Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Lakeland

Are you far away from family? Do you hate to cook? Do you love the fellowship of the Unitarian Universalist community? Then join us at noon on Thursday November 26 for UUC Lakeland's 4th Annual Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner. The "greenest" turkey we can acquire will be provided, plan to bring a favorite Thanksgiving dish to share and a "love offering" for the turkey.  Want to be even greener?  Bring a reusable plate and cup to save on paper, we have silverware available.

Please RSVP no later than Sunday Nov 22 to Council Chair Theresa Lutz (tericay@juno.com or (863)605-3815). Please let her know both the number of people attending and what you will be bringing. That will help us make sure we have a well-rounded meal and enough turkey. Hope you'll join us!

As for holiday sharing, be sure to participate in the UUSC "Guest at Your Table" campaign throughout the holiday season to help those living in less abundance than us.

Dear Members and Friends,

    The Friends of Joe Concert Series returns to UU Lakeland this weekend with an exciting double bill: headliner Roy Zimmerman, a political satirist who has shared stages with Bill
Maher and George Carlin; and the witty, cerebral Grant Peeples. Joe's Cafe, featuring a light meal, snacks and beverages, opens at 7 p.m.; music starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are available in advance or at the door; visit www.joeprine.org for information.

    On Sunday morning at 10 a.m., while our Religious Exploration youngsters meet in the RE Complex, the Adult Discussion Group will ponder the question, "Is capitalism fatally flawed?" That's bound to become a lively conversation, so don't miss it!

   At 11 a.m. Sunday, our monthly Intergenerational Service welcomes all ages to meditate on our human -- and Floridian -- reliance on the sea as food for both body and soul. Designed to offer something for those at every stage of life, the service will feature music, poetry and the charm of RE Director Heather Curry and our children.

     Stay after service for Coffee and Conversation on the Patio (weather permitting) or in the Social Hall.  At 12:30, the Visibility Committee will meet; please come and share your ideas.

     At 2 p.m., EarthFamilies Evensong Gathering features Craftwork. This month the topic is the Principles of Candle magick, discussing spells and change-crafting techniques; candles and other items available free of charge.

A few programming notes:

     There is no choir practice this Saturday.

     The Town Meeting noted on the Calendar has been rescheduled; stay tuned!

In faith,

Rafi

Rafi Ellis
President, Board of Trustees
UU Congregation of Lakeland
3140 Troy Ave., Lakeland, FL 33801
863.646.3715

Join Friends of Joe this Saturday, November 14, in welcoming Roy Zimmerman to the Unitarian Universalist Facility. Roy Zimmerman is a folk-singer who writes and performs satirical songs about topical issues such as war, poverty, ignorance, bigotry, neo-conservatism, homophobia, greed, lust, fear, intelligent design and HEALTHCARE.

If you're not exactly sure who Roy Zimmerman is...watch him perform his song "To Be A Liberal" at the bottom of this post (and be prepared to laugh till your sides hurt). You can check out more songs on the Roy Zimmerman YouTube channel.

Roy Zimmerman @ UUC Lakeland
3140 Troy Ave
Lakeland, FL 33803
Saturday, November 14
$12 advance tickets / $15 at the door

"his show is like a 90 minute plop on a whoopee cushion"
"if only all folk music could be this much fun"
"the antidote to the gloom and doom of contemporary folk"

The Friends of Joe is registered non-profit. For more information visit joeprine.org or contact Anne at (863)646-1972.

You are cordially invited to join the

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Lakeland for

"A Night at the Auction"

    

Friday, December 4th

6-7pm Silent Auction

with Coffee, Wine and Desserts

7pm Service Auction

We need your help to make this a great event!

We need volunteers to

• set up                                                                                              
  

• help with record keeping

• help with

• tear down

• do childcare during the auction

We also need donations of

• Items for the Service Auction: any kind of sharing of time, talent or treasure that you can imagine! Popular past items have included meals, parties, babysitting, use of boats, use of vacation homes and many other generous sharings. The object of this event is not only to raise funds but to create opportunities to build a stronger community, so ideas that create interaction between members are especially welcome.

• Items for the Silent Auction: special, one of a kind items, art, gift baskets, the kinds of things you'd love to get as a gift, not garage sale items

• Dessert and Wine

Deadline for donations is Sunday November 29.

Be creative and generous, this is a fun way to build our community!

for more information contact Council Chair Theresa Lutz tericay@juno.com 863-605-3815

On Friday, October 30, UUC Lakeland hosted its Haunted Earth Halloween bash, with proceeds to benefit UNICEF. Congregation members and community visitors alike enjoyed the haunted house, outstanding live music on the patio by Billy Needs a Beard, earth-friendly food choices, games and fortune-telling, along drumming and belly-dancing in the Social Hall. The event drew more attendees than past years and raised more than $300 for UNICEF! A heartfelt thanks goes out to all the volunteers who made the success of the event possible, from haunted house set-up to concessions, to booth helpers and clean-up. Enjoy the photos!

COME JOIN US FOR A NIGHT OF SPOOKY FUN!  CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN- BE GREEN- AND HELP US RAISE MONEY FOR A GOOD CAUSE!  WE ARE ALL CONNECTED!  (863) 646-3715     www.uuclakeland.org

$5 donation at the door- all proceeds go to UNICEF- thanks!

Dear Members and Friends,

This weekend, UU Lakeland celebrates the season with several fun, unique ways to make the world a better place.

On Friday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m., the Religious Exploration Committee presents the UNICEF Halloween Festival titled "The Haunted Earth." (see more below) The festival will explore our connection to the planet through an environmentally themed Haunted House, an Ethical Eating barbecue, traditional Halloween games, and a special appearance by the popular local band Billy Needs a Beard. All proceeds benefit UNICEF, the United Nations International Children's Education Fund. It's an all-ages fun fest you won't want to miss.

On Saturday, Oct. 31, the UUCL Choir resumes its rehearsals at 9 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Singers in all ranges and of all abilities are welcome; we'll learn hymns as well as choral pieces, so anyone who likes to sing should enjoy it.

On Sunday, Nov. 1 at 10 a.m., Religious Exploration will meet in the RE Complex while the Adult Discussion Group gathers in the Social Hall to share philosophical, political, spiritual and intellectual insights on a topic of contemporary interest. Ron Maslyk moderates.

Also on Sunday, our 11 a.m. Sunday Service will kick off our annual UUSC Guest at Your Table program, which encourages us to donate to the less fortunate whenever we sit down for a meal during the Holiday season. Treasurer Joyce Bode will explain how the program works, where the money goes, and how you can help support UU efforts for justice around the world.

At noon, Coffee and Conversation will take place on the Patio, weather permitting, or in the Social Hall. Be sure to bring some extra dollar bills with you to Coffee Hour; our RE children will be selling their handmade chalice ornaments for $4 a piece. Proceeds benefit Barakat, an organization dedicated to funding education in Afghanistan.

Then, at 2 p.m., EarthFamilies Evensong Gathering will continue its discussion of Christopher Penczak's book The Inner Temple of Witchcraft.  All are welcome to join in.

I hope to see you this weekend!

In faith,

Rafi

Rafi Ellis
President, Board of Trustees

Hello Friends in Faith!

As we get down to the last days before The Haunted Earth UNICEF Fundraiser we need to get willing volunteers to commit to specific tasks in advance in order to help the event run smoothly.

There are all kinds of fun ways to help, no matter what your talents!

The biggest help we need is lots of people to come have a great evening, so even if you're not inclined to do any of the tasks below we still need you! Bring your family and friends and come eat, play games, enjoy drumming and live music with "Billy Needs a Beard"!

On Friday we need people to:

• Help set up
• Oversee "bobbing" for apples.
• Collect the $5 donation for UNICEF at the entrance and handout UNICEF boxes etc
• Create and wear a costume to be a "Fortune Teller" to "read" the kids their "green" fortune.
• Create and wear costumes to be "Garbage Monsters", a great job for a couple scary kids.
• Be in charge of the ethical eating bbq: bring a grill; price,grill and serve donated items
• Create and wear a costume to be the "Haunted Earth Guide" and guide our guests through The Haunted Earth
• Help kids play the Haystack Game and keep it tidy.
• Create and wear costumes to be "Water Zombies"
• Create and wear costumes as "Mother Earth Healers" to be in the playground area at the end
• Create and wear costumes to be "Starving People"
• Oversee the "What's Inside?" game and help kids guess what creepy things are inside the mystery boxes.
• CLEAN UP! As always with a big event, we need lots of volunteers to clean up after the event.

If you're good at this online stuff you can sign up with VolunteerSpot. Click this link and follow the directions, it only takes a few minutes.

If your uncomfortable with that you can contact DRE Heather Curry and volunteer "the old-fashioned way".