• Adult Discussion Group

  • Annual Picnic

  • Book Club

  • Christmas Dinner

  • Circle Suppers

  • Coffee House

  • Easter Breakfast

  • Monthly Luncheons

  • Music Recitals

  • Orientation Meetings

  • Sermon Forums

  • Summer Program

  • Thanksgiving Dinner

  • Silent Auction
NAME BADGE WORKSHOP    
May 18th at 1:00 pm in the Forum Room - Make your own name badge holder to replace that old thing that makes holes in your blouse, or hangs crooked, or is just plain boooring. Bring beads or whatever craft supplies you might have, or use stuff that some of the rest of us have in our craft boxes. Instructions available, along with lots of laughs. Questions? Ask Barbarb Rosen or Marti Kardinal.
BUDDHIST MEDITATION    

Bhante Dammawansha, a monk from Sri Lanka, will provide sitting meditation in the parsonage on Wednesdays, weekly, 7PM.  Sign in each sitting is needed. Providing an e-mail address at the first attendance would be helpful in case of cancellation or if you wish to receive reminders as well as information about topics for discussion, following meditation. For more information on this tradition see the Quill.
NIGHT IN THE ISLANDS    

Night in the Islands --May 11th is the monthly Night in the Islands on the sponge docks. Eat under the stars, and enjoy Greek music and dancing. RSVP so we can save you a seat. See the sign-up sheet in the Social Hall. We meet at 6:30 pm near one of the restaurants, Costa's Restaurant this month. You just need to sign up in the social hall so that we know how many places to reserve.
LUNCH BUNCH    

On Thursday May 9, at 12:30, Lunch Bunch will gather at Paul’s Shrimp House located at 80 W. Live Oak Street, Tarpon Springs. This is one of the oldest restaurants in the county, having been established over 73 years ago. As in 1940 their speciality is shrimp and seafood. They also serve soups,salads burgers and sandwiches.  They are located near the Sponge Docks, opposite the Bally Hoo Restaurant and there is ample free parking on the premises.
Please join us by putting your name on the Signup Sheet in the Social Hall. Non-members welcome. Any questions or late sign ups call Barbro or Don Wilson at 938-9427.
ST. PETERSBURG PRIDE PARADE    

Getting Ready for the St. Petersburg Pride Parade: the parade will be held on Saturday, June 29th, so it will not compete with our General Assembly this year. If you are interested in helping with the planning, participating in the march, or helping with the booth, come to the West Central Cluster planning committee meeting on Saturday, March 16, 10:30 am at the Clearwater church. For more information, or to RSVP for the meeting, contact Kathy Stevens, amoldawan@yahoo.com. We have had great participation in the past, and hope to continue this tradition in the future.
BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP    

May’s selection is The #1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. Precious lives in Botswana and opens a detective agency with money she has gotten from selling her father’s cattle. It's the detective as folk hero. Precious solves crimes through her innate, self-possessed wisdom that, combined with an understanding of human nature, invariably penetrates into the heart of each puzzle. For June, the group plans to read Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. In Victorian London, the orphaned Sarah Trinder, is raised by Mrs. Sucksby, a den mother to a family of thieves or “fingersmiths”. The Group will meet in the Forum Room at 1 pm on May 16. Everyone is welcome.
COMPASSION AND CHOICES    

Compassion and Choices is an organization working to improve care and expand choice at the end of life. They SUPPORT individuals and families facing important end-of-life decisions. They EDUCATE the public, health care professionals, lawmakers and the media on end-of-life issues. They ADVOCATE for compassionate end-of-life care in legislatures, in courtrooms and at bedsides. Compassion and Choices is starting a local chapter which meets at Clearwater UU at 2470 Nursery. The next meeting is May 2, at 1:30. The speaker will be George Felos. He is the attorney who represented Michael Schaivo in a protracted legal battle to honor his wife’s wishes to be removed from life-support.  For more information see Sally O’Brien or Dan Padberg.
MOVIE NIGHT    

Our final movie night before Summer will take place on Friday, May 17th, at 6:30 pm. Our feature film will be the 2010 documentary, ‘For My Wife’. Faced with tragedy and humiliating discrimination at her partner's deathbed, Charlene Strong rose to prominence as an advocate for LGBT equality. Her journey inspires on a deep level, bringing a sense of triumph through unimaginable sorrow. We will also share a time of celebration following the movie for all who have contributed to the ongoing work of UUTS in recognizing the need for education about, and further inclusion of, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer concerns and persons in our church and community.  Please come, watch, learn, and celebrate with deep gratitude the successes of UUTS as we continue to Stand on the Side of Love!
SHARE-THE-PLATE RECIPIENT    

May 2013 Share-the-Plate Recipient – The Shepherd Center
The Shepherd Center is a local agency that exists to provide compassion, basic support, and hope to those in our community who need it most. Its focus is on families, the elderly, the homeless, and others in need. Services include but are not limited to: Feeding the hungry Clothing the poor Empowering the needy to seek independence Providing social and legal support Basic eye and blood pressure clinic Please join us at the Faith Development Forum on Sunday May 19 and learn from Director Michael Herrera about the Community Support programs provided by the Shepherd Center.
WELCOMING CONGREGATION    

At the Annual Meeting in January, 2012, the membership of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tarpon Springs voted to enter the process of becoming an accredited Welcoming Congregation of the UUA. Since then, many opportunities for education, community outreach, and inclusion in congregational life have been offered by the Welcoming Congregation Committee. Monthly films with a focus on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) experiences both societal and individual have been offered. Our weekly Faith Development Forum has had a special focus on understanding LGBTQ terminology, exploring some of the legal aspects of equality for the LGBTQ community, and hosting representatives of organizations such as Equality Florida and the Gay Lesbian Straight Educational Network. The latter organizations will be supported as part of our Social Justice outreach - the Congregation’s Share-the-Plate Program. We have experienced sermons that have focused on inclusion and equality. UUTS members and friends have visibly attended and supported events like Pride St. Petersburg (you have to love our bright Tshirts)!  

Looking ahead to the Annual Meeting in 2013, the membership will be asked to affirm UUTS as a Welcoming Congregation. The required paperwork, showing our past programming and our future plans of “living into” status as a Welcoming Congregation, will be sent on to UUA headquarters if the congregation affirms seeking status as a Welcoming Congregation. Shortly thereafter, we hope to be officially recognized as a Welcoming Congregation. The following words are found on the Welcoming Congregations page at www.uua.org.  The Welcoming Congregation Program is a volunteer program for Unitarian Universalist congregations that want to take intentional steps to become more welcoming and inclusive of people with marginalized sexual orientations and gender identities.  First launched in 1990, the program grew out of an understanding that widespread prejudices and ignorance about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people existed within Unitarian Universalism, which resulted in the exclusion of LGBTQ people from our congregations.   

The Welcoming Congregation program exists to educate the Congregation about the LBGTQ experience and about the specific and widespread marginalization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in society. The program also suggests action steps toward deeper understanding of our responsibilities as Unitarian Universalists to be welcoming, as well as ways in which UUs can strongly stand on the side of love. Although we may wish that we actually have reached a place of welcome, we need to always remember that LGBTQ folks, who visit or are members of Tarpon Springs UU, experience exclusion elsewhere in society, making our commitment to welcome that much more necessary and meaningful. 
FAITH DEVELOPMENT FORUM    

May 2013
Sunday May 5 Wisdom-Keepers with Elizabeth Gunther
Sunday May 12 No Forum – Mother’s Day
Sunday May 19 The Shepherd Center with Director Michael Herrera
Sunday May 26 Part IV: A People So Bold - A Conversation on Social Justice, Theology, and UU Practice
WISDOMKEEPERS DVDs    

There are DVDs in the Inman Room on the bottom shelf of the bookcase on the east wall. A sign-out/sign-in sheet is located in the same container as the DVDs. Because these are high definition format videos they may not play directly on your DVD player unless it is of reasonably recent vintage. The DVDs also should readily play on your computer. If you have trouble with viewing the DVD please let Greg Rosasco know and he will look for an alternative for you.

The list of available DVDs includes:

1. Ethel Fritts, January 2012 Wisdom-keeper
2. Bill Gladwin, February 2012, Wisdom-keeper
3. Sally O’Brien, March 2012, Wisdom-keeper
4. Ed Erickson, April 2012, Wisdom-keeper
5. Janeth Clark, May 2012, Wisdom-keeper

ECO SUNDAY    

View a video from the series titled “Renewal:  Stories from America’s Religious-Environmental Movement” (segments are 10-17 minutes)www.renewalproject.net
SPIRITUAL LITERACY SUNDAY    

View a half-hour video from a series organized around a new alphabet of 26 qualities of mind and heart important for practicing spirituality in everyday life. http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/spiritualliteracy/
A COMMON READ    

"The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona-Mexico Borderlands." by Margaret Reagan.  We have a few copies of the book available for anyone who wants to learn more about this Common Read. Also, we can order in quantity from Amazon and save on shipping charges. Contact Greg Rosasco – in person, by phone 727-939-8170 or e-mail gjrosasco@yahoo.com – to get a trial copy or to add your name for an “in quantity” purchase.
 
 
   
  © Unitarian Universalist Church of Tarpon Springs, 2013