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Sunday,
April 21, 2013 at
10:30 am
Christine Pensa
Charlotte Olsen
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Rachel Christensen |
Cathy Costa
Barry Skeete
A spirited worship service that celebrates Earth Day with stories, poetry, and music.
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UUC Women's Spirit
May 15-19
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Susan Hegner
Board President |
The Board of Trustees has appointed the Interim Minister Selection Committee. Bill Dishongh, Joe Myers, Ann Scott, Pat St. Clair, and chairperson Meena Saxena will be working the next few weeks to recommend to the Board their selection for the Interim Minister. President Elect, Cassie Alderman, will serve Ex Officio on the committee. Last Sunday, UUA Moderator, Gini Courter, took the time after the service to answer your questions about the UUA interim process and the difference between that search and the search for a permanent minister. Later that afternoon, the Selection Committee members met with Rev. Marni Harmony who is the outgoing interim minister at the UU Tarpon Springs church. Marni is retiring, and she came to answer the committee's questions about the process and the committee responsibilities. During this week, AIMS (Accredited Interim Ministers) and AIMIT (Accredited Interim Ministers In Training), are having their annual meeting in Texas. The UUC Interim Application will be on display to the 40 or so Interim Ministers and by following week, the UUA Transitions Office will forward to our Selection Committee the names of potential candidates. At that time, the Selection Committee will start the intensive interviewing process. In addition, UUC Trustee Board members, Judy Wade and Peggy Tanny, with the assistance of webmaster, John Connolly, spent Saturday April 6th and many hours since, putting together a packet of information about UUC. This information packet will be available to UUC members and the interim ministerial candidates on the Member's section of the UUC website (members may call the front office at 727-531-7704 for password information). We are anticipating that we will have our Interim Minister on board in August. This is an exciting step in our progress, and we are looking forward to a bright and happy future. More FAQs:
How long will the Interim Minister be at UUC? The UUA Transitions office recommends a two year interim. The Interims are trained to guide a congregation through specific tasks and the intensive process of searching for the permanent minister. We have asked for a one year contract, with the option of renewing. It is anticipated that the Interim will be with us for at least 18 months. What will be the salary paid to the Interim Minister? We will be offering the mid-range salary based on our region and size. However, the Board's goal is to hire the very best person for the job, and the salary will be negotiable within the boundaries of our budget. What other expenses are there? We will be providing most of the benefits offered to a permanent minister, along with some moving expenses. What happens now to our proposed building plans and the UUC strategic plan? The concepts developed by the Building Task Force are not on the shelf. What has changed is the time table. The Board will be considering the advantages and disadvantages of going forward at this time or waiting until we no more about our immediate future. |
Open Issues: Sunday, April 21
Marcia Bailey with "Compassion & Choices: The nation's oldest right to die organization"
Marcia is a retired social worker who has led a bereavement group, worked for Hospice, and was a long-time Board member of a Funeral Consumers Alliance in Virginia, also a self-described activist. | |
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Children's Religious Enrichment
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Please join us this Sunday for a very special Spirited Worship Service to celebrate and honor Earth Day.
Remember to purchase one of our Mother's Day Hershey's Chocolate Bouquets to benefit the UUC youth group and Khasi Hills School in India. See the Religious Enrichment Table in the Social Hall for more details.
I hope to see you on Sunday with a smile!
Are you looking for a way to give back to your spiritual home? The Religious Enrichment program has many volunteer opportunities available.
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4th Annual Congregational Retreat |
 This was an amazing experience! We had a great group of 44 youth and adults for the weekend with an additional 11 that came for the day on Saturday. There was ziplining, canoeing, archery, nature walks led by our own Jungle Jay, children's art with Charlotte Olson, dutch oven cooking with Pete Pensa, music, games, relaxation and a whole lot of community togetherness. This was a truly intergenerational gathering with people, young and young at heart, having a great time together. During our worship service Sunday morning so many folks shared how they had met and bonded with people who they had never met or had never had a chance to talk to before that weekend. Our very first T-shirt design contest was won by Susan Hegner, whose design will be printed on T-shirts commemorating the 2013 UUC Congregational Retreat. The T-shirts will be up for sale soon. Thank you very much to everyone who participated in this event or supported it in any way. We are so grateful! The Retreat Planning Committee Jenn Bouchie, chair, Pete Pensa, Dale Niemann, and Victoria Nichols |
Hats Off! to Jenn Bouchie and Her Team |
 | | Jenn Bouchie |
Hats Off to Jenn Bouchie and her team for their wonderful work on the UUC Annual Retreat held at Cedarkirk in Lithia, Florida, the weekend of April 5-7. The adults, youth and children enjoyed the opportunity to get together and partipate in canoing, nature walks, zipline, crafts, singing around the camp fire or just relaxing in the sunshine. Thank you Jenn and the Retreat Committee, Dale Nieman, Pete Pensa, and Victoria Nichols. |
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 UUC is Honored to have received TWO awards at the Florida District Assembly on April 12 - 14. Such a terrific recognition of our members, of our Congregation, and of the work we do here. Please take a minute to celebrate these awards with me. We will present these awards during the service on Sunday, April 21:
Lifetime Achievement Award
Sue Boone, UUs of Clearwater
Sue is a 33 year UU, has been president of two different congregations, Director of the Southwest UU Summer Institute in Texas, Treasurer of the North Carolina Mountain Retreat site for UU's, served as bookkeeper and worked on Worship Associates program in her congregation, a volunteer coordinator at the 1994 and 2008 General Assembly and currently head usher for GA. She is the Treasurer of the Women's Federation working for justice for women and girls.
Outstanding Newsletter, to honor outstanding media Barbara Bird, Octagram Newsletter, UUs of Clearwater. This newsletter, The Octagram, clearly stood out as superior and is a weekly, multi page, electronic issue rather than a monthly issue, a huge chore calling for significant coordination and cooperation from the congregation. The newsletter is very attractive and clean looking and has its information laid out in an easy to find manner.
Rachel Christensen
Intern Minister
Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater |
Sponsor a Khasi Hills Student
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Thank you for your continued support of the students and teachers of the Margaret Barr Memorial School in the Khasi Hills of India. Because of your generosity and support from the Social Justice Committee, we are able to send $5,000 to the school this week. Your donation will be reflected in your end of the year statement.
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Two Who Dared: The Sharps' War  | |
The film will be shown on Thursday, April 18 at 7:00pm in the Octagon.
This documentary chronicles the story of a Unitarian minister, Waitstill Sharp, and his wife Martha who, just days prior to the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia, left their young children in Massachusetts to help save thousands being persecuted in Eastern Europe. This film describes the remarkable courage of a young couple who risked their lives to personally rescue hundreds of Jews from Nazi persecution. It includes several interviews with men and women who were young children when the Sharps brought them to the United States. |
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On Friday, April 19th,we begin discussing the book "A Land Remembered" by Patrick D. Smith. The story opens with a rich but despondent Solomon Macivey as he cruises along Biscayne Bay in his silver Rolls Royce, then jumps back in time to 1858, when his grandfather, Tobias MacIvey, arrives in the Florida wilderness to start a new life with his wife and infant son. The sweeping story that emerges is a rich, rugged Florida history featuring a memorable cast of crusty, indomitable Crackers battling wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes to carve a kingdom out of a swamp. They survive and prosper, but at a high cost. No wonder this novel is such a hit!
A Land Remembered was winner of the Florida Historical Society Tebeau Prize as the Most Outstanding Florida Historical Novel.
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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The next UUC Humanists Group meeting will be held on Sunday April 21st, at 12:30. Ed Ericson will be speaking on "Separating Myth and History in Christian Origins." Separately, the Dunedin City Commission will be presenting a Day of Reason Proclamation designating Thursday, May 2nd as the appointed day that promotes the use of science and rationality in human affairs. Mark Brandt had proposed this proclamation -- which the National Coalition of Reason has been sponsoring -- to Ron Barnette, Dunedin City Commissioner and speaker at our last UUC Humanists Group meeting. Prior to the May 2nd date, Mark will be officially presented with the proclamation at the Dunedin City Commissioner's meeting this Thursday, April 18th, at 6:30pm. It would be good if we had some additional members from our group attend this meeting with Mark as he receives the proclamation. The event will be held at the Dunedin City Hall, located on the 400 block of Main Street in downtown Dunedin. UUC Humanists Steering Committee |
FAST School Board Meeting: April 23 |
 FAST members will attend the Pinellas County Board of Education Meeting to support a free pilot progam of Direct Education for reading instruction in our failing schools.
This is a follow-up to the FAST General Assembly, where UUC had almost 50 participants among reportedly 3,000 assembled. In spite of the assemblies successes, the Superintendent of Schools has not addressed our concerns, did not appear and sent an assistant who had no power to make decisions.
We will meet at the School Board office, 301 4th St SW Largo, at 4:45 p.m. on April 23rd.
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Plan Ahead for These Coming Events
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South of the Border Garden Party |
 Saturday April 27, 2-8PM at Terry Stapleton's Home, 580 S. Florida Ave., Tarpon Springs UUC's Annual Spring Garden Party will include:
Great Mexican Food
Soft Drinks, Beer & Wine
South of the Border Music
Children Crafts and Games Mexican Dance Instructions
Swimming, Golf, Horse Shoes, etc.
Please RSVP to Terry.
Car Pool if Possible.
Rain Delay Sunday April 28.
See the flyer
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 New Member Recognition Ceremony. April 28 is another red letter day for our congregation! New members will join UUC, and once again, we'll exchange our pledges of covenant. Plan to show our traditional radical hospitality as we welcome our newest UUs into the fold. Join the fun afterwards in the Social Hall as we continue the celebration with our traditional enthusiastic consumption of cake!
All are welcome - Let's celebrate!
For anyone interested in becoming a new member on April 28, contact Ann Kanuck of our Welcoming Team. |
Regenerative Film Series: Bag It: Is Your Life Too Plastic? |
May 1 at 7:00pm in the Patio Room of the Social Hall. For more information, email Jay. |
Drumming Circle Fundraiser |
 On Wednesday, May 8, at 8 pm at Ann Scott's house, have fun while you join master drummer Barry Skeet for a drumming lesson while you enjoy some wine. The cost of $10 goes to UUC. Please RSVP by May 1 |
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Are you tired of traffic?
Gas prices?
Road construction?
Parking problems?
Would you like your own personal chauffeur so that you can relax, read a book, listen to music without the headache of dodging orange cones and changing lanes?
Then you may be interested in learning how to Ride the Bus!
On May 15th at 2 PM the Environmental Justice Team of UUC will host Mr. Bob Lasher, representative of PSTA's Community Relations Ride the Bus Program.
Mr. Lasher will present a hands-on instruction and provide a full set of bus schedules along with a system map and other informational brochures. We will learn how to use these materials to get around on PSTA. This service is provided free of charge. Also offered is a representative assisted round-trip bus ride to show us how easy it is to take the bus. This could be scheduled sometime in the future.
This is a great opportunity for many of us to decrease our dependence on gas, lower our carbon footprint and help change our views of mass transit.
We look forward to seeing you at this presentation. If you have any questions, please email Barbara Shimer . |
Strawberry shortcake...for a cause. What could be better? The Pinellas Support Committee of The National Farmworkers Ministry will be holding their annual Berry Fest to honor the work of our local berry pickers in Plant City as well as to raise funds to support the campaign to improve conditions for farmworkers throughout the country. The featured speakers will be Bert Perry, the retiring Florida coordinator of the NFWM and David Haney one of the main coordinators of the annual toy and blanket drive in Plant City. The event will be held on April 20 at 5:30 at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church at 3200 N McMullen Booth Rd. directly across from Mease Countryside Hospital. The event and shortcake are free with love offerings gratefully accepted.
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"Immigration is the civil rights issue of our time". Several people, including Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), have stated this, and as legislation goes to Congress, we want to keep informed on this vital issue. On Tuesday, April 30th at 7 PM, the UU Social Justice Council will sponsor a panel discussion on compassionate comprehensive immigration reform. Rev. Jamanachi will moderate a panel including Nuyet Duong, Senior Advisor from the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Rev. Russell Meyer, Executive Director, Florida Council of Churches, and Edwin Enciso, organizer with CIR NOW. For more information on this event, go to the Social Justice table this Sunday.
Jennifer Troth of the UUA sent this link to a video about immigration. A four and ½ minute must watch:
http://www.notonemoredeportation.com/?key=0
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Join Us in Solidarity for Social Justice! |
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Pinellas Support Committee of the National Farm Worker Ministry
Invites You to the
Spring Berry Festival
Saturday, April 20, 2013 |
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Join PSC
as We Pay Tribute to Bert Perry and David Haney
Saturday, April 20, 2013
5:30 p.m.
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
3200 North McMullen Booth Rd.
Clearwater, FL 33765
(across from Mease Countryside Hospital)
Keynote Speaker, Bert Perry
Advocate for Farm Workers for over 30 years through NFWM - FL and the United Church of Christ and Guest Speaker, David Haney
Retired Lt Col, US Air Force & Active Member of St Paul's Catholic Farm Worker Ministry Program
Home-made berry dessert will be served.
Donations will gratefully be accepted
and will be used to help farm workers in Florida
If you are unable to attend our Berry Festival, please support farm workers in Florida by sending your tax-deductible contribution to PSC Treasurer, Shirley James at: 701 Pinehurst Rd, Apt 2A, Dunedin, FL 34698
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The Coalition of Imokolee Workers has received recognition from the White House. CIW's early anti-slavery efforts were called the "spark that ignited a movement" at a White House ceremony. To see more about the report that initiated the comments go to: http://www.ciw-online.org/ .
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The People's Money: A Discussion about Ideas for the New Economy with Alice Maggio and Susan Witt from the Schumacher Center for New Economics will be presented on Monday, April 22nd at 7:00 PM at the Enoch Davis Recreation Center, 1111 18th Avenue South, St. Petersburg.
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Now is the time to call your state representative or senator on issues that concern you. May 3rd is the last day for regular sessions and much will be done in a flurry from now until the end of the session. Keep your eye on issues that concern you as a UU. The web site for the House is http://www.myfloridahouse.gov
and for the Senate:
http://www.flsenate.gov/
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If you would like to receive action alerts from the UU Legislative Ministry of Florida, just email Kindra Muntz. To join, just email her your name, phone number, email address, congregation, and she will add you to their growing list. Remember to put "UULMF Action alerts" on the subject line, so Kindra doesn't miss the email. As Kindra says, "The more people who take action, the likelier we can stop some of these bad bills."
--Donna Polhamus |
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UUC Wins National Social Justice Award Each year the UUA recognizes a UU congregation's Social Justice Program by awarding the congregation the Bennett Congregational Social Justice Award for Human Rights and Social Action. The 2013 recipient of the award is the UUC! The UUA will be putting a notice of this award on their website and posting this to various email lists. In addition, we will be receiving at GA a framed certificate and a $500 award check. The application including the letters of support from our community partners will be posted on the UUC website. Please take a few moments to read it. Many thanks to all the people who have worked in the UUC's Social Justice Program over the years to make this program worthy of this national award. |
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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