Weekly Communicator

Weekly Communicator

July 20, 2023

Sunday Service

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

This Sunday we will look at the issue of guns and violence in our state and our country. Mary Cline Golbitz and Gary Robbins will lead our exploration of this issue and what we can do to help reduce violence in our society. We hope you will join us on Sunday and in this important work.

If you are interested in learning more about this issue there are many good organizations working on these issues. We have listed a few of them below. We hope you will find a way to work with one of these organizations or others that you find working on these issues.

Everytown for Gun Safety

Gifford’s

Sandy Hook Promise

Ban Assault Weapons Now

Minister's Musings

“We can choose to be hopeful, try and possibly fail or not be hopeful, give up and definitely fail.” — David Hogg, cofounder and board member at March Fo r Our Lives

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".

Richard Boynton

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Richard Boynton on July 17th. Arrangements are being made for a private memorial in the near future.

LIFE Follow-Up

Lee Interfaith for Empowerment sent out the word that the City Council of Fort Myers had not yet implemented their agreement with us to provide affordable housing. Mary Studer attended the meeting to strategize how to respond at the Thursday evening Council meeting.

Lynn Lacey and Marge Gonzalez attended the council meeting along with an impressive turn out of LIFE members. Rev. Rusty May, Rev. William Glover, and Rev. Mary Stockton spoke along with a number of lay members, including Marge.

Our take away is that we got their attention and we will overcome.

Banned Book Project

Here are comments about three more books on the list.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You - The congregant who read Stamped found the book “quite educational and illuminating,” and felt it was banned because “this realistic version of the history of slavery makes many

uncomfortable.”

A friend of a congregant read two of the books on the list and shared these comments with us:

Dreaming in Cuban – “This book focused on the effects of the Cuban Revolution on an extended family of several generations, some of whom chose to leave Cuba and some who chose to stay. The story explores complex religious, political, and social aspects. Perhaps because I was in the Caribbean at the time, I found the

characters to be authentic, intricate, familiar, and believable. They unfold in exquisite layers of tangled complications over the many years and changes in their lives. The settings both in Cuba and New York are texturally rich. I can see visually through the eyes of the characters what their worlds looked like. This is

an important book, examining not just the history of Cuba but of the US as well.”

This One Summer – “This book surprised me in that it was composed of a series of drawings rather than text. I am not sure if the word is comic, anime, or manga, to describe the style. The story dealt with two young girls who spend summers together in an out of the way family camp. They have done this for several summers and have established a bond of sharing which is important to them. Both girls have come to grips with their own wants and desires, as well as those of their parents. It is a true coming of age story. I can understand why it is not appropriate to all ages and should be limited to older teens, but not banned.“

We are about to wind up this project and offer the thirty books to the permanent collection of the library. This collection (you may have noticed) is becoming more inviting and enriched every week. We are looking forward to a vibrant, much used library.

Why buy if you can borrow?

Welcoming Congregation

UUCFM is working on renewing its status as a Welcoming Congregation. This is particularly important now in Florida, as Queer and Transgender people are being demonized so that other people can solidify their power.

Please consider reading one of the books we have by or about Queer and Transgender people, such as All Boys Aren't Blue, Beyond Magenta, Black Flamingo, Outwrite, (all banned in Florida and/or Texas) or George Takei's book They Called Us Enemy, or even Red: A Crayon's Story.

And, of course, we recommend Trans Allyship Workbook by Shlasko.

For more information, contact Cat Pivetti.

UUCFM DEI Library:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are supported here!

We are building a library that supports our Unitarian Universalist values and that addresses issues that matter in our commitment to work toward a more socially just society. In order to work to dismantle oppressions we need to understand the systemic oppressions that are active in our institutions as well as those that are active in ourselves. In order to develop the empathy, compassion, and love required of Beloved Community, we need to seek understanding of those who are oppressed. Books help us build these understandings.

We are Unitarian Universalists, and we are notorious for refusing to let others tell us what to believe. We have a history of valuing opportunities to learn and to make up our own minds. Of course we object to the banning of books!

So come visit our books! Let them know that they are loved! Take one home to meet your family! Read one to your children, talk about them with your friends, fill your life with new awareness.

Please visit our display in Hobart Hall after the service. For more information, for suggestions of books for children of various ages or about people who belong to various oppressed groups, or to volunteer with the library team, contact Cat Pivetti.

Volunteer of the Month

This month’s volunteer of the month is Pat Linhoff. Pat has put enormous energy and creativity into improving our library. Every Sunday, you see her promoting the circulation of books, many on themes of social justice, during coffee hour. I am sure we all look forward to her idea of having a drawing for a book-related prize during coffee hour. Her work and reliability are accompanied by lovely and exceptional grace.