And then there was Christmas. - Gifting and laughing andcelebrating and worshipping – feeling warm connections with familyand friends – were all a part of Christmas around the NortheastCluster country.

Friendship Fellowship at Pineda - held their Christmas party onFriday, December 17. It began with a chili taste-off dinner whichincluded New England chili, New Mexican chili, as well asvegetarian chili, all delicious. And the meal ended with ice creamto cool the palate! Over 60 members and friends attended. Theprice of admission was a gift card to be donated to a family in needand the Fellowship received over $800 in gift cards. Severalmembers shared their personal Christmas stories and theneveryone joined in for carol singing.

- Nancy Shacklette

Interfaith Holiday Service at UUF of Marion County - There was anear capacity crowd on Dec. 19 as UUFMC presented a specialholiday service. With a spiritual glow provided by a UU chalice anda Jewish menorah, the service included many readings explainingthe holiday traditions of various faiths and cultures, including Hindu,Buddhist, Moslem, African, Roman and pagan.

In addition to the hymns sung by the UUFMC choir, the Temple ShalomChorus and The Villages String Orchestra presented a selection of songsfrom the Jewish faith.

Robert Barefield, a baritonewho has performed at operasin the US and Italy, presented“The Lamb.” Barefield is afaculty member at HarttSchool at the University ofHartford.

Ann Barefield arranged anddirected the special service. Rita Ridgard illustrated theservice’s many elements with some 40 slides projectedon the flat-screen TVs. - Dick Chady

(More Marion County photos on the next page)

Northeast Breeze Monthly Newsletter of the Northeast Cluster Florida District, UUA

January 2011: Vol.3, No.9

"Reindeer" Allen and Harriet Claxtonhelp decorate the Pineda Christmas treewith their gift card donations.

At Pineda, Kathy DavidsonLees and Cathy Stanton leadthe guests in carols.

Joe Frydman lights the menorah at UUFMC.

Page 1 of 14

Holiday giving in Ormond Beach - All 30 childrenliving in the Family Renew Community (shelter)in DeLand were provided with new sneaks andsocks through the SHOES THAT FIT project. Northeast Cluster donated $200 to UUSDBA(Ormond Beach) to assist with this project.

This outreach program provides new shoes andsocks annually to all school-age children prior totheir first day of school, with special gifts atChristmas time. Pictured below left is thecollection of shoes and other gifts in December. - Joyce Nelson, Terri Kolaska, Volunteers

Project Niños party in Vero Beach grows from year to year - A 15-yearholiday tradition for the Vero Beach Fellowship is adopting a group of migrantfarmworker families via three Redlands Christian Migrant Association daycare homes in Fellsmere. The December 20 event was attended by a recordnumber of UUs, with 14 families and 24 “adopted” children.

As always, the Fellsmere families provided the meal, with church membersproviding the dessert. The food was delicious and Santa (aka RogerSobkowiak) was a hit! Over 84 UUFVB members contributed in some way tothe project (cash was also welcome), and that was very heartening,especially during these challenging economictimes!

A record-smashing amount was raised thisyear. Each childreceived clothing,toys, and a book. And, in addition tothe gifts for thechildren, we wereable to give eachfamily a Publix giftcard of $115!

- Denise Haight, Maria Sobkowiak, Co-chairs, Project Niños

Temple Shalom Choir participates joyfully in the service, withfinger cymbals, strings and voices.

Ann Barefield conducts the UUFMC choir in holiday songs.

Santa (from UUFVB) smilesin Fellsmere with dos niños.

UUFVB minister Scott Alexanderperches on Santa’s knee to askfor – what? Peace on earth?

Each year Dick and DeniseHaight plan the party with this school mom who assists them.

Page 2 of 14

Quilt Art in the Sanctuary - At the UnitarianUniversalist Fellowship of Gainesville, I settledin recently, on a chilly afternoon, to discussquilts with Beverley Hilton. We didn’t talk toomuch about quilts that keep us warm, but abouther art quilts that grace our Fellowship hall thismonth.

Beverley started out making traditional quiltsthat were bed coverings, but after finishinggraduate school (an MBA from the University ofMiami) and not working due to serious illness,she turned to quilting. She found herself willingto take chances with her art and beganproducing lovely art quilts.

Beverley is both a student and teacher of herart. While attending various quilt shows, she isable to attend workshops given by well-knownquilters. She also teaches the skill of quilting aswell as garment sewing classes. “There isalways something to be learned,” she says,“always an exchange of ideas.”

Beverley is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, andlived in South Florida for many years beforemoving to Gainesville, enjoying the more naturalsetting here in North Florida. Beverley hasentered and won many awards in local andregional quilt shows. She has exhibited herquilts in her former home in Broward County,and now has exhibited in Jacksonville,Suwannee Valley, and Gainesville.

I found the Challenge Art Quilt Creation aninteresting competition. The quilt had to becreated based on the theme “My Inner ChildColoring Book.” There were specific parametersto follow as to the size, color and fabrics to use. There were two challenge fabrics (including onethat had to be ‘butt ugly’) and the quilter had touse 64 other fabrics (as in a box of crayons.) Beverley ended up using 90 different fabrics. Allfabric and work had to be documented to showthat the quilter met the ‘challenge.’ As you cansee, Beverley did meet the challenge and tookfirst place in the Southern Stars Quilt Guild show(photo left).

Another quilt, ‘Orchids by the Sea,’ reminds meof a Monet painting. Beverley called this‘watercolor quilting’ in that the squares (eachabout an inch and a half square) of fabric are

combined to create a scene. We can see sky, sea, lagoon, grass, a beach, a walkway, and an archwayall made from squares of fabric. This quilt also has three-dimensional objects included to give it even

Artist/quilter Beverley Hilton stands before some of her smaller quiltedpieces shown this month at UUF Gainesville. Memories from herjournal quilting can be seen on the right side of the display.

Page 3 of 14

more interest (see photo top right). This quilt was alsoa featured quilt on the international website: TheQuiltShow.com.

Beverley is particularly fond of ‘Paris in Autumn,’ forwhich she won a Judges’ Recognition at the 2008Jacksonville Quilt Fest. The leaves on the trees aretacked on and the leaves float on the fabric adding athree dimensional effect (see photo lower right).

Beverley (and other quilters) even make postcards andtrading cards. These little postcard-sized gems have astiff middle layer and can be mailed – hand cancelingrequired. Fabric artists also make artist trading cardsand exchange them.

Her journal quilts are the size of a piece of paper. Beverley tellsa story with these small quilts and the size allows fabric artiststo experiment with color and technique before committing to alarge project. The journal quilt (right of photo, top of page 3) tellsBeverley’s life story, from the top: music as a young girl, scubadiving as an adult, a grandchild and the road to the future.

I also found that Beverley and her husband, Rick, are inventorsand business people On her CraftyBev.com website you canview a clever video showing how their ‘Fussy Cut 3-in-1 Tool’was invented and how it is used. They have other tools forcrafters, articles and information.

We concluded our chat by talking about contrasts in quilting: those from Gee’s Bend to handmade exquisite creations for abride, and quilts for the Underground Railroad that showed theway to freedom. Quilting has long been an artistic outlet forwomen and Beverley is surely at the top of that art form.

- Ginny Bird

A few anonymous Internetthoughts about quilts:

A quilt will warm your body and comfort your soul. When life throws you scraps, make a quilt. Quilters never grow old, they just go to pieces. Good friends are like quilts - they age with you yet never lose their warmth. Our lives are like quilts - bits and pieces, joy and sorrow, stitched with love.

Page 4 of 14

First Unitarian Universalist Church inDeLand Celebrates! - It has been oneyear since we purchased our newchurch home at 116 S. Clara Avenue inDeLand. We are marking the event witha special service and an open house onSunday, January 16. This is a specialand joyful time for our congregation andwe invite everyone to come to celebratewith us. The service will be at 10:30a.m. followed by an open housereception from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Pleasemake plans to join us.

- Linda NewmanThe photo to the left, taken by Donald Torrey,shares the exuberance of congregation membersas they sit in the sanctuary of their larger, newlypurchased home. Only two months later, many

cluster members assembled there for our spring gathering, inhaling fresh paint and admiring the hard work, wonderfulsurroundings, and obvious pride shining forth.

Meet the NE Cluster Leadership Team - (The Breeze has been introducing you to your leadershipteam, one by one. Now meet Jack Kulas, who also serves as cluster webmaster.) Jack discoveredUnitarian Universalism in 1969 during the summer between high school and college at the UU Churchof Jacksonville. It was spiritual liberation for him, having been raised in a strict Catholic family, whichof course included 12 years of Catholic school.

But after liberation he remained unchurched for 25 years. During that time, among other things, he gotmarried, earned a Ph.D. In Philosophy from FSU and an M.S. in Computer Science from Wright StateUniversity (Dayton, OH), and spent 10 years teaching computer science at Wright State and theUniversity of Idaho. While living in Moscow, ID, he attended the UU Churchof the Palouse there, but friends persuaded him to try St John’s EpiscopalChurch in neighboring Pullman, WA, since the minister there was aPhilosophy Ph.D. whose interests in philosophy of language exactly matchedJack’s.

Job opportunities and proximity to his in-laws led Jack and family, nowincluding two sons, to move back east to northern Ohio. While living inFairlawn, OH, an Akron suburb, he returned to his spiritual UU home,attending the UU Church of Akron with his sons, where his sons and formerwife are still active.

After returning to Florida, where he feels most at home, he joined the UUFellowship of Gainesville in February 2004. After regular participation withthe Interfaith Hospitality Network and a number of committee assignments and other activities, in 2006he became Governing Board Secretary and then served 3 more years on the Board, including a yearas Congregation President. In 2007 he attended The Mountain School for Congregational Leadershipand last summer served as faculty member in the successor program, the Southland UU LeadershipExperience (SUULE). He now chairs the UUFG Membership Committee and also keeps the NECluster’s website more or less up to date.

He lives in Gainesville with his wife of almost three years and works as a Web/XML Application Developerfor a training and publication company. He’s an inveterate walker, 1 to 4 miles daily, enjoys word andnumber puzzles, and a variety of music, including Celtic, space, classic rock, and bluegrass. He’slooking forward to the day when he has time to play the Dobro he bought during his presidential year.

Jack Kulas

Page 5 of 14

Spring, a time for awakening, reawakening, revitalizing, sharing, connecting, learning - and atime for Northeast Cluster’s Spring Gathering, to be held this year on Saturday, March 26, in Vero

Beach. The topic: “It’s All About Us! The Joys and Sorrows of a HealthyCongregation.” Come prepared to share your stories about things that areworking for you, in your church and in your community. And things thatsounded better in advance than they turned out to be. Happens to us all.

Last month, when UUFVB was able to schedule a weekend with Rev. Dr.William F. Schulz, the new UUSC president and CEO, the Fellowship offeredto host our spring event there, anticipating good interaction with Dr. Schulz. The NEC Leadership Team decided to take advantage of this great opportunity. Dr. Schulz will join us for lunch on Saturday, and we will be given tickets to acommunitywide, fundraising lecture on the future of human rights, to be heldshortly after we conclude the business of the gathering.

All are welcome to stay for the 10 a.m. Sunday worship service at which BillSchulz will speak once more. Home hospitality will be available for those traveling two hours or more. And there will be free gathering childcare for those who need it.

NEC’s 18 congregations, large and small, range in size from 25 to 300. What programs can we all dosuccessfully? What are limited to large or to small churches? What can we learn from each other?

The Saturday gathering starts with a continental breakfast at 9 a.m., followed by assembly andworkshops, lunch, more conversation about important things, concluding at 3 p.m. Registration is $15in advance, $20 at the door. Plan to be in Vero Beach the last weekend in March.

Make a weekend of it. - If you want to enjoy a lengthier getaway, there are interesting activities goingon in Indian River County that weekend (3/25-27), including “Copenhagen,” a play by Michael Fraynbased around a meeting between two physicists that occurred in Copenhagen in 1941, at the regionalEquity Riverside Theatre; and “Annie,” the musical about the astute little redheaded orphan, at the VeroBeach Theatre Guild, which was dubbed by 12 different publications “the best in community theatre.”

Exhibits at the VB Museum of Art showcase American Masterworks: 150 Years of Painting from theButler Institute of American Art, and Impressions: Selections from the Manoogian Collection. At theMcKee Botanical Garden: “A Season of Seuss: The Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden and Art Exhibit.”

Friday night finds “Dueling Brothers: Fugues and Fireworks” on organ and concert grand piano atCommunity Church; and “Richard Nader’s Rock and Roll & Doo Wop” concert at nearby Sunrise Theatre.

On Saturday, there’s an Antique Auto Club Show in Riverside Park, although it closes at 4 and you’dhave to hurry; “American Patriotic Sketches - 16th Annual Red White & Blue Concert” at the Vero BeachHigh School Performing Arts Center; a Star Party with the Indian River County Astronomical Societyat Sebastian Inlet State Park; and Joan Rivers at Sunrise. Any of this tempting?

Guest at Your Table boxes - will be collected this month throughout the District andcluster. We know money is tight and getting tighter but this effort is the sole supportby UUs of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, our only joint internationalas well as stateside effort to help the poor and downtrodden.

You become a member of UUSC with a donation of $40 per adult ($75 for a dualadult membership), $10 for youth, and $20 for seniors 65+. Contributions from anindividual or family of $100 or more are matched by the UU Congregation at ShelterRock. Any gift, however large or small, will be appreciated.

Page 6 of 14

Florida District UU Choral Festival Coming Soon! - The fifth annual Florida District UU ChoralFestival will be here before you know it! The date is the last weekend of February 2011: February26-27 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville. Our theme this year is African-American

Spirituals: Speaking Through the Centuries. Ifsingers from your congregation are planning toattend, we hope you have ordered the festivalrepertoire and are learning or have plans tolearn the music well in advance of the festival. See the attachment to this newsletter forcomplete information about repertoire,registration, accommodations, the Saturdayvariety show, and the Sunday service.

In particular, note the following deadlines whichare fast approaching:

January 15 Deadline to indicate interest in directing or accompanying one of thefestival anthems

January 15 Deadline to indicate interest in performing a solo or small ensemble in theservice

January 15 Deadline to indicate interest inspeaking in the service on the theme

For any of the above, contact Ruth Lewis, UUFG Minister of Music, at music@uuf.org.

February 11 Deadline to request home hospitalityFebruary 18 Deadline for festival registration

For questions about registration, contact Norma Zabel, at nzabel@cox.net.

The folks in Gainesville are looking forward to having you join us for the Choral Festival! - Ruth Lewis

Reminder from the committed choral camping crewA couple of Breezes ago, there was an article aboutcamping enthusiasts who plan to combine theGainesville District Choral Festival with a campout, andinviting other enthusiasts to join them. The invitation isherewith repeated.

Reservations have already been made by a UUCS(camping singers) contingent at Paynes Prairie PreserveState Park near Gainesville. Organizer/camper/sopranoGail Parmentier states that there are many opportunitiesfor fun, entertainment, dining, etc., in and aroundGainesville. “So far,” she writes, “we have reservedsites 7, 8, 9, 35 and 37 for arrival on Wednesday,February 23, through departure on Monday, February28. Come join us! You can make online reservations bycalling 800-326-3521, or by contacting the park atwww.floridastateparks.org/paynesprairie/default.cfm.” Ifyou have any questions or concerns, contact Gale atforce8gale@comcast.net or 772-489-6176. Interested? Make reservations now.

The Choir Festival singers in Vero Beach last year under thedirection of Jamie Sterritt, with Ruth Lewis at the piano

Thanksgiving dinner under a canopy of canvas and trees – what could be moredelightful? Naturally there was turkey, dressing, sweetpotatoes, cranberries, etc.

Page 7 of 14

Here are the missing photos of the recent ValdostaUU creation of its new labyrinth. - In November, Rev.Fred Howard, minister of the UU Church of Valdosta,worked with church members and others to have a newBaltic-patterned labyrinth ready for its hosting of theValdosta Area Ministerial Association's CommunityThanksgiving Service.

Valdosta Breeze correspondent Betty Derrick wrote inDecember that they “are looking forward to naturesettling again around the site, leaves covering the sandfoundation, and a return to the wooded setting.”

An exciting undertaking for our Georgia congregation!

Left above is the entrance way into the labyrinth from the meditation trail in the woods behind the church. In the center, Jimguides Valerie Webster’s paver placement. Valerie and her husband, Bill, share the Vice President position on the Valdostaboard of directors. The photo at right shows the back side of the sanctuary looking across the labyrinth

Rev. Kenn Hurto Leads Day-Long Session on Building Community in Marion County - OnDecember 12, Rev. Kenn Hurto, district executive for the Florida UU District, made a series ofpresentations on the topic of building a healthy community. At the forum, the service and an afternoonworkshop, Rev. Hurto discussed ways to build or break communities, as well as convenants forcongregation members to make promises to each other.

Kenn’s definition of a liberal: The ability to have a passionate and respectful conversation with anotherwhose perspective you find mistaken, appreciating their view while holding your own. The workshop exploredquestions related to being an intellectually, morally and theologically diverse religious community.

Forty-year founding Valdosta member, architect Jim Ingram, designed the 12-year-old church as well as the labyrinth. Here he guides the east labyrinth radius.

The labyrinth emerges from its center.

Page 8 of 14

How do we become teachers and role models of caring relationships?How do we disagree without becoming disagreeable? In a post-modern age where all values seem relative to context, how do we

find a common moral ground?In a religious community, how do we hold each other accountable for the

welfare of each and all? What should we do when one or some behave in ways that are hurtful to

the whole? For instance, what should we do if someone comes into the church

carrying a gun?What is Unitarian Universalist etiquette? Can we count on each other in any particular way?

UUFMC Rummage Sale Raises $1,000: - On another note, a four-day rummage sale with itemsdonated by members and friends raised more than $1,000 to support the fellowship. All unsold itemswere donated to the Shepherd’s Lighthouse that serves homeless children and their mothers in MarionCounty. - Dick Chady

Compassion in action at the Unitarian Universalist Society of the Daytona Beach Area - Recentlyone of our members, Allen Gilbert, was watching television and heard that the weather was going tobe bitterly cold. This meant that homeless people would be greatly affected. When our Alliance met,Allen suggested that we gather sweaters and warm coats to donate. Everyone agreed immediately andso we made a request of our congregation for help.

The sweaters, coats, and warm scarves began to arrive. They were taken to the StarFamily Center near the building where the homeless are fed. The staff was mostappreciative, letting us know they were particularly in need of blankets. Since thenwe collected boxes and laundry baskets full of warm blankets, comforters andadditional cold weather clothes.

One of our members made the next delivery and when he arrived with the baskets,there were people lined up outside the office waiting for it to open. They weregrateful and started taking the coats and blankets immediately. Many of them weredressed in clothing usually suited for Florida weather but not for the unusually coldwinter we are experiencing.

This was a very easy way to help everyone. Many in our congregation are growing older and may notbe physically able to go to the shelter to feed the homeless or to be engaged in activities that requirea lot of stamina. This gave them the opportunity to act and they were very happy to be able to go totheir closets and bring a bag to the Sanctuary on Sunday mornings.

Jane Addams (1860-1935) said, “Private beneficence is totally inadequate to deal with the vastnumbers of the city’s disinherited.” Ours is not what you would call a wealthy congregation; however,we are rich in heart and generosity, and, thanks to Allen Gilbert, we were able to have the experienceexpressed so beautifully by Voltaire who said, “This is the happiest of mortals, for he is aboveeverything he possesses.” - Bonnie Bostrom

“Nothing will come of nothing. Dare mighty things.” - Shakespeare

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” - Lewis Carroll

Rev. Kenn Hurto

Created by JeremyEbler, UU Society ofSacramento, CA

Page 9 of 14

We are family. - (As we begin this new year, we think about ourselves, our responsibilities and betterways of acting and planning. New Year’s resolutions? We also anticipate joys, renew and treasureconnections. It is good to remind ourselves of dazzling concepts like the following from Bill Bryson, inA Short History of Nearly Everything.)

If your two parents hadn’t bonded just when they did – possibly to the second, possibly to thenanosecond – you wouldn’t be here. And if their parents hadn’t bonded in a precisely timely manner,you wouldn’t be here either. And if their parents hadn’t done likewise, and their parents before them,and so on, obviously and indefinitely, you wouldn’t be here.

Push backwards through time and these ancestral debts begin to add up. Go back just eightgenerations to about the time that Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln were born, and already thereare over 250 people on whose timely couplings your existence depends.... At twenty generations ago,the number of people procreating on your behalf has risen to 1,048,576.... By thirty generations ago,your total number of forebears – remember, these aren’t cousins and aunts and other incidentalrelatives, but only parents and parents of parents in a line leading ineluctably (inevitably) to you – isover one billion (1,073,741,824, to be precise)....

Clearly something has gone wrong with our math here. The answer, it may interest you to learn, is thatyour line is not pure. You couldn’t be here without a little incest – actually quite a lot of incest – albeitat a genetically discreet remove. With so many millions of ancestors in your background, there willhave been many occasions when a relative from your mother’s side of the family procreated with somedistant cousin from your father’s side of the ledger.... Indeed, if you look around you on a bus or in apark or café or any crowded place, most of the people you see are very probably relatives.... Compareyour genes with any other human being’s and on average they will be about 99.9 percent the same. We are...uncannily alike.... In the most literal and fundamental sense we are all family.

It cannot be said too often: all life is one. That is, and I suspect will forever prove to be, the mostprofound true statement there is.

“This will be our response to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” - Leonard Bernstein

“The future is called ‘perhaps,’ which is the only possible thing to call the future. And the only importantthing is not to allow that to scare you.” - Tennessee Williams

One of the UU national highlights of 2010 – 1500 UUs from all over the country gathered in Loring Park in Minneapolis atGeneral Assembly last June. Some of us were there from the cluster. Do the words below really mean that everyone inthe above photo is related? Are we truly all brothers and sisters? Family? What does that mean to us?

Page 10 of 14

The Florida District UUA (FLD) Awards Committee - requests your nominations to honor memberswho have made significant contributions to their congregations and communities. All nominations mustinclude a submission form with a brief statement and supporting documents. This year, all nominationmaterials should be submitted electronically (by e-mail attachment in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDFformat only) to FloridaDistrictUUA@cfl.rr.com. The deadline is 3/1/2011.

Award categories are: Unsung Unitarian Universalist Award – given to a Unitarian Universalistwhose actions inspire, support and express Unitarian Universalism but who isnot generally recognizedLifetime Achievement Award – given for long and dedicated service toUnitarian UniversalismClarence R. Skinner Award – given for the best sermon exemplifyingUnitarian Universalist principlesJim Barrett Social Justice Award – given to a member or group in a Floridacongregation for commitment to and leadership in social justice workJohn DeWolf Hurt Levity Award – given to honor a person who remembersthe value of humor in congregational lifeExcellence in Religious Education – given in recognition of outstanding workin the field of religious educationExcellence in Music – given in recognition of outstanding work in congregational music programsCommunications Awards – to recognize outstanding media:

Newsletters – awarded to a small (20-75 members), medium (76-175) and large (176+)congregation annually (please attach three different monthly newsletters or a link to your posted easily accessed website newsletter)Website – (please include website address)

Women and Religion and YRUU Awards – contact these groups’ leaders directly.

“Congratulations to our Arts License Plate GrantRecipients!” - So went the Cultural Council of IndianRiver County as it recently distributed grant money fromthe Florida “State of the Arts” license plate funds.

In the photo, Cultural Council chair Susan Grandpierre(right) presents the grant for the Gifford Youth Orchestrato Crystal Bujol (left), project administrator and founder ofthe group. Both just happen to be members of the UUFellowship of Vero Beach.

The $2,500 award will be used by GYO for the “StageRight Strings” project, offering opportunities for youngpeople to learn the cello and viola.

“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.” - Zelda Fitzgerald

“Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.” - Winston Churchill

Page 11 of 14

A recent email to members of the University Unitarian Universalist Society in Orlando - read:“More cold weather is on the way in central Florida!

“We are helping The Homeless Outreach Group at Northland collect sweatshirts, sweaters, socks,women's underwear, gloves, scarves, blankets, pillows, tents and warm children's clothing. Theclothing DOES NOT need to be new (except for the underwear). The items that have already beencollected were delivered and distributed the same day! Thank you for anything you can contribute. Abox will be set out near the front doors on Sunday.” (Editor’s note: Many cluster congregations arecontinuing beyond Thanksgiving and Christmas to help those in need nearby. We honor them.)

Coordinator’s CommentsI believe you will agree with me when I write that these are troubling

times. A good time to remind ourselves and each other that UnitarianUniversalism has much to offer.

In a world with so much hatred and violence, We need a religion that proclaims the inherent worth and dignity ofevery person.

In a world with so much brutality and fear, We need a religion that seeks justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.

In a world with so many persons abused and neglected, We need a religion that calls us to accept one another and encourage one another to spiritual growth.

In a world with so much dogmatism, We need a religion that challenges us to a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

In a world with so much tyranny and oppression, We need a religion that affirms the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process.

In a world with so much inequality and strife, We need a religion that strives toward the goal of world community with peace, liberty,and justice for all.

In a world with so much environmental degradation,We need a religion that advocates respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

In a world with so much uncertainty and despair,We need a religion that teaches our hearts to hope, and our heads to serve.

Rev. Scott Alexander, Minister UU Fellowship of Vero Beach

May each of us put Rev. Alexander’s words into action.

As we welcome another new year I wish you good health, the love of family, the experience offriendship and the will to make the world a better place in whatever way that nurtures your spirit.

Allie

Page 12 of 14

2010-2011 UU Calendar for Quick Cluster Check(All Florida UUs are welcome to attend any Cluster, District or UUA meeting.)

January15 SE Cluster Annual Meeting - 10 a.m. - UU Church of Fort Lauderdale16 University UU Society New Building Dedication, Orlando-University17 Installation of Reverend Ronald Hersom, Jacksonville-Arlington

February4-6 NEC Women and Religion Retreat - Canterbury Conference Center - Oviedo18 Installation of Reverend Scott Alexander, Vero Beach20 Installation of Reverend Pam Allen-Thompson, Port Charlotte26-27 Fifth Annual District Choral Festival - UU Fellowship of Gainesville

March1 FLD Awards Nomination Deadline26 Spring Gathering, Northeast Cluster – UU Fellowship of Vero Beach

April8-10 Florida District Assembly - First Unitarian Church - Orlando

June22-26 50th Annual General Assembly - Charlotte, North Carolina

Northeast Cluster, Florida District, Unitarian Universalist AssociationAllie Gore, coordinator - indigo8062@earthlink.net - 352-547-9670

Rev. Richard "Bud" Murphy, ministerial consultant - revbudmurphy@earthlink.net - 386-846-1840

Leadership TeamJohn and Martha Hartgering, Orlando - Jehart9@yahoo.com (John),

posturenurse@yahoo.com (Martha) - 352-242-2437Jack Kulas, Gainesville - Jack_kulas@hotmail.com - 352-264-7771

Linda Newman, West Volusia - apassionatecook@cfl.rr.com - 386-734-1117Brian Paradise, Jacksonville - bgparadise@comcast.net - 904-225-8133

Lola Sorenson, St. Augustine - lola7cs@yahoo.com - 904-794-0961

WebsiteJack Kulas, webmaster - necluster.uufg.org - 352-264-7771

NewsletterJoyce Levi, co-editor, “Northeast Breeze” - J-levi@earthlink.net - 772-562-9476

Larry Rayner, co-editor, “Northeast Breeze” - reindeer6@cfl.rr.com - 321-622-5927

Florida District, Unitarian Universalist AssociationFlorida District Office, Jessica Curren - FloridaDistrictUUA@cfl.rr.com - 407-894-2119

The Rev. Kenneth G. Hurto, District Executive - khurto@uua.org - 321-422-4625The Rev. Dr. Randolph W. B. Becker, Lifespan Program Consultant -

rbecker@uua.org - 305-407-7956Joan Lund, UUA Trustee - Jlund@uua.org - 813-931-9727

Website - www.floridadistrict.org

And one more page...Page 13 of 14

“Keep close to Nature's heart...

and break clear away, once in awhile,

and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods.

Wash your spirit clean.”

- John Muir

What a beautiful world we live in! This is a National Geographic photo of Thailand, one of more than 3,000 photos that can be downloaded free for use as desktop backgrounds (photography.nationalgeographic,com/photography/wallpapers).

Page 14 of 14