From the Interim Minister

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” ― Albert Einstein

We Are In Interim Time

Interim Ministry is a time of transition and change. The interim period we are now in presents an opportunity for this beloved community to deeply contemplate its past and cast itself into a future of new possibilities. I am here as your interim minister. My goal is to help you manage the future as an opportunity for this congregation.

Interim ministry is distinct from other UU ministries. As your Sr. Interim Minister I am here to journey with you. I will ask you what are your hopes, dreams and aspirations for UUCFM? What do you most desire and what work can we do in the spirit of shared ministry to get there? As you might imagine taking such a journey is filled with challenges and trepidations. In the course of the journey expect change. What will get us to where we want to go is our ability to be open to possibility.

It is crucial for you to know that I have NO aspiration of being your next settled minister and I will not accept any call from this congregation. My work here is to set the table for the next ministry the congregation chooses. You may have heard me use the metaphor of interim ministry being akin to one of those cable TV shows which takes houses with curb appeal and transforms them into dream homes. The contracted time to do this work is the interim time.

You are likely a better judge as to how much fixing up needs to be done and how much energy there is to get things done. The work of the congregation may well extend into the next ministry and for years to come. Remember this is a shared ministry and what is to be done we will do together. I will work in concert with the board President and a Transition Team selected from your peers who are trusted and esteemed by the membership. They in turn will call on you to be the agents of change to move the congregation forward into the future it longs and hopes for.

The goal is to use this time to make the best first choices possible, to decide on what tasks need to be done that will make a difference to the future of this congregation, to work in concert and to put the congregation on a solid footing.

As we move forward please consider the legacy you wish to leave for future generations of Unitarian Universalists. Join me. Let’s do the work together. I invite you to call or schedule an appointment to meet with me to share your hopes and wishes for this beloved community.

~ Rev. Carlos

[email protected]

239.561-2700 ext.204

Membership

The Membership team is looking for a volunteer to take over the scheduling of the ushers and the greeters. This job is not difficult and can be done in less than an hour a week from home. We will help you get started. If you are interested, or if you are willing to usher or greet during the month of September, please contact Mary Gayle Skinner (239-482-8969) or   [email protected] .

2019 GRACE Project Work-Study Trip

November 3 - 9, 2019 $750 Land only

 Assist in the Reproductive Health Workshops with women and youth (Spanish

not essential)

 Support the workshops with public school teachers, in collaboration with the

Guatemala Ministry of Education and with community leaders,

 Visit the Casa Aurora Women’s Shelter in San Lucas Tolimán,

 Deliver menstrual management Kits and Fertility Bracelets,

 Travel in safe, private vans,

 Private room with bath,

 Enjoy the Breakfast or dinner provided daily,

 Shop in La Antigua and Panajachel.

Safe land Transportation, breakfast, and hotel rooms are included.

Volunteer pays own airfares from USA to Guatemala City.

To save your space, please send $100 deposit on the Donate button, through PayPal, on

www.thegraceproject.org , or send a check to:

The GRACE Project, UUCFM,  13411 Shire Lane, Ft. Myers, FL, 33912 .

Please contact Helen Dixon at  [email protected]

Muchísimas gracias.

The Guatemala Rural Adult and Children’s Education (GRACE) Project represents the Social Justice Outreach Ministry of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers. All workshops are non-sectarian and free of charge to participants.

Special Request from the South Fort Myers Food Pantry

A few months ago we made a special donation to the South Fort Myers Food Pantry through our Community Sharing Program. This was for food purchase and general operations, utilities, gas, and repairs.

In addition to food and overhead they rely heavily on equipment to complete their mission, "to feed the needy of South Fort Myers". They have had a large used box truck for ten years which has recently been causing them problems; for example, the brakes gave out while returning from picking up food at Harry Chapin. They have not been able to find a "good" used truck that fits their needs. Hence, they are looking at bids for a new truck Their goal is to get a truck ordered by October.

The board has voted to set aside $30.000 towards the purchase of the new truck. They are asking all coalition members and friends to consider donating funds toward this purchase in addition to your continued support of the pantry through volunteerism, food drives and financial support. They need to raise an additional $45,000 to reach their goal. Please spread the word and know that any amount to help them reach their goal will be appreciated. 

Donations may be sent to: South Fort Myers Food Pantry Coalition, Inc.

8260 CypressLake Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33919. For questions see Fran Rose or email her at  [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]

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]

Our UU Story

Louisa May Alcott (Nov.29, 1832-Mar. 6, 1888), best known as the author of  Little Women , was an advocate of abolition, women's rights, and temperance. 

Her parents, Bronson Alcott and Abigail May, met while Abigail was visiting her brother, Samuel J. May, minister of the Unitarian church in Brooklyn, CT. The couple moved to Philadelphia, where their first daughter Anna was born. They lived in Germantown, PA, when Louisa arrived in 1832.

The girls were mostly educated at home. "I never went to school," Louisa wrote, "except to my father or such governesses as from time to time came into the family. . . . so we had lessons each morning in the study.

Her first story, "The Rival Painters, A Tale of Rome" was written in 1848 and published four years later in  Olive Branch . By that time, the Alcotts were back in Boston, where they lived at five different addresses between 1849 and 1852.

The two older girls contributed to the meager family income by teaching. Louisa's unhappy life was recorded in her essay, "How I Went Out to Service." Publisher James T. Fields rejected the piece and advised her: "Stick to your teaching, Miss Alcott. You can't write." Disheartened but determined, she continued to write, gradually learning how to produce what would sell.

When Louisa was a young woman trying to find work in Boston, she met the Rev. Theodore Parker, a Unitarian minister. He and his wife were very helpful to her. She attended his Sunday Services and his evening discussion groups.

Her stories written under the pseudonym "A. M. Barnard" found a ready market; "Pauline's Passion and Punishment," 1863, won its author a $100 prize and appeared in  Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newsletter .

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Alcott was eager to do her part. She had long attended antislavery meetings and fairs. When the war ended, Alcott spent a year in Europe.

Her return to Boston marked the beginning of a new phase in her career. She accepted the editorship of a children's magazine,  Merry's Museum , and became its major contributor. In 1868. She went into her usual writer's "vortex" and, in mid-July finished Part 1 of  Little Women  for fall publication. It was an immediate best seller. Readers clamored for a sequel. Part 2 was published the following spring.

Alcott gave her energy to women's rights and temperance. She attended the Women's Congress of 1875 in Syracuse, NY. She contributed to Lucy Stone's  Woman's Journal  while organizing Concord women to vote in the school election. "I was the first woman to register my name as a voter," she wrote. 

Although Alcott never married or had biological children, she took care of her orphaned niece.



--Researched and edited by Joy F. Sokeitous.

Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Group- Not Meeting Sunday, Sept. 1

The Rissho Kosei-kai group normally meets Sundays at 2:00 PM in Room Number 1. Contact Mary Tracy Sigman for info  [email protected]

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 

Board of Trustees

Board Email  [email protected]

President               

Theresa Bahre

President Elect

Lesley Peterson

Secretary  

Alison Carville

Treasurer

Vacant      

VP Finance

Alanis Garcia

VP Programming

Karen J. Brown

VP Ministerial Services

Vacant

VP Operations

Dorothy Van Howe         

Member at Large

Helen Leddy

Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers

239-561-2700

[email protected]

uucfm.org