Adult Small Groups



Welcome to the Small Group Program

for Fall 2019!

UCG's Small Group Program is an unusually diverse and rich set of offerings that strengthens our community through shared experiences. It continues to thrive only through the thoughtful engagement of both leaders and participants. We hope that you will find within these pages some offerings that fit your interests and schedule this Spring. Registering for a small group signals your firm commitment to attend all sessions, thereby honoring the strong offering of time and energy made by each leader. If you cannot commit to the full duration of a certain group, please refrain from registering and allow someone else to take your place. And if you have ideas for future groups, or are moved to lead one yourself, by all means let the Small Group Committee know! Let’s keep growing this program together.

Spiritual Exploration

Morning Prayer

If you long for a time of quiet reflection, in the company of kindred souls, join us for Friday morning prayer. We gather in the Chapel in silence, followed by a reading from scripture and a resonating poem. We break into small groups to share our thoughts and to pray for one another. Following a short blessing and singing “Alleluia” together, we end promptly at 8:45. The leadership is shared by participants who volunteer. Open to anyone. Walk-ins welcome!

Leader: Sandy Reimer

Dates: Fridays, ongoing

Time: 8:00am – 9:00am

Place: UCG Chapel

Live Oak Sangha

A Sangha is a community that lives and practices in harmony and awareness. We are guided, supported, and encouraged by the Dharma teachings of the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Our practice is the cultivation of mindfulness, out of which arises understanding, joy, compassion, and transformation. As a Sangha, our practice is made up of many elements such as listening to the bell, walking meditation, smiling, embracing our suffering, mindful breathing, sitting meditation, chanting, and singing. If you would like to join us on Wednesday evenings, all that we ask is that you have some familiarity with Thich Nhat Hanh (perhaps have read one of his many books) and be truly interested in mindfulness practice. If you decide to join us, we hope you will come to find and enjoy safe refuge in this humble and noble Sangha.

Leaders: Mark Burlingame, Cindy Bergbower, and Tom Bergbower

Dates: Wednesdays, ongoing

Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Place: UCG Sanctuary

Limit: This is an ongoing group which has been meeting for several years with limited space available for new members. The group leader will contact all those interested in participating.

Swamp Sangha

Swamp Sangha is an independent mindfulness meditation group that meets weekly in the UCG Chapel. Join us for 30 minutes of meditation followed by a short reading and discussion and/or some mindful movement (qi gong, breathing exercises, or gentle "street clothes" yoga.) On the first Friday of each month, instruction and practice tips are the focus of the meeting. The sangha is free and all are welcome.

“I enter a swamp as a sacred place, a sanctum sanctorum… I seemed to have reached a new world, so wild a place…far away from human society. What’s the need of visiting far-off mountains and bogs, if a half-hour’s walk will carry me into such wildness and novelty.” – Henry David Thoreau

Co-Leaders: Nancy Wright, Anne Seraphine, Nancy Lasseter, and Darrell Hartman

Dates: Fridays, ongoing

Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Place: UCG Chapel

Touching Our True Nature: The Practice of Stopping, Calming, and Resting One-Day Meditation Retreat

“Resting is a very important practice. Our physical body needs rest to restore itself, and our consciousness is no different.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

A one-day meditation retreat will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2019 at UCG. During this retreat we will have a chance to join with each other in sitting meditation, walking meditation, a silent meal, mindful movement, deep relaxation, mindful sharing and listening, and other practices that will help us to stop and cultivate healing and insight. There is no cost to attend this retreat although donations will be accepted in the spirit of dana (generosity) and will be used by UCG to support the mission of the church. Once we have confirmed your attendance, you will be contacted and provided additional information regarding the retreat.

Leader: Mark Burlingame

Date: Saturday, November 16

Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm

Place: UCG Reimer Hall

Coffee and Conversation: Zealot by Reza Aslan

Join Andy Bachmann for some coffee and conversation around the book, “Zealot” by Reza Aslan. We’ll gather on Wednesday mornings at 8 am starting on September 25th and will cover 4 chapters per week. Our last gathering will be on Wednesday, October 23rd.

Leader: Andy Bachmann

Dates: Wednesdays, Sept. 25, Oct.2, Oct. 9, Oct. 16, Oct. 23

Time: 8:00am – 9:00am

Place: UCG Kitchen, (Library for October 23rd only)

Personal Growth

Sacred Sound Symphony

In the years I have been playing the bowls, I have come to feel their presence as a beautiful choir. Stress is relieved, and the body/system receives a full internal massage. This is an incredible gift to give yourself, preparing you to be the best you can be for the upcoming events of the week. Come as often as you are able. Thank you for your presence.

Leader: Sapphira (Cindy Bergbower)

Dates: 2nd Sunday of the month, ongoing

Time: 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Place: UCG Sanctuary

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Group

This support group for caregivers and family of those with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia will offer information, resources, opportunities for sharing, and a network of support. This is an ongoing support group, open to the public as well.

Leaders: Tom Summers, Dar Mikula, Leigh Baker and Norma Berger

Dates: 3rd Tuesdays of the month, ongoing

Time: 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Place: UCG Library

Simple Living - Get out of the Hamster Wheel

How complicated is your life?

Our family of four left a six-figure job in Germany five years ago to get out of the Hamster Wheel. A journey around the world started: India, Mid-East, Fiji, USA. We just want to live simple, off grid, grow food, homeschool, live fully, fulfill higher purposes, reconnect with God and nature. Is it normal that we work our ass off, stressed, hating our job, to just get through with the mortgage? Is it normal that we eat food that we don't trust, that we eat food that is toxic for us? Is it normal that our children are exposed to toxic influences and we cannot do more than observe? Are cancer, depression, burn-out, diabetes, gluten-allergies and other modern illnesses normal? What are our options in a toxic world? How can we disentangle and declutter, to live fully and focus on purposeful goals? We have been doing it for five years and want to share proven models for change, methodologies that make you uncover the hidden beliefs, that keep you from thriving towards your dreams, that keep you stuck in stuff and clutter that is not serving you anymore. Join us in Simple Living!

Leader: Bharat Ben Berwing

Date: Sunday, October 13

Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Place: UCG Seminar B

Limit: 12

Holiday Stress-Busters

The Holidays are coming! The Holidays are coming! Many Americans admit to feeling stress when they contemplate the upcoming Season of Joy. What’s it like for you? Any concerns about (fill in your personal blanks) family expectations, anticipated expense, overloaded social calendar, challenging relatives, work demands, travel, etc.? If you answered even a tentative maybe, this workshop may be for you. UCG member and retired Unitarian Universalist minister Maureen Killoran will share tools she developed during her work as a Life Coach to help us identify and focus areas of strength most present in our lives right now. Warning: this workshop may lead to personal change.

Leader: Maureen Killoran

Date: Wednesday, November 6

Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Place: West Wing

Limit: 12

Ortho-Bionomy & Visceral Restrictions

I have been practicing Ortho-Bionomy for over 20 years and have developed gentle techniques for interacting with visceral adhesions and patterns that cause pain. I would like to share a lecture and demonstration of these techniques for addressing a range of processes from reducing stress by softening specific glands to releasing adhesions between organs to expanding joints and breaking up scarring.

Leader: Kalpesh R Patel

Date: Sunday, October 6

Times: 12:30pm

Location: UCG Seminar B

Preparing a Child to Succeed in Learning to Read

Every year, bright, articulate children who have been read to in their pre-school years, begin Kindergarten or first grade and, to everyone’s surprise, encounter difficulty in learning to read. As wonderful as reading aloud is, it isn’t always sufficient. The purpose of these small group meetings is to provide practical ways to develop the concepts and skills that children need for a successful launch into beginning reading and writing. As we learn and practice effective ways to promote a child’s emerging literacy, we will clarify exactly what knowledge and skills we’re helping to develop and why. Participants are encouraged to bring a book, or books, that they’re reading aloud to a child and time will be devoted in each meeting to examining and discussing the books. The meetings are designed for parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, or other caring adults in a child’s life. The focus will be on preventing the development of a problem.

If a child has already completed kindergarten or first grade and is struggling, some, if not all of content covered, may be helpful. However, if a youngster is beyond the primary grades, these meetings will not be adequate preparation for the provision of remedial instruction of the type that such children usually require.

Leader: Nora Lee Hoover, Ed.D. (Nora is the developer of Reading Rescue®, a first-grade literacy intervention under wide adoption in New York City schools. On the first page of the . site, there’s paragraph describing what Reading Rescue is and, further down on the page, information about Nora.)

Dates: Wednesdays, September 25, October 2 and 9

Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Place: UCG Seminar A

Limit: 8

The Impact of Emotions on our Health

As more is learned about the human energy system an increasing connection between the body and the emotions has become apparent. When an original traumatic event occurs the body "records" the event automatically and subconsciously. This happens with no mental effort or awareness and the recording can be filed away as neutral, positive or negative at the time of the experience. If the body interprets the event as neutral or positive no conflict is stored in the system that could cause systemic discord.

However, if the event is interpreted by the autonomic nervous system as a threatening or unsafe experience, the event is stored in the body and limbic system and can create conflict, confusion and lack of clarity in one's system.

With energy psychology/kinesiology techniques these stuck/chronic patterns causing discord in the system can be located and released with ease by a person trained in behavioral/applied kinesiology. This small group is educational, informative and voluntarily participatory. It is designed to open your mind to new ideas and thoughts that have the potential to create more insight, clarity, happiness and health in your life. The group is limited to 12 people and each person must be committed to attending all three sessions.

Leader: Sandy Jones

Dates: Tuesdays, October 1, 8, and 15

Times: 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Place: UCG Seminar A

Limit: 12

Cultivating Self-Love

What I've found to be the root of all of my struggle in life - feeling dissatisfied, frustrated, anxious, and stressed - has been a lack of loving and accepting myself where I'm at. I want to share with you tools to begin to accept yourself as you are, give yourself empathy, treat yourself with care and gentleness, and shift the pattern of self-hatred that is so rampant in our world. Cultivate the self love that will allow you to feel loved no matter what is going on around you, because "wherever you go, there you are."

Leader: Eze Sanchez

Dates: Thursdays, November 7,14, and 21

Times: 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Place: UCG Seminar B

Limit: 12

Step Parents Connect, Support and Unite

Families come in all shapes and sizes. Blended families in particular can present unique challenges. One of these challenges is the role of stepparents. If you find yourself in a stepparent role this group might be for you. This group is inclusive of all the stepparents of the world including those from mix-gender and same-gender couples both married and not married and those previously married (as well as those never planning to marry.) It’s a group to support the parents of “kids” that we may not have birthed or raised initially but we embrace and love and care for in all the ways we do in addition to our partners. It’s a group to find support, encouragement, and understanding for this unique role we all share. Please know that the word stepparent is broadly defined so if you have questions about whether or not this group is for you please contact the group leader.

The group leader identifies as a stepparent as well as a mental health provider, however this group is not a therapy group.

Leader: Angela Koivula

Dates: Sundays

Times: TBD

Place: TBD

Limit: 10

Big Stories, Tiny Books

Do you ever feel like you have stories and images inside you that you don’t know how to get out? Interested in how we store memories in our bodies? Want to write, create, and share about being a person in a body in the world? We will use a few exercises from somatic experiencing (a body-based psychology approach to healing), some creative writing prompts, and simple art supplies to make little books about the big questions, experiences, and feelings in our lives. Bring an open mind and dress comfortably, as we will do a few gentle movement exercises each session, in addition to writing and art-making.

Leader: Kristen Stone

Dates: Sundays, October 6,13, 20, and 27

Times: 12:30pm - 2:30pm

Place: UCG Room 9

Limit: 15

Matter of Balance

Matter of Balance is an evidenced based eight week program designed to manage falls and increase activity levels in older adults. Participants will learn to view falls as controllable, set goals to increase activity, make changes to reduce fall risk, and exercise to increase strength and balance. Those who may want to attend include anyone concerned about falls, anyone interested in improving balance, flexibility and strength, anyone who has fallen in the past and anyone who has restricted activities because of falling concerns. This program is sponsored by Elder Options.

Leader: Betty Flagg

Date: Mondays; Sept. 30; Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28; Nov. 4, 11, 18

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm

Location: UCG Reimer Hall

Limit: 12

Service Groups

Family Promise

Four times a year, UCG becomes a home to families in transition. We need lots of volunteers to help with everything from preparing the church to be a cozy home to providing meals for our guests. We need all the help we can get, to share the love of UCG with our friends in need. Sign-up now to express your interest and we will contact you when we’re ready to sign-up specific jobs.

Leader: Lisa Ingram

Dates: The week of October 20 - 27

Times: various

Place: UCG

Dinner at St. Francis House

We will prepare and serve dinner to 35 people at St. Francis house one weeknight in October, November and December. We will need 6 to 8 volunteers each month to prepare and serve the meal.

Leader: Dennis Comfort & Compassion In Action Committee

Dates: Fridays, October 4, November 1, and December 6

Times: 5:00pm - 6:45pm

Place: Dinner at St. Francis House

Limit: 8

Rebuilding Together

For several years now, UCG volunteers of all skill levels have come together to complete critical home repairs for the elderly, disabled, and/or low-income homeowners of Alachua County. Rebuilding Together of North Central Florida coordinates these efforts with local businesses and social justice groups like ours. This fall we will be working the two Saturday mornings of October 19 and October 26. Our primary job this year will be to paint the exterior of the house plus the kitchen and bathroom. Contact Tom Bergbower at 481-4497 for any questions.

Leader: Tom Bergbower

Date: Saturdays, October 19 and 26

Time: TBA

Place: Offsite

NAMI Gainesville Walk/5K

NAMI Gainesville sponsors an annual Walk, hoping to raise some funds for local NAMI programs. More importantly, we walk to raise awareness, and to lower, and eventually eliminate, stigma. This year NAMI Gainesville's Walk will be a 5K walk/run. You are invited to participate in any way, however known, come walk with the UCG NAMI Walk Team by signing up for this Small Group. There is no fee involved in participating on the UCG NAMI Walk Team. For more information got to gainesville

Leader: Joan Stevens

Date: Saturday, November 2

Time: Check-in: 8:00am Start time:9:00am

Location: Westwood Middle School

SAVVY Caregiver Training

The SAVVY Caregiver program is a FREE evidenced based, seven-week training designed for caregivers, family, or friends who assist persons with dementia including Alzheimer’s disease. Information presented will include discussion of different types of dementia and disease progression, caregiver self-care, responding to challenging behaviors, setting caregiver goals, and information on community resources. This program is sponsored by Elder Options. Please call Renee Horne at 352-692-5226 to register. The training starts October 1 and will be held at UCG from 1:00 to 3:00.

SAVVY Caregiver Training (continued)

Leader: Renee Horne

Dates: Tuesdays, October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, November 5, 12

Times: 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Place: UCG Reimer Hall

Limit: 20

CWC Volunteer Energy Coach Training

Help your community and planet in a hands-on way! Volunteers are trained during a three-part, 12-hour workshop how to perform home energy tune-ups for local families. Learn how to inspect homes, review utility bills, and install items such as water-saving shower heads to save energy, water, and money for low-income renters and homeowners throughout Alachua County. CWC's three-part training will take place October/November, with the first two sessions to be held in UCG's Reimer Hall (specific dates TBD. Note: This training is only offered twice a year, so don't miss out!)

Leader: Alane Humrich

Dates: Tuesdays, October 1 and 8; Saturday, October 12

Times: October 1 & 8; 4:30pm - 9:00pm

Saturday October 12 9:00am - 3:00pm

Place: Tuesdays in Reimer Hall, Saturday Offsite

Holiday Decorating

Help us decorate UCG inside and out for the Holiday season! The Board of Parish Ministry will need 10-15 people to help us decorate the courtyard with wreaths, garland and lights between services on November 24th. We also need help after the 2nd service decorating the Christmas Tree and Sanctuary. Take down will take place the first or second week of January. If you can help, please register today or sign-up outside the Church Office in early November.

Leader: Board of Parish Ministry

Date: Sunday, November 24 and take down date is TBA

Time: 10:15am - 11:10am

Place: UCG Campus

Pride Parade Float Design and Construction

Help us design and build a fabulous and meaningful UCG float for the 2019 Pride Parade! No artistic or construction skills required. Of course, all artists, designers and building construction gurus are appreciated!

Leader: Open & Affirming Committee

Date: October 3,10,25, and 26 (Pride Day)

Times: 7:00 pm for October 3,10, and 25; 7:30am on October 26

Place: Room 9

Limit: 25

Arts, Fellowship & Recreation

Ukulele Club of Gainesville

The Ukulele Club of Gainesville is an ongoing, year-round group that is open and welcoming, happy to have new members of every skill level at any time of the year. Beginners meet separately to learn the chords and strumming patterns before joining the main group to practice various songs in Seminar B. We enjoy several opportunities to play for the congregation and the wider community during the year, and regularly share information about other ukulele-related local events. Like us on Facebook to see our photos and news!

Leader: Mary Fukuyama and Vic Harrell

Dates: 1st and 3rd Mondays, ongoing

Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Place: UCG Sanctuary

Picnic in the Park

Join friends and make new ones while enjoying nature in a different park each month. After picnicking we may go for a short walk or just enjoy visiting with each other. The food (potluck) and the company are always delightful.

Leaders: Judy Munselle

Dates: Sundays, October 6, November 3, & December 1

Time: 12:30pm

Place: Various Parks, TBA

Sunday Afternoon at the HIPP

Let’s go to the Hippodrome on Sunday afternoon and watch a film together. After, we’ll have dinner at Liquid Ginger for fellowship and a chance to talk about the film. Participating in this group requires some flexibility. The title of the film will probably not be confirmed until a week before our scheduled date. The show time will not be confirmed until the Tuesday preceding our Sunday gathering, at the earliest.

Leader: Carol Sarisky

Date: TBA

Time: TBA, depends upon movie schedule

Place: Hippodrome Theater Cinema, Liquid Ginger

Limit: 30 participants

Cost: Members will pay for their own film tickets and dinners.

UCG Good Men Drinking Beer (GMDB)

This group is open to all UCG men who are interested in meeting with other UCG men to socialize and drink beer or non-alcoholic beverages at a local brew pub. We meet on the first Friday of each month. To join the e-mail listserv that announces each meeting, send an e-mail to Tim Martin (tamartin@ufl.edu.)

Leader: Tim Martin

Date: First Friday of each month

Time: 4:30pm

Place: Local Brewery, TBA each month

Beginning Hand Building Ceramics

This 2-session Small Group is geared for beginning hand builders who want to expand their horizons and explore an array of techniques for making functional pottery pieces with soft clay slabs. You will learn to use a variety of clay molds to create serving pieces and then decorate the surfaces using multiple techniques.

During the 1st session, you will make 2-3 pieces and during the 2nd class you will glaze your pieces. The workshop includes plenty of demonstrations and an opportunity for personal creativity and fun.

Leader: Reisa George and Sallie Maxwell

Date: Saturdays, October 19 and 26

Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Place: Arts and Crafts Studio, Reitz Union UF

Limit: 7

Cost: $15.00 to be paid to UF at first session; Clay $13.00 payable to Reisa George in cash

Dances of Universal Peace

Simple and much beloved dances celebrating sacred chants

and songs from many faiths & traditions. Dances are from 3:00 – 5:00pm followed by a potluck till 6:30pm. Live music always! Beginners welcomed. Bring friends!

Leader: Nurallah Eleanor Briseno

Date: 2nd Saturdays of the month, ongoing (Exception: November meeting will be on November 16)

Time: 3:00pm - 6:30pm

Place: West Wing

UCG Drum Circle

Mickey Hart once said, "The voice of the drum is a spirit thing." Join us on the first and third Thursdays of each month for an hour of healing rhythm. Renew your spirit. Calm your mind. And enjoy the experience of unity as everyone's drumbeats morph into one rhythm…a song of healing and hope! Come if you have drummed for years. Participate if you have never drummed before. Everyone is welcome. This small group is active year-round. Come when you can! Please bring your own drum. If you don't have a drum, please contact Leigh Baker so we can make arrangements.

Leader: Leigh Baker and Nancy Ryan

Date: First and third Thursdays of each month, ongoing

Time: 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Place: UCG Reimer Hall

Knitting 101: Cotton Dishcloth

Learn the fundamentals of creating fabric with yarn and knitting needles. Knitting offers an avenue to creative expression and the opportunity to explore a tactile, visual and written language. We will create one or two cotton dishcloths using the fundamental stitches, knit and purl. From casting on to binding off, embrace the challenge as your mind and hands explore the process of hand knitting. Ages 14 and up welcome. First pair of needles and yarn provided at initial meeting.

Leader: Rhonda Clark

Date: October 12,16,19,23,30

Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Place: UCG Library

Limit: 5

Poetry and Potluck

Participants will bring printed copies of poems to read to the group, originals or favorites. After potluck food and visiting, we'll relax and enjoy poems read by everyone.

Leader: Art and Mary Crummer

Date: Friday, October 11

Time: 6:30pm

Place: The Crummer’s House

Limit: 20

Friends & Family Tabletop Gaming Night

Bring your friends and family for a gaming night of EPIC proportions! Board games aren't just limited to Sorry, Monopoly, or Yahtzee anymore. Come out and learn how to play all types of games from fun cards or dice games; like Sushi Go!, Exploding Kittens, 3 Dragon Ante, and Tenzi to nontraditional board games like Betrayal at House on the Hill, Pandemic, and even a giant sized Jenga and so much more! This is a group for ages 6 and up. If you would like to bring a game to share, please do!

Leader: Shanna Swiers

Date: Friday, December 6

Time: 7:00pm - 9:30pm

Place: UCG Reimer Hall

Never too old--to be young at art!

Come out and play with Susan and bring along your inner child (aka wanna be artist). We are offering a half day painting workshop for adults who want to give their creative selves a place to explore and have fun. We will take our lead from artist Peter Max who once was quoted as saying “I fell in love with color and got the bug.” Come in your messy cloths and bring along a story to share about someone you love and hold near to your heart. All art materials will be provided. Also, please bring snacks to share and remember to leave the naysayers at home.

Leader: Susan Johnson

Date: Saturday, October 19

Time: 9:00am - 12:00pm

Place: UCG Reimer Hall

Limit: 12

Potluck and Mary Oliver

Bring your favorite Mary Oliver writing (poetry or prose) and food to share with the group. We will eat and then read our Mary Oliver offering, telling us if you are so moved how you made this choice. Please bring enough copies to share with the group.

Leader: Susan Cary

Date: Friday, October 18

Time: 6:00pm

Place: UCG West Wing

Limit: 20

Solstice Sunset at Sweetwater Wetlands

According to The Farmers' Almanac, the Winter Solstice this year is on Saturday December 21st. Sunset is at 5:34 p.m. The park closes at sunset and the entry gate closes thirty minutes before that. We can gather at 4:30 as daylight wanes and see the big sky at Sweetwater Wetlands at sunset. Especially if there are scattered clouds, it should be beautiful. In case of total sun-blocking clouds or rain, we will re-schedule. A lovely way to mark the change of seasons. You can bring snacks to share, if you are so moved. $5.00 admission per vehicle.

Leader: Susan Cary

Date: Saturday, December 21

Time: 4:30pm

Place: Sweetwater Wetlands Park

Price: $5.00 admission per vehicle

Flea Market Flip – UCG Style

Flea Market Flip, an HGTV show, takes furniture bought at a flea market and transforms it into chic & beautiful pieces. For this small group, we will watch the show for inspiration then go to local thrift shops, garage sales and The Repurpose Project to get our project (if you have one at home that’s great). We will then repurpose them into amazing pieces that we can keep for our homes or donate them to UCG for the YU/MST Fundraiser auctions. Join me as we create great repurposed furniture!

Leader: Maureen Cox

Date: Saturdays, October 5, 12, 19; November 2 & 9

Time: 10:00am

Place: Various Locations

Limit: 16

Awe-Inspiring Edifices and Religious Art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance

Remember the sense of grief you felt when you heard that Notre Dame was burning? What is it about Gothic cathedrals that makes people – even those who are not religious -- stand in awe? How did medieval builders, whose names were not even recorded, manage to erect these awe-inspiring places? The Great Gothic cathedrals of the 14th Century with their imposing sculptures and glorious stained glass were followed by artists of the Renaissance who brought the buildings down to the human scale and at the same time, developed a method of showing humans and their environment the way our eyes see them. It is the art that most people in the Western world still prefer. Masaccio was the first to successfully depict the illusion of depth in his painting The Holy Trinity. He was followed by many other artists who made their Biblical subjects appear undeniably real. Thus we marvel at the sorrow of Mary that Michelangelo evoked in his Pieta of St. Peter’s. We feel the anger of his Moses. We thrill to the glory of his David. Join Lois McNamara, retired Humanities Professor, on four successive weeks to share your reactions and learn (again?) about the development of these great art achievements.

Leader: Lois McNamara

Date: Mondays, October 7, 14, 28, and November 4

Time: 7:00pm - 8:15pm

Place: Seminar B

Limit: 20 participants

UCG Brings Back TGIF Parties!

Gainesville Cohousing has several UCG members living in this unique community and we invite all of you to come to our place for a “Thank God It’s Friday” party. It’ll be on Oct. 11th because that is Parents Night Out----parents can have their kids taken care of at church while the grown-ups come to the grown-up party. The party is from 6 to 9 pm. Bring your own beverage and a dish to share. The address is: 2570 NW 47 St Gainesville 32606. Google maps is incorrect for that street address but if you enter Gainesville Cohousing, it does get you there. Call Joyce Koopman if you have questions. 352 336 7532.

UCG Brings Back TGIF Parties! (continued)

Leader: Pam Smith

Date: Friday, October 11

Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Place: 2570 NW 47 St Gainesville 32606; Google maps is incorrect for that street address but if you enter Gainesville Cohousing it comes up.

Book Groups

Book Discussion on How to Be Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi

In this book, Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science, bringing it all together with an engaging personal narrative of his own awakening to antiracism. How to Be an Antiracist is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond an awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a truly just and equitable society.

Leader: Mary Fukuyama and Jackie Davis

Dates: Wednesdays, October 9, October 23, & November 13

Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: UCG Library, Seminar B (10/23 only)

Friday Morning Book Group

This group selects books once a year from suggestions of members of the group. We meet the first Friday of every month from 10:30am to Noon in the church library.

Leader: Jim Archer

Dates: 1st Fridays, ongoing

Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm

Location: UCG Library

Limit: Up to 2 new members

Dinner and a Good Book (full)

Mostly Fiction (full)

Food for Thought (full)

Love a Good Mystery Book Club (full)

While many ongoing book groups are full, we’d love to help you start a new one! If you are interested in participating in a book group, please sign up and we will match you with other interested folks to create one of your own.

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Do you have a small group idea that you’d like to lead or would like some help with? Let us know! Our next edition of UCG Small Groups will be released in December. Watch the bulletins, weekly emails and monthly newsletters for more information! Join us!

Thanks to the Small Groups Committee

for all their hard work!

Registration for Small Groups

is online!

Please go to this link to sign-up



IMPORTANT INFORMATION – PLEASE READ:

• After you complete the online form you will receive an email confirming receipt of your registration.

This does not guarantee you have a spot in the group, only that your registration has been received.

• During the late week of September 30, you will receive an email confirming which group(s) you are in; the group leader will then contact participants directly. If small group occurs before registration closes, you will be notified in advance.

• Please check your calendar to assure that you are available for each session.

• If there is a cost associated with a group, your registration is not complete until payment has been submitted.

• Members of UCG, official friends, and actively participating visitors have priority.

Registration deadline is

Sunday, September 29

If you need any additional information,

please contact the church office at info@

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Fall Small Groups

2019

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