2019 Invocations (12)
In 2019, the Central Florida Freethought Community offered secular invocations at civic meetings across our region. Each reflection centers on shared human values—compassion, reason, integrity, and service—while respecting freedom of conscience and the separation of religion and government. Below are the invocations from this year.
2019 December 17 - Eddie Boscana, Lake County, FL
2019 September 19 - Eddie Boscana, Eustis, FL
2019 August 26 - Tee Rogers, Winter Park, FL
2019 August 5 - Ed Sullivan, Deland, FL
2019 April 15 - Joseph Richardson, Osceola County, FL
2019 April 2 - Jocelyn Williamson, Volusia County, FL
2019 March 20 - Karen Avizur, Tavares, FL
2019 March 2 - Joseph Richardson, Ocoee, FL
2019 February 26 - Choice Edwards, Clermont, FL
2019 January 14 - Jocelyn Williamson, Casselberry, FL
2019 January 14 - Randa Black, Maitland, FL
2019 January 8 - Lindsey Bridges, Seminole County
17 Dec 2019 - Lake County Commission
Eddie Boscana - 186 words
Thank you, Chairman Campione, commissioners and county staff. The community appreciates your hard work on behalf of the county. And thank you for having an inclusive county that welcomes everyone.
2020 is quickly approaching. As we pause from the holiday – end of year rushing about this morning, we can open ourselves to new perspectives and possibilities.
Let us think of the people who are in this chamber and make the most of the sharing of ideas and the good will that comes from this.
Then, let us consider of the people who are in our community and impacted, by the choices we are making this evening.
Finally, let us recognize the impact we have on future generations.
Today, may we keep ourselves impartial and neutral, as we consider the merits and pitfalls of each matter that is placed before us.
May we lean forward into the new year, keeping in mind the welfare of all the county citizens, embracing reason and free inquiry, working harmoniously together to transform our county through love and to accomplish good works with compassion and consideration for all.
Thank you...
19 Sept 2019 - Eustis Commission
Eddie Boscana - 174 words
Thank you, Mayor Holland, commissioners and city staff. The community appreciates your hard work on behalf of the city. And thank you for having an inclusive city that welcomes everyone.
As we pause from our regular rhythms of rush-rush-rush, we can open ourselves to new perspectives and possibilities.
Let us think of the people who are in this chamber and make the most of the sharing of ideas and the good will that comes from this.
Then, let us consider of the people who are in our community and impacted, by the choices we are making this evening.
Finally, let us recognize the impact we have on future generations.
TONIGHT - May we keep ourselves impartial and neutral, as we consider the merits and pitfalls of each matter that is placed before us.
May we lean forward, keeping in mind the welfare of all the city citizens, embracing reason and free inquiry, working harmoniously together to transform our city through love and to accomplish good works with compassion and consideration for all.
Thank you..
26 August 2019 - Winter Park Commission
Tee Rogers - 230 words
Thank you for the opportunity to offer an invocation on behalf of your Atheist, Humanist, and other non-religious constituents and all of those who have chosen to make Winter Park their home.
William James said, “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” These are great words to open this reflection.
You are here to invest your time today in leadership and in service. You represent people who count on you to act on their behalf, fairly and with compassion and respect for all. Leaders serve everyone, even those who are not like them. So today, let us seek common ground with each other and among all people to build bridges across our differences. Let us recognize and consider all people’s needs, individually and collectively, and uphold every person’s dignity.
May we be aware of the impact and importance of our actions. May we be passionate and engage intentionally in meaningful discussion. And set an example of inclusion and excellence.
Today, let this council approach the tasks before them collaboratively, guided by integrity and anchored by their commitment as public servants to the wellbeing of others. May you deliberate with wisdom, insight, and impartiality. May you be passionate and remain focused on uplifting others, connecting the community, and pursuing the greater good for all of your constituents.
Thank you for the difference you make in our community.
5 August 2019 - Deland City Council
Ed Sullivan - 194 words
Good evening Mayer Apgar, commissioners, city staff and citizens.
On this August evening, we gather to listen and address the needs of the people of the City. So, let us focus solely on the task at hand and move forward with this shared purpose to represent everyone fairly and well.
Let us remember that when we share with others that which is most important to us,
Listening begins.
When we acknowledge the concerns of others,
When we say those concerns matter,
Compassion begins.
When we stand united against hatred, violence, and injustice,
Courage begins.
When we experience the full presence of each other, because of our shared humanity, in spite of our disagreements
This is where understanding begins.
May we be open to others’ ideas and beliefs, respectful of our differences, not threatened by them.
May we grow in understanding of our own motives,
May we replace fear with knowledge, helping us to be patient and charitable in our dialogue.
While we often focus on our differences, this evening let us also seek to understand the ideals and values we share.
Today and tomorrow, let us value one another more than we did yesterday
15 April 2019 - Osceola County Council
Joseph Richardson - 254 words
The sixth secular invocation offered by the CFFC in Osceola. The entire transcript of this and dozens more secular invocations are available at www.cflfreethought.org/invocations.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide the invocation this afternoon on behalf of the Central Florida Freethought Community.
We are here today, of course, to do the business of this county. In that process, let us be encouraged and inspired by each other.
The people that you see in the chamber right now are a small cross section of those to whom you are responsible. There are business people and trades people, some rich and some poor, teachers and the children we entrust to them, lovers and loners, of all races and creeds. Let us glance around the room and remember that each one of them has hopes and dreams, each one grieves, each one celebrates.
And each is depending on us – as a community - to make decisions that will benefit and improve the county and the lives of those who call Osceola County their home.
As we work together to make those decisions, let us all put aside personal preferences and make sure we consider all sides before committing to a plan. It is possible to understand another’s perspective without having to agree with it. As Aristotle said…
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
As a person who strives to be rational and empathetic, I encourage you to use hard data as well as compassion in your deliberations.
In doing that, we will help each other, encourage each other, and cooperate with each other for the benefit of all.
2 April 2019 - Volusia County Council
Jocelyn Williamson - 190 words
Thank you, Chairman Kelley, Commission Members, Staff, and the community, for the opportunity to offer opening words for this morning’s meeting.
On this April morning, we gather to listen and address the needs of the people of the County. So, let us focus solely on the task at hand and move forward with this shared purpose to represent everyone fairly and well.
Carl Sagan wrote “We can judge our progress by the courage of our questions, the depth of our answers, and our willingness to embrace what is true rather than what feels good.”
Today - may we use only our best skills and judgment.
May we listen to all voices in our community while keeping ourselves impartial and neutral, as we consider the merits and pitfalls of each matter that is placed before us.
May we use our resources wisely to make decisions that reflect consideration for future generations.
AND May we lean forward, keeping in mind the welfare of all the county citizens, embracing reason and free inquiry, working harmoniously together to transform our county through love and to accomplish good works with compassion and consideration.
Thank you.
20 March 2019 - Tavares, FL, City Commission
Karen Avizur - 291 words
The second secular invocation at the City of Tavares. The entire transcript of this and dozens more secular invocations are available at www.cflfreethought.org/invocations.
I would like to thank you for this opportunity to address Tavares in this invocation, speaking not just as an atheist but as a resident of Mount Dora, to bring us together for this meeting.
I’ve lived here less than a year, and have already made many friends among my neighbors and others in my community. We’re all appreciative to those officials who come together to better our society, who struggle with the laws, both moral and ethical. Who come to City Hall as representatives, and as citizens themselves, to do the best they can to encourage and preserve justice, equality, and the well being of every person in our vastly diverse society.
I’d like to recite a quote from Carl Sagan, one I’m particularly fond of, when he speaks of the photo Voyager 1 took of Earth, the Pale Blue Dot.
“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every ‘superstar,’ every ‘supreme leader,’ every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there—on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”
I’m immensely grateful to those who work for our city and those who live in and support it, and hope that today’s meeting, and all that come after, continue to unite us as one communityay weekend.
5 March 2019 - Ocoee City Commission
Joseph Richardson - 233 words
The third secular invocation at the City of Ocoee. The entire transcript of this and dozens more secular invocations are available at www.cflfreethought.org/invocations.
Thank you for inviting me to give the invocation tonight on behalf of the Central Florida Freethought Community.
Tonight, I want to speak directly to you as the elected representatives of the people. I want to remind you of your duty, namely, to be advocates for every single citizen of Ocoee. And I want to remind you that your job is to make everyone who has come here tonight and, indeed, everyone who lives in this city, feel included.
Let this be an encouragement to reset your thoughts and intentions to the foundation of empathy and compassion, and to remember that every citizen is a person with their own thoughts and feelings who is equally deserving of your consideration.
At a time where divisiveness seems to be rampant, let your decisions here tonight run against that harmful current and include rather than exclude.
It’s neither a pithy quote nor deeply philosophical, but Franklin Roosevelt was unapologetically blunt when he said…
“We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out.”
And so, in that spirit, I encourage everyone here, as the work progresses, to put aside personal preferences, to evaluate hard data, to consider deeply the effects of decisions, to judge issues rationally, to debate respectfully, to decide fairly, and to continue to include everyone.
Thank you for your service..
26 February 2019 - Clermont City Council
Choice Edwards - 224 words
The second secular invocation at the City of Clermont. The entire transcript of this and dozens more secular invocations are available at www.cflfreethought.org/invocations.
Mayor Ash, council members, staff and residents
I represent the fast-growing Central Florida Freethought Community. Thank you for the invitation.
I am a strong proponent of, not confusing and mixing, synagogue, temple, church, and mosque with our government…..and vice-versa.
Because this meeting is a government meeting, it is an appropriate time for me to say, I appreciate ALL of government because government shields us from anarchy,
I appreciate government employees, many of whom make financial sacrifices to serve us all.
Government includes teachers, university professors, refuse collectors, accountants, attorneys, tax collectors, appraisers, pharmacist, administrators, scientists, doctors, judges, military, police and fire fighters. When I approach a police officer or firefighters, I always say ‘I trust that you will return home safely to your family and friends’.
Also, elected and appointed officials, including this city commission that has made Clermont the Choice of Champions.
It is in the spirit of gratefulness, and being mindful of government employees, that I invite you to... go within yourself... and join me in a moment of personal and silent introspection.
[Silence]
On behalf of the Central Florida Freethought Community, I wish you wisdom, light, life, love, peace, power, prosperity, passion, poise, beauty, joy, justice, health, wealth, romance and all the fun and excitement you can handle, for a life filled with joy and laughter is a full life indeed.
Namaste. Peace. Love.
14 January 2019 - Casselberry City Commission
Jocelyn Williamson - 215 words
The sixth secular invocation at the City of Casselberry. The entire transcript of this and dozens more secular invocations are available at www.cflfreethought.org/invocations.
Thank you Mayor Glancy, commissioners and city staff. The community appreciates your hard work on behalf of the city. And thank you for having an inclusive city that welcomes everyone.
As we pause from our regular rhythms of rush-rush-rush, we can open ourselves to new perspectives and possibilities.
Tonight, let us think of the people who are in this chamber and make the most of the sharing of ideas and the good will that comes from this.
Then, let us think of the people who are in our community and impacted, by the choices we are making this evening.
Finally, let us think of the future generations, whose lives are guided by our decisions.
Each January offers a new slate and tonight we begin to write upon it.
Let us write compassion.
Let us write reason.
Let us write equality.
Let us write thankfulness for what we accomplish together.
Let us aim to give our very best to the city of Casselberry.
As the new year begins, let this new year be a year of greater solidarity and acceptance,
for a kinder, more equitable and sustainable world is not only possible, it is on its way.
At Martin Lurther King Jr once said: “The time is always right to do what is right.”
Thank you.
14 January 2019 - Maitland City Commission
Randa Black - 269 words
The fourth secular invocation at the City of Maitland. The entire transcript of this and dozens more secular invocations are available at www.cflfreethought.org/invocations
It’s an honor to be here. Thank you for the opportunity to give a secular invocation. It’s wonderful that you encourage differing views.
Instead of a prayer or a moment of silence, let us invoke the higher power of “we the people.” Working together enhances and benefits the individual and the community. What we strive for in ourselves, let us seek in each of us here who share our passion for service to the City of Maitland.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
As we look around this room at one another, we may see a wide variety of races, ages, gender expressions, religious and non-religious views, and of course various opinions on important issues up for discussion. We are all different in some way... May we also look at one another and recognize our similarities. We ALL have a right to be here, to be heard, and to know that we matter to the community. Because indeed we do. Each of us makes up the colorful, uniqueness that makes us human. We are all the same in the most important ways.
I’m grateful for each and everyone of you, not in spite of, but because of our differences.
The original motto of the United States of America was one of inclusion. “E Pluribus Unum”, which translates, “from many, one.”
May we all share the joy and gratitude for living in this great nation and residing in the beautiful City of Maitland.
Thank you.
8 January 2019 - Seminole County Commission
Lindsey Bridges - 316 words
The seventh invocation at the Seminole County Commission. The entire transcript of this and dozens more secular invocations are available at www.cflfreethought.org/invocations
Madame Chair, commissioners, staff, citizens, and guests, first let me thank you for including me in today’s proceedings.
The word “invocation” originates from the Latin invocare, meaning “to call upon” - an infinitive which generates a question. “To whom or to what do we call upon?”
Historically, and even today, we generally seek wisdom and guidance from god or muse, but today, at the helm of this new year, I invite you to call upon one one another.
Let us invoke our fellow Homo sapiens, who have learned that working together as a whole enhances and benefits the individual immensely. What we lack or strive for in ourselves, let us offer and find in others who share our passion for service.
In the words of the poet John Donne, “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
As a lifelong resident of Seminole county, a former volunteer at the Winter Springs Police Department, and a member of the Central Florida Freethought Community, I champion this notion.
As one of our Constitutional Framers, Thomas Paine said, “Whatever is my right as a man is also the right of another; and it becomes my duty to guarantee as well to possess.”
So, let us fulfill this duty, this obligation to represent and manifest the will of the governed; our fellow citizens.
Let our shared experience color us and others’ unique experimentation enlighten us all. Let us pursue truth and toil, each day, for a better way to serve our peers, by extension, ourselves, and to foster maximal well-being for all.
Again, the words of Thomas Paine: “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
You have our sincere gratitude for setting the example of service we should all follow.
Thank you and Happy New Year to all.