GREAT COURSES DISCUSSION NEW DAY-TIME HOURS

 We are getting closer to modern times!   

Everyone is welcome; join us when you can. Snacks are provided.  

Questions? Contact Jeannette Manning, 813-857-0468, manningjea@yahoo.com.  

As the new FUNdraising Committee Chair, let me first explain the functions of the Committee: The Fundraising Committee conducts events each year for the support of the UUCT General Fund and to build community among congregation members. I will be reaching out to committees and groups to encourage their participation in planning some of the events. I am also interested in ideas that any of you may have.

Some FUNdraisers already scheduled are:

SCRIP--ongoing

Spaghetti Dinner in August

Auction in November

I am available as a resource for any other fundraisers as well.

If you are interested in joining the FUNdraising committee, or have great ideas for fundraisers please contact me at stagilmore@yahoo.com. (Disclaimer: if you have great fundraiser ideas you may be recruited to join the committee)

Scrip FUNdraising

UUCT is now signed up with Scrip to raise funds for the church's general fund. The best part about Scrip is that it does not cost you anything! You purchase gift cards for places you already shop, and the church receives a portion!

Visit http://www.shopwithscrip.com/ to see the list (it's long!) and to purchase gift cards. UUCT's Enrollment Code is 8FB2E1CE35565

Questions? E-mail Stacy Gilmore, our FUNdraising Chairperson at stagilmore@yahoo.com 

 BOY SCOUTS, COMMISSIONERS, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, & FL SB 196:

THE GLBTQ RIGHTS ROLLER COASTER

By: Pat Fearns, Interweave Chair, interweave@uutampa.org

Just now, GLBTQ community members are experiencing more ups and downs on the rights roller coaster. Please don't misunderstand me-many events within the last month have positively impacted the GLBTQ community, but there have also been an alarming number of negatives as well.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced recently that its 1,400-member National Council will vote in May, possibly to ease their ban on gay scouts and adult leaders, by allowing sponsors of local troops to decide whether to admit gays. Is this really a move toward inclusivity? Or does it place the burden of discriminatory practices on the local level and thus deflect the negative publicity from the BSA? Although many consider this vote a step in the right direction, others think even a vote to ease the ban will still condone discriminatory behavior.

Just days after President Barack Obama declared in his Inauguration speech: "...Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal, as well"; four members of the Hillsborough County Commission ruled 4 to 3 against the enactment of a Domestic Partnership Registry (DPR). The proposal led by Mark Sharpe and backed by Les Miller and openly gay commissioner Kevin Beckner was opposed by Victor Crist, Ken Hagan, Al Higginbotham, and Sandra Murman.

On February 11th, departing U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta extended benefits previously denied by the Pentagon, to same-sex spouses of service members as well as to the unmarried partners of gay troops. These benefits, automatically provided to heterosexual military spouses, include childcare services, member-designated hospital visits, and military ID cards allowing access to facilities and subsequent discounts. Although GLBTQ advocates consider this change "substantive and encouraging," they note that the federal Defense Of Marriage Act still blocks the Department Of Defense from enacting more than 85 other benefits provided to heterosexual military spouses and their children---most notably medical and dental care, housing allowances, and death benefits.

Early this week Florida Senate Bill 196 (SB 196), which creates a statewide system for registering and affording recognition to domestic partnerships, failed to move past the Senate Committee on Children, Families & Elderly Affairs, the first of 5 hurdles before a full senate vote. Dubbed the Family First Bill, SB 196 was introduced by Broward County's Eleanor Sobel and supported by Palm Beach's Joseph Abruzzo and Jeff Clemens, and Orange County's Darren Soto. Sobel recommended to temporarily postpone (TP) the bill, allowing it to be reworded to narrow its scope and align it with existing DPRs in Sarasota and Tampa. Significantly, this bill would have eliminated individual jurisdictions having to pass DPR laws (like the defeated Hillsborough County DPR). Many opponents of SB 196 intimated the bill was "legislating gay marriage in Florida." NOT!

What we need to focus on is not how many times we get knocked down in our battles for GLBTQ equality, but that we keep standing back up and taking another step forward!

By Pat Fearns, Social Action Chair, socialjustice@uutampa.org

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) has recently entered into a partnership of farm workers, Florida tomato growers and 11 major food corporations including Burger King, McDonalds, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods. This partnership focuses on advancing the human rights and dignity of farm workers, and it is becoming a model for social responsibility in the US produce industry.

However, noticeable by its absence is Publix, one of the largest supermarket corporations in the country. The CIW believes that the purchasing power of Publix could significantly strengthen their human rights gains, and they believe that action is the way to prove it.

The March for Rights, Respect, & Fair Food is a two-week, 175-mile farmworker led journey from Ft. Myers to Publix Headquarters in Lakeland, to demand that Publix support the fundamental human rights taking root in Florida fields.

How you can help:

1. Join for any part of the march: the entire event, the last weekend, or the last day.
2. Invite a farmworker to speak at your organization or school.
3. Organize caravans from your congregation, organization, or school to join for the final few miles and celebration at Publix Headquarters. Meet at Publix, 3636 Harden Blvd., Lakeland, on Sunday, 3/17/13 at 2 p.m.
4. Meet at: Publix Headquarters, 3300 Publix Corporate Pkwy, Lakeland, on Sunday 3/17/13 at 4 p.m.
5. Join the UUCT Social Action Committee in helping to provide and/or serve breakfast for the marchers (150) on Thursday, 3/14/13. This action is spearheaded by Dottie Mann, who is helping to organize the preparation of a "Marchers Torte" and is sponsored by the Social Action Committee. For more information about the Marchers Torte recipe contact Dottie @ DOROMOM@gmail.com or call 813-985-2342. Or to get involved in preparation, delivery, or serving and/or make contributions of materials for the breakfast, please contact Pat Fearns @ PATAFEARNS@live.com or call 813-653-4378 (H)/476-3913 (C).

For more information visit: www.ciw-online.org/march or contact Claire: 239-313-1081 or CLAIRE@INTERFAITH.ORG .

Let's step up and help make this march for human rights and dignity a great success!

Taoist Tai Chi and its Benefits to Mind and Spirit*

Tai Chi is a present I gave myself for my 50th birthday. Prior to starting my Tai Chi practice, I had been diagnosed with moderate to severe spinal degeneration, bursitis in both Achilles heels, and while not diagnosed, sciatic pain in my left hip. While I had always been physically active, riding bicycles for thousands of miles and playing adult soccer for 13 years, I noticed on a later week-long bicycle trip in Wisconsin, that I had lost the flexibility needed to get up and down to set up camp and crawl into a two-man tent in order to sleep on the ground and put everything away the next morning.

I am in my tenth year of Tai Chi, becoming a beginning instructor about five years ago and Continuing in Training in March 2011. As you all can probably guess, Tai Chi has resolved all of these physical issues and improved my strength and balance as well.

That being said, my career has been in mental health. I started working with children, youth, teens, and parents for Hillsborough County over 33 years ago. Now I have been in private practice in Temple Terrace for almost 5 years. This is what I wrote for the Brandon Center's Re-Grand Opening Ceremony.

I have been asked to speak briefly on the impact on mind and spirit from the art and practice of Tai Chi. My hope is that I have been asked to speak on this subject because of my love and professional acquaintance with psychology. I say that because when I hear "mind and spirit" I think of psychology and the psychological impact that Tai Chi has on me, and I think, on all students of Tai Chi as well.

When I think of the psychological benefits of Tai Chi, I think of them on two levels; obvious and subtle. When I say obvious psychological benefits, I am talking about behaviors that are consistent with good mental health. These behaviors are discipline, commitment and dedication. Discipline is shown when we make the time for classes, workshops, and travel. Commitment is shown when we make our financial contributions and pitch in with cleaning and other chores. Dedication to the practice is shown by our striving to grow our knowledge of Tai Chi and grow our awareness of our bodies. This striving that we practice is a different paradigm from our cultural ambition for perfection and success. In Tai Chi, we "only" want to relax and allow ourselves to merely function.

These behaviors-discipline, commitment, and dedication-are healthy behaviors, making Tai Chi a wellness activity. Wellness is a positive and proactive perspective that effectively replaces another cultural paradigm; focusing on what is wrong with us and what our deficits are.

Another more obvious psychological benefit comes from Tai Chi's physical movement. Our bodies evolved to move and our minds evolved to solve problems. Tai Chi in effect becomes a challenge to be solved and in doing so, stimulates our minds. Physical and mental stimulation are effective counter behaviors to depression.

For me, a much more subtle psychological benefit from Tai Chi impacts a very significant cultural bias or perspective of individual self. It has been suggested by wiser psychologists than me that our focus on self is the basis for most of our psychological and emotional difficulties.

But to shift this perspective from self to others may be the most challenging behavior of any that I have already mentioned. I think Tai Chi's historical foundation in Taoism shifts this focus away from the individual self to the group, to this Tai Chi Society. We are encouraged from the very beginning to connect with each other, both in the practice of doing the set together and taking tea breaks. It is practiced as we work together to plan and execute our events as well as when we prepare our banquets or meals and when we eat together. This selflessness is practiced when we serve each other; as instructors, set leaders, or when we are pouring tea and ladling portions of food at the table. It is practiced when we conform to the timing of the set leaders. It is practiced when we let go of being righteous and practice harmony.

Our tradition draws upon the eight virtues of Confucius. This essence of selflessness is found in all of the eight virtues. Less focus on the self and more focus on others is the most powerful psychological benefit of them all.

*Editor's note:  This article may look familiar at first because part of it ran in the January issue.  This time we've managed to include the whole article.  

My thanks to Randy Gainforth for his calm approach to our mistake and his patience toward our slow corrective action.  

Young Adult Group (YAG) Corner

By Anna Deyle, YAG Leader

YAG stands for the Young Adult Group, a community of UUCTs age 18 to 35(ish), who meet to enjoy social, volunteering, and spiritual activities. We have been keeping busy in the past couple of months!

In January, we met for a fun night of bowling in addition to our monthly brunch meeting. In February, we had 11 young adults at our brunch meeting, including 3 young adults who joined us for the first time. Our other February events included volunteering at the monthly UUCT Buildings and Grounds Clean Up and a movie and appetizer night. YAG members have also been taking turns leading the Popcorn Theology Sunday classes for the church youth aged 11-17. We are enjoying spending time with these young churchgoers who may grow up to be YAG members someday!

We have been holding planning meetings on the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Building. In these meetings we plan events for the following month. We are currently planning one social event and one spiritual/volunteering event per month (in addition to our monthly brunch meeting). Any young adults who would like to help us plan activities are welcome to join us!

We have several fun activities planned for March! On Saturday, March 2nd we will be taking a trip to the Strawberry Festival in Plant City. Young adults who would like to join us, meet us in the church parking lot at 9:00 a.m. On Saturday, March 9th we will be attending the Bolt Run at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The Bolt Run helps to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Registration costs $30 and includes participation in either a 5K run or a 1 mile Family Fun Run as well as tickets to the Lightning hockey game on 3/9. Visit http://lightning.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=84574 for more information. Our next monthly brunch will be Sunday, March 10th at the First Watch Café off of Fowler Avenue, following the church service.

If you would like more information about our group, please e-mail us at: uuctyag@gmail.com  

You can also check out our webpage at: http://uuctyag.org/ and our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/UUCT-Young-Adult-Group/304410489677680   

Friendship Dinners

Potluck dinners in members' homes are ongoing. Check the bulletin board in the back of the church every week to see the latest sign-up sheet. We could use more hosts. Notify Pat Busbice to get it started. You stipulate the number of guests you would like, and provide an entrée. Any church member/friend can sign up.

See Pat Busbice or contact her at pwbuzz77@gmail.com or 813-994-0355.

Buildings and Grounds Day Thank You's

A special thanks to members of the Church's Young Adult Group, YAG, specifically Anna Deyle, Krista Corbin-Keith, Seth Keith, and Greg Culmone, for showing up on the last Buildings and Ground Day (February 9, 2013) and quadrupling the size of the work force of the usual suspects, namely Marla Frazier and Bill Blymiller. This small, but aggressive crew made quick work of cleaning out the Small Dome, lowering the size of the mulch pile, cleaning the carpet in the large dome, and repairing benches. Thanks to all for making it a very successful winter's workday.

If you, too, would like an equal opportunity to "...lift that barge and tote that bale..." at our next Buildings and Grounds Day, on March 9, 2013, please arrive at Church around 9 am, preferably in old clothes. The main focus of the work effort will be to re-paint the interior of the Little Dome. If you have an old paint roller and pan, please bring it. This task will be one of the initial steps in the effort to re-purpose our Little Dome. Hope to see you there.

Ed Benedict, Buildings Chair