Hear from New President and Building Chair at the May 21 Annual CongregationalMeeting

It's that time again - time to elect our new board, which will include a newpresident; Carol Kerr has reached the maximum of three terms. The board candidatesare: Charles Haskell, president; Ron Crane, first vice-president; Peter vanden Beemt, second vice-president; Dayla McDonald, secretary; Warren Mathews,treasurer; Rebecca Crawford, Bronwen Jones, and Pat Parkerton, members-at-large;Phyllis Kory, member-at-large for a one-year term; Edna Bonacich and Anne Gustafson,nominating committee.

Carol Kerr will automatically fill the position of immediate past president,and Patricia Wright and Marv Pulliam will remain on the board serving the secondyear of their terms as members-at-large. Remaining members of the nominatingcommittee are John Fels, S.J. Guidotti, Linda van Ligten, and Victor Paddock.

Most reports are in the packet everyone who attends will receive. MinisterJudith Meyer and President Carol Kerr will give oral reports in addition tothe ones in the packet. After the officers are sworn in the new president willoffer some thoughts about where we might be heading.

Warren Mathews will present the treasurer's report as well as the budget report.(For good news on the budget, see "Splinters from the Board" on page 5.) Thecongregation will have an opportunity to discuss the planned budget and votewhether to accept, reject, or amend it.

Ron Crane will describe the status of the capital campaign, and Alison Kendall,Building Committee chair, will give us the up-to-date news on where we standwith our construction plans for phase one of the building program and our designplans for phase two.

As usual, lunch will be available for sale in Forbes Hall.

- Carol Agate

Stewardship -- What a Difference a Plan Makes

Who am I? Why am I here?" Those memorable and humorous words were uttered by1992 vice presidential candidate James Stockdale. Last month's guest speakerPeter Henrickson spoke them again, in all seriousness, as his opening remarksfor a sermon he delivered after spending the weekend exploring the importanceof these questions with leaders of our congregation.

The author of "Financial Management in the Church" said that these questions,among others, reveal the heart of why we're in community with each other. Hesaid that when we - you, me, our leadership - create a community, we start byfiguring out what we want to be and what we need to become it. When we articulateour desires, we can plan and turn them into reality.

I'll tell you a story that exemplifies my own desires for this congregation.I was having a conversation about our community with a dear friend who's cometo this church longer than I, when this person said, "I come to church on Sundays;I like it here. But if you ask me, 'Am I connected to this community?' I thinkthe answer is 'Not really.' "

In my heart I want this person's answer to the question to be a resounding"yes." I think we, as a congregation, have a long way to go to enable that.But here's where the vision thing comes in.

Imagine adding someone with professional experience in creating a caring andcompassionate community on our team at UUCCSM. This person could day-in andday-out focus on helping us help each other. He or she could help us figureout what gifts we have that support other people and how we can use them forour own development and others' too.

Imagine a staff person, not a congregant with a day job who has good intentionsyet struggles to find time to focus or has to drop out periodically, to workon a big project that will always take priority over volunteer work: a staffperson who comes to work and has eight hours a day to focus on supporting ourgreat volunteers who do social justice work, membership and leadership development,communication and more.

Might we have a stronger community after three years? Might some of the peoplewho walk through our doors and "join" our church only to leave a year or twolater, stick around instead? Might we have an even healthier RE program, Faithin Action program, and music program? I'd love to find out. Wouldn't you?

I've told you my dream. Will you tell me yours? Then, how about if we figureout how much it will cost and see if we can make it happen? Let's make a communitythat supports our personal transformation and has a demonstrable impact on theworld at large.

- In faith,
Jacki K.Weber

Lucia Cargill is a Public Health Specialist Who Provides Aid for the World'sPoorest

Afew hours after the tsunamidevastated Indonesia on December 28, 2004, church member Lucia Cargill got anurgent e-mail message from a physician friend there. Eleven young Indonesiandoctors, all members of an adventure club, were heading for the rural west coastarea of Aceh. They needed help. Right away. They were carrying only backpacks.

"The message said they were going directly to the coast nearest the epicenterof the quake to assist the survivors, but had no money, no equipment, and noidea how they were going to pull it off," recalls Lucia, a new member of ourchurch and case manager for Vitas Hospice's West Region.

Lucia, a registered nurse with a Ph.D., medical anthropologist, and publichealth specialist, is president/executive director of the non-profit AmericanOverseas Medical Aid Association (aomaa.org). Organized in 1962 in Chicago,now based in L.A., the association provides direct aid, materials, and servicesto people in need, technical advice to local non-profit groups, and advocacyfor local professionals working to alleviate poverty and suffering in ruralareas in the U.S. and abroad.

In two days, Lucia and her board of directors raised $1,000, sent it to Indonesia,and then developed a network of organizations contributing small grants. Togetherwith Indonesian professionals, they organized a local non-profit, called IBU4Aceh."("Ibu" means "mother" so the name translates as "the mother who cares for Aceh.")

Cutting the road through to Meulaboh with the military, the medical team startedwork in an abandoned vocational school. "The 11 doctors and 39 other volunteershandled the dead and stitched up the living," says Lucia. They soon recruited120 more volunteers, including psychologists and teachers, to work with thechildren in six camps.

During 2005 the team saw nearly 25,000 medical patients and over 45,000 adultsand children for psychosocial services, health worker training, mother and childhealth fairs, and community events - all on less than $150,000.

So far in 2006, $144,000 has been raised. More money is needed to continuethese programs and to build a maternal and child health center.

Lucia grew up in Alabama, Texas, California, Okinawa, and the Philippines.Her father taught flying. He was one of the first Air Force fighter pilots tofly F-100s over the Pacific Rim after WWII. "Part of my history and commitmentto social justice comes from exposure to these social environments and diversepeople," she believes.

"I have a three-track career: clinical nursing, public health research andnon-profit work, and academic research and teaching." She is Adjunct Professorof Anthropology at Cal State University Fresno, where she presented the DistinguishedLecture for 2006 on April 27, speaking about local responses to emergenciesand disasters, and to the grassroots partnerships that may enable people indeveloping countries and rural areas to help themselves.

A divorced mother of four grown children, two sons and two daughters, Luciamoved here in 2002 and is now looking for a research position at UCLA or Rand,"hoping to settle down, and slowly working on my nurse practitioner license."She is artistic, a metalsmith and jeweler working as technical advisor on themovie, "Nefertiti." She is working on a book on healthcare and aging in America,and loves to garden.

"$o Much to Do, $o Little Time" Silent Auction Raises $5,000

In the spring of2005 we were facing a budgetary crisis. During a town hall meeting about ourbudget, Leslie Reuter proposed launching an entirely new fund-raising effortwith the goal of adding $5,000 to the funds for our church's 2005-2006 operationsbudget.

After the summer Leslie started recruiting volunteers and considering how theauction should be organized. Ideas were drawn from the following UU churches:UU Fellowship of San Dieguito (in Solana Beach), Orange Coast UU Church, UnitarianSociety of Santa Barbara, and the UU Church of Studio City.

From November through March, Leslie and cochair Kathy Cook solicited donationsfor sale, developed ideas for the fundraising event, solicited donations ofgoods and services, planned the auction, arranged the items for sale, createdthe many gift baskets, prepared the bid sheets, and worked to recruit a largegroup of people to help with the actual auction.

The auction was held the last weekend of March, with a clearance of leftoveritems the following two weeks. The auction was a great success. Over 57 memberswere successful bidders, with many more participating by donating gift items,services, and gift certificates, as well as by buying the fair trade coffee,tea, and cocoa, the UU impulse items, craft items, snacks and lunches, and posters.We received 26 donated services and enough gift items to create 97 gift baskets.The church office donated a table, an entertainment center, and a TV. Sevenart works were donated and two craftspeople shared the proceeds from their wares- Jacki Paddock offered jewelry and Myra Wald offered crocheted hats. Therewere a total of 136 auction items resulting in a net sale just over $5,100.

More than 40 volunteers helped Leslie with this fundraising effort. They are(in no particular order): Kathy Cook (a special thanks to Kathy for being thecochair), Charles Haskell, Christine Haskell, Katie Malich, Lisa Fischer, DianeBrooks Ludowitz, Keith Ludowitz, Sandra Trutt, Karen Patch, Rich Cook, MarvPulliam, Myra Wald, Jacki Paddock, Julie Gilliam, Margot Page, Melinda Ewen,Sherry Handa, Rhonda Turner, Bayard Storey, Nels Hansen, Amy Lacombe, Lucy Lacombe,Katie Gross, Carey Gross, Clayton Coleman, Greg Coleman, Ron Crane, John Fels,Gerrie Lambson, Audrey Lyness, Marge Zifferblatt and her daughter Ellen Stuart,Rob Briner, Helen Burns, Joanie Wilk, Jerry and Sue Moore (thanks for the pens),Betty Grant, Carol-jean Teuffel, Carol Kerr, Ofelia Lachtman, Marie Kashmer-Stiebing, and Jim Cadwell. Leslie extends her apologies to anyone whose nameshe may have inadvertently omitted.

Leslie hoped the fundraiser would involve the church as a community, and shewas gratified to see so many members contributing in so many ways. Thanks toeveryone.

- Charles Haskell and Leslie Reuter

General Assembly will Wrestle with Pacifism vs. Pragmatism

Condemnation of the war in Iraq is not particularly controversial among UUs.But how about our attack on Afghanistan?

It seems that the plenary session debate this June at the UUA General Assemblyin St. Louis may be between the pacifists and the pragmatists. These are thelabels being attached in the lively e-mail discussions taking place prior toGA.

This is the first year there have been serious online discussions before GA,maybe because it's an issue on which there is disagreement. It used to be thata few congregations would have meetings to discuss the GA resolutions, but mostdidn't. Now interested individuals don't have to search for people in theirown church who want to talk about the issues; they just go on line and joinone of the many discussion groups.

GA resolutions don't generally stir much controversy beyond the wordsmithingthat goes into drafting resolutions. After all, most UUs advocate stem cellresearch, prison reform, and support for farm workers, and are concerned aboutglobal warming. But, although we have found no controversy in advocating peace,we do differ on whether there is such a thing as a just war.

This year's proposed study issue is: "Should the Unitarian Universalist Associationreject the use of any and all kinds of violence and war to resolve disputesbetween peoples and nations and adopt a principle of seeking just peace throughnonviolent means?"

This study item asks us to go beyond simply supporting good things as mostpast items have. It is proposing we seek answers to questions like these: Shouldwe adopt a specific and detailed "just war" policy to guide our witness, advocacy,and social justice efforts? Should we reject violence in any form?

To see all the proposed questions, go to page 4 at http://www.uua.org/ga/ga06/TentativeAgenda.pdf.If you would like to provide input, your delegates are Bonnie Brae, Judith Meyer,David Denton, Karen Patch, Amelia Harati, Jacki Paddock, Haley Paddock, MarvPulliam, and Carol Agate. Catherine Farmer will also be attending.

- Carol Agate

Interim Administrator Melinda Ewen Becomes Permanent as of March 1

At its February14 meeting the church Board voted unanimously to endorse the unanimous recommendationof the Personnel Committee by selecting Melinda Ewen as the church administrator.

Melinda says that in many ways she has been preparing to serve our congregationas administrator for years. She discovered Unitarian Universalism during graduateschool at Purdue University where she attended the UU Fellowship of West Lafayette,IN, and then first participated in UU leadership when she was nominated to besecretary to a forming congregation, UU Church of Indianapolis. During thoseyears, her newcomer's interest in and study of our denomination meshed wellwith the lessons she learned about the democratic process.

After moving to Muncie, IN, Melinda did a 17-year tour of many volunteer opportunities,including RE, membership, social committees, and a variety of board positionsincluding two years as president. When she moved to California she interviewedfor administrator positions at both Neighborhood Church in Pasadena and FirstChurch in San Diego, but lost out to internal candidates both times.

When asked by our Search Committee why she wanted the position at UUCCSM, Melindaremarked quickly that she considered it a "dream job" - to be able to contributeher talents to a mission and community she loves.

We Will Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Our Calling Ernie Pipes as Minister

Ernest D. Pipes, Jr., retired as our church's minister in1991, after havingserved us for 35 years. Since then he's been Minister Emeritus, pinch-hittingand providing continued guidance and institutional memory. On Sunday, March12, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of our calling him to Santa Monica,with Ernie giving the sermon at both services under the title "Thanks for theMemories."

Ernie came at a critical time, after the congregation had split on the issueof a Cold War-era loyalty oath. After the then-minister, Howard Matson, resignedand only about 100 members stayed with the church, board member Angie Forbesrecruited Ernie for a "healing ministry," a challenge perfectly suited to Ernieand his wife, Maggie. The congregation stabilized, gradually grew, and evolvedthroughout the turbulent 1960s, transitional 1970s, and precarious 1980s.

Reaching the age of 65 and having raised three children, Ernie and Maggie begana well-deserved retirement. Their journey has been long and enriching, includingextensive travel and social action.

Ernie, a native of Texas, first majored in chemical engineering at Rice University.After service in the navy in World War II, he enrolled at Trinity University,majoring in philosophy and social science. He graduated in 1949 and marriedMargaret Copeland the same year.

They went to Cambridge, MA, where Ernie studied philosophy at Harvard. He transferredto the Harvard Divinity School and graduated in 1952. His first call (the formalinvitation from a congregation) was to Albany, NY, where the winter weatherwas shockingly cold. When the persuasive Angie Forbes traveled to Albany torecruit Ernie, the lure of sunshine, a booming local economy, and a small congregationwas enticing. Ernie and Maggie with two young children took a calculated riskand, this 50-year relationship between a congregation and its minister has beenone of unsurpassed loyalty and affection.

Fifty years later, "Thanks for the Memories" will be the perfect theme on March12.

- Rob Briner, Historian-archivist

It's a Big Year for John Agnew with Two Prestigious Awards

John Agnew, professor of geography at UCLA and a member of our church, willreceive the highest award in his field, the Distinguished Scholarship Awardfor 2006, from the Association of American Geographers at its annual meetingin Chicago on March 11.

The association has a membership of about 7,000 in the U.S. and around theworld. Members are primarily academics, but there are also government employeesand people who work for private businesses, particularly in computer mapping,environmental consulting, and industrial location.

The citation for his Distinguished Service Award reads, "Professor John Agnew,University of California, Los Angeles, is one of the preeminent political geographersin the world today. His research record is among the most distinguished in politicalgeography. He has written or co-edited 21 books or monographs and more than130 research articles, notes, commentaries and other contributions to the field.His principal research contribution has been to illuminate the broad contoursof contemporary geographies of globalization, nationalism, and place. His bookon Italian politics, for example, is a tour de force in making a powerful casefor understanding the modern 'state' from a geographical perspective. But he,more than any other scholar, has shown himself to be broad in scope and scale,showing how globalization, nationalism, and place must be reciprocally tiedtogether in any comprehensive understanding of politics today."

As if that weren't enough, John has received another honor. His most recentbook, "Hegemony,"(Temple University Press) was given the "Outstanding Academic Title Award for2005" by "Choice," the monthly magazine of book reviews published by the AmericanLibrary Association. The editors of the magazine reserve the award for a veryfew of the thousands of books that they review every year. Explains John, "Theidea is to identify the books that they think every library should buy." ThePreface and Chapter 1 of "Hegemony" can be read on the Temple University Presswebsite, http://www.temple.edu/tempress.

According to the website, "Hegemony" tells the story of the drive to createconsumer capitalism abroad through political pressure and the promise of goodsfor mass consumption. It explains that the primary goal of the foreign and economicpolicies of the U.S. is a world that increasingly reflects the American wayof doing business. "The thesis of the book is that 'globalization' - the reductionof the importance of geographical distance for many economic transactions andthe spread of common cultural messages (in other words, the 'shrinking' of theworld) is rooted in the projection into the world-atlarge of the U.S. historicalexperience of settling North America and establishing the first large-scale'marketplace society,'" says John. "The trend is from a world organized primarilywith reference to territorial states to an increasingly complex geographic mosaicof localities, global city-regions, and trading blocs connected by networksof flows of goods, people, capital and messages."

Born in a village in northwest England, John was educated in England at theUniversities of Exeter and of Liverpool. He received both his MA and PhD ingeography from Ohio State University in Columbus. He has lived in Westlake Villagesince coming to UCLA in 1996. He has two daughters, Katie and Christine. Katiehas just passed the California Bar after attending UC Santa Barbara and WhittierLaw School. Christine, who is a church member, graduated from UC Irvine andis working for Amgen. She is applying to schools of public health to pursuea master's degree in international health and later hopes to enter the PeaceCorps.

John's partner, Felicity Nussbaum, teaches English at UCLA and is also a memberof our church. John, who joined the church in 2000, is on the Bylaws and PoliciesCommittee.

Does he have any hobbies and special interests? "Apart from work, commuting,and reading, I like hiking, traveling, and eating out." His favorite restaurant?"Rocca in Santa Monica."

- Paula Bernstein

It is widely accepted that if a person comes to any church and is unable todevelop at least one meaningful relationship with a member of the church withina couple of months, the person will drift away.

Covenant Groups are a means to connect with others in our church in a shorttime. The small groups meet for two hours at least twice a month. Members sharetheir personal views and feelings on topics of importance in their lives. Oneperson speaks at a time and others listen actively. The meeting offers a safeenvironment for sharing experiences. Soon, a bond of trust among the membersdevelops, and each participant gets to know the others in a special way.

Topics, usually with a spiritual component, are selected by each group's membersand include items where a personal point of view or personal experience is important.Groups are formed and members are included according to time of meeting, thusassuring that members will probably meet someone who they don't already knowas a personal friend. They will almost certainly develop new relationships ofvalue with others in their group.

If you are interested in joining a group, drop by the Small Group MinistryTable in Forbes Hall on Sunday after each service to explore how to get connected.

- Marv Pulliam

Living Green Takes Organization; Recycling is a Place to Start

You have to be organized to live green. The first step for most people whoare environmentally conscious is to recycle aluminum cans, glass, plastic andpaper. Those of you who live where there is weekly pickup of recycled itemsare lucky because it is so easy to sort directly into your bins. Others needto have a simple system set up to do this.

You need containers (bags, boxes, trash cans) to hold recyclables and a placeto put them (under the sink, outside, in the laundry room or garage).

When your containers are full, make a trip to the recycling center. Try tovisit the center on a regular basis such as the first or last day of the month.This is part of your system. I don't have that much to recycle, but for me it'sconvenient to stop by the Santa Monica Recycling Center every Sunday on my wayto church. I leave 10 minutes early as part of my routine.

How did you start recycling? What is your system? Let us know. Ask about joiningother church members in the Living Green discussion group.

- Sandra Trutt, Living Green

About a year ago I started attending meetings of the Stewardship Committee,mostly because I like and admire its chair, Jacki Weber. It was formerly calledthe Pledge Committee, focusing on the yearly fundraising drive, but its intentwas broadened to include "taking care of." (A long time ago it was called "Waysand Means," similar to the committee that oversees tax laws in the U.S. Congress.)Whatever its name, the Stewardship Committee's main job is still to raise themoney that enables our church to operate - salaries for our minister and otherstaff, business expenses (sorry, but a church is a business), and building upkeep.As a previously "un-churched" person, I've been and still am trying to figureout how UUCCSM works. As the historian/archivist, I've gleaned a lot from historicaldocuments - mostly the truth that many of the same issues are rehashed everycouple of years and there's a lot of reinventing the wheel as new members getinvolved.

What does the pledge summary say? What does it cost to run our church and whopays for it? How does my pledge compare to others? Am I contributing a fairshare? Are others? Is our 2005 budget of $458,623 being well spent? What couldour church do and accomplish if I, and others, pledged more money (I refuseto use the euphemism "resources")? These are questions that have been writtenabout in previous newsletter articles. We all think about them incrementally,and quite frankly, they are never-ending. I have only my opinion at this time,based on a mere two years of association and membership. My opinion is, however,embedded in a well-established and growing love of who we are and what we do,and I consider my serendipitous introduction to UUCCSM as being one of the greatblessings of my life.

So, here's my take on the pledge breakdown: Combining the first two categories,$1 to $700 per year, I'm surprised, and quite frankly disappointed, that 181(53%) of all 2005 pledging units pledged less than $1.91 per day ($58.33 permonth) in support of a yearly budget of $458,623. That's less than a cup ofStarbucks coffee per day, or the cost of basic cable TV per month.

Now before you come at me with flaming torches and pickaxes, I know that'snot the whole story. I know (1) many people contribute money other than thatcredited to pledges (including unreimbursed expenses); (2) many people volunteerprodigious time and services that keep the church going; (3) households withannual income of $20,000 or less can hardly afford to pledge more than $100to $700 per year; (4) households at any income level can have extraordinarycircumstances such as job loss, serious illness, children in private schools,disabled elderly parents, etc., that limit or temporarily suspend charitablegifts; and finally, (5) everyone has a right to pledge whatever amount theywant without being chastised or criticized.

I'm not making a judgment; if you treat other people with respect and kindnessthen you're the kind of person I like and want to get to know, and nothing elsematters. I think no more or less of anyone based on their annual pledge to UUCCSM.But, I would hope, and am suggesting, that everyone in our congregation whois not officially low income/no assets and who most recently pledged $700 orless consider increasing the 2006 pledge by $20 per month (or $240 per year).If 150 pledges of $700 or less (out of 181) did that, it would generate an additional$36,000 per year toward operating expenses.

No one should pledge more than they're comfortable with, but everyone who believesin what UUism stands for and what UUCCSM is and does should strive to be a "fairshare" financial contributor (calculated according to suggested guidelines orself-defined). Now I'll take that bullet . . .

- Rob Briner

I've been reading a couple of books, "The Almost Church" and "Creating Congregationsof Generous People," both written by Michael Durall, a UU. While they're notfor sissies, I wish we could make these books required reading for the wholecongregation.

Durall writes that at a time when many of the values and messages of UUismare embraced by an increasing number of religious groups and society at large,most UU churches are on plateaus or in decline. When people are asked what theyyearn for, they say that they wish their church had a more significant, visiblecommunity impact; that they yearn for a more adventurous congregational life,a willingness of their church to live more boldly, to take risks, to accomplishgreat things or affect lives.

Durall writes that when asking church leaders what prevents them from accomplishingtheir hopes, dreams, and yearnings they say: "We believe members are impoverished,and can't ask them for more money." "We don't want to offend anyone." "Thereis a sense of giving leftovers to the church." "Membership is too easy here.""We are constantly worried about running out of money and this limits any dreamswe might possibly have."

Giving in mainline churches has declined for the last 30 years. Many congregationsoperate on the tradition of "just enough money to scrape by and no more." Familiarpatterns become institutionalized. Congregations are not challenged to dreambigger dreams and to reach out to society.

Many congregants believe that if the church's doors remain open, there is noreason to increase giving, rather than thinking about the rewards and benefitsof a growing and generous faith. Research cited in "Financing American Religion"showed that parishioners who give the least are motivated by maintaining thebuilding and the congregation. More generous members believe they are helpingother people and strengthening their relationship to the divine. What do ourmembers believe?

Durall says that in his opinion, for a church to be successful, there mustbe "an attitude among clergy and lay leaders that money is an instrument toaccomplish much good in the world, not a 'necessary evil.'" Rather than somethingto be dreaded like some sort of congregational root canal, giving, for Durall,is an affirmation of one's life and the embodiment of the hopes of a group ofpeople.

Should generosity be one of the core values of religious people? Is it possibleto lead miserly lives (or lives of great indulgence) and give little to thechurch yet consider oneself to be a person of faith? Giving in the Jewish traditionis expressed through the concept of tzedakah, which means "righteous giving,"in which sharing is not a matter of individual preference but rather a dutyand expectation. Jews believe that not giving would be like failing to providefor their children - an unthinkable dereliction.

Why isn't our congregation more generous? Durall writes: "We suspect that aconsumer mentality has become a part of church life; that people expect to receivebenefits from the church at a low 'cost' and don't believe they need to givemore. Why pay more for something that already costs little or nothing?"

What is our church like and for what does it want to raise money? Durall says,"Many churches sustain the belief that they can accomplish anything they setout to do. In literally every one of these congregations, regardless of programcosts or economic makeup of their church community, the money is usually there."

UUism is often referred to as "the best kept secret." Most people I meet havenever heard of it. How tragic. People in our community and our world need whatwe have to offer. How I wish that I hadn't been over 35 years old before I foundthe UU church. How I wish I had raised my son in this church.

Some words adapted from Michael Durall: Churches seldom die from taking risks;they expire from complacency. Plain and simple, we need more resources in orderto truly share our message of love and faith that can transform lives.

Durall continues: "Charitable giving should make some difference in how weas religious people experience life from day to day. If giving to your churchis similar to writing a check to pay the electric bill, and then forgettingabout it until the end of the next month, you are not giving enough.

"If you take spare change or a dollar or two from your pocket or purse forthe weekly collection and never notice the difference, your giving has too littlemeaning for you or for your church."

One stewardship consultant believes that it takes a five-year minimum to changethe giving culture in a congregation. Friends, it's time to get started.

- Charlene Langland

"Get Up, Bambi, You Must Get Up!"

Anyone viewing Walt Disney's classic animation of "Bambi" remembers the perilousforest fire when Bambi's father finds him trapped by smoke and flames. "Getup, Bambi, you must get up!" his father urges.

This empowering message to never give up is for all of us who "must get up"and help in contributing to our church's mission. The $o Much to Do, $o LittleTime campaign is on during October, November and December. In October and Novemberwe are asking members to solicit the donation of gift certificates from thelocal merchants they patronize or to donate a gift certificate from the businessthey own or where they work.

Please, don't be shy in asking merchants for their help with movie passes andgift certificates for sports equipment or events, spas, bakeries, restaurants,electronics, theater tickets, golf, tennis and music lessons, coffee houses,miniature golf course, dry cleaning, markets, and anyplace else you may regularlypatronize.

Donated gift certificates collected this month will be combined with next month'sdonation drive of fabulous gifts to create beautifully arranged gift basketsfor the church's silent auction to be held in the spring.

This is an ambitious drive. Please, won't you "get up" and help in reachingour fundraising goal of $5,000 by asking someone you know or do business withfor a gift certificate this month. You may drop it off at either service inthe colorfully decorated box in Forbes Hall next to the cookies on Sunday.

- Diane Ludowitz

Carol Ring's Art Featured at Tar Fest

Church member Carol Ring'sdigital art piece, "Urban Quilt VII," was exhibited in the Tar Fest Art Show2005, "Crafting the Los Angeles Experience," and was also featured on the postcard,left, promoting the event. The show was held at the Los Angeles Craft and FolkArt Museum, October 1 to 23. Carol is a graphics artist at Santa Monica Collegeand is also one of our newsletter designers. Her hobby is capturing beautifulabstractions from her daily travels with her digital camera. Items such as fadedand broken signs, rust stains, graffiti, paint smears, enigmatic stickers andposters, and other often shabby but vibrant and energetic oddities which adornour public spaces attract her eye. She collects and enhances these images onthe computer and groups them into art pieces she calls "Urban Quilts." Her workwas shown in Forbes Hall in 2003, and she is looking forward to a second showin 2006.