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Services start at 10:30 a.m.
Our services are also available live via Zoom. Please send a request to [email protected] for the link.
Dec. 1, 2024
Speaker – Mike Taylor
Biography:
Mike Taylor, a retired software engineer, has been a member of NCUU since 2017. He lives with his wife Amy, their 2 dogs, 2 horses, 5 chickens, and a cat on 20 acres in the backside of Dunnellon. In retirement, Mike and Amy run a Laser Craft business, attending area craft shows on weekends to sell their artistic wares. Mike is also a former member of Toastmasters International, where he competed in humorous speech contests and achieved the level of Competent Communicator. Unlike many public speakers who focus on motivation, Mike prefers to be an informational speaker, aiming to impart knowledge on a variety of topics.
Topic: Till Debt Do Us Part
America has faced debt since its inception, but starting in the late 20th century, this debt has grown to dangerous levels. Government overspending combined with tax cuts has only exacerbated the problem.
Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024
Gaia Davies
Biography:
Gaia turned 80 this year and the thing that surprises her most is that she continues to learn new things every day – about herself, other people and life itself. She continues to study physical, emotional and spiritual health and how they are related. Why? Because she keeps having new experiences or different versions of the same experience and is constantly curious about all of them. You may remember this time last year, when Gaia spoke to us on “From Grief to Thanksgiving,” about her first year without her husband, Kurtland. It has now been two years, and her life keeps on changing, with all of its joys and challenges.
Topic: ‘Tis the Season to be…..Jolly?
‘Tis the Season to be jolly…..and a lot more! Most of us go through every emotion in our repertoire during the holidays: excitement, gratitude, anxiety, stress, joy, nostalgia, contentment, overwhelm, guilt, irritability, anticipation, love, spirituality, loneliness, sociability, exhaustion, reconnection, grief or sadness and more. These feelings affect not only our mental health but our physical health, our relationships with family and friends and our wallet! Why do the holidays bring up all these different feelings and what can we do to enhance those that are healthiest for us?
Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024
Speaker – Jeanne Wright
Biography:
Jeanne’s interest in Physical Anthropology, delving into humankind’s physical evolution, was first sparked by a course she took at the University of Sydney in Australia in 1966. Just married the previous year to graduate student Don Wright, the two left the U.S. for Sydney, Australia. Jeanne discovered she was pregnant (with her first daughter) during the first week of classes, so she had a heightened interest in human development. The intervening years saw Jeanne receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from LSU. Later years in Gloucester, VA included raising sheep, herbal gardening, raising two daughters, and gaining two graduate degrees in Agency Counseling at the College of William and Mary. Jeanne and Don have lived in Inglis, then Dunnellon for the past 20 years and attended NCUU for the past 14 years.
Topic: Becoming Human
We will examine the evolution of modern Homo Sapiens (humans) from prehistoric roots as generalized apes beginning about 8 million years ago. Emphasis will be on changes in the prehuman body and awareness brought about by environmental changes, bipedalism, use of lithic tools, increased meat in diet, acquisition of fire, and the roles of cooperation and compassion.
Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024
Speaker – UU Rev Carole Yorke
Biography:
Rev. Carole has been visiting us at NCUU since about 2000, and is delighted that we continue to invite her to guest preach. Now retired in Port St. Lucie with her three Pomeranians, she has served three churches in Florida. She was ordained in Plainfield NJ 25 years ago, and continues to preach occasionally, do Memorial Services and lead Bereavement Groups at the UU Fellowship of Vero Beach.
Topic: It Doesn’t Have to be Bleak
The phrases we don’t want to hear anymore, “we won’t go back,” as well as the ones we have to hear, “as UUs we WILL continue to Side With Love” in community— because that’s who we are. A larger question looms. Must we return to Bethlehem? A different look at a real story.
Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024
Speaker – UU Rev Cynthia Snavely
Biography:
Rev. Cynthia Snavely currently serves the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills in Somerville, New Jersey. Rev. Snavely began her ministry as a United Methodist and moved into Unitarian Universalist ministry in the early 90’s. She has served congregations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina, Florida and New Jersey. She has a daughter, four grandsons, and one granddaughter.
Topic: An Altruistic Thanksgiving
Quoting from the Wikipedia article on Liminality, “During liminal periods of all kinds, social hierarchies may be reversed or temporarily dissolved, continuity of tradition may become uncertain, and future outcomes once taken for granted may be thrown into doubt.” We may enter such a time with some anxiety, but such a time can also be a time that nurtures creativity, courage, and growth as we take on the unknown.
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