Community Events
The following UUFG-sponsored events are open to the general public. We hope to see you at one or all of these events. Contact information is included or call the UUFG office (352) 377-1669 for more information.
Also listed are local community events which this Fellowship is participating in.
Two Workshops for Youth and Adults offered by Al Rapaport
Workshop One: Breathwork, Friday, 9/26/08, 7:30 - 9:30 PM (meditation 7:00-7:30 optional)
Experience the power of the breath in this facilitated workshop. On a physical level, Breathwork helps us breathe in a deeper and more relaxed manner. On a psychological level, it helps us resolve old trauma and develop clarity. On a spiritual level it fosters awareness of the movement of energy through the human nervous system, resulting in deep sensory integration.
Sliding scale fee $15-$25. Bring a thick blanket to lie on. If you have sensitive bones, bring foam or two blankets. If you are unable to attend because of cost, please contact me.
Workshop Two: Universal Mind, Saturday, 9/27/08, 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
This lively process will teach you how to initiate a dialogue between your Ego Mind (or Controlling Ego), and Open Mind (or Buddha Mind or Universal Consciousness). This is a deep and yet active and fun workshop which can stimulate potentially life-changing realizations. Through understanding how the Ego functions, we can free ourselves from bondage to our past, and live a joyful and energetic life. By experiencing Big Mind, we can see how we are connected to all things and to the timeless moment.
Fee: sliding scale $50-$75. For lunch break you will have time to dine at one of the nearby restaurants. If you are unable to attend because of cost, please contact me.
Facilitator Al Rapaport is a Zen Master with over 40 years experience in meditation practice and teaching. His motto is "No mumbo jumbo." He is Director of Open Mind Zen Center in Melbourne. www.openmindzen.com
"The Quiet Courage Concert and Variety Extravaganza"
August 23rd — 7:30 PM
UUFG's Anti-Racism Task Force presents The Quiet Courage Concert and Variety Celebration, a fundraiser for the Downtown Gainesville Rosa Parks Memorial to be dedicated November 30, 2008.
"Healthy Children — Healthy Planet" Discussion Course
8 Saturdays, July 12 through August 30th — 1:00–2:30 PM
Where: The Common Room for the adults. The Playground for the Children (supervision will be worked out)
Cost: $20 for the discussion course manual
Sponsorship: UUF's Earth Ministry, now called "Earthkeepers" and Sustainable Alachua County
The course will allow participants an opportunity to discover ways to create meaningful family times and healthful environments for children. Identifying cultural pressures and finding antidotes to strengthen our relationships with children are key themes. The course is not just for parents but for anyone who is involved in the life of a child. The readings and discussions will cover the kinds of pressures that are on parents today: pressures to conform and over-consume, the effects of pervasive advertising on children, how to live more simply and create meaningful family rituals and celebrations, activities, and how to reconnect with nature.
This course is about how we adults might help children navigate their way through our very mobile, consumer culture. Parental and adult influence has waned as commercial and cultural pressures have intensified in a child's life. A network of extended family, neighbors, and church members is often not present to reinforce parental values. If a child's worldview is being shaped by commercal messages, if electronic devices are replacing personal relationships with people and nature, if the pace of life is so fast and so goal-oriented that a child doesn''t have time to be a child, how might we, as adults, respond?
How might we adults expand our sphere of influence and thereby reduce or modulate the influence of the broader culture? How might we create meaningful family times, provide a healthy environment, and explore nature with children?
Participants will meet weekly for an hour to an hour and a half to discuss readings from Northwest Earth Institute's "Healthy Children, Healthy Planet" study guide. The guide, roughly 100 pages in length, contains a diverse collection of short essays, articles, and book excerpts organized around weekly themes to create lively discussion. The circle will be held for eight (8) Saturdays in a row at 1:00 pm at the Gainesville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 4225 NW 34th St, beginning with a kick-off meeting on Saturday, July 12th. A fee of $20 per family is required to cover the cost of materials.
For more information, please visit the Sustainable Alachua County web site at http://sustainac.org/. Call or e-mail me if you are interested: Dottie Burnham, 352-372-3523
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