Weekly Communicator

Weekly Communicator

July 6, 2023

Sunday Service

Join us this Sunday at 10:30am in the Sanctuary or via Zoom

Join Worship Associates Leslie Gatto and Gary Robbins for our Sunday Service. Leslie will deliver a sermon written by Amanda Udis-Kessler entitled The Promise of All Lives Mattering

Minister's Musings

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy July to everyone. I will be on vacation this month (and working hard to plan for next year). You can expect I will not be at regular meetings or corresponding on a regular basis, but please do not hesitate to reach out to me if there is something that you feel cannot wait. I am looking forward to serving you for another year and will see you in Fort Myers on August 13th. Have a great month.

revsue@uucfm.org

WhatsApp call or message: +506 8891 2847

Facebook Messenger: Sue Gabrielson

Skype: suegabes

Please send all newsletter articles by

12pm Wednesday for publication in Thursday's newsletter.

Send articles to newsletter@uucfm.org

Newsletter articles should be limited to 250 words. Send artwork or photos in jpg format. If multiple posting dates are desired, please include that in your request.

**Please do not send requests to the office manager email**

Community Sharing for July

The Southwest Florida Gay & Lesbian Chorus was formed in 1993, at the initiative of Doug Gathers and a small group of founders, despite the problems that would undeniably come with his "coming out" publicly. Since their founding in 1993, they have been a LGBTQ-friendly and all-inclusive 5013c non-profit organization. This group participates in local, regional, and national performances.

Their mission is to provide educational, cultural, and social enrichment for our audience and ourselves through excellence in the choral arts.

The group's name was changed in 2019 from Southwest Florida Gay & Lesbian Chorus to Southwest Florida Voices, to be more inclusive to the LGBTQ-Community and Allies.

If you cannot attend in person, you can still donate by mailing a check to the office with "community sharing" in the subject line, or by using the "donate" button on the website and marking it "community sharing".

Tarot Class

I am very excited to share that we will have our first Tarot Course hosted by yours truly, Brian! I am presenting the same class twice and it's approx. 1.5-2 hours. I am requesting $20 or a donation of your capability, no one turned down.

Saturday, July 8th from 10am-12pm

Saturday, July 15th from 10am-12pm

We will talk about tarot history, forming questions, symbols and systems, and have some fun. Please feel free to bring your favorite deck if you have one, if not I will have a few that you can use during the course.

Hope to see you there!

BRIAN

Sincerely,

CUUPS of Fort Myers

All proceeds go to UUCFM and CUUPS

MONDAY BOOK CLUB

The Monday Book Club is reading Lucky Boy, a novel by Shanthi Sekaran, which deals with immigration, motherhood and adoption. We will discuss the first third of the book on July 10.

Please contact Judi Dettorre to get the Zoom link to join us at

1pm on July 10.

Save the Date: Bridges Dialogue Zoom Meeting

We are thrilled and honored to announce our next Bridges Dialogue Zoom Meeting on TUESDAY, JULY 18 @ 7:00 pm will feature keynote speaker Jonathan Webber, the Florida Policy Director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, one of the most important anti-hate organizations in the country.

Mr. Webber’s Keynote talk will be Racism & Antisemitism in Florida, and What We Can Do About It. Following his talk, he will be available for a moderated Q&A discussion.

Please see the flyer above for all details.

Update about Changes to UUA principles from the UUA General Assembly

This was compiled by Rev. Sue's colleague, Rev. Tiffany Anderson Sapp

A large number of amendments to the Article 2 Revisions proposals were proposed and voted on during Thursday and Friday’s General Sessions. Several of them passed which made small but meaningful changes to the wording in the proposal. On Saturday the General Assembly voted to give preliminary approval to the Proposed Article 2 Revisions. Of the 2,109 delegates online and in-person who voted on this matter, 1,816 (86.3%) voted to approve, and 289 (13.7%) voted against the revisions.

OPPORTUNITY FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

Did you know that our Worship Associates often select or write the readings, chalice-lightings, suggest themes for services and offer personal reflections? Participating with the Worship Associate team is a very spiritual endeavor and integral part of our shared ministry. Worship Associates are dedicated to UUCFM and Unitarian Universalism. Training and resources are provided.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please contact Rev Sue or Leslie Gatto, chair, for an application. You may also wish to discuss this possibility with any Worship Associate (Jennifer Grant, Lesley Peterson, Gary Robbins and Helen Leddy) or our Lay Minister, Mary Cline Golbitz.

The Banned Book Project

More Comments by Donor-Congregants

Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen -"I don’t consider it a literary piece, but I feel the story was told realistically and transparently. It could be of value for

anyone trying to understand transgendering, whether for themselves or others."

Nineteen Minutes – This is a novel about a school shooting. "I would have stopped reading after the first few chapters. It is very graphic and my feeling was that I could just read the same news in the paper and on TV, if I wanted to be exposed. However, I did finish reading the book because I said I would. Actually it

was a good read with an interesting plot once you get past the shootings. Bullying is a terrible thing and is pointed out in this novel."

The Bluest Eye –"A much needed book for our times – to let our young people know of their own beauty and worth and not perpetuate a false sense of what is ‘beautiful’."

Extremely Loud an Incredibly Close – "This is an excellent book that explores how different people deal with loss and grief. If is funny and quirky and an inspiring page turner!"

Sloppy Firsts - As was often the case, the reader cold not figure out why someone would want this book off the shelves in libraries and classrooms. "This is a realistic story about coming of age in the 21 st century. It also reminded me of my own youth. I was reminded of how difficult the high school experience can

be."

All but 7 of the 30 books on the list have been purchased, contributed to the collection, and commented on. It’s not too late to bring in your book and comments if you have one of the 7 books left. Thank You all so much for your participation!

We invite everyone to borrow these and many more books on display during Coffee Hour and would welcome your comments in the Banned Book Binder.

Pick up a sheet when you borrow a book!

Welcoming Congregation Renewal

UUCFM is in the process of renewing our status as a Welcoming Congregation. Our congregation is renewing our commitment to Equality and Inclusion and to loving and helping one another, in a frightening time for Transgender and Queer people and for immigrants and other BIPOC. This commitment is more important and more meaningful now than it has ever been before.

One step that you can take right away is to learn more about the experience of Queer and Transgender (LGBTQIA+) people. You might consider reading books that will help you understand. We recommend Trans Allyship Workbook by Davey Shlasko. You might want to choose a book from our library to read yourself, maybe Black Flamingo or The Transgender Child, or one to read aloud to your children or grandchildren, maybe Red: A Crayon's Story, or Julián is a Mermaid.

On behalf of the Welcoming Renewal Committee, I thank you all. Cat Pivetti

"Nobody's free until everybody's free." --Fannie Lou Hamer

Our Library celebrates Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion!

Not everyone “celebrated” the 4th of July or the signing of the

Declaration of Independence. For some it is a reminder of oppression, and for some it is a day of mourning. The Declaration lists 27 grievances against the King. The final grievance includes a complaint that he “has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages...”

We have a number of books by and about the people who lived on

and cultivated these “frontiers” before the colonists arrived to take them. Some of the books are for adults, some are picture books, and some are for older children. Some are banned in Florida.

The “unalienable rights,” “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,” were not for Indians or Black residents, and certainly not for Black or Indian people who were enslaved. One way that we honor them is by paying attention to their Stories. Check them out!