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| | Florida District Connections
June 6, 2012 |
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Please share this newsletter with members of your congregation! |
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 | Notes & Comments From Our District Executive
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 For all our 24/7 - 365 day culture, June is summer, a time for slowing.... Among our congregations, there is a noticeable down-shift among us. Here in the FLD, it is magnified as many members head north for the summer. We have some congregations drop from mid-size to family-size in just a few weeks! Learning to rest is spiritual work (play!), so I hope you rest well this summer, do some light as well as deep reading, take long beach walks, and chat contentedly under the shade with friends.
In our larger Unitarian Universalist world, attention turns fully to this year's annual meeting of congregations in Phoenix, referred to as "Justice GA" this year. The focus is a result of vigorous conversation over the last two GAs regarding how we can witness to justice for the oppressed, particularly so in Arizona with its draconian abridgment of basic liberty in laws designed to cope with illegal immigration. Our UUA Board of Trustees and previous GA delegates have invited us to Phoenix to bear witness and to stand once more on the side of love.
I go with an open mind and heart to learn what is a faithful response to complex issues. I wonder what kind of walls I will encounter beyond the one being built across southern Arizona. In me? Among us? As one swarthy enough to be stopped for looking illegal in that state, I wonder, Need I fear for my liberty? How would I go about presenting proof of my citizenship if challenged? I wonder more how to understand the blend of love and justice - notably among families, where parents arrived here illegally but have now given birth to children who are American citizens by law. Where will my faith lead me? Where will our faith lead us?
It is good to have a growing edge. Blessings on the Journey, Kenn
More on GA:
A point of operational good news: Much of this year's GA will again be broadcast for those unable to come to Phoenix. And more congregations will participate in remote voting on plenary motions. See www.uua.org/ga/business/offsite/index.shtml for the off-site registration. Further, see Justice GA and more in this e-newsletter for the on-line coverage schedule.
Immigration issues in the FLD are quite different than out West. Yet, the struggle for human dignity, economic well-being and fair-dealing are similar everywhere. For your summer's personal or congregational learning, consider reading The Death of Josseline by Margaret Regan; there is a companion discussion guide for further reflection.
One outgrowth of this GA is active partnering with people in Arizona who have been working the justice issues long before our GA and will do so long after we've gone. it is a good thing for us to cross the boundaries of our privileged position and learn to serve with others.
Our partners particularly have asked us to learn more about and to repudiate the co-called Doctrine of Christian Discovery, a religious assertion dating back to Columbus' first landing in the New World and his taking "possession" of it for the Church. This Doctrine is used yet today to deny the rights of indigenous peoples around the world. The UUA Board of Trustees has placed the matter before our Assembly for us to take a stand. There is a discussion guide available. You can read the Board's Report and proposed Responsive Resolution.
See you in Phoenix! Kenn
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Notes from our Lifespan Program Consultant
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 I remember the last quarter of the 20th century, when it seemed that one of the aims of the religious education programs in many of our Unitarian Universalist congregations was to help our children and youth identify as "different." I think this was an out-growth of the struggles of many of their parents, who had found Unitarian Universalism as a result of deep-seated feelings of "not belonging" in more traditional religions.
Whether overtly or covertly, we shared the message that we "are not like them."
I have been thinking about this as I contemplate my life over a span of about 20 days. Last night I attended the consecration of St. Mary Star of the Sea Roman Catholic church here in Key West as a Basilica. This Sunday I will be worshipping with a Unitarian Universalist congregation which is engaging in the future-shaping process of moving toward their own permanent home. Beginning Monday I will be spending five days with about four thousand Black Church pastors exploring preaching and worship in that tradition. On June 17, I will preach the Annual Pilgrimage Sermon at our oldest Unitarian church west of the Hudson River, the 1803 congregation in Barneveld, New York.
On each of these occasions, I will be reminded of voices from afar. A letter from the Pope in Rome; a bequest from a loving member; the remembered words of liberation arising from slavery; a note from Thomas Jefferson wishing he could some day travel to visit that new congregation in upstate New York.
Each of those memorialized voices spoke the same message: hold to your vision.
Yes, while the vision may be different on each of these occasions, what connects them is the understanding that only those groups, only those communities, only those faiths which have vision will survive and thrive. The classic words of Proverbs 29 remind us: "Without vision, the people perish."
But, vision carries with it the imperative of inclusion: from the many individual strands of understanding must come some hope for a more inclusive, more universal understanding.
It is time for our Religious Education to evolve past its focus on an identity of difference, and become a herald to the whole world: "we can all make it if we focus on connections, not differences."
If we can learn to be more concerned with what we do believe than what we don't, if we can learn to be more interested in the values and vision we share than any gulfs that separate us, if we can learn to be more inspired by what is yet to be than absorbed by what has been, ours can become a growing point of faith not just for us already here, but for the many others who are looking for a message of hope wider than the current politics and religions of division and separation.
Rev Randy |
| Trustee Tidbits |
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Joan Lund, June, 2012
jlund@uua.org or 813-931-9727
 It's almost time for our annual UUA General Assembly (GA), June 20-24, in Phoenix. There is still time for all UUs to register and find housing. It is anticipated there will be over 3,500 attendees, hopefully around 4,000. But if you cannot be in Phoenix your congregation can participate and take part in the business meetings with offsite delegates; your congregation may even send some delegates to GA and retain some offsite, as long as the total delegate count allotted to your congregation is not exceeded. Offsite registration information can be found here: http://www.uua.org/ga/business/offsite/.
UU World will provide timely reports and articles on their GA blog; GA will be extensively covered, and many events will be available via live-streaming on UUA.org on local time (Mountain Standard), including the Ware Lecture, Service of the Living Tradition and all Plenaries. There are GA Video technical notes to learn more about live-streaming. On-demand video, and using GA video as part of an event.
Much of what I write for June can be found on our UUA website but some information may merit emphasis. There are ways to prepare for GA and be involved whether you are attending or not. Members of your congregation could read The Death of Josseline, and then use the discussion guide for discussion and reflection. A congregational conversation could be organized about the Doctrine of Discovery, also using an available discussion guide.
Much programming and many events will focus on immigration issues. The brokenness of the federal government's system has caused towns, cities, and states to pass their own immigration laws. Six states have passed laws that criminalize undocumented immigrants. Although Florida is not one of them yet, we know immigrants are marginalized and in many circumstances unwelcome in our state. On Wednesday, June 20th, from 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. attendees will join with UU Arizona Immigration Ministry, Arizona UU congregation, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, the Committees for the Defense of the Barrios, and SOMOS to kick off five days of action, education, skill building, worship and witness...and for five days of Standing on the Side of Love.
There will be a candlelight vigil at Sheriff Joe Arpaio's infamous Tent City Jail on Saturday, June 23rd. To date almost 430,000 inmates have gone through Tent City Jail where people are crowded together on wooden planks in extreme summer heat and freezing winter cold. This facility is among the worst of a culture of cruelty perpetrated in the name of our U.S. government and a key component of the federal system of mass detention and deportation.
UUs will shine a light on the human rights abuses in Arizona and across the nation during this GA. I hope you will be with us. Please contact me if you have Trustee questions, concerns, ideas etc. jlund@uua.org or phone 813-931-9727. |
| General Assembly Updates |
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Off-site Delegate Participation in GA Business
 Off-site delegate participation provides an alternative way for congregations to participate in the business of the Association when their delegates cannot physically attend General Assembly (GA).
Even if they cannot be present physically at GA this year, congregational delegates, ministers, and credentialed directors of religious education can participate in the business of GA in Phoenix by serving as off-site delegates. Please note, the registration deadline for off-site delegate status is June 8. Learn more
Doctrine of Discovery
 Our Partners have requested that we learn about the Doctrine of Discovery, and that the General Assembly pass a resolution requesting President Obama remove it from our international policy.
When Christopher Columbus first set foot on the white sands of Guanahani island, he performed a ceremony to "take possession" of the land for the king and queen of Spain, acting under the international laws of Western Christendom. Although the story of Columbus' "discovery" has taken on mythological proportions in most of the Western world, few people are aware that his act of "possession" was based on a religious doctrine now known in history as the Doctrine of Discovery. Even fewer people realize that today - five centuries later - the United States government still uses this archaic doctrine to deny the rights of indigenous peoples. Read Five Hundred Years of Injustice: The Legacy of Fifteenth Century Religious Prejudice by Steve Newcomb of the Indigenous Law Institute.
Even if you are not attending Justice GA 2012, take a crash course in the Doctrine of Discovery which gave Europeans legal justification to take land and displace native peoples, by watching a 14-minute video produced by the UUA Ministries and Faith Development staff group. Gather a study group and use the video with companion Discussion Guide.
Online Coverage
Events at General Assembly will be covered extensively on UUA.org and by the UU World. The UU World will provide timely reports and articles on their GA Blog, illustrated by some striking selections from their Photostream on Flickr.
The following events should be available via live-streaming on UUA.org. All times are local, Mountain Standard Time (not Mountain Daylight Time), which is the same as Pacific Daylight Time.
Wednesday, June 20, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Opening Celebration/Plenary I
Thursday, June 21, 7:45 to 8:30 a.m.
Plenary II
Thursday, June 21, 8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
Worship: May All Beings Be At Ease: On Co-creation
Thursday, June 21, 8:00 to 9:30 p.m.
"Synergy Worship: The Call Across All Ages"
Friday, June 22, 7:45 to 8:30 a.m.
Worshiping Together, Working Together for Social Justice
Friday, June 22, 8:30 to 10:15 a.m.
Plenary III
Friday, June 22, 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Candidates Forum
Friday, June 22, 5:00 to 6:45 p.m.
Service of the LivingTradition
Saturday, June 23, 7:45 to 8:30 a.m.
Worship: 50 Ways to Cross a Border
Saturday, June 23, 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Plenary IV
Saturday, June 23, 4:45 to 5:15 p.m.
Sing for Justice!
Saturday, June 23, 5:15 to 6:15 p.m.
Ware Lecture
Saturday, June 23, 7:00 to 7:45 p.m.
Saturday Evening Worship
Sunday, June 24, 9:00 to 10:15 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship
Sunday, June 24, 2:15 to 6:00 p.m..
Plenary V
Sunday, June 24, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Closing Celebration |
| Florida District Packet & UUA Congregational Bulletin |
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 The June 2012 district monthly packet has been posted to the district website and may be viewed at the following link:
http://www.floridadistrict.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/June-2012-Packet.pdf (1.3 MB, 22 pages)
New/updated items are noted in bold text. Please share the information contained in the monthly packet with individuals in your congregation. This edition of the district packet contains the following items:
- District Calendar, page 1
- UU Church of Tampa DRE opening, page 2
- UU Church of Miami Music Director opening, pages 3-4
- UU Fellowship of Charlotte County Chairs Available, page 5
- Critical Care Options Conference flyer, pages 6-8
- Dwight Brown Leadership Experience, pages 9-10
- Florida District Witness for Justice Fund information, pages 11-12
- UUA Nominating Committee brochure, pages 13-14
- 2012 General Assembly Brochure, page 15-16
- GA is for Everyone, page 17
- Mountain Camps Flyer, page 18
- RE Week @ The Mountain, pages 19-22
Looking for a single event flyer? District event flyers are linked to the "Events Calendar" page on the District website (see http://www.floridadistrict.org/?page_id=1419). Simply click the event listed on the calendar and the flyer will open. UUA, Congregation, Cluster, and Affiliated Organization event listings are linked to those entities websites whenever possible.
The complete packet is also linked to the website events calendar (go to the calendar link at www.floridadistrict.org and click the "entire monthly packet" notation above the calendar). Please note this is a large document/multi-page download and may take a few minutes to open if you are working with a dial-up or slower broadband connection and/or older computer.
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 The UUA Monthly Bulletin for Congregations is a collection of announcements and updates from the staff groups and committees of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) of Congregations, and from the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF).
Follow this link to view the June 2012 UUA Congregational Bulletin: http://www.uua.org/communications/bulletin/200057.shtml |
| Florida District & Southern Region - News and Events |
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Witness for Justice Fund
We are pleased to announce that contributions received for the Florida District Witness for Justice Scholarship Fund total $1862.00 as of June 5th. Donations have been received from 14 individuals (representing 14 congregations) and 2 congregations.
Donations were also sent to assist in sending a Coalition of Immokalee Workers member to GA. $800 has been raised for this effort.
This fund was created to assist youth, young adults and traditionally marginalized members with funding to attend General Assembly (and the recently held District Assembly). A flyer is included in the packet and also available online.
Thank you to all Witness for Justice Fund contributors!
Save the Date for these District and Regional Events
 August 5 - 10, 2012 - Dwight Brown Leadership Experience, Denton TX
September 7-9, 2012 - OWL Facilitator Training, Roswell GA (Offered by Mid-South District UUA, details will be available soon.
February 17-22, 2013 - Southeast UU Leadership Experience, Charlotte NC
April 12-14, 2013 - Florida District Assembly, UU Church of Ft. Myers
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| Around the District - Congregation & Cluster News & Events |
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Events
Critical Care Options Conference - September 21 - Tampa
A conference for individuals, families - and health, political, religious and legal leaders.
Learn more
Other News
Church Chairs Available
 UU Fellowship of Charlotte County is redecorating and will be replacing these foldable solid wood chairs which have a fine walnut finish and white vinyl seats and backs. These chairs sell new for $25 to $40 each. We have approximately 100 of these and would let the entire lot go for $10 each. If you have an interest or know an organization that might use these fine chairs please contact our member Bill Wharton at 941-629-8500 or email: char-bill@embarqmail.com.
Job Opportunities
 UU Congregation of Miami - Seeking Music Director
UU Church of Tampa - Seeking Director of Religious Education
Please see the June packet for more information on these opportunities. Additional job postings are listed on the district website at http://www.floridadistrict.org/?page_id=171 . |
| Things to Know in Our Extended Unitarian Universalist World |
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Candidates Sought
The UUA Nominating Committee is seeking candidates for elected volunteer positions (PDF) in the UUA. If there are people in your congregation, or in other congregations, ready to serve as a UUA trustee, Financial Advisor, or as a member of the Presidential Search Committee, Commission on Appraisal, GA Planning Committee, Nominating Committee, Commission on Social Witness, or Board of Review, we are interested! Application deadline is August 12, 2012. Apply now!
Growing Multiracial/Multicultural Congregations
10 Essential Strategies to Grow a Multiracial/Multicultural Congregation
from One and One, May 9
"Multiracial, multicultural congregations rehearse the Reign of God on earth. The first congregations were diverse; our congregations can be, too. Here is a way forward."
These words introduce a great new resource on building the beloved community: 10 Essential Strategies to Grow a Multiracial/Multicultural Congregation, by the Rev. Jacqueline J. Lewis, Ph.D. If you weren't able to attend this year's "Leading Edge Conference" at the Middle Collegiate Church this year, you can still order this simple fifteen page guide to transforming your congregation. Although the tool is geared for a Christian audience, many Unitarian Universalists had input into its creation. The guide includes sage advice garnered from real life experience, and builds in exercises and processes you can use in your congregation. From creating a Vision, to building commitment, capacity and managing change, this will be a great companion for the journey.
To order, contact Middle Collegiate Church. Individual copies are $5 and come with permission to photocopy the reproducible worksheets for classroom/congregational use only. Or, take advantage of the bulk discount: 5 copies for $20.
UUSC Summer Programs
National Youth Justice Summit
 The NYJS is for high school aged youth who've just completed 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, and is happening from July 7th-14th, 2012, in Boston, MA. We will be examining social justice through the lens of economic justice and will help participants think about where their unique passions and skills intersect with the greatest needs in society. Dynamic workshops, field trips to exciting local organizations, daily spiritual practices and worship will fill the days. Rev. Nate Walker, the distinguished minister at First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, will serve as chaplain for the week (http://www.natewalker.com/), and we're partnering with incredible local organizations including Haley House, a Dorothy Day-inspired organization, and the UU Urban Ministry, a historic UU organization working toward social justice for over 150 years. Speakers will include the former UUA President and former Amnesty International executive director, Rev. Bill Schultz. Scholarships are available, so don't let cost stop youth from applying!
http://www.uusc.org/justworks/trip/2012/youthsummit
Civil Rights Journey
This trip is specially tailored to young people, ages 15-20. July 22-29, 2012, participants will travel by bus from Atlanta, Ga., to Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma, Ala. In addition to visiting historic sites, participants will meet some of the courageous people who worked to desegregate schools, register new voters, and bring an end to racial discrimination in the United States. The cost for the trip is $600 per person for youth ages 15-20 and $900 for a limited number of adults able to serve as chaperones. The trip will be led by Rev. Hope Johnson of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Central Nassau, in Garden City, N.Y., and UUSC staff member Sam Jones. This trip is great for youth groups as well as individuals!
Along the way, participants will also learn about the progressive, nonviolent organizing techniques used by civil-rights activists and how those techniques are still being used today - to advance rights for workers, immigrants, and LGBTQ people; to work toward economic justice through the Occupy movement; and more.
Interested applicants can visit our website for more details about the trip or fill out an online application form today!
International UU Camp and Conference Opportunities for Summer and Fall 2012
from One and One, May 16, 2012
1. Unicamp in Ontario, Canada has a full load of offerings this summer, including many that might be of interest to all UU Religious Professionals. For more information click on: http://unicampofontario.ca/
2. International Association of Religious Freedom gathering: 'Hold', 'Play', Or 'Fast Forward'? The Netherlands - July 19 - 22, 2012 Enquiries to the IARF Europe & ME address: iarfeme2012@gmail.com or tel. +31 30 2210239
3. September ICUU Conference in Cluj Napoca, Romania: details to be announced soon at http://www.icuu.net/about/index.html
4. The International Convocation of Liberal Religious Women will take place October 4 - 7, 2012 in Tirgu Mures, Marosvavasarhely. Find detailed information at www.icuuw.com
RE Week at The Mountain
 Religious Education Week at The Mountain is a unique opportunity for collegial relationship building and the sharing of ideas & resources nestled in the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina. This year you will have the opportunity to participate in the NEW Renaissance Module: Nurturing and Supporting Adult Faith Development in Congregations as well as Pat Ellenwood's The Puzzle of Leadership, both of which are acceptable for Credentialing portfolios. Registration deadline is June 22. Learn more
Southeast UU Summer Institute
 SUUSI is the Southeast Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute, an intentional community of UU's and kindred spirits. For over 60 years we have come together for a week in July to explore our interconnectedness, delight in the outdoors, enjoy music and learn new ways of seeing our world and each other. SUUSI participants will stay in the dorms of Radford University in Radford, Virginia for the week of July 15-21, 2012. We find joy in sharing our experiences in a lovely, intimate campus, nestled in the beauty of the New River Valley. Special programs for Youth, Teens and Young Adults make SUUSI a full experience for all members of your family. Find your joy in the second-largest gathering of UnitarianUniversalists in the world! Learn more
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