Community
News
May
2021

President's Message
As I write this I am enjoying an unusually cool Spring morning. I LOVE Cool weather and I have some windows open to catch the breeze and no need for fans or AC... Lovely!

I'm not silly enough to want to fool myself into thinking that Global Warming is not real; there's a growing amount of evidence that it's having negative effects on our planet every day which impact the future of our species and many, if not most, of those with whom we share this Earth.

I Believe In "Reduce, Re-Use, & Recycle!" as a way of Life. Twenty years ago I was ready for an All-Electric vehicle! I knew that one could be created which would be embraced by those who understood the importance of reducing human dependence on fossil fuels. I'd voted for Al Gore and I was upset about the results of the 2000 U.S. election cycle because I knew that a Republican Administration (with ties to 'Big Oil & Coal') in the White House was bad news for the environment and bad news for Conservationists (I asked myself, "Why Don't 'Conservatives' want to 'Conserve' the Earth's Flora and Fauna so that All of us - and the generations to follow - can Continue to Experience and Enjoy the Natural Riches of this Planet?")... 

I knew that access to Clean Water was vital for life forms of All Kinds - including Humans - and that sea levels rising was a specific danger being experienced globally.
 
I also knew that most human societies tend to react to problems After they become difficult (if not insurmountable) rather than take precautionary or pro-active stances. This is one reason there are so many interesting Ruins around the world for archeologists to discover. Recently I have been reading articles about ruins whose inhabitants left their surroundings in neat, organized conditions - no doubt expecting to return from wherever they were going as soon as it became feasible... yet obviously that was a vision of a future that never materialized. This happened on more than one continent. 

More than a year into the COVID-19 Pandemic, our species is becoming increasingly aware that we Can dispense with stiff, unyielding thinking - that we can stop ourselves from expecting things to go on indefinitely "as they always have" - and certain proof is to be seen in the way that U.S. citizens have been able to access Vaccines for protection against this virus (before you read this column, I shall receive my 2nd dose of the Moderna Vaccine!)

Unfortunately the story of Access to Vaccines is one of Privilege, as citizens of Other Nations around the world are still waiting for a chance to get Vaccinated, and death rates in other countries (like India) are currently very high as new waves of infection continue to ravage UnVaccinated Populations. My Awareness of this truth - and simultaneously watching "my fellow Americans" walking around maskless  - rankles me! I ask myself, "How many more will die before Vaccination gets recognized as a Human Right?"

Meanwhile, our Board of Trustees has been holding meetings about Re-Opening our building this Summer, as we prepare to hold our church's Annual Meeting with the assistance of technology - via ZOOM (which has enabled us to continue holding Sunday Services - OnLine - for over a year now.)

One conversation holding a place in my mind Centers on how best to Honor deceased members of CUUC for their invaluable contributions. As I present Community Unitarian Universalist Church's Dru Synal Memorial Scholarship to our 2021 recipient on May 20th, I'll be remembering our beloved friend Dru, whose Vision and Heart made this scholarship a reality.

Every time I have spoken from the CUUC Pulpit, I have thought of others, like Lloyd Dunham, who graced it with their presence So Many Times over so Many, Many Years. How well I recall Lloyd and our late Wiccan Priestess, Barbara Jean Smith, delivering their Joint Christmas/Yule Services, with a message from each uniting the Christians and Pagans in our congregation. It became a CUUC Tradition.

Also I remember Barbara Jean speaking on behalf of Mother Earth. Her insights were stunning!

Lloyd presented the stories of so many Unitarian and Universalist forebears on numerous occasions - bringing our tradition's rich history Alive as he took on the persona of each.

CUUC has been Blessed by So Much Lovely Talent since its inception in 1996-97! Our little Church is really something of which we can be Proud!

Lovely People, I look forward to seeing you all at our Virtual Annual Meeting!

Namaste!

Joe WolfArth
President, Board of Trustees
Community Unitarian Universalist Church
New Smyrna Beach, FL

 

May 2nd

Suzanne Garrison

"The Mystery of Modern Leadership"
How leaders lead, the scarcity of those who want to lead,
and the confusion about what leadership looks like is considered
in her presentation entitled “The Mystery of Modern Leadership.”
Like all kinds of organizations, Unitarian Universalists are facing
membership declines and aging congregational leadership. 
Leaders are facing rapid change and are confronting intense
cultural issues.   As we emerge from the pandemic, what will we
be facing, are we prepared, and will we be able to meet these
challenges?  She does not promise answers but wishes to
explore insights. 

Service Leader: Debbi Zill

May 9th

Rev. Mark Spivey
 "A Mother's Love"
  Can a mother love her child "too much" or in the "wrong way"?
This presentation examines healthy and not-as-healthy
expressions of a mother's love and the potential
impact upon the child

Service Leader: Nancy McCormick

May 16th

Joe WolfArth
""UUism & Principles"

May 23rd
l
Ronald Melvin
“A Personal Trail of Tears”

Experiences and discussion of being a black male in America. If you woke
up tomorrow as an African American male, would you be accepted by your
friends and family? Would you be filled with anger, hatred, frustration,
stress, and starving for respect and understanding? 


Service Leader: Michael & Linda McGraw

May 30th

Rev. Faerie Elaine Silver
Musical Ministry
"Scientific Prayer- A Method for Manifestation"

Service Leader: Joe WolfArth
 

Check the calendar on our website for the most up to date information on services.
Our May-April services were presented over Zoom Meeting
on the Internet. We will continue with this format until we can
join each other in worship.
 

June 6th  Nancy McCormick "UU Women Ministers"

June 13th David Roth Musician   Service Leader: Audrey Barcelo

June 20th Rev. Mark Spivey "Father's Day" Service Leader: Nancy McCormick  

June 28th Connie Baker  LGBTQ celebration
 

***Please check the calendar for the most up-to-date service information.

 

May Full Month ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH:
Recognizes the contributions and celebrates the culture of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

May Full Month JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH:
Recognizes the history of Jewish contributions to American culture, acknowledging the diverse achievements of American Jews.

May 1 -INTERNATIONAL WORKER’S DAY:
Also known as May Day, it celebrates the social and economic achievements of workers worldwide. The day commemorates the Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago, in which police and protesters clashed following a workers’ strike for an eight-hour work day.

May 3- WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY:
Serves as an occasion to inform the public of violations of the right to freedom of expression and as a reminder that many journalists brave death or jail to bring people their daily news.

May 5- CINCO DE MAYO:
In 1862 Mexican forces defeated French occupational forces in the Battle of Puebla.

May 8- LAILA AL-QADR • Islamic:
Commemorates the night that the Qur'an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It is known as the “Night of Power.” Often set on the 27th day of Ramadan, Sunnis may observe it on the 21st, 23rd, 25th or 29th and Shīʿite (Shiite) observe it on the 19th, 21st or 23rd day of Ramadan.

May 9-MOTHER’S DAY:
Children of all ages show appreciation for their mothers and mother figures.

May 13 -ASCENSION DAY • Christian:
Also known as Holy Thursday, celebrated 40 days after Easter/Pascha, it commemorates the ascension of Jesus into Heaven.

May 13- EID AL-FITR • Islamic:
The “Feast of the Breaking of the Fast” marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting from dawn until dusk.

May 17–18- SHAVUOT • Jewish:
The “Feast of Weeks” celebrates the covenant established at Sinai between God and Israel, and the revelation of the Ten Commandments.

May 21- WORLD DAY FOR CULTURAL DIVERSITY:
Recognizes cultural diversity as a source of innovation, exchange and creativity, as well as the obligation to create a more peaceful and equitable society based on mutual respect.

May 23- DECLARATION OF THE BÁB • Bahá’í:
Commemoration of May 23, 1844, when the Báb, the prophet-herald of the Bahá’í Faith, announced in Shíráz, Persia, that he was the herald of a new messenger of God.

May 23- PENTECOST • Christian:
Also known as Whitsunday, the seventh Sunday after Easter/Pascha commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and women followers of Jesus. Marks the birth of the Christian Church.

May 26- VISAKHA PUJA • Buddhist:
Also known as Vesak or Buddha Day, it marks the birth, spiritual awakening and death (nirvana) of the historical Buddha. (This date may vary based on region or sect.)

May 28- ASCENSION OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH • Bahá’í:
Observance of the anniversary of the death in exile of Bahá’u’lláh, the prophet-founder of the Bahá’í Faith.

May 30 -ALL SAINTS’ DAY • Eastern Christian:
In Orthodox churches observed on the first Sunday after Pentecost, it commemorates all known and unknown Christian saints.

May 31- MEMORIAL DAY:
A federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces.

This list of observances was taken from "The Calendar of Observances" from the Anti Defamation League. 
https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/calendar-of-observances

Famous Unitarian Universalists

Béla Bartók
Composer, Pianist
 

March 25, 1881 –  September 26, 1945
Béla was a Hungarian composer, pianist,
and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important
composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as
Hungary's greatest composers. Through his collection and analytical
 study of folk music, he was one of the founders of
comparative musicology, which later became ethnomusicology.  

He was raised as a Catholic, but by his early adulthood Bartók had
become an atheist. He later became attracted to Unitarianism and
publicly converted to the Unitarian faith in 1916. Although Bartók was
not conventionally religious, according to his son Béla Bartók III, "he
was a nature lover: he always mentioned the miraculous order of nature
with great reverence." As an adult, Béla III later became lay president of
the Hungarian Unitarian Church.


 

June 2

 

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