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| | Florida District Connections
April 23, 2010 |
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Notes from our District Executive
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 "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now and then, someone says something you never knew you knew or thought, but on hearing it you just go, "yes, yes, exactly!" That's what happened to me at our recent District Assembly. Our UUA Moderator Gini Courter challenged and enthralled our community of delegates with a virtuoso presentation on "The Leadership Challenge." In four parts, she gently and lovingly, even humorously led us through faith development, the meaning of beloved community, witnessing for our faith, and being leaders. You will find her presentation in a mp3 format at: www.uufkw.org/GINI (use this link for downloading) or www.youtube.com/watch?v=XekLuelTuYw (use this link to watch without downloading). We also have a portion of the visual presentation slides posted on the FLD website at: http://www.floridadistrict.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Gini-Courter-Leadership-by-the-Book-FLD-UUA-DA-2010.pdf.) In her faith development section she asked three great questions: - What do we need all young people and new or aspiring members to learn about our faith?
- What do we need every member, young or old, to know about our faith?
- How do we develop faithfulness?
Further on, as she explored both the barriers and the gateways toward beloved community, she grabbed me with this: You don't go to church to find the people you love.
You go to church to love the people you find.
Yes, exactly! We often say "love is our teaching...." However, as we are all still learning that, sometimes we're not so good at it. We come not even knowing we expect to find the ones we already love. It is unsettling to discover that's often not the case. We have to learn how to love. So, her assertion really struck home with me. Gini also invoked our founding ancestor's document, The Cambridge Platform of 1648, that affirms our bond is not creedal, around any set of beliefs or practices, but more profoundly the earnest desire "to walk together" in the ways of truth. Gini said we need to remember that better than we sometimes do. This has been and remains our core, Universalist, admonition: to be and to become the truly inclusive community of loving redemption our faith calls us to be. The challenge is to move beyond the status quo of those already lovable among us and to opening the door and our hearts to those we need to love. Yes, exactly. Let us grow our faith and our witness! I am glad to be walking with you. All blessings, Rev. Kenn |
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Notes from our Lifespan Program Consultant |
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Upcoming Events -Mark your calendars
This is the district calendar link:
http://www.floridadistrict.org/?page_id=87
Please pay close attention to the wonderful programs that are being offered by your Florida District UUA.
Webinars
This is a reminder, watch your email for invitations to the webinars that both Kenn and I are doing. This is an easy way to get information and get your questions answered. There is no travel involved and you can pull a group together that takes part in the webinar and then has a rich discussion afterwards. We both hope to see more and more people on line. Everyone is welcome.
May 6 -1:00 - 2:30 PM - The congregation is the curriculum webinar.
Everything we do and don't do teaches. How do our congregations become teaching communities that up hold our core values?
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Trustee News | | |
 UUA TRUSTEE TIDBITS
Joan Lund, April 2010
It's the month for the annual column about our annual General Assembly to be held in Minneapolis from June 23rd to June 27th, and to encourage your attendance at this wonderful meeting where UU delegates and a lot of other UU folks gather to experience the way we do business. To start with...imagine being with others who want to grow in number and impact vibrant, reaching-out, hopeful congregations. It is at GA the skills and practices to achieve the most for our congregations can be discovered. For those of you who have attended GA UU University, and had hoped to do so again it will not be held this year. UU University is slated to become an every-other-year event in the future. We know we are charged with creating multicultural, multiracial congregations that minister to each coming generation in a changing American society. Programs will be offered to help us on the journey. You can also come to GA to nourish the mind and spirit. There will be programs that delve into the theological and spiritual foundation of our UU faith. One of the programs, "A House for Hope: Our Theological Foundation", will be led by Dr. Rebecca Parker, President of Meadville Lombard Theological School, and Rev. John Buehrens, past President of our UUA. There will also be multiple programs to provide resources to congregations for the development of exciting, meaningful worship services that are intergenerationally and multiculturally inclusive. The Reverend Paige Getty, who has served the UU Church of Columbia, MD since 2003, will preach the 2010 Service of the Living Tradition. Rev. Getty has been selected because our President, Rev. Peter Morales knows we need to develop a strategy for ministry for the next generation and he purposely sought a preacher who was in her first decade of ministry. An annual highlight of GA is the Ware Lecture. Winona LaDuke will be the Ware Lecturer this year. As many of you know she is a Native American activist, environmentalist, economist, and writer. Ms. LaDuke is a graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities, and ran for U.S. vice-President in both 1996 and 2000 as the nominee of the Green Party. In past year's columns about GA I have neglected to write about the social service community project that is always a part of our time at GA. In addition to contributing money to this year's service project, GA attendees will have the opportunity to offer hands-on service at Hope Community, a neighborhood revitalization center. Hopefully these few words are enough to entice you to journey to Minneapolis. All the information about programming for GA, how to register, and find housing can be found on our UUA website, www.uua.org. There is also great information about the city of Minneapolis. I will be there; but I also can be reached at jlund@uua.org or by phone: 813-931-9727. **********
Also available, Joan's Trustee Report from the April 15-18, 2010 UUA Board of Trustees meeting in Boston. |
| The Smart Church #38 |
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Unitarian Universalism is the great adventure. Within our faith are all the possibilities that ever could be. If we understood our faith to be a natural adventure of open possibilities, how much
more fun could this be? Could we stand it, being the fun faith? The vision or the destination is a dream the journey is an adventure. Getting there is half the fun and we are on our way. Being on our way is some of the discomfort we feel.
Life is either a great adventure or nothing. Helen Keller
Another great adventure quote that I love is (paraphrased), No human being can discover new oceans unless they are willing to lose sight of the shore. Adventure is scary and disconcerting and liberating and a challenge and also thrilling and fun. We find ourselves standing on the boat and the shoreline is receding.
As Unitarian Universalists we know we do not have all of the answers. We humbly accept the responsibility of finding our own path while we support the struggle of others as they find theirs. We don't close the doors on the possibilities but rather leave doors and windows open. We have many ways to find truth.
While ours is the faith of ultimate freedom it brings with it ultimate responsibility and it is also cause for ultimate joy. We have no fear of damnation. We have no threat of Hell. We do the right thing because it is the right thing to do not because we are seeking heaven and reward (thought some of us believe in heaven). We are born in love and love all creation for its mystery, magic and beauty.
I have heard people say that the reason we aren't any bigger then we are is because of the fact that we can't threaten people with Hell and damnation. That is an excuse for not claiming just how important Unitarian Universalism is. We have so much to offer the world. There is no coercion or manipulation in Unitarian Universalism. Ours is the faith that you come to of your own free will. Ours is the faith of the promise to build the just and loving community. Ours is the faith of the struggle to become and become and become yet again. I have said these same things in several other columns. This is not new and all of what I am saying has been said by others wiser than I at other pivotal times in our history. And still we are small. How can we get out of our own way?
It has been said that if we ever figure out our retention problem we would be dangerous. Dangerous to intolerance, hate, bigotry, injustice, fundamentalism and human indignity - I want to be dangerous to all those things. I want for us to raise our voices in joy and proclaim who we are, what we believe and to fight to build a world of love and justice, seeing as comrades all people of faith who want that better world. We are on our way. We cannot stray from our course. Though the sailing may not be easy at times and the maps warn us of dragons. I trust, I have faith, that we will find our way to the new oceans.
It is a great adventure. I have never had so much fun. I have never known such excitement. I have never been so scared. But I have faith, faith in you, faith in myself, and faith in Unitarian Universalism as a true and righteous spiritual discipline and the fun faith. |
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News from District Assembly 2010 |
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We would like to heartily thank everyone involved in the recently held District Assembly. For our outstanding host, the UU Congregation of Miami, their member volunteers and staff, to Gini Courter for her wonderful keynote sermon and leadership workshop, Amy Carol Webb for a fabulous concert, our many excellent workshop presenters, and all attendees, THANK YOU!!!!
Some "thought you'd like to know" items from the 2010 Assembly:
· There were 133 registered participants representing 31 Florida District congregations and Church of the Larger Fellowship.
· Delegates at the annual business meeting approved a bylaw change adding youth representation to the Florida District board.
· Worship offerings resulted in generous collections for The Living Tradition Fund ($740) and the UUSC/UUA Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund ($1516). We thank all for their gifts toward these offerings.
· As noted in Rev. Kenn's column above, audio recordings and presentation slides of Gini Courter's Keynote Sermon have been web posted and links are available on the district website (more on this separately below). Thanks go to Rev. Randy Becker for handling the audio postings.
· Thanks to our drafted photographer, John Hartgering of First Unitarian Church of Orlando, an album of Assembly photos is available at this link: http://gallery.me.com/jjhartgering#100092 .
From Reverend Randy Becker, UU Fellowship of Key West:
Gini Courter's challenging and amazing presentation at the Florida UU District's Annual Meeting/Spring Assembly is now available on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com, and in the search window type "Gini Courter". Start with the option for Session One, Part 1, and follow along through all the sessions.
(There are eleven files: Session One has 3 parts; Session Two has 3 parts; Session Three has 2 parts (but also an invitation to interpersonal sharing); Session Four has 3 parts.)
Think about using the parts of each session as focal points for adult education discussions/forums in your local congregation - or even think about these videos as provocative elements in your local worship service in the months ahead.
District Awards were presented to the following recipients:
Clarence R. Skinner Award
Brock Leach, UU Congregation of Tampa for his sermon titled Exposing Yourself
Excellence in Religious Education
Katie Culbert, UU Church of Tampa
Excellence in Music
Reverend Doctor James Culver, UU Church of St. Petersburg
Jim Barrett Social Justice Award
Social Justice Ministry - Homeless Subcommittee, UU Church of St. Petersburg
and
The Quilter's Group, UU Church of Tarpon Springs
John DeWolf Hurt Levity Award
Reverend Doctor James Culver, UU Church of St. Petersburg
Unsung Unitarian Universalist Award
Anonymous Donor, UU Church of St. Petersburg
Lifetime Achievement Award
Tom and Noreen Chase, UU Church of Tallahassee
Outstanding Newsletter
Millhopper, UU Fellowship of Gainesville
Kristin Stevens and Heather Simpson
Outstanding Website Design
www.uustpete.org
Michael Pohl, Webmaster, UU Church of St. Petersburg
Honorable Mention for Use of Multi-Media in Worship Service
Rita Ridgard, UU Fellowship of Marion County
Congratulations to all award recipients and thank you to everyone who took the time to submit nominations this year.
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| April District Packet |
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The updated May packet will be available next week. |
| Around the Florida District - News and Events to Note |
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Upcoming Florida District Events - Save these Dates
 April 24, Youth Advisor Training, UU Church of Ft. Myers
April 24, Small Congregations Event with Rev. Jack Higgins, First UU Church of W. Volusia
May 6, Webinar on Faith Development, On-line (Contact Connie Goodbread, cgoodbread@uua.org for details)
May 18, Sexually Healthy Religious Professionals, Sexually Healthy Congregations Workshop with Reverend Debra Haffner, UUs of Clearwater
May 18, Third Tuesday Webinar - Youth Ministry, On-line
May 21-22, Florida District Board Retreat, Oviedo
Cluster, Congregation & Affiliated Organization Events
May 1, Southeast Cluster Workshop - We Are Family, UU Church of Ft. Lauderdale
May 4, West Central Cluster Renewal Service with Reverend Peter Morales, UUs of Clearwater
May 8, Northeast Cluster Workshop on Volunteering, with Reverend David Miller, First UU Church of W. Volusia
May 15, West Central Cluster Spring Conference and Annual Meeting, UU Church of Tarpon Springs |
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Things to Know in Our Extended Unitarian Universalist World | | | |
From the Church of the Larger Fellowship
 The Reverend Meg A. Riley has been called to be the next minister of the Church of the Larger Fellowship. She will take up her ministry with our congregation on August 16, 2010.
Meg has served the Unitarian Universalist Association since 1989, where she is currently Director of Advocacy and Witness. She is the inspiration behind the UUA's "Standing on the Side of Love" campaign.
 The CLF Board of Directors was unanimous in extending a call to Meg on behalf of the congregation. Board members were united in expressing their enthusiasm for her unique combination of vision, skills and experience.
Read more at http://clf.uua.org/new_minister/index.html
Earth Day 2010: 40-40-40
 40 Years of Earth Day, 40 Days of commitment, 40 UUs in your congregation stand up for environmental justice, April 18 - May 27, 2010
What is 40/40/40? Unitarian Universalists (UUs) across the continent are expanding Earth Day's 40th anniversary on April 22, 2010 to last 40 days, from Sunday April 18 to Thursday May 27. How? By committing to small and large daily actions over the 40 days, for the sake of the Earth and all who live here. Some UUs are even taking small lifestyle changes for 40-day "test drives," knowing that our personal choices affect many aspects of global environmental justice. When 40 people in one congregation make 40-day commitments, that congregation receives special acknowledgement from the UUA's Ethical Eating Core Team. Continue reading at http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/issues/environmentaljustice/159611.shtml |
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Quick Links
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The Great Adventure
The April 2010 monthly packet has been posted to the District website and may be viewed at the following link:
