Weekly E-News September 26, 2019

Sunday Social Hour Sunday's Social Hour   happens after the service every week. Come join us for coffee and snacks. Newcomers, visitors, and members are all welcome. Sponsoring groups are the Women's Circle and CUUPs.  Any donations of food, snacks or cash are always welcome. Humanist Forum The Humanist Forum meets every Sunday at 9:15 am in Hobart Hall. All are welcome to attend. Join us as we engage in a new topic each week. The Humanist Forum for Sunday, September 29th will be about what’s wrong with our current system of capitalism, and how to fix it. The speaker is—a capitalist! Nick Hanauer has made a lot of money. He believes, however, that the model of capitalism we practice today is neither sustainable nor just, and he tells us why. There’s also a delightful short preview featuring Greta Thunberg.  New UUCFM “Digital” Connection Card Through the talents of Lesley Peterson, our webmaster, we are announcing our new “digital” Connection Card where visitors can sign-up to receive our enews by filling out the Connection Card form at  connect.UUCFM.org . This is not to eliminate our traditional Connection Card, but to make it easier to connect with our congregation. Also, members can use the digital form to let our Office Manager know of any changes of address/phone information. You may also send the link to friends who might be interested to know more about our events.

Sunday Join us this Sunday, September 29th at 10:30 AM in the Miller Sanctuary for our weekly service entitled Like Minded. All welcome! Community Sharing Lee Interfaith for Empowerment is an interfaith justice ministry seeking long term solutions to systemic injustices that began in Lee County, and has grown to encompass the State of Florida. This year, LIFE is focusing on solutions for affordable housing and restructuring the criminal justice system.  Please give generously this Sunday when the collection plate comes around! It's the last week for our LIFE partnership. Thanks so much!

Meet the Minister Rev. Carlos will be holding Meet the Minister sessions in October. This is an opportunity to share your hopes and dreams for the future of UUCFM. The sessions will happen on Sundays and Wednesdays in October in the Minister's office. Please choose one session from the following dates: Wednesdays: 6:00-7:30 p.m., October 2, October 9, October 16, October 23, October 30 Sundays: 12 noon - 1:30 p.m., October 6, October 20, October 27 Space is limited. Sign up with the Office Manager to reserve your spot. [email protected] or 230-561-2700.

From the Board Dear UUCFM Members and Friends, We are writing this letter to inform you of Theresa Bahre’s resignation as UUCFM Board President, effective as of Monday, September 23, 2019. She informed board members and staff of her personal decision via email this past week. The remaining board members support her decision, and it is beneficial to her health and well-being to discontinue her service in this capacity. Our congregation has many growing edges and strengths. We are grateful for Theresa Bahre’s service in church leadership with this year’s transitions from Rev. Allison Farnum’s ministry, to lay leadership, and now Rev. Carlos Martinez’s ministry with us. We wish her and her family the best of health and well-being.  Lesley Peterson is now assuming the role of President of the UUCFM Board of Trustees. Per our bylaws, Section 7.2, President-Elect: "In the event of a vacancy in the Presidency, [the President-Elect] becomes the President for the remainder of the fiscal year and for the next fiscal year." Members and friends, please be alert for another letter regarding other vacant UUCFM board positions. We appreciate your gentle understanding, compassion and cooperation with us during this transition. In love, growth, and service, Alison Carville Board Secretary [email protected]

The UUCFM Choir  rehearses most Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:00 pm, and on Sunday mornings at 9:30 in the sanctuary. It's free and there are no auditions. Come join us in singing! The UUCFM Band  rehearses most Wednesday nights from 5:45-6:15 pm, and on Sunday mornings at 9:10 in the Sanctuary. Do you play an instrument? Are you interested in playing with the UUCFM band for worship? If so, please schedule an audition time with me by email.Come join us in making music together! Suellen Kipp, Director of Music [email protected] Would You Like to Become a Member of UUCFM? If you are interested in becoming a new member, please pick up a Membership Kit on Sunday mornings in the Narthex or in the office during the week. Thanks! Did you know your purchases can help us? AmazonSmile donates to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers when you do your online shopping by following this special link to Amazon:    smile.amazon.com/ch/59-1160337

Membership Committee 2.0 is Now Forming With Rev. Carlos’s commitments to our interim “re-boot,” we are looking to add some new energy to our Membership Team. We have lost some of our long-standing members and need a few new faces on our “welcoming team.” If you have a welcoming smile and a couple of extra minutes each month, we need you! Please contact Jill at  [email protected]  or Bill Petrarca at 239.810.4608. Our first team meeting will be this Sunday, at Noon, in the Library.

From the Office Hello Members and Contributing Friends! I will be sending pledge statements out next week by email. This is just an update to inform everyone where they stand on their 2019-2020 pledge payments. It is not a bill or a notice for payment in full now. Pledges are not due until March 31, 2020. If there are any issues with your statements, please email or call the office manager and we will straighten it out. Thanks! Jill Carville [email protected] 239-561-2700

Social Justice

Good News from South Fort Myers Food Pantry As many of you know, the South Fort Myers Food Pantry began a fund drive in June to replace the aging box truck used to transport food from the Harry Chapin Food Bank and area stores to stock the pantry. The goal is to raise $45,000 of the estimated cost of $75,000. $30,000 was set aside from the pantry's reserves for equipment replacement. As of August 27, three of the 16 Coalition members and Supporting Partners have contributed $10,500 toward this effort, and 23 of the volunteers and friends of the Pantry have donated an additional $14,000 for a total o $24,500. We at UUCFM have moved up the month for the Pantry to be the recipient of our Community Sharing to October so that this donation might be credited to the Truck Replacement Fund. Those individuals who would rather make a direct donation can mail checks directly to the Pantry. These can be made out and mailed to the South Fort Myers Food Pantry Coalition, Inc. 8360 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers, FL. 33919. Write "Truck Fund" in the memo line. Any donation you can afford to help deliver food safely and efficiently to our neighbors in South Fort Myers will be greatly appreciated.

UUCFM Events

Music Team Spaghetti Luncheon Join us after the service on Sunday, October 13th for a Spaghetti Luncheon in Hobart Hall for only a $5 donation! The goal is to raise $300 to cover half of the Music Team's financial responsibility to host Deeper Than the Skin in November. The Music Team hopes to sell 30 tickets at the suggested donation price of $10 each for the November 16th event. That amount would cover the remaining expense to the Music Team for hosting Deeper Than the Skin. The Endowment fund will cover the remaining expense.

Join Us For Our Annual Family Gardens Clean-Up Day Every year at this time we can use all the help we can get to clean up the Family Gardens for the new gardening season. If you can spare a little time Saturday, September 28th, starting around 8:00 a.m., please help. Meet back by the Family Gardens. The Scouts will be joining the effort this year. Dress for the weather. Questions? email  [email protected] . See you then.

What: Deeper Than The Skin: Reggie Harris and Greg Greenway in a musical presentation on Race in America When: Saturday November 16, 2019 6:30pm Where: Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers How: For information: (508) 896-6225 www.DeeperThanTheSkin.com On Saturday November 16th, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers will present Deeper Than The Skin , a musical presentation on Race in America by Reggie Harris and Greg Greenway. Reggie and Greg have a unique story. Born three days apart, ancestry flowing through the same portal of history, Richmond, VA. They are on a pilgrimage together - one that began three decades ago. The racial divisions that are the reality of America started them in two different worlds, but the amazing bonds of music, mutual respect, sheer admiration, and shared vision have brought them together as friends and colleagues. Their stories together form the quintessential American story. The music that flowed from these experiences is powered by unadorned truth, raw and riveting, beautiful and uplifting.Echoing Gandhi, they believe that in telling our truths, we are able to rise up from the past and build bridges to the each other and the future. The presentation will be interactive and there will be time at the end for discussion. Reggie Harris is a Woodrow Wilson Scholar and the Co-Chair of the Living Legacy Project of the Unitarian Universalist Association, co-leading tours through the historic sites of the Civil Rights movement in the South. Solo, and in the duo, Kim and Reggie Harris, he has led hundreds of programs on Race and Social Justice. Greg Greenway has been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered, Mountain Stage, and Car Talk. He’s played Carnegie Hall and had the honor for two years of having his song, “Rosa Parks,” play when rosaparks.com was opened. For eight years , he was one third of the successful Folk Trio, Brother Sun. Together and individually, Reggie and Greg have brought the issue of race before audiences around the world.

Family Gardens Hi everybody! Hoping you all stayed cool (if you were in FL) this summer and are ready to test your green thumbs once more at our Family Gardens community garden.   Barring any weather delays, we hope to start the new garden season on October 12 th . We’ll be conducting our first Saturday Morning MeetUp then at 9:30a in Hobart Hall with Bonnie Clancy, our expert Master Gardener, answering questions about what/when to plant/harvest for our new season.    This past summer has been particularly overwhelming regarding the weeds that have invaded our gardens. We are dedicating Saturday Sept 28 th  as a volunteer work day in the gardens. We can always use an extra pair of hands, so if you are so inclined, join us. We’ll start about 8am, but anytime you have to help would be appreciated. Dress for the weather.   The garden bed rental prices this year are very similar to last year: $75 for the first bed and $60 for each additional bed. $10/bed one-time auto watering connect fee.   This season we have the most return gardeners, over a third of our last year gardeners (so far) have indicated their desire to brave the FL growing challenge one more year. So if you haven’t done so yet, let me know if you want to rent the same bed from last year (or hopefully an additional bed) as early as possible. (Once they’re assigned, they won’t be available.)   Further updates forthcoming.   You can bring your check (made out to H.E.P.) to our MeetUp or send it in with a note to UUCFM, Family Gardens 13411 Shire Lane Ft. Myers, FL 33912   Thank you for your support, Bill UUCFM Operations

UUCFM Groups & Classes

Pachamama SW Florida Join us for an intriguing Game Changer Gathering.  WHAT DO WE WANT?     CLEAN WATER. WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW! On Thursday evening, October 3, from 6:30 to 8:00, The Pachamama Alliance of SWFL, supported by our Social Justice Committee, brings you a chance to discover the ever-expanding worldwide movement that is capturing the hearts of environmental activists everywhere. It's called THE RIGHTS OF NATURE, and this is the time for us to find out what it proposes for us to do to ensure that Nature is legally protected. Our presenter, Karl Deigert, treasurer of Clean Water NOW, Inc. will be filling us in. Clean Water NOW is a nonprofit that is working to bring awareness and education to the public about The Rights of Nature Movement, which seeks to give ecosystems the highest level of protection allowed by U.S. law.  This is a must attend if you are interested in helping pass the Caloosahatchee Bill of Rights next year! Coffee and tea available. Desserts and donations welcome.

Come explore the simple and satisfying practices of  Mindfulness Meditation.  You don’t need experience with meditation, nor do you have to be a Buddhist. Please bring intention to quiet the mind and 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. Contact Gary Robbins at 302-540-5899. The UUCFM Book Club  meets Wednesdays from 1:00-2:30 PM in the Library of our Administration Building.  All are welcome to join in facilitated discussion and group bonding. Our current book is  Life Before Life  by Jim Tucker, MD. Wednesday Connection Circle Lilibeth Grimes will be facilitating a once monthly Wednesay evening circle called  Principles of Joy . The goal for this connection circle is to serve as a bridge between UUCFM and the broader community. This is open each month to all members, family, and friends. Please email by the Monday before each circle to let her know you will be there that month. We'll meet the second Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM. You don't have to attend all sessions. Here is the schedule: October 9:  Fourth Principle: A Free and Responsible Search for  Truth  and Meaning   November 13:  Fifth   Principle: The Right of  Conscience  and the Use of the Democratic Process within our Congregations and in Society at Large   December 11:  Sixth   Principle: The Goal of World  Community  with Peace, Liberty, and Justice for All   January 8:  Seventh Principle: Respect  for the Interdependent Web of all Existence of Which we are a Part. [email protected]

UUCFM-Caloosahatchee Mindfulness UUCFM and Caloosahatchee Mindfulness invite participants to join our weekly meditation book group. The group meets weekly on Wednesdays from 10:00 to 11:30 AM in Room 3. Please contact Helen Leddy to make sure the group is meeting each week or if you want to join. All are invited to attend. For more information contact Helen Leddy  [email protected]

New CUUPs Class for October Create an Ancestral Jewelry Tree  If you have costume jewelry passed down to you or your own - bring it out! Inspired by Christmas Trees like this beauty (and a velvet box of my mother’s costume jewelry sitting in the bottom of my closet), we are offering Ancestral Jewelry Tree making every Saturday during the month of October. It may take you one time or all month but it will be fun!  We’ll cut foam core in the shape of a Christmas Tree or Tree of Life (or whatever shape fits your style) and cover in material. Then using your own costume jewelry, plus if you like, add sequins, buttons and baubles to create beautiful memories that can be seasonal delights or displayed all year long.  Don’t let your pretty little things hide in a dusty closet any longer.  Let them shine! We'll meet Saturdays in October from 1-4 PM in Room 1. Join us. All welcome!

10th Annual Florida Unitarian Universalist Women’s Retreat April 3-5, 2020 DaySpring Episcopal Conference Center A Weekend Gathering of UU Women  • Friday evening we will get to know one another and create community  • Saturday one-hour workshops offer choices  • Sunday we share a UU Service bringing it all together  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.  http://Dayspring.dioswfl.org .  $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, 2020. Scholarships are available.  Come join us for an enriching and memorable weekend. To register or for more information contact Helen Leddy  [email protected]

Member to Member

Recycle Your UU World Magazines Many visitors have expressed interest in getting a copy of the UU World magazine. If you are finished with your copy, please bring it in and put it in the Narthex on the publications table for visitors to take with them.

Couch Wanted If anyone has a couch that they don't need, we are looking for one for the Minister's office. Couch needs to be 7' or less in length. Contact Office Manager at [email protected] or 239-561-2700.

Our Greater Community

Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Group- The Rissho Kosei-kai group meets Sundays at 2:00 PM in Room Number 1. We do not meet on 5th Sundays. Contact Mary Tracy Sigman for more info  [email protected]

Youth Violence Prevention Project Grant Applications Due to United Way on October 23, 2019 Fort Myers, FL  (September 25, 2019) – The United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades, and Okeechobee has announced that grant applications for funds from the Youth Violence Prevention Partnership are due by  5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 . Applications should be submitted to the United Way by email to [email protected] . The United Way and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers (UUCFM) continue a partnership designed to reduce youth violence. This initiative is a United Way Collaborative entitled  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, up to $2,500. Projects must be in Lee County. Recipients will be notified no later than November 15, 2019.   A student committee will review the 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. Projects will then need to be completed no later than April 17, 2020. The awarded student groups will then gather for a mandatory presentation on April 30, 2020. At this date, projects will present their outcomes to the grant committee and the invited public. For additional information, or to apply visit:  www.UnitedWayLee.org/YVP .

Happy Birthday! Sept 21 Deb Leigh  Sept 24 Leslie Gatto Sept 30 Jen Smith

Staff Senior Interim Minister Rev. Carlos R. Martinez  [email protected] Director of Music    Suellen Kipp  [email protected] Director of RE         Jenn Blosser  [email protected] Office Manager        Jill Carville  [email protected] Building Supervisor    Mickey Kellam  [email protected] Nursery Supervisor   Liza Kellam

Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers 239-561-2700 [email protected] uucfm.org