September 2018 Volume 35 Issue 9
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Sunday Worship in September: Vision
Service at 10:30 am Sundays in the Miller Sanctuary
September 9th is a special Sunday. We will celebrate our annual Water Communion, welcome new members, and gather after the service in Hobart Hall for a potluck lunch. In two weeks, bring a small container of water (see below) and your favorite dish to share.
Gluten-free and dairy-free recipes appreciated! Anyone interested in joining our congregation can contact
[email protected]
for details. Love. Grow. Serve.
The Water Communion was
first used at a Unitarian Universalist worship service in the 1980s
. Many UU congregations now hold a Water Communion once a year, often at the beginning of the new church year (September). Members bring to the service a small amount of water from a place that is special to them. During the appointed time in the service, people one by one pour their water together into a large bowl. As the water is added, the person who brought it tells why this water is special to them. The combined water is symbolic of our shared faith coming from many different sources. It is then blessed by the congregation, and sometimes is used as the congregation's "holy water" in child dedication ceremonies and similar events.
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Teacher Appreciation Sunday Service, September 23
rd
UUCFM is honoring our local teachers – public, private, home schoolers, retired.
Please invite
your friends and neighbors who are/have been teachers to our September 23
rd
Sunday Service. All are welcome! The Service will be honoring those who have/are dedicated/ing their careers to teaching our children and grandchildren.
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Community Sharing in September: LIFE (Lee Interfaith for Empowerment)
LIFE is a congregation-based community organization that examines the needs and interests of our community for the result of doing justice. Over the years, LIFE has examined and implemented more fair policies on the topics of increasing the use of civil citations, created a Children's Service Counsel, re-opened and solving more unsolved murder cases and adopted a fair chance hiring policy (also known as "banning the box" where previously jailed/felonized individuals would immediately be eliminated in the job application process.)
LIFE for Justice, Justice for LIFE!
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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’s Forum topic is
De-Extinction, Are You Ready?
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Coffee Hour
Sunday's Coffee Hour happens after church 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! 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 Stephanie Hoffman:
[email protected]
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SPARK
is now forming! 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.
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Hearing Loop Assistive Listening System
A Hearing Loop system is now available in the Sanctuary to assist those with hearing loss to hear more clearly during services. A Hearing Loop is an assistive listening system that transmits sound directly into one’s hearing aids or cochlear implants rather than depending on sound coming from the loudspeakers. To receive the Loop signal and hear more clearly, you will need to manually activate your T-coil or “telephone” setting on your hearing aid or cochlear implant. If you don’t know if you have a T-coil or whether yours is properly programmed, consult with your audiologist or hearing aid professional. If you don’t wear hearing aids, ask to use a Loop receiver to receive the sound. If you have further questions about Looping, please contact the installation company, Complete Hearing Solutions at
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From the Minister
After a search process and much discernment, I am happy to announce that Suellen Kipp has accepted the Board's offer to be our new Director of Music! I am delighted to see how Suellen brings her artistic gifts to our worshipping community and already know what a joy it is to work with her. We are blessed to have Suellen join us in this capacity. I would like to thank those who were involved in the Director of Music search process: Mary Cline Golbitz, Jeff Letts, Lesley Peterson, and Elise Sexton. With great rejoicing, we welcome Suellen as our Director of Music!
Rev. Allison Farnum
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Music Notes
The UUCFM Choir would like to extend a gracious "Thank you!" to members for helping with the purchase of the large print teal hymnals for all musicians. We currently have half of the total books needed (24) sponsored by the UUCFM congregation. If you are interested in helping to purchase the remaining 12 books, please email Suellen, the Acting Director of Music or Jill Carville, Office Manager.
The UUCFM Choir would like to share the lyrics to our version of the Pete Seeger song, "My Dirty Stream" as re-written by the UUCFM Choir and performed for our worship service on Sunday, August 19th.
My Dirty Stream
Pete Seeger April 1998
Rewrites by the UUCFM Choir August 2018
Verse 1:
Sailing down my dirty stream
Still I love it, and I’ll keep the dream
That someday, though maybe not this year
My Caloosahatchee will once again run clear.
It starts in Tallahassee, way up north
Pollutes Lake ‘O and then it rushes forth
Where green algae joins with the red tide
Killing dear sea life while poisoning the Gulf.
Verse 2:
In the great ocean the water is clear
But on the Gulf coast, disaster’s flowing here.
Cradled between the river and the sea
Tacking back and forth, this thought returns to me
Sailing down my dirty stream
Still I love it and I’ll keep the dream
That someday, though maybe not this year
My Caloosahatchee will once again run clear.
My Caloosahatchee and My Country will run clear.
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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Religious Education News
Calling all those interested in family ministry here at UUCFM! This Sunday is our first Family Ministry Group meeting, inviting
you
to join in the work of the Village. If you're interested in religious education (for all ages, even adults!), the way multigenerational worship services are crafted, the Intention Table, or just gaining a better understanding of UUCFM's Village, please join us! I will be leading the meeting with Alison Carville, our Board Secretary.
WHEN: 9/2/18 @ 12-1:30p
WHERE: Room 7
WHO: Everyone interested in family ministry at UUCFM
Our Whole Lives (OWL) Sexuality Education for Grades 7 - 9 registration is now open!
If you are unfamiliar, OWL is a comprehensive sexuality education program divided into different age levels from kindergartners to adults. Such education is an important offering for our community within and without the church as it fulfills a need which is greatly lacking in our current school system.
The Parent/Guardian Orientation will be on Sunday, September 9th from 12 - 2 pm in Classroom 7
. Classes begin on Sunday, September 16th and continue until Sunday, March 24th (with some Sundays excluded for holidays). Classes run from 12:30 - 2:00 pm.
Registration costs $75 per youth which is due at the Parent/Guardian Orientation.
Please bring cash or a check made out to UUCFM. Thank you.
Jenn Blosser
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From the Office
How to Reserve Church Facilities (for church members)
Any Ministry Leader, Committee Leader, or church member may request a room for church business at any time for no charge. We will do our best to schedule you for the room you want, when you want it. If a church member wants to use a room for a private event- birthday party, shower, or other event, the cost is $50. Be aware that requested days and times may be already booked. The earlier you reserve, the better chance you have to get the room/rooms you would like. The easiest way to reserve is to email the Office Manager with 1. your preferred date 2. beginning and ending time. (Also let us know about any set up/break down time needed. 3. name of group and contact person. The Office Manager will get back to you to confirm and make key/code arrangements. You can also call the office at 239-561-2700 to reserve a room or ask questions.
Jill Carville, Office Manager
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UUs Dying to Make a Difference
C
hallenge Update 1: Since the publication of the Communicator article below, $110,000 in UUCFM Legacy Giving bequests have been made in members’ wills and trusts. Future congregations will share in the generosity of today’s members Legacy Giving. Additionally, our current congregation will receive grants from the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock amounting to $11,000 in 2019/2020 from these UUCFM Legacy gifts, so far!
Challenge Update 2: With the preliminary success of the “Wake Now Our Vision” (WNOV) challenge, the UUCFM Board of Trustees wishes to show its gratitude to members who step-up to the challenge by reimbursing members for associated legal expenses up to $300.00/family for modifying their wills or trusts with the appropriate verbiage for WNOV. Reimbursements will be made for qualifying member legal fees as soon as we receive the grant moneys from the WNOV campaign for your Legacy Gift, either in the 2019 or 2020 year depending on the date your WNOV pledge form is approved by WNOV.
Original Article:
You may have heard a fellow church member talk about the new UUA Collaborative Campaign called “Wake Now Our Vision” which challenges us to make a legacy gift to make a difference both now and in the future. Please read on to better understand how this is such a rare and profound opportunity for UUCFM today and for our future congregations.
I wanted to share my experience with this Campaign because, like me, you may be having a reaction to it that is based on a few misunderstandings, causing you and UUCFM to miss-out on a truly congregation-changing, community-changing opportunity for making a difference.
At first, I felt that this was all about leaving a chunk of money to the UUA; not that that is unimportant, but our priorities right now are a little closer to home. After talking with Jen Smith, our UUCFM Treasurer, she pointed out to me that (1) UUCFM gets a matching donation of 10% (up to $10,000) RIGHT NOW!, and (2) you don’t have to gift to the UUA for your legacy gift to qualify. (The matching donation actually comes from the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock.)
Many years ago, Jane and I had our legal counsel prepare our wills documenting our gift intentions for our beneficiaries. Since our joining the church, I had intended to provide for a legacy gift in our wills but had not done so yet. After understanding what the UUA Collaborative Campaign was offering and how UUCFM could benefit NOW by our doing so, we contacted our lawyers and asked them what it would cost to add this amendment to our trust declarations. It was clear that for a small legal expense, we could deliver a significant sum to the church now, as well as upon our deaths. This was a “no brainer.”
We filled out the “Wake Now Our Vision” form and mailed it in along with a copy of our new trust amendments. (We chose to gift only to UUCFM, and no other UUA institutions. You may choose otherwise.) Shortly, UUCFM will get its 10% matching donation from the Campaign. I encourage all members to consider participating in this Campaign (after checking with your legal advisor) at your earliest convenience before the Campaign is over. It’s a great way to make a personal difference in our community by amplifying our UU values through our current congregation as well as future congregations.
The Campaign goes until June 30, 2019, but don’t wait too long because the legal documentation may take nearly 3 or 4 months to complete.
Bill Petrarca
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Community Sharing Volunteer Opportunities
Here are the ways the congregation can volunteer with or support our
Community Sharing Sunday (CSS) partners:
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GRACE Wish List 2018-2019
Supplies for Fertility Bracelets and Menstrual Kits
1. Cord of up to ¼” in diameter, for drawstring bags, any color,
2. Yardage of dark flannel,
3. Girls’ size 14 cotton underwear, not white,
4. Large safety pins (grouping Bracelets),
5. Bobby pins (for marking the days on the Bracelets),
6. Pony beads in ratio of 2 Green: 3 Purple (12 fertile days, 18 not fertile),
7. Solar lamps for working and studying at night. Any size.
School Supplies
GRACE seeks useful, durable teaching and student materials, such as:
1. Rulers, must include metric,
2. Scissors, all sizes, used OK,
3. Solar calculators,
4. Pencil sharpeners,
5. Pencils, erasers, pens, highlighters, permanent markers,
6. Rubber bands (sold individually in stores in Gt.), tacks, paper clips,
7. Puzzles, children to teen,
8. Maps of the world, science themes, educational charts (English OK),
9. Magnifying glasses,
10. Again, Solar lamps for working and studying at night.
Muchismas Gracias!
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Pachamama Alliance Game Changer Gathering
Our Toxic Water: Hacking at the Root Causes for the Long Haul
with Rae Ann Wessel
Thursday, September 6th
6:30 pm Potluck desserts
Meet our esteemed guest speaker, Rae Ann Wessel. Rae Ann is a limnologist and marine scientist with 40 years of experience working in corporate, government, private and nonprofit sectors in South Florida. For the past 12 years she's served as the Natural Resource Policy Director for SCCF, the
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.
Her policy, advocacy and outreach work brings sound scientific grounding to policy development, protection and restoration of water resources, critical habitats, land management, and fish and wildlife conservation at the local, regional, statewide and federal policy levels.
Rae Ann has been actively engaged in Everglades and Caloosahatchee restoration issues for the past 24 years. In that time, she has been researching and identifying critical Caloosahatchee issues and building support for sustainable solutions. She is involved in oxbow research, historical documentation and education projects and guides river tours on the Caloosahatchee and its estuary.
Rae Ann serves as a: Commission appointee to the Conservation 2020 Conservation Lands Acquisition and Stewardship Committee (CLASAC) and Lee County Historic Preservation Board. She is a board member for the Everglades Coalition, representative to the Environmental Advisory Council for the Everglades Foundation, past appointee to Lee County's Local Planning Agency and a 1992 graduate of Leadership Lee County.
AND:
Mark your Calendar for our next
Awakening the Dreamer Symposium at FGCU o
n September 22nd, followed by
Peace Day in the Park September 23rd.
Click here
for more information and to register for this life changing event!
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Reflections on Hurricane Irma
- Art Quilters Unlimited Exhibit
Miller Sanctuary Narthex
August 6-September 29, 2018
Art quilters create fine art wall hangings based on their experiences, imagery and ideas, rather than on traditional patterns. Art Quilters Unlimited is a group of fiber artists interested in expanding their knowledge and pushing the boundaries of their creativity. Our very own, Rev. Margaret L. Beard is a member of this group!
For more information, please contact Pam Richardson, Exhibition Committee Chair at
[email protected]
.
To confirm access to the exhibit, please call the Church Office at (239) 561-2700. For more info, check out the public event page
here
.
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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 Flo 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.
$5 Discounts Available for Registration before September 15, 2018.
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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Book Study
Beginning Wednesday September 19th at 1:00 pm, Book Study begins again with reading the book
Sapiens
by Yuval Noah Harari. Come having read the first two chapters. We meet in the Church Library.
From Amazon.com:
"One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?
Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.
Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become?"
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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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Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Group
The Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist group meets Sundays in Room 1. All are welcome to join us. Starting this week we have a new meeting time- 2:00-4:00 pm.
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Community Wednesday
From the Chef
I hope everyone has had some time out or a vacation this summer. We are now moving forward to another season. I have had inquiries as to when Wednesday dinners maybe starting again. We have a community potluck coming up on September 9th which will take us into mid September, a good time to regroup. When I say regroup I would like input as to who will attend, do you want every other week,etc. I will as always keep meals as affordable as can be. Wednesday dinners seemed to bring the best conversations to the table and there are many! Your feedback is important. Please feel free to contact me. Recipes are only as good as what ya put into it. Please let me know your thoughts.
Joy Purcell
Activities for September:
6:00-6:45
Band Rehearsal in Sanctuary
6:45-8:00
Choir Rehearsal in Sanctuary
Community Dinners are on hiatus. Stay tuned for an announcement stating when they will resume. Rehearsals and Events will continue through summer.
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Social Justice and Outreach Ministry Meeting
There is a Social Justice/Outreach Ministry meeting on Sunday, September 2nd at 12:15 pm in classroom 1. All Welcome!
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Preventing Youth Violence: United Way Collaborative with UUCFM
UUCFM, in collaboration with United Way of Lee County, is excited to announce the launch of the Preventing Youth Violence: United Way Collaborative (PYV), a community funding initiative to encourage the youth of Lee County and SW Florida to develop and conduct initiatives that will reduce youth violence and the risk factors that contribute to it. We are taking this action in support of the students at Douglas High School in Parkland FL and all our students who are victims of youth violence.
Modeled on the STRYVE vision of the CDC, the PYV collaborative is a youth-based funding vehicle where multiple funding sources leverage their impact on SW Florida youth violence prevention. PYV focuses on grants to local youth-centric organizations or communities who propose youth violence prevention initiatives with clear and measurable objectives based on evidence of impact on victimization, perpetration, and risk or protective factors for youth violence.
Youth violence is a leading cause of death and nonfatal injuries in the United States. Homicide is the second leading cause of death among persons aged 10 to 24 years in Lee County. The majority of these homicides are from firearm violence. In 2016, 84% of homicides in ages 10 – 24 in Lee County were due to firearms discharge.
PYV will foster strategies and approaches intended to work in combination and to reinforce each other to prevent youth violence in a comprehensive and 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.
While research has demonstrated the preventive effects of many youth skill development programs to be important, approaches addressing relationships with parents, peers, and other caring adults as well as approaches that influence school and community environments are equally important to have the greatest public health impact.
A PYV review committee will be established based on community inputs; historically marginalized groups and student representation will be integral to the make-up of the committee. Through the United Way offices, proposals will be accepted based on established criteria focusing on strategies and approaches as outlined above. All grant applications will require matching funds by sponsoring organizations. Once awarded, grant recipients will be expected to document the effectiveness of their initiative. All accepted initiatives will require youth participation throughout the course of the initiative period. Completed initiatives will be presented by the grantees to community gatherings for acknowledgement and subsequent actions.
Consistent with our social justice history, UUCFM is expanding its community outreach through this prideful initiative, made possible by the love and generosity of our congregation. The Board of Trustees voted to fund this United Way collaborative with an amount of $25,000 (out of the proceeds from the sale of our cell tower lease) as an investment in the safety of our youth and in solidarity with those in the “March for Our Lives” movement. Other organizations in SW Florida will be approached to expand the initial UUCFM funding to help prevent youth violence. The PYV is intended to be an ongoing endeavor with UUCFM being at the center of the collaborative’s community impact. Please join the Outreach Ministry in celebrating UUCFM’s community engagement activism.
Holley Rauen & Gary Robbins, Outreach Ministry Team Leaders
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New Social Justice T-Shirts are Here!
The new Social Justice T-shirts still have the same message but are a brighter green, a lighter material, and have a V neck. These are changes to make them cooler for you in the face of global warming. We suggest wearing them at activities, gatherings and demonstrations where we want it known that we are from UUCFM. They are on sale at the Social Justice Table in Hobart Hall. The good news is the price did not change. They are still $20. Stop by the Social Justice table during coffee hour and take a look.
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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 I will return your call.
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LIFE News
Big things are happening! We asked the commission to form a children's service council and while they are still refusing to even allow it on the ballot- they have increased the budget for children's services by $1.7 million. Should this budget pass we will be able to celebrate dental care for thousands of more children as well as hundreds of children getting access to full day preschool. It is still not a victory but it is a sign that work for justice is never done in vain.
2018-2019 Dates. See below for the newly announced dates for the upcoming year.
Annual Assembly
Monday, October 29, 2018
Rally
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Nehemiah Action
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Celebration
Tuesday, May 14, 2019 Community Forum
LIFE members were invited to a community forum to help the county health department decide on a focus for the upcoming few years. If you wish to participate see below:
What: Department of Health in Lee County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) Town Hall Meeting
When: July 2, 2018
Time: 6:30p – 8:30p
Where: Department of Health Lee County
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We are sad to announce that in the early hours of Monday, August 27th, Carolyn June (Townsend) Maron, passed on with what looked like a very silvery full moon to light her way. She was in her 86th year, and just a few months short of our 65-year anniversary. She was diagnosed with Early Alzheimer’s disease 11 year ago, and spent the past 9 years at the skilled nursing facility at Shell Point.
News of a memorial will be shared in the days ahead.
Thank you all for your support.
Don Maron
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Our UU Story
North American Unitarianism
Not a Foreign Import
Unitarianism as we know it in North America is not a foreign import. The origins of our faith began with some of the most historic congregations in Puritan New England where each town was required to establish a congregationally independent church that followed Calvinist doctrines. These congregational churches offered no religious choice for their parishioners. But over time the strict doctrines of original sin and predestination began to mellow.
By the mid-1700s, a group of evangelicals were calling for the revival of Puritan orthodoxy. They asserted their belief in humanity’s eternal bondage to sin. People who opposed the revival, believing in free human will and the loving benevolence of God, eventually became Unitarian.
During the first four decades of the 19th century, hundreds of these original congregational churches fought over ideas about sin and salvation, and especially over the doctrine of the Trinity. Most of the churches split over these issues. In 1819, Unitarian minister William Ellery Channing delivered a sermon called “Unitarian Christianity” and helped to give the Unitarians a strong platform. Six years later the American Unitarian Association was organized in Boston, MA.
Universalism developed in America in at least three distinct geographical locations. The earliest preachers of the gospel of universal salvation appeared in what were later the Middle Atlantic and Southern states. By 1781, Elhanan Winchester had organized a Philadelphia congregation of Universal Baptists. Among its members was Benjamin Rush, the famous physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Universalism was a more evangelical faith than Unitarianism. After officially organizing in 1793, the Universalists spread their faith across the eastern United States and Canada.
Thomas Starr King, was credited with defining the difference between Unitarians and Universalists: “Universalists believe that God is too good to damn people, and the Unitarians believe that people are too good to be damned by God.” The Universalists believed in a God who embraced everyone, and this eventually became central to their belief that lasting truth is found in all religions, and that dignity and worth are innate to all people regardless of sex, color, race, or class.
By the middle of the 20th century it became clear that Unitarians and Universalists could have a stronger liberal religious voice if they merged their efforts, and they did so in 1961, forming the Unitarian Universalist Association.
by Mark W. Harris
Edited by Joy F. Sokeitous
About My UU Story
Each month, the Membership Committee would like to publish your UU story- either converted or born UUs. How did you become a UU, or how did our religion affect your life? Alternatively, do you have a one paragraph remembrance of your first reaction to being in a UU church and/or learning about the religion? To share your story, please contact Joy Sokeitous at
[email protected]
Joy will help you edit and she will provide questions to help you develop your story.
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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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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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What's That Hut For?
Sukkot
Beginning five days after
Yom Kippur
, Sukkot is named after the booths or huts (sukkot in Hebrew) in which Jews are supposed to dwell during this week-long celebration. According to rabbinic tradition, these flimsy sukkot represent the huts in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after escaping from slavery in Egypt. The festival of Sukkot is one of the three great
pilgrimage festivals
of the Jewish year. Sukkot is often referred to as “The Harvest Festival.” And much of the imagery and ritual of the holiday revolves around rejoicing and thanking God for the completed harvest. The sukkah represents the huts that farmers would live in during the last hectic period of harvest before the coming of the winter rains. As is the case with other festivals whose origins may not have been Jewish, the Bible reinterpreted the festival to imbue it with a specific Jewish meaning. In this manner, Sukkot came to commemorate the wanderings of the Israelites in the desert after the revelation at Mount Sinai, with the huts representing the temporary shelters that the Israelites lived in during those 40 years.
The Shalom Life Center invites you to visit their hut located on the grass next to the back parking lot from
September 23 – 30.
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Lee County Election Deadlines
The following deadlines apply for the General Election on Nov. 6, 2018:
- Register to vote – Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018
- Request Vote-By-Mail Ballot – Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018
Early voting will occur as follows:
- General – Oct. 22 thru Nov. 3, 2018
If you are voting by mail and you will not be at the address provided, contact Lee County Elections. Your ballot will not be forwarded to a different address. For more information call 239-533-8683 or on-line at
www.Lee.Vote
.
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Sept 4 Linda Johnson
Sept 4 Keara Trummel
Sept 4 Maureen Witschey
Sept 9 Judy Burget
Sept 14 Jenn Blosser
Sept 14 Frances Pake
Sept 16 Genelle Grant
Sept 19 Allison Farnum
Sept 19 Toni Latino
Sept 21 Deb Leigh
Sept 24 Leslie Gatto
Sept 29 Mary Pat Fitzgibbons
Sept 30 Jen Smith
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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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