News & Announcements Archive
Ministers' Schedule
The Rev. Judith Meyer is available for meetings and appointments in the churchoffice Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. She works at home Fridays and Saturdays.Her day off is Monday. This month, Judith and Stefanie Etzbach-Dale will bein Chicago October 28-30 for an Internship Conference sponsored by Meadville-LombardTheological School.
Pulpit Suggestions Invited
The Pulpit Committee invites your feedback on the summer services, your suggestionsfor guest speakers, and your comments about how to improve the quality of ourworship.
Our job is to find guest speakers when the Rev. Judith Meyer is out of thepulpit, train members of the congregation to serve as pulpit hosts, and assistwith services created by members of the church. We’d like to hear yourcomments. Please e-mail Pulpit Committee chair Vilma Ortiz,and your feedback will be reported to the committee (Sue Bickford, Alison Chipman,Kathy Cook, Gary Kinsinger, Scott Roewe), which meets the first Tuesday of eachmonth.
Weekly Mediatation is Starting Again
Meditation and discussion of various spiritual and religious subects will beginevery Tuesday evening beginning September 2 in Room 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. The classwill be led by Bernie Silvers, a former Zen monk.
Meditation and discussion will resume again every Sunday morning from 9:30to 10:45 a.m., beginning September 7, in Room A (building behind Forbes Hall,upstairs). Bernie will again lead the discussions and teach meditation. Beginnersare welcome. For more information contact Bernie.
Holiday Boutique Needs New Sponsor
For more than 10 years, the Social Action Committee had, as one of its projects,the very popular holiday recycling boutique, which enabled members of the congregationto clear out their closets of new and nearly new items and to buy other people’snew and nearly new items at prices more affordable than Macy’s 15-hoursale. The proceeds, which amounted to between $2,000 and $3,000, went to non-profitagencies in our community. We also contributed a fax machine to the farm workersunion office in Oxnard, and $1,000 to the new California Unitarian UniversalistLegislative ministry.
The Social Action Committee has disbanded and we are looking for a committeeor group of energetic people to take over this fun and worthwhile project. Manyitems are left over from last year’s boutique, and also, some wonderfulconsultants are prepared to meet with any group or committee to help keep thisproject going. Sunday, November 30, has been put on the church’s calendaras the date for this year’s boutique.
Commitments should be be made as soon as possible to leave time to properlyput the boutique together. Please call Sylvia Berke, JanFolick, or Marge Zifferblatt if you are interested.
-- Sylvia Berke
Art Note
Calling all artists who are members of our congregation...to be part of theOur Own Artists exhibit in December on our gallery wall in Forbes Hall.For more information, call Shirlee Frank.
Name Tag Reminder
It's September. Please start the season right by wearing your name tag!
Items Worth More Than $50 Sought for Mini-Auctions
Have you noticed the mini-auction that was posted on the bulletin board inthe Forbes Hall seating alcove? We sold a set of Shakespeare books and a PalmPDA with a keyboard. This money will go to the building fund.
The next item for sale will be a Macintosh G3 computer, complete with monitor,extra memory, software, and manuals. Other items will be sold when they aredonated. Donors will receive a receipt for income tax credit.
Items must be worth at least $50 used. Unless they are things that have appreciatedin value, they should have been several hundred dollars new. If you have somethingto auction, please contact Carol Agate.
Vacation Month
The Rev. Judith Meyer is on vacation for the month of July. If you need ministerialservices while she is away, please call the church office for a referral.
Committee on Ministry Wants to Hear from You
Several times a year, the committee on ministry meets with JudithMeyer to discuss issues involving her ministry and to serve as a soundingboard for her related ideas. The committee's primary function is to providean annual evaluation of the minister and to present it to the board. To thisend, the committee conducts interviews with a number of congregational members.Although formal interviewing takes place at the end of the calendar year, wewelcome congregation members' input at any time.
You may send comments to any of the committee members, currently AudreyLyness, Felicity Nussbaum, and Karen Raiford.You may also address your comments to Jerry Gates, liaisonto the board. We look forward to hearing from you about the strengths and challengesto the minister at our church.
-- Audrey Lyness
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Election Update: No on LV Wins
In our October newsletter, we reported on a forum in our Sanctuary, sponsored by Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, that urged Santa Monica voters to vote no on Ballot Measure LV. Panelists said that, by virtually precluding the possibility of building low income housing in Santa Monica, the measure violated the tenets of all major religions to “provide for the poorest among us.” Over 56% of those who cast ballots voted no on LV.
Why and How to Access the "For Members" Section of uusm.org
As a church member with an account at uusm.org, you’ll be able to access the members-only section that includes Board and Right Relations Task Force information, links to the full-color (splendid!) PDF version of this newsletter (including back editions), the most up-to-date edition of the church directory, and much more.
If you don’t already have an account, go to uusm.org and click on the “Log In” link in the top right-hand corner of every page. Then click “Create new account” and follow the instructions from there (you will provide your email address and create your own username and password). After your account is created, the webmaster will verify your church orgmember status against the most recent church directory, and then activate your account. After activation, you’ll have full access to the members section.
To make it easier to verify your membership, please use your name somewhere in your profile. If you are a new member, not yet listed in the directory, please email webmaster@uusm.org . Also, please note that warnings about password strength are advisory only and can be ignored. If you forget your password, just request a new one. More guidance can be found in the “Help” link next to the “Log In” link or by contacting our webmaster, Liz Fuller, at webmaster@uusm.org .
Are You Aware (Memory)?
Name tags and badges aren’t just for visitors. People with memory problems sometimes stop coming to church because they may have trouble recalling the names of people they know. It is embarrassing to greet someone you know and not remember their name.
You can help everyone feel comfortable by wearing your name badge or getting a name tag at the Greeters’ Table when you come to church.
You can help by talking with the Disability Support Group and others in the Church about ways to improve support for persons with disabilities in our church community, or by sharing your concerns and needs. Not sure whom to contact? Look for Mark Christiansen, Michael Young, Steve Young, or Sylvia Young.
Profiled - A documentary film by Kathleen Foster
Saturday, December 10, 7:00 p.m., in the Sanctuary
Kathleen Foster spoke at UU Santa Monica in 2009, when we screened her film, “Afghan Women: A History of Struggle.” Her 2016 documentary, “Profiled,” was released by Women Make Movies, which says, “PROFILED knits the stories of mothers of Black and Latin youth murdered by the NYPD into a powerful indictment of racial profiling and police brutality, and places them within a historical context of the roots of racism in the U.S.”
Stephanie Foard, a math teacher in a Brooklyn high school when she and some of her students appeared in the documentary, will participate in the discussion period following the screening.
Sponsored by the UUSM Faith in Action Commission and the Westside Chapter of the ACLU of Southern California For information: fia@uusm.org