Fellowship

The Joy of Flowers

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The Pulpit Flowers Group and Flower Garden Team contribute so much to our members’ and friends’  joy.  The following are photos of most of our Pulpit Flower givers.  We thank them all.

Linda P., the force guiding our celebration of flowers, writes the following:

Our purpose is to provide fresh flowers for display in the sanctuary to enhance Sunday Services, and provide flowers for church meetings, church  members, as well as the Care Team, Minister and others to take to those towhom they minister.

The flowers growing in our flower garden which is located at the front of the Enrichment Center are for all the church members/friends/staff and other associated folks/charities.  

Some of the members of our group work in the Church Flower Garden help to grow flowers. Some of our members provide fresh flower arrangements from our garden and/or other sources to embellish our Sunday services. 

We invite you to sign up to bring flowers once or more per year in memory of loved ones/causes or in celebration of memorable achievements, etc. Or, just because you want to bring flowers for all to enjoy! Email: flowers@orlandouu.org and Linda P. will respond to help you arrange for a specific date.

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Earth Day Wrap-up at 1U – EV’s, The Garden, and Goodfills

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1U’s Electric Vehicle Show – Sun, April 28, 2024 and Helping our Planet

To wrap up Earth Month 2024, the Green Team hosted an electric vehicle (EV) show with eight owners/vehicles and Goodfills, a refillery store, during coffee hour after worship in 1U’s garden.

The 1U Hospitality Team provided refreshments and the Garden Team provided garden tours and fresh vegetables to take home.

To learn more about the owners and their EVs, read their comments below.

To learn more about Goodfills, go to https://goodfills.co/ See their portable store that came to 1U to share their vision and offer their products.

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Electric Vehicles at 1U-Hearing from the Owners

1..Why did you decide to buy or lease an EV? For environmental reasons.

2. Why did you buy/lease this particular model? Good size and excellent reviews.

Debbie Reinhart, Owner of Hyundai Ionic 5

3.Did you buy or lease – which one did you choose and why? We bought because we never lease cars.4. What is your EV’s range? 330 miles
5. EV charging – where do you do it? How long does it take? Level 2 takes about 7 hours to go from 20 to 80 %, level 3 takes 18 minutes.6.What challenges have you faced? None so far, but we’ve only had it a month.

7. What are the benefits of your EV? Charge at home, no gas stations. Smooth ride. Nice car. Great for in town driving.8.Will your next car be an EV? I think so. So far, so good. What else? Thanks!

Continue reading →

THE PLEDGE Central Florida at 1U and Beyond

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Commit at 1U and online at the website below.

“Hate cannot drive out hate,
only love can do that.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Right here in Central Florida, many in our community are living in fear — fear for their own safety, fear for the well-being of their children, and fear of practicing their religion and identifying with their culture.

This IS who we are

We are committed to the promise that Central Florida is a safe community for all who live here and for all future generations. We pledge to protect and value each of our neighbors, especially those who are being threatened or feel unsafe. 

We are committed to the promise that Central Florida is a safe community for all who live here and for all future generations. We pledge to protect and value each of our neighbors, especially those who are being threatened or feel unsafe. 

I WILL lead by example, treating all people, especially those with whom I disagree, with kindness and respect.

I WILL refrain from inflammatory words and actions, and actively support those being attacked.

I WILL report threatening incidents of hate and violence to 800-423 TIPS (8477)

I WILL educate myself about antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, homophobia, and all other forms of discrimination, and help others in my circle of influence to do the same. I WILL lead by example, treating all. See website and learn more.

Celebrating the Sacred Web with Food and Information – Sunday, April 14

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GReen Team worship announcement

The Green Mini-Fair after The Sacred Web service was bountiful. Tables sharing information: Go Solar, Gardener’s Corner, GO Energy Efficient, Zero Waste Lifestyle,Mystic Grove Corner and the Right Place, Right Plant table (with plants to take home). Furthering the message of green, no paper products and vegetarian foods. Thank you Green Team. And, remember Earth Day at Lake Eola on April 20.

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The Pledge Drive-Why we contribute

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Each year The Pledge Drive gives some of our members an opportunity to share the importance of 1U in their lives. The following are excerpts—

A mother of two children offered the following: Know that when you support 1U you support families who need this village and children who need us to say “I’m so proud of you.” You’re supporting programming that teaches children to act on their values and speak out about their beliefs, making positive changes in the world.

Today I give to 1U and volunteer with the RE program because I want our children to have a loving community. We give our UU children a space where they can be themselves and not only be accepted for who they are but supported and celebrated. Our children need us. They need to know we’re here and we’re on their side. And my message for the youth here is: What you do matters. You are making a difference.  And I am so proud of you.

A grandfather shared: “As we traveled around the country building houses with Habitat for Humanity, Here’s what we found — As we worked side by side with future home owners – We found that our gift of helping them was also their gift right back to us – it was a gift that lifted our spirit and filled our hearts.  

 I think the Unitarians have gotten it right all along – that spreading love and justice, and helping others, is a necessary part of our spiritual journey. — It completes the circle from looking inward to reaching out.”

A dedicated climate change activist shared: My experience at 1U affirms that our church community truly affirms that the environment is vital and that we are all part of the interdependent web of life.   That was brought home to me by the support I received when I brought up the new idea of a solar co-op.

A meeting on May 15, 2015  that started solar co-ops in this Sanctuary happened because I received an immediate “Yes” when I asked Dan H. if he would be interested in hearing about solar co-ops, an idea I had heard about on NPR which sparked a “light bulb” moment. And, next I received another supportive “Yes” when I asked Rev Kathy, our minister at the time, for her OK to use the Sanctuary for a public meeting to launch the solar co-op.    

Now looking forward, I have aspirations for THIS church-that we install SOLAR panels on THIS Sanctuary and our other rooftops so that we reduce our energy footprint and serve to encourage others in our community to consider the solar option.

And, then we have a long time member person share how the Unitarian Universalist principles support her life path: She reminded us about the worth and dignity of each person, compassion for all, the value of a personal philosophy, the importance of democracy, and that all the nations of the world and the natural world are interconnected.

A dedicated Justice member said: I’ve been invited to speak with you this morning about JUSTICE and GENEROSITY.  1U has a reputation in Central Florida as

a place where justice is our core principle, a place where justice happens. So, anything we do to support the existence and life of this church is an act of justice  .    .    .  So, here’s the GENEROSITY part. One of the major ways we support this church is by being generous with our money. To keep justice alive at 1U, we must pledge as much money as our circumstances allow. .    .   . LIVE YOUR VALUES, TAKE OWNERSHIP OF 1U IN YOUR HEART, AND PLEDGE ACCORDINGLY.

Side with Love T-shirts

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We’re now taking orders between now and April 14 for these new “stand out in a crowd” T-shirts that that tell others that 1Us SIDE with LOVE. 

Link to this ORDER FORM to see the sizes/measurements. (Note that these are not the “usual” shirt size measurements — they’re the measurements of the width and height of a shirt lying flat on a table.) The cut is “slim,” so you might want to order a larger size than usual if you want a looser fit, especially in the hips.

There are two options for ordering your T-shirt(s): 

  • Fill out the online order form (link above) to speed up the process or
  • Fill out a paper copy of the online order form in Gore Hall on Sunday after the service

Either way, you’ll need to go to the Justice Table in Gore Hall after church on April 7 or 14 to confirm (or place) your order and pay for it with either cash or a check.

Prices: $16.00 (adult sizes) and $10.00 (youth sizes). 

One more detail: the shirt printers require a minimum order of 20 paid shirts before they will start printing.

A Bit of Background Information on these Shirts: For those new to Unitarian Universalism, the following is the history of the Side with Love initiative. As you can see, the color shows up in a crowd and the shirt bears a wonderfully positive message of support.

“What is love calling you to do?”

Side with Love is a public advocacy campaign that seeks to harness love’s power to stop oppression. It is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and all are welcome to join

At this time, four Side with Love initiatives are:  the Create Climate Justice, UU the Vote, Love Resists and UPLIFT action. To learn more, visit this link at UUA Action Center.  

History

Side with Love is an interfaith public advocacy campaign promoting respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Side with Love confronts issues of exclusion, oppression, and violence based on identity. With the goal of creating beloved community, the campaign pursues social change through advocacy, public witness, and speaking out in solidarity with those whose lives are publicly demeaned.

The broad message, “standing on the side of love,” emerged as a rallying point for people of faith in 2004 in Massachusetts during their early efforts for fully inclusive marriage, and later during the effort to keep the marriage equality law and block Proposition 8, in California in 2008. Originally entitled Standing on the Side of Love, born out of that slogan and song by Rev. Jason Shelton of the same name, was launched after the 2008 shooting at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, which was targeted because they are welcoming to LGBTQ people and have a liberal stance on many issues.

The Knoxville community responded with an outpouring of love that inspired the leadership at the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to launch our campaign in 2009, with the goal of harnessing love’s power to challenge exclusion, oppression, and violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, race, religion, or any other identity. A video produced at the 10 year anniversary of the call to love can be seen here.

The words were changed to “Side with Love” in expand  the message beyond a specific physical action.

Serving the Community and Partnering

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Serving the Community continues to reach out —

Add to a bag of groceries picked up at One Heart for Women and Children a few words of “food” for the soul and heart. Write a card every Sunday or write them at home and bring them to church.

And, Friends of New Images Youth Center, is collecting  gently used jewelry  for their  Mother’s Day “Jewelry Boutique” -open to children so they can select a gift for their mothers.

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Winged Wonders and Wildlife Day

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The Interfaith Environmental Alliance of Central Florida’s Day for Winged Wonders and Wildlife sponsored a guided walk at the Orlando Wetlands Park recently. More than 30 people attended-many from 1U, some from the Interfaith Alliance and some from the Orange County Audubon.  The Orange County Audubon supplied 4 guides and binoculars for all who needed one. See here for more information about birding  with the Orange Audubon Society.

The leisurely one mile walk was a joy and informative due to the beautiful weather, the four knowledgeable guides, and the many questions  and comments from the attendees  about the habitat, the wildlife and the history of the Wetlands. Just some of the wildlife that we observed: roseate spoonbills, purple gallinule, sandhill cranes with newborns, some nesting egrets and great egrets and even a harrier hawk as well as many coots, ibis and blue teal, and, of course, a few alligators. Thank you Green Team for being a founding member of the Interfaith Alliance and organizing the sign ups and the binocular pick-up.

Spiritual Conversations

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Which Unitarian Universalist value guides you the most-how and why? Hearing from our elders and contributing our own thoughts, the group at 9:15 am on Sunday appreciated the contributions of elders-some of whom have died and the purposeful gifts they offered as loving people and via their interviews. This was a motivating and inspiring way to start the week. Consider attending next time this series is offered. Thank you Greg B. and Mike H. for the interviews, the selections and the class.