From Our Minister Archive
The Adult Religious Growth and Learning (ARGL) committee has always encouragedme to offer classes. Over the years I have responded by leading study groupsin Transcendentalism, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, importantcomponents of our Unitarian Universalist history and spiritual tradition. Manyof you have attended these sessions, reading primary texts and attending ourgroup meetings. ARGL member Ren Renshaw joined me last year in co-leading thediscussions, and the collaboration improved the class enormously.
Last spring, another member of ARGL, Jean Allgeyer, approached me with a newidea. She suggested that I open a dialogue with the congregation and hold aseries of discussions about my personal beliefs. I liked her idea and gave somethought to the best way to plan such a program.
What I decided to do is to hold six to eight meetings over the course of theyear, with the discussion based on the Sunday sermon for that week. The topicswill address various aspects of personal faith and spirituality. In the sermon,I can offer some of my personal views. In the discussion, participants can respondand offer their own views as well.
The first meeting takes place Wednesday, October 1, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. We’llmeet in Forbes Hall. I will present the topic in my sermon Sunday, September28, “On Being a Person of Faith.” I look forward to the opportunityto explore ourfaith and our spirituality together. We will get to know each other better aswell! I hope that the result will be a stronger sense of our common faith anda stronger feeling of community.
-- Judith Meyer
When I arrived in California 10 years ago, I had no idea how long I would stay.It was such a big change for me, leaving my friends and family in the northeastand taking up ministry in Santa Monica. I didn’t tend to have long ministries:two years at one church, four at another, and six years at the Unitarian UniversalistAssociation — the longest I ever remained in one job.
I was always looking for a new challenge, and the Santa Monica church wasit. The first year was eventful: the January 1994 Northridge earthquake tookplace the morning after the installation service. Our building suffered seriousdamage and everyone’s lives were disrupted. I had to wonder whether movinghere was such a good idea.
Ministry is unpredictable, I realized, and as I set about picking up the piecesafter the quake, I also realized that bonds form during times of distress. Andthey did. Before long, I felt like a real Angeleno, flying down the 10 freewaywith my friend Wanda the first day after it reopened.
Little did I know back then, however, how much my life would change or howlong I would stay. We never know what the future will bring! I often wonderedwhat it would be like to have a long ministry (10 years is long by most standards).More than once I have turned to Ernie Pipes, our minister emeritus, who servedour church for 35 years, for advice. He taught me that a congregation is constantlychanging, that you do not need to move somewhere else to renew your ministryor find new challenges.
I also learned that a long ministry is good for churches, which benefit fromthe stability and continuity a committed leader provides. One of the reasonsour church is so strong is because of Ernie’s integrity and the depthof his ministry, tested over many years. Now I appreciate for myself the valueof putting down roots and serving people for a long time.
These 10 years have been good ones for me. We have much to look forward to.And though no one can predict the future, it is certain to pose new challenges,interesting changes, and probably another earthquake sooner or later.
-- Judith Meyer
The summer has brought change once again to our congregation and larger UnitarianUniversalist community. We look forward to greeting a new director of religiouseducation, hopefully by the fall. And in September an intern minister, the Rev.Stefanie Etzbach-Dale, will be joining us for the church year. Look forher column in September.
Here in Santa Monica, change will bring us new personalities, skills and energiesfor our ministry and community. The year promises to be a good one. We willgain much from the addition of new leaders.
Change has taken place in our larger UU community too. At Neighborhood Churchin Pasadena, the senior minister, the Rev. Lee Barker, has resigned to becomepresident of Meadville-Lombard Theological School in Chicago. Many of you knowLee from our annual pulpit exchanges. His new position will draw on his strengthsnot only as a parish minister but also as an alumnus of Meadville, an advocatefor theological education, and a transformational leader. It’s a greatchange for him.
Neighborhood Church has given Lee a warm send-off and prepares to welcome interimministers to lead them through a transitional year or two. The transition, however,affects more than Lee’s former congregation. It also affects me. I willno longer have one of my closest colleagues in the ministry just a couple offreeways away, sharing the unique challenges of ministry in Los Angeles.
Lee and I will stay in touch, of course, but his departure will be a significantchange for me. I say goodbye to him and his family knowing that the move willbring them new opportunities and advantages, which they deserve. And thoughthe change is a loss for me, I know that it will bring growth. It always does.
What other changes the summer and new church year have in store for us, I cannotsay.
What I can say is that change is constant and that good can come from whatbegins as loss. All we need to do is keep growing.
-- Judith Meyer
The Rev. Judith Meyer is on vacation this month.
Excerpt from the annual report of the minister to the congregation
It was a year in which we came together to study and witness for justice andpeace; a year in which our church demanded – and received – exceptionalvolunteer commitments; a year in which we found real comfort in the warmth ofour community. It was also a year in which our country went to war; and thatwas not the only harsh reality, for lost jobs and shrunken incomes have affectedboth church and household budgets. The departure of a key staff person, ourdirector of religious education, left many of us unsettled, but brought outthe best in our teachers, parents, and leaders. And in our ministry, we havesaid goodbye to too many beloved members. This year I performed more memorialservices than weddings.
These are challenging times for us. Yet they bring out our strengths. The missionof our church – to practice love, seek truth and knowledge, dwell togetherin peace, serve humankind – is never diminished by challenges. Its hopeand its purpose are more relevant than ever.
I have been your minister now for ten years. Long enough to feel deeply attachedto the people; long enough to know when to step back and take the long view;long enough to appreciate the forward rush of time, of generational change,and of aging together.
But the best time is the present. Especially with all the energy that is goinginto religious education, faith in action, the stewardship initiative, and theemergence of new and inspired young leaders. What a joy it will be to work withCarol Kerr, our new president, in the coming year.
Change is always part of church life. Some of it comes naturally, but some ofit must be planned.
Our church membership has grown over the years. We are vibrant and active. Butour size is awkward: too large for our staff and our building, too small tohave everything we want. The building program will take care of our space needs,but the need for more staff remains.
A long-range planning group, convened by president Jerry Gates, has been workingon the problem this year. There is more work to be done, but Jerry has givenus an excellent beginning. I hope that continued long range planning will bethe legacy of his presidency.
For my part, I have been busy. This year I officiated at 6 weddings and 11 memorials.I have performed one child dedication ceremony — not nearly enough ofthose around here! –– and one ceremony for the renewal of marriagevows. I do as much pastoral work as I can. It is what I enjoy the most.
I am thankful to you, the congregation of the Unitarian Universalist CommunityChurch of Santa Monica, for giving me the best ten years of my life. I am thankfulto Ernie Pipes and Silvio Nardoni, the best colleagues I could ever dream ofhaving. And I am thankful to our common faith, which brings us together andguides us on our way.
-- Judith Meyer
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Our Minister Announces She Will Resign; June 4 Will Be Her Last Day in the Pulpit
Supporting One Another in Our Ministerial Transition
On November 4, the church office mailed and emailed a letter to our members and friends announcing my decision to step down from service as your minister at the close of the church year. Since then, many in our community have expressed sadness and support for me and for the church. I want to say again that while this decision was not easy for me to make, I strongly believe it is the right one for me and my family, and for the congregation.
I welcome the chance to meet with you to offer caring pastoral support in this time, and invite you to also reach out to your board of directors with any questions you have about the church’s upcoming ministerial transition. I can be reached at minister@uusm.org; our board president, Ron Crane, and board members can be contacted at their individual addresses. I also encourage you to attend a Listening Circle hosted by our Right Relations Task Force. Listening Circles are a chance for you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences of life together in our church, and listen to the experiences and perspectives of others, as you respond to questions offered by a trained facilitator. Please contact Margot Page and Vilma Ortiz, co-chairs of our Right Relations Task Force, at rightrelations@uusm.org, to sign up for an upcoming Listening Circle.
Finally, for those seeking additional, one-on-one support, church member and chaplain Michael Eselun is on call during this time for additional pastoral care.
-- Rev. Rebecca
The text of the letter mailed November 4:
It is with a full heart that I announce I will be resigning from my position as settled minister of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica at the end of the church year. My last Sunday in the pulpit will be June 4, 2017.
Since I accepted your call to ministry in 2010, I have been inspired by this congregation’s commitment to living out its values and putting its faith into action. My life is richer because of you, and it has been an honor to walk together with you in times of sorrow and celebration, in service to our congregation, our faith, and the greater community in Santa Monica and Los Angeles.
At the same time, this ministry has not been without challenges. Over the past year it has become clear to me that our congregation and leaders have multiple visions for the kind of church we would like to be, and the kind of future we want to build together. The Right Relations process we have begun in good faith is a powerful foundation for the work that is still to come, which will help the congregation deepen in understanding of one another’s perspectives, identify core values, articulate its mission and vision, improve clarity in roles and governance structures, and continue a transformative shift in culture that will make possible a more vibrant future. After deep personal reflection, consultation with trusted colleagues, and with the loving support of my family, I have decided that for this vital work at UUCCSM to go forward, it is best that my ministry with you come to an end.
The board of directors has accepted notice of my decision on behalf of the congregation and supports my decision, and we have planned for a compassionate leave-taking that will allow me to serve as your minister through the close of the church year. With support from our Association, the Board will be preparing to hire a temporary minister with the skills to guide and support the congregation after my departure. There will be time for this process to unfold in the spring.
Over these next months, we will have a chance to celebrate the accomplishments of my time with you, while not denying the challenges we have faced together. During the spring, I will be participating in the UU ministry search process. Regardless of the outcome of my search, I will not be continuing at UUCCSM.
All are invited to a Ministerial Transitions Workshop with the Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong of our UUA Congregational Life Staff, at 12:30 pm Sunday, November 6, to learn more about the congregation’s next steps, and to be with one another in this time of transition. [Please reach out to me and to the congregational leaders listed above to learn more about the congregation’s next steps, and to be with one another in this time of transition.]
With love,
Rev. Rebecca
The Morning After Election Day
Dear ones,
As I write, we are still reeling from a long and difficult election season that culminated when we elected Donald Trump as our next President. Please keep holding one another close in these difficult days, and remember we are long haul people. As Unitarian Universalists, we stand with one another and with all those who feel most fearful and threatened in the wake of this election; wherever there is a struggle for dignity, freedom, truth, and love, we will be there — we are there. The words of Catholic poet and activist Rose Marie Berger, written on November 9, spoke to me:
A Riff on Martin Niemöller and Matthew 25
For the morning after Donald J. Trump was elected president of the United States of America
BY ROSE MARIE BERGER AND JP KEENAN
First they came for the Muslims and Jews, and I said “I’m with them,”
even though I wasn’t a Muslim or a Jew.
Then they came for the immigrants, and I said “I’m with them,”
even though I wasn’t an immigrant.
They came for the Black Lives Matter activists and the
LGBTQ folks, and even though I was white and straight, I said
“I’m with them.”
When they came for the hungry and for those who hunger for
change and hunger for righteousness, I said “I’m with them.”
I’m with the thirsty and the thirsty earth gasping for rain. I’m with
the stranger, the refugee, all those who scale walls for freedom.
I’m with the naked, those stripped of human dignity, those without
decent work, without the cloth of human compassion.
I’m with the sick, the disabled, the addicted, and all those
dependent on the kindness of strangers.
I’m with the prisoners, the journalists, the detained, the deported,
and the deplorables.
When they came for those, I said, “I’m with them.”
I AM with them. I’m with us.
Much heart,
Rev. Rebecca
Rev. Rebecca