Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road, Sarasota FL 34232, Tel. 941-371-4974
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Upcoming Services in Sarasota
(Past sermons are in our archive.)

This Sunday, December 15:

Services at 10:00 and 11:30 am 

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The Holiday Letter
Sermon by Roger Fritts

Do you send out Christmas cards to friends and relatives? Do you send a mass December letter by mail or by e-mail? Or do you send a message on social media?  The sermon will look at holiday messages and our efforts to stay connected.

  Music at 10 am

  Music at 11:30 am

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choir
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Don Bryn, piano
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Mindy Simmons, guitar and vocals
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Ed Kinder, keyboard

Religious Education for Children from 10:00 am to 11:00, for Youth from 10:00 am to 11:30.

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Nursery Care: Loving care provided by our nursery staff and volunteers for those 4 years and younger. 

 ​PreK-1st Grade: The children will hear the story of Little Red Ruthie, a Hanukkah Tale by Gloria Koster, eat a Hanukkah meal and play the dreidel.  

2nd-5th Grade: The children will hear the story of the light that would not go out, make a menorah, play with dreidels and eat latkes.  

Youth Group
: Breaking Away:   The youth will be learning about  how Protestant denominations broke away from the Orthodox churches and how they developed different cultures and rituals including information on African American churches  We will have guest speakers to answer questions and help in the fun "Go Fish" game Protestant style.  

​​Read more about our Religious Education programs for children and youth... 

Forum at 10:15 am

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Discovering the Truth about Slavery
In 2016, the United States was home to more than 35,000 museums that memorialized our nation’s culture and history.  Only a few museums focused on the history of slavery.  However, the past five years have seen the emergence of new major museums with compelling narratives on the slave experience and the enormous economic impact slave labor had on the emergence of the American economy.  In this presentation, Dr. Dale Anderson will survey these new museums with special focus on the Whitney Plantation Slavery site outside of New Orleans.  This presentation is part of the developing UUCS Racial Justice Reading Program. Moderator, Marie Keeney                                  Photo courtesy whitneyplantation.com

Coffee and Conversations after both services at 11:00 am and 12:30 pm

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Enjoy coffee, juice and other refreshments as you converse with old friends and make new ones. Join a welcoming and loving community as you bask in the sunshine and relax in our lovely garden setting.

Zen Study Group at 7 pm

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A group focusing on "The Study and Practice of Zen" meets every Sunday evening at 7 pm in the Reeb Room. Each session is organized into two components:
1)    The study of Zen. Explore a Zen topic for roughly 30 minutes. During this time we either (a) hear part of a recorded lecture, (b) view a short video on Zen Buddhism, or (c) listen to an excerpt from a tract written by a classic Zen master as read by one of the leaders or a class member.
2)    The practice of Zen.  Meditate for roughly 20 minutes, then we finish by chanting the centuries-old Heart Sutra. All are welcome, beginners as well as experienced Zen practitioners.
Read more...

Subsequent Sundays:
(scroll down for more details)

December 15:
​10:00 am: Sermon by Roger Fritts
​10:00 am: Programs for Children and Youth
10:15  am: Forum

11:00  am: Coffee and Conversations
​11:30  am: Sermon by Roger Fritts

12:30  pm: Coffee and Conversations
 7:00  pm: Zen Study Group

December 22:

​10:00 am: Sermon by Roger Fritts
​10:00 am: Programs for Children and Youth
10:15  am: Forum

11:00  am: Coffee and Conversations
​11:30  am: Sermon by Roger Fritts

12:30  pm: Coffee and Conversations
 7:00  pm: Zen Study Group

December 24 (Christmas Eve) Candlelight Services:

​  5:30 pm: Children's Service
  ​7:00 pm: Adult Service


December 29 (One service only)
​10:30 am: Intergenerational Kwaanza Service
Children and Youth participate in the service
11:30  am: Coffee and Conversations
 7:00  pm: Zen Study Group

January 5:
​10:00 am: Sermon by Beth Miller
​10:00 am: Programs for Children and Youth
10:15  am: Forum
11:00  am: Coffee and Conversations
​11:30  am: Sermon by Beth Miller
12:30  pm: Coffee and Conversations
 7:00  pm: Zen Study Group

January 12:
​10:00 am: Sermon by Roger Fritts
​10:00 am: Programs for Children and Youth
10:15  am: Forum
11:00  am: Coffee and Conversations
​11:30  am: Sermon by Roger Fritts
12:30  pm: Potluck
 7:00  pm: Zen Study Group
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Roger Fritts speaks at a recent Sunday service at our Sarasota church.
Where is the church? See map below. Click here for directions and picture...

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December 22, 10:00 am and 11:30 am: 
My Favorite Christmas Children's Stories
Sermon by Roger Fritts

                                                                                                            Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Children_reading_The_Grinch.jpg


PictureFred Sirasky
Forum December 22, 10:15 am:
Annual Holiday Party

We will have our annual holiday party with beverages and treats. Please come for some bubbly and join in the singing with Fred Sirasky on the ukulele.  You’re encouraged to bring goodies and good spirit; we supply the spirits.

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December 24, 5:30 and 7 pm:
Christmas Eve Candlelight Services
 

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December 29, 10:30 am (one service only, note change in time for this Sunday only):
Kwanzaa

Join us as Dr. Queen Meccasia Zabriskie leads us in a joyous celebration of Kwanzaa, a pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 and celebrated from December 26--January 1, with five sets of values central to the week: ingathering, reverence, commemoration, recommitment, and celebration. This interactive, intergenerational event will highlight the seven principles of Kwanzaa: unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective work and responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba), and faith (imani). ​Bring your friends and be prepared to join in the fun.

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Dr. Queen Meccasia Zabriskie is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at New College of Florida, and her primary teaching and research interests include race, class, and gender; sociology of dance; performance theory and practice; black feminist thought; qualitative methodology; and culture, performance and politics in the African/Black Diaspora. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Northwestern University. Zabriskie began studying West African dance as a child in the Bronx, New York. She studied West African and Afro-Caribbean dance at Duke University and has traveled to Guinea and Senegal, West Africa, for intensive dance study. Zabriskie is co-author of Black Theater is Black Life: An Oral History of Chicago Theater and Dance, 1970-2010, which traces the development of black theater and dance communities in Chicago. She is currently working on a book manuscript about West African dance in Chicago titled Embodying Traditions: Black Performance and the Long Struggle for Cultural Equity in Urban America. A scholar, choreographer, dancer, performer, and organizer, Zabriskie has presented her artistry and scholarship in numerous cities around the U.S. and internationally.

No Forum December 29:
December 29 Forum is cancelled because of the holiday and conflict with the single service at 10:30

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January 5, 10:00 am and 11:30 am: 
Oh Lord, It's Hard
to be Humble

Sermon by Beth Miller

According to Dante's "The Divine Comedy",  the sins and their respective virtues have an order of greatness.  Number seven, the greatest, are the deadly sin of pride and the saving virtue of humility. The beginning of a new year seems like a good time to consider this.

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January 19, 10 am and 11:30 am:
Common Courage
Sermon by Rev. Mary Katherine Morn,
President and CEO of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

For nearly 80 years, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee has been advancing Unitarian Universalist values by working with justice makers the world over confronting unjust power structures and challenging oppressive policies. From UUSC’s origins in defying the Nazis to the current work of migrant and climate justice, Rev. Morn will share stories of the common courage that is transforming the world; one brave, ordinary act at a time.


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Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, President and CEO of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
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3975 Fruitville Road, Sarasota FL 34232
Tel. 941-371-4974
Office hours are 9 am - 4 pm, Tuesday - Thursday; 10 am - 4 pm Friday
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