Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St. Augustine Newsletter

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St. Augustine Newsletter
St. Augustine Beach, Florida
March 2014
Fellowship meetings are held Sundays at 10:30 a.m.
A program for youth, birth through eighteen, is provided at 10:30.
2487 A1A South, 3/4 miles south of State Road 312
Refreshments are served after the service so all may socialize.
Audio transcripts of most presentations are available on the website www.uufsa.org
Board of Trustees
2013 - 2014
In This Issue
Sunday Program Topics .................... 2 - 4
Events ............................................... 5 - 6
Committees ....................................... 6 - 9
MUUvie and DocUUmentary ....... 10 - 11
Fellowship Calendar ............................ 11
Birthdays and Anniversaries ................ 11
Notes from the President...................... 12
President ........................................ Guy Reid
Vice President .........................Cherie Dolgin
Secretary ......................... Cynthia McAuliffe
Treasurer .................................... Ruth Weber
Trustee........................................... Elle Barry
Trustee................................ Priscilla Gulliver
Trustee...........................................Pat Moore
Trustee...................................... Charlie West
Trustee...................................... Dave Perkins
The Quest is published monthly from September through July.
Materials for inclusion in the April issue are due by March 21.
Don Brandes, Editor e-mail: [email protected]
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Sunday, March 2, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, March 9, 10:30 a.m.
“Empathy, Warmth & Understanding”
“Daily Practice”
Elizabeth Teal
Daily Practice - how simple acts can take us from promise to
commitment and to actions that change the world. It is a companion
piece to 'Daily Habit' - how we can mindfully create healthy mindless
habits and save the world -- or at least a corner of it.
"Reverend Teal is an interfaith minister and the UU daughter of a
UU mother, granddaughter of a UU.... She is also a weaver of words
and inks and blogs daily for the Ministry of Animals. She is a
specialist in inter-species bonds as well as trans-species
relationships - which is a fancy way of saying she holds a
certification in animal assisted therapy as well as a degree in
behavioral science. And she is a storyteller. She is has taken the
vows and is a member of The Community of the Mystic Heart. Her
ordination is from and held by One Spirit Interfaith Seminary."
Rev. Jack Ford
As Unitarian Universalists, we are part of a religious movement with
high moral standards and ideals: compassion, conscientious living,
justice for all, respect and dignity. I want to be a good person, to live
my values and principles. But how do these noble words translate to
actual behavior? How do I move beyond sentimentality and live my
faith?
The Rev. Jack Ford is a fellowshipped minister with the Unitarian
Universalist Ministerial Association. He has been in UU ministry for
21 years serving in the Florida district. He is also a carpenter and a
lover of nature.
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Sunday, March 16, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, March 23, 10:30 a.m.
“I Know You Are But What Am I?
Part 4: Prophetic Words and Deeds”
“From Promise to Commitment: The
Unfinished Business of the Arab World”
The popular revolts that arced across the Arab world during the socalled “Arab Spring” of 2010-2011 took the world completely by
surprise. Against all expectations, Arabs had asked to join the world
club of democratic nations, a development which had long seemed
destined to pass them by. These historic rebellions ended a long era
of absolute power in the region by showing rulers and subjects that
entrenched autocrats can be made to answer to their people. The
unexpected courage of the Arab public - especially its younger cohort
- fired the imagination of a world itself preoccupied with growing
inequality, from anti-austerity demonstrations in Europe to the
‘Occupy Wall Street’ phenomenon in the United States.
Rev. Jack Ford
In the first year of transition, hopes for sweeping change in the Arab
world were high. But as the rebellions morphed into violence in
several countries, and as democratic reforms faltered in others, the
promise of spring seemed to give way to an Arab winter of
discontent.
In these days of bungee jumping, base jumping, arch swinging,
extreme sports, it humors me to remember my mother’s voice from
decades ago saying: “If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you
jump off a bridge?” I guess it just depends upon the friend, doesn’t
it?
In this talk, Zahir Jamal focuses on where these extraordinary revolts
came from, the unusual forms they took and what they imply for the
future of the Arab world. He concludes that the massive calls for
justice, equality and dignity, which echoed across the region,
represent a broad-based aspiration for a new regional order; and that
a strong link exists between the Arab revolts and Arab integration.
Only by combining their efforts to establish democratic political
systems and vibrant economies can the Arab countries build societies
equal to such sweeping demands.
There are profound influences in all of our lives; women and
men who inspire us to live our principles. Part of the richness of our
UU faith is celebrating these landmarks on our path, inspirations for
the journey, light from pioneers who challenge us to live the noblest
lives that we can offer to the world.
The Rev. Jack Ford is a fellowshipped minister with the Unitarian
Universalist Ministerial Association. He has been in UU ministry for
21 years serving in the Florida district. He is also a carpenter and a
lover of nature.
For 26 years, Zahir Jamal held positions of varied and increasing
responsibility at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
He was Director of that organization’s Regional Program in the
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Arab States when he retired in 2006. In that capacity, he pioneered an
unusually frank commentary on the Arab world in a 5-volume series of
policy studies known as the Arab Human Development Reports published
by Oxford University and Stanford University. Time Magazine hailed the
first report in that series as “possibly the most important publication of the
year 2002”.
A graduate of Oxford University, Jamal now lives in St. Augustine
and continues to write and work on Middle Eastern questions as a
consultant to the UN and other bodies. Through numerous
speaking engagements at US and European universities he has
remained in touch with the active political, intellectual and
academic community around his field of study.
Sunday, March 30, 10:30 a.m.
“God Uses Beauty as Dante Used Beatrice”
Sheila T. Harty
Beauty as primary among the Transcendentals of Being, theologian
Sheila Harty draws on two unusual sources to develop a view on God’s
use of Beauty as a lure toward the transcendent. Two poems—The
Eternal Feminine by the French Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin and The
Divine Comedy by the Italian poet Dante—present a cosmological and
ontological view of the Feminine as God’s lure toward greater
ascendance. Gender differentiates matter in all living forms, bifurcating
the oneness of being. Since that’s the form, what’s the function? Teilhard
looks for higher purpose than only procreation. He says, “woman is the
world's attractive power imprinted on human features.” Teilhard asks,
where is she leading us? As with Beatrice, the Feminine draws us
forward into the future and toward higher purpose.
her first book, Hucksters in the Classroom,
won the 1980 George Orwell Award. On
sabbatical from Nader, Harty taught Business
Ethics at University College Cork in Ireland.
Later, she was an editor with the
Congressional Budget Office, the United
Nations, and the World Bank. She has spoken
around the world and been a consultant with
international consumer groups. She moved to
St. Augustine, Florida, in 1996 to care for her
aging parents.
About the Speaker - Sheila Harty has a B.A. and M.A. in Theology. Her
major was in Catholicism, her minor in Islam, and her thesis in Judaism,
but her definition of God more closely resembles quantum physics. For
20 years, Harty employed her theology degrees in the political arena as
“applied ethics,” including 10 years with Ralph Nader. She also worked
with former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark and former U.S.
Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. Harty is an award-winning author;
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Great Decisions
Downstairs Dialog
Monday March 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 16
Before Service: 9:15 – 10:15 a.m.
Great Decisions, our local branch of the Foreign Policy discussion
group, will meet on.
Our March presenter will be Kathy Nelson, Director of Audience
and Editor for the St. Augustine Record. As such, she is responsible
for all newsroom operations and online content, with a special
responsibility for audience building. She and publisher Delinda
Fogel were put in place last year by the new owners, Morris
Communications. Kathy has authored several columns describing
their plans for improving the paper, and she will share some of those
with us. An important purpose of her visit will be to get feedback
from us on what we like about the Record and our suggestions for
improving it. So come prepared.
Richard Lahey will lead the discussion on “Israel and the US.”
At this time when the Jewish people are having to make some of the
most difficult choices in their history, you won’t want to miss this
discussion. For more information contact Jo McIntire.
The meetings are open to the public.
Highway Clean-up
There will be a highway clean-up on
Thursday March 13th. Meet at the UU at 8:00 a.m.
Kathy received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in journalism and
political science from the University of Alabama, and has worked in
a number of different editorial positions throughout the southeast.
See you Sunday, March 16 at 9:15 AM, downstairs. Don’t miss this
opportunity to hear from one of our community’s most important
leaders!
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Flagler College Singers
Concert at UUFSA
Afternoon Book Club
Friday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m.
On Friday evening, March 28, at 7:30 p.m. student singers from
Flagler College will present a concert to support the family of
Herman Lindsey, the Death Row exoneree who spoke here in
December about his experiences. Mr. Lindsey was accompanied by
his wife Ruchelle and his newborn daughter Leanna. Shortly after
his talks we received the sad news that Leanna had died in a hospital
after a short illness. Since his release from Death Row, Mr. Lindsey
devotes full time to speaking engagements; he and his wife were
unable to meet medical bills and funeral expenses. All proceeds
from the concern will benefit the family. The students have said that
they are delighted to support this cause. The concert is free;
donations will be accepted during the wine and cheese reception. For
information see any choir member or call 904-460-1190.
Okay, so you cannot make every book club meeting, however, if you
have read a book on our list, you are welcome to join us the Tuesday
that we discuss the book.
Isobel Siegel
The Afternoon Book Club will meet downstairs at UU at 1:00 p.m.
We will discuss the following books:
March 18, 2014
The Night of Circus by Erin Morgenstern, led by Joyce Peterson
GREEN TEAM is being revivified!
April 15, 2014
The Bonobo and the Atheist by Frans de Waal, led by Barbara
Brenner
Nana Royer and Barbara Brenner have
agreed to co-chair the Green Team and
have decided on a meeting date of
Tuesday, March 4, 3:00 pm,
downstairs at the Fellowship.
May 20, 2014
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini, led by Pat Maguire
There is a clear connection between climate disruption and social
injustice, thus as UUs it is our responsibility to do what we can to
decrease/mitigate climate change. Come join us as we think together
on how we can educate others and on action we can take. Our
mothership needs help if it is to sustain us earthlings, and we do
want to maintain our Green Sanctuary status. If necessary, contact
Nana Royer ([email protected]).
Isobel Siegel 794-2293
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Our Amnesty Group Amnesty
Takes the Silver!
Why Volunteer
Why volunteer? One might think that spending
time helping others does little for oneself, but
that is not true. There are good reasons to
volunteer.
Amnesty International is happy to report that our local group, No.
662, ranked second in the US competition for the Hironaka Award
for 2013. Our group was singled out by the Southern Regional
Office of Amnesty to apply for the award, which is presented yearly
for outstanding work in a human rights area. Our St. Augustine
Local Group was honored for its work to abolish the Death Penalty,
with a focus on presentations by Death Row exonerees at three
events last year at the Fellowship. We were also commended for
vigils we hold each time the State of Florida executes a prisoner.
The award will be presented in at the Amnesty International
Convention in Chicago in April. If you are interested in attending
the convention, please contact Jo Anne Engelbert at 904-460-1190.
Many thanks to everyone in this congregation who has energetically
supported our Amnesty group!
Volunteering helps one make new friends in a structured social
situation. It can benefit one as much or more as those one helps. It
can also strengthen existing relationships, expose one to people with
common interests, help one locate community resources, and
introduce one to fun and fulfilling activities.
Volunteering is also good for one's mind and body. It increases one's
self-confidence, self-esteem, and satisfaction with life. One gains a
sense of accomplishment, pride, and identity. One will develop a
more positive outlook on life. A key risk factor for depression is
social isolation. Volunteering will help one overcome this. Studies
show that the more people volunteer, the happier they are.
Program Committee
Volunteering can also help one be healthier by being more active
physically. It is easier to engage in many activities when doing them
with others.
Hello Everyone. The Program Committee is happy to announce an
addition to our Joys and Concerns program segment. Elle Barry is
donating a book which will be placed on the Chalice table. We
invite anyone who wishes to enter a joy or a concern to do so either
before or after the service. Of course you can always speak your joy
or concern in the regular place in the service. This is not instead of
that, the book is in addition to the spoken words.
Volunteering gives one the opportunity to practice important skills
used elsewhere such as teamwork, communication, problem solving,
project planning, task management, and organization. It is also a
great way to gain experience in a new field.
Just because volunteer work is unpaid does not mean the skills one
learns are useless. They often have applications in other areas of life.
Note that what you choose to enter in the book may be read by
others, so if your joy or concern is private or confidential, you might
prefer to keep it private.
So the bottom line is this: when considering whether to become a
volunteer, don't do it just for others. Do it for yourself too.
We hope you will like this addition and that you will choose to take
advantage of it.
Lola Sorensen and the Program Committee
Ray Adman
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St. Johns Food Pantry
Dining with Dignity
SPOTLIGHT ON ULDIS GOLTS
Many thanks to those of you who
contributed to our Tailgating
Menu for Superbowl Sunday.
Due to the 'big game' we had a
lower turnout than usual, with
only 64 meals served, but all of
the food was absolutely fabulous.
After 13 years of service, Uldis Golts
has retired from volunteering at the
Food Pantry. Since beginning to
attend the UUFSA in 2000, Uldis has
honored a monthly commitment of
helping to feed needy individuals and
families in St. Johns County. (We did
give him vacation time to spend at
his summer house in Georgia as a
result of good behavior!) Uldis thank you, we salute you and we will
miss you.
If you are interested in helping
at the Food Pantry one
afternoon a month, please
contact Cherie Dolgin at
461-1604. Duties include
registering and logging in
clients on the computer or
packing grocery bags and
replenishing shelves.
Our next event is coming up on
March 2nd, and we're planning to
make to one of the all-time
favorites... Italian Food! Pasta, sausage, meatballs, garlic bread,
green beans, and fresh salad are all on the menu. We'll also be
needing take-away items, too.
This is a popular menu, so if you are interested in participating,
please sign-up early at the UU, or contact us for further details.
out
Thank you!
Lee Ann & Dave Forrest
UU Dining with Dignity Team
Cherie Dolgin
UUFSA Food Pantry Coordinator
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Lifelong Learning Program
We believe that children grow their religion by reflecting sensitively
upon the wide range of experiences which make up their daily lives,
and by being challenged to learn more about the lives of others.
Our youngest children are provided an environment, in which they
nurtured, encouraged to be aware of themselves and others, and to
care about the world in which they live.
and more active projects, such as our on-site organic garden and
social justice projects.
Many thanks to Barbara Battelle, Claudia Atkins, Bobbie Brenner
and Richard Galy who recently provided opportunities for our youth
to learn about evolution and a variety of creation stories. The Life
Long Learning Committee appreciates the many volunteers who help
with all ages of our young people – this gives all of us an
opportunity to get to know each other better, and to share our
interests and talents.
Children and youth, from six through high school, are engaged in a
variety of curricular and other activities The Unitarian Universalist
curriculum, Windows and Mirrors, provides a foundation for the
program. This involves “Mirrors” in which they can see themselves,
and “Windows” in which they can see the world.
Our next committee meeting will be Sunday, March 9 at 12:00 in the
meditation room.
The Windows and Mirrors program nurtures children's ability to
identify their own experiences and perspectives and to seek out, care
about and respect those of others. The sessions unpack topics that
lend themselves to diverse experiences and perspectives—for
example, faith heritage, public service, anti-racism and prayer. The
program teaches that there are always multiple viewpoints and
everyone's viewpoint matters.
[email protected] or 904.471.0335.
This curriculum is supplemented by other activities, supporting our
young people to:
 recognize their own worth and that of others;
 become aware of the natural and social world in
which they live--and their responsibility to it;
 discover their cultural and religious heritage;
including learning about a variety of world religions;
 realize the spiritual dimensions of their own lives.
Adults support our children and youth in exploring the UU
Principles. Activities include use of books, discussions, art, music,
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MUUvies Films
Nowhere in Africa
(2003) Germany
Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Film in 2003
A love story spanning two continents, Nowhere in Africa is the
extraordinary true tale of a Jewish family who flees the Nazi regime in
1938 for a remote farm in Kenya
It is so rare to find a film where you become quickly, simply absorbed in
the story. Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The movie gives us lovingly shot landscapes, portraits of extraordinary
friendships, a great score, dialogue that only occasionally slips into history
lessons, a number of memorably etched minor characters, a splendid
performance by its youngest star and two mysteries. -Rick Kisonak,
Wall Street Journal
Thanks to the superior performances by all four leads (including incredibly
expressive Karoline Eckertz, who appears as the teenage Regina midway
through), Nowhere in Africa is a meditation on everything from race and
class and cultural impermanence to the inexhaustible malleability of youth.
–March Savlov, Austin Chronicle
Starring: Juliane Köhler, Matthias Habich, Merab Ninidze
Directed by: Caroline Link
Summary: A Jewish family in Germany emigrate short before the Second
World War. They move to Kenya to start running a farm, but not all
members of the family come to an arrangement with their new life. Shortly
after their departure, things are changing in Germany very quickly, and a
turning back seems impossible. So everyone has to arrange himself with
the new life in a new continent.
This is the 100th UUFSA MUUvie since the series began in 2006!
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Documentary Friday
March Calendar
2 – Dining with Dignity 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
3 – Daylight Savings Time begins.
4 – Green Team 3:00 p.m.
5 – Building You Own Theology 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
9 – Lifelong Learning Committee 12:00
10 – Board Meeting 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
12 – Building You Own Theology 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
14 – Food Pantry 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
14 – MUUvie – 7:00 p.m.
16 – Downstairs Dialogue 9:15 – 10:15
18 – Book Club 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
19 – Building You Own Theology 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
23 – Potluck lunch after service
25 – Night 2:00 – 6:00 p.m.
26 – Building You Own Theology 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
28 – Food Pantry 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
28 – Flagler Singers Concert 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
“Two Who Dared”
USA, 2013, Dir. by Artemis Joukowsky
UUFSA at 7:00 on March 21, 2014
NOTE: Documentary Friday falls on the 3rd Friday in March
Waitstill Sharp, a Unitarian minister, and Martha Sharp, a trained
social worker, in February 1939, boldly commit to a life-threatening
mission in Europe to assist refugees.
Emma Blaxton writes,
When seventeen others turned down the Unitarian Association's
request for relief volunteers, Waitstill and Martha Sharp committed
to the dangerous mission. "Two Who Dared: The Sharps' War" is the
story of their humanitarian work and the effect it had on their lives.
March Birthdays
The Sharp's left their two young children behind in Wellesley,
Massachusetts and traveled to Czechoslovakia to aid refugees just as
war was about to break out in Europe. While abroad, they combatted
political and social legislation, breaking laws in order to get
imperiled individuals exit visas. From involvement with black
market, money laundering, to the clandestine transportation of
refugees, the Sharps played a vital role in the rescue of Jews and
dissidents from persecution.
05 David Comtois
08 Glenda Bailey-Mershon
12 Martha Shannon
15 Cynthia McAuliffe
17 Maida Tuttle
20 Joanne Engelbert
29 Gale Burnick
30 Eleanor Lahey
The film features interviews with the refugees
rescued as children, now adults, who were taken
to America by Martha Sharp, and interviews with
family members. These personal stories highlight
the impact of social change and the effect of the
Sharp's.
March Anniversaries
I have no anniversaries listed for March.
Please let me know if I have missed you.
Don
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Backstage View from The President
.. This is a busy time for all of us. The
Website Committee is hard at work
rebuilding our “face” which gives our
first impression to anyone who googles
us for any reason. I hope you will visit
UUFSA.com and see the “work in
progress” A big thank you to that
committee and our Board VP Cherie
Dolgin who is the Board link for the
committee.
The RE Lifelong Learning program is undergoing some important
changes, too, with our RE Chair Beverly Cree assimilating a group of
our members with educational backgrounds to structure our current
curriculum through the rest of this year. This group is replacing Joan
Kramer who is no longer with the program. A special thank you to
Joan who made a memorable contribution to the program for several
years. Going forward, we can look for significant changes and
improvements in this important area as it embraces necessary change
to grow and serve our Fellowship’s youth. The adult portion of the
program is doing quite well with the Sunday Downstairs Dialogue
growing in popularity.
The ad hoc Nomination Committee is already well on their way into
selecting candidates for our officers and board members for the next
fiscal year. Kudos to Priscilla Caine, Chair, Mary Kellough, and
Joyce Peterson for their diligence.
Some of you know I am in the middle of moving residences, so if
you see me looking a little out of it these days or wearing
mismatched socks, don’t be too surprised! Meanwhile, have a great
month and I’ll see you around the Fellowship.
A special acknowledgement and note of appreciation to Jo McIntire
for expanding the concrete area next to the handicapped parking
space being used by Charlie West. That was a hard job and Jo spent a
good deal of his personal time getting the project completed. We are
fortunate to have that kind of dedication at our Fellowship..
Remember we have alternative parking available just up the street at
the City parking lot.
If you are interested in volunteering for any committee or project,
shoot me an e-mail at [email protected].
We had a Valentine “Non-fundraiser” that so far has yielded over
$1300 toward our Fundraising portion of the current budget. Ruth
Weber, Cynthia MacAuliffe, Elle Barry, and Barbara Brenner did a
splendid job of putting this charming program together. All of these
ladies continue to work hard and stay engaged for the wellbeing of
the Fellowship.
Shalom
Guy
We also had a Fun-D day of games hosted by Janice May, Mary
Kellough, and Jane Mahoney, in which an additional $475 was added
to the coffers. Thanks to all who participated.
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