Just a Reminder:
All members are asked to submit a pledge for fiscal year 2021 by
April 6
so that our financial team can develop a budget for the upcoming year. See the
Annual Giving Pledge Campaign Newsletter
for more information.
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Friday Night Picnic Donations
Thank you ALL for your continued generosity to the Friday Night Picnic.
As the UUSP Church Office is complying with the Governor's order, we will not be able to accept contributions at the church, other than during the Friday Night Picnic.
If you would like to contribute food, or volunteer, please let
Sabine
know you'd like to be added to the weekly sign-up message.
Thank you!
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Announcements from Pastor Jack
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Dear Friends,
Some sayings for April Fools’ Day are going around. I thought that, with extra time now available to contemplate life, you might find the following gleanings worth considering. I think they provide a pretty good summary explanation of our current situation.
- None but a fool is always right. Augustus William Hare
- Talk sense to fools and they call you foolish. Euripides
- Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark, or the adult afraid of the light? Maurice Freehill
- A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. Douglas Adams
- Controversy equalizes the foolish and the wise … and the fools know it. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
- The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected. Will Rogers
- April Fools: The March fools with another month added to their folly. Ambrose Bierce
- You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. Abraham Lincoln
I applaud Abraham Lincoln for his optimism. Unfortunately, the fools don’t need to fool all the people all the time. All they need is a majority of electoral voters.
I would call to our attention two of the central UU tenets on spiritual fulfillment: one, that humans can grow in their understanding of truth and meaning through their lifetimes and, two, they can grow in their understanding that conscience and democracy together move us to our highest individual and common goods. The growth and fulfillment of these human potentials, I believe, is our hope.
So, while many of us are forced into downtime, let us be up to the study of the core issues of our times and how we can devote ourselves not only to voter registration, but voter education. From what we should know from decades of experience, there is nothing practical about electing jokes.
Lots to do. Stay busy. Stay informed. Stay caring. Stay in touch.
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The Resurrection of Wednesday Adult Religious Studies Discussions (Via ZOOM)
Starting Wednesday, April 15, 10:00am –
We will conclude our reflections on Stephen Prothero’s God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World with the final chapter, “Atheism: The Way of Reason,” and the book’s conclusion. Quotes from the chapter and conclusion will be sent to all on the mailing list – contact
Pastor Jack
to be included.
Starting Wednesday, April 29, 10:00am –
We will begin a five-session discussion of Frances Moore Lappe’s Daring Democracy: Igniting Power, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want. Quotes will be provided as the focus of each discussion.
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Click on the pictures for the Lessons of the week from our RE Staff!
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Children's
Religious Education:
April 5, 2020
This month’s theme for Religious Education is
Liberation
.
This week's theme pertains to ‘Passover’.
We will be sharing lesson's online for awhile.
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For more information during this time or to review the weekly e-newsletter or contact
[email protected]
.
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Experimental Online Weekly Meditation Schedule
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Tuesdays Contemplative Meditation:
Pastor Jack will offer a ten minute online meditation based on a selected reading in four steps: listening for words, meanings, invitation, and response. Readings this past week from cellular biologist Ursula Goodenough and poet Maya Angelou. New voices this coming week. Go to our
UUSP YouTube Channel
and Subscribe. Click the picture to go directly to the session (March 30).
Thursdays Mindfulness Meditation:
Pastor Jack hopes to utilize Zoom to host a twenty-minute silent meditation starting 8:00am., followed by time for anyone who would like to check-in, explore or chat. Hopefully, a Zoom invitation will be sent to all members before Thursday.
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Local, Organic Produce Delivery
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Long-time UUSP members (and entrepreneurial environmentalists) Marcile Powers and Keevy McAlavy operate a home delivery service of locally grown boxes of veggies and fruit from small local farmers*.
Charge: $20 (tip requested for delivery drivers).
Place orders (noting any food allergies) on their
website
.
* Helping keep nutrition in the community.
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Caring & Connected Newsletter
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We are continuing to sent out the e-newsletter
“Caring & Connected”
to help sustain our UUSP community during uncertain times. Click
here
to read it and learn “how can I help?” and "how can I stay connected?” during the church closure.
for the Communications Team
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Staying Connected With Pastor Jack & Staff
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Pastor’s Open-Air Office Hours:
:
For those experiencing a serious sense of isolation, you are welcome to contact
Pastor Jack
(352-327-6166) to arrange a visit online or in the open air at the church.
For members with mobility limitations, upon request, I will be glad to visit with you at any open-air location (eg, backyards, porches, local parks).
UPDATED:
Our UUSP staff members will continue their duties in a safe, cautious manner to the fullest degree possible. Our Church Office Administrator is now working from home and can be reached at
[email protected]
.
During this challenging time, may we remember that we need to pay close attention to how everybody is doing and how we can help.
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Helping One Another:
I
f you need help or know a UUSPer who might? Please notify
Patti Hanks
, Care Committee.
J
OB POSSIBILITIES (Pass it on)
:
- UUSP member Greg Davidson noted an article in a St. Pete Chamber of Commerce newsletter reporting that the St Petersburg Foundation is helping locate jobs for people recently laid off, particularly in a wide variety of jobs now open in non-profits. (https://stpete.foundation/jobs).
Our UUSP Sermons
(printed or audio) are available on
UUSP's website
: C
lick the Spirituality tab, click Worship Services and Sermons. Scroll down the services and you will see "Sermons and Readings" and Audio Icon (small speaker) and will now be on our
UUSP YouTube Channel
.
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Our mission is to be an
inclusive
,
evolving
religious community that inspires
spiritual
and
intellectual
growth to make our world a
better place
.
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Unitarian Universalist Church of St. Petersburg
727.898.3294
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