if you missed our information session and you are interested in participating. We are deeply sorry for missing the previously planned November 7th practice.
[email protected]
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From the Minister
A People of Memory
This month we join hundreds of other Unitarian Universalists participating in the
Soul Matters Sharing Circle
- a network of the faithful who embrace theme-based ministry in their faith communities. For the past nine years, our congregation has cycled through 3 cycles of 3-year themes for worship. This fall, our Worship/Music/AV Team voted to shift to Soul Matters themes.
What does this mean to the average UUCFM attendee or member? It means you can go to Soul Matters Sharing Circle (
https://www.facebook.com/soulmatterssharingcircle/
), "Like" and Follow the page for daily inspiration in your Facebook feed that promotes reflection and curiosity about themes that enliven core values of our distinctive faith tradition. It means we will continue to explore monthly themes to provide experiential touchstones for your faith journey. It means we can expand our beautiful, vital small group ministry in ways still up for discovery and exploration.
This month is about exploring the question on Memory- what does it mean to be a people of Memory? This Sunday invites a fresh take on gratitude as we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, with the invitation to Make American Grateful Again. Join us as we remember the real roots of gratitude.
Rev. Allison Farnum
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Music Notes
The UUCFM Choir
rehearses most Wednesday nights from 6:45-8:15 pm, and on Sunday mornings from 9-10 am in the sanctuary. It's free and there are no auditions. Come join us in singing!
The UUCFM Band
rehearses most Wednesday nights from 6:00-6:45 pm, and on Sunday mornings from 9-10 am 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!
Suellen Kipp, Director of Music
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From the Office
The UUCFM Office will be closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. If you need to have a key issued, a code given, or a reservation made, please contact the Office Manager today. Thank you!
Jill Carville, Office Manager
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FUUn BUUnch!
MIMI’S CAFÉ
Bell Tower Mall
5070 Bell Tower Shop Ave
Fort Myers, FL 33907
Located on the Northeast corner of
Daniels Parkway & Route 41
6:00 PM
Saturday, November 24th
by November 21st.. The restaurant needs exact numbers.
If you need transportation, please let us know with your full name, address and phone number when making your reservation with John. We will make every effort to provide transportation.
Our next FUUN BUUNCH DINNER will be at ORIGAMI Korean/Japanese Restaurant, ½ mile east of the UUCFM on Daniels Parkway, December 24th following the Christmas Eve Service at the church.
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Arts and Crafts Fair Returning
Sundays, December 2nd and 9th, from 11:30-1:30, we will be hosting Members & Friends for Arts & Crafts Booths and the All-Church Bake Sale. Mark your calendars to enjoy Christmas shopping, Christmas cookies to freeze, Next-to-New items, Joy's Chili lunch, and to see what our people create.
Christmas Cookies! Hand-Made Crafts! Chili and Cornbread Lunch($3) on Dec 2! Next to New Booth(donations gladly accepted on Nov 25 and dates of the event.) Coffee and Camaraderie! Enjoy it All!
For Volunteering, Next-to-New items, and Baked Goods, contact Suzanne Ziemer, cell: 812-332-3450,
email:[email protected]
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Covenant of UU Pagans Medieval Feast
Blessings all UU folks,
It is getting to be that time of year again where many return and our halls are filled with lovely faces. As you know, every other year or so, CUUPs holds a Medieval Feast. We are happy to say this year we will be presenting it. It is our fund raiser and even more it falls on winter solstice. The date is December 21st, gathering at 6:30 pm in Hobart Hall. We now have information regarding the feast. Tickets are 25.00 for adults, 15.00 for children 6-12. We do have arrangements for childcare. Our ritual of calling in the light begins as soon as everyone is seated with the royals presiding. Some of you have already reserved your name on the list. Tickets go quickly- we will be around on Sundays or you can catch me on Wednesdays. We will start to collect money now. Contact me with any questions. Performers: if you wish to perform for the royals, please let us know what you wish to do.
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UU Women's Retreat
Celebrating Sacred Places
9th Annual Florida Unitarian Universalist Women’s Retreat
April 5-7, 2019
DaySpring Episcopal Conference Center Ellenton, FL.
The retreat begins Friday at 5:00pm and ends Sunday. DaySpring Conference Center is conveniently located off I-75 just north of Sarasota on Florida’s West Coast. The beautiful campus nestled under ancient oaks and located on a cove of the Manatee River offers a serene setting for our annual retreat. Take a look.
$220 per person covers expenses for a semi-private room and meals. 8 women share a cozy cottage with 4 bedrooms and 4 baths, a screened porch and common area. A limited number of single rooms are available at $292 each.
A non-refundable deposit of $15 for a semi-private room or $25 for a private room will reserve your place. Final payment is due January 15, 2019. Come join us for an enriching and memorable weekend. Any questions? Contact Helen Leddy
[email protected]
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New Spirituality Discussion Group
Starting Wednesday, November 28th, at 6:45 pm in Room 7, there will be an open enrollment, no requirements, discussion group on spirituality. UU Poet Mary Oliver says, "What I mean by spirituality is not man-made theology but one's attitude for the known and unknown."
How to best live our lives with universal truths is the goal. Contact Suzanne Ziemer
[email protected] if you are interested in joining us.
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Book Club
The next session of the UUCFM Book Club starts Wednesday, November 28th at 1:00 pm. Our new book title is
Tribe, On Homecoming and Belonging
by Sebastian Junger.
Please come having read the first 60 pages.
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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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It's Time to Think "Connection Circle"
Come one, come all to the next 6 sessions of the Connection Circle beginning after church on Sunday, November 11th! New members, potential members, visitors and long-time members all are welcome. As we discuss meaningful spiritual topics by sharing our own life experiences as guided by a trained church-member facilitator, we get to know each other (and sometimes ourselves!) on a rich and deep level. We will meet every other Sunday, ending on January 20th. Participation in all six sessions is expected. For more information and to register, please contact Nancy Letts at
[email protected]
or call at 401-741-2712.
Thank you.
My best,
Nancy Letts
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Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Group
The Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist group meets Sundays in Room 1. All are welcome to join us. We have a new meeting time- 2:00-4:00 pm.
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Community Wednesday
Please join us for Chef Joy's Community Wednesday Dinners at 6:00 pm each Wednesday. We will be serving salad, soup and entree. The price is $5.00. The meal is vegetarian, but every other week will feature a meat item alternate.
Community Activities for November:
6:00-6:45
Band Rehearsal in Sanctuary
6:45-8:00
Choir Rehearsal in Sanctuary
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Alert! Christmas will be Here Soon!
As soon as Thanksgiving is over we will begin to collect Christmas gifts for the children and teens at the
Quality Life Center
or as it is commonly called, "the Q". That would be November 25th though December 16th. There are a total of 168 youths, 100 of them in the after school program and 46 being Leadership Teens; the remaining 22 are preschool and kindergarten.
We are not asking for a specific number for each age group. Buy whatever you want and as many as you want.
Do not
wrap the gifts. An open Holiday bag would be nice when possible and makes it easier for us to sort. The Q makes the following request. Please, NONE of the following: action figures, guns, Barbie dolls, or battery operated toys. Gifts may be left in the Narthex or at the Social Justice & Outreach Table in Hobart Hall until the Christmas trees go up in mid December. Then you may leave gifts under either tree. Thank you!
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Pachamama Alliance SW Florida
FIRST THURSDAY
GAME CHANGER GATHERING
DECEMBER 6, 2018
6:30-8:00 P.M.
UUCFM
“What Can
I
Do?”
THAT'S THE QUESTION SO MANY OF US ASK OURSELVES. What can I do to make a difference in the health of this planet? It is a question that brings people to Pachamama’s
Awakening the Dreamer
symposiums, online Game Changer Intensive, and
Drawdown
workshops. And to our First Thursday Game Changer Gatherings...like this one!
Led by Joe Bonasia
, this gathering will focus on the many things that an individual
can
do, emphasizing high impact actions, identifying their connections to
Drawdown
solutions, and, in many cases, quantifying how these steps can significantly reduce or mitigate Green House Gas emissions.
Sure...changing government and corporate culture is critical, but we must also recognize that individual action is equally important and deeply satisfying.
Consider this
: “
However destructive may be the policies of the government and methods and products of the corporation
,” Wendell Berry writes (and is quoted by Paul Hawken) “the root of the problem is always to be found in private life. We must learn to see that every problem that concerns us…leads straight to the question of how we live."
Because we love the planet and because the stakes are so high, let's put our determination to work by learning more about how to take immediate and meaningful actions to reduce our carbon footprint and overall environmental impact upon the earth.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE
AND CONTINUING OUR PASSIONATE ACTIVISM!!
(And feel free to bring a munchie or dessert to share...we'll have coffee and tea.)
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Changes to the Food Pantry re: Donations
The support that UUCFM has shown to our pantry over the years is greatly appreciated and along with other coalition members' support it has helped the South Fort Myers Food Pantry (FMFP) to feed 23,000 people in need during 2017. The Harry Chapin Food Bank is vital to our mission, to feed the needy of South Fort Myers, at a very modest cost. They are however, making some changes at Harry Chapin.
In the past, members of our congregation have financially supported the pantry by donating directly to the pantry or by sending checks to the Harry Chapin Food Bank with the stipulation the funds were to support the SFMFP. The Food Bank would then place the funds in a "Designated Grant" account for our use to purchase food. They are eliminating these accounts. As of August 1, 2018 any checks they receive in support of one particular pantry will be returned to the sender. Therefore, our pantry is requesting that any monetary donations be sent directly to and made out to:
The South Fort Myers Food Pantry
If you feel strongly about your donation being only for food and not for operating expenses, write "for food only" on the memo line. The pantry relies on the support of the coalition churches for the funds and the volunteers needed. There are no paid positions and it takes hundreds of volunteer hours and thousands of dollars each month to accomplish our mission. If you have questions call Fran Rose and leave a message at 617-750-0470 and Fran will return your call.
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UUCFM Announcing: Youth Violence Prevention Project
The United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades, and Okeechobee and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers (UUCFM) have begun a partnership designed to reduce youth violence. This initiative is a United Way Collaborative entitled the
Youth Violence Prevention Project (YVPP)
. The YVPP is a community funding initiative to encourage the development of programs that will reduce youth violence and the risk factors that contribute to it.
YVPP focuses on giving grants to local youth centered organizations or communities who propose youth violence prevention programs with clear and measurable objectives. The project will offer a total of $25,000 in grants to fund
student-driven programs
that address youth violence prevention and awareness. Grants will be awarded in increments of $500 - $2,500.
Proposals will be accepted beginning on
December 3
rd
, 2018 through January 18, 2019
. A student committee will then review submitted grant applications and select projects to be the recipients of the funding. Selected projects will be required to match the funding with money or in-kind donations.
YVPP will foster strategies that work in combination to prevent youth violence in a long-term way such as:
· Promoting family environments that support healthy development
· Providing quality education early in life
· Strengthening youth’s skills
· Connecting youth to caring adults and activities
· Creating protective community environments
· Intervening to lessen harms and prevent future risk.
UUCFM will have 4 seats on the Review Committee. It will entail one or two short meetings a year. If anyone is interested in serving on the Review Committee, please let me know
[email protected]
.
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We Need YOU to Keep our Bed & Breakfast Program Going
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? 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.) guests. I usually send out an email to all potential hosts when a request is received and the hosts respond as to their availability. Even if you can only host for two nights in March, for example, that is a big help. February and March tend to be in the biggest demand.
All money received from the guests as they stay in your home goes directly to UUCFM operating funds. 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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Art in the Narthex
The art work featured during the month of November is Asian inspired. Paper work by Patricia Vivier-Naidl and paintings by Priscilla Jeffcoat will be featured. This program is open to members who do art and(or) love art.
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Did you know your purchases can make a difference? AmazonSmile donates to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers when you do your holiday shopping at
smile.amazon.com/ch/59-1160337
.
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Do you have something to offer, trade, or sell? Are you looking for something? Free ad space here for personal items only. Will run ad for 4 weeks. Email
[email protected].
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- Laura Snow is returning to the area the week after Thanksgiving. She is looking for a short term place to stay, and can pay rent. If you can help, please call Laura at 239-344-6485. Thank you!
- A set of car keys (Toyota) were lost on church property on Sunday, November 11th.
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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 Wednesday for publication in the Thursday E-news.
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Lee OFA Indivisible
MOVING FORWARD: Please join us for
critical updates
and help us plan and prioritize our actions for 2019. We need your input as we discuss these important issues we face going ahead:
* Affordable Healthcare ~ protecting preexisting conditions and expanding Medicaid
* Protecting Medicare and Social Security
* Immigration Reform
* Women’s Rights
* Gun Reform
* Protecting Minority Rights
* Protecting Voter Rights
Tueday, November 27th
Lakes Park Regional Library,15290 Bass Road, Ft. Myers
Meeting 5:45 – 7:30 p.m. Come at 5:15 for socializing
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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 29 Bob Nies
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Board of Trustees
President
President Elect
Secretary
Treasurer
VP Finance
VP Programming
VP Ministerial Services
VP Operations
Member at Large
Staff
Minister
Director of Music
Director of RE
Office Manager
Building Supervisor
Nursery Supervisor
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