Weekly E-News, April 15, 2021

Unitarian Universalist Congregation

of Fort Myers

Weekly E-News

April 15, 2021

Join us this Sunday!

Our mission is "Inspired by love, we transform ourselves and serve others."

What does our mission say about the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fort Myers and what does it require of us as individuals? Lay Minister, Mary Cline Golbitz, and long-term member and Worship Associate, Leslie Gatto, will discuss this topic in more depth than our simplified mission statement to "love, grow and serve."

Join Zoom Meeting Sunday at 10:30 am

https://zoom.us/j/98733916229

No password needed

Or follow the link on our webpage for audio only: uucfm.org

Thank You to Sunday's Participants:

Mary Cline Golbitz, Lay Minister

Suellen Kipp, Director of Music

Leslie Gatto,Worship Associate

Peter Golbitz, Musician

Allie Carville, Tech Team Member

Lesley Peterson, Musician and Tech Team Member

Mark Brandon, Tech Team Member

Walter Peterson, Tech Team Member

Holley Rauen, Tech Team Member

Bill Petrarca, Dialogues Host

Karen Brown, Dialogues Host

Community Sharing in April: Planned Parenthood

The mission of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida is to provide affordable access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care and accurate health information through patient care, education and advocacy. Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, an affiliate of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. began operations in 1966. Many of our members and friends have advocated for our local Planned Parenthood facilities throughout the years.

Mother's Day Photos!

The Worship, Music & Tech Teams are looking for pictures of your Mom! We are creating a musical slideshow to honor our mothers and need your help. Please send a jpg image of your mom as an email attachment to [email protected] by April 30th. If you don't have access to a computer you can bring a photograph into the office from April 20-30, and we'll convert it for you. Thank you!

Connection Circles

Would you like to be more connected to others in UUCFM? This is your chance to get to know others and yourself better by joining a Connection Circle. The Circles are a ways of exploring spiritual topics in a deep way with others.

New circles are forming soon on Mondays and Thursdays at 1:30 pm. Please contact Leslie Gatto at [email protected] or Mary Cline Golbitz at mary@uucfm.org if you are interested. Let us know of your interest even if those times don't work for you. We are looking forward to connecting with you.

UUCFM/Caloosahatchee Mindfulness

The Caloosahatchee Mindfulness and UUCFM Meditation Book Group is reading The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness by Rhonda V. Magee.

The author "reveals that the work of racial justice begins with ourselves. The practice of embodied mindfulness--paying attention through our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in an open, nonjudgmental way--increases our emotional resilience, helps us to recognize our unconscious bias, and give us the space to become less reactive and to choose how we respond to injustice."

The group meets from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays. Contact Helen Leddy at [email protected] or Mary Robinson at [email protected] for more information.

Social Issues Book Group Resumes

Starting Wednesday, April 21 from 1:00-2:30 PM and continuing weekly

Book: My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem.

My Grandmother's Hands is a call to action for Americans to recognize that racism is not only about the head, but also about the body. The author introduces the reader to an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide. He takes the reader through a step-by-step healing process based on the latest neuroscience and somatic healing methods.

Coming to the Table (CTTT)

We are inviting interested members to join together in the formation of a Coming to the Table chapter in Southwest Florida. CTTT provides leadership, resources, and a supportive environment for all who wish to acknowledge and heal wounds from racism. For further information about CTTT, following this link:

https://comingtothetable.org/.

Contact Helen Leddy for details on the book group or CTTT: [email protected]

IMPRISONED IMMIGRANTS’ QUILT ON DISPLAY

Last Stop in SW Florida

Fort Myers, Florida,

April 23, 2021

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fort Myers, the SWFL RESET Center and the Music & Arts Community Center are proud to welcome the public to view this eye popping, heart opening quilted representation of the approximately 45,000 immigrants being held by ICE in detention every single day.

The quilt was the brainchild of Glen Ring, a member of the Human Rights Coalition in Concord, New Hampshire. It gets people thinking and communicating “about humanity and people treating people humanely,” says Ring.

The display can be viewed outdoors in the beautiful UUCFM courtyard, socially distanced, masks required beginning Friday evening April 23 from 4 PM to 7 PM.

On Saturday, April 24 at 1:00 P.M., hear directly from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Maria Cardinas, Chair of the Immokalee Grassroots Movement for Immigration Rights; and Immigration Rights attorney, Erica Luque. Music will also be provided.

The last chance to see this amazing quilt in SW Florida is Sunday, April 25, 1 to 4 pm.

RSVP to this event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/560650488238933

LIFE - Lee Interfaith For Empowerm

LIFE Nehemiah Action

Monday, April 26th

7 PM

Join via Facebook or Zoom

1.) ZOOM

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3729424134

Meeting ID: 372 942 4134

2.) Facebook Live: Details to come. Watch newsletter and Facebook.

To invest in LIFE

CashApp: $LIFEJustice

or send checks to LIFE to: PO Box 62692 Fort Myers FL, 33906

60th Anniversary Pave the Way Fundraiser

We are celebrating our 60th year here by offering commemorative, personalized bricks to line the walkways leading into the sanctuary.

GOAL: 100 bricks @ $100 each to raise $10,000 for the General Budget to take the place of not having a Service Auction this year which raised that amount or more.

Order your personalized 4" x 8" brick of up to 3 lines, up to 13 characters/spaces per line.

Idea examples: IN MEMORY OF... REMEMBERING... YOUR NAME(S) DATES...A

SAYING...GRANDCHILDREN...

Examples of Bricks already ordered:

GRACE PROJECT, MAYA, COSMOVISION,

RESET, ESTABLISHED, JUNE 2020,

ALBIE & MARY, LAY MINISTERS, UUCFM 2021

LOVE ENTER EVERY, MIND & SOUL

TERI & MEL COOPER, PEACE & LOVE

JILL & ALISON CARVILLE, LOVE UUCFM

As of April 7th, there are 43 commemorative bricks donated toward our goal of 100. One member donated 10 bricks to take the place of her usual money spent at our Annual Service Auction Fundraiser which we could not have this year because of COVID-19.

To get a brick order form, Contact Project Manager, Ways & Means, Suzanne

Ziemer at [email protected] or 239-463-9020.