Donna Zimmerman presents
“Your Life Doesn’t Suck”
Elizabeth DeCoux, Worship Leader
Gary Smart, Pianist
Timothy Edwards, Violin, Guest Musician
As we celebrate Pride this October, we are often inundated with manufactured anger. We are told to blame the most vulnerable among us for the very real frustrations and economic anxieties of modern life. In this service, we will explore a profound truth: when we spend our energy blaming others, we surrender our own power to create real change. Join us as we cut through the noise, honor our authentic struggles, and reclaim our collective agency to build a more just and loving world.
Don’t forget to bring your loose change (paper bills also accepted) for our first Sunday Pennies from Heaven collection benefiting Jasmyn (Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network). JASMYN supports empowering LGBTQIA+ teens and young adults through leadership, advocacy, resources, and a safe and affirming community.
About Our Speaker
Donna Zimmerman is a native Floridian whose family moved here when she was 14. After going back to school “later in life,” she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UNF. Donna lived in Dallas for a time and found her spiritual home at First UU Church of Dallas. She built a meaningful career that spanned both social services and HR. Notably, as Executive Director at Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida, she launched the region’s first professional HIV/AIDS service program that is still in operation. Now retired, Donna channels her heart for service into our own community, serving on the Worship Committee and as a lay Chaplain on the Pastoral Care Team. She and her partner of 28 years, Cyndi Daman, love spending time with their big, beautiful family of two daughters, six grandkids, and two great-grands!
About our Guest Musician
Timothy Edwards studied violin in Detroit public schools and at Interlochen Arts Academy before earning a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music from the University of Michigan. He has held section, principal, and concertmaster roles with the Des Moines Metro Opera, Flint Symphony, and Toledo Symphony, with substitute appearances for the Detroit and Jacksonville symphonies. A dedicated educator, he has guided gifted young violinists and served as an adjunct professor at Florida State College at Jacksonville. He currently performs as a soloist and chamber collaborator for four Jacksonville churches and is concertmaster of the Civic Orchestra of Jacksonville, which offers free concerts to the community.