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Domelight Newsletter
of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa -
March 2005 Rev. Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, Minister  
Katie Culbert, RE Director |
“And she had nothing to fall back on; not maleness, not whiteness, not ladyhood, not anything. And out of the profound desolation of her reality she may have very well reinvented herself.”
—Toni Morrison Toni Morrison points to an existential reality that most of us will face at some point in our lives. Without an identity that made sense, her character had a choice to make: accept an imposed identity that for her was inauthentic, or reinvent herself in ways that gave her life richness, power, and meaning. I know the quandary of which Morrison speaks. At an earlier time in my life, my primary identity was as a person of African American heritage rooted in southern and Caribbean culture. While such an identity was fully formed and could not be easily shattered, my identity as a woman was almost inseparable. Later, mother, minister, and other roles became central to who I understood myself to be. We are multicultured people who hold many identity roles. We are people who can choose to accept or reject identities that are imposed on us by the society in which we live. Being a minister in a mostly white denomination increases my awareness that we are more than our identity roles. It has heightened my consciousness that for the most part, we still live in separate worlds—worlds defined by race and gender, class and sexual orientation, nationality and religious affiliation. And it has also shifted where and how I expend most of my energy. Yet, I know that to a large extent, my spiritual health depends on staying connected to cultural traditions with which I most strongly identify and to the women’s community. And so I must constantly re-create my world, reinvent myself within the context of the communities in which I find myself. One of the things I hope that our church provides is an opportunity to discover who we really are, lest we face “profound desolation of (our) reality.” I hope that church is a place where we can look in the mirror and see not only ourselves, but also the face of ‘the other,’ where we can expand our associations and increase empathy for others. Sharing stories, music, rituals, and a wide variety of cultural traditions are part of my attempt to narrow the gap between our worlds. This is also a step toward keeping me grounded in my authentic self. From time to time, I have wondered whether setting aside February and March—Black History and Women’s History Months—to recall both the travails and the progress of two historically oppressed groups really matters. Upon reflection, I see these specially designated months as opportunities to remind ourselves of who we are existentially. They are also poignant opportunities to see beyond our own self-interest, to transcend our perceived identities and move into a larger, more universal reality. These months are opportunities to discover who we really are—beyond social constructions—and to reinvent ourselves consistent with the context in which we find ourselves. In faith, Marjorie OPPORTUNITIES
FOR ADULTS Death
and Dying March 3rd and 10th -. Come learn about Death & Dying in America. What is the law?
What are your wishes? Can you
have a say? How much say can you have? What
is the reality? How does the Schiavo case affect your decisions? What is palliative care? We will question together and I will answer as
many questions as I can. Florida bar forms
supplied; As an alternative, we will order copies of the 5 Wishes Booklet if you supply
$5.00 to the office at least two weeks prior to the first class. Questions? If you would like to register,
contact Deborah Adles. Her email address is dadles@tampabay.rr.com. Rise
Up and Call Her Name. During the month of March, the meetings will be held on March
8th (which is also INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!!!) & March 22nd. Class
topics may include The Americas, Part I: Virgin of Guadalupe, Tonantzin, and the Corn
Mother, Spinners and Weavers; The Americas, Part II: White Buffalo Calf Woman (Lakota),
Changing Woman, Spider Woman, Dzonokwa; The Americas, Part III: The Iroquois
Federation, foremothers and tradition bearers. The final dates of the course will be:
April 12- The Return: Contemporary Goddess/women's movements April 26 - Return to the
Return/ Where Do We Go From Here? Wicca 101 Topics include: Herstory of
Witchcraft, The Goddess and The God, The Wheel of the Year, Magick and Ethics, Ritual, The
Working Circle March 14 and 21, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Sponsored by Circles in the Woods CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist
Pagans). Open to the public. For more information, contact Mary
Francis at gldnpuma@earthlink.net
or visit: http://www.geocities.com/uutampa/CUUPs/wicca101.htm A donation of $30 is requested to cover
materials and/or expenses for all six classes. Popcorn and Opinions. Getting
to Know UU.
Rev. Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley
Friday, March 18, 6:30 p.m. Schindlers
List, written and directed by Steven
Spielberg, tells the story of a Oskar Schindler, a German entrepreneur who devised an
investment scheme that would lead to saving the lives of more than one thousand Jewish
men, women, and children from the Nazi death camps. The Talmud says: Whoever
saves one life saves the entire world. And
yet, whether Schindler was a heroas the Israeli government declared himis a
point of great controversy. Following the
film, we will discuss some of the ethical questions raised by the film: What motivated Mr. Schindler to take the actions
he did? How do we explain or reconcile the human capacity to create great joy and great
painat the same time. Location: Temple
Terrace. Bill Blymiller will serve as our
host. Look for sign-up sheet on the Adult
Religious Education bulletin board.
Friday, April 15, 7:00 p.m. Life is Beautiful. It is difficult to separate the story of
this film from its director, Italian comic, Roberto Benigni. Benigni's skill as a writer, director, and actor
helps to lessen the weight of a horrific story whose simplicity lies in the fact that it
is a love story. Just as love is never
simple, neither is this story. Like Schindler's List, the complexity of Life is Beautiful is historic. We see another chapter of the rise of fascism,
this time as it developed in Italy in 1939 under Mussolini.
Location: New Tampa. Ralph and
Judy Lehman will serve as our hosts. Look for
sign-up sheet on the Adult Religious Education bulletin board.
Unitarian Universalist Church of
Tampa
One
Place. All Faiths
Are you having some trouble hearing all the parts of the Sunday Service? Do you have to be at the little Dome or in the playground during the Service? We have acquired an FM broadcasting device that will send the service out on 108.0 on your radio dial. Just bring your Walkman or FM radio and tune to 108.0 and check it out. If you have a hearing aid with a "T" or Telephone setting, Bill Blymiller would like to talk to you about testing out a way to get the audio from your FM radio directly into your hearing aid without headphones.
Try it out!
Saturday March
12 is Building and Grounds Day!
February's B&G day was beautiful. We had a great group with Ralph Lehman, Johanna Devryer, Jay Hall, Judy Lehman, Natalie Rojek, Joyce Formica, Lize Rojek, Cyn Tickell, and Tom Hagner. We raked; we cleared more parking for our growing church; & we cleared the basketball area! Another hero is Bill Blymiller who mowed the entire campus earlier in the week. Notice how nice we look!
There are still plenty of leaves to gather & other things to work on. Please come out March 12!
UUA TRUSTEE TIDBITS
by Joan Lund
In the February column I said that I would write about the January Board meeting in
Boston in March because the deadline for submitting the February column occurred before
the meeting. After I returned and wrote the
Trustee
Report summarizing the meeting for the District packet I realized each of you should/could
have access to the report and hopefully will take the time (if you are interested) to read
it. If not just let me know and I will send it to you via an attachment.
This month I will write briefly about the Seventh Principle Project of the UUA,
specifically their Green Sanctuary Program. My
interest was awakened by a Florida UU who emailed me a concern that, although the SPP is
an
Independent Affiliate, it is not getting the attention and funding from the UUA worthy of
its importance, especially because the Threat of Global Warming was selected by GA to be
the 2004-06 Study/Action Issue. The mission
of the SPP is to facilitate and support the work of UUs by affirming and promoting the
Seventh Principle of our Association, "Respect for the interdependent web of all
existence of which we are a part".
The SPP sponsored GSP provides a framework for study and reflection, and encourages
individual/collective action for responding to the call to heal the Earth. The goals of the program include: building
awareness of societal environmental issues among UUs; generating commitment for personal
lifestyle changes; motivating UUs to community action on environmental issues; building a
connection between spiritual practice and environmental consciousness; and building
awareness of, and rectifying environmental injustices.
To
provide some standardization for the use of the term GS, the SPP has an accreditation
program for recognizing GS churches and fellowships who have undertaken a simple process.
To begin the GS application process the applicant church must document the formation of a
GS committee which must declare its intent to seek recognition as a GS church. Then the church must document completion of one
accomplishment in each of three Action Areas: Energy Conservation and Environmental
Practices; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; and Church Communication. Within each of these Action Areas are a number of
accomplishments churches can complete.
Becoming a Green Sanctuary is a wonderful effort your church can make to address
the deep seated and systemic problems that affect the health of our living planet. There is much more that could be written but
hopefully I have stimulated interest in one or more of our Florida congregations becoming
a GS. Further information can be found at www.uuaspp.org. As
always I enjoy hearing from Florida UUs and can be reached at (813) 931-9727 or jlund@uua.org. Continue your work in our faith communities.
ARE YOU MOVING????
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
President- Tempie Taudte
Vice President- Felice Richardson
Treasurer- Ed Benedict
Secretary- Jerry Elsenrath
Member - Tito Basu
Member - Bill Blymiller
Member - Tom Hagner
Member Ralph Lehman
Member - Martha Robinson
Katie
Culbert, Director of Religious Education for Children and Youth
Upcoming R.E. events
March 18 20 Young Religious UUs
(YRUU) Con UU Clearwater
March 27 Intergenerational Worship service
followed by a party and egg hunt
The
Religious Education program for children and youth at UUCT is in need of volunteers. Upcoming opportunities include Sunday morning
childcare during worship service, serving as substitute teachers, and assisting with
special events like the upcoming activities for our annual celebration of
Easter/Spring. Please contact Katie (DRE@UUTampa.org or
813-988-8188) if you can help.
Please note
that the Social Action Con has been moved from
February 25th to April 15th.
More information about this con will be included in the April Domelight.
Office Volunteers Needed! If you are able to assist in the office during the last two weeks of March please contact Katie Culbert. She will be out of town from March 23 30 and will need assistance with retrieving phone messages, producing the order of service, checking e-mail, bringing in mail, and other office duties. Info@uutampa.org or 813-988-8188. Thanks!
CIRCLES IN THE WOODS -
CUUPS
What can
CUUPS do for you? Need a Handfasting? After all this is the season for romance! CUUPS can help you find someone who can officiate. How about a House Blessing or Cleansing? CUUPS can do that too! The new baby has arrived and you would like a
Wiccaning! Call CUUPS. For all of
your Rites of Passage and Pagan Spiritual needs, call Circles in the Woods, CUUPS! We can put you in touch with the right
individual(s) to meet your unique and specific needs.
Just drop off a message in the CUUPS mailbox with your questions or details
or email gldnpuma@earthlink.net
and we will get back to you. If you are interested in joining or would
just like more information, our meetings are open to the public. Also don't miss the final two Wicca 101 ! classes
this year on March 14th and 21!
"RETHINKING
JUSTICE"- A Saturday Morning Retreat with Hillsborough Organization for Progress and
Equality (HOPE) Saturday, March 5, 2005, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the St. John Progressive
M. Baptist Church Christian Life Center 2504 E. Chipco St.(in East Tampa, between M.L.K.
& Columbus, on SW corner of N. 26th St. & Chipco)
Join
other leaders for a time of scriptural reflection and personal growth as we further
develop our vision and the skills needed for effective justice ministry. This workshop will engage us in reflections on:
"The Prophetic Call of God", "Values, Justice, and Power", "How
HOPE Answers the Call", "The Direct Action Process", "Justice Ministry
Networks",
"One-to-Ones"
and more!
Leadership
Training To Make a Difference! It is FREE!
Refreshments!
RSVP with your Pastor, HOPE leader, or by calling HOPE at 813-221-4673
Interweave
will be meeting on Sunday March 13th in the small dome at the church. The
meeting will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. Bring what food you care to
share. We will be discussing our efforts at community building. Anyone who has items for
the agenda can send them to Jonathan Roudabush at jonrbush@hotmail.com. If you do not have email you may
leave them in the Interweave box in the office. Also any items for the Newsletter
can similarly be emailed or put in our box (I need newsletter articles).
Interweave is a membership
organization affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association, dedicated to the
spiritual, political, and social well-being of Unitarian Universalists who are confronting
oppression as lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender persons, and their heterosexual
allies; and facilitates the celebration of the culture and lives of its members -
Interweave Continental Mission Statement.
GETTING TO KNOW OUR NEW MEMBERS
Our church
community is blessed with receiving many wonderful new members during the past six months.
In an effort to help us get to know each other, we will be printing brief profiles in the
coming Domelight issues. Please take time to seek out our new members, engage them in
conversation, invite them to activities and help them feel welcome and an important part
of our church. Many of them are already becoming actively involved, bringing a warm energy
and presence to our community.
With so many
new members, the Membership Team is working to develop a stronger program to help our new
members settle in. If you have ideas or would like to volunteer to serve in potential
roles such as a new member mentor, please contact Liz Taylor at 237-8497 or liz@liztaylormarketing.com.
New member development is an activity that need not require a big time commitment, yet it
is sure to bring rich rewards.
Heres
a brief introduction to five of our new members:
Celeste Pettijohn describes herself as a third
generation plant kingdom caretaker, expressing her love for gardening as a volunteer
at USF Botanical Gardens. She is passionate about animal rights as well, taking on tough
projects such as rescuing wolf hybrids. Born in Lutz, Celeste says her grandfather rode
his horse all the way to this area from Mississippi in 1876. A business owner for 24
years, Celeste practices massage, reflexology and aromatherapy in her Carrollwood office
and lives in Forest Hills. Happily single, she is the proud mother of 31-year-old Hakim, a
professional gardener. Celeste has already gotten involved in the Social Justice committee
and looks forward to an active role at UUCT.
Ann Cook is a mystery writer with her third novel
due out in the next six weeks. Trace Their Shadows is the first in the series,
with each book based in historic Florida towns. Before her authorial debut in 2001, Ann
taught English for 26 years at Hillsborough High School and Hillsborough Community
College. With four children and eight grandchildren, Ann looks forward to the day when she
will be a great-grandmother. Although shes now a successful author, Ann says her
real claim to fame is that she was the baby used as the model for the famous
Gerber baby. Ann is recovering from the loss of her husband of 57 years, Maj. James Cook
of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Department, just six months ago. Although Ann was a
Unitarian for many years, she just recently found her way to UUCT, which is convenient to
her new home at University Village Retirement Center. She looks forward to exploring
spiritual beliefs through reading and discussions with others.
Pete Barlas is a returning member at UUCT, after
joining for a short time around 2001. Hes excited about the new energy he finds in
the church now, and looks forward to being a part of our growing community. His face
lights up when he talks about the most important addition to his life since then: his
three-year-old son, Justin. Although he is recently divorced, he shares custody with his
ex-wife and sees Justin often. A longtime Tampa resident, Pete is a Florida native. He
loves books and has found a career that keeps him surrounded. If you visit Borders Books
in Carrollwood, be sure to keep an eye out for Pete!
Kathleen Oller is a first-time Unitarian
Universalist. She lives in Land O Lakes in Pasco County with her longtime partner.
While shes enjoyed a longtime career at Aetna Insurance, she has a special interest
in the mental health field. She is eager to learn and grow, and hopes to take
classes in religious education.
Suzie Siegel was a UU as a child and is enjoying settling in as a new member at UUCT. A longtime Tampa resident, she returned here in September after spending three (?) years in Texas caring for her father as he battled the end stages of Alzheimers Disease. Prior to that, she spent more than 18 years working as a newspaper reporter and editor at the Arkansas Democrat in Little Rock, the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the Tampa Tribune. While at the Tribune, she helped develop the newspapers first diversity program. She also earned a masters degree in Womens Studies (from where?). She now lives near USF, where she is happy to be so close to UUCT. She has already attended meetings of the Social Justice and Interweave committees and looks forward to new possibilities. Judging from her wry sense of humor in the face of difficult life challenges, she brings an original, yet positive outlook to our community.
FRIENDSHIP DINNERS
by:
Diana Stevens 948-4630
March 19th we have a
dinner scheduled at Tom and Andrea Hagner's home (Riverview). They plan
on celebrating St. Patrick's Day!!! (Hopefully all the food and drink won't be
green!!) The sign up sheet will be in the entry way. Be sure to sign up early for
this one!!
Cheryl & Bob Phillips
(Lutz) will have a dinner in April. Details will be forthcoming.
April and May will be the
last scheduled Friendship Dinners of the Church year. So, if you haven't yet
had your dinner, schedule now. I'll be looking for you to volunteer.
Hopefully, the friends you have made at the Friendship Dinners this year will continue to enrich your life the rest of the year, just like good food and good drink.
VALENTINE'S DAY DANCE
WAS A LOVELY SUCCESS.
What a transformation of
our wonderful space! Everyone had a great time and was WOWed by the decorations
and lights. Thanks to Fran Davin, Jerry Elsenrath (great job on the
lights - better every year), Liz Bleau, Cay Cahalin, Diana Stevens and Grant Wilson
for decorating the church. The food was provided by Liz Taylor, Jerry Elsenrath, Diana
& Dan Dechichio, Diana Stevens and Grant Wilson. All the beverages were provided
by Diana Stevens and Grant Wilson. Thanks to Harriet Blymiller as the 'Jill of all
Trades'. Diana & Dan, Diana & Grant, Harriet, Pat Keller and John Talone did
the major job of cleaning up and getting ready for Sunday's service. Thank
you, thank you, thank you all !!! DJ John Cantrell did a great job with the music
and we all shook a tail feather. The teens came out in force and kept
the energy high as they danced (they even knew the YMCA song). They did not have to
purchase tickets as members of the congregation gave generously and that paid for
the teens. We collected $784.00, expenses were $218.00, so the UUCT
made $564.00. That was wonderful!! The lights and
decorations were left up for the church service and the two concerts planned on Sunday and
Monday. The leftover food made for good eating after church on Sunday.
Liz Taylor and Candy Gale
were in charge of the Silent auction. The items were displayed well and there was
some brisk bidding going on for many of the items. The bidding stopped at 1:00 PM
Sunday, Feb 13th after the service. Now it is time for the collection of the money
owed and letting everyone know who got what. The figures for this fund raiser
will be in next month's Domelight. Hopefully, we can beat the $1,300.00 we made last
year - it's good to have a goal.
Thanks to the entire
congregation for their support and help!! Especially a big thanks to all the
people who contributed or came out and enjoyed a really good
party!!!! Your support of this fund raiser for the church really
shows your appreciation for all the LOVE we feel for one another.
WALK IN THE PARK
A group of UUs meet on Thursday mornings at 8:30 am
at Lettuce Lake Park for a brisk walk on the paved path and good conversation. To
find the parking area and meeting place, take the Lettuce Lake Parkway to the end. Turn left and then immediately turn right into the
parking lot. We will gather there and begin
the walk at 8:30.
You are welcome to join us. For more information contact Patricia McCracken at 988-6453.
CONCERTS IN THE UU DOME
Gloria
Holloway, concert organizer, 813-837-6572.
For the concert schedule, go
to uutampa.org and click on concerts. Also, for more in-depth details go to
gloriasmusic.blogspot.com.
At Domelight deadline, here's what 's in store for March. However, a
couple of other things are "in the works" so be sure & STAY TUNED. .
FRI/MAR 4/8PM/DON WHITE/$12/www.donwhite.net : Don is a funny, heartwarming,
singer-songwriter-storyteller. Don gives it his all & the audience loves him for
it. In both '03 & '04 Don was our biggest draw. I expect
another good turn-out for '05 & hope that you will be part of it.
MON/MAR 7/8pm/$10/LISSA SCHNECKENBURGER & ACOUSTIC EIDOLON DOUBLE BILL
www.lissafiddle.com
www.acousticeidolon.com
: We will have world-class talent "in the house" tonight. Trust
me! This is acoustic music at its finest.
THUR/MAR 10/7:30pm/$7: Music Mini-Fest featuring local trio Jimmy Payne, Meredith
Demming & Jr. Rogers (aka Dreams of Horses) PLUS an array of UU Dome
Talent, including Bill Blymiller, Dan Miller and others tba. Jimmy Payne
trio will do a full 1st set. We'll take a break. Then for the 2nd
set we'll bring on our simply fab UU Talent ( & perhaps a special guest or two).
See you at a concert!
BECOMING A MEMBER OF UUCT
The
members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa (UUCT) would like to extend an
invitation to persons interested in learning more about us and becoming members of the
congregation. Membership is open to any and
all persons, eighteen years or older, who are prepared to make a personal commitment to
and financial investment in the UUCT. In
addition, we have a category of membership, youth member, for persons fourteen to
seventeen years of age who have made a personal commitment to the Church. Youth
members have the same rights as adult members except as limited by the provisions of the
by-laws involving contracts and financial commitments on behalf of the Church.
Persons considering membership are encouraged to participate in the "Getting to Know
UU Classes" as a means to enhance understanding of the principles underlying the
mission of the Unitarian Universalist Association as well as our Church. Classes are informative and provide an opportunity
to get to know other new members and begin to establish a connection with others in the
Church.
Persons interested in
seeking membership with UUCT would need to do one or both of the following:
1. Participate in one of the "Getting to Know UU" membership classes scheduled throughout the year, followed by signing the membership book.
2. Seek out
the Minister, Chairperson of the Membership Committee, or President of the Board of
Trustees to inform them of interest in signing the membership book. That person will then arrange for the membership
book to be made available for signing.
New members will be
contacted within a few weeks by a representative of the Finance/Canvas Committee to
discuss your areas of interest for involvement with the congregation as well as your
financial commitment for the upcoming year. We
welcome your involvement and participation and anticipate you will find UUCT an exciting
avenue in meeting your interests and needs.
Membership Committee
ARE YOU MOVING????
Have you moved? If you have had a recent change of address and
would like to continue receiving the Domelight please remember to list your change of
address on the Guest Register, noting address change. Printing your new address
& phone number clearly will help us keep our records updated.
wUUrlds 2005 WhaleCoast Alaska

Mar. 3 (7pm)..
.
.Voluntary
Simplicity
Mar. 3 (7pm)
...Death and
Dying
Mar. 4 (7pm-???)
1st
Friday Potluck @ Jerrys
Mar. 4 (8pm)
.
..
.
(Concert) Don White
Mar. 7 (7-9pm)
.CUUPS
Meeting
Mar 7 (7pm)
..(Concert) Lisa Schneckenburger &
Mar. 8 (7-9pm)
...
...
..Rise Up and Call Her Name
Mar. 10 (7pm)
...
..Voluntary
Simplicity
Mar. 10 (7pm)
..
.Death
and Dying
Mar. 10 (7:30)
...(Concert)Music Mini Fest
Mar. 12 (9am-1pm)
.
...
.
Building and Grounds
Mar.12
..
RE
Spring Clean-up
Mar. 13 (12:30pm)
..
Interweave Meeting (Potluck)
Mar. 13
..
April
DOMELIGHT DEADLINE
Mar 14 (7-9:30pm)
.Wicca
101
Mar. 17 (7pm)
....
Board
Meeting
Mar. 18 (See article).Popcorn & Opinions
(Schindlers List)
Mar. 21 (7-9:30pm)
...Wicca
101
Mar. 22 (7-9pm)
...
...Rise Up and Call Her Name
Mar. 26 (7:30-10:30pm)
.
.Full Moon Celebration(Open)
Do you dream of inexpensive vacation
travel to interesting destinations where you can stay in the homes of friendly people who
share your ideals and are happy to provide directions and advice for their area?
The UU bed and breakfast directory UUre Home (formerly Homecomings) can help you fulfill your dream. For
25 years, weve provided a network of hosts in the United States (and a few abroad)
who enjoy meeting new friends and who are happy to open their home to like-minded people.
The directory is published every year in April. For a copy of the 2005 directory, please send a check for $18 to UUre Home, 43 Vermont Court, Asheville, NC 28806. UUre Home has just launched a new web site at www.UUreHome.com, which includes about half of the listings. Entries are updated whenever changes are made or new hosts are added