A Big thank you
to the many people who donated back packs and school supplies this year. UUC children and 15 children of eight refugee families gratefully received full back packs, The remaining back packs and supplies were delivered to Belcher Elementary and Oak Grover Middle School to be given to children in need. The staff at both schools eagerly expressed appreciation for your generosity.
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E-Octagram
August 17, 2018
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LOOKING FOR SOMETHING SPECIFIC ON THE E-OCTAGRAM? Press CTRL F, then type in a keyword, press enter and your query will be highlighted.
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Week at a Glance UUC Sunday Service Serve Social Justice What's Happening at UUC UUC Committees Adult Religious Enrichment UUC and Beyond
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UUC WEEK AT A GLANCE
August 19th, Sunday...
Open Issues:
9:30-10:30, Patio Room
Dr. Gursagar Singh. “The challenges of living like a Sikh in Florida”.
Dr. Gursagar is a veterinarian in Clearwater, an excellent spokesman for a philosophy of life similar to UUism. He will present, with his son, Dr. Neal Singh.
Sunday Service:
10:30-11:45
Service Leader: Margie Manning, "Spiritual Practices"
Spiritual practices are ways to nourish our spirits. They don’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. They can be small things incorporated into day-to-day living that add meaning to our everyday lives. Margie Manning, who has been a member of UUC for five years, will talk about her spiritual practices at the Aug. 19 worship service.
This week's Pastoral Associate: Kathy Krohn
This Sunday's RE:
This Sunday in RE, students will follow Jungle Jay on a safari for the creatures. Students will weed their plot and pull grass in their mulched melon patch as they learn about alternatives to using herbicides.
Sunday after Service: Bit Of Brunch --
to celebrate our new Director of Family Services and to thank all volunteers and staff who kept the RE program alive during the transition time. Suggested donation: $5.00.
Exhale!!
Wednesdays at 6:00-6:45 pm in the Sanctuary
Come sit or walk with us in a simple format that focuses on breath. Our large sanctuary has room for both sitting and walking meditation. We meditate for 20 minutes or so, stretch, then meditate again. Late-comers welcome, enter softly. Stay for hearty appetizers (we love your offerings too!) and conversation afterward.
Contact Kathy Krohn at:
uuc.kathykrohn@gmail.com
(Note: For now, we won't be online during some summer Wednesdays.)
The
August 26th Share the Plate
selection is
Human Rights First.
Human Rights First is an independent, nonpartisan, advocacy and action organization that challenges America to live up to its ideals. We believe American leadership is essential in the global struggle for human rights, so we press the U.S. government and private companies to respect human rights and the rule of law. When they fail, we step in to demand reform, accountability and justice. Around the world, we work where we can best harness American influence to secure core freedoms.
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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.
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This Sunday
August 19th, 2018
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Service
Sunday, 10:30-11:45
Service Leader:
Margie Manning
"
Spiritual Practices
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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
Kathy Krohn
and she is
available at
727-531-7704 ext. 5.
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Open Issues
9:30-10:30 am
Patio Room
Dr. Gursagar Singh. “The challenges of living like a Sikh in Florida”.
Dr. Gursagar is a veterinarian in Clearwater, an excellent spokesman for a philosophy of life similar to UUism. He will present, with his son, Dr. Neal Singh.
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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.
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This Sunday in RE, students will follow Jungle Jay on a safari for the creatures. Students will weed their plot and pull grass in their mulched melon patch as they learn about alternatives to using herbicides.
Next Sunday, August 26th...
RE students will visit Native North America. Through a fable based on
"
The Little Prince”
by Antoine de Saint Exupery,
students will discuss what is meant by saying that what is essential is invisible to the eye. We will talk about respect, fairness, kindness and other “invisible” qualities.
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Share the Plate for August 12th and 26th
The August Share the Plate selection is
Human Rights First.
Human Rights First is an independent, nonpartisan, advocacy and action organization that challenges America to live up to its ideals. We believe American leadership is essential in the global struggle for human rights, so we press the U.S. government and private companies to respect human rights and the rule of law. When they fail, we step in to demand reform, accountability and justice. Around the world, we work where we can best harness American influence to secure core freedoms.
We know it is not enough to expose and protest injustice, so we create the political environment and policy solutions necessary to ensure consistent respect for human rights. Whether we are protecting refugees, combating torture, or defending persecuted minorities, we focus not on making a point, but on making a difference. For almost 40 years, we’ve built bipartisan coalitions and teamed up with frontline activists and lawyers to tackle global challenges that demand American leadership.
As we challenge the United States to respect its ideals, our goal is not to make a point but to make a difference—to get concrete results that have a tangible impact on people’s lives. To that end, we conduct campaigns in pursuit of specific goals. And we urge you to participate in our campaigns so that policy makers in Washington hear from citizen-champions of human rights.
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Have you signed up for a Covenant Group yet for next year? Go
HERE
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Bit Of Brunch
Sunday August 19th in social hall after service
Come join us to celebrate our new
Director of Family Ministries, Ms. Julie Daysa
And of course, we want to thank all our volunteers and staff who have taken on the happy efforts to keep our children’s program alive and well during this transition time.
Hear about how plans are developing for the new church year, what will be the same and what will be different!
Learn about the many ways you can share in the joy of supporting the development of our children and families. There are lots of ways to become involved.
Building peace for all, one child at a time.
Suggested: donation: $5
Menu: Spinach quiche, GF vegan quiche, green salad, fresh fruit, assorted GF muffins, etc!
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Fair Trade Coffee Sales Coming Back to
Sunday Social Hour in Sept!!
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The Social Justice Council will begin selling fair trade coffees and teas beginning on the second Sunday in September (the 9th) and
every second Sunday
throughout the coming year. This coffee is produced by a worker-owned enterprise that provides a fair wage directly to the workers. A portion of the proceeds supports both the local and the national level efforts of the UU Social Justice mission. We look forward to you becoming a regular monthly customer. There will be a variety of teas and coffee blends available. Payment can be done by cash, check, or credit card. We look forward to your participation.
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Members and Pledging friends!!
The Membership and Welcoming Committee would 'welcome' some new faces behind the welcoming table. It's more than handing them a name tag -- it's engaging them and making them feel included in the UU experience. There are so many UUC'ers who are really good at that! Call the UUC office or speak to Barbara Brandt, or Sandy Hoover, or Helen DeVere and they will help you get involved.
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Support the Clearwater African-American Community
Sunday August 19
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North Greenwood Recreation and Aquatic Complex
900 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, Clearwater, FL 33755
4 p.m.
– Indoor Community Rally to Support Family of Markeis McGlockton.
7:15 p.m.
– March to Circle A Convenience Store, 1201 Sunset Point Rd, Clearwater, FL 33755
The indoor rally kicks off a statewide NAACP campaign to convict Michael Drejka and repeal Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. Speakers include NAACP President Derrick Johnson, Chair of the NAACP Board Leon Russel, Attorneys Benjamin Crump and Michele Raynor representing the family of Markeis McGlockton, family members, community members, Black Lives Matter, Upper Pinellas Ministerial Alliance, and more. Bring a bag chair in case it is standing room only.
Wear a UUC t-shirt and Black Lives Matter in Florida button
. Bring a sign for the march. If you cannot walk the one-mile distance, you can drive. Contact Eileen Senn with questions.
The rally at the courthouse 9 am August 20 has been cancelled because Michael Drejka was
arrested and charged
with manslaughter on August 13
th
. It may take well over a year for the case to be adjudicated.
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Julie Daysa joins UUC staff as the Director of Family
Ministries
The best way to meet Julie is to come to this Sunday's Brunch after service. Also, go check out her facebook page
Uuc Julie Daysa Dfm
where you can read about her and see pictures of her lovely family. Julie has some great plans for RE this coming year and has already started to implement some of them. Stay tuned...
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UUC's Surti Center hosted a few unique events in August...
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Thursday Aug 2nd, we welcomed over 100 Puerto Ricans through Puerto Rico Connect.
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The Surti Center was transformed into a medieval hall on Aug 11th by the Society for Creative Anachronism.
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Exhale is Weekly
Wednesdays 6-6:45 pm
A Gathering for Sitting and Moving Mindfulness.
Join us weekly in the Octagon for meditation and some quiet moments of mindfulness and connection. All levels of meditators welcome.
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UUC Committee Meetings and Events
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.
There are no scheduled committee meetings over the next few weeks.
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FOOTNOTES FROM THE LIBRARY:
BLACK LIVES MATTER AT UUC!
A new addition:
"When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir"
by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele
...from the Amazon review:
Raised by a single mother in an impoverished neighborhood in Los Angeles, Patrisse Khan-Cullors experienced firsthand the prejudice and persecution Black Americans endure at the hands of law enforcement. For Patrisse, the most vulnerable people in the country are Black people. Deliberately and ruthlessly targeted by a criminal justice system serving a white privilege agenda, Black people are subjected to unjustifiable racial profiling and police brutality. In 2013, when Trayvon Martin’s killer went free, Patrisse’s outrage led her to co-found Black Lives Matter with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi.
******************************************************
The Library is also expanding a shelf featuring UUC authors, but we need some help. The section is located just below the Unitarian Universalism section. Please stop by and see if your favorite UUC author is there, and more importantly, if you have copies of these UUC works, consider donating them to the Library.
Let me know about Books, CD's or other material that have had an impact on your Spiritual/Intellectual Journey!
Please let us know what they are because they might also be available to others.
Contact:
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Famous
UUs ...
NAACP Co-Founder, Mary White Ovington.
In the wake of the 1908 anti-Negro riots in Springfield, Illinois, Ovington was inspired by a report by William English Walling which ended with the challenging question, “what large and powerful body of citizens is ready to come to [the Negro’s] aid?” She suggested to Walling that a new interracial organization was needed, and they, with a few others, formed a committee that issued a call for a national conference. Among the 60 signers of the Call were both blacks—DuBois, Francis Grimke, and Ida Wells-Barnett—and whites—Jane Addams, William Dean Howells, John Dewey,
John Haynes Holmes
,
Jenkin Lloyd Jones
,
Harriot Stanton Blatch
, Anna Garlin Spencer, and Lincoln Steffens. They were for the most part recruited from Ovington’s various circles of acquaintance. The resulting National Negro Conference, held in New York in 1909, contained a series of anti-racist addresses by distinguished scholars and clergy. The second conference in 1910 transformed itself into the permanent body known as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The engagement of DuBois was one of Ovington’s chief goals in helping to found the NAACP. During the first twenty years of the Association she exercised her considerable diplomatic powers to keep him as Director and editor of their periodical, The Crisis, in spite of personality clashes with other executive officers and alienation caused by his increasingly militant pronouncements. Ultimately DuBois’s and Ovington’s paths diverged. When in the 1930s he called for voluntary black segregation, she helped to keep the NAACP focused on the goal of integration.
I
nheritors of the Spirit: Mary White Ovington and the Founding of the NAACP
Is available in the Anastasia Maxwell Library. Check it out!
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UUC Member Sharis Coleman-Derr is performing in the Largo Cultural Center's production of
Bye Bye Birdie
on September 13, 14, 15, in the evening, and on September 16, Sunday afternoon.
Tickets are now on sale for $25.
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Apply for Clearwater's Citizens Academy Program
Post Date: 07/05/2018 11:04 AM
Learn About Government from the Inside Out
Applications are now being accepted for the 17th annual Citizens Academy, Clearwater 101, a ten-week program providing citizens with a hands-on learning experience about the people, equipment and infrastructure it takes to run Pinellas County’s second-largest city. The program will begin with orientation on Tuesday, Sept. 4 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The classes that follow will also be on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 8:30 p.m. through graduation on Nov. 15.
This interactive program is an educational experience for Clearwater residents interested in civic affairs. Sessions are led by elected officials, department directors and city staff who share information about the city’s operations and key issues facing Clearwater today. Participants must attend at least eight of the ten sessions in order to graduate at the City Council meeting on Nov. 15.
A selection committee will choose 20 participants from the applications received. The committee will judge applications based on responses to questions while ensuring that the class reflects the diversity of the Clearwater community, with representatives from different neighborhoods and sections of the city. For program information or to apply, visit
www.myclearwater.com/citizensacademy
.
Applications must be received no later than Aug. 1.
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