Church Groups

Strategic Planning Update

/ John H / Leave a comment

The strategic planning team continues to do its work.  We will be meeting over the summer and you can watch for progress reports here and on the First Unitarian website when we are established there.

As mentioned at the congregation meeting we have interviewed a few people to allow us to think about our process and practice together as a team. To get you thinking about our future many of you submitted an aspiration for the congregation at our recent congregational meeting.  We will say a little more about those aspirations in an upcoming blog. 

The fall will be a busy time for discussions about our future!  Just a couple of reminders, this will be a congregation-wide plan, that we can all contribute to and build community around.  Our values as a team are to be inclusive, transparent, and practical.Screenshot 2023-06-08 at 5.22.33 PM
 
 
Watch this space for updates!
 
Kathy, Gregg, Joan and Linnea
 

Flowers inspire beauty, generosity, hope and love

/ Martha H / Leave a comment

Our church photographer, Martha H., is shown above with an arrangement of lilies and greenery from our church flower garden in one of the dozen vases that were gifted to the flower team by Lorraine Surlak. Also pictured is our “flower pied piper,” Linda P.   Ask Linda how you can be involved by digging, weeding, giving, delivering.

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Endowment Annual Meeting and Annual Congregational Year Meeting

/ Martha H / Leave a comment

1U’s Endowment Board reported on our financial standing and its support of the 1U Beloved Community. The Board of Trustees held up the achievements, milestones and challenges of our first post covid year. Plans for next year were an important element of the meeting. And, of course there was the voting: approval for Spring Congregational Minutes; FY 2023–2024 Budget; and slates for 2023–2024 Endowment Board, Board of Trustees, and Nominating Committee members. Many voted online before the meeting, others on line during the meeting and at the meeting. All meeting materials are located Here.

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Biggest Tomato and Garden Work Party May 20th

/ Cat / Leave a comment

Here is Lisa-Marie with a ‘mater from one of the seedlings Cat and Julia started for the church garden. It’s a whopper. I encouraged Lisa to pick it before it was fully ripe to make sure none of our critter friends took a bite out of it.

It is far and away the biggest tomato we’ve ever produced!

A very big thank you to the gardeners who helped make it happen.

All welcome to come participate in the next Garden Work Party on May 20, 2023 any time from 9 AM to 12 PM for more garden fun.

~Rene (Garden Coordinator)

Black Cat Café Open Mic Live Performance – May 12, 2023

/ Cat / Leave a comment

Black Cat Café Open Mic Live Performance in Gore Hall –  Friday, May 12th, 6:30 to 10:00 pm

Are you a bard, troubadour, musician, singer, poet, actor, dancer, comedian, or highly skilled fool? The Black Cat Cafe is live in Gore Hall! Join others and share your love of live performance at the Black Cat Café for a positive experience. Or, just come and enjoy the show.

Doors open at 6:30 pm for signup and performances begin at 7:00.

For more information email blackcatcafe@orlandouu.org.  

Earth Day at Lake Eola

/ Martha H / Leave a comment

1U was there from beginning to end-Ready Set Solar Program on April 30, Solar Coop for Orange County Sign up, information about our liberal and energy conscious church and members, Right to Clean Water petitions at the League of Women Voters of Orange County table (350 petitions collected), and the Coalition of 100 Black Women table working with 1U on air quality as well as quality of life issues for the Parramore area, the Farmworkers of Apopka and Ten Thousand Villages.

We were able to offer free booth space because the organizer of the Earth Day Festival is Vegetarians of Central Florida who has hosted a monthly potluck at 1U for many years. As a thanks to 1U, 1U receives a free both at VegFest and Earth Day and invites us to give free booth space to a few organizations aligned with our mission.

A special thanks to our Volunteers: Mary wrote: Thank you for being an amazing team of 20+ for Earth Day 2023.We were blessed with your energy and good will as you brought the good news of 1U to hundreds at the Festival. Children and families so enjoyed the children’s activities and offer of seeds for planting and our new church brochure and our fans were a great gift for visitors.

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