Page 1 UU Galveston Gazette March 2014

The theme for our March services is “Service.” Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” In our Sunday affirmation, we say “service” is

the “gift” of the church. In March, join us in considering how we can be of service.

MARCH 2—Margaret Anderson — "Greed, Envy, Consensus Building and Service" What in the world do greed and envy have to do with consensus building or service? If you expect to hear, “Don’t be greedy. Learn to compromise,” prepare for a surprise. Humans’ hardwired greed and envy sometimes serve us well, sometimes not. The trick is learning when to go with our impulses and when to override that hardwiring.Margaret An-derson is an independent trainer and consultant who helps people get what they need from one another while building bridges, not burning them. She is the author of the book Bridges to Consensus—in Congregations and of a weekly blog devoted to consensus-building and related communication skills. A Harvard-trained negotiator, she regularly designs and teaches her own curricula for Rice University's Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. This spring, Glasscock will roll out her new one-day course in “Navigating Communication Differences.”

BMOD: Steve Townley Facilitator: Mike Hennen Greeter/Concierge: Bets Anderson/Beverly Vanderpool Music: Tony DiNuzzo

MARCH 9:--Val Richardson--“Women Who Shaped History“ Ingathering of New Members Today

Several famous women such as Unitarian Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Harriet Tubman will join us for this very special program celebrating Women’s History Month. They want to help us understand their struggle in obtain-ing the right for women to vote, a privilege they considered essential to eliminating the abuses they had been experienc-ing. Val Richardson, a former member, was active in many aspects of this Fellowship prior to moving to Rowlett, Texas with her partner. There she became extremely involved in helping supply Hope in Hand food pantry and, was one of the founders of the Rowlett Democratic Club. She is also an active uniformed member of VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service) and in that capacity patrols Rowlett in a specially marked VIPS car. Performing such services as citing illegally parked cars in spaces reserved for the handicapped, and checking for city code violations, she helps release regular police officers for weightier tasks.

BMOD: Steve Townley Facilitator: Gerry Carr Greeter/Concierge: Claudia Maveety/Beverly Vanderpool Music: Margaret Canavan

MARCH 16:--Linda Coleman--“Stories from Christus, Our Daily Bread“

Linda Coleman, Director of CHRISTUS Our Daily Bread, will give a history of this ministry, which has been open since 1986. She will also share some heartwarming stories of committed men and women who have given years of service to Our Daily Bread and to the people we serve in Galveston. Linda is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and served in that position at Our Daily Bread from 2001-2005 before accepting the position as Director. She previously was a social work-er at UTMB in the Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic and a case manager at Gulf Coast Center in the Family Preserva-tion Program. She is on the Advisory Board for Sunshine Center and on the Board of Trustees of Gulf Coast Center. She and her husband Lewis live in Galveston County and have two grown sons.

BMOD: Martha Terrill Facilitator: Rick Altemose Greeter/Concierge: Beverly Vanderpool/Kat Joel-Reich Music: Susan Vaughan

(Continued on page 2)

UU Galvest n Gazette Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Galveston County March 2014

502 Church Street, Galveston, Texas 77550-5502 409.765 8330 Online at uugalveston.org

We welcome the full range of human diversity, that is, age, race, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity .

Love is the spirit of this church, and services is its gift. This is our great covenant:

To dwell together in peace, to see k the truth in love, and to help one another.

Page 2 UU Galveston Gazette March 2014

MARCH 23—Tony DiNuzzo --“Keeping the Customer Satisfied—The Good Intentions of Service” We all know the golden rule to successful business–“keep the customer satisfied.” How does this apply to providing “spiritual” service to those in our UU community? How is this done effectively and with the best intentions? How do we let go of “our story” so we can be fully free in mind, body and spirit to provide “full capacity” service that really makes a differ-ence? So many questions when it comes to how we provide service and so little time to get it right. This program will ex-plore these questions and maybe help in providing optimal community service. Tony DiNuzzo was born in the Bronx, New York. A first-generation Italian, he earned a doctorate degree in aging from the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch in 2003. He is currently an Assistant Professor with the De-partment of Internal Medicine-Division of Geriatrics and is director of the East Texas Geriatric Education Center. He is a long-standing member of the UU Fellowship of Galveston County and a past president of the Fellowship’s Board.

BMOD: Al Smith Facilitator: Tony DiNuzzo Greeter/Concierge: Steve Townley/Susan Baker Music: Bunny Andrews DiNuzzo

MARCH 30—David S. Buck, M.D.--“ Stories from the Street: How the Homeless and Health Reform Converge”

There are about 10,000 homeless in the streets of Houston. Most are suffering from chronic medical and behavioral condi-tions; two-thirds suffer from severe mental illness. Dr. Buck will describe some of the problems and possible solutions to the health care crisis of this vulnerable population. After graduating from the Colorado College in 1983, Dr. Buck traveled to Calcutta, India, to work with Mother Teresa caring for the poor. Seeing the broken systems of care in that region prompted him to pursue a master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and then enroll as a medical student at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Dr. Buck is founder of Healthcare for the Homeless – Houston (HHH), a consortium of more than 30 community-based agencies, health care clinics, educational in-stitutions, and public organizations working together to increase the quality of health care for the homeless. He serves as Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine.

BMOD: Stan Blazyk Facilitator: Rick Altemose Greeter/Concierge: Cheryl Henry/John Hunger Music: Tony DiNuzzo

(Services Continued from page 1)

H E L P W A N T E D

If you enjoy participating in our UU community please consider this: everything except mowing and cleaning is done by volunteers.

planning and executing weekly services answering phone messages putting together and printing up a newsletter sending the email announcement you get each Monday the friendly greeting you receive when you enter on Sunday maintaining our website, creating a weekly Facebook "event" about Sunday speakers buying supplies like toilet paper and coffee brewing the delicious beverage you drink when you are here maintaining our membership records maintaining our landscape providing music on Sunday

and much much more are accomplished entirely by volunteers! We all have skills that we bring with us to UU. Remember the theme for this month? Remember what Ghandi said?. Lose yourself in someway here at UU. Please talk with any Board member or any member of the Administrative Team to see where you can plug in. You would be appreciated!

Page 3 UU Galveston Gazette March 2014

B o o k S a l e There will be a Used Book Sale on Saturday March 8 from 9 AM till 2 PM. Hardback $1 and Paperbacks 50¢ Bargains: At the moment we have quite a few first edi-tion and autographed novels, which are definitely more worth than $1. If anyone is able to sell these books online, please get in touch with Fanny DeGesero or Bets Anderson. Help Wanted: Come help at the sale, 9 - 11.30 or from 11.30 -2.00. The buddy system is safe and enjoyable.

Dr. Vincent’s Book from his presentation in Febru-

ary , GOD IS WITH US: What Near-Death and Other Spiritually Transformative Experiences Teach Us About God and Afterlife, is available to read free of charge in several versions. Individual Chapters of this book can be read at: www.near-death.com/vincent.html. A single web page version can be read at: http://www.near-death.com/god-is-with-us.html . An ebook version in PDF format is available to download at: http://www.near-death.com/ebooks/nde/God-Is-With-Us-What-NDEs-and-Other-STEs-Teach-Us-About-God-and-Afterlife.pdf .An Amazon Kindle version is forthcoming.

March Book Discussion: Join us Wednesday, March 12 at 7pm to discuss Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Upcoming selections include The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro (April), The

Favored Daughter by Fawzia Koofi & Nadene Ghouri (May), The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin (June), and Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx (July). All are welcome to participate in these discussions.

SPECIAL COLLECTION FOR MARCH Each month the Social Action Committee designates a charity to receive the Special Collection. We may have set a record in February of $313 for St. Vincents!

In March the proceeds will go to The Unitarian Univer-salist Service Committee (UUSC), a human rights organi-zation powered by grassroots collaboration. In 15 coun-tries throughout the world UUSC fosters social justice and works toward a world free from oppression. Inno-vative approaches and measurable impact are ground-ed in the moral belief that all people have inherent power, dignity, and rights. UUSC is active in coordi-nating relief efforts around the world and investigating reports of human rights abuses. Four program areas include Rights in Humanitarian Crisis, Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, and Civil Liberties. Recent activi-ties have focused on the conflict in Darfur, organizing volunteers to help survivors of Gulf Coast hurricanes, workers rights and the human right to water. The or-ganization is also active in lobbying corporations en-gaged in business with governments identified as abus-ing basic human rights.[6]

2013 - 2014 Leadership of UUFGC Board of Directors

President Susan Persons Past President Cheryl Henry President-elect John Vanderpool Treasurer Stan Blazyk Secretary Judy Glaister At-large members Al Smith Martha Terrill Steve Townley

Committees and Task Forces Caring Claudia Maveety/Carol Lobb Communications Madeleine Baker Landscape John Hunger Membership Margaret Canavan Program/Worship Mike Hennen Religious Education Neil Huddleston Supper Circles Rick Altemose Social Action Mary Hodgson

Administrative Team Bets Anderson, Carey Battle, Margaret Canavan,

Mary Case, Judy Glaister, Carol Lobb, and Claudia Maveety,

Newsletter Editor Mary Case Webmaster Neil Huddleston

Page 4 UU Galveston Gazette March 2014

Page 5 UU Galveston Gazette March 2014

Alcoholics Anonymous Phoenix Group: meets Sun-day & Wednesday at 8pm. Contact Robert G. for information at 409-392-7005. For information about Alcoholics Anonymous in your community, schools, churches, law enforcement training and judicial sys-tem call the Public Information Committee hotline. In

Galveston County call 409-877-1674. .

Adult Forum: Sundays at 9am (except potluck days) to explore topics in religion, philosophy, history & poli-

tics. Contact Neil Huddleston at (409)744-2369.

Board of UUFGC: meets the second Monday of each

month at 5:30pm. Members are welcome to attend.

Book Club: meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7 pm at the Fellowship. Contact Fanny De-

Gesero if you have book suggestions.

Book Sale: monthly on second Saturday, 9am-2pm, at the fellowship. All adult hardback books are $1, pa-perbacks, 50¢. Your book donations are tax-deductible, just ask for a receipt. Books can be pur-chased anytime on the "honor system"; a payment

piggybank is available.

“Bowlers”: This group meets weekly to create pottery bowls for the annual fundraiser for Jesse Tree, a local social service organization. Those with experience meet on Wednesday 5-7; there is also a group for new folks on Thursdays 5-7, but do check with Made-leine Baker (madbaker3124@gmail.com) to be sure

they are meeting.

Caring Committee: is coordinated by Claudia Maveety and Carol Lobb, with the goal of identifying those who may need assistance, encouragement or support of some type. Please contact them if you have ideas or

would like to help out.

Course in Miracles Study Group: meets every Monday at 11 am. Contact Laura Murrell for info: lauramur-

rell@att.net.

Dance Classes: Galveston Dance Club offers classes each Tuesday & Thursday at 7 pm. For more infor-mation call Betty at 281-337-0441 or visit

www.galvestondanceclub.com.

Meditation: Zen Island Fellowship meets every Monday at 5:30pm for meditation. Contact Cara Geary

(gcara@comcast.net) or http://galvestonzen.org/

Potluck Lunch: happens on the last Sunday of each month following the service. Bring the dish of your choice, but if you can’t for some reason there always

seems to be enough food. Everyone is welcome.

Program/Worship Committee: meets the first Wednes-day of each month at 6:00 pm, a t a location to be determined each month. Join them or contact Mike

Hennen if you have a program or speaker to suggest.

Provocative Film Series: shows films with social import

on the first Friday of each month. Admission is free.

“Spirituality of Poker”: meets monthly on the third Sun-day at a member’s home, generally at 6:30pm. There is a $20 buy-in, and is Dealer’s Choice (games de-pend on size of attendance, often we must play Tex-as Hold-Em or Omaha and we’ll be happy to teach you if you don’t know the games). Everyone is invited to participate. We generally bring snacks and bever-

ages.

Social Action Committee: welcomes your ideas, energy and enthusiasm. This group plans our monthly Com-passionate Collections, Provocative Films, organizes the Empty Bowls creation and event, and plans for our participation in Martin Luther King and Juneteenth

parades.

Supper Circles: These are monthly potluck dinners held in members’ homes. Upcoming events are posted on the bulletin board in the foyer and you may sign up to attend. If you have questions or would like to host a

dinner contact Rick Altemose at 409-996-1882.

Newcomers’ Meeting: meets the second Sunday of each month at 11:45, immediately following the ser-vice. All are welcome at these meetings, if you are curious about Unitarian Universalism in general, want to know more about this Fellowship, or are consider-ing becoming a member. Questions, contact Member-

ship Chair Margaret Canavan.

How to Get Connected at UU Galveston

Have an open group meeting you’d like to list here? Let us know and we’ll add it!

Page 6 UU Galveston Gazette March 2014

Potluck Today Happy Birthday to Kristopher Benson 3/7 Jeannie Singleton 3/7

Joel Carrow 3/13 Rudy Steury 3/15

Carlos Price 3/21 Doris Rasmussen 3/26

Jeff Narron 3/30

Happy Mardi

Gras!

Newsletter Items Due

Please!

March 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wedesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2 9am Adult Forum

10:30 Margaret An-

derson, "Greed, Envy,

Consensus Building

and Service"; Chil-

dren’s Religious Ed

8pm AA Phoenix Group

3 11am Course in

Miracles

5:30pm Zen

Meditation

4 7pm Dance

Lessons

5 5pm Bowlers

8pm AA Phoe-

nix Group

6 5pm-Bowlers

7pm Dance

Lessons

7 7pm Provoca-

tive Film,

Short Term

12

8 9am -2pm

Book Sale

9 9am Adult Forum

10:30 Ingathering of

new Members; Val Rich-

ardson, “Women Who

Shaped History“; Chil-

dren’s Religious Educ.E

12n “Newcomers” meeting

8pm AA Phoenix Group

10 11am Course in

Miracles

5:15pm Board

Meeting

5:30pm Zen

Meditation

11 7pm Dance

Lessons

12 5pm Bowlers

7pm Book

Club discuss-

ing Franken-

stein

8pm AA Phoe-

nix Group

13 5pm-Bowlers

7pm Dance

Lessons

14

15

16 9am Adult Forum

10:30 Linda Coleman,

“Stories from Christus,

Our Daily Bread“; Chil-

dren’s Religious Educ.

6:30 Poker @ DeGesero’s

8pm AA Phoenix Group

17 11am Course in

Miracles

5:30pm Zen

Meditation

18 7pm Dance

Lessons

19 5pm Bowlers

8pm AA Phoe-

nix Group

20 5pm-Bowlers

7pm Dance

Lessons

21

22

23 9am Adult Forum

10:30 Tony DiNuzzo,

“The Good Intentions

of Service”; Children’s

Religious Education

8pm AA Phoenix Group

24 11am Course in

Miracles

5:30pm Zen

Meditation

25 7pm Dance

Lessons

26 5pm Bowlers

8pm AA Phoe-

nix Group

27 5pm-Bowlers

7pm Dance

Lessons

28 29

30

10:30 David S. Buck, M.D., “

How the Homeless

and Health Reform

Converge”; Children’s

Religious Education

8pm AA Phoenix Group

at UU Galveston