From Our Minister Archive
Aug 2005
You will have the opportunity to attend a workshop, "The Importance of an AdvanceHealthcare Directive," Sunday, August 28, after the worship service. The workshopis presented by the Center for Humane and Ethical Medical Care, a program ofthe Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, just down the street from the church.Leaders are Poonam Bhatla, Executive Director of CHEC, and Laura Larsen, authorof "Facing the Final Mystery."
We scheduled this workshop after the intense media coverage of the death ofTerri Schiavo. Among the many painful lessons to take from this widely publicizedcase is the need for each of us to have an advance directive for our healthcare.End of life decisions are simply too personal and too profound to leave to chance.
It is not difficult to create an advance healthcare directive. What is difficult,however, is to overcome the denial, fear, and procrastination that often getin the way of doing it. No one wants to contemplate death, let alone end-of-lifescenarios as grim as what Terri Schiavo endured.
An advance healthcare directive helps us to maintain some control and to exertsome determination over how we spend our last days. It can't take care of everyeventuality, but it can go a long way to easing suffering and dying with ourdignity intact. That is something all of us want.
I encourage you to attend this workshop. It will be easier to learn about advancehealthcare directives if we do it in the comfort of our community. You'll havegood company. You'll also have peace of mind once you take care of this importantpersonal responsibility.
-- Judith Meyer
[Note: The Rev. Judith Meyer will be on sabbatical from September 1 toJanuary 1. Look for reports on her activities in this space throughout the fall.And don't miss Sundays with the Rev. Jim Grant, sabbatical weekend minister.]
Jul 2005
The Rev. Judith Meyer is on vacation during July. Her column will resumein August.
Jun 2005
Here are excerpts from my annual report, delivered at our congregationalmeeting May 15:
This year, I note with appreciation how many members of our congregation havehelped to create an environment of shared ministry, which has made our churcha more caring and vital community. This year we have launched two new programs,the Small Group Ministry Program and the Telephone Outreach Program. These initiativesconfirm what we already know: that the ministry of our church is truly a collaborativeeffort.
I enjoy the challenges and opportunities of my ministry with all of you. Ispend most of my time preparing Sunday services, providing pastoral care toour congregation, creating rites of passage, and supporting church leadership,staff, and programs. The professional work of ministry takes my time as well.When the Rev. Kathleen Owens, the new assistant minister at Neighborhood Church,asked me to be her mentor, I readily agreed. The UU credentialing body, theFellowship Committee, requires a formal mentoring relationship for those intheir first three years of ministerial fellowship. After that, we're on ourown. It's a good reason to have a Committee on Ministry-Judy Federick, AnneGustafson, and Shawn Kerr-who keep me focused on my goals and suggest correctionsas needed.
I also serve on a UUA funding panel, the Fund for Unitarian Universalism, whichmakes grants to congregational programs. Locally I am involved in the faithbasedinitiatives supporting low-wage workers and the Unitarian Universalist LegislativeMinistry of California.
Next year will be a different experience for all of us. I will be taking afour-month sabbatical and you will have the Rev. Jim Grant as your weekend minister.A church provides both leadership and financial resources to allow a ministerto take sabbatical time and I thank each and every one of you for this opportunity.Most of all, I thank Carol Kerr for being willing to serve as president fora third term, which should help to minimize any disruption my absence may cause.
I read now the names of members of our church who have died in the past year.With each name is a lifetime of remembrances and gratitude for the time theywere among us. Will you please now rise in their honor:
Elizabeth Hoag
Esther Kalver
Diana Keller
Karen Raiford
Lois Thorne
Dean Voegtlen
May the spirit of these companions live on in us, as we carry forward our commoncommitment to a Unitarian Universalist way of life faithful to the words ofour covenant: "Love is the doctrine of this church."
-- Judith Meyer
May 2005
I am making plans for a four month sabbatical, which will take place from Septemberthrough December of this year. A ministerial sabbatical, the usual practicein churches, is earned leave time: one month for every year of service to thechurch. It is time to rest, study, write, reflect, travel - and to bring newexperiences and perspectives back to the congregation as a result.
I am very grateful to the church for providing this sabbatical, which is oneof the many benefits of ministry. I have already taken two short leaves of twomonths each in 2000 and 2002. Now plans are falling into place for the nextone.
The main project for my sabbatical is to prepare a book of my sermons. FelicityNussbaum, a member of our congregation and a professor of English at UCLA, generouslyoffered to serve as my editor and publisher. I would never have considered undertakingthis project without Felicity's encouragement and expertise. We have been workingtogether this past year to identify themes and begin selecting sermons for thebook.
From September through December, the Rev. Jim Grant will serve as your WeekendSabbatical Minister. Jim is a semi-retired Unitarian Universalist (and AmericanBaptist) minister who lives in San Diego. He has preached at our church, andhas been well received. I think very highly of him. Jim and his wife, Betty(an accomplished storyteller), will be in Santa Monica from Saturday eveningthrough Monday afternoon. Jim will conduct Sunday services and be availablefor pastoral care, rites of passage, and other ministerial duties as needed.
With our capable board, led by Carol Kerr; our dedicated staff, our generousminister emeritus, Ernie Pipes; and Jim Grant, I know you will be in good handswhile I am gone.
I am grateful to them and to all of you for supporting my sabbatical program.
(Note: Jim and Betty Grant will need a place to stay Saturday and Sundaynights during the sabbatical period. If you can offer them a place to stay,perhaps a guesthouse or apartment, please let me know.)
- Judith Meyer
Apr 2005
Our congregational vote March 6 to ordain Stefanie Etzbach-Dale to the UnitarianUniversalist ministry is an important event not only for Stefanie but also forour church. Stefanie has worked hard to arrive at this point in her trainingfor ministry. She has met with the Ministerial Fellowship Committee, the credentialingbody of the Unitarian Universalist Association; she has completed her internship,and she will graduate from Meadville- Lombard Theological School this May. Itis time for her to be recognized as a Unitarian Universalist minister.
Ordination, however, is not just an event in the life of a minister. Accordingto Unitarian Universalist tradition, only a local congregation can vote andenact an ordination. As with most important congregational decisions, only aproper congregational meeting and vote can lead to ordination.
Our vote March 6 belongs to a 350-year-old tradition of congregations ordainingand calling our ministers. It is rooted in our democratic self-governance, whichrecognizes the authority of the congregation in all church matters, includingreligious leadership. Schools may confer degrees and our Association may grantprofessional credentials, but only a congregation can elect a minister.
Stefanie's experience with our congregation as an intern minister led her toask us to ordain her. She has acknowledged the role we played in her formationas a minister. Now we have the happy task of affirming the culmination of heryears of preparation. Please mark the evening of June 19 on your calendars forStefanie's ordination service and plan to join us for this historic event.
-- Judith Meyer
P.S. As some of you already know, my husband, David, has been diagnosedwith Parkinson's disease. This is not good news, but we have been greatly reassuredthat his condition is mild. He does not have any complications and has respondedwell to a new medication. We want you to know that we do not expect this developmentto affect David's work or my ministry. Thanks to all of you for the caring andconcern you have expressed to both of us. - J.M.
Mar 2005
By now most of you have received our new church directory. It is mailed toeveryone who participates in our church community. If you look at each entry,you will see that everyone has a "status code": member, partner of member, non-member,friend, guest religious education parent. There is a lot of variety.
Our community welcomes all levels of participation. We recognize that peopleaffiliate with the church in different ways. We encourage people to take theirtime before joining. People report that they feel a deeper level of commitmentto the church after taking that step.
Sometimes people don't know whether they are members or not. Some folks havebeen attending the church for years, raising their children in the religiouseducation program, giving financial support, and they assume that all this makesthem members. Other people move here from other Unitarian Universalist congregationsand assume that their membership travels with them. But these assumptions aremistaken.
We don't make any assumptions about your level of commitment - we are gratefulfor your participation, whatever it is. But only you can decide to be a memberof our church. You might take a moment to check your directory listing and seeif your "status code" is what you think it is. If you're not listed as a member,I invite you to become one. Just speak to the volunteer at the membership centerin Forbes Hall on Sunday morning, come to our Newcomer Orientation gatheringthe first Sunday of the month, or speak to any member of our church staff tostart the process.
When you become a member of our church, you deepen your commitment to our faithtradition and the people who share it. That's a positive benefit for you andyour family. But there are other benefits as well. We need you. Our UnitarianUniversalist community needs the strength that comes from people who will standup and be counted. The world needs more Unitarian Universalists. It needs peoplewho are willing to be known by our faith. It needs each and every one of you.If you haven't already done so, I invite you to join us.
-- Judith Meyer
Feb 2005
Whenever a member of our congregation dies, we are all affected. Whether theperson was a close friend or simply a friendly face, we feel a sense of loss.The community changes with each death. Most recently we experienced that lossand change with the death of Dean Voegtlen, who contributed so much to our churchover many years.
I have been a minister long enough to know well what it is like to lose someonefrom the church. I have sat with grieving family members and friends, led memorialservices, and done what I could to help with healing and adjusting after loss.It is part of the rhythm of community-loss, change, adaptation.
The church is a place where we come into contact with the wider cycle of life.Younger members and children, however, may have never experienced the deathof a loved one or the grieving process. Their first loss is often that of anotherchurch member. I remember vividly from my own childhood the death of my youngerbrother's Sunday school teacher. I didn't even know him. But his death touchedme anyway.
When we join a community we are agreeing to be affected by the wider cycleof life together. This connection makes us more vulnerable than we may realize.The death of another member resonates throughout the entire church. Absenceis real. We are changed.
It is another kind of memorial-the one that takes place within each of us-andone more indication of just how powerful the bond of community can be.
-Judith Meyer
Jan 2005
Every Sunday I offer appreciation to an individual or group in the church whosevolunteer work has made a difference to our community. This custom began nearly10 years ago. The Administration Committee chair at the time, Helen Brown, broughtthe idea to me. She and her committee thought it would be a good way to thankall the people who did so much work, often unrecognized, for the church. Sincethen I've never had trouble finding people to acknowledge each week. Sometimesthe acknowledgement is predictable. After a big church event, we always havepeople to thank. Sometimes I learn about a quiet good deed and have the pleasureof making it known to others. Other times the staff members and committee chairssend me tips. Do you know someone who is doing something for the church? Someonewho hasn't been recognized? If so, please let me know about it. If you havesomeone you want to thank publicly, we can arrange for you to offer the appreciationyourself. I would enjoy hearing your words of gratitude to each other. I thinkeverybody would. It would add a new dimension to participation in the servicetoo. Offering public appreciation is a simple gesture. It is easy to do, butit builds community because it reminds us of how much we value individual contributions.While I'm at it, let me thank Helen Brown. As Administration Committee chair,she not only found ways to nurture our volunteers, she researched and oversawthe installation of our first security system, and supported the staff withher wisdom and skill.
-- Judith Meyer
Dec 2004
The holiday season involves travel for most of us. Whether we actually leavehome or not doesn't always matter. It's a change of our usual routine, whichhas advantages we do not always recognize.
As I write this message, I am on the East Coast, where I have been attendinga meeting at the Unitarian Universalist Association headquarters in Boston.I serve on a grant-making panel, the Fund for Unitarian Universalism. The panelreads proposals for innovative programs and awards $250,000 a year. The workis interesting and gives me ideas for projects we might consider in Santa Monica.
Whenever I get ready to leave home, however, I hesitate. I always feel a littleanxious, leaving David and Aki and all of you behind. But as soon as I'm onmy way, I realize that these short separations are a chance to stand back andappreciate how much all of you mean to me.
I also step out of my regular routine. That generates new ideas and a freshperspective on a problem or project. I read on the plane books that I wouldn'thave taken the time to read at home (this trip it is "What I Loved" by SiriHustvedt), I talk to people who don't live in California, and I come back justslightly altered from where I started out. I return happy to be home and gratefulfor my life.
The holidays offer all of us the same opportunity: to stand back, step out,and remember what makes us happy and grateful. Whether we travel across thecountry or simply take the time out to acquire a fresh perspective, it's anopportunity we should take each and every time it is offered to us. That timehas just arrived. Don't miss it this year.
-- Judith Meyer
Nov 2004
Every fall I set goals for the coming year. The purpose of establishing goalsis to focus my attention, to enlist the support and cooperation of church leadership,and to provide measurable achievements for evaluation. I like to share my goalswith members and friends of the congregation, to convey my priorities and toinvite your assistance.
My ongoing work - leading Sunday services and rites of passage; providing pastoralcare, staff supervision, and being a presence in our larger community; and workingwith you on ongoing programs such as Religious Exploration and Faith in Action- will still take most of my time and attention. Goals are always part of alarger vision and related to ongoing commitments. I keep in mind the missionof our church and our shared ministry as I set specific tasks for myself. Hereare the goals and some of the work I hope to do this year.
Provide leadership and support to new church programs, especially SmallGroup Ministry. For me this includes co-leading the facilitator trainingsessions and convening the facilitators in a monthly covenant group of theirown. I will also work closely with Small Group Ministry leadership in developingthe program.
Plan for the future. In the coming year our board and congregationwill need to do some planning, not only to move forward on our building program,but also to look ahead to the time when that work is finished. My goals includeparticipating in a long-range planning process and researching growth strategiesfor our church. I will also support our Stewardship Committee and its ongoingwork to educate the congregation and encourage our generosity.
Broaden our ministry. There is always a lot to do. This yearI have selected three areas for the focus of my attention: find new ways forolder members to share their lives with the congregation; face the challengesin our church presented by mental illness; strengthen the young adult (21 to35) presence and program.
I ask for your help in strengthening my ministry and the shared ministry ofour church.
--Judith Meyer