UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION OF MIAMI

NOVEMBER 2011 NOVEMBER

CONNECTIONS
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Miami
11am Sunday Services & Childrens Programs
November 6th: Claiming the Fifth

-Rev. Wendy Pantoja Our fth principle encourages us to afrm and promote the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large. Who paved this road for us? What do our faithful choices say about who we are and honor our sacred connections in the interconnected web of all existence? November 13th: Oh, We Give Thanks


-Rev. Wendy Pantoja How do we express gratitude? With a prayer? With a simple heartfelt thank you? Today we will explore what it means to develop a spiritual practice of gratitude. Also, we will be launching the Guest at Your Table campaign. We are asking each person who attends to bring an ingredient for the vegetarian soup we will be cooking during worship. November 20th: Living Authentically with Courage and Faith


-Rev. Wendy Pantoja They are somebodys children, somebodys friend, maybe somebodys parent. Yet to live authentically means endangering their well-being, even their lives. Grateful for an ethos of welcoming and acceptance, let us come together on this Transgender Day of Remembrance, to honor and remember those who have lost their lives because of who they are. Following lunch there will be a one-hour panel discussion on this topic in the sanctuary at 1:00PM

INSIDE
PG. 1 SCHEDULE PG. 2 MUSINGS FROM THE MINISTER PGS. 3 & 4 NOTE FROM THE BOARD PG. 5 CHILDRENS RELIGIOUS EDUCATION & MEMBERSHIP NEWS PG. 6 GROUPS AND PROGRAMS PG. 7 UU JAZZ & LEADERSHIP DEV. NEWS PG. 8 SOCIAL JUSTICE COM. & STAFF NEWS PG. 9 CALENDAR & A LOOK AHEAD

November 27th: Worship Committee Led Service Join us at 11am as we are led by our Worship Committee in community together.

MUSINGS FROM THE MINISTER

NOVEMBER 2011

Reverend Wendy Pantoja

November

Oh, we give thanks for this precious day . . .

Hola, UUCM! Welcome to this season of gratitude and joy! The line above is a reminder from one of my favorite hymns that no matter what else may be happening, there is always something in my life for which to be grateful. In this season of gratitude and joy, I encourage us to take at least one micro pause every day to count our blessings. High on my list this year is the extended summer I have wanted for so long and have nally found here in Miami. Also tied in rst place is this wonderful congregation I am privileged to serve. And right alongside these blessings is the excellent prognosis my sons doctors are working hard to bring to fruition. I feel blessed and have much for which to be grateful. I hope you, too, can nd at least one thing in your life you consider a blessing. Some members, grateful for being part of this liberal religious community, have already started sharing their blessings by volunteering to head committees that are vital to our various ministries. There is plenty of room for others to join them in the important work of doing church together. More than a dozen of you have joined the Occupy Miami movement. All of us are invited to grace this expression of our values with our presence. The strength of numbers and the power of our voices can make a difference. But not everyone is feeling so blessed and graced by humanity or the Universe. And so, during this month we will be looking at ways we can put our faith into action and share our blessings with them. On the 13th, we will be launching our participation in the Guest at Your Table endeavor of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. The funds we gather during the weeks of this program will go to help people experiencing the impact of hunger and poverty in our country and in the world. Bring a vegetable or condiment for the stone soup we will be making during worship and enjoying at lunch. On the 20th we will observe a day of remembrance for those executed in the streets of our American cities for trying to live their authentic lives as people of genders not identied at birth. In becoming a Welcoming Congregation, we made a commitment to welcome all regardless of their gender expression and sexual orientation. Let us explore ways we can take that commitment to the next level. In this season of gratitude and joy may we be grateful for our blessings and nd ways of passing them forward. And, may we walk together in the ways of truth, justice, compassion and love. En paz y fe, Rev. Wendypaz Save the date! Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 5:00 PM Installation of the Reverend Wendy Pantoja More details will be made available soon.
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MUSINGS FROM THE MINISTER CONT.

NOVEMBER 2011

Ministers Office Hours

Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10 AM 2 PM* Monday day off Thursday Sermon writing day Saturday reserved for special meetings and other events Please know that this schedule is subject to change in order to meet other ministerial and denominational responsibilities. It will also be revised over the course of the year in response to congregational needs. Rev. Wendy is available by telephone 9 AM 8 PM except on her days off. Emergency calls will be accepted at any time. *It is always best to call for an appointment. If these hours do not accommodate your schedule, please do not hesitate to call for an appointment at a mutually convenient time.
NOTES FROM THE BOARD

Barbara Woshinsky- President of the Board

While in Minnesota this summer, we were fortunate to attend a performance by Circus Juventas, the largest youth circus school in the United States. For two magical hours, we sat spellbound as young people aged 3-21 balanced on chair stacks or human pyramids, rotated on hoops, swung from rings, ladders and silk ropes, and rode bikes on aerial wires. The most stomach-twisting moment was to watch a performer swing from the ying trapeze and gracefully launch herself into the air, condent that her partner would catch her just in time. Such amazing feats require discipline, dedication and, above all, trust. These are also qualities that our church community has displayed in the last few weeks, with palpable results: a pledge drive that exceeded expectations, thanks to David Jacobs, David Roelant, and Margaret McAlister; a gala dinner produced with apparent ease by David Roelant and his adept associates; proposals for long term nancial planning by David Jacobs and Joyce Anderson; new chairs for important committees, including Andrea Mustelier for Membership, Lidia Moore and Derrick Mustelier for Social Justice, Daniel Farias for Facilities, and David Roelant forAnnual Pledge Campaign. You will nd details of some of these accomplishments elsewhere in the Newsletter. Thanks also to the volunteers who have come together to keep our ofce running smoothly after the resignation of our church administratornot least of whom Reverend Wendy, who put in 12-hour days in the ofce.
The amazing young people of Circus Juventas have a safety net to protect them if they fall. Our most important safety net is one other. Through all our ups and downs, lets remember that.

Kudos Department Every Sunday for years, without fanfare, John Asgeirson, June Harbett, Bob Jacober, Janice McArthur and Paul McCabe have collected, counted and deposited our offerings and they are willing to continue. We can really count on these 5 wonderful people! Thanks so much for doing this very important task. And thanks to all of you who quietly supply necessary support to our congregation. We will be recognizing more of you as the year goes on. Submitted by Gisela Haynes/Barbara Woshinsky.
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NOTES FROM THE BOARD CONT.

NOVEMBER 2011

Our New Beginnings

David Jacobs- Treasurer Board of Trustees

New Beginnings Pledge Drive Our New Beginnings Pledge Drive was a smashing success! More than $18,000 were raised to help offset our current budget decit. With your generous help, we have now exceeded the original goal for the 2011 pledge drive. The entire Board of Trustees would like to thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for looking deep in yours. While our budget is not balanced completely, your kind and generous special pledges and gifts go a long way towards meeting that goal. To insure our future, we are planning for effective use of the Facilities Enhancement Fund to invest in our beautiful campus, and establishing a permanent endowment to provide future nancial security. Big thanks to our matching pledge benefactors Reverend Wendy, the Board of Trustees, and the "Anonymous Five" who all planted the seed from which New Beginnings grew. Special thanks go to the pledge drive committee members David Roelant, Barbara Woshinsky, and Margaret McAlister for their hard work and dedication, and a nal THANK YOU to the wonderful team of volunteers who planned and executed the New Beginnings Dinner held October 8.
Margaret McAlister- Vice President of the Board

For the Good Life of Our Cong regation

Have you ever had a wonderful idea about how our Congregation could be better? Have you ever known that you had the perfect solution? And, have you ever wanted to praise a fellow Congregant at the top of your lungs? If you have been here long enough, you have probably experienced all three states of mind, and perhaps were frustrated because there wasnt a consistent process in place for expressing yourself. Your Board of Trustees has been listening to you, and we have created FOR THE GOOD LIFE OF OUR CONGREGATION comment cards for use by all Congregants. Blank paper versions of this card will be kept in the back of the Sanctuary if you prefer to complete by hand, or you may utilize the electronic version (click HERE) which can be downloaded then emailed to me at margmac55@yahoo.com or printed and placed in the FOR THE GOOD LIFE OF OUR CONGREGATION box in the back of the Sanctuary. Cards (paper and electronic) must be signed to be considered. Our promise to you is this: let us know whats on your minds, and we will respond. Thank you for the opportunity to do so.
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CHILDRENS RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

NOVEMBER 2011

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Monica Rizzo- Director of RE

Classes
Children will meet for classes on November 6th, 13th and 20th and there will be an Intergenerational service on Sunday, November 27, which is also Thanksgiving weekend. Each Sunday everyone will gather in the sanctuary and after the Story for All Ages, children will meet their teachers in the breezeway to head to class. Please pick up your child promptly after class. For the Intergen service, there are no classes and children will stay with their parents/guardians in the sanctuary for the service.

Music in RE
In October, music class was introduced to the children's programming. We plan to meet twice a month during regular class time. Here is a note from our music director, Tim: We are excited to announce that children in our religious education program will be singing and making music together as a component of the RE curriculum. Dan Dickinson, Bill Turner, and Roxane Pickens will be teaching songs to the children that encompass our UU principles and values, and through these songs, our children will learn how much FUN it can be to sing and make music together.

Nursery
The nursery is open at 10:45 each Sunday for infants-3 years old. When dropping off your child, please sign him/her in on the class roster and leave your phone number. Each child is required to have appropriate supplies including diapers, wipes, change of clothes, snack and drink. Please pick up your child promptly after service.

Religious Education Meeting

The next RE committee meeting will be Sunday,November 13at 12:45PM in the Religious Education Ofce. All are welcome to come and discuss the happenings, both business and fun, in the RE department. New to the Program? If you are new to the program and would like more information about Religious Education, please feel free to contact Monica Rizzo, the Director of Religious Education (DRE), at mrizzodre@gmail.com to chat by email, set up a phone call or schedule a face-to-face meeting.

OWL
This is the nal month for OWL (Our Whole Lives) classes. Participants in grades 4-6 will meet in the Emerson Room November 6th, 13th, 20th at 12:30 pm. Parents of children in grades K-1 will meet in Room 3 on November 6th and 20th at 1 pm. Thank you to Raquel Reyes, David Roelant, Charles Bishop and Calla Gudheim for their months of dedication and preparation to teach the OWL classes!
MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Andrea Mustelier Membership Committee We invite our guests and newcomers to visit the "Pineapple Table" on Sundays. It has been rewarding to see so many summer visitors and the way they have been welcomed. Wed love to pair up newcomers with members in order to share our community as they meet new people. It is the congregation as a whole that is our best representative. We knowing that it is important to worship together on our spiritual journey but, we want to embrace those who are just starting their search as well. The committee is comprised of: Martha Dominguez, Martha Harrison, Melissa Jacobs, Selva Joseph, Andrea Mustelier, Derrick Mustelier, Jill Taft, Sterling Waiters & Ruth Wells. You can easily identify us by our bright yellow name tags with a pineapple on it (a symbol of hospitality). We welcome any information about people who we can reach out to. We plan to work with the Caring Committee to make sure that we contact people who may be ill or going through a difcult time. Come meet with us on the First Wednesday each month, 7:30pm in the Emerson Room. For more information contact Andrea Mustelier at (305) 299-9958. On November 13 we will be welcoming new members into our congregation. If you would like to sign the book, please speak with Rev. Wendy and Andrea Mustelier.
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GROUPS AND PROGRAMS

NOVEMBER 2011

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things. - Jack Kornfield

Iris Massey Spiritual Reality Spiritual Reality offers an opportunity for spiritual exploration and growth through selected readings and commentary by the group. Those who attend are encouraged to comment on the readings and/or share their personal concerns. We are not a therapy group, but a group of caring friends who come together to listen and to learn. Please join us on Sunday mornings at 9:30AM in the Emerson Room. Alice Lingswiler Grief Support Group The Grief support group meets on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month in the Emerson Room at 1:15pm. You are welcome to join us whether your loss is recent or long ago. See Connie Bartels or Alice Lingswiler. John Bost Humanist Group Join us on November 8th as we explore "Cultures and Values-Hopi. Navajo, and lk from the DVD Lecture Series by the Teaching Company Philosophy & Intellectual History by Professor Patrick Grim, State University of New York at Stony Brook. We meet in the Emerson room every second Tuesday of the month at 8pm. Come join us. Alice Lingswiler Lunch Bunch Bring a bag lunch and join us as we enjoy a friendly lunch and discuss a reading from an inspirational book each Wednesdays from 12pm-2pm in the Emerson Room. Every 3rd Wednesday is Poetry Day so bring your favorite poems to share. Hope to see you there. Margaret McAlister & Sandy Howard PFLAG PFLAG Kendall meets at 12pm on the 2nd Saturday of each month at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Miami. PFLAG Homestead meets at 12pm the fourth Saturday of each month at St. Johns Episcopal Church,145 NE 10 Street in Homestead. For more info contact miamipag@hotmail.com David Roelant Welcoming Cong regation The Welcoming Congregation Committee is scheduled to meet on the rst Sunday of each month, at 1:00PM. The Lavender Salon, which we sponsor, is an Intergenerational Event for Miami's LGBTQ Community. It is, usually, held on the second Saturday of the month, at 6:30 PM, in the Emerson Room. We start with a Potluck, followed by an evening of educational events, and fun!The Lavender Salon, also, plans to re-start the Interweave Film Series celebrating LGBTQ themes, this Fall. Please join us for our upcoming activities, including Speakers and workshops. For more information about The Welcoming Congregation Committee, and The Lavender Salon, please contact Marilyn Rutgers or Dave Roelant. June Harbett The Alliance The Alliance welcomes visitors to its meeting on Saturday, Nov. 5th. A potluck lunch will take place at noon followed by a program on Religious Literacy at 1pm. Nanette Bartels Buddhist Group If you are looking for a pause in your busy week why not come and experience Buddhist Reections? We meet every Tuesday evening from 6:30-7:45pm in the Emerson Room (the second Tuesday of every month is in the sanctuary). Discover your Bodhicitta. We begin with a seated 15 minute meditation, a reading or two, followed by engaging discussion. We close with a second 15 minute meditation. No commitment is necessary; come whenever you like. Everyone is welcome and no experience is necessary. Come and refuel for your busy week.

UU JAZZ NEWS

NOVEMBER 2011

Carol Reiter UU Jazz Series November 20th at 4:00PM welcomes back the dynamic duo of Vince Maggio, jazz pianist, and Randall Dollahon, jazz guitarist. Both artists, of the Frost Music School Faculty of the University of Miami, have a rich performance background. Dollahon has played concerts with such artists as Randy and Michael Brecker, Elaine Elias, Bob James, Dave Liebman, Toots Thielemans, Stanley Trurrentine and Jaco Pastorious., He has also played and recorded with Edgar Winter, The Dixie Dregs and the Atlantean Driftwood Band. Currently Dollahon directs jazz guitar studies at the University of Miami. Vince Maggio spent years as professor of piano jazz at the Frost Music School. Last year he was called back out of retirement to teach a new course which he created to teach improvisation to classically trained musicians. Maggio's performance history is rich with the very backbone of jazz in America, and includes work and tours with Cannonball Adderly, Stan Getz, Ira Sullivan, Sonny Stitt, Chet Baker, Kenny Dorham, and the late Mel Torme. He is also a former faculty/artist member of the Aspen Music Festival. We hope you will gear up for the holiday season with this concert. What a great way to prepare your spirit for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, Diwali, Kwanza and the winter solstice. Admission is $15.00 (cash) for adults and $10.00 for students/minors at the door.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE NEWS

What is the Leadership Development Committee? Taking the lead from other UU congregations, ours expanded the role of the Nominating committee to become the Leadership Development Committee. What is this about? This reects the need to have training and support that empowers members of the congregation to get involved and to create a thriving, well organized and healthy organization. We will be nominating, mentoring and supporting committee heads, offering skills trainings, and highlighting and appreciating the outstanding work that our leaders accomplish. We are also planning to train mediators in keeping with Right Relations recommendations.This training should help us all. We value, honor and support our minister, Board of Trustees, and the will of the congregation, so our motto is It is a Privilege to Serve! We believe that everyone helps to make things happen and we need everyones engagement. We do not want to pressure anyone to take on anything that is beyond his/her ability. There will soon be an OPPORTUNITY FAIR at which time you can learn of some of the ways to get involved. There is no job too small.Our Congregation can only enjoy the love and warmth that Rev. Wendy has modeled by coming forth and saying, This, I can do. Sometime in January we will provide Technical Training for Leaders.We will also offer Sunday classes in Leadership called Harvest the Power Your Leadership Development Committee consists of: Selva Joseph, Bill Turner:co-chairs Roxane Pickens: clerk Art Friedrich, Maria Poviones-Bishop, Ruth Trencher.
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SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE NEWS

NOVEMBER 2011

Derrick Mustelier Social Justice Committee Greetings from the newly reinvigorated Social Justice Committee! For those who were unable to join us in September, we had a wonderful rst meeting of the new church year. It was our rst meeting with Rev. Wendy and we had more attendees than our previous two meetings combined! A few exciting announcements: -Lidia Moore and Derrick Mustelier were nominated by consensus for co-chairs of the committee and were approved by the Board of Trustees. -The committee adopted an agenda for the coming congregational year by consensus. The broad focus of our work will be Economic Justice with three pillars supporting it: workers rights, immigrant justice and education. The energy behind economic justice is growing every day with the Occupy protests blossoming into a global constructivist revolution--disenfranchised and marginalized people everywhere coming together to nd community and meaning in one another and unite against corporate greed and class warfare. Several members of the committee have been attending (and will continue to attend) the Occupy Miami General Assembly meetings and are getting involved with the movement on different levels and in different capacities. Please join us at our next meeting on November 18th at 7pm in the Emerson Room. The winds of economic justice are shifting--its about time our congregation put up our sails!
STAFF NEWS

Meet Our New Ofce Administrator

Jessica Brautigam walked into our ofce one Sunday afternoon to offer her volunteer services while we went on a search for our new ofce administrator. Her dedication and ability to nd her way in our administrative systems soon made it easy for us to offer her the temporary job. Then her sensibilities to who we are and her continuing endeavor to make this transition as easy as possible made it a no-brainer to hire her as our part-time ofce administrator. Raised a Universalist Unitarian in the Midwest, Jessi is a recent transplant to our corner of the earth. She has two masters degreesone in Public Administration and another in Mass Communicationsand hopes to enroll in a doctoral program at one of our ne universities. Her husband, Jeremy, is a doctoral student at the Florida International University, specializing in ecology. They live in Coral Gables with their cat, Lottie. Welcome, Jessica! It is a pleasure to have you onboard.

Weekly Update and Newsletter Reminder Please remember the following important dates: -Weekly Update submissions are due by noon on Tuesday each week -Newsletter submissions are due by the 15th of every month

CONGREGATION CALENDAR

NOVEMBER 2011

Sun

Mon

Tue
1 6:30pmBuddhist Reections, ER

Wed
2 12pm- Lunch Bunch, ER 7:30pmMembership Committee Meeting, ER 9 12pm- Lunch Bunch, ER 7pm- Board of Trustees, ER

Thu
3 7:30pm- Choir Practice, S

Fri
4 7pm-Young Adult Group, ER

Sat
5 11am- Alliance, S

6 9:30 am- Spiritual Reality, ER 11am- WORSHIP, S 1pm-OWL Classes, ER & R3 1pm- Welcoming Comm. Meeting 1:15pm Grief Support, R4 13 9:30am- Spiritual Reality, ER 11am- WORSHIP, S 1pm- OWL Classes, ER 20 9:30am- Spiritual Reality, ER 11am- WORSHIP, S 1pm- Transgender Day of Remembrance Panel, S 1pm-OWL classes, R3 & ER 1:15pm- Grief Support, R4 4pm- Lotz Concert, S 27 9:30am- Spiritual Reality, ER 11am- WORSHIP, S 12:30pm- Herrshafft Comm. Event, ER

8 6:30pmBuddhist Reections, S 8pmHumanist Group, ER

10 7:30pm- Choir Practice, S

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12 12pm-PFLAG, ER 6:30pmLavender Salon, ER

14

15 6:30pmBuddhist Reections, ER

16 12pm- Lunch Bunch, ER

17 7:30pm- Choir Practice, S

18 7pm- Social Justice Committee meeting, ER

19

21

22 6:30pmBuddhist Reections, ER

23 12pm- Lunch Bunch, ER

24 Thanksgiving

25

26

28

29 6:30pmBuddhist Reections, ER

30 12pm- Lunch Bunch, ER

Legend: ER= Emerson Room TBD= To Be Determined R= Room S= Sanctuary G= Grounds A LOOK AHEAD
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2011

- SWIM, the UU camp from Dec 26th-Jan 1st in Homestead. Check out the SWIM website www.swimuu.org and the new YouTube video: http://tinyurl.com/uuswim
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UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION OF MIAMI

NOVEMBER 2010 NOVEMBER 2011

CONNECTIONS
Staff Schedule & Contact Info
The newsletters distribution is made possible with the help of John Asgeirson and Paul McCabe. Thank you gentlemen for proong, folding, labeling, stamping and distributing Connections to our community! Rev. Wendy Pantoja, Minister- Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10 AM 2 PM*, Monday: day off, Thursday: Sermon writing day, Saturday: reserved for special meetings and other events. 305- 667-3697, RevWendyPaz@aol.com Jessica Brautigam, Ofce Administrator- Monday-Thursday 9am-2pm Ph: 305-6673697, Fx: 305-667-9585, uucongmia@gmail.com Monica Rizzo, Director of Religious Education- mrizzodre@gmail.com Dr. Tim Buchholtz, Choir Director- timbuch@me.com Zoltan Bakos, Custodian, Ph: 305-667-3697 *It is always best to call for an appointment. If these hours do not accommodate your schedule, please do not hesitate to call for an appointment at a mutually convenient time.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Miami 7701 SW 76 Ave Miami, Fl 33143

November 2011 Deadline for the December Newsletter Articles: 11/15/11 Suggested donation for annual subscriptions: $25 Sunday Service- 11am