Domelight October 2011

As I write, it's the morning after the Multi-Purpose Building dedication on September 18. I think with appreciation of those who were visible in making the building a reality. Ara Rogers, Fran Davin, Ed and Pat Benedict, Bill Blymiller, and the builder, Bill Reites. Current Board president Russell Kirby, along with Ara and I, cut the ribbon. It was an honor to do so.

Today I also think of the many who were doing their part, the many unsung heroes making the celebration possible. Many unselfishly donated their time.

I'm reminded of a poem by Marge Piercy, #567 in our hymnal, "Singing the Living Tradition." It's part of a larger poem that begins: "The people I love the best jump into work head first without dallying in the shallows and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight."

A lot of you jumped "into work head first without dallying in the shallows" yesterday. I asked Pat Benedict for names of the volunteers who worked behind the scenes to make the Dedication service possible. Here's Pat's response:

"There were so many people who helped with multiple jobs, it's hard for me to be specific about individual jobs. Beverly Bethune, Ronnie Kirchheimer, Krista Corbin-Keith, Erin Powers, and Ed Benedict helped with chair set up, putting up the reserved signs, food prep and table set up, and clean up. Bill Blymiller helped with setting up the tent and folding chairs. Rom Delacroix and Jeff Austin passed out programs. Ed Benedict, Russell Patterson, and Gwen Anderson helped with taking down the folding chairs. David Stickell helped with taking down the tent. Tom Krumreich swept the sidewalks, and helped with parking. Jay Kirchheimer provided the sound. Rod Martin helped in all aspects of set-up and clean-up. And Denise Carrera helped with food set up and clean up."

Kudos and thanks to all of you, unsung heroes! (And apologies to those whose names we may have inadvertently omitted.)

Marge Piercy's poem continues: "I want to be with people who submerge in the task, who go into the fields and...move in a common rhythm."

The UUCT choir and choir director Megan Fitzpatrick led us in singing yesterday, volunteering their time and talents to do so.

Those choir members were Gwen Alexander, Carol Baker, Pat Busbice, Jerry Elsenrath, Marla Frazer, Diane Gainforth, Ann Harvey, Ted Ledbetter, Judy Lutzenberger, Peggy McNair, Carl Ollivier, Elise Richardson, Christine Smith, and Mecka Vance.

Kudos and thanks to all of you, singing unsung heroes! (And apologies to those who names I may have inadvertently omitted.)

Marge Piercy's poem ends: "The thing worth doing well done has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident." Our new building, our "university" as Bill Blymiller aptly dubbed it yesterday, has that kind of satisfying shape, clean and evident.

Thank you, everyone, for being there for the blessing and dedication of the UUCT U (not a typo). A final thought: "Multi-Purpose Building" is too long a name. For now, I'm calling it the U. See you at the U!

Love,

Rev. Sara

Roger Grugel: Three Faces Of Our New Ministerial Intern

We have a new lawyer, a new ministerial intern and a new chaplain educator-in-training in the congregation. And guess what: he is all three--in one person.

Roger Grugel grew up on a small family farm about 20 miles south of the Canadian border, in northwest Minnesota near Roseau, a town of about 2,300 people. One of three siblings, he has two brothers: one older and one younger.

He earned his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota, with a double major in political science and criminal justice.

In 1984, he graduated from law school of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. After passing the Minnesota and North Dakota bar exams, his first job was with St. Cloud Area Legal Services in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where he represented indigent clients.

In 1986, in response to the farm crisis in Minnesota, he helped form the Minnesota Family Farm Law Project to provide legal representation to family farmers who were in danger of losing their farms.

Then, at age 40, he began looking for something different. "I found myself wanting to move inward." While still practicing law, he enrolled in Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary to "get a broader vision to inform my life but with no intent on going into the ministry. I was tired of the constant adversarial nature of the law, but not of dealing with crises in people's lives. Law has an outward dimension. Ministry is focused inwardly."

Roger is currently a resident at Tampa General Hospital and will be working "at least 5 hours per week at UUCT--but probably more." He will do some preaching and will concentrate in the areas of adult and children's religious education.

Upon completion of his residency program at Tampa General next September, he hopes to enroll in a program to train, teach, and mentor chaplains and other religious professionals. "I have encountered few liberal religious voices in clinical pastoral education programs, but when our voice gets heard, it changes the scope and depth of the work being done."

R.E.flections

Growing Hearts, Minds, and Spirits: Religious Exploration for Children and Youth

By Katie Culbert, DRE

What a wonderful year of Religious Exploration for children and youth we have planned! A great team of teachers is ready to facilitate faith development with our young members. Please note the new sign-in procedure below.

Classes, Curriculum, and Teachers/Advisors

Pre-K (Aged 3 - 4): UUA curriculum "Celebrating Me and My World" -- Ollis Hughes, Candy Gale
K - 2nd (Aged 5 - 7): UUA Tapestry of Faith curriculum Love Surrounds Us -- Bud Clough, Nicole Drelles, Rhonda Jones
3rd - 5th (Aged 8 - 10): UUA Tapestry of Faith curriculum Faithful Journeys -- Roger Grugel, Pam Tingiris, Judy Lane
Junior & Senior High (Aged 11 - 17): Youth Group & UUA Tapestry of Faith curriculum Heeding the Call: Qualities of a Justicemaker -- Tony Hamilton, Liz Bleu, Alyssa Cobb, Debbie King, John Russell

New Sign-In Procedure for RE Classes

We realize that this new procedure may take us some adjustment time. Please arrive between 10:40 and 10:50 to allow for signing your child(ren) into RE and then getting situated in the Sanctuary for worship at 11:00.

10:40 - 10:55 a.m. -- Join us for Parent/Guardian Fellowship Time. Coffee, juice, and refreshments served in the Multi-Purpose Building.

10:40 - 10:55 -- Please sign the clipboard in your child(ren)'s classrooms to let the teachers know who will be attending.

10:55 -- Walk with your child(ren) to the Sanctuary and sit with them during the first part of worship.

11:15 (approx.) -- Children will be "sung to class," and teachers will escort them.

12:15 -- Pick child(ren) up from classrooms, signing them out from same clipboard.

Please note that RE ends at 12:15 to give teachers enough time with students. This also gives parents fellowship time in the Sanctuary.

But please be ready to pick the children up no later than 12:15. The teachers cannot leave until all children are picked up, and children cannot leave their classrooms or the playground without the adult responsible for them.

CONCERTS IN THE UU DOME
Two Amazing October Concerts

"Why Not Waikiki?" featuring Jim "Kimo" West

A delightful evening of Hawaiian "slack key" guitar-with a bit of extra spice when the Bill Blymiller UUCT Hula Dancers join in. Who are the BBUUCTHD you ask? It's a surprise-Bill Blymiller style.

Profits Benefit the Multi-Purpose Building Furniture Fund

Purchase tickets by credit card at the church Web site (www.uutampa.org) or from Gloria Holloway (gshello@tampabay.rr.comor 813-837-6572).

Friday, October 7

8:00 p.m. Doors open at 7:30.

$10 in advance; $15 at the door

West, best known as long-time guitarist for Grammy-winning musical satirist "Weird Al" Yankovic, will play eclectic ki ho 'alu, or slack key, guitar in the UU Dome.

www.jimkimowest.com

Jim

A Tampa native, Jim picked up a guitar at 12. After graduating from King High at 16, before entering USF, Jim played his first paying gig. He subsequently played in numerous bands in the Tampa Bay area before seeking broader horizons in LA.

During a 1985 trip to Hawaii, Jim became entranced with the slack key guitar, an acoustic tradition with roots in early-19th-century Hawaii. Jim (Kimo in Hawaiian) released his first ki ho 'alu CD, Coconut Hat in 1999, then Slack Key West, Kimo-Style, and Kimo's Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas-all original instrumental material-and new this fall, Na Lani O Maui-Maui Skies.

Jim has twice won the LA Treasures Award (LA Cultural Affairs) for bringing ki ho 'alu to a wider audience, won the Hawaii Music Award, and been nominated for Na Hoku Hanohano ("Hawaiian Grammy"). We're delighted he's bringing Hawaii to us.

"A Night of Musical Madness & Creativity"

Double bill: Joe Craven and Jon Shain each play sets, plus accompany each other

Friday, October 21
8:00 p.m. Doors open at 7:30.
$10 in advance; $15 at the door

www.joecraven.com

JOE CRAVEN is a musical madman with anything that has strings (or not!) - such as violin, mandolin, tenor guitar, banjo, ukulele, tin cans, bedpans, cookie tins, bongos, buckets ... umbrella stands, sea shells, spoons.... A musical archeologist, Joe stretches the musical boundaries while paying tribute to traditions. Joe believes, "Music that's informally made and shared is a hallmark of folk music.... When you learn other people's music you learn about your own."

Joe, who lives in California, performed for many years with the respected David Grisman Quintet, primarily as percussionist and fiddler. Joe also performed with Jerry Garcia, jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli, The Alison Brown Quartet, and other Grammy-winning musicians.

www.jonshain.com

Jon Shain turns heads with his words, and fiery acoustic guitar work-combining improvised Piedmont blues with bluegrass, swing, and ragtime.

At Duke University, Jon concentrated in Southern history, English, and world religions. During that time, he also learned Piedmont blues, playing in Big Boy Henry's backing band and with other legendary NC blues players. The mixture of an academic environment and real-world blues has most informed Jon's musical direction.

"With his facility across folk, country, bluegrass, and blues styles, Shain recalls John Prine, and like Prine, he is a talented writer whose charms reside both in the songs and the way he sings them. Shain's tenor croon is a lot more velveteen than Prine's, but whether fingerpicking a bubbling ballad or delivering a slow-cooked folk-blues jam, he infuses the songs with an easy-going vibe that's hard to resist." The Independent Weekly, Durham, NC

Plan Ahead: Thursday, November 17, Madeline MacNeil, "Songbird of the Shenandoah" and guru to all hammer- and mountain-dulcimer players, returns to the UU Dome. Come sing along! www.madelinemacneil.com

UUA TRUSTEE TIDBITS

by Joan Lund

It's exciting and heartening that Florida UU congregations are working successfully on social justice issues. They aim to break attendance records at Justice General Assembly (GA) 2012. In Phoenix next June, UUA will join hands and hearts with local congregations and partner groups to increase our capacity as a significant force for justice. Workshops will focus on justice issues and community organization, with significant attention to immigration problems. There will also be excellent worship services and wonderful speakers.

We know the U.S. immigration system is not working. About 11 million undocumented immigrants live and work within our borders--without a way to obtain citizenship. Unjust raids and detentions violate their rights. Families wait years, sometimes decades, to be reunited due to tremendous visa backlogs. Our nation's focus on enforcement-only policies and militarization of borders has led to much suffering, human rights abuses, and deaths.

UUA is partnering with the immigrant group Puente AZ that is part of a grassroots but global movement for migrant justice and human rights. This community-based group promotes justice, nonviolence, interdependence, and human dignity. Puente AZ works to empower the community and build relationships by working collaboratively with various organizations and individuals.

The National Day Laborers Organizing Network (NDLON) has also invited the UUA into partnership. NDLON is committed to improving the lives of day laborers by unifying and strengthening its member organizations to be more strategic and effective in efforts to develop leaders, to mobilize and organize day laborers. NDLON fosters safer, more humane environments for both men and women, and helps them earn a living, contribute to society, and integrate into the community.

The General Assembly Planning Committee (GAPC), the GA 2012 Accountability Group, the UUA Administration, and the Board of Trustees are committed to fulfilling the GA 2010 Resolution for a Justice GA. We are counting on UUA congregations to be involved during the next nine months in preparation for Phoenix. Contact me with questions, concerns, and Board governance business. I am "listening": jlund@uua.org or 813-931-9727

Thinking about Membership?

UU 101: Thinking about membership at UUCT, or just wanting to know more about Unitarian Universalism and this church? Take our basic "Pathway to Membership" class, UU 101. Attend two sessions: Thursdays, September 29, and October 6. Time: 7 to 9 p.m.

Instructors: Rev. Sara Zimmerman and Intern Roger Grugel. Child care on request. Sign up Sunday on the sheet posted in the foyer, or notify Rev. Sara by email at revsaraz@aol.com. Please indicate if you will need childcare.

Building Your Own Theology: This is a "Pathway to Membership" class being offered on five consecutive Thursdays, October 19, 26, and November 2, 9, and 16. Time: 7 - 9 p.m.

Building Your Own Theology begins with each student thinking about religious life-time religious experiences and ends with the creation of an individual "Credo" -- where you are now after considering numerous theological points of view and engaging in discussions with classmates.

Small Group Ministry Resuming in October

by Jeannette Manning

Join a group this fall, and make yourself a few new friends!

Small Group Ministry (SGM) provides a chance to get to know other UUCT members and friends at a deeper level than during the after-services Coffee Hour. While Small Groups are especially good for new UUCT members or friends, they are designed for everyone who would like to build and nurture lasting connections with others.

Some groups come together around a common activity or hobby, like knitting/crafting. Others explore topics of interest to UU's in general or select topics from recent UUCT Sunday services.

Each group selects its own topics and a meeting place and time. Generally, a group of six to ten folks meets for 1.5 to 2 hours, once or twice a month.

After a brief opening (maybe a reading about that day's topic), each group member does a brief, uninterrupted check-in, that is, shares with other members about how life has been since the last meeting. Then group members discuss the chosen topic (or do the activity), and near the end of the meeting, do a brief check-out. This format works in amazing ways to create and solidify new friendships!

Early on, each group forms its covenant and guidelines; by design, SGM groups are sharing groups, not support or therapy groups.

Can you envision a music lovers' group? A social justice group? A group that performs a project for the church each quarter, like painting a room or cleaning out a closet?

Watch for dates and times for these groups to begin forming in early October. With any questions or suggestions, get in touch with Jeannette Manning (813-857-0468;

manningjea@yahoo.com) or Rev. Sara (revsaraz@aol.com).

ciw_cuups

by Ruth Davis

Circles in the Woods CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) is a committee and Earth-centered spirituality group within the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa. All are welcome!
Join us on:

October 2 @ 1:00 - Coffee, Tea, and Tarot

We will have a 'reading' exchange so bring your cards, pendulums, or other divination tools to give a reading. Don't divine yourself? That's okay. Just chat with others and have someone do a reading for you. Just pure fun!

October 15 @ 7:30 p.m. Full Moon Celebration

Samhain approaches and the Witch Crafters promise an exciting celebration of the season. All are welcome.

October 30 @ 1:15 p.m. Dumb Supper

Bring black, red, and/or white food to share along with a photo or other item from loved ones who have passed on. During feasting all will be silent in reflection. The dinner will follow Conversations with the Board and all are welcome.

For more information go to Circles in the Woods CUUPS

Welcome, New Members!

Jeff Austin is a USF graduate student who has returned to college on the new G. I. Bill after a nearly thirty-year career in naval aviation. He has been a long-time part of the Tampa Bay community, having served on the staffs of three major joint military headquarters associated with MacDill AFB. While completing a USF graduate degree in Adult Education, focusing on social justice and civil rights education, he volunteered to return to joint military duty in response to the attacks of 9/11. Now, as a student of library and information science, Jeff is following another traditional avenue to help support democracy, civil education, and the public good.

Born and raised a Tennessean in Appalachia, Jeff moved to Miami, FL as a teen while his father served in Vietnam. Due to his rearing in the South, Jeff loves nature, the outdoors, and people within this natural world, especially church friends who have much more importance to him than physical things. Still, he enjoys books, boats (large and small), birds, and bicycles.

Dina Hansen, a doctor of natural health, teaches women to awaken to what nourishes them physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Becoming a member of UUCT, "where no one thought or belief supersedes any other--all are explored and welcomed," nourishes all those areas. "I was brought up in a family where we never went to church or really discussed religious or spiritual beliefs. So in my teens I began my search for answers and eventually found them in Earth-based religions, Eastern beliefs, and nature." A strong sense of community; liberal religious education; no judgment of race, sexual orientation, or personal beliefs; and safe spiritual exploration are what Dina feels blessed to have found as a UU member.

Dina looks forward to UU activities and religious education with her amazing daughter Raina, for whom the UU church will be a place to ground herself and to explore her own personal values and religious or spiritual beliefs.

Mark Hansen joined UUCT with Dina and their beautiful daughter Raina. After working in the food and beverage industry, Mark recently passed his Florida chiropractic boards! During his Baptist upbringing, "I learned that God is to be feared ... the pastors ... would slam the pulpit and profess to 'put the fear of God' in all of us. Unable to question this authority, "I kept on asking myself, 'Where's the love?'" Mark began looking for a religion that allowed man to use his logic and reason. At UUCT, he looks forward to surrounding himself and his family with a nourishing environment where love, respect for others, and sharing a journey are commonplace; where their search for universal truth and meaning are fostered free of judgment. He explains his quest through a story told to him by a friend:

An old Cherokee told his grandson, "There is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, judgment, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth." The boy thought about it and asked, "Grandfather, which wolf wins?" The old man quietly replied, "The one you feed."

Carl Ollivier, born in Boston, lived in Long Island, Chicago, Miami Beach, and again in Massachusetts. He graduated from boarding school to Air Force enlistment. After he was injured by "friendly fire," Carl worked in the tractor business, earned a Bachelor's and then a Master's in social work, and worked in psychiatric and medical settings, eventually retiring to Cape Cod.

Carl attended Friends meetings for a number of years, running weekend workshops, summer camps, even participating in civil disobedience, until he realized that "Unitarians are just Quakers who sing." And Carl has sung-in community choruses, church choirs, in Symphony Hall in Boston, in Taiwan in Chinese, and finally Mid Cape Chorus for over 55 years.

Carl and his former wife suffered the loss of their first child, then had two daughters. One is a hospice nurse married to an Air Force pilot. They have twin daughters and live in Apollo Beach. The other married a Spaniard and teaches in Spain. They have a son and daughter and live in a house they built on the Mediterranean near the Rock of Gibraltar. Living in Sun City, Carl looks forward to being involved at UUCT as time and distance allow.

Christine and Chuck Smith recently moved from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to Lutz to be closer to their two sons and families. They both retired from Lehigh University, Chuck as a mechanical engineering professor and Christine as a university advancement executive.

As young parents, the Smiths realized that the traditional churches were not in line with their thinking and beliefs. They saw an ad in the local newspaper that led them to the Unitarian Church. An active member of the UU Church of the Lehigh Valley since 1978, Christine sang in the choir, served as Chair of the Music and Hospitality committees, and helped found a concert series. She intends to spend most of her time with her two sons and their families, including five grandchildren four years old and under!

Chuck grew up in Southern California, went to Stanford, taught at Purdue, and then spent the rest of his academic career at Lehigh University. An avid athlete, Chuck participated in the pole vault and decathlon in college and has been a surfer since the age 14. He travels to Costa Rica and Southern California several times a year to surf. He also "enjoys" golf and kayaking.

At the UUCLV he served on the Board, the Long Range Planning Committee, and the Buildings and Grounds Committee. In Florida, he looks forward to getting involved in the UUCT, spending time with his children and grandchildren, gardening, and enjoying various water sports.

David Stickell was born in Hagerstown, Maryland in 1930, the third of four children. His mother died when his younger sister was born, and he lived with his paternal grandparents until his father remarried in 1939. During high school, he lived in suburban Pittsburgh. He graduated from Lehigh University in 1952, and was immediately drafted into the U. S. Army. He taught physics and math in Allegheny County for two years, married in 1956, and moved to State College, PA, to attend grad school at Penn State, where he earned several higher degrees in Education and then worked in Princeton for Educational Testing Services. He and his wife had one daughter in 1963 and amicably divorced in 1981. David taught at Bucknell, then was a long-time a Research Associate at Penn State, until retirement in 1990. He relocated to Tampa in 2010.

David has been a Unitarian since 1958, and during those 50 years at the UU Fellowship in State College, served as adviser to the Student Religious Liberals, on two search committees, on the Fellowship Relations Committee, on sound for Sunday services, as president for one term, on the Board for more than a term, and attended eleven General Assemblies. His interests include music (especially folk music), improvisational dance, Buddhism, humanism, and volunteering.

Iperlitta Mecka Vance, called"Meeka" because it's easier to say, grew up in Louisiana and joined the U.S. Army after graduating from high school. For 8 years, she had the privilege of serving all over the country and overseas as an operating room technician. After leaving the Army, she earned a Bachelor of Health Science Degree in Cytology (the study of cells) and moved to Florida in April 2011. She works at LabCorp where she looks for cancer cells from different body sites.

Meeka has two 10- to 15-pound mixed-breed dogs at home with her.

She looks forward to becoming a UU: "I am excited that I will be allowed to expand my mind in ALL ways (great and different) by being exposed to all that is out in the universe, which in turn will allow me to become a better person in society."

We look forward to getting to know you better ...

letters to the editor

Thanks for the concerts column. Appreciate the additions you made.

One thing. The brand of the concerts is "Concerts in the UU Dome" not "Concerts in the Dome." "UU" being a major part of the brand. I've been trying to promote our brand since 1996. So please, pretty please, don't omit UU.

Explanation: The brand came from the fact that we have near us both the Sun Dome at USF & the Skipperdome, which is the nickname of the concert area at Skipper's Smokehouse. Both of those "domes" have concerts, so folks around here are used to hearing the word "dome" as being connected to concerts. .

So - when I came up with the brand for our concert series, I thought it would be oh so clever to take advantage of the familiarity of the word "dome" and thus branded our series as "Concerts in the UU Dome." To differentiate our dome from the other domes, it's important (at least to me) that "UU" not be omitted when identifying our series.

Thanks.

Gloria

Stewardship Campaign
by Ed Benedict & Lee Bonta, Stewardship Campaign

On October 2, 2011, we will begin our annual Stewardship Campaign with a luncheon immediately following Sunday services. We hope that all members and friends of the Church will attend, ready to recommit to our church community by pledging financial support to our church's 2012 budget year.

Because we want to make this Stewardship Campaign as short and painless as possible for all of us, we ask you to prepare for pledging by thinking over such questions as:

· How important is the Stewardship Campaign to the welfare of my church?

· How significant is the church community to my life?

· If my church were to disappear, could any other source fulfill its Vision Statement?

· Is there anywhere else I could join such a diverse community and fit in?

As you answer these questions, it should become apparent that, while we may not come to our church for the same reason(s), without our church community and the dream we have for it, we would have a huge hole in our existence. Please help us continue "Growing Our Dream" by taking an active part in our Stewardship Campaign.

HOPE Highlights

Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality

by Carol Partington

UUCT has shown our support for our justice work in HOPE this year with our successful Investment Drive. Forty-five individuals and/or couples invested a total of $6,000! Some of these folks are not even members of our church but UUCT members' friends or coworkers!

Now, the Justice Team challenges you to take the next step to live our UU principles in our community. As we enter the HOPE Listening Process, the next step will be to attend a House Meeting, scheduled for early October. This is a chance to learn more about our justice work in HOPE, share your concerns about community problems, and strengthen our Justice Network--while deepening your relationships with other UUCT members and friends. The Listening Process will culminate at the HOPE Convention, Monday, November 14, 2011.

In early December, as Research Meetings are resumed, members will be needed to attend both research meetings and committee meetings. A first step would be to attend one meeting. Then, try another.

Look for ways to contribute your skills. Perhaps you work full time. If your company allows you time off for community service, consider using it to attend a research meeting!

After learning about the Justice Ministry Network, we hope many of you will choose to be a member of our congregation's Network. This involves attending:

The Action, April 23, 2012, and bringing 3 or more others
Three other HOPE meetings: The Celebration/Investment Drive Kick-Off; the Convention; and the Rally

No matter what you can do, you are needed in the Network. One step at a time works for HOPE! But most of all, you are needed at the April Action! We want as many UUCT members and friends there as come to Sunday services!

Let our investment of time and talent match or exceed our financial investment in HOPE!

Please contact UUCT's Justice Team to get involved; or for more information: Carol Partington, 813-985-9109; Judy Lane, 813-901-9157.

spotlight

Spotlight - Suzie Siegel

Our 'Treasure In The Attic'

Almost everyone at our church knows Suzie Siegel. But she is also well known to people on both sides of Tampa Bay who are looking for a way to turn "one person's trash into another person's treasure."

You probably know Suzie founded and runs the thrift store. You may know that the store grew out of our annual auctions, which Suzie supervises. Together they raised close to $15,000 for the church last year.

But there are things about Suzie you may not know. She began attending the UUCT in 2004. The church "reminded me of the Unitarian fellowship I attended as a child in Irving, Texas. In a photo of my 5-year-old self, I held a horned toad that I caught on the wooded property."

"When I was older, I didn't feel the need to attend church. The world was my place of worship, and my journalism colleagues formed my community." Suzie was a newspaper reporter and editor for the Arkansas Democrat, the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the Tampa Tribune.

In 2002, she went home to Texas to care for her ailing father but became ill herself. "A minister from the Dallas Unitarian church comforted me after my first surgery for leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer. I wanted to attend church, but no one would give me a ride. I moved back to Tampa in 2004, and this church became my new community. I hope others will find community here, too."

Suzie helps with public relations, bringing her skills and connections as a writer and editor. She is presently on the Membership Committee, and previously served on the Minister Search Committee, Care Committee, and co-chaired the Accessibility Committee. "I look forward to the day when our main building has fully accessible restrooms. The irony of the thrift store being upstairs is not lost on me," she said, recalling a recent surgery.

As a writer, editor, fundraiser, caregiver, cancer survivor, and founder of the thrift store, Suzie is truly our "treasure in the attic."

hUUmor

There's a bit of humor in the [September] issue of the Domelight, i.e., a photo of a Pastafarian. Um--he looks familiar ...

Along similar lines, after reading about the Pastafarian religion a while back, I made the suggestion to a board member that we should start a new group at UUCT:

"The Pastarfarian Unitarians" - known in our church as the "UUCT P.U. Group."

Anon. (but the initials are GH)

Month of Sundays at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa

Services begin at 11 a.m.

October 2: Stewardship Sunday: Growing Our Dream

How exciting it was to dedicate our new multi-purpose building a few weeks ago! How wonderful to have recently added nine members! We pause to appreciate those successes. And now we move on to growing our dream. Have we achieved our greatest successes as the beacon of progressive religion in Hillsborough County? No way. Come and join this service and the lunch following as we think about the coming year and our commitments to UUCT. Rev. Dr. Sara Zimmerman and Joan Lund will offer their words of encouragement.

October 9: Unitarian Universalist Association Sunday: Excellence in Ministries

UUA President Peter Morales says, "We know that excellence in ministries is the cornerstone of successful congregations and a vibrant, growing Unitarian Universalism." Joan Lund, UUCT member and Florida District representative to the UUA Board, will address the need to support on-going training for our professional educators and clergy. UUCT is just one of many UU churches across Florida and the continent who are engaged in this topic this month.

October 16: The Mustard Seed Medicine

It is a gift to children (and adults) to provide an opportunity to talk about death at a time when they are not grieving. "The Mustard Seed Medicine," a well-known story from the Buddhist tradition, is a comforting tale that acknowledges death as a part of our families and communities. Bring photos and mementos of loved ones (pets and people) who have died to be placed on an altar of remembrance. Katie Culbert, Director of Religious Exploration for Children & Youth, will lead this worship for all ages.

October 23: UN Sunday: Empower Women for a Better World

In celebration of the founding of the U
nited Nations on October 24th, 1945, this service will explore and reaffirm the connections between Unitarian Universalist principles and vital issues dealt with at the UN, especially this issue: The Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is a treaty that outlined standards for ratifying countries to meet in the treatment and rights of women. The treaty was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979. As of October 1, 2009, 186 countries had ratified it. Among the countries that have not yet ratified it are Sudan, Somalia, Iran, and the United States. Nations that ratify CEDAW commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to end all forms of discrimination against women. Rev. Dr. Zimmerman will conduct the service.

October 30: A Humanist View of Immortality

Our culture has recently seen a resurgence of religious conversation regarding what happens to us after we die. Unitarian Universalism has largely been on the sidelines for this important discussion. This sermon will address how Unitarian Universalists might construct a theology of the afterlife consistent with our liberal religious heritage. Roger Grugel, UUCT 2011-2012 Part-time Intern, will lead the service.

Following this service: Conversations With The Board - Members of the Board of Trustees will be present for conversation after church on the 4th Sunday of the month from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. The purpose is to open communication and share ideas. Come with questions and ideas but always with an open mind.

"I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it."
~Pablo Picasso~

Contact Info
UU Church of Tampa

email: info@uutampa.org

11400 Morris Bridge Road, Tampa, FL 33637

813-988-8188