May 6 “Flower Communion” The Worship Team will present the service. Originally created in 1923 by Unitarian minister Norbert Capek of Prague, the Flower Communion is an annual ritual in many UU congregations that celebrates beauty, human uniqueness, diversity, and community. Remember to bring a very special flower with you that morning. Music: Barbara Jensen May 13 “The Art of Mothering” Several MUUF members partnered to present this Mother's Day service to share the history and attributes of what "Mothering" means and can do. Music: Peggy Dickson, Carol Alt, Klara Weis and Sally Isham. May 20 “Gaia, Mother Earth, Oneness” Jim Scott will lead us in celebrating the earth with his original songs and readings along with his personal reflections on the idea of Mother Earth or "Gaia" being one living organism. Music: Barbara Jensen May 27 “Will We Ever Learn Peace?" Rev. Gary Batey will be our speaker with a message saying, although not officially a national holiday until the 1960s, Memorial Day has been observed in many American communities since Civil War times. It's an annual occasion to honor those who died in military service to our country. The graves of fallen soldiers are decorated with flags and flowers, patriotic music is played or sung, pious thoughts and prayers are shared. Around the globe, similar ceremonies honor the war dead of every nation. Over and over, year after year and decade after decade, the war dead are mourned; the senseless carnage lamented. And yet, the fighting and the dying continue. It seems that flags and flowers; music, thoughts and prayers are not enough. Somehow, we have to learn the things that lead to peace. Music: Barbara Jensen UPDATE Fellowship Office Hours: Mon – Fri 8am – 1pm OFFICE 941-746-0067 Karen Salzinger: Office Administrator Email: [email protected]Website: www.manateeuuf.org The UPDATE Update Content Editors – Lorraine Berry Sally Isham Update Production Editor – Karen Salzinger MUUF’S MISSION STATEMENT “A friendly beacon for religious freedom, supporting lifelong spiritual growth and working for social justice with compassion and love.” May 2018 Volume 49 Number 5
Transcript
May 6
“Flower Communion”
The Worship Team will present the service. Originally created in 1923 by Unitarian minister Norbert Capek of Prague, the Flower Communion is an annual ritual in many UU congregations that celebrates beauty, human uniqueness, diversity, and community. Remember to bring a very special flower with you that morning. Music: Barbara Jensen
May 13 “The Art of Mothering”
Several MUUF members partnered to present this Mother's Day service to share the history and attributes of what "Mothering" means and can do. Music: Peggy Dickson, Carol Alt, Klara Weis and Sally Isham.
May 20
“Gaia, Mother Earth, Oneness” Jim Scott will lead us in celebrating the earth with his
original songs and readings along with his personal
reflections on the idea of Mother Earth or "Gaia"
being one living organism.
Music: Barbara Jensen
May 27
“Will We Ever Learn Peace?"
Rev. Gary Batey will be our speaker with a message saying, although not officially a national holiday until the 1960s, Memorial Day has been observed in many American communities since Civil War times. It's an annual occasion to honor those who died in military service to our country. The graves of fallen soldiers are decorated with flags and flowers, patriotic music is played or sung, pious thoughts and prayers are shared. Around the globe, similar ceremonies honor the war dead of every nation. Over and over, year after year and decade after decade, the war dead are mourned; the senseless carnage lamented. And yet, the fighting and the dying continue. It seems that flags and flowers; music, thoughts and prayers are not enough. Somehow, we have to learn the things that lead to peace. Music: Barbara Jensen
20 10:30am Speaker-Jim Scott Music- Barbara Jensen & Jim Scott Special Collection – Move to Amend 12:00 Committee Chairs Calendar Mtg UPDATE Articles Due
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22 10:00 Chalice Circle 6:30 Zen Meditation 6:30 Board Meeting
23 6:00 Toastmasters
24 12:00 Al-Anon 7:30 Meditation
25
26 1-4:00 Bridge
27 10:30am Speaker-Gary Batey Music- Harp Students 12:00 Building Your Own Theology
MEMORIAL DAY 28 OFFICE CLOSED
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6:30 Zen Meditation
30
6:00 Toastmasters
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12:00 Al-Anon 7:30 Meditation
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President’s Message Carol Bartz
Being receptive to a message is often intertwined with the clarity of the message and the timing for the listener. Our entire congregation was ready
for Joe Simonetta’s words this past Sunday as he named seven words to live by: Be healthy. Be kind. Respect the environment. With his multiple degrees and life experiences he took us through complex views of the universe and then came full circle to the simple, uncomplicated seven words. Many of us were taking notes so that we could remember his formula for life, wanting to hold on to his words which seem so obvious and yet we know people do the exact opposite too often leaving everyone to suffer the consequences when competing survival instincts kick into gear. This prompted me to refer to my granddaughter’s preschool rules which are very similar: Stop and think. Listen and do. Be sweet. Be neat. Why can’t everyone follow these simple rules? What a wonderful world this could be. I recommend that you look for Joe Simonetta’s book or look for his website if you missed his talk. (“Seven Words That Can Change the World: The Simple Truth and the Death of Sacred Cows”) Our progress towards getting a full time developmental minster is extremely exciting and by the time this newsletter is published there could be some definite news! Unfortunately, at this time I cannot write more than that. Having been a member at Manatee UU Fellowship since the early 80’s I have seen so many changes and this is the change that always needed to happen in my opinion. This moment in time seems so right, so balanced, so positive for our Fellowship as we move towards finding a minister who can work with us towards achieving our goals. It’s heartening to see the recent strengthening of social justice activity as more of our members want to do something that makes a difference. Meeting and talking isn’t enough---especially since there is so much to do. When we mobilize and pull together we can be so much more effective. Join in and do as you are able!
Board HIGHLIGHTS
Following are some of the decisions and discussions made at the April 2018 Board Meeting.
• During an Executive Session it was decided to
act on the recommendation of the Ministerial Team. This is all that can be said at this time.
• Our delegates to UUA General Assembly to be held in Kansas City, MO will be John Isham and AJ Wolff. They will not be physically attending, but will be certified to vote via internet.
• We need to form an active Safety Committee to follow through with the initial work done last year and work on a viable safety plan.
• The Men’s Group has almost completed organizing the garage and will be working on
the Memorial Garden next.
• We will be purchasing “Earth and Spirit” songbooks composed and written by UU musician, Jim Scott, for use by the choir.
• Acknowledging that we need to provide “babysitting” for young children when they attend we need to set up volunteers ready to
help as needed.
•
Our Annual Meeting was held April 8 at which time we unanimously approved the budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year. This included projected funding for a full-time minister. In addition, the slate of officers submitted by the Nominating Committee was approved unanimously. Thank you to Carol Alt and Ellie Syverud for coordinating and setting up lunch. Beginning July 1, the board will be as follows: John Isham President (1 year) Carol Bartz Vice-President (1 year) Doris Sutliff Secretary Mary Lou Thompson Treasurer Bill Hayes Assistant Treasurer AJ Wolff Director (1 more year) Al Guy Director (1 more year) Pat Rohrer Director Bernita Franzel Director Carol Bartz President Emeritus
Better Together
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Social Justice Committee Bill Hayes SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE APRIL 1, 2018 MINUTES
Gary Chanco called the meeting to order at 12 noon. Members present were: Gary Chanco, Randy Coleman, Bill Hayes, Linda Marshall, Walter Pascal, John Isham, Jo Williams, Ellie Syverud, Carol Bartz, Bernita Franzel, Lois Stilley, Sally Isham and Chris MacCormack. Minutes of Feb 4, 2018 meeting were approved as presented on a motion by Walter Pascal and seconded by Gary Chanco. Bernita Franzel read the Opening Words 1. Gary Chanco agreed to be Chair of the next meeting, originally June 3, but amended to May 6. 2. Bill Hayes agreed to take the minutes and use them as an Update article. 3. Special Collections - Bill Hayes reported that we raised the following: $365. for Crop Walk in Feb, and $483 for Prism in March. Beneficiaries will be Coalition of Immokalee Workers in April, Move to Amend in May and Planned Parenthood in June. 4. Welcoming/LGBTQ - Manatee Gay Pride Festival in March was a huge success and well supported by MUUF. The Welcoming Congregation program has now been completed. Movies will continue to be shown in the future. 5. Issue of the quarter is Gay Rights and Recent Attacks on Them. Al Usack has submitted a well-researched and written article for the April Update. 6. Reports from Members on Issues: a. Bernita Franzel handed out a questionnaire on Gun Knowledge. b. Walter Pascal reported that PATH is looking for new meeting space and is sponsoring a Walk A Mile In My Shoes fundraiser. c. John Isham told us about a new Netflix film about plastic in the oceans.
7. New Business a. Sally Isham reported on a new movie series being developed which would emphasize social justice films like “The Gender Revolution.” b. Bernita Franzel reminded us that Earth Day is April 22 and we should have a bulletin insert on April 22 about it. Perhaps the insert could be about our excessive use of plastics. c. Ellie Syverud said that we should continue our interest in climate change and federal legislation on this issue. d. Bill Hayes brought up that meeting bi-monthly does not enable us to address all of our concerns. The committee unanimously voted to return to monthly meetings. The next meeting will be Sunday, May 6 at noon. 8. The meeting adjourned at 12:55.
Book Discussion Group Bill Hayes &
Mary Lou Thompson The Book Club will meet on Monday, May 7, at 2:00 pm to discuss the book Waking Up White by Debby Irving. We had this book scheduled a month or so ago, but did not have time to fully discuss the book and its main concept of white privilege. We will use the questions at the end of each chapter to frame the discussion. We will decide on books for June and July at this meeting. Please have some ideas ready. The Book Club is open to all.
Knitting4Peace AJ Wolff
We hope you enjoyed seeing our work on display. It is now shipped off to Knitting4Peace in Denver where they will send it out to clinics in 3rd world countries for distribution. Come join us,
10-noon every first and third Tuesday mornings. Join the fun-all skill levels welcome, we are happy to teach anyone who wants to give it a try. If you have never knitted before, that is ok, we will teach you. Carol, AJ, and Bernita are all long-time knitters and happy to teach you. Small baby bibs, blankets or children scarves are great starter projects for the beginner. Or bring your own project and share in the fun and fellowship please. Everyone welcome.
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Share-A-Dish May 11th Bernita Franzel
Jim Willard, a former MUUF member, presented Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" to a MUUF Share-A-Dish a few years ago. He will be with us May 11 as we watch Al Gore's sequel: "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power." This follow-up documentary addresses the progress made to tackle the problem of climate change and Al Gore's global efforts to persuade governmental leaders to invest in renewable energy, culminating in the landmark signing of 2016's Paris Climate Agreement. A decade after "An Inconvenient Truth" (2006) brought climate change to the heart of popular culture, the follow-up shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution. Sign-up sheet is on the Social Room table. Hosts” Social Justice.
OCCUPY The OCCUPY group that meets at MUUF on Monday nights is taking a break for the summer months, May – August. Meetings will resume in September.
Music Carol Burch
We will two great musical events in May! May 20, Unitarian singer / songwriter Jim Scott will visit us from his home in Massachusetts and introduce us to numerous songs from his "Earth and Spirit Songbook”. He wrote this with a grant for Unitarian Universalism. A number of his songs are in our teal hymnal and it will be wonderful to hear more. Jim will sing and accompany himself on the guitar. Barbara Jensen will also accompany on the piano. Barbara played two of his pieces on 4/22. I can't wait to hear more. Jim's talk is entitled "Gaia, Mother Earth and the Oneness of Everything”. May 27, Tasha will introduce us to the "Traveling Troubadours.” These are young harp students of Tasha's who built their own harps. This should be a delight!
Second Saturday Of The Month At The Movies!
Sally Isham Last month we began our 2nd Saturday Film Series with "Gender Revolution." Our May film titled "Food Chains," a 2014 documentary, reveals the human cost in our food supply and the complicity of large buyers of produce like fast food and supermarkets. The narrative focuses on a group of tomato pickers from Southern Florida – the Coalition of Immokalee Workers or CIW – who are revolutionizing farm labor. Their story is one of hope and promise for the triumph of morality over corporate greed – to ensure a dignified life for farm workers and a more humane, transparent food chain. MUUF has been a supporter of CIW for years. 83 minutes. Contact Sally Isham if you have a film you feel would educate us and broaden our thinking on diverse subjects.
Special Collections
Bill Hayes Our Special Collection in March benefited Prism and raised $483. for them. Prism is a teenage support group for LGBTQ youth in Manatee County and the sponsor of Manatee Pride. In April the Special Collection of $473. went to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. We had two representatives from that organization with us telling us of their work with farmworkers in Florida and the entire east coast.
We will be supporting the Move to Amend Movement on Sunday, May 20. Jo Williams and Bill Hayes will talk about this movement to amend our US Constitution and basically rescind the
US Supreme Court decision that interpreted the 1st Amendment to allow corporations to be persons and money to be free speech. This allowed unregulated and untraceable money to flow helter skelter into our political system and control our elections. The UUA is a strong supporter of Move to Amend.
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Bill Hayes 5/7 Valerie Fisher 5/9 Lisa Janz 5/19 Ed Kobee 5/22 Allan Guy 5/26 John Isham 5/27
Sunday Morning Coffee Hour Hosts
May 6 Book Group May 13 Worship Team & A/V May 20 Bridge Group May 27 Board of Directors
President Carol Bartz Vice President John Isham
Secretary Doris Sutliff
Treasurer Mary Lou Thompson
Asst. Treasurer Bill Hayes
Directors Al Guy
Bernita Franzel
AJ Wolff
Pres. Emeritus Bill Peruzzi
Board Meetings are the 4th Tuesday of each month, 6:30 pm in the Social Room. All members of the Congregation are invited to attend.
$ MARCH FINANCIAL SUMMARY
INCOME $9,232.72
EXPENSES 8,974.80
$ 257.92 We had an unrestricted donation of over
$2,000. Otherwise, we would have had
a shortfall of $2,076.67.
Directory Changes
Bobbi Bordeaux 1616 Pebble Beach Blvd. Sun City Center, FL 33573 813-331-3659 AJ Wolff 941-725-0776 Gary Chanco 1015 7th St. Apt 13 Bradenton, FL 34208
General Assembly
Notice of Meeting In June of 2018, Unitarian Universalist Congregations will
gather in Kansas City, Missouri for the 57th General Assembly
(GA), the annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalist
Association.
The meeting will take place at the Kansas City Convention
Center, 301 W 13th St, Kansas City, MO 64105. General
Assembly will commence on Wednesday evening, June 20,
2018, and conclude on Sunday afternoon, June 24, 2018. The
business to be transacted will be set forth in the official agenda
issued in accordance with the Bylaws of the Association.
As per our number of members MUUF is allowed two delegates
with the right to vote. Attending GA can be a very fulfilling
experience with plenty of workshops and networking with other
UU’s from around the nation. If interested please go to the UUA
website and learn more about it!
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FUN
FELLOWSHIP
FRINEDS
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Share-A-Dish Friday, May 11th at 5:30pm
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Hosts: Social Justice Committee
The sign-up sheet is on the table in the social room. Social hour at 5:30 PM; dinner at 6:00; program will begin around 6:30 pm. Join your friends for our always delicious dinner!
PLEASE Sign up on the Social Room
table
Manatee Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 322 15th Street West Bradenton, FL 34205
