Upcoming Services in Sarasota
This Sunday, July 22:
Service at 10:30 am
The art of the story teller is to invite the listener into a shared experience, to make them feel something. A good story can offer new perspectives on everyday experiences or it can open up visions of how we might recreate the world.
Now completing his fourth year serving the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Naples, the Reverend Tony Fisher was ordained into the Unitarian Universalist ministry in 2014 after a successful 35-year career in educational publishing. Though his decision to actively pursue parish ministry came later in life, Tony has imagined doing this work since he was sixteen when inspired by the minister of his home church in Lexington, Massachusetts. He holds Masters of Divinity and a certificate in pastoral counseling from Andover Newton Theological School. Tony also serves as a Program Leader for the Unitarian Universalist College of Social Justice, an organization whose mission is to help Unitarian Universalists deepen and sustain the work of social justice within their congregations and communities. Tony and his wife Ann, also an active Unitarian Universalist, are both trained facilitators for Our Whole Lives (OWL), the comprehensive sexuality education program developed jointly by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ. They are the parents of two wonderful young men, Adam and Nate. |
Rev. Tony Fisher
Music
Jan Dorsett, piano
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Religious Education for Children and Youth at 10:30 am
Nursery: Loving care for infants and toddlers is available during the 10:00 am service.
Pre-K - 6th Grade: Childcare and Religious Education classes are offered for children through those entering 6th grade in the fall.
Religious Education programs for children and youth... Check out our RE Calendar for our scheduled programs.
Pre-K - 6th Grade: Childcare and Religious Education classes are offered for children through those entering 6th grade in the fall.
Religious Education programs for children and youth... Check out our RE Calendar for our scheduled programs.
Forum at 9:30 am
The 2018 Elections Are Almost Here,
with the First One on August 28
Let’s talk about the issues! After an overview of the 2018 election schedule and a summary of the big issues the candidates are talking about – and a few they aren’t -- we’ll hear from you about what you think is important. Come and join the discussion. Presenter: Don Diddams. Moderator: Linda Jones
with the First One on August 28
Let’s talk about the issues! After an overview of the 2018 election schedule and a summary of the big issues the candidates are talking about – and a few they aren’t -- we’ll hear from you about what you think is important. Come and join the discussion. Presenter: Don Diddams. Moderator: Linda Jones
Coffee and Conversations at 11:30 am
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.
Subsequent Sundays:
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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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July 29
Everyone is either in a storm, about to be in a storm or coming out of a storm. Sometimes hopelessness sets in when the skies are dark and grey, when our world and our lives are not full of sunshine and rainbows. It can be frightening and gut wrenching to witness lightning strike and destroy. When things are falling apart, how do we survive the storm? Is it possible to harness the power of the storm and use it for good? |
Rev. Katie Culbert
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Forum July 29 at 9:30 am:
"A View of the Bay"
Planning is underway to redesign the entire area around the Van Wezel, its parking lot, the bayfront, the boat launch, and all the property out to US 41. A representative of the Sarasota Bayfront Planning Organization will present the current vision for this massive redevelopment of one of the biggest publicly-owned properties on the bayfront. Come and provide your input on their plans.
Presenter: Sue Stewart, SBPO; Moderator, Marie Keeney.
"A View of the Bay"
Planning is underway to redesign the entire area around the Van Wezel, its parking lot, the bayfront, the boat launch, and all the property out to US 41. A representative of the Sarasota Bayfront Planning Organization will present the current vision for this massive redevelopment of one of the biggest publicly-owned properties on the bayfront. Come and provide your input on their plans.
Presenter: Sue Stewart, SBPO; Moderator, Marie Keeney.
August 5 Sermon by Rev. Brock Leach
September 30:
Restore Voting Rights Sermon by Desmond Meade Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen (previously incarcerated) who overcame many obstacles to eventually become the current Executive Director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), Chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, Chair of the Florida Coalition on Black Civic Participation’s Black Men’s Roundtable, and a graduate of Florida International University College of Law. As President of the FRRC, which is recognized for its work on felon disfranchisement issues, Desmond has orchestrated the reorganization and incorporation of a coalition comprised of over 70 state and national organizations and individuals which includes, but not limited to the NAACP, ACLU, PICO, Florida League of Women Voters, A. Philip Randolph Institute, PICO Florida, and Florida Immigration Coalition. Desmond has also received many accolades, celebrating his hard work and dedication to leadership and commitment to social justice. He is presently leading efforts to restore civil rights to over 1.68 million Floridians, empower and civically re-engage local communities, and to reshape local, state, and national policies. As Chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, Desmond is currently guiding a citizen’s initiative to restore the ability to vote to over 1.68 million returning citizens in Florida. A sought-after speaker, Desmond has made numerous appearances on radio and television, and has spoken before national organizations such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bread for the World. Desmond has testified before Congressional members and staffers, and was a part of a delegation to the United Nations where he gave testimony regarding disenfranchisement in Florida. Desmond recently orchestrated an historic meeting at the White House between returning citizens and the President’s administration. He has appeared on numerous shows such as Samantha Bee’s Full Frontal, the Tucker Carlson Show, Al Jazeera, Democracy NOW and MSNBC with Joy Ann Reid. He is a guest columnist for the Huffington Post in which one of his articles about the Trayvon Martin incident garnered national attention. Desmond has been featured in several newspaper and magazine articles, and was chosen as a “GameChanger” by Politic 365, as well as being recognized as a “Foot Soldier” on the Melissa Harris-Perry Show on MSNBC. Desmond is married and has five children. His Twitter contact is @desmondmeade |
Desmond Meade
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October 14:
What Is SURE?
Should We Join?
Sermon by Rev. Roger Fritts
If you would like to make a comment or ask a question during the service, please use the form below.
Sarasota United for Responsibility and Equity states its mission to be "to unite people of faith in Sarasota County so that they can powerfully hold systems accountable in the community to a Godly standard of justice. For over a decade, SURE has been a definitive ministry in Sarasota, crossing lines of faith, denomination, age, race, geography, and income. Members of SURE congregations work hard to build relationships in their congregations and their communities, discuss their concerns for the city and county, research solutions to serious problems they select, present them to the proper officials and work with them to make 'sure' our community is a just one."
We Unitarian Universalists are a mixture of theists, agnostics and atheists, and some may be turned off by the word Godly. On the other hand, “Politics is the art of the possible.” We are a small congregation in Sarasota. One way to exert moral influence in our community is to join this coalition of religious groups.
What is justice? SURE states on their website that it is loving our neighbor, widows and orphans on a scale far beyond individuals or the family. Unlike mercy ministry that treats people in a time of crisis (food, tutoring, shelter), justice calls for transforming of systems (education, criminal justice, etc.) to be fair and just for all.
Why Do Justice? Sure's answers on their website include:
To love our neighbors as ourselves
To be a prophetic voice in Sarasota
To hold powerful systems accountable Read more...
What Is SURE?
Should We Join?
Sermon by Rev. Roger Fritts
If you would like to make a comment or ask a question during the service, please use the form below.
Sarasota United for Responsibility and Equity states its mission to be "to unite people of faith in Sarasota County so that they can powerfully hold systems accountable in the community to a Godly standard of justice. For over a decade, SURE has been a definitive ministry in Sarasota, crossing lines of faith, denomination, age, race, geography, and income. Members of SURE congregations work hard to build relationships in their congregations and their communities, discuss their concerns for the city and county, research solutions to serious problems they select, present them to the proper officials and work with them to make 'sure' our community is a just one."
We Unitarian Universalists are a mixture of theists, agnostics and atheists, and some may be turned off by the word Godly. On the other hand, “Politics is the art of the possible.” We are a small congregation in Sarasota. One way to exert moral influence in our community is to join this coalition of religious groups.
What is justice? SURE states on their website that it is loving our neighbor, widows and orphans on a scale far beyond individuals or the family. Unlike mercy ministry that treats people in a time of crisis (food, tutoring, shelter), justice calls for transforming of systems (education, criminal justice, etc.) to be fair and just for all.
Why Do Justice? Sure's answers on their website include:
To love our neighbors as ourselves
To be a prophetic voice in Sarasota
To hold powerful systems accountable Read more...