Weekly E-News March 7, 2019
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Community Sharing in March- South Fort Myers Food Pantry
The South Fort Myers Food Pantry works in partnership with the Harry Chapin Food Bank and Midwest Food Bank and is supported by churches, including UUCFM, and organizations in South Fort Myers which provide funds, food and volunteers in service to our community. Please remember the Food Pantry on Sundays in March. We thank you for your generous donations.
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Annual Meeting
The UUCFM Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, March 31st at 11:45 am in the Sanctuary. After the service, we will exit the Sanctuary, take a small break, and return to the Sanctuary to sign in. Only members may sign in to vote. Non-members may attend but must abstain from voting. The lunch following the Annual Meeting will be a potluck Bring whatever you would like- salad, veggies, meat entree, or dessert.
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The Humanist Forum
The Humanist Forum meets every Sunday at 9:15 am in Hobart Hall. All are welcome to attend.
The Humanist Forum this week features a discussion between Chris Anderson, founder of TED, with Christiane Amanpour on
Seeking Truth in the Era of Fake News.
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Sunday Social Hour
Sunday's Social Hour happens after the service every week. It is volunteer run- by the Women's Circle on the first Sunday, Humanist Forum on the second, CUUPs on the third, Men's Group on the fourth, and if there is a fifth Sunday, it is All Church. Any donations of food, snacks or cash are welcome.
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Youth Groups
If you have questions about our youth groups or Children's Religious Education program, please contact Jenn Blosser
dre@uucfm.org.
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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 Jenn Blosser for info on our youth groups:
dre@uucfm.org
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IGNITE
, our junior youth group for ages 10-13, meets weekly from 12-1 pm in Room 3. (or 7) Come join us for community, conversation, and finding your call to action!
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S
PARK,
exclusively for children ages 5-9, Spark meets weekly from 12-1pm in Room 2 to explore Unitarian Universalism and learn more about our church and each other.
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From the Minister
Calling On Busy People
On Tuesday night I had the opportunity to join with other interfaith justice team leaders in LIFE. The Co-Chair, the Rev. Dr. Rickey Anderson of Followers of Christ Ministries (one of the 4 black congregations in LIFE), reminded all of us organizers that God calls on busy people to do God's work. His perspective went on to share that the work of justice is God's work. Our tradition teaches that the work of justice is something we are called to do out of respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all people as well as to honor that we are all connected and interdependent. So, busy yourself with important things that generate love, compassion and justice not only for yourself and your own, but for Lee County and the world.
One thing I have always loved about LIFE it there is no room for just sitting around and complaining about everything. Yes, we share stories of heartbreak and injustice. THEN, we work. We get busy. We made systemic change in Lee County to change the culture of Alternative Learning Centers from a school to prison pipeline into a place of restorative justice. We literally got a whole new mental healthcare clinic opened for children opened in the Cape. The City of Fort Myers banned the box so that felons who have served their time can get a fair shake at a city job. Chief Diggs of FMPD knows we will keep on keepin' on in seeing that unsolved murder numbers will continue to go down. And within the last two weeks we have heard from the County's human service department that last year's Nehemiah Action resulted in an additional $1.6 million being spent on children and families and from the Superintendent of Lee County Schools that our past work on suspensions and bullying are still proving effective.
So, if you are busy this Sunday and a committed justice member (which means you have a team leader and have registered with them already), please say yes to being busy at our UUCFM network meeting. If you want to commit to being a network member, come to the Sanctuary at noon. Hope to see you there! For all of the rest, mark your calendar for our big Nehemiah Action on Tuesday April 9th! The UUCFM board is even rescheduling its April meeting so that all can attend this important way of showing up on the Side of Love.
Rev. Allison Farnum
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Music News
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-Wizard Camp!
It's time to plan our Harry Potter themed summer camp, the School of Wizardry! If you would like to be involved in the creation of the magical, week long tradition, please email
dre@uucfm.org
! Our first meeting is Wednesday, March 13th at 5:00 PM in the Conference Room.
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Thank you to those who attended our religious education town hall last Sunday. It's so important for our community to take ownership of our programming and support the spiritual welfare and faith formation of our children and youth!
Did you miss the town hall? Don't worry! There will be another one on Sunday, March 24th at 12:15 pm in the Sanctuary. ALL ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND. I cannot stress it enough- our community shares the work of growing Unitarain Universalists whether or not we, ourselves, have children or youth in the program. Before March 24th, you will be receiving a special email about our programming - keep your eye out for it!
Jenn Blosser, Director of Religious Education
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From the Board
We are looking for members who have interest in working with numbers to become nominees for our Board of Trustees Treasurer position. Please contact Jen Smith,
jenw930@gmail.com or Matt Hoffman
mwaters106@yahoo.com.
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Membership
If you or a friend has been thinking about joining our faith community, you are cordially invited to pick up a Membership Enrollment Kit at our “Welcome Tables” in the Narthex and Hobart Hall on Sunday, or come by the Office and grab a Kit. (Or I can email you an Enrollment Kit
bill@petrarca.net
.) Complete the forms in the kit and drop in the mail or bring the completed forms with you Sunday morning. It’s that simple! Wherever you are on your journey, we bid you Welcome!
The Membership team needs a few more Ambassador Volunteers
This past fall the Membership Team began the process of helping newcomers on the pathway to membership by assigning volunteers (we call them Ambassadors) to the newcomer once they submit a Connection Card. Six volunteers have formed our current Ambassador Corps but we need a few more. In the past 3 months we are averaging 16 newcomers/month, that’s a healthy increase over previous months. That’s the good news! To help our newcomers with the journey to membership, we need a few more Ambassadors, representing a cross-section of our membership.
If you’re interested, please let the Membership team know by emailing
MemberServices@UUCFM.org
or just corner one of us and let us know of your interest. The time involved is not significant, no more than an hour a week.
Get to Know Our Members
MARY FAEGRE, (revised) joined us in April, 2018 and has been a UU since 1976 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Mary was a licensed psychologist for 35 years and a Parent Educator and Therapist. She has volunteered at Women's Shelters and worked against Human Trafficking. Her 3 daughters and their families, and her long-time friends and new friends at Shell Point are very important to her. She enjoys reading, biking, swimming, and traveling. A member of the UUCFM Caring Team, she looks
forward to the UU Women's Retreat in April.
BARBARA BOYNTON joined with husband Dick in 1985, coming from Indiana where they helped found a UU Church and a UU Fellowship. Raised in New York City, she met Dick when in college in Vermont. She majored in Early Childhood Education and besides teaching, ran a non-sectarian nursery school for many years. An avid tennis player and traveling team member, she now plays tennis in her dreams. Always active at UUCFM, she was on the Board three times and still is very much involved.
Connecting to other like-minded people is important to her as "a connection circle junkie". Writing is her favorite pastime and she has a children's book on Amazon, "Wendy Wonder Walker" which gives the point of view of needing the use of a walker which she now does.
What are Gratitude Gatherings?
Last year, the Board of Trustees, at the recommendation of the Finance Council, chose to re-invent the way we manage our traditional pledge campaigns. Recent years’ experiences, although successful in terms of contributions pledged, became overburdensome on just a few volunteers and somewhat intrusive for many members, cramming all solicitation meetings within a short amount of time in order to complete the grueling budgeting process for the church. Furthermore, the weeks-long, energy-
draining effort necessarily put an unbalanced focus and stress on financial expectations with very little focus on the overall sense of the mutual appreciation for the connectedness between the church and each member. Furthermore, we understand that many of our members have busy lives, filled with urgent demands on their time.
Our new stewardship approach is a year-round series of hour-long Gratitude Gatherings where a twelfth of our members voluntarily come together each month in small groups with the minister and church leaders. In these sessions, members learn about the “state of the Church,” share our proudest moments of being a member of UUCFM, express concerns and satisfactions about our progress toward our Vision,
and celebrate our commitments to our faith community. The goal is that members will leave feeling uplifted and more engaged as a member of our congregation!
So, when you receive an invitation to attend a future Gratitude Gathering, you now know a little bit more about why you are being invited and what you can expect.
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Rummage Sale
UUCFM will hold a Rummage Sale March 15-17 on the Screen Porch. Donations can be left in the Screen Room
in the designated area.
Save your stuff and ask your relatives and neighbors for donations! If you need help to bring things, or need pick up service, contact Deborah Lewis at 773-720-4875 or debl5784@hotmail.com to arrange a time.
We need volunteers! Any time you can help call Deb! 773-720-4875.
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FUUn BUUnch
Join the FUUn BUUnch Dinner Group Saturday, March 30th at 6:30pm for a Tex Mex dinner at CANTINA 109, 9908 GULF COAST MAIN ST, FORT MYERS, FL 33913
by Tuesday, 03/23/2019. (The restaurant requires firm numbers by this date.) If you need transportation, please tell John when you RSVP.
DIRECTIONS:
- Take Rte 75 to Exit 128, Alico Rd.
- Turn EAST onto Alico Rd. to THE GULF COAST TOWN CENTER.
- Turn South onto ROYAL QUEEN BVD.
- Continue without a turn to CANTINA 109 on the right. (If you come to the circle, make a U turn or follow the circle around to the street from which you came. The restaurant is now on you right.) Parking is on Royal Queen Bvd and Main Street.
Our next FUUN BUUNCH DINNER will be at Mimi’s in the Bell Tower Mall on April 27th.
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15+ Group
The UUCFM 15+ Group is comprised of UUCFM members who have belonged to UUCFM for at least 15 years. Some churches call this type of group Church Elders -- but this group of "elders" chose to be called the 15+ Group! We will be meeting at noon in the Narthex at noon on Sunday, March 10th. If you would like to have an item put on the agenda, please contact Ellen Erickson
andy.ellen.erickson@gmail.com
or 239-694-6833.
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CUUPs Meeting & Vernal Equinox
The Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans meets this Sunday, March 10th at noon in the Conference Room. This is a
hands on meeting for personal shielding and meditation techniques.
Thursday, March 21st will be our Vernal Equinox Celebration at the Amphitheater. We will meet at 6:00 PM. All are welcome, families, children, everyone!
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CUUPs Healing Drum Circle
Cuups is now hosting a monthly healing drumming circle. We'll meet by the fire circle at 6:30pm every 2nd Saturday. It is open to all. We will have a facilitator who is accomplished in healing sound and drumming. We welcome our larger community as well as our diverse church community.
For this month drumming has been moved to Saturday, March 23rd. Our leader had a date conflict. After this it will go back to the second Saturday of the month
. May healing begin with drums of passion. Love and blessings, Joy Purcell
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Women's Sharing Circle
Every 4th Tuesday there will be a noon potluck in Hobart Hall. Bring a dish to share and your own beverage.
Our next meeting is March 26th at noon. Bring a potluck dish. This is a program not to miss: Deb & Mary's trip to Thailand, Dorothy's trip to Egypt last October, and your own travels to share. We'll make a list of
countries visited by us. As always, bring a friend.
Let Dorothy know if you can volunteer for set up and clean up help.
April Meeting:
Tuesday, April 23rd, NOON Potluck in Hobart Hall
Program: Story of your Ancestry, your roots, bring photos, heirlooms, memories
For contact information: Dorothy Van Howe, 239-560-7238,
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Men's Social Group
We want you to join the
UUCFM Men's Social Group.
We meet on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 11:45 am at the Cross Creek Country Club Clubhouse/Restaurant off Daniel's Parkway. For 2019, we are planning fun social activities as well as action sessions on what the Men's Group can do to help UUCFM. For information, contact Denis Jensen at 215-436-5748 or email
Denis
.
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Spirituality Discussion Group
The Spirituality Discussion Group meets Wednesdays at 6:45 pm in Room 2 after the Community Dinner.
Our Spirituality has to do with the way one connects to ourselves, others, nature, and the unknowns. Contact Suzanne Ziemer at
suzanneziemer@gmail.com
with any questions.
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Book Club
On Wednesday, March 20th from 1:00-3:00 pm, Book Group will meet and begin reading our new book, Michael Pollan's
How to Change your Mind - What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying
,
Addiction, Depression and Transcendence.
Please come having read the introduction and Chapter One.
On Wednesday, March 13th, Book Group will not meet. Instead, Debra Leigh will offer an Intro to Dreamwork class.
All are welcome, including practiced dream workers.
Come learn some of the basics of projective group dreamwork from a Jungian perspective. Bring a dream you might like to share. We will discuss scheduling an ongoing dreamwork group. For questions, contact Debra at:
dreamrookery7@gmail.com
. We will meet in the Library from 1:00pm-3:00 pm.
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Mindfulness Meditation
Join us on Monday evenings to explore the simple and satisfying practices of mindfulness and meditation. You don’t need experience with meditation, nor do you have to be a Buddhist. Please bring intention to quiet the mind and 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 call or text Gary Robbins at 302-540-5899.
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Family Game Night
Join us in Hobart Hall on the first Saturday of each month for Game Night. We meet from 5:30-8:30 pm. All invited! The next game night is Saturday, April 6.
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Rissho Kosei-kai
The Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist group meets Sundays in Room 1. All are welcome to join us. We have a new meeting time- 2:00-4:00 pm.
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Expanding our Small Group Ministry, Part 4
In the past three E-News articles, we’ve discussed the “Why,” the “How,” and the “What” of Small Group Ministries (SMG) at UUCFM. So, now the “When.”
Our congregation has been so fortunate to have had such a successful SGM experience with Nancy & Jeff Letts’ and others’ leadership with our “Connection Circles.” In that our goal is to have 3 or 4 SGM groups active at any one time, we will need a dedicated cadre of trained SGM facilitators first. Nancy has generously volunteered to share her facilitator prowess with an SGM facilitator training session scheduled for Saturday, March 9th from 10a to Noon in Classroom 7. If you plan to attend her session, please contact Nancy beforehand by email at
njletts@gmail.com
.
The Membership Team would like to slowly expand the number of SGMs available at any time so that established, new, and potential members have an opportunity to become better engaged in our community. As trained facilitators become available, we will be publishing SGM topics for member (and non-member) selection. We’ll start groups in April based on members’ interests and facilitator availability.
So, if you are interested in becoming a facilitator, sign-up for Nancy’s training session today. Most groups will have both a facilitator and a facilitator-in-training. If you’re a little apprehensive about running a group, know that you will have an opportunity to watch a more experienced facilitator before you actually facilitate your own group.
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Community Wednesday
Please join us for Chef Joy's Community Wednesday Dinners at 6:00 pm each Wednesday. She will be serving salad, soup and entree. The price is $5.00. The meal is vegetarian, but every other week will feature a meat item alternate.
Community Activities for March:
6:00-6:45
Band Rehearsal in Sanctuary
6:45-8:00
Choir Rehearsal in Sanctuary
6:45-8:00
Spiritual Discussion group thru May 2019 in Room 2.
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South Fort Myers Food Pantry
The support that UUCFM has shown to our pantry over the years is appreciated. Along with other coalition members, the combined effort fed 26,646 people from the South Fort Myers area in 2018. There is still a tremendous need in Southwest Florida and consequently the Harry Chapin Food Bank sometimes runs low on food. When this happens, your donations of food each Sunday become so important, even if it’s just one item. Remember “Fran’s plan, just one can”? Look around church this Sunday and just imagine the amount of food, if everyone brought just one can. Protein items are always a good choice, canned ham, chicken , tuna or hearty prepared meals or soups.
Prefer to donate money? You can make out checks and send to the South Fort Myers Food Pantry. 8260 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers, FL. 33919.
Be sure to write Food Pantry in the memo line.
Looking for a satisfying volunteer experience? See Fran Rose or email
francrose@centurylink.net
.
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Caring Network
If you have any caring concerns, please contact our Caring Network coordinator, Neil Yesu at
dbny79@aol.com
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Safety Tips
These tips are brought to you by our Operations Team.
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Shop and Help UUCFM!
Did you know your purchases can make a difference? AmazonSmile donates to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers when you do your online shopping. Follow this link:
smile.amazon.com/ch/59-1160337
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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
uuchurch@uucfm.org
.
*As Associate Director of the Paradise Coastmen barbershop chorus, I invite you to attend our concert on March 22 & 23. This year we have as our headliner,
Boardwalk
, a comedy quartet with banjo and string bass, along with
Wildfire,
a Bronze Medalist youth quartet you’ll enjoy. My quartet,
Easy Does It
, 2017 Sunshine District champions will perform a medley of memorable tunes from Lerner & Loewe.
The chorus will sing many of your favorite hits from the Broadway stage. I have tickets (group discount of $18 ) good for all three shows (Friday 7:00 PM / Saturday 2:00 & 7:00 PM). Let me know which performance and how many tickets you require. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Yours in Harmony,
Glenn Siebert
440-572-5558
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SWFL Gay & Lesbian Chorus
Get Ready, Get Ready, Get Ready! We begin rehearsals for our Pride 2019 Season with our new Director, Ms. Suellen Kipp. Come and sing with us! We are a non-auditioning all inclusive chorus.
When: Tuesdays, 7PM
Where: Room 7 or Sanctuary
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Happy Birthday!
March 7 Dick Boynton
March 8 Mary Tracy Sigman
March 10 Gary Robbins
March 11 Jonathon Sauer
March 13 Andy Crossen
March 13 Krista Hutson
March 22 Mary Gayle Skinner
March 24 Sheila Jaskie
March 25 Lily Hoffman is 11!
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President
President Elect
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VP Finance
Vacant
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Member at Large
Staff
Minister
Director of Music
Director of RE
Office Manager
Building Supervisor
Nursery Supervisor
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