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| Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa | August 2012 |
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Rev. Dr. Sara Zimmerman, Minister
Roger Grugel, 2011 - 2012 Ministerial Intern
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Erin Powers, DRE
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Come and join Buildings & Grounds Work Day,
August 11th,
9-11 a.m.
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Calendar
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DOMELIGHT
Deadline for Submissions: 17th of each month
Length of Articles:
300-350 words
Submit via email to: domelight@uutampa.org
DL Editorial Board:
Harriet Blymiller
Mary Francis
Ron Hammerle
Christine Smith
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Our congregation is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association an organization of more than 1,000 congregations in the U.S. and Canada. Our national headquarters is in Boston, Massachusetts. |
Board of Trustees
Effective on September 1, 2011
Newly elected members are:
Pat Benedict
Bill Blymiller
Lee Bonta
(Be sure to give a big thank you to departing members:
Nicole Drelles
Russ Kirby
Elise Richardson)
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Let's Talk Blog
Join the discussion at
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Minister's Musings
I begin with four quotes:
"After five (5) years of service to the Congregation, the Minister may be granted leave, as agreed to by the Board and the Minister, for the purpose of study or otherwise improving the ability to serve the Congregation." (my Agreement dated September 2007)
"As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm and promote the living tradition we share (including) the guidance of reason and the results of science." (UUA Sources)
"There is real hunger for a curriculum like yours in our UU congregations." (in an encouraging e-mail last October from the primary reader of my grant proposal to UU Funding Program)
"Congratulations! I am pleased to tell you that the Fund for Unitarian Universalism has awarded your organization a grant of $5,000 for the Science and Religion Curriculum project." (in a letter last November from the UU Funding Program)
My sabbatical begins September 1 and runs through February 2013. During that time, my "study" will be to write a curriculum based on six sermons all on the general topic of "Medical Science and Religion." As the time grows closer and the topics of the sermons become more focused, the overall theme begins to look more like Spirituality and Health.
It gives me great pleasure to announce the six curriculum-related Sunday morning speakers and their dates:
9/23/12: Prof. Del deChant, Associate Chair, USF Dept. of Religious Studies
9/30/12: Dr. Jack Zak, MD, Retired, USF Dept. of Psychiatry
11/11/12: Dr. Earl A. Zimmerman, MD, Albany, NY Medical Center- Neurology
11/25/12: Dr. Carolyn Wells, PhD, Retired, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
12/16/12: Prof. Nan Sook Park, PhD, MSW, USF School of Social Work
1/27/13: Rev. Sam Trumbore, Minister, First Unitarian Universalist Society, Albany, NY
You may recognize some familiar names. Yes, that's the Jack Zak, drummer, Blues and BBQ Band, and UUCT member. Nan Sook Park Lee is the mother of Harry and Jerry, and wife of Beom Lee. Yes, that's my brother Earl. Some of you may recognize Sam Trumbore as having been a minister in Florida some years back. It's a small, interconnected world we live in.
I am grateful to everyone for your support - especially to the Sabbatical Committee-Bill Blymiller, Pat Benedict, (Co-Chairs), Ed Benedict and Ara Rogers; the Worship Program Committee, Joan Lund, Chair; and Ralph Lehman and Russell Kirby who helped me in the grant application process. During the first four months of sabbatical leave, I will be working behind the scenes and not attending the Sunday services or keeping office hours, etc., but I will be working with the videographers and speakers to make the best possible curriculum and accompanying DVD for use in UU congregations, and congregations of other denominations that value science.
During that time, I will also be working with a few other UU congregations who volunteer to field-test the curriculum, including the UU Congregation of Clearwater, and Unitarian Church North in Mequon, Wisconsin.
Then, during the final two months of sabbatical (in Jan-Feb 2013), I am likely to be on meditation retreats improving my "ability to serve the congregation."
Please note that my project is not to be confused with the Emerson Forum program that will deal with end-of-life ethical decisions. As I have explained, it is my sabbatical project to create a Spirituality and Health curriculum as funded in part by the Fund for Unitarian Universalism. All the talks on the dates listed above will become part of the curriculum and will take place on Sunday mornings during the 11 a.m. service.
Support the Emerson Forum too!
Blessings, Love, and Good Health, Sara
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 From the President's Desk
It's amazing how the summer flies by. One day it's spring, with high temperatures in the 90s and humidity on the rise. The next thing you know, it's summer, and it's been like this for a while, with high temperatures in the 90s and humidity on the rise. And before we know it, summer will be over, and the weather will improve . . . it'll be high temperatures in the 90s and humidity on the rise. But the calendar does move forward, and amazing things continue to unfold before our eyes at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa.
Activities of note include the successful conclusion of the search for our new Director of Religious Education, with Erin Powers already hard at work in this role; completion of the major work on our parking lot - note the great new signage at the two driveways and many other improvements; programs and activities in the multi-purpose building almost daily around the week; and much, much more. There is no time like the present to jump in and get involved!
For those in our church community who feel the need to travel during the summer months, consider the fact that there are UU congregations all across North America. If you happen to be in another state or city on Sunday morning, check out the local UU church or fellowship there. You'll find like-minded people, and gain the opportunity to experience varied forms of U-U worship. I've personally visited over 150 different UU places of worship over the years, and have learned a great deal about our faith, and how to enhance the worship experience and our own church community.
In the spirit,
Russell Kirby, President
UUCT Board of Trustees |
 The Supreme Court decision in the Arizona immigration case Intern's Column
By Rogel Grugel, UUCT Ministerial Intern
The Supreme Court's decision in Arizona v US (SB 1070) has drawn a lot of attention in the press. Some have claimed it as a victory for immigration law enforcement, but others say it legalizes racial profiling.
Although the issue of racial profiling is the social subtext for the Supreme Court's decision, that wasn't the legal issue before the Court. The issue before the Court was the doctrine of preemption. Essentially, preemption says that federal law trumps state law when Congress has determined that an area of the law is the federal government's exclusive area of governance or when state laws conflict with federal law.
Three provisions of SB 1070 were struck down by the Court under the doctrine of preemption: section 3 which made the failure to carry immigration papers a crime; section 5 which made it a crime for undocumented people to work; and section 6 which allowed warrantless arrest of anyone law enforcement determines has committed a crime that makes them removable from the country. The Court upheld section 2B, which requires officials to verify the immigration status of any person lawfully stopped who law enforcement believes is removable from the country. This part of the court's decision has been criticized because it could be used by law enforcement as a pretext to stop people based on the color of their skin.
I share these concerns, but I don't think we have yet heard the final word from the Supreme Court on this case. The law was enjoined before it went into effect; therefore the Court wanted to see how the law would be implemented before ruling on all preemption issues. If the implementation of section 2B creates a conflict between state and federal law, the Court could still invalidate the law. In addition, the case did not address other constitutional challenges such as due process or equal protection.
I think the court will be reviewing the case again, so it's too early to celebrate or bemoan the Court's decision. My hope is that the Court won't need to rule again because the law will soon be repealed.
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 Erin Powers, Our New DRE
By Liz Bleau, Member, DRE Search Committee
"I like being able to say yes," says Erin Powers the new Religious Education Director. Growing up a Catholic, she was not always able to do that. "I like the idea of 'let's explore'; it's an aspect of being a Unitarian I really enjoy."
Erin was selected earlier this month to be the RE director, replacing Katie Culbert, who left the post to attend seminary.
Erin was appointed to the post by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the Religious Education Director Search Committee. The committee, appointed by the board met for about six weeks and followed a process established by the UUA for the selection of an RE Director. That process included publishing a packet about the church, drafting a job description, advertising for applicants, screening and ranking applicants and finally interviewing the top three candidates and selecting a top candidate to present to the Board of Trustees.
Erin, 32, is a massage therapist. She and her husband John and children Sophie, 3, and Olivia, 10, have been attending UUCT since November of 2009.
Initially, her plan for the Religious Education Program for Children and Youth will be to continue the work that Katie has begun and later to build on that work. One area she may want to expand is building the community of church families and perhaps doing more events outside of church such as socials, trips and picnics. She is also interested in developing community through the use of more social media to help families stay connected.
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Exploration Guides Needed!
By Erin Powers,
Director of Religious Exploration for Children and Youth
Greetings from your new DRE, Erin Powers! I've been very busy this first month getting myself organized and settled into my new office. You may have noticed a new look to the bulletin board and the new paint color in my office. I've really enjoyed my first month as DRE and I'm looking forward to the growth of our program and me in the years ahead!
As many of you know, our Religious Exploration program for Children and Youth will be ramping up in September. It takes many volunteers to ensure the great success of our program. Katie did a great job of designing a teaching schedule that is both easy on the teachers and beneficial to our children's spiritual development.
Please keep an eye out for more announcements and a poster near my office with all the Volunteer Opportunities listed.
And always remember, caring for our children's spiritual and religious growth is a fun and rewarding way to live out our third principle! "The acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations."
To find out how you can help, please email me at DRE@uutampa.org.
In CommUUnity,
Erin Powers
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 UUA Trustee Tidbits by Joan Lund
jlund@uua.org or 813-931-9727
GA has been over for a month and you have probably had ample opportunity to go on our UUA Web site to read, listen, and learn about the many events, activities, workshops of interest to you. From my perspective and those with whom I have spoken, GA was a marked success. I have written a report to go out in the District e-news.
In our ongoing work on the long-term future of Unitarian Universalism, the UUA Board of Trustees (BOT) has been involved in a process called scenario planning.
Scenario planning begins with defining a focal issue or decision. In this case, the BOT asked, "By 2050, what differences do we want to make in Unitarian Universalism? For whom? At what priority? Scenario planning's goal is to highlight large-scale forces that push the future in different directions.
Scenario planning ties to make these forces visible, so the planner(s) will recognize the directions the forces are taking and make better decisions today. Scenario planning can be difficult to do with skill and expertise.
After much brainstorming, the BOT came up with a long list of forces that might influence our UUA long-term future. From this list, the BOT determined two trends: 1) more people becoming "spiritual," (but not religious and not interested in organized religion); and 2) differences in wealth, class, and income in an increasingly unstable economy. From the trends, four possibilities emerged: 1) As the income gap grows and the economy becomes unstable, more people turn to religious and church life.
2) As the income gap grows, and the economy becomes unstable, people continue to leave organized religion.
3) Greater income equality stabilizes the economy, with a substantial increase in religious and church life.
4) Greater income equality stabilizes the economy, and people continue to leave organized religion.
Next the BOT divides into self-selected teams to study these possibilities. I am on the team studying #4. Each team will "meet" on three conference calls prior to September to write a "story" identifying trends and other issues related to the assigned assumption. Youth and Young Adults will be invited to comment on the scenario work and add their own. After the scenarios are finalized and distributed to the BOT in September, they will be considered part of our ENDS review in October.
Your Florida District Trustee realizes there may be questions and/or confusion about scenario planning. It's a lot to digest. Because I may write further on this topic and your thoughts are important, I would like to hear from you: jlund@uua.org or 813-931-9727
Thanks...and continue to enjoy our long, hot summer! |
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Care Committee
The Care Committee continues to prepare to assist our congregation during Rev. Sara's sabbatical. Rev. Sara has recruited several people who can listen to members' concerns and help link people with the appropriate community resources. Tempie Taudte will have names and phone numbers and can assist in making these connections.
We will also be sending cards to people who are ill and visiting those in the hospital. If you have suggestions for us, please call.
Tempie Taudte
813-931-1817
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SABBATICAL COMMITTEE UPDATE
by Ed Benedict, Committee Member
During the past month the Sabbatical Committee's efforts have focused primarily on two activities. The first of these was assisting Rev. Dr. Sara Zimmerman in lining up guest speakers to fill the various Sunday services during her sabbatical period. The second major activity was planning for the second and final Sabbatical brochure, which will be published later this month, August, 2012.
There is a correction and an addition that should be made to last month's article. In July's article the Sabbatical Committee reported that Rev. Dr. Sara had created the position of Worship Associate, a lay person who will handle the task our minister normally presides over during Sunday Services such as leading Welcoming Guests, Milestones: Joys and Sorrows, the Offertory, and Meditation. We reported that we six (6) Worship Associates, and proceeded to list only five (5), which were: Pat Benedict, Lee Bonta, Diane Gainforth, John Powers, and Susan Zak. The sixth (6th) and omitted Worship Associate was Ara Rogers. Now, a seventh (7th) Worship Associate has been added to the list, Rom Delacroix.
If you have any questions now before the brochure is published later this month, 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.
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 HOPE Happenings
Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality
By Carol Partington, JusticeMinistryNetwork@uutampa.orgYou may be wondering what HOPE can do for you? This is the time of year we explore that question. Based on shared values of love of neighbor and dignity of people, HOPE's mission is to engage and train residents to identify common community problems, research long-term solutions, and hold systems accountable to implement those systemic changes. Our church has been a member of HOPE since 1993.
HOPE's yearly cycle is composed of three-processes: the Listening Process, Research to Action, and the Investment Drive. Your participation is critical at each phase of the cycle! During the Listening Process, we want to hold house meetings within our congregation to review how HOPE works and discover current concerns that might point to systemic problems. If everyone does a small part, we can accomplish a lot!
For the Listening Process, our congregation needs hosts and facilitators for at least 5 house meetings. Each facilitator will lead one house meeting to help guide the conversation among 8-12 participants. Training for facilitators will be held Monday, September 17, at 6:30 p.m.; house meetings will be held between Sept. 18 and Oct. 21st.
Problems that surface in these meetings will be shared with other congregations at the Team Assembly on Oct. 22.
Our UUCT's HOPE Investment Drive is now just over 3/4 of the way to our goal of $8,000. If you have not yet had the opportunity to invest in this justice work, please send your check made out to HOPE, Inc., to Carol Partington at her home address, as soon as possible. A huge thank you to all who have sent investment checks in already.
Please mark your calendars for these important upcoming HOPE events:
* September 17 - Listening Process House Meeting Facilitator Training, 6:30 p.m.
* September 20, 10:30 a.m. - City Council Workshop on the First Source and Fair Hiring Ordinance brought forward by HOPE
* October 22 - HOPE Team Assembly, 6:30 p.m.
* November 12 - HOPE Annual Convention 6:30 p.m.
* December 10 - HOPE local Research to Action Training, 6:30 p.m.
If you have questions about HOPE, please contact Carol Partington, 813-985-9109, Judy Lane, Diane Gainforth, Christine Smith, or Sharon Streater at HOPE at 813-221-4673. |
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 Read a Good Book!
By Carol Baker
I hope you are enjoying "the lazy days of summer" for some reading you don't normally get to do. Here are the latest recommendations from our readers:
From Christine Smith: Birds without Wings by Louis de Bernieres, Vintage International,
2004, is a sweeping, early twentieth-century historical novel with Turkish, Greek and Armenian characters. In a Michener-esque way, the author uses composite and real characters to tell beautiful, stirring and heartbreaking accounts of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. I found some parts a bit slow-going but in the end found it riveting and enlightening. Keep a map nearby.
From Jae Polcyn: Drift by Rachel Maddow suggests that the decision-making process of the American military has become divorced from the democratic process, thus making it too easy to use force worldwide. Every international problem should not be solved militarily. Returning to some former policies such as the following were recommended: War should be painful for all; the military should not make policy; the reserves should get back to weaving civilian and military life together; and war should be out of the hands of one person. Rachel Maddow is a television host on MSNBC, a political commentator, and author. She is a Rhodes scholar and earned her doctorate at Oxford.
From John McCabe: I just finished reading Arliss Ryan's The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare, an historical novel. It is the story of the role played by Anne Shakespeare in the writing of William Shakespeare's plays. Arliss Ryan develops the character of Anne Shakespeare as having a monumental role in secretly completing the writing of these plays. She weaves a beautiful story through their married life together, how they collaborated in completing the plays, and the acceptance of William Shakespeare as the foremost playwright in Elizabethan England. I have the book ready to loan to anyone who is interested.
From Diana Stevens: Though Not Dead by Dana Stabenow is my current read. Have you been to Alaska? Wanted to go? Wonder what it's really like? Well, the Kate Shugak series is the one for you. Kate is a Native American and the tribe is a major character in the books. The books make you want to get on your snow-go to Auntie Joy's for a mug up and a moose burger. This is the 17th book in the series and I recommend that you start with the 1st - A Cold Day in Murder, although each book can stand alone. The mysteries, as well as the character development, really hook you from the first page. Ms. Stabenow is a native Alaskan.
There's still time to make some more suggestions for light summer reading. Thanks to the contributors for this month's Good Book column. Happy Reading!
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 Circles in the Woods CUUPS
The Full Moon Celebration will be on August 4, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m. and welcome EarthFamilies CUUPS from UU Lakeland who will present the events of the evening.
On August 5, 2012 @ 1:00 p.m. in the MPB there will be a workshop on numerology. Today's numerology often contains aspects of a variety of ancient cultures and were popular among early mathematicians, such as Pythagoras. It was believed that everything had a numerical relationship. Numerology was used to seek and investigate the secrets of these relationships or have them revealed. Join us to learn more about practical numerology!
CIRCLES IN THE WOODS is a CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Pagans) chapter affiliated with UUCT, Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa. More information about Circles in the Woods CUUPS is available at |
 WHY DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP REGISTERIES MATTER!
By Pat Fearns
Interweave Chairperson
As reported in last month's article, we celebrated many important events furthering Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender (GLBT) rights in June.
June 30th an estimated 80-100,000 people celebrated the St. Pete Pride Festival. The 43rd Anniversary celebration of the Stonewall Riots included contingents from 5 (Clearwater, Lakeland, Ocala, St. Petersburg, & Tampa) Unitarian Universalist Churches and many other faith-based organizations; as well as an increased presence of corporate sponsors, including: Bank of America, Budweiser, Cody's Original Roadhouse restaurants, Edelweis Air, Fifth Third Bank, Florida Blue, Frito Lay, Jagermeister, JetBlue Airways, Pepsi, Macy's, State Farm Insurance Tropicana, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo.
June 25th both the Gulfport and the City of Tampa Domestic Partnership Registries (DPR) opened, signifying a move by many cities in the Greater Tampa Bay area to begin to provide rights similar to those of the legally married. Clearwater and St. Petersburg city councils have also approved domestic partnership registries; St. Pete's will open on August 1st and Clearwater's later that month. However, there is still much to be done to implement registries countywide until they are adopted by the State of Florida.
It is important to understand why the DPR's are important. Thus, on June 18th, a Domestic Partnership 101 Symposium was held at the St. Petersburg branch of the Metro Wellness & Community Centers; co-sponsored by Equality Florida and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The panel consisted of: Dr. Joyce Hamilton Henry of the ACLU of Florida, Brian Winfield of Equality Florida, Steve Kornell of the St. Petersburg City Council, and Mary Meeks, an activist and civil rights attorney from Orlando, the chief litigator who composed the language used by these domestic partnership agreements, both in Orlando and the Bay area. Ms. Meeks assured that the best components of each of the existing DPR's were combined to: 1) offer the strongest protections 2) have the fullest inclusivity and 3) offer the most non-discrimination protections.
The rest of this article is dedicated to the Bay Area's DPR's: 1) what they do, 2) why they are important and 3) some common misconceptions.
One of the biggest misconceptions about DPR's is that they are only important for the GLBT communities. Any two people may register as domestic partners if they are 18 or older; not in a marriage recognized by the State of Florida; not blood relatives; live together and consider each other members of their immediate family. Thus, many seniors who may not want to or be able to marry should seek the same protections as the GLBT community members.
Another common misconception is that health care facilities stand in the way of partnership recognitions. Often however, the barrier to visits and decision making is raised by the patient's immediate family. Some other little known facts: 1) Powers of attorney become invalid at the time of death; 2) There is no other legal paperwork which designates burial and funeral arrangements; 3) Rights established in wills may take months or years to probate/enforce; 4) currently an estimated 1200+ rights and benefits attach to marriage.
Here are the rights provided by the local DPR's:
- Right to visit partner or their children in medical facilities.
- Right to visit partner or their children in correctional facilities.
- Right to make medical & educational decisions for the partner's children.
- Right to be notified of medical emergency of partner or partner's children.
- Right to make healthcare decisions for the partner
- Right to be determined as a pre-need guardian.
- Right to make funeral arrangements for the partner or their children.
We must do everything in our power to educate each other about these rights and endeavor to dispel the myths. All components of society should be addressed including: 1) heterosexuals, 2) business components (it's good for business), 3) senior/elderly populations, 4) faith-based organizations and 5) government entities.
For more information about DPRs or any other components of GLBT rights or any activities of INTERWEAVE (a GLBT educational organization of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa and affiliated with Interweave Continental) please contact me at 813-653-4378 (H) or INTERWEAVE@UUTAMPA.ORG . I look forward to your feedback and welcome your participation in INTERWEAVE. |
 SWIM Workshop opportunity
Interested in vacationing in South Florida and leading a cool workshop at SWIM winter UU camp the week of December 26-January 1 in Greater Miami? You get a free t-shirt, meet new friends, and let your light shine. If interested, contact Phoenix C, the workshop coordinator, at bamalesa@yahoo.com after SUUSI week. |
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NEW MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY INFORMATION
By Pat Benedict
Membership committee members Judy Lehman and Pat Benedict are gathering information and photographs for a picture directory of UUCT members and friends to be published in early fall.
Some members' photos are on hand already. However, if you have a favorite picture of yourself that you prefer to be in the directory, please send it to Pat at ptbenedict@gmail.com or bring it to her at church. It will be used if possible. Original photographs will be returned to you. In addition, Judy and/or Beverly Bethune will be taking pictures in the gazebo after church services throughout the summer as weather permits.
If you've made any changes to your contact information since the last membership list was published, please let Pat know at the above address.
More detailed information will appear from time to time in the weekly Order of Service, on the e-list, as well as in the Domelight.
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LOOKING FOR HIDDEN OR NOT-SO-HIDDEN MUSICAL TALENT
The Worship Planning Committee is looking for persons, both members and friends of our congregation, who would be willing to play piano/instrument or sing during the Sunday worship service. We know our services are often more appealing if there is/are guest musician(s). We also know that we have many talented members and friends who might be willing to share their musical ability, and the congregation would enjoy hearing them. Don't be shy......we want you! Joan Lund, Chair of the WPC, is waiting to hear from you at 931-9727.
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 CONCERTS IN THE UU DOME
PRESENTS:
FAYE TURKE
WHEN: Sunday, September 9, 2012
TIME: 3 pm
COST: $10 advance. $12 at the door. (advance tickets available on-line at the church website) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiSwOjk5AR0&;feature=plcp (Night & Day)
https://www.facebook.com/faye.turke
The lovely, talented, vivacious FAYE TURKE will be featured in concert at the UU Dome on Sept 9th. Faye is a professional singer, pianist, entertainer. She, with Ron Delp's accompaniment, will be presenting a great afternoon of jazz for our listening pleasure.
A Tampa native, Faye began singing solos at church at age three, taking piano lessons at age seven, and taking singing lessons as a young teenager. She performed in the Hillsborough High School chorus and received a vocal scholarship to the Performing Arts Center at Hillsborough Community College in Ybor City. She later formed her own band and for nine years was the lead vocalist and keyboardist. The band performed top 40 hits of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. She currently performs in Tampa at various venues, including the Straz Center and the Carrollwood Cultural Center.
Need more Info? If so, please contact UUCT concert chair Gloria Holloway at gshello@tampabay.rr.com or 813-837-6572. |
THE SANCTITY OF OUR SANCTUARY
By Harriet Blymiller, Member, Worship Program Committee
Many visitors, speakers, and concert performers congratulate us on our wonderful acoustics in the Dome. And, truly, the acoustics are wonderful. But there's another side to this situation. (As always, eh?)
A few weeks back, we had a particularly noisy Sunday service. But the noise was NOT coming from the sermon, the choir, and our hymn singing, but from various other sources. There was nothing particularly egregious, but, taken all together, the noises became distracting.
Sound from the foyer, the office, the hallway, and the kitchen travels up the stairwell, up to the dome's ceiling and right back down into the sanctuary, courtesy of our wonderful acoustics! It's hard to remember that when it seems like we're not anywhere close to the sanctuary! So, if you're taking care of something in the office, coming in late to the service as we all do on occasion, happen to meet your BFF in the foyer, and so on ... remember that sound easily carries into the sanctuary. Please try to be as quiet as possible once the service has begun.
The House of Usher
This noisy service happened to coincide with some issues on the Worship Program Committee's agenda:
First, the six services for Rev. Zimmerman's $5,000 grant for the Science and Religion Curriculum Project will be video-recorded. Later, the DVDs will be used in other congregations; thus, Rev. Sara, the WPC, and others involved in this project are all concerned that the DVDs are as high quality as possible.
Second, we're always looking to improve services, support our members and friends, and attract new folks. Luckily, Jeannette Manning, the new chairperson of the Membership Committee also serves on the Worship Program Committee, so that we have good communication between the two committees on our common goals.
For these two reasons, and because of the noise problems from few weeks ago, we've decided that UUCT should institute a somewhat more formalized usher program to help bolster the quality of our Sunday service programs and to preserve the sanctity of the sanctuary by
* Closing doors when the service begins
* Gently reminding folks to keep their voices low, if necessary
* Guiding latecomers to seats (preferably in the balcony, depending on needs)
* Making newcomers feel comfortable by seeing them to seats (when appropriate)
* Helping to seat anyone who may need physical help
* Intervening to keep disruption to a minimum when necessary and appropriate (help with children, for instance).
If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact either Joan Lund, Chairperson of the Worship Program Committee or Jeannette Manning, Chairperson of the Membership Committee and Member of the Worship Program Committee.
Thank you all for preserving the silence and the sanctity!
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TREC: "Removing Barriers to Racial Equality"
By Tempie Taudte
On Thursday, July 12, the Tampa Racial Equity Coalition (TREC) sponsored a Sylvia Rodriguez Kimbell Symposium titled: "Removing Barriers to Racial Equality." Dr. Roy Kaplan, one of the founders of TREC, gave opening remarks, summarizing the formation of TREC. The panel discussion focused on current disparities facing the African American and Hispanic/Latino communities in Tampa. How appropriate that we met in the West Tampa Public Library! During the program, three black and three Hispanic community leaders pointed to disparities in health, education and housing.
A personal note. In the 1970's, I worked in a Hillsborough County middle school where I met Dr. Kimbell. I remember her fondly. She was a respected community leader and educator. Her voice was strong, yet calm and compassionate. I feel blessed to have known her.
There's more. As we waited for the program to begin, members of our church began to arrive. In total, 7 UU's were there, including our minister, Rev. Dr. Sara Zimmerman, who served on the program planning committee! We recognized many community leaders, in addition to the panel members. To name a few: the mayor, a city commissioner, a member of the school board, and Rev. Bernice Powell Jackson, Pastor of First United Church (our sister church on Fowler).
TREC will meet again on August 16, at 7:00 p.m. in the West Tampa Public library. We will set up working groups to tackle these issues together. Will you join us?
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Spotlight
Jeannette Manning:
From Finance To Philosophy
With degrees in accounting, psychology, liberal  arts and business, what's a Renaissance woman to do?
For starters, Jeannette Manning spent three decades in finance and institutional planning at Queens University, a private, co-ed, master's level university with 2,600 students in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Along the way, she became president of the local 550 member Unitarian congregation. Three years later, it had grown to 650.
So, how did she get from finance to philosophy and church leadership?
"I was raised Episcopalian and expected all churches to be stiff, formal and embarrassing places to be. But after my divorce, someone said I would like the local UU church. It had an active singles group that met twice a month. (This was before online dating services!) My first Sunday morning there, the minister quoted Walt Whitman several times and I was hooked."
"I successfully avoided the Finance Committee in the Charlotte church--and have succeeded in that same effort here," she says with a smile, southern accent and twinkle in her eye. "But perhaps you never really get away from your true calling, because I still love working with numbers, sorting things out and building predictive models."
Three years after moving to Tampa, she lives with her partner, John Fox, in Brandon, and presently serves as chair of the Membership Committee and a member of the Worship Committee at UUCT, while leading a bi-monthly discussion group on "Great Courses," patterned after the Great Books series.
Still, her move further south and formal retirement brought deferred pleasures. "I now have time for gardening, baking and reading trash murder mysteries of the cozy-village genre."
So if "building predictive models" is still one of her talents, what does she predict for herself in five years?
"Well, my first grandchild is now 11 months old and I visit him often in Port St. Lucie. I suspect that will be part of my plans for a long time to come, but I might like to become involved in finance again down the road--in a fun sort of way. Speaking of roads, travel is also in my plans. Overall, I want this section of my life (my "golden" years) to be creative, contemplative, and authentic! --by Ron Hammerle
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Month of Sundays at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa
Services begin at 11 a.m.
August 5: It All Begins With A Story Rev. Sharon Streater Working together to live our principles and values of justice begins with a story. People from diverse backgrounds have and are connecting their own stories with the story of others to effectively do justice. Share how we discover and unite together on mutual self- interests to achieve justice that improves the quality of life of tens of thousands of people in Hillsborough County. Rev. Streater leads HOPE --the Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality.
August 12: Credo Sunday Rev. Dr. Sara Zimmerman As Unitarian Universalists, each one of us is encouraged to build our own theology. A "Building Your Own Theology" course has its final session on August 7. This class encourages everyone to look deeply at important moments and people in their lives for sources of understanding of how their past experiences influence their present spiritual convictions. Several students from the class will share their "Credos" - -their personal belief statements.
August 12 will be a New Member Sunday. If you would like to join the church during this service, please contact Rev. Sara, at revsaraz@aol.com or in person.
August 19: Summing Up: What I Learned in my Internship Roger Grugel During this service Roger Grugel, our ministerial intern this past year, will say goodbye to UUCT and share what he has learned about himself and about being in a religious community.
August 26: What is "Evil" to Unitarian Universalists? Rev. Dr. Sara Zimmerman This is the second sermon in a series that Rev. Zimmerman is drawing from July's "Question Box" request for sermon topics. On this date, Rev. Zimmerman will very likely conclude her remarks by saying "See you in March 2013" because on September 1, she will begin a six-month sabbatical.
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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 of these conversations will be to open communication and share ideas. Come with questions and ideas, but always with an open mind.
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Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt and dance like no one is watching. - Randall G Leighton
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