Minister's Musings

Hello Everyone,
Conscientious people live longer and are better lovers.  Okay, I made up the better lovers part, although I do believe it to be true.  The conscientious-people-live-longer part is true, according to one of those PBS doctors who helps the stations fund raise.  

"Conscientious" means, according to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary: conscionable, ethical, honest, honorable, just , moral, principled, and scrupulous.  Opposite meanings are cutthroat, dishonest, dishonorable, immoral, unconscionable, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, and unscrupulous.

I know a whole lot of Unitarian Universalists who are going to live a long, long time.  "Conscientious" describes all of the volunteers who devote many hours a week to UUCT and do so because they are hard- working examples of the UU principles lived to their fullest.  

As we go to press in mid-June, the Director of Religious Education Search Committee plans to interview its final candidates.  In May and June, the Committee made  a thorough search for candidates and scrupulously ranked them.  Thank you to Ed Benedict, chair, and members Liz Bleau, Nicole Drelles, Candy Gale,  Diana Stevens, and Youth Representative Emily Gainforth.  

Many other committees and individuals currently work conscientiously to keep UUCT in excellent condition.  As volunteers working mostly behind the scenes, you work without pay and with little fanfare.  Did you realize that Tempie Taudte now chairs the Care Committee?  She and I have been meeting to define the duties of this Committee and expand its membership prior to my leaving on a six-month sabbatical September 1.  

And then there's Tom Krumreich with his own conscientious efforts to make us greener.  Tom has successfully pointed the way to making us better recyclers.  Jeannette Manning now chairs the Membership Committee and is visibly working to make visitors feel welcome on Sunday mornings following the services.   Three pianists have consciously committed to accompanying our singing on Sunday mornings until John Hernandez returns on September 9.  Thank you Carol Baker, Dan Miller, and Jae Polcyn.  

Our Intern Minister Roger Grugel works without pay for us at UUCT while also working at Tampa General Hospital as a full-time resident Chaplain.  Let us not forget the conscientious assistance that he provides on Sunday mornings, and most recently, at a member's wedding.  Roger will be with us part-time until the end of August.

I realize there are about 130 more members and others associated with our congregation that I could thank!  If I haven't mentioned your name, know that I appreciate you very much and that I think you are an angel.  Or at least you will live a very long life!
Before I sign off - a word about Katie Culbert, our departing DRE.  Katie -- Good luck at Meadville Lombard Theological School where you are going full-time to pursue your Master of Divinity and eventually ordained UU ministry.  I know that you are a conscientious, 4.0 student and expect you will do well.  Have fun!

Blessings and Good Wishes,    Rev. Sara

SABBATICAL COMMITTEE UPDATE 

By Ed Benedict, Member, Sabbatical Committee   

As we near the September 1, 2012 start date for Rev. Dr. Sara Zimmerman's sabbatical period, final preparations continue to fall into place.  Rev. Dr. Sara has created the position of Worship Associate, a lay person who will handle the tasks our minister normally presides over during Sunday Services such as leading Welcoming Guests, Milestones: Joys and Sorrows, the Offertory, and Meditation. We now have six (6) Worship Associates, Pat Benedict, Lee Bonta, Diane Gainforth, John Powers, and Susan Zak, to perform these Sunday Services functions while our minister is away on her sabbatical.
    Another key element of Rev. Dr. Zimmerman's ministerial responsibilities which must be covered during the sabbatical period is the function of pastoral care.  In this regard, our Care Committee Chair, Tempie Taudte, has met with Rev. Dr. Sara and together they have drafted planning procedures to insure that all care needs of the congregation will be met during our minister's sabbatical period.  
    The Sabbatical Committee has begun planning for the second and final Sabbatical brochure, which will be published in August, 2012.  This brochure is intended as the go-to-guide for answers to any remaining questions you might have about the Sabbatical, OR, as a last resort, a person to contact to get answers.  If you have any questions now before the brochure is published, please contact a member of the Sabbatical Committee.  Its members are:  Pat Benedict (Co-Chair), Bill Blymiller (Co-Chair), Ara Rogers (member) and Ed Benedict (member) and may be contacted at sabbatical@uutampa.org.  

Read a Good Book!

By Carol Baker
I think some of you may be under the misunderstanding that the "Good Book Column" is only seeking high- brow literature.  Not so.  We're looking for any book that you enjoyed reading, be it high-brow or low-brow or in-between.  As we said last month, also light summer reading, call them "guilty pleasures."  So recommend away.    

From Felice Richardson:  "Cutting for Stone" by Dr. Abrham Verghese, is an engaging epic novel that tells the story of twin brothers and their lives and relationships. It is a truly outstanding novel, deep in historical context, which explores the circumstances of the twin's birth and adoption and their relationships with their parents, each other, and a particular woman as they develop into adulthood. The story begins with their birth and childhood in Ethiopia and ends decades later, in America, when the twins have grown and become physicians. It is a beautifully written coming of age novel, that incorporates love, trust, betrayal, commitment, emigration, faith, life, hope, death, dreams, fears, and just about every big theme you can imagine!  

From Ara Rogers:  The universe author Neil Gaiman in his novel, "American Gods," imagines that all the gods -- or most every one -- that humans ever conceived of are still alive on the planet. There's a showdown brewing between the new gods -- the ones our current culture worships, and the old -- for supremacy. The novel is set in today's United States of America, but it is a strange and magical world that Shadow, the hero of American Gods, inhabits. I was drawn to this novel after looking over some lists about award-winning science fiction; American Gods has won both of the big sci-fi awards, the Hugo and the Nebula.

This is a big novel about big ideas, and it drew me right in. If it is ever made into a movie, a preview where the voice over intones, "imagine a world ..." would be very apt.

From Jay Kirschheimer:  In the spirit of trying to keep up with changing technology, we have different sources from which we get our literature.  Jay has this link to offer of an interesting story:  This is a story of a working man in Ireland who goes to Spain on Holiday with his friends. Having known my share of Irish immigrants in New York, and the fact the author was reading it, it took me back to my acquaintances in NYC and their speech patterns and attitudes about work, family and friendships....  check out this book and more at http://soundcloud.com/newyorker?utm_campaign=timeline&utm_content=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fnewyorker&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=soundcloud

Thanks to our contributors for this month.  Remember¸ all (or almost all) recommendations are welcome!  Don't forget we're still looking for "guilty pleasures" (light summer reading).  There must be some out there somewhere.