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Sunday,
March 31, 2013 at 7:15am and
10:30 am
Rev. Abhi Janamanchi
Rev. Dee Graham
At 7:15 am celebrate the cycle of rebirth and renewal at our sunrise service. The service will take place by the pond located between the Octagon and the Social Hall.
At 10:30am the service will explore why Easter is a meaningful celebration for Unitarian Universalists. The service will also feature the flower communion ritual. This special ritual involves the following: each person brings a flower from home or elsewhere; people leave their flowers in vases before the service; the vases are brought forward by the children during the service; and at the end of the service, each person comes forward and chooses a flower different from the one they brought.
Editor's 2 ¢:
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| Coming Soon | |
4th Annual All Congregation Retreat
April 5-7
Film: Two Who Dared
April 18 |
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Suan Hegner
Board President |
Wow! What a couple of weeks we have had. So much has happened recently that a brief review is probably in order.
Of course, Abhi's announcement of his likely move to the UU church in Bethesda, MD is foremost in our minds. We are very proud of Abhi for taking this next step in his ministry, and we are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for him and his family. We wish them all well in this new adventure.
At this time, we anticipate that Abhi will be with us through June. A congregational dinner will be scheduled soon so that we can all gather and properly celebrate his wonderful ministry in Clearwater...and don't worry, you will have an opportunity to contribute to a farewell gift. More on all that later.
In case you're wondering, the Board is in contact with the UUA and is in the process of preparing our application to recruit an Interim Minister. There is a well-established process for this. The Board will appoint a small search task force to interview candidates who express interest in our open position. We anticipate that this will be either a one or two-year appointment (yet to be determined) that will likely begin in August. As this is not a "called" ministry position, the Board will make the selection, per protocol established by the UUA. The process of searching for a permanent minister will be addressed at a later time, but you can be assured that it will be thorough and well-planned. The Board will keep you informed at each step along the way.
On March 17, we had a very successful congregational meeting. During this meeting we approved the Reverend Richard Norsworthy as Minister Emeritus. In his comments and acceptance of this honor, Rev. Norsworthy told a bit of his life story of work in the Civil Rights Movement, as well as his time as our minister in the mid-1960s. It was a very moving story for all of us who heard it. We are very pleased to be able to recognize and honor his amazing commitment to social justice.
At this meeting, we also reviewed recommendations from our Facility Improvement Task Force. Joe Myers presented three options for our consideration. After a period of questions and discussion, a vote was taken and the Gold Option was selected. Details are on the UUC Website.
The Congregation also authorized the Board to engage our UUA consultant to conduct a feasibility study for a possible capital campaign. $8,000 of reserve funds were approved to pay for this study. In light of Abhi's announcement, the Board is considering postponing this study to a later time. We will keep you up to date on this process as it unfolds.
And my last item is that we are now wrapping up our annual stewardship campaign. Several dozen of our dedicated members have fanned out across the Tampa Bay area to connect with their friends and fellow UUs. These visiting stewards have contacted, either by phone or in person, almost every one of our members and friends. If you have not yet made your pledge for the coming fiscal year that begins in June, please do so as soon as you can. Great thanks to everyone in the congregation for your wonderful support.
Email Susan |
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Igniting the Community: Sharing Our Stories
Peggy Tanny
Where do I begin to tell a story of how great a love can be?" ..."join us in teaching our children." By now the tears were streaming. I did not know him at all, but I marched up to him after service and said, still crying, "I want to teach."
Cassandra Moll-Alderman
"Grateful for my UU Community" UUC has been the perfect solution for our Inter-faith family.
Read the rest of their stories as well as other Stories. |
Open Issues: Sunday, March 31
"UU 2012 Tour of Alaska"
Presentation by Mark Brandt and Bill Norsworthy, with Barbara and Marie, of their trip with about 20 UUs last Summer. They will share their experiences with us, along with photos of the spectacular north country, including Denali National Park, Fairbanks, Anchorage, the glaciers near Sitka and much more.... a fun visit to Alaska, if only vicariously.... an excellent program for any UU who might be interested next year.
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Children's Religious Enrichment
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Jump for joy on Easter Sunday! Join us for an Easter Egg Hunt, egg toss and a very special Bounce House for all ages! Don't forget to bring a flower to share for Flower Communion! Volunteers are needed!
Are you looking for a way to give back to your spiritual home? The Religious Enrichment program has many volunteer opportunities available, so please contact Christine Pensa.UUC Religious Education Coordinator. |
Let's Celebrate! Igniting Community
Sunday, March 31, after 10:30 service |
 A Big Thank You to everyone who was part of our Stewardship Initiative to Ignite Community - to share our stories, share our gifts, and to create great things together! Celebrate with us after the Sunday Service on March 31 in the Social Hall. Have some cake and conversation with us! We want to thank you personally for being part of igniting our community! If you haven't yet pledged for next year, bring your pledge card to the service on Sunday! We set out to accomplish these important community actions and to keep it simple and make it fun in the process! We had a great response to our Sharing Our Stories program and heard from many people. It brought the community closer together. The more we know and appreciate each other, the better able we are to have conversations about what is important for the whole community and figure out how we can make it happen together! We were so richly rewarded by having the opportunity to work with a great stewardship team - over 40 people in all. And to experience a real feeling of community in all of the connections we made with each other! And the community - each of you - responded with generous hearts - to having conversations with callers and visitors and taking the time to consider how you want to contribute to the support of our congregation this coming year. Last Sunday we reported that we had 70% of the pledges in hand and that the average increase was 9%. A number of you increased those numbers by submitting your pledge cards on Sunday and we hope to have close to 100% in by this Sunday - our Celebration Sunday! This is important for a couple of reasons: 1. The board is putting together our financial plan for the coming year which we will all approve in May at our congregational meeting. More than 75% of our revenue comes from your pledges so it is important to know what to expect in support this coming year! 2. With Abhi's having an invitation to be considered as a candidate at another UU congregation, we know that we will have interim and ultimately ministerial candidates looking to us to see if we are a viable congregation. To get another outstanding minister, we need to show that we have our house in order so this is the call - help show that we do have the committed community to attract another superstar minister! Thank you for your generous hearts, your open minds, and for making this community a welcoming, warm, and connected place! |
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Last Saturday's Clean Up
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Who would have thought that this many leaves would be around UUC, but last Saturday's clean up group found them and corralled them.
Many thanks to Donna Polhamus, Ray Clayton, Carl Hansen, Jay Hardman, Earl Kipka, Debbie Bachtell and Jim Shiffer who pitched in to spruce up our UUC campus last Saturday. This mini-mountain of leaves is now composting in the garden...Great job, everyone! |
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 Our next regular meeting of the Clearwater Chapter of the UU PSI Symposium will be held after the morning service at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 31st, in the Patio Room at UUC. Karn Goff from www.EnergyofEnlightenment.com will lead a discussion on Past Lives. (Yes, I know it's Easter. What better day for this topic?) For more information contact Roberta Watson |
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 Join us April 4, April 11 and May 2, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., Thursday nights in the Patio Room New UU is a lively, highly interactive introduction to Unitarian Universalism and to the Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater. Led by Rev. Abhi Janamanchi, the sessions consider where individuals are in their own spirit lives, the beliefs and principles of Unitarian Universalism, and the UUC congregation. The seminar is a solid intro to a faith system that embraces diversity. |
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On Friday March 29th we begin discussing the book "Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love" by Dava Sobel. We revisit the life of the great Italian scientist through the eyes of his eldest daughter, a cloistered nun.
Reader's Forum is led by Catherine & John Conover and meets every Friday at 10 a.m. It is free, with only a suggested $5 donation per month for coffee. All are welcome. For more information, go to Readers Forum.
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 Friday, March 29, in the Social Hall at 7:00pm and the last Friday of Every Month.
We play cards and have fun. |
Japanese Cultural Festival |
 On Saturday, March 30th, from 4-8 p.m., Rissho Kosei-kai will sponsor the second annual Japanese Cultural Festival here at UUC! Experience an outdoor festival celebrating Japanese culture. There will be traditional and modern Japanese music, food, dance, games, activities, and much more!!
Entrance is only $5. They are looking for volunteers who would like to help. If you are interested, please email Rev. Nick Ozuna .
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Film Night & Discussion: Wednesday, April 3 at 7:00pm in the Patio Room
A recent sci-fi film from Korea, translated as Doomsday Book, explores the interface between technology and the spirituality. Can a robot achieve enlightenment? Should corporations determine our spiritual evolution? Who are we, really? Does a computer have Buddha-nature or not? We will watch the 40 minute long second chapter only, complete in itself.
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 Attorney George Felos, who represented Michael Shiavo in a protracted legal battle to honor his wife's wishes to be removed from life support, will talk to the Compassion & Choices group in the Patio Room on Thursday, April 4th, promptly at 1:30 pm. His topic will be "The Legal Aspects of Assistance in Dying." Feel free to join us.
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 Tuesday, Apr 9, 7-9 pm in the Chorale Room of UUC
King Corn is a feature length documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation.
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 Many new members cite a goal of "making new friends of like-minded people" as one of the goals they had when joining UUC. Why not supercharge that goal and make new friends from across the entire state of Florida! On Fri, April 12 thru Sun April 14, the Ft. Myers UU congregation will host the Florida District Annual Assembly & Business Meeting. In addition to great speakers, inspirational worship, and interactive workshops, there will be time to meet and make friends with UUs from all corners of the Florida District. On Fri, April 12 at 5pm, registration and a reception will kickoff the weekend, followed by a business meeting. View Flyer Register |
Parent Covenant Group
Sunday, April 14th at 12:30 pm in the Choral Room |
We want to build a Covenant Group as an experience for our members juggling the joys of parenting and trying
to meet one's own adult spiritual development needs.
We will be following the monthly discussion points used by the congregation...so while this is not a parenting support group, it is a group that supports parents.
Child Care will be offered in the RE area. Please inform us by the preceding Thursday, if possible, what the number and ages of the children that will be needing care so that we have the proper coverage.
If you wish, feel free to bring your lunch for your family and perhaps a dish to share.
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Drumming Circle
Fundraiser for UUC - Drum circle taught by Barry Skeete, Master Drummer on Thursday, April 18th at 8 PM at Ann Scott's house.
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PUBLICATION DEADLINES OCTAGRAM - WEEKLY EVERY THURSDAY The Octagram is intended to focus on activities taking place at UUC or those of interest to UUC members and friends. Send items in brief with a link to more information to Octagram. PLEASE DO NOT SEND INFORMATION FORMATTED, OR IN A FLIER. Provide text in an email, or as an attached Word file with any pictures/graphics attached to the email. Deadline is 10 a.m. every Wednesday. Prepared by Barbara Bird. ORDER OF SERVICE/ANNOUNCEMENTS - WEEKLY EVERY SUNDAY SERVICE: Deadline is 6 p.m. every Wednesday. Send appropriate items to Order of Service/Announcements. Prepared by Pat St. Clair. ITEMS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINES WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE FOLLOWING PUBLICATION, IF APPLICABLE. |
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Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater | 2470 Nursery Road, Clearwater, FL 33764
727-531-7704 | Fax 727-531-4188
Copyright © 2013 Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater. All Rights Reserved..
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