Nature Coast Unitarian Universalists

08/31/2026

Let's welcome again, Rev.Ben Bortin back to NCUU as our September 6th speaker. He has been stimulating our mind and social conscience for many years, and this week is no exception. Join us at NCUU as we return this September for a new year at our Fellowship. Service behind at 10:30 with time for questions and discussion and socializing afterwards.

Speaker’s name: UU Rev Ben Bortin
Date of presentation: 09/06/26

Title of presentation: "Two Great Four Letter Words - Work and Play”

"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance," said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In practice, however, some work that assists humanity has decidedly not been rewarded with respect or enough compensation to keep body and soul together. History has demonstrated that overcoming economic exploitation, dangerous working conditions, and disparaging attitudes has generally not been achieved without struggle.

In addition to work, there is also such a thing in life as play. Work and play can overlap with each other, but generally they are different. And how do they differ? Both are gifts, in my view. Both are spiritual necessities.

This Labor Day, 2026, we have the additional challenges of AI increasingly taking center stage, along with the stratospheric costs of housing, health care, and education, and higher priced groceries and fuel (or had you noticed).

Biographical summary:

UU Rev. Ben Bortin has and has had a busy life. He graduated from the University of California with a major in history, specializing in Asian history. He is also a graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California, serving as minister for UU congregations in Duluth, Minnesota, and Staten Island, New York, and as Membership Coordinator for the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, New York.
Currently, he serves as minister of the UU Fellowship of the North Fork, in Jamesport, NY. His denominational and community involvements have included serving as President of the UU United Nations Office, Secretary and Treasurer of the New York Metro UU Ministers Association, a board member of the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights, and a board member of Project Hospitality, an organization serving homeless people in Staten Island, New York.
He is also part of a Social Action Committee with the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island. Additionally, he serves on the “Caring Circle” of his 40-apartment UU Complex, Hadley House.

08/31/2026

08/31/2026

A new Fellowship year, a new Beginning ! Welcome back everyone !

For some students, teachers, families, and school communities, the new school year is already underway. For others, those first days are just around the corner.

As another school year begins, we’re thinking especially of the students, educators, staff, caregivers, and families stepping into new classrooms, campuses, routines, relationships, and expectations.

May our schools be places where every person is welcomed in the fullness of who they are—places where students and educators are safe, where curiosity is nurtured, differences are honored, and everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow, and belong.

In the words of Rev. Debra Haffner’s blessing, "A New Year for Beloved Community":

“We gather together at the start of this new year
With gratitude and love
For those who have come before us
For those who stand here with us
May it be a good year. May it be a sweet year.”

To everyone beginning a new school year: may it be a year of learning, safety, belonging, growth, and beloved community. 💛

Read the full blessing at the link in the comments.

08/18/2026

A free Spirit Rock course with Jack Kornfield.

08/11/2026

I saw this in another post and thought it may have value for grief, sadness, loneliness, missing that love on, saying goodbye again. Does anyone have a phone to share ? Chas

08/06/2026

In remembrance of the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965, the League of Women Voters of Citrus County invites the community to a special presentation and discussion dedicated to safeguarding local and national voting rights. The event, titled "Empowering Citrus County: Restoring the Voting Rights Act" — A Day of Remembrance and Action, will take place on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at 10:00 AM at the Coastal Region Library, located at 8619 W. Crystal St., Crystal River, FL. The presentation will feature guest speaker Dr. B.J. Ezell, who will address the enduring importance of the Voting Rights Act and discuss the specific actions Citrus County residents can take to protect and preserve their voting rights today under the subtitle, "What our community can do to protect the vote. “Securing the right to vote remains a continuous effort," said a spokesperson for the League. "This presentation is an opportunity for our community to reflect on how far we have come, understand current challenges to the vote, and learn practical steps to ensure every eligible voice in Citrus County is heard." The event is free and open to the public. Please bring your smart phone. Residents, advocates, and anyone interested in community voting rights are highly encouraged to attend. For more information about the meeting please visit their website: lwvcitrus.org.

08/03/2026

We take in stories each day – headlines, ideologies, campaign tactics, politics, and stump speeches – attempting to convince us that human goodness is impossible. It would be understandable to adopt this lens as our own in this chaotic time, if it were not for the way we as Unitarian Universalists live with one another in community.

When we affirm in our congregations and communities that humanity is inherently worthy and met in that highest value by all of creation, when we give of our time and our resources to strengthen the work of partnership and faithful witness, we are refuting the stories of the day and renewing the very wholeness and possibility of our tradition.

Nicole Pressley, the UUA’s Organizing Strategy Team director, insists that for democracy to work, we need one another and therefore, we must care for each other. All of the work of Side With Love is an investment in democracy and the collective power of community. It is all about the promise, the process, and the people.

Our labor on behalf of climate justice is an investment in democracy. Our work for abolition is an investment in democracy. Our insistence on bodily autonomy through reproductive justice, LGBTQ and gender justice, and disability rights is an investment in democracy. Organizing against criminalization as racial justice and immigration justice is an investment in democracy.

Our showing up for electoral justice, especially in this election season, is an investment in each other and through this, an investment in democracy. The promise of democracy lives in the collective whole and it is made manifest through our actions and our care for one another.

08/01/2026

Nearly 4 million people have already lost Medicaid coverage. However, millions more will lose it soon.

GoFundMe and ibuprofen are not substitutes for a functioning health system.

But with the biggest Medicaid cuts coming early next year, we worry that’s our future unless our leaders change course soon.

Stop the

07/31/2026

Since Congress Passed H.R.1 (The One Big Beautiful Bill)

🔥Over 6 million people have ALREADY lost their healthcare

🔥More than 15 million people are projected to lose coverage over the next several years.

🔥Over 1,000 hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes are at risk of closing directly because of Medicaid cuts.

Stop the