What’s
going on.…May
2004
|
Sun
|
May 2
|
9:30 AM
10:45
AM
|
Adult
R. E. – Discussion on readings from Emerson and Thoreau
Service
– "Greeting Our New Members,” Rev. Jack Ford
Meet
& Greet Coffee after the service
|
|
Fri
|
May 7
|
7:00 PM
|
Games
Night at the church
|
|
Sun
|
May 9
|
9:30 AM
10:45
AM
|
Adult
R. E. – Discussion on readings from Emerson and Thoreau
Service
– Karen Costlow-Nolan
Meet & Greet Coffee after the service
|
|
Mon.
|
May 10
|
11:00
AM
|
Break
Bread delivery
|
|
Sat.
|
May 15
|
|
Newsletter
deadline for the church
|
|
Sun
|
May 16
|
9:30
AM
10:45
AM
|
Adult
R. E. – Discussion on readings from Emerson and Thoreau
Service
– “Lighten Up-The Role of Humor in Faith,” Fred Howard
Meet
& Greet Coffee after the service
|
|
Sun
|
May 23
|
9:30 AM
10:45
AM |
Adult
R. E. – Discussion on readings from Emerson and Thoreau
Service
–"
A Way and Ways of
Life: Experiences in Four Muslim
Countries,”
Lars Leader
Meet
& Greet Coffee after the service
|
|
Wed
|
May 26
|
5:00 PM
|
Social
Action Committee meeting at the church in the R.E. wing
|
|
Sun
|
May 30
|
9:30 AM
10:45
AM
12 noon
|
Adult
R. E. – Discussion on readings from Emerson and Thoreau
Service
–Flower Communion coordinated by Virginia Branan
|
May…
This is the time of year we begin to wind down our church year and make
plans for the coming year.
It
is the time we ask our members to consider their participation of the past
and present and make commitments for the future.
We have lots of dreams of growth.
We need everyone’s participation in that growth. Reach deeply into
your pockets and into your hearts to support our community of liberal
religious faith. Our old friend
Rev. Jack Ford will start out the month helping us welcome our new members.
Several of our own members will speak during the rest of the month. Everyone enjoys the Flower Communion. Plan to attend the Annual Meeting too to add your voice as we
practice our principle of democratic practice within our congregation.
Sunday
Services
Rev. Jack Ford will be with us for
our service on May 2. Rev.
Ford will speak for this service, which will include a formal welcome of new
members. Betsy Thompson and Virginia Branan are coordinating the service.
Many of us know Jack Ford well from the days he served our congregation
as a part-time minister. Our
congregation ordained Jack as a Unitarian Universalist minister several years
ago. Jack is also a carpenter and
sailor. He lives with his family
in Jacksonville, FL. Welcome Jack
back to our pulpit as we also formally welcome our new members.
Diane Holliman is coordinating a service for
May 9 at which Karen Costlow-Nolan will speak about
her development and work with 2-1-1 of South Central Georgia. Karen recently
received her Masters in Social Work from the Valdosta State University,
Division of Social Work. She is also a computer programmer and has used her
social work skills and technology skills to create 2-1-1, a thriving program
of services and volunteers. Karen's motivation and dedication to social
justice and populations at risk is commendable. Her work and her presentation
of what she has done is truly inspirational. In her presentation she will
update us on the current status of services and need in our community and how
we can become involved as Unitarian Universalists.
Fred
Howard will
lead our service on May
16.
His topic will be “Lighten Up – The Role of Humor in Faith.” Fred is one of our members.
He is a physician who is currently enrolled in the School of Theology
at Emory University. Fred and his
wife will be in town for their daughter’s wedding on May 15.
He insisted when he agreed to this date that he needed something else
to occupy his mind that weekend.
On May 23 Lars Leader, one of our
members, will speak on “A
Way and Ways of Life: Experiences in Four Muslim Countries.”
Lars says that while living for seven years in cities and villages of
Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and
Saudi Arabia, he discovered the Muslim
world to be similar and vastly different, both from what he
expected and how beliefs were expressed in these four countries.
He will discuss how the rise of fundamentalist Islam and its impact
on recent events might be better understood by considering the
world views of various people in Muslim countries.
We’ll wind up the month on May 30
with a Flower Communion Service and our Annual Business Meeting.
Be sure to bring a flower with you to the service.
During the service we will combine our flowers into a bouquet and take
home a different flower. This has
become a traditional spring service for our congregation and many other
Unitarian Universalist churches. Virginia
Branan is coordinating the service. Immediately
after the service we will convene for our Annual Congregational Business
meeting. We will elect officers,
approve the budget, and act on other business brought to us by our Board of
Trustees.
Meet & Greet Coffee after the Service:
Don’t miss this
opportunity to engage in friendly and interesting conversation and
particularly to greet visitors and newcomers.
Volunteers are needed to host particular Sundays.
|
If you are considering joining our congregation, please
let one of our officers know of your interest.
When you are ready to make this decision, we invite you to sign
our membership book. When
you become a member of our congregation we hope you will also make a
commitment of your time, talents, and money to the work of our
congregation.
|
The
congregation's Annual Business Meeting will be Sunday, May 30, following the
service. Business conducted at this meeting will be election of
Board of Trustees members, approval of the church budget and other
business at hand.
Childcare is
available during the Sunday service. The nursery is now equipped with
new furniture. UUA policy recommends
that it is prudent to have two people providing childcare for each age group
on any given Sunday. Sarah has agreed to be a provider
every Sunday for the nursery. One additional volunteer is needed each Sunday.
Please consult the two-month schedule available at the church and sign up for
the dates you can help. This could help our church grow!
·
Youth
R. E.: We are seeking a leader for this group and more participants!
Get in touch with Lars Leader if you have some ideas.
Planning is on going, but for now this group will not meet until
further notice.
·
Adult
RE – This group is currently meeting
every Sunday at 9:30AM. After examining the early history of the Unitarian
Church in the United States, the discussion will move into a deeper
exploration of the writing and teachings of Emerson and then Thoreau.
Contact: Hue Jacobs
CONGRATULATIONS
TO
OUR DISTRICT AWARD WINNERS!!
Lifetime
Achievement Award
- Virginia Branan
Social
Justice Award
- Anna Mitchell-Hall, Chair, and other members of our Social
Actions Committee
|
Board
of Trustees
The board has appointed
Virginia Branan as Acting Vice
President. Mike Carmichael
resigned the position about a month ago.
Please offer Virginia your thanks for taking on this job for our church
community and offer to help out as you can.
In preparation for our
congregational meeting later this month, expect to be contacted about your
pledge of money and time for the coming church year.
We have already made commitments to hire a minister.
We now need your commitment to the on-going work of our congregation.
The Nominating Committee may ask you to serve as an officer and our
Treasurer will be asking for your financial support.
Volunteer your time and money as you are willing and able.
Dee
Tait
Every spring, the earth knows how to come back, how
to renew itself. We can depend on
it.
And
so it is with us, as the end of the church year approaches and yet another
begins. Opportunity is present
for us to make new choices and commitments about our time and, yes, our money.
Opportunity knocks again, inviting us to be a part of the whole.
I
invite each of us to decide now what we choose to do.
Is it to organize greeters?
Or to coordinate coffee making prior to Sunday service or “Meet and
Greet” refreshments for after service time?
Maybe it would be to take charge of having nursery/childcare covered
each Sunday? Or to take part in
the cleaning of the church?
Who
wants to serve on which committee? Who
wants to attend UUA General Assembly in Long Beach CA in June or UU Leadership
School at the Canterbury Retreat Center in Oveida (near Orlando) FL in
October?
All
these jobs are open to each of us. You
know better than anyone else if you see something you would be good at. So, when that happens, volunteer. If you don’t see a signup sheet for your niche, speak to a
board member.
I
am reminded of the student and the yoga teacher.
The student asked, “What do I do (to be the most useful)”?
The teacher replied, “Clean your bowl and put a flower in your
window.”
Maybe
it isn’t as simple as that, but chances are you won’t find yourself on
overload if we all share the responsibilities.
Thank
you for all that you do already and for what you choose to do in the upcoming
church year. Working
together, it's going to be a great year! I think we can depend
on it! So let's "clean our bowl and put a flower in the window,"
and see what happens.
Newsletter Staff
Editor:
Betty Derrick
Production/Mailing: Virginia
Branan
Website: Carol
Stiles
May
15:
deadline for the June newsletter.
Thank
You! Thank You!
For
hosting the (Last) Saturday Supper in April:
Betsey and Randy Thompson
For
leading singing: Anna
Mitchell Hall
For
providing us with social action opportunities:
Anna Hall, Lars Leader, Laurel Hahlen and all who work with the Social
Actions Committee
For
building cleanliness and maintenance:
John Tait and Jim Ingram
For
delivering meals in April: Christopher
Tait and Dee Tait
For
printing and mailing the newsletter: Virginia
Branan
For
making his office printer available for printing the newsletter:
Jim Ingram
For
church publicity: Virginia
Branan and Dee Tait
For
making coffee and cleaning up after “Meet and Greet” after the service: John
Tait, Anne Zipperer, Virginia Branan, Dee Tait.
For
arranging for visiting ministers and for agreeing on short notice to take on
the Vice President’s job for the remainder of this church year: Virginia
Branan
For
attending the Florida District Annual meeting: Dee
Tait
For
providing interesting programs by speaking at Sunday services: members
Virginia Branan, Diane Holliman, and Hue Jacobs, and Dr. Richard Amesbury
VSU faculty guest speaker.
For
teaching the Adult R.E. each Sunday and Coordinating Games Night: Hue
Jacobs
For
providing childcare on Sunday mornings: Betsy
Thompson, Virginia Branan, Rosie Asbury, and Betty Derrick. For a small
stipend Sarah Tait volunteers her time every Sunday morning.
For
greeting people as they arrive on Sunday morning and providing guests with
nametags and guest cards: All
the volunteers who have done the job and also all who have taken time to
greet and get to know visitors,
For
contacting visitors with welcoming letters: Betsy
Thompson
For
keeping our website so superbly:
Carol Stiles
For
doing an excellent job of keeping our money matters straight: Randy
Thompson
For
continuing to provide us with a timely and excellent newsletter: Betty
Derrick
(Don’t
take it sitting down if we forgot you.
Come tell us about it.)
Games
Night!
Join
in this fun evening the first Friday of each month at the church at 7:00 pm.
Bring along some refreshments and your favorite game.
Contact: Hue Jacobs
At
the Church-in-the-Woods
Tai Chi – Monday
and Thursday Evenings. Contact
Dennis Bogyo if you are interested or need further information.
New
Hope Christian Fellowship -
Sunday evenings: Choir practice at 5:00 PM.
Service at 6:00 PM.
Break Bread Together
Our
date for meal deliveries with the Break Bread Together program is the 2nd
Monday of each month. If you can
deliver meals on this day beginning about 11:00 AM, please contact Dee Tait.
Social
Action Committee
The Social Action Committee's project
for April celebrated our support for the important issues raised by
various groups participating in the April 25th March for Women's Lives in
Washington DC with a display board at the front of the sanctuary and
informative emails to the UU Valdosta mailing list. In May, we are
planning to partner with the VSU Students for Peace and Justice to
sponsor events on globalization. These events will likely include
film screenings and other methods of informing the
community about the
effects of globalization and the issues surrounding
the upcoming G8 summit and related protests in Sea Island, GA. Watch
your email and the orders of service for the details as they become available.
The next meeting of the Social Action Committee will be May 26th at 5:00 in
the RE wing. Please come if you are interested in participating in
social action or have any ideas for future social action
Treasurer’s Report
March
2004 -
Treasurer: Randy Thompson
|
OPERATING RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS:
|
|
March
|
|
YTD
|
|
Receipts:
|
|
|
|
|
|
One-time
Ministerial Pledge
|
|
$0.00
|
|
17,500.00
|
|
Pledge
|
|
1,495.00
|
|
10,322.12
|
|
Plate
|
|
114.88
|
|
1,050.52
|
|
Rent
|
|
240.00
|
|
2,120.00
|
|
Other
|
|
0.00
|
|
155.00
|
|
TOTAL
RECEIPTS
|
|
1,849.88
|
|
31,147.64
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Disbursements:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mortgage
|
|
500.00
|
|
4,000.00
|
|
Speaker's
Fees & Expenses
|
|
657.41
|
|
1,026.00
|
|
Utilities
|
|
51.47
|
|
1,528.00
|
|
Pianist
|
|
35.00
|
|
700.00
|
|
UUA Annual
Dues
|
|
0.00
|
|
1,495.00
|
|
Postage
|
|
28.49
|
|
241.67
|
|
Supplies
|
|
57.50
|
|
507.89
|
|
Al Boyce
Treatment
|
|
0.00
|
|
380.00
|
|
Insurance
|
|
0.00
|
|
253.00
|
|
Repairs and
Maintenance
|
|
0.00
|
|
613.55
|
|
Other
|
|
0.00
|
|
675.52
|
|
TOTAL
DISBURSEMENTS
|
|
1,329.87
|
|
11,420.63
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NET RECEIPT (DISBURSEMENT)
|
|
$520.01
|
|
19,727.01
|
UUA
TRUSTEE TIDBITS
Joan Lund
I am so enthused about General Assembly in Long Beach
this year that I hope what I write may convince you to join thousands of UUs
in the California sun at the end of June for what promises to be an
outstanding time together. Sometimes I am asked, “What is GA?” It’s a
pep rally, an opportunity for leadership training, a gathering for our
“family”, a public witness event, and so much more. GA, as directed by our
by-laws, makes overall policy for carrying out the purposes of our
Association, and directs and controls Association affairs.
Although
GA is supposed to be the coming together of congregation representatives to do
the business of the Association often delegates tend to be UUs who have the
time and money to devote almost a week at this assembly. Some congregations
are able to offer varying amounts of financial assistance for delegates but I
don’t think any congregation makes it possible for their officers to attend
and it is important that congregational leaders are present at our
Association’s annual meeting. The UUA Board of Trustees and the General
Assembly Planning Committee understand the importance of having elected
congregational leaders present at our Association business meeting and are
therefore offering to reimburse GA registration to the president or
president-elect of each UUA congregation. Even though registration is a small
part of the total cost of attending GA, hopefully covering this fee will help.
It is important for the leaders of our congregations to be part of planning
our UUA future.
There
will be two major events for congregational presidents: a private reception
hosted by UUA President William Sinkford held Thursday evening, and a
Congregational Presidents Workshop held on Saturday hosted by Rev. Sinkford
and Moderator Gini Courter. The latter event will focus on the priorities of
the Association and invite Presidents to help develop the agreements that will
allow us to move forward. Registration forms are available on-line at www.uua.org/ga/reg.html,
or calling the GA office at (617) 948-4209. Re-imbursement forms will be
available during the Congregational Presidents Workshop.
There
is much interesting and important programming planned for GA, both for
congregational presidents and all who are in attendance. One event of
significance: former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich will be in attendance
to talk with us on why liberals will win the battle for America. He will focus
on taking back America from the radical right with passion and long-term
commitment. This is only one vital voice that will be heard at GA.
Serving
as the Florida District UUA Trustee is an important aspect of my life and once
again I hope you will visit the UUA website for information about everything
that is going on in our Association. If I can be of help don’t hesitate to
email me at jlund@.uua.org. I hope to see and visit with many of you at
General Assembly.
Report on Florida District UUA Annual Assembly
Dee
Tait
You will want to congratulate our award winners and
thank them for their hard work. Read
on.
Some
exciting things are happening in our district of the Unitarian Universalist
Association. As most of you know,
the UU Church of Valdosta belongs to the Florida District, based in Orlando.
We are one of 43 churches in the district, including all of Florida,
Valdosta and the Virgin Islands.
I
attended the annual meeting of the 43 churches, Friday and Saturday, April
16-17. Upon arriving at the
Canterbury Retreat Center at Ovieda, just outside Orlando, I decided this was
going to be a glorious two days. I
am telling you this so that when you can find the time to attend a meeting
there, you will know how beautiful and natural this place is with its
buildings with architecture that reminds me of our own building, in a lovely
wooded area beside a lake.
After
the four-hour drive, I checked in at 4:30 P.M., turned in my credentialing
papers so that I could vote during the business meeting and installation of
district board members. As I
checked in I proudly received on behalf of UU Valdosta all four ribbons
available, which I wore with my nametag:
a blue one for our fair share contribution to the Florida District, a
green one for this year’s contribution to the District Annual Program Fund,
a purple one indicating that our contribution helped the UUA to meet its goal
for the Annual Program Fund and a red one for sending a delegate to the
District Annual Meeting.
I
checked into my room (basic, but sufficient with such beautiful surroundings)
and took my car to the parking area. I
had about 45 minutes to meet new people and renew acquaintances from other
meetings. Then it was time for
the awards banquet, where District Director Rev. Mary Higgins and President of
the District Board Kathy Converse, presented the annual awards representing
six categories. They were as
follows:
·
Lifetime Achievement Award – Virginia Branan, UU, Valdosta
·
Unsung Hero Award – Jim Moir, Spirit of Life UUs (at Odessa near
Tampa) (Our own Jim Ingram was awarded this recognition several years ago –
1997, I think)
·
Social Justice Award – Anna Mitchell-Hall, Chair, and other members
of the Social Action Committee, UU Fellowship of Valdosta (Same
award to the UU Fellowship of Gainesville).
·
Religious Education Award – Connie Goodbread, Spirit of Life UUs
·
Website Award – UU Congregation of Venice
·
Newsletter
Award – Clearwater (large church category), Venice (mid-size church
category) and Treasure Coast UU Society (at Stuart) (small church category)
·
John
DeWolfe-Hurt Award for Humor – UU Congregation of Venice
After a short break, we attended an
uplifting service in the sanctuary provided by Rev. Carol Yorke from Spirit of
Life UUs at Odessa and Rev. Sara Zimmerman from the UU Fellowship of Charlotte
County. Music Director for the
First Unitarian Church of Orlando, Jamie Sterrett, provided wonderful music.
We ended the evening with a social hour back in the main building,
where we were able to exchange ideas with other delegates.
After a night’s rest, Saturday
morning began at 7:30 with breakfast, following by “Gather the Spirit,”
presented by Rev. Mary Katherine Morn and Jason Shelton, minister and director
of music, respectively, of the First UU Church of Nashville (TN).
They have been working together since 1998 to create a model for
worship as a collaborative ministry in which words and music nurture each
other in transformative ways. Hard
to believe, but five hours (with an hour lunch break) were entirely enjoyable.
Jason is a part of the group working on an addition of updated music to
the UU hymnal.
The second day of the Assembly ended
with a business meeting.
·
We
voted to approve a proposed by-law amendment limiting the time for district
officers and directors elected at-large to the greater of two consecutive
terms or a maximum of eight consecutive years, but eligible for re-election
after being out of office a year.
·
We
approved a proposed increase of $2.00 to annual dues to fund a quarter time
RE, Youth and Young Adult program consultant at the district level
·
We
voted to approve the slate of officers and nominating committee members as
follows:
President
– Steve Helle, University UU, Orlando
Vice
President – Jennifer Carver, UUC, Tallahassee
Treasurer
– Bill Norsworthy, Clearwater UUs
Trustees
– Kindra Muntz, UUC, Venice
-
Vicki
Weeks, UUF, Key West
Nominating
Committee – Jim Luce, UUC, Brevard; Bill
Hayes, Manatee UUF; John Lewis,
Friendship Fellowship at Pineda
Through
the newsletter, the orders of service and word of mouth, we will do our best
to keep you posted on all the opportunities available to you to join
with people from other UU churches. It
can be very fulfilling and a lot of fun.
UU
Activities and Announcements
Further
information is posted on the bulletin board at the church.
-
May 2 Pines
Drumming Circle, Brooksville, Pines CC, FL
-
May 8
President’s Forum, University UU Society, East Orlando, FL
-
May 12 Born
Again Unitarian Universalism with Rev. Forrest Church, UU Church,
Clearwater, FL
-
May 13 Renewing
Our Tradition of Social Action, UU Church, Tampa, FL
-
May 15 Spring
Fling Potluck Dinner and Prom, UU Church, St Petersburg, FL
-
June
24-28 UUA General
Assembly – Long Beach, CA
-
September
26-October 2 Florida District
Leadership School, Oviedo, FL
(Note deadline for registration and fee, June 30)
