HAPPENING SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12
* 9:30 a.m. Forum: "Election - 2010" Kathy Dent, Presenter; Jim Chastain, ModeratorThe Supervisor of Elections will explain how the elections are run in Sarasota County to ensure total fairness and accuracy.
* 10:30 a.m. : "Water of Life" Rev. Margret A. O'Neall
In the ebb and flow of the seasons, we leave and return, again and again, our lives flowing like the turning of the tides. As autumn brings the familiar patterns of school, work, and church, we celebrate a symbolic joining of our separate streams into the life of community.
* Religious Education with Jill Collum - The students will first join the rest of the congregation in the Sanctuary for a Story for All Ages with Rev. LoraKim Joyner. Then, the teen class will address child labor and children's rights, while the Pre-Kindergarten-First Grade class will join with the Second Grade-Fifth Grade class to learn about hunger. The teens will be led by Dana and Mary Lou Keller and will meet in the Clara Barton Teen Room, while the younger kids will be taught by Jill Collum, Molly Robinson and Isabel Oake
with the assistance of Angeline Parkin-Milambiling in the Jefferson Room.
OTHER SUNDAY EVENTS
* VERY IMPORTANT: The Search Committee Survey - The Ministerial Search Committee has been charged to recommend a minister that best meets the needs of this congregation. The committee is grateful that so many of you participated in the focus groups last spring. As many of you know, the next step is tallying the congregational survey. The survey results will be combined with information that has been collected through the focus groups, other interviews and statistical data. This information will comprise the church's Congregational Record. It will be posted on the UUA Ministerial Settlement System's webpage. The posting will serve as the primary means of communicating who we are and what we seek in the next minister. The survey was emailed to members and friends on Monday, August 30th. Thanks to the many people who have already completed the survey on line and returned it to the office electronically. For those that haven't yet filled out the survey, please do so today. If you haven't received the survey either electronically or by regular mail, please stop by the Ministerial Search table in the courtyard after the service. For anyone that would rather fill the survey out by hand, hard copies will be available at the Search Committee's table today.
OUR COMMUNITY
* Please call Dee Widder at 377-9028 if you or someone you know has a caring need.
* Wondering Where to Donate Your Old Computer? Mel Tomas and his organization SPCUG (Sarasota Personal Computers Users Group) provide free computers to school students and working people who cannot afford them. Mel's group of techies thoroughly cleans the hard drive, but UUCS takes no responsibility for any personal information you happen to leave on your donated computer. SPCUG reinstalls system software and installs a small number of open source programs for word processing and spreadsheet applications. Apples and PCs, desktops and portables, are all accepted. Donation Date: Sunday, Sept 19. Time: 10 AM. Place: Look for Mel Thomas' 1998 Lexus behind the church in the north parking lot. Drive your computer right to his car. Contact Mel at 383-9203 or Melane75@comcast.net) if you have any doubt about whether your computer meets his criteria.
* Search Committee Picture Request
The Ministerial Search Committee is looking for pictures of UUCS activities. We are especially interested in action photos of church events both on and off the campus. Special events would be great: Get Together Suppers, RE picnics, Habitat work, Thanksgiving meal at church, committee meetings and projects, Social Justice activities, church grounds work, art shows, special Sunday services, etc. We seek those scenes which would help a prospective minister better know UUCS. We will create a container in the church office where you could bring the pictures, or you could give them directly to Search Committee members. Be sure to put you name on the picture and identify the activity and people. If you have photos stored on your computer you could send them to us for processing.
Ruth Agnew, Ron Brown, Jeanie Craig, Shirley Foss, Wilda Meier, Jim Raudabaugh, Ruth Sheridan, Don Slate, and Gayle VanPeenen.
* Have you filled out your Memorial form? The Minister would like to have your confidential information on file should you be planning to have a service in our church. Also, particularly if you live alone, it can help us locate your family should you need help. The form is available at our website or at the Office.
* Thanks to everyone responsible for our after-service hospitality. Planning, setup and clean up all take time. The Arts Council will be in charge today; Tony Dalsimer is responsible for washing the mugs.
* Donate flowers for Sunday to honor someone special or celebrate an occasion by signing up at the kiosk and calling Nancy Sciore at 922-0243.
* Happy Birthday!
Upcoming birthdays (from September 5 through September 11):
September 5 - Wendell Hough
September 7 - Ilene Gillispie
September 9 - Douglas Bendel
September 9 - Harlene Henderson
September 10 - Sandy Hayes
If you have a birthday this week, and you do not see your name, please be sure to contact the office at 371-4974 and we will be happy to add you to the list!
UPCOMING EVENTS
* Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 7:30 pm Interfaith Service for Understanding & Peace As a constructive response to acts of violence and destruction in the name of religion, Sarasota-area religious institutions are collaborating to create an Interfaith Service for Understanding & Peace at: First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota at 2050 Oak Street.
We are gathering to remember the victims of violence in the name of religion; to denounce hate, fear-mongering and violence in all its forms; and to celebrate religious diversity, stand in solidarity and dedicate ourselves to working for peace and understanding. There will be a reception following the service; please let Rev. Margret or Roberta know if you would like to bring food for the reception (keeping in mind the dietary practices of other religious groups).
* Water Celebration on September 12 - We officially end our Unitarian Universalist summer program and return to the regular church year on Sunday, September 12. To celebrate that return, we will offer a meditative "Gathering of the Waters" during the morning church service. You may bring a small container of water that symbolizes your summer, whether from somewhere you traveled or from your own home. We will have cups of water available for those who do not bring water with them. Everyone is invited to participate!
* September 12 - Second Sunday Potluck - Please bring a salad, sandwiches, or dessert to our potluck on Sunday, September 12. Please do not bring anything that needs to be heated in the oven. Remember to bring enough food for 8 people.
* September 15 - Interweave Movie: "8 - The Mormon Propo$ition". This is a one of a kind film about religious groups who have an axe to grind with people of whom they disapprove. Social hour 6 p.m., movie at 7 p.m. at Ron Brown & Logan Nicholson's home (922-0883). Please respond with items to compliment the delicious pizza from Guerrero's Bakery.
* September 19 - Interweave Potluck/Meeting
The September Interweave Potluck/Meeting will be Sunday, Sept. 19th at the home of Ron Brown and Logan Nicholson. Call 941-922-0883 for directions. We will gather at 12:30 noon for an informal meeting with Rev. Tom Newman, senior pastor of Shrine of the Master. Tom has been a frequent speaker at Interweave Meetings and he is Chair of GAIN, the interfaith organization for our area. Please respond with side dishes and desserts for our potluck.
* September 25 - Get Together Dinner assignments are now posted on the church web site: www.uusarasota.com
FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND
* Members, please don't park in the spaces reserved for our visitors. Thanks.
* Welcome Guests! Stay and have cookies and coffee with us after the service. If you will take a blue mug, we'll know you are visiting and can introduce ourselves. Give us a chance to properly make you feel welcome by coming to the blue table in the Courtyard to meet people and ask questions about our church. We value your presence.
* Smoking is now limited to the parking lot on the north side of the kitchen. Smoking is not permitted in any of the church buildings or patios. All smoking materials must be properly disposed of in the receptacles provided in that area.
* Our Very Useful Church Website.
How about making www.uusarasota.com your home page? Our church website is just chock full of interesting information for and about church members, and the content is constantly being updated and improved. You can listen to a sermon you missed (written copies for most weeks are available by contacting Rev. Margret at minister@uusarasota.com) or a Freethinkers program you want to hear again. Practically anything you want to know about the church is on our website. If you have forgotten the password for the Members Corner, please call the office. To sign up to get our emails, click on: www.uusarasota.com/emailsignup.php
OUR COMMITMENTS
* Can you save the planet without driving your family crazy? The movie No Impact Man will be shown in the UUCS Sanctuary at 7 p.m. on Tues, September 14. Admission is $5 at the door, but no one will be turned away. The series is sponsored by UUCS Social Justice Committee, WSLR 96.5, the Sarasota PEACenter, and Transition Sarasota.
* Let's Declare Our Independence from Corporate Rule! David Cobb, a national spokesperson for Move to Amend, will lead a community dialogue about this growing movement for democracy in the United States. He will illustrate how unelected and unaccountable corporations have hijacked our government and he'll describe the national coalition (of diverse public interest, community, and business organizations) which has issued a bold call to amend the U.S. Constitution to restore the power of people over corporations. Kindra Muntz will also present "Vote YES on Fair District Amendments 5 & 6"; these amendments will be on our ballots in November and require nonpartisan redistricting in Florida. This event, co-sponsored by the UU Church of Sarasota Social Justice Committee, will take place in the Sanctuary at the UU Church of Sarasota on Saturday, September 18 from 10am till noon. If you want additional information, contact either kindramuntz@verizon.net or julie.leach@comcast.net
*In this tough economy, people are hungry! Please bring non-perishable food to donate. Each Sunday we have a bucket available near the Sanctuary for non-perishable food donations. Usually these go to the All Faiths Food Bank, but for the next month they will go directly to Bethesda House, a day center committed to providing services to persons with AIDS, HIV positive persons, their caregivers, friends and guests with compassion, dignity and respect. Items which are particularly needed at this time are: sugar, ground coffee, pasta and spaghetti sauce, salad dressing, canned corn, canned beans, canned soups, and canned meals. We have several church members who volunteer in the food bank on Fridays who will take your donations there.
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
* In Religious Education - This Sunday is the first day of classes for the new RE year! This fall's classes will have a social justice theme, and the lessons for this week will
provide a strong starting point. Read more in the section: Happening Sunday, September 5
* New LEAP Course starting Wednesday, Sept. 8th at 6pm in the Jefferson Room. The international Transition Movement is acting as a catalyst for rebuilding local community resilience and self-reliance in the face of peak oil, climate change, and economic crisis.
We will read and discuss the Transition Handbook that examines these issues and how, as a Community, we can revitalize local agriculture, strengthen the local economy, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and cultivate a new vision for the future of Sarasota.
For information or to obtain the book, contact Shells at 724-4649 or IMShells2@GMail.com
* "Discovering UUCS," New Member Orientation: Sat. Oct. 16. 9:00 a.m- 2:00 p.m.
in the South Wing of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota.
If you are considering membership, this workshop is for you. Reverend O'Neall will discuss our history and explore with you what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist. Other church leaders will be there to talk about our many activities and to answer your questions. Lunch is provided. Be sure to sign up at the Welcome Center.
OUR COLUMNISTS
COMING NEXT SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
* 9:30 a.m. Forum: "Ready to Remember the Civil War?"
John Foster, Moderator and Presenter
The sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of the Civil War begins next April. Join John Foster to prepare for what will be a great variety of commemorations by discussing the thoughts and feelings this major and still controversial event in our nation's history awakens in you.
* 10:30 a.m. : "Turning" Rev. Margret A. O'Neall
This time of the Jewish High Holy Days is a time to turn our thoughts and our lives to our aspirations, our values, to leave behind the many ways in which we fail to meet our own standards, and to re-dedicate ourselves to what we know as our own best selves.