That’s right, we have a brand-new Instagram account
that we are filling up fast with photos from our latest activities. If you have an Instagram account of your own for sharing pictures with your friends and family, you can now follow us at manateeuuf and check out our latest doings — and ‘like’ and comment on our photos. And tell your friends and family, too!
No Instagram account? No problem.
You can see our latest photos right here on our website. Click HERE or go to ‘News’ and scroll down to ‘Live Instagram Feed.’
Who knows? You may see yourself there already!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
AND REPORTS FOR OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2024
READ ABOUT OUR NEWEST GROUPS
Caregiver Peer Support Group
“Being a caregiver requires infinite patience, physical and emotional strength, health care navigation skills, and a sense of humor — which can be hard to come by after sleepless nights and demanding days.” — Rosalynn Carter
The Caregiver Support Group is for members of the Fellowship who are currently caregivers at any stage of the journey and who, in a safe nonjudgmental space, benefit from each other’s acceptance and recognition for their common concerns and are grateful for the wisdom, insight and humor of their fellow caregivers.
The gatherings take place at our building on the third Saturday of every month from 10:30 a.m. until noon. The size of the group is limited to 10.
If you are interested in joining, please contact Katherine Knowles.
Connections
Connections is a chance for Fellowship members and friends to share with and support each other in a safe and welcoming environment. The group meets at the fellowship every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to noon. Contact facilitator Alia Starkweather for more information.
Right Relations
Tom Ehren introduced Right Relations to the congregation as he led our service on June 30, a first step to forming a Right Relations team. Di Morgan read “The Story of Milo and Cracker,” Doris Sutliff lit the chalice, and the Joyful Jammers sang “Try a Little Kindness.”
The UUA says that Right Relations Teams are lay leaders entrusted to help the congregation practice faithful communication and creative conflict based on values of mutuality and consent. Beginning in August the committee will reach out to members interested in learning more and participating in training.
UPDATE: CHAIR YOGA
Chair Yoga is now meeting each week at our building on its new day and time: Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Emphasis will continue to be placed on asana (exercise), pranayama (breath), and mindfulness to strengthen balance, flexibility and body. Member Patricia Hurd leads the class. She has been teaching yoga for 9 years and is a certified instructor through Yoga Alliance. There is no charge to participate.
SPECIAL COLLECTION FOR OCTOBER:
MANASOTA-88
Our Special Collection for October will benefit ManaSota-88.
Created in 1968, ManaSota 88 evolved from a major environmental health study sponsored by the U.S. Public Health Service, Florida State University, the University of Florida and the Sarasota and Manatee county commissions. Its commitment to safeguard the air, land and water quality is aggressive and uncompromising.
ManaSota-88 volunteers are unpaid. A steering committee provides overall leadership and direction. It operates entirely through volunteer support. It received no contributions from the government or special interest groups.
This Special Collection begins Oct. 13 and runs through Oct. 27. Please make checks payable to “ManaSota-88” and bring to a service or mail to: Manatee UU Fellowship, 322 15th St. West, Bradenton, FL 34205.
Thank you for your help in supporting the work of this important organization.
SOCIAL EVENTS FIRST WEDNESDAY, THIRD FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH
Our next Share a Dish potluck is Friday, Oct. 18, at 6 p.m. at our building. Bring a dish to share — like the name says! — and join us for food, fellowship and fun. Share a Dish is held on the third Friday of each month. Some months a special speaker or program is presented.
Please join us for our next restaurant visit Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 4:30 p.m., when we will meet at Pier 22, located on the Manatee River at 1200 1st Ave W, Bradenton. Plan to join us for a drink, an appetizer or an early dinner on the first Wednesday of each month. You can check out the venue online at pier22.com. Everyone is welcome; it’s a great, casual way to get to know us.
Please check back here each month for the latest details and updates. And please join us for these monthly social events — and more!
LATEST FROM OUR SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE
The Social Justice Committee has released its schedule for our monthly Special Collections for 2024-25, as follows:
July 2024 League of Women Voters
August 2024 Turning Points
September 2024 UNIDOS Now
October 2024 Manasota 88
November 2024 UUSC
December 2024 Suncoast Waterkeeper
January 2025 Kim’s Krew
February 2025 RECESS Education
March 2025 ALSO Youth
April 2025 Coalition of Immokalee Workers
May 2025 Hope Family Services
June 2025 Planned Parenthood
Please follow the links to learn more about these important organizations and join us throughout the year in supporting their work. Details on when and how can be found here each month.
The Social Justice Committee meets on the first Sunday of each month after the worship service. All are welcome.
HELP OUR BOOK CLUB DECIDE
WHAT TO READ
The Book Club last met on Aug. 5, the we discussed Oath and Honor by Liz Cheney and West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge.
We haven’t decided on any future books, but here are a few we might consider: Before Nightfall by Silvia Vecchini is a short novel about two sibling teenagers, one of whom is hard of hearing and is facing blindness. It is part prose, part poetry and part American Sign Language. I think the book will make us all aware of disabilities we all may face someday.
Another is Apprentice in Wonderland by Ramin Setoodeh. It is the story of Donald Trump’s tumultuous time as head of the TV show “The Apprentice.” This should be a fun read.
A third suggestion is The Coast Road by Alan Murrin. The story takes place in Ireland in 1994 prior to the legalization of divorce in that country. Murrin tell how women’s freedom is stifled by religion, custom and gossip. The story relates to our own country as we are faced with freedoms being taken away.
Do a little research and see if any of these books appeal to you. Everyone is welcome at the Book Club. Why not join us?
The Book Club meets the first Monday of each month at 2:00 p.m. on Zoom. Contact Bill Hayes for more information and to get the Zoom link.
Happy reading!
— Bill Hayes
SUMMER HOURS CONTINUE FOR
KNIT ‘N CHAT
Our summer schedule for Knit ‘n Chat has us meeting in person at the fellowship at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month and connecting with those out of town on Zoom. It’s working quite well … lots of ‘connecting’ and sharing. In our conversations, we learned that more yarn is being donated to us and that many of us continue to create scarves which we send to Women Knitting for Peace to be distributed by doctors and dentists as they volunteer services in clinics around the world. Our regular schedule will resume in October. Happy knitting!
— Carol Alt
ABOUT THE PROGRESS PRIDE FLAG
The original pride flag was created in the 1970s by gay activist Gilbert Baker, friend of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Baker used eight colors and corresponding meanings: hot pink for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit.
The new Progress Pride Flag includes new colors and a new design that are meant to represent people of color, as well as people who are transgender, intersex, or nonbinary.
The colors black and brown were added to the Progress Pride Flag to represent unrepresented black and brown people.
With the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, culture at large began to shift in a much-needed way towards acknowledging the vital roles that people of color have had in our society. The pride movement background is one of many areas where people of color did not receive the recognition they deserved historically. Adding colors to represent them on the flag is one way to change that.
The word “progress” in the new flag isn’t only about adding the new colors to it. It’s also because of the shape, which differs from the original design of horizontal stripes only. The Progress Pride Flag shows the white, pink, baby blue, black, and brown stripes in a triangle shape, with the old six-color rainbow stacked next to them.
The color placement and new shape was done intentionally to convey the separation in meaning and shift focus to how important the issues represented on the left are.
The placement of the new colors in an arrow shape is meant to convey the progress still needed.
— Mariano Vera
[As a Welcoming Congregation accredited by the Unitarian Universalist Association, Manatee UU Fellowship flies the Progress Pride Flag in front of our building each Sunday morning. It also appears on our permanent building sign.]
WARMINGTON FREEDOM TINY LIBRARY IS NOW OFFICIAL!
On Sunday, Nov. 19, members and friends of Manatee Unitarian Universalist Fellowship gathered in the front of our building to dedicate our Warmington Freedom Tiny Library as an act of resistance to the book bannings that are taking place nationally and in the state of Florida.
As Florida leads the nation in banned books, more than 1,400 so far, this is one way to provide encouragement for those who are being targeted. Rev. Fred L Hammond shared the legacy of earlier members Ruth and Carl Warmington, who in leaving an endowment for expansion of our fellowship’s library, made this possible. Our tiny library gives us an opportunity to expand into our community and let others know that justice, equity, and inclusion are values we hold in our hearts.
As we listened to the voices and percussion of the Joyful Jammers, we felt a sense of oneness and pride in the books we are providing to whomever is interested. Each book has a bookmarker and sticker beginning with “Enjoy this book …”
Thank you to Bernie Salzinger who skillfully refurbished a cabinet to serve as our tiny library and to Chris MacCormack who painted the illustrations on the sides. The books that have been selected by Rev. Fred, Becky Smith, Barb Ehren and Carol Bartz include banned books as well as books that embrace social justice themes or align with our UU Principles. More than 50 books have already been shared through the tiny library during the past month and we will continue to add more books to those two shelves.
We encourage each of you to order one book from the list being offered by Boston-based philanthropists found at BannedBooksUSA.org. This allows Florida residents to order banned and restricted books for just the price of shipping: $3.99. Please have it delivered to your home address and then give the book to Becky, Barb, Rev. Fred or Carol so that we can catalog it first.
May all be valued for who they are and may all accept differences and unique abilities of others.
— Carol Bartz
RENEWING OUR LEGACY CIRCLE
Anyone can join our Legacy Circle and make meaningful gifts to Manatee Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in their will. Regardless of the amount, your bequest is a statement of faith that our UU movement and our voices for compassionate justice, democracy, and religious freedom are heard long after we are gone. When you demonstrate that you care enough about this fellowship to support its future, others will follow your generous example.
No matter what your age, you can designate Manatee UU Fellowship as the beneficiary of all or a percentage of your IRA and it will pass to us tax-free after your lifetime. It’s simple, just requiring that you contact your IRA administrator for a change-of-beneficiary form or download a form from your provider’s website.
Join the Legacy Circle at our fellowship by stating your gift plan on your personal intentions form available in our office. Your name(s) will be placed on the Legacy Circle plaque in the sanctuary. Because most popular retirement plan administrators assume no obligation to notify charities of their client’s designations, the intentions form is an important document to us and will be held in a confidential file.
SOMETHING FOR OUR SANCTUARY
This beautiful banner, made by fellowship member Klara Weis, was carried by her during the banner parade at the UU General Assembly in Pittsburgh, Pa., in June 2023. It currently hangs in front of the media booth in our sanctuary.
Thank you, Klara!
A GIFT FOR US ALL
For our 2021 auction, Peg Green offered to create a flaming chalice fabric wall hanging “to hang in your home or give as a gift.” The winner would get to choose the flaming chalice design and color scheme. and then Peg would create the piece.
During the live auction held in February 2021, Bill Hayes kept raising his bid and finally outbid everyone. Over that summer he generously gifted the lovely quilt to our fellowship. It is bold and beautiful, and can be seen in our Sanctuary on Zoom as well as in-person during our Sunday services.
Peg’s artwork can be viewed on her website www.peacepeg.com and one of her works is on the cover of the UUA Pocket Guide for new members.
Thank you, Peg and Bill, for being so generous!
Reverend Fred L Hammond
FRED’S FLAVORINGS
Perhaps you noticed it, too? I pulled into the parking lot at the fellowship and heard this crisp crushing sound beneath my tires. It was the sound I’ve heard many times in my life. All these images flashed through my mind. The long driveway leading to the wooded cabins on my grandparent’s property. The parking lot at the Unitarian Universalist Mountain Retreat in North Carolina. Driving on the gravel roads along the Cahaba River in Alabama. These were places where I felt loved and nurtured.
Funny how certain sounds and visuals can resurrect memories of days long gone. I was watching a TV show and there was a scene of an adult son dancing with his mother. I was in that instant transported to a time when I danced with my mother at my cousin’s wedding. It was a joyful occasion. And the joy of that moment washed over me as the dancers swept fluidly across the floor. It was again a moment of love.
Our parking lot needed some attention. The old shells had disintegrated and settled into the soil causing catchment places for rain puddles. Some puddles were ankle deep. It was becoming a safety concern. Our parking lot needed some love and nurturing, too. An inanimate parcel of land might not be considered needing love and nurturing. Yet, it does.
The board at its last meeting voted to spend $2,000 that was not in our budget to give our parking lot some love and nurturing. It was an important act of love. It was also an act of eco-justice by adding permeable shell gravel that will allow water to seep into the soil and not run off into the streets causing flooding.
It says something about who we are as a community of faith. It says something about how we live out our values. And if we show this much love and nurturing for a parking lot, the very first impression any visitor will have when they arrive here, might it also say something on how we love and nurture one another?
Perhaps, for our visitors, it will resurrect memories of being loved and nurtured, suggesting that this is their home, too.
Blessings,
Fred
September during my lifetime has been traditionally the month when the new church year begins. Schools returned to classes. Football season begins with basketball right behind it.
For us, September tends to be a gearing up for when our seasonal members and friends return in October. We do have some activities happening in September, many that began earlier in the year. Book discussions, Connections, and Caregivers Support Group, Happy Hour at Pier 22, and Share a Dish continue in September. We expect Chair Yoga to return on Thursdays in September — look for announcements in the Sunday bulletin.
In October additional activities will be taking place. We are planning another season of Beloved Circles. These small groups will invite members and friends to engage in conversations around a topic. They are a means to get to know one another at a deeper level. Becky Smith, Manatee UU Fellowship president, and I are looking for individuals willing to facilitate additional groups this year. There will be sessions in person and on Zoom.
Our next cycle of STREAM [Stronger Together Reaching Equality Across Manatee] house meetings will occur in mid-October and early November. These are listening sessions to hear what has changed in your concerns over the past year. It is more important than ever to increase and organize our people power in addressing Manatee County’s most pressing issues. STREAM is monitoring affordable housing gains, still seeking full implementation of the Adult Pre-Arrest Diversion program for minor offenses and increased mental health support for our youth. But to win these issues we need to organize our support for these issues.
We will have a common read book once the print version is released this fall. The book, Love at the Center, is a collection of essays edited by UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt. We will discuss these essays as a congregation and how they might challenge us to live into our Unitarian Universalist values.
I have been looking at when during the year I take my vacation and study leave time. What has been happening is the majority of my time has been taken towards the end of the fiscal year right at the same time as the Florida minister’s retreat and UUA General Assembly. This doesn’t seem fair to be away so many weeks in a row. My high school class 50th reunion is happening at the end of September. So, I will be taking two weeks to attend this event and then to visit family that I have not seen since before the pandemic.
Blessings.
At the recent board retreat, I led a discussion on church size — family size church vs pastoral size church. I don’t have the column space here to delve into a compare and contrast essay, but I wanted to share with you some of the things that I have been thinking about since that discussion.
We have this year begun three new groups to meet emerging needs in the fellowship. We have Chair Yoga and a Connections sharing group, both of which meet weekly, and a monthly Caregivers Support Group. We have continued two Beloved Circles for the summer with the anticipation of doing a longer series of Beloved Circles in the fall. There are plans being made of inviting members to do a common read of a new UUA book titled “Love at the Center,” also in the fall. And there are plans underway of having a folk concert series at the fellowship and the Social Justice Committee is planning a larger concert in March 2025 which we hope will be welcoming for members of our various community relations.
All of these activities plus the ones we have quasi-institutionalized: Share a Dish suppers, Joyful Jammers, Knit ‘n Chat, Book Club discussion group, Great Decisions, Social Justice Committee activities, and several board-related committees place us at a tipping point of growth into that pastoral size church. We are a growing congregation, and this is exciting.
There are challenges. We have a growing number of members and friends who only access us via Zoom. How might we better integrate Zoom participation in the life of the church? How might we continue to be relevant to this group? What might membership look like for them?
Then there is the value of pluralism. I love the concept of this value in our faith. But it, too, raises questions for us in who we are as a fellowship. How do we minister to people on a Sunday morning who come not only from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences, but also from a variety of spiritual disciplines and philosophies? It is a question I ask myself every week as I plan the worship service. Not everything in the worship service is going to meet everyone’s needs. Not everything in the worship service is going to resonate with everyone in the room and on Zoom. It is a moment of profound grace if everything resonates for you. But perhaps this week it will only be the chalice lighting words, or the postlude, or maybe just a brief paragraph in the homily that resonates with you. Trust that others are being fed by other things in the service.
There are other elements that we can add to the service to have the service meet other needs in our fellowship. But there are questions we need to answer for ourselves. Are we willing to put in the work to make these other elements of worship happen? What is our intention by adding an additional element to worship? Who do we hope will be reached by this element?
I ask myself, how do we create a service that will signal to families that we want to be their home as well as home to our elders? I know that Time for All Ages does not speak to everyone. But I heard this fellowship say that they want to be a multi-generational fellowship. If this is true, then I need to include stories on the theme of the service that might engage our youngest attendees when they attend. We need to already be a welcoming space for families. They need to feel in their bones that they are embraced and belong here with us. If that is who we want to be, multigenerational, then let us figure out how to be that and proud. But if we do not want to be multigenerational, then we need to ask ourselves who do we want to be? Who do we want to serve?
But know our value of Pluralism includes all ages of people.
Blessings.
Email Fred:
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Some days are like that, they just keep on knocking the wind out of you! Last Tuesday night at the board meeting it was all business as usual, planning events and programs then Wednesday one, two, three all off track.
The first was a concert and social justice effort to bring the duo Deeper Than The Skin to perform a concert and Sunday service at Manatee UU Fellowship in March 2025. I signed the contract and sent it, then got the reply that one of the members has a serious medical condition and will not be able to travel at that time. We are sending healing thoughts and best wishes his way. The enthusiasm and effort the team had making this happen suddenly was cast in a dark cloud and much concern.
Literally a few minutes later I wrote an email to the leadership team regarding the upcoming “Star Trek” leadership workshop and got a return email saying it would have to be put on hold. They are considering other possibilities and this will happen, but at the time of this writing I don’t know when it will be back on track. This will be for everyone, leaders, potential leaders, reluctant leaders, people who don’t know they are leaders, all of us. I’m looking forward to it and I hope everyone else is also.
Then Bill Hayes sent me an email saying he won’t be leading Great Decisions. That is a program of the Foreign Policy Association that is a worldwide study group that has been meeting at the fellowship for decades! We need to keep this going and need someone to step in and spearhead this. Speak with Bill Hayes for details and look for his article in this Update.
So, one, two, three, in the same evening gone, postponed, in jeopardy. Even that cannot discourage me. This time of year, our winter residents are returning and with more people the atmosphere gets recharged. We have the holidays to celebrate together and with the election coming up we have plenty to do; education on the amendments on the ballot, voter registration, postcard campaigns, and choosing our candidates. All of the usual activities still happening, plus Beloved Circles beginning again. It would be great if we could find two more facilitators and begin with four again this year.
I know other events will be developed and these will either come back or regenerate. It’s not like any of us have to look for things to do, they always seem to find us. I’m always glad when I participate at the fellowship. I get so much more than I give when I do.
Celebration & Gratitude
I want to highlight some of the things that are going on around the Fellowship and recognize some creative and dedicated members. Now I know I’ll leave a lot of people out; believe me it’s not intentional. I appreciate everyone, but here are a few that I want to mention.
First the entire Worship Team. Every Sunday morning, no matter what, we have a meaningful service. The day after Rev Fred’s Mom passed away Sally Isham stepped up and beautifully read the homily. Our pianist Barbara Jenson has been ill then her husband got sick so Shirley Loebel stepped in and is happily playing the piano for us on Sunday mornings. The technology team of Ted Medrek and Marilyn Gyselinck have ironed out the kinks and seem to be able handle whatever request there is, videos, close ups on the story for all ages, zoom, and chat rooms after the service for the Zoomers.
Kudos to the new groups that have formed out of need. Katherine Knowles is facilitating a Caregivers Peer Support Group, a group that she would have liked to have had when she was her husband’s caregiver. Alia Starkweather started a Connections group to be able to get to know people and enjoy their company. Shelly Ogon put up a dry erase board in the social room for people to sign up for fun activities to do together.
Social Justice Committee has always been one of our most active committees and they are supporting multiple organizations with our monthly collections as well as participation in events and volunteering when needed in addition to many other activities and events in the planning.
I also want to recognize the Membership Team that are genuinely welcoming to guests and last year put the involvement booklet together. With the new activities they are going to have to revise it. They also redesigned our emergency contact form and it’s ready for all of us to fill in so we can have it in the office. This was the topic of last month’s column and it’s already done.
Glenn Derryberry has volunteered to be the chairman of our Building and Grounds Committee. It’s no small task taking care of our 100-year-old building and four lots. He and his team constantly have something in the works.
This is what happens when we put LOVE at the center of everything we do. These people, along with everyone who participates and pitches in, make Manatee UU Fellowship the remarkable place that it is and make me look forward to every time I come here!
With Love Beyond Belief,
Becky Smith, Board President
Final Wishes
The tragic loss of our member Ed Janz shined a bright light on the gaps we have in our Beloved Community. Even though Ed lived alone and was vulnerable, we weren’t regularly checking in on him. Because of this, there was a delay in getting care to him.
When he was in the hospital they needed a care surrogate. In this dire situation Reverend Fred stepped up and agreed to fill this role. When it looked like the end was near, the hospital didn’t have a next of kin to contact and no direction on his final wishes.
If we had an emergency form in our office, we would have had his next of kin to contact, we would know if he had an advanced directive or DNR, we would have known who his attorney is, who his health care surrogate is, whether he had a pre-need arrangement for cremation or other final plan, if he had a will, whether he wants a memorial service and what music or readings he wanted at the service.
What happened because we didn’t have this is Rev. Fred was contacted and had to step in. Katherine Knowles did some sleuthing and found his sister’s phone number in New Jersey. The hospital was so grateful for that information; it came just hours before Ed passed away.
What was heartwarming was that in the end Ed was not alone. Fred, Katherine, and I were there. It happened to also be Ed’s birthday so we sang Happy Birthday to him. Even though he wasn’t conscious, the nurse said she believed he could hear us. We spoke to Ed and with each other. It was very touching that the nurses were so grateful that he had someone there as he transitioned as one put it. All three of the nurses on the floor brought in a cart with slices of cake, a bowl of fruit, granola bars, sodas, and water to celebrate Ed’s birthday with him. It was a beautiful loving gesture toward all of us. At the end of his life Ed was surrounded by friends.
We learned we need to do better, and we all can help with this. The Membership Committee along with Reverend Fred is coming up with a new form that we all need to fill out, so we have this information in our office file. We need a network of caring members that keep in touch with each other. We need to find the silver lining in this cloud and be better prepared for the inevitable for all of us.
With LOVE at the Center — Becky Smith, Board President
Email Becky:
Becky-Smith