Programs and Social Opportunities

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ARTISANS (drop in)

Chair: Nancy Sciore          Phone: 941-922-0243  
Wednesdays, 9:30 to noon - Jefferson Room.

Join this group of talented and creative folks and make decorations for church dinners and events throughout the year, as well as items for sale at the Flea Market and the Holiday Craft Fair. We provide all materials, and the proceeds for sales benefit the church.

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BEGINNING CROCHET (sign up)

Facilitator: Lynda Hill          Phone: 941-586-2828          Email: LyndaBlockHill@gmail.com
Tuesdays 10:30 - noon, in the Teen Room         
Fees: $5 per semester.

Learn the basics of crochet for fun and creativity. Participants will learn the most common stitches and techniques, along with how to read a pattern. We also have some knitters in the group now. Some of us are making winter items for the homeless in Sarasota, and all of us enjoy the conversations each week.

Join us!

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BICYCLING GROUP (email list)

Facilitator: Nancy Saum      Email: nancy.saum@gmail.com    Phone: 703-297-1749
2nd Saturday of the month, 8-10am, locations vary.         No Fee

We choose a place to meet at 8am and then ride (leisurely) through neighborhoods or along dedicated trails. After the ride, those attending decide where we will ride the following month. Our intention is recreation and the pleasure of riding together.

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BOARD GAMES (sign up)

Facilitator: Sue Cohen        Phone: 941-952-3466           Email: suejanet@sbcglobal.net
Fridays approx. twice a month, room & time tbd            $5 for the semester

For those hot afternoon, has some "cool" indoor fun with board games like Scrabble, Trivia, Balderdash, etc. Please bring board games you enjoy.

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CINEMA TALK (email list)

Contact: Angela Carrubba         Phone: 941-706-2050           Email: angelacarr@comcast.net
1st Wednesday of each month from 7-10pm                Lexow Wing

The group meets after viewing a selected film at a local theater.  Join us for a lively and informative discussion.

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FORUM (drop in)

Chair: Fredric Sirasky     Phone: 941-282-3246     Email: forum@uusarasota.org
Meets every Sunday morning 50 minutes prior to church service - Jefferson Room          Donations appreciated.

Presentations (by a church member or invited guest) are limited to 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes for questions or brief comments from attendees. Attendance ranges from 40 to 75 or more. The Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism serve as a guide for the conduct of the discussions and selection of topics that include local, national and international issues, social justice, the arts, and more.

Current Forum topics are listed on the Sunday Services Web page.

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FRENCH CONVERSATION (sign up)

Facilitator:Eva Frank          Phone: 941-925-4643          Email: evita618@verizon.net
Mondays - 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. - Church Library          Donations appreciated

A group of students of the French language interested in improving their fluency in the language meets every Monday evening in the Church Library from 7 to 8:30 pm to speak French with one another. Most of the participants have studied the language for at least 3 or 4 years or have lived in a French speaking country, and are able to understand and speak it to a certain level. We correct and encourage one another to overcome our hesitancy with conversation as well as grammatical exercises and explanations. We not only do serious work, but we also have fun doing it!

The facilitator is Eva Frank, a native professor of French with many years of teaching experience. For more information as well as assessment of your capabilities, please contact Eva prior to a meeting.

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GET TOGETHER DINNERS (Sign up is required)

Facilitators:
Joan Evans, Nancy Reger, and Sara Slate          Phone: 941-487-7086           Email: dsslate@comcast.net
Fourth Saturday of each month - evening Sign-up is required. Wait list available.

Pot-luck dinners in members' homes are a great way to get to meet new friends at the church and/or reacquaint with old friends. The dinners (usually 6 to 12 people) are held in people's homes.

Sign up is done on a quarterly basis and you can sign up to attend one, two or three dinners each quarter. Deadline to sign up is before the end of the previous quarter, and there is usually a table in the courtyard the weeks before a new quarter begins.

1st quarter —Jan, Feb, Mar. 2nd quarter —April, May, June 3rd quarter July, Aug, Sept and the 4th quarter is Oct, Nov and Dec.

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HEALING AND THE ANCIENT WISDOM (sign up)

Facilitator: Brian Berry berrybd@gmail.com 941-704-1272
Mondays, 1/19 - 2/9, 7 - 8:30 PM, Room next to West Wing $5 for series

In ancient times there were very, very different concepts of what healing means, and how it was to be accomplished. Ayurvedic medicine is one example, not meant to replace modern medicine, but to approach disease and aging from a very different point of view. There are many other examples. Some of these methods have been preserved in what is loosely called the Ancient Wisdom. Dreams, meditation, fundamental nutrition, and the body-mind link are all part of this. Come and share some of this with Brian Berry, who was trained by the spiritual teacher Paul Solomon in these methods.

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JEWELRY CREATION AND REPAIR (contact Facilitator for information)

Facilitator: Sue Moreland          Phone: 941-554-83690           Email: moreland45@comcastnet
Wednesdays from 1:00 to 4:00 pm--specific dates to be determined by the participants. Contact Sue for information on dates.

This class will help you design or repair jewelry and will meet as often as the group needs to meet at the facilitator’s home.

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LGBTQ MOVIE NIGHT

Facilitator: Kelly Six           Email: rainbowclub@uusarasota.org     This is a drop in event.
Fourth Friday of the month - 7:30 p.m. - Church Sanctuary          Fees: Donations Appreciated

When was the last time you had a "Family Night" at the movies with your rainbow family? The Rainbow Club is a get together for all LGBTQ people inside and outside of our church community. Join us every 4th Friday for an evening of fun! The movie starts at 7:30 p.m. sharp; the doors open at 7:10 p.m. Each month we will feature a different movie with an L, G, B, T, or Q theme. This event is open to everyone, and we hope you will join us for an evening of fun.

See movie descriptions and schedule on the LGBTQ Activities web page.

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 MEN'S GROUPS (sign up)

Interested in making new acquaintances? If so, join one of our men’s discussion groups. In the past, some men came together for personal sharing, discussing what gives life meaning, offering insights, discussing spiritual growth, engaging in activities that will benefit others.

  • Monday Men's GroupFacilitator: Don Slate               Email: dsslate@comcast.net
    2nd and 4th Mondays, 7-8:30pm          Location: West Wing                 Donation Basket

  • Wednesdays Men's GroupFacilitator: Jack Carden          Email:  j.carden@ieee.org           941-981-5434
    2nd and 4th Wednesdays, 7-8:30pm          Location: Teen Room        Donation Basket

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THE MOVIE WAS GOOD TOO! (sign up)

Facilitator Renee Contratto          Email: rmcontratto@gmail.com
Group limited to 8 people. Fees: $5 per semester
Once a month on Saturday - 7:00pm to 10:00 pm

For this book group, members will read a book that received excellent reviews and was also made into a movie that was a hit with critics and audiences alike. Group members will read the book on their own and meet one evening a month in a member's home to watch the movie together. Discussions about the book and movie will follow. Snacks and/or dessert will be served. A well-researched book/movie list is provided for group members to choose the books and movies. Our first movie/book will be Eat, Pray, Love.

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QIGONG FOR HEALTH AND VITALITY (registration required)

Facilitator: Nancy Saum          Phone: 703-297-1749          Email: nancy.saum@gmail.com
Thursdays - 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the West Wing      8 classes $32
Note: Classes are no longer 'drop-in': register with instructor for all 8 classes in the series; minimum class size is 6 people.

Series Dates:Jan 8-Feb 26; March 19-May 11; June 11-July 30; Oct 22-Dec 17. 
Come and try Qigong (at no cost and without obligation) before each new series begins at any of the free introductory sessions on Mondays at 10-11am: Jan 5, March 16,  June 8, and Oct 19.

Qigong is an empowering self-care practice with origins in Traditional Chinese Medicine sometimes described as “Chinese Yoga” or “Acupuncture without Needles.” (You may be more familiar with Tai-Chi the martial application of Qigong.) We practice Qigong for better health, vitality, longevity. We practice breathing, meditation (moving and still) and self-applied massage.

These powerful mind-body practices are simple and relaxing and accessible to all at any level of fitness and physical ability...they can be done standing or sitting with equal benefit. With practice you will notice improvement in managing stress, along with better sleep and mood. Physically you will notice increased flexibility, balance, endurance and improved immune function.

No prior experience required. Please call or email the instructor if you have questions.

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RELIGIOUS LITERACY DIALOGUE (drop in)

Enabler: David Ryan           Email: d2mryan@verison.net           941-365-4027 
Wednesdays, 4-6pm           West Wing                                           Donation Basket

The purpose of this program is to increase religious literacy by creating and promoting attendance at religious literacy events. Our major event is sponsoring the annual Westar Institute’s Religious Literacy Seminar in early February featuring nationally known evidence-based scholars. In addition we create and promote seminars throughout the year. Our broad definition of religion is the Life Explanation which people trust for their decisions and actions. In this sense we see everybody as religious. By literacy we mean understanding the meanings behind others’ Life Explanations, the language and symbols we all use to explain what we trust. If you are interested in religious literacy, you may want to add your name to our email list.

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SEE SARASOTA AND MORE (sign up for individual outings)

Kathy Cook     Phone: 941-923-1909     Email: SeeSarsota@uusarsota.org
Lois Lee           Phone: 941-925-3140

"See Sarasota and More" is a social group with monthly adventures from October through April to places of interest in and around Sarasota. Activities include tours, performances, events, arts and culture, science and historical sites. Events are typically on a week day and include a group lunch before or after the event. This is a great way to meet new people and to see old friends.

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SHORT STORY GROUP (drop in)

Facilitator: Joanne Curtis          Phone: 941-929-0578          Email: jlcurtis@comast.net
4th Monday of each month      2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - Church Library          Donations appreciated.

The group is currently discussing stories from two anthologies, American Short Story Masterpieces and The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories. We purchase our own books and read the selected stories on our own prior to meeting. If you enjoy short stories and sharing your thoughts about them with other readers, we hope you'll join us.

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SPANISH 101 (sign up)

Facilitator: Lisa Stuart SpanishStuart@yahoo.com 941-331-4324
Wednesdays, 1/28 – 3/4, 10:30am – 12noon, Library $5 for semester

Come learn and have fun….This class is for beginners and is taught by Lisa Stuart who taught Spanish in the schools for many years. Students are encouraged to buy a good Spanish Dictionary

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VEGETARIAN/VEGAN LUNCH GROUP (email list)

Facilitator: DeeAnna Dowdle DA@DeeAnnaDowdle.com 941-350-3571
3rd Tuesdays, 12 noon, location varies Buy your own lunch

Join us for a vegetarian lunch at a great restaurant once a month. You do not need to be a Vegetarian or Vegan to join us, just eat like one when you join us!

Your health and the sustainability of our world are two great benefits, but people really join us because we are so much fun. Come once, or come every month. Email or call for information.

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WALKING GROUP (email list)

Facilitator: Dee Ann Dowdle Homes@DeeAnnaDowdle.com 941-350-3571

We will have an initial meeting and walk and together and then we will decide where and when to meet and how often.

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WATERCOLOR PAINTING CLASS (sign up)

Facilitator: Stephanie Bode                        Email: sbode200@yahoo.com                      Phone: 504-453-8502
Tuesdays - 2/3 thru 3/31 - 6:30-8pm         West Wing                                                        $5 for series

If you have always wanted to paint with watercolors, then this will be a great experience for you. Stephanie will teach and guide you. Sign up and you will be contacted about the date and time of the class.

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WRITING YOUR LIFE STORY II (sign up)

Facilitator: John Yoder & Kathy Brackett                                        941-554-4783 
Tuesdays - four meetings per month - 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. - Jefferson Room

In this class you will enhance your writing skills, learn to document life occurrences, and learn from one another. Each week members write a 1-2 page story on a given topic about their life. 
Note: No meetings on the 5th Monday of the month.

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YOGA (sign up)

Facilitator: Dana McMaster           danarmcmaster@gmail.com           727-535-6499 
Mondays, 2/2 thru 3/30                  4-5pm, Jefferson Room                    $5 for semester

In this Hatha Yoga class we combine sitting, standing and balancing postures with breath and body awareness. This class strengthens, stretches and balances body mind and spirit cultivating a sense of peace and wellbeing.

Please bring a yoga mat and water to class.

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ZEN STUDY AND PRACTICE

Don DeMaio           Phone: 941-371-8118           Email: dondemaio@gmail.com
Paul Lewis             Phone: 941-379-9854           Email: janeandpaul1@comcast.net
Sundays - 7:00 p.m. to 8:39 p.m. - Jefferson Room          Ongoing, every Sunday night
Fees: $5 per semester

One of the most ancient of meditation forms is zazen or Zen meditation. Every Sunday night at 7 pm we join together to study the discoveries of the great Zen Masters before we transition into zazem for roughly 25 minutes. We finish the evening with a chant of the famous heart sutra that is used in virtually every Zen monastery in the world.

We follow the masters; Thich Nhat Hanh, Dogen, Shunryu Suzuki as they philosophize about the nature of reality and attempt to answer the great questions of life and death. Everyone is welcome to join us, even on an irregular basis. Come join us—rest and search for the inner peace that keeps us all in balance.

More information can be found on the church's Zen page.

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