July 3, 2021

June 21, 2021

Over a year ago, UUFCC Board of Trustees formed a Bylaws Committee to amend UUFCC Bylaws.  Initial UUFCC Bylaws were created over 20 years ago.  Over the years, only minor amendments to a section here and there were made, nothing major.  Current Bylaws still contain the original mission statement which differs from the mission statement UUFCC uses today.  For these and other reasons, the Board felt it was time to review the Bylaws in their entirety, make them consistent with who we are today, bring them up to date.  To do so, the Board established a Bylaws Committee consisting of three Board members and two UUFCC members at large.  A call for volunteers went out, members responded and the Committee was formed.  It consists of:

Laura Anderson (who is currently simultaneously chairing UUFCC PPM Committee)
Stephanie Garrett (former UUFCC president who worked on UUFCC Bylaws at least three previous times)
Herb Levin (current UUFCC Board Secretary)
MaryLou Proudfoot Kennedy (who has previously worked on UUFCC Bylaws)
Nancy Weaver (current UUFCC Board Treasurer)
Lorrie Douglas (current UUFCC Board President serving as ex officio Committee member per Bylaws)

Bylaws define the basic framework for the Fellowship’s operations.  Bylaws should match the Fellowship’s current needs.  Bylaws tend to be broad.  In other words, viewing the UUFCC Articles of Incorporation as UUFCC’s Constitution, Bylaws would be its federal laws, and a Policies and Procedures Manual (PPM) its state laws.  As such, Bylaws are the broadest set of rules that allow the Board to make decisions.  Bylaws contain a mission or purpose statement, membership qualifications, and governance structures.  Bylaws are not a list of all the policies and procedures of the Board and the Fellowship:  that’s for a separate Policies and Procedures Manual (which, yes, UUFCC has and which, yes, the Board is also having updated).

It is with these thoughts in mind that the Bylaws Committee has been meeting monthly, working diligently, going through UUFCC’s current Bylaws amendment by amendment, researching and reading UUA how-to-write-bylaws books and articles, watching webinars, comparing and contrasting sample UUA Bylaws as well as actual Bylaws of other UUs in Florida and other states (and even a Canadian UU), and contemplating our own specific needs.  The Bylaws Committee is working to ensure UUFCC Bylaws do not conflict with PPM (or with our Articles of Incorporation) and vice versa.  Some work involves just cleaning up the Bylaws to make them more user-friendly and ensure consistency throughout.  It’s been quite the task but this Committee has been quite the committee and clearly up to the challenge.  

The Bylaws Committee is approximately three-quarters of the way through the Bylaws.  Per UUFCC Bylaws, proposed amendments must be approved by the Board.  Once the Committee has finished going through the Bylaws in their entirety, the Committee plans to have a final run-through before presenting Proposed Amended Bylaws to the Board (hopefully, in about four more months).

Per UUFCC Bylaws, once approved by the Board, Proposed Amended Bylaws must be presented to the Fellowship for congregational vote.  Pursuant to UUFCC Bylaws, the Fellowship would receive notice of that congregational meeting along with the actual Proposed Amended Bylaws.  Fellowship would receive a copy of current Bylaws showing proposed deletions via strike-throughs and showing proposed additions via highlighted text.  Rationale for proposed changes would be provided with the Proposed Amended Bylaws. 

In the last year, UUFCC’s website has greatly changed.  If you haven’t looked, do:  it’s new and improved and awesome!  Ideas being discussed include members having website access to documents such as UUFCC Bylaws, UUFCC PPM and our Covenant.

Worship Team

June 9, 2021

On Sunday mornings we gather. We gather for many reasons – but certainly we gather to worship. We worship together even when we have different beliefs. We have differing words for what is sacred to us. We worship for different reasons.

You know there is a group of UUFCC folks who work together to put on a service on Sunday mornings. We have folks who provide music; techie folks who coordinate the computer and sound system; and folks who plan each part of the service – the worship associates. These three groups of people form the worship team.

The worship associates recently met and agreed we like services that are interesting, relevant, and spiritual. We try to balance the six sources of our living tradition and our seven principles. We have chosen four focus areas which we hope will provide topics of interest: social justice, spiritual, UU (especially history), and environmental. We agreed we have a fifth area – other – just in case we have a bright idea that doesn’t fit in our categories. Besides the topics, we look at secular and religious holidays (both in the US and internationally). We also try to include commemorative months and month-long observances.

This month, June is LGBT Pride month. June 20 is Father’s Day – and it falls on a Sunday. We are planning a group of speakers in a service that will be a celebration of both Gay Pride and Father’s Day. panel of several folks who are fathers, have/had fathers, are grandfathers, have/had grandfathers.

June 27 is the last day of the annual General Assembly and the largest gathering of UUs in worship (last year 10,000 of us connected). It is being held virtually this year and will be streamed on Sunday morning. We at UUFCC will start our service at 10:30 as usual and then join the GA service. This service is as good as it gets. The best of worship is exemplified in this time as we have excellent music, smooth streaming, and speakers who are interesting, topics that are relevant, and words that invoke the best of who we are and leave us with a satisfied spirit.

Let us know how we are doing. Let us know what you like and don’t. Let us know if you have an idea for a service. Let us know if you are willing to speak. And do know that there are many people working in love to put on excellent Sunday services at UUFCC.

Laura Anderson, Co-chair

Immigration Justice

June 9, 2021

The Immigration Justice Committee had an idea to raise some money. We would sell yard signs. We did so a few years ago..there’s one in front of the Fellowship. Betty B spotted one she liked and contacted the company selling them. She ordered 100 of them – at $5 each. The sale didn’t really work out but I thought we could create our own so I did.

For months, years really, I’ve felt diminished. I love my country but our country has become more divided and it seems like it is more acceptable and easier to be hateful. I’ve never been good with conflict. I am a Humanist and think the best of people.

We had the signs printed locally and had them earlier in the Spring when the Immigrant Quilt was on display in Punta Gorda. We have sold about half of them as far as I know. I bought a few. I put up two in my front yard on a Tuesday. On Wednesday, the neighbor across the street asked what the sign meant and I went into a spiel about how I was tired of people arguing instead of trying to solve problems. He said he agreed and I asked if he wanted a sign for his yard. Later in the day, another neighbor asked me about it and then the next day, a third. There are now Hate is Not Welcome Here in the yards of my three, Trump supporting, Republican neighbors. A week later, we needed some repairs done at the house and the guy who came to work on the house asked me where I got the sign so he got the spiel too and he asked if he could buy one. I gave him one too. He said, “You could make a fortune on these. I live between a church and an elementary school and so many people will see it and so many people need this message right now.”

Social Justice

June 17, 2021

What is social justice? According to the old standby, the Oxford Dictionary, it is “justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges within a society.” Perfect for something a committee from UUFCC might undertake. The Social Justice Committee of UUFCC has, to the best of its abilities, attempted to do this.

It is important to note firstly that our SJC is your SJC. That is to say, all members and friends are welcome, and those present at a meeting immediately assume the rights and responsibilities that come with approving all undertakings.

The SJC’s chair has the responsibilities of creating an agenda for each meeting, which is conducted in the most democratic fashion conceivable. Member input is liberally solicited.  The vice-chair assures continuity in the chair’s absence, and the secretary assures a record of all actions of the SJC.

Some of our activities were altered with the coming of the pandemic. Others have remained status quo. Examples follow.

The SJC identified early-on in the pandemic the need to assure food for our community. Unemployment and family instability brought this to the forefront. Thus all of our previous recipients of financial assistance through the Second Helping Campaigns were put on hold, and we concentrated on nutrition and distribution. We continue until further notice to direct our monetary support to Harry Chapin Food bank, C.H.A.P.S., and Meals on Wheels, to offer a broad effort to feeding various elements of our community. The generosity of our Fellowship in this effort has been, and continues to be, remarkable.

SJC feels that a well-informed Fellowship leads to greater understanding and support of the various elements of our community. And so, the Peace Initiative Speaker Series annually brings individuals forth to strengthen our understanding of diverse aspects of our society. Stay tuned for future presentations.

Many of our activities are proactive, but we also react to what our community brings forth, and are often focused on the item in the agenda labeled “Other”. That is to say, we respond to events of all types that catch our eye and seem to relate to Social Justice. Great conversation and the exchange of ideas is where this leads to, often culminating in a “to-do” list leading to the next meeting.

I really look forward to every second Sunday at noon, appreciating the opportunity to join with folks who are eager to be supportive of the concept of Social Justice. We hope that you will attend a meeting in the near future. Check the UUFCC calendar for the sign-on.

Herb Levin, Chairman

June 25, 2021

Patrick Eaton brings us his first review for Chalice Connections. He plans to retire in November 2021, after 28 years working as a physical therapist assistant. This is good news for us as he will be able to begin his volunteering as an usher at Venice Theater, where Young Frankenstein and Once Upon a Mattress are scheduled. Stay tuned for future reviews. Here are his thoughts on News of the World, 2020 a movie he recently saw:

The first movie that I saw post since the pandemic was at the B & B theater in Venice.  I felt great to be out in the world experiencing entertainment on a big screen.  You can order popcorn,  drinks etc with the cashier and also pick your socially distanced seat.   I sat near the front of the theater.  Before the picture began I looked around and I was sharing  the space with 4 people   A couple in the back left and a couple in the back right.  The movie was News of the World 2020. Staring Tom Hanks and a 13 year old  German girl ( who played a  10 year old ) Helena Zengel.

Setting  in Texas 5 years post the Civil War. 

Hanks character traveled to  small isolated towns and read to locals from newspapers events that were happening  in the world.  When traveling he comes across an abandoned girl that had been taken by the Kiowa people  years ago.  I found it to be a good family movie. Great acting by both lead characters.  Don’t want to spoil any more of the story  I hope you are able to see it. Signing off for now.  Keep looking for entertainment in your life, you wonderful people out there in the dark.

Patrick Eaton

July 3, 2021

We are very lucky to have a pair of restaurant reviewers, Lisa & Allen Roberts and Nyna & Aubrey Sykes, who will be sharing the difficult assignment of finding interesting eateries in the local area. This month the Roberts tell us about tasty Thai restaurant they visited:

After reading many positive reviews on Gulf Coast Dining and Restaurant Review, Al and I decided to try Mint. Mint is a small Thai restaurant located at 209 West Olympia Ave. Punta Gorda.

The restaurant is small and not aesthetically appealing, but what it lacks in appearance, it make

s up for in taste. All the tables were full and we sat at the counter until a table became available. We had light conversation with the owner/chef’s son. He was so friendly and accommodating. For an appetizer, I enjoyed three deep fried spring rolls, average in taste. Allen had chicken wings that came with a tasty sauce. One of the top ten Asian chicken wings he has had.

For an entrée, I devoured The Cashew nut dinner and added fried tofu as a protein. The brown sauce was really delicious, vegetables done perfectly, with a moderate spice level of two. I ate the entire meal and left without a box!

Allen ate the crispy duck and said it was cooked to perfection with a delightful presentation. I highly recommend this family owned restaurant and look forward to going back to try the curry.

Editorial

Why we need an ombudsman

July 2, 2021

No letters-to-the-editor were received in time for this first issue of Chalice Connections so I’ll kick things off with an editorial, “Why we need an ombudsman at the UUFCC.”

The word “ombudsman” comes from the Swedish where it means a representative. Well, a representative for whom? In our case the role of the ombudsman, or more accurately an advocate ombudsman, would not be to represent the membership – we have plenty of committees for that. Instead it would be to represent individual members and to put forth their views to the appropriate people and, in some cases, to advocate for such views.

The first question you might ask is, “Why would I need an ombudsman to speak for me? Our congregation is small – if I have a suggestion, I can just go up to the responsible person and speak to them directly. I don’t need to go through an intermediary. What value could an ombudsman offer?” That question goes to the heart of why our Fellowship needs to establish an official position of ombudsman.

An ombudsman has these inherent advantages:

(1) With access to each committee the ombudsman would have a wider range of knowledge than the individual and would bring that perspective to represent a member’s views.

(2) When you speak with a member of a committee they represent the committee, not you. They might listen. They will undoubtedly be cordial. But at the end of the day they don’t represent you. Their assignment, or role, within that committee is, understandably, not to advocate for you or your views, but to consider the membership at large in light of the work of their committee. Which is appropriate. And worthy. But an ombudsman has an entirely different role – they are there to hear your thoughts and, in some cases, to bring those views forth to the appropriate person or committee.

(3) Also, the ombudsman provides a layer of social separation between the member and the committee. Because of the dynamics, and close knit fabric, of a small congregation it is much less likely that you would feel free to bring up certain issues with a committee chair. It might be taken as a personal criticism or attack. Or maybe a criticism about one of their close friends. Hurt feelings, or feelings of perceived offense, can last a long time. Using an ombudsman allows the suggestion to be made in an objective and non-personal way.

(4) Finally, an ombudsman would have access to every committee, and would help the committees be more diverse. The common rule in organizations is that 80% of the work is done by 20% of the members. The downside of that is that the same group of people serve with one another on many of the very important committees in our Fellowship. This becomes the de facto “power group.” The result is not the diversity there might otherwise be. And that spawns an insular perspective where decisions are made by the same group of people, over and over. The ombudsman forces change into that power circle.

Responsibilities and duties of the ombudsman

• The ombudsman would not be a member of any committee.
• The ombudsman would be entitled to attend and speak at every committee, whether the committee is open, closed, or meeting in executive session, but would not be entitled to vote in any such committee.
• The ombudsman would be required to present a report twice a year to the Fellowship on the State of the Fellowship.
• Nominations for the position of ombudsman would come solely from the members in attendance at the Annual Meeting (i.e. not from the Nominating Committee).
• The ombudsman would serve for two years.
• The ombudsman could be removed by a 2/3 vote of the Board along with a majority of the members.
• Because of the sensitive nature of some committees, the ombudsman would be expected to uphold the highest standards of ethics, to be a trusted member of the Fellowship, to exercise his or her responsibility with great integrity and discernment, and “to be perceived as fair, safe, accessible, and credible.” [International Ombudsman Association]

Other views are very much encouraged as well as letters-to-the-editor on other subjects. Please email them to me. All such submissions should remain in covenant with the goals and aspirations of the Fellowship. Published letters will appear in this area of Chalice Connections.

Fred Parmenter

June 21, 2021

For a nice 1.5 mile walk try the Charlotte Flatwoods Environmental Park. The park consists of a large tract of land centered by a pond/marsh area. There is a loop trail around this wetland which is wide, curvy and peppered with wild flowers.

The park is on 41S, 7.4 miles from Aqui Esta. If you pass the Charlotte County Zemel Road Landfill you have gone about 1/3 of a mile too far.

There is plenty of parking, one picnic table, but no facilities. From the parking area you walk in a bit and soon encounter a narrow peninsular overlooking the wet lands. If you are lucky you will see a small (at least when we were there) alligator. Half way around the 1.5 mile path there is a large sign which reads NO PUBLIC ACCESS. It is just in front of a small ditch about 8 feet wide. There is a similar sign on the other side. There used to be a small foot bridge there. Ignore the signs and keep going. The signs look rather silly, standing there staring at each other.

The path itself is quite varied, but without much protection from the sun. At this time of year it would be prudent to go quite early. It is a good running trail as it it is wide and not paved. It is a good walking trail for the birds, flowers and the chance of spotting the resident alligator patrolling the area. People with balance issues will not have a problem.

This park has become our favorite go-to place for enjoying a nice walk or run.

Fred & Dorothy Parmenter

Art

June 28, 2021

During the shut down Tom Deuley has worked hard to bring us several virtual exhibits which were linked to our UUFCC website. Many thanks to Tom and the artists who made it possible. With the opening of the fellowship for small groups and services we are excited to be planning our traditional in person, summer member exhibit. We need your art work. So this is a call for art work from members and friends. It can be work previously exhibited or new works of art. It can be fiber art, photographs or any medium or mixed media. It must be ready to hang with picture wire 3″ below top of frame. We still have 2 small cases for small 3D work. 1 to 3 pieces would be welcome from each artist. Please contact Trudy Gerhardt if you have work you would like to exhibit. Receiving date and time will be announced in future weekly updates. There will not be a reception at this time. And social distancing should be observed at the wall. Thanks to all that made reopening possible.

(Initially we must view and enjoy the art exhibit from our seats until safety guidelines are established.)

Trudy Gerhardt, Co-chair

Building & Grounds

June 3, 2021

The UUFCC building has been essentially reset and is basically ready for when the Board of Trustees deems it appropriate to hold services.   While the UUFCC building was closed due to the pandemic, a deep cleaning was done.  Most of the rooms were in disarray.    The chancel has now been reset in the original configuration and the back bookcase has been organized to only hold sanctuary items. The bookcase with doors now houses all musical things. Tom Deuley and Cory Dowdy are installing a camera system to facilitate real-time digital broadcasting simultaneous with in-person services.   The social hall chairs and tables are again ready to host face-to-face meetings for those fully vaccinated folks. When the time is right, the kitchen is ready to host pot-luck Sundays.   The two back porch rooms have been cleaned out of obsolete items and organized to accommodate meetings such as Conversation with Friends, RE education, etc.  Many items have been donated to Charlotte Behavioral Health, Homeless Coalition and C. A. R. E.

July 5, 2021 Tom Deuley

For quite a long time we have Zoomed from the Sanctuary, then later went to Zooming from our homes. In the early Zooming days the Sanctuary was pretty much dark with a lot of whatever up by the Chancel to make it work.

So more recently we decided to begin to work toward bringing people back into the building, and the stuff up front just could not stay, so Cory Dowdy and Tom Deuley began to disassemble the collected items and then selectively keep things that would allow us to Zoom, send to YouTube and record our future services, all from the back of the Sanctuary.

This has required mounting the camera that was purchased for streaming up near the ceiling where it can see the Chancel and can zoom in and out on activities there. In addition, other cables had to be run so we could mount the digital projector up near the ceiling to keep it out of the way of seating and so we could project incoming Zoom speakers or anything else we want everybody in the Sanctuary to see.

As simple as this makes it all sound, just running one cable from front to back is a three-hour job working on a tall ladder with a mask on to avoid breathing fiberglass dust.

Next will be learning to use all of this newness so that it allows for a smooth return to a Sunday Service that will help us get back to being a community, much like it used to be, or even better.

Tom Deuley

Reopening

July 2, 2021

WELCOME BACK CELEBRATION

After being away from each other for over a year, we deserve to have a party to celebrate the re-opening of UUFCC. The Caring and Hospitality Committee is happy to announce that the Board of Directors has given permission for us to host an opening celebration for the congregation. The event will have a New Orleans Mardi Gras theme. The date is Friday, October 22, 2021 at 7:00 PM. Please mark your calendars.

The Mardi Gras sub-committee for the Caring and Hospitality Committee has been working very hard in the preparation for this event and it has all the promise of being a great celebration. We would like to have as many people in the congregation participate in making this celebration a huge success. We will need artists, singers, musicians, comics and volunteers. There will be music and dancing. There will be a contest for the best three Mardi Gras masks painted and decorated.

There will be two painting parties held for those participating in the contest. The first will be held on Saturday, August 28, 2021 and the second on Saturday, September 25, 2021 and both parties will start at 10:00 AM and continue until the masks are painted. We are requesting that all those who want to participate in this painting party bring your own lunch or snack and something to drink.

We are encouraging all participants to bring anything they may have such as feathers, plumes, old jewelry, etc. that they may want to decorate their masks with. You may want to enter more than one mask. We will be rewarding gift certificates for first, second and third place. First place will be a $25.00 gift certificate, second place a $15.00 gift certificate and third place a $10.00 one. Lorrie Budlong has volunteered to be on hand at both parties as our decorating director should assistance be needed.

Please contact the sub-committee members to let them know you will participate in the mask painting contest. Let them know how many masks you want to paint and which of the parties you want to attend. You can attend both parties. The members are: Debbie Conrad  ,  Lorrie Budlong  ,  Roxann Luning  and  Helen Sokalski.

The subcommittee will have more meetings as time goes on and updates will be given. We want to have “all hands on deck” to make this celebration an event we can be proud of and remember for a long time. This event will not only celebrate the re-opening of our congregation but will also celebrate our coming back together after being separated for such a long time because of the pandemic. So we want all to enjoy the party. We do not want any volunteer to feel they are “working” the event.

Invitations will be emailed inviting all members and friends to attend the celebration. Those individuals attending will be the people that will vote for the best masks painted. All entries will be numbered so those judging will have no knowledge of who painted which masks.

Please contact the members of the subcommittee and let them know you want to help and/or donate something to help make this celebration be everything it can be. More information on what we will need to have donated will be announced at a later date.

SEE YOU ALL THERE!

Climate Realities

Freezing Texas

July 5, 2021

What has the freeze in Texas in February got to do with global warming?

Well, climate is what you expect, but weather is what you get.

This is not the first time we have had a “polar vortex” which has brought very cold weather to the Mid-west. On one of the previous occasions people were shivering in Iowa but sun-bathing in Alaska. This time the cold weather spread further south.

This is the easiest explanation I have found for this weather.

The North Pole is warming faster than other parts of the world. This means that the temperature gradient between the Equator and the Pole is less, and it is this gradient that has historically prevented the jet-stream from making such big dips into the USA. It is the jet-stream which is behind this weather pattern.

So, it’s likely to happen again in Texas, but will it ever reach SW Florida?

Comments are encouraged. Please email them to me.
Alan Searle