RE News Archive
From Our DRE:
Growing My Skills, and My Faith
Following my trip to Tucson for District Assembly, I am back with more clarity and more vision. My walk in the desert and along the border fence was a good reminder of the work that we do together in this faith and the values and principles we all share. The work is still not done!
The UUA issues credentials for religious education professionals. I feel that this is a good time to start my credentialing process, and have done so. Once my application is submitted and approved, the UUA will inform the board president of my acceptance into the program. Some benefits to the congregation will be:
• Stronger, more vital religious education programs and multigenerational ministries
• A religious educator with demonstrated knowledge and skill in the many areas of religious education leadership, such as program administration; Unitarian Universalist history; religious education philosophy; anti-racism, antioppression, and multiculturalism; and right relations and professional ethics
• Assurance that the religious educator has met professional development standards and is held accountable to professional ethics guidelines by the UUA \
• The potential for enhanced collegial relationships among staff members
• A religious educator with the professional confidence that comes from knowing that s/he has been evaluated and recognized by the UUA as a professional religious educator, and
• Recognition by the UUA as a congregation that supports and values professional excellence.
This process takes time, a great deal of reading, and support. One of the benefits of the credentialing program is that I will have a mentor. This is important especially during this time of transition. Over the next few months, following the departure of Rev. Rebecca Bijur, I will also be supported in my position by meetings with colleagues in the district either online or in person, conversations and guidance from Rev. Sarah Millspaugh from the Pacific Western Region of the UUA, our Right Relations consultant Nancy Edmundson, and meetings with the board president Ron Crane.
This will be a journey full of accomplishments, joys, and opportunities for congregational support. There will be some challenges as well that I am confident we will work together on. I appreciate this congregation’s commitment and support in continuing education and professional development of its staff members. I am looking forward to many years of shared ministry here at UUSM.
– Kathleen Hogue
ADULT RELIGIOUS GROWTH AND EDUCATION
Upcoming Groups
Summer Common Read & Discussion Group: “Thank God for Evolution”
Few issues have revealed deeper divisions in our society than the debate between creationism and evolution, between religion and science. Yet from the fray, the Rev. Michael Dowd has emerged as a reconciler, finding faith strengthened by the power of reason. With evidence from contemporary astrophysics, geology, biology, anthropology, and evolutionary psychology, Thank God for Evolution lays out a compelling argument for how religion and science can be mutually enriching forces in our lives. Praised by Nobel laureates in the scientific community and religious leaders alike, Thank God for Evolution will expand the horizon of what is possible for self, for relationships, and for our world.
Read the book and join the discussion on Wednesdays at 7 pm starting June 21, and continuing July 5 and July 19. Location to be determined. We have a few books available for purchase at $5 each. Contact Kathleen Hogue uusmdre@gmail.com or James Witker jwitker@mac.com
Summer Film Series: “Standing for the Future” featuring Michael Dowd
Saturday, June 17: Who is Michael Dowd? Learn all about Rev. Reality in this NHPTV Documentary: One-on-one with Dowd (27 min) followed by The Future Is Calling Us to Greatness (17 min)
Saturday, June 24: Standing for the Future (Part 1 of 3) — “The Evidential Reformation: Facts as Scripture, Ecology as Theology” a.k.a., Ten Commandments to Avoid Extinction: Religion as if Survival Mattered” — i.e., What Reality/God is telling us through evidence about how we must collectively think and act if we hope to spare our grandchildren from hell on Earth and spare ourselves their condemnation. Michael Dowd explores the evolutionary significance of religion and the religious significance of science. He suggests that only a sacred, evidence-based view of past, present, and future can bridge the faith-reason divide and clarify our way forward. (64 min) Continues on Saturdays, July 8 amd July 22. Contact Kathleen Hogue uusmdre@gmail.com or James Witker
Spirited Seekers Group Studies World Religions
Discover the world of spirituality in the Spirited Seekers group! We shall endeavor to keep an open mind, and to delight in the multitudinous expressions of world religions and the deeply personal mystical encounters with the Divine. We aim to discover new ways of looking at spirituality beyond the bonds of a specific theology, and we seek to enrich our own practices. This group is open to all.
For our meeting on Sunday, June 4, we will discuss Islam, Sufism, and Mohammad Jalaluddin Rumi, the Persian mystic and poet. We may also have a special guest, India Radfar, daughter of Sufi Shaykh Nur al-Anwar al-Jerrahi (Lex Hixon), who will talk about her father’s path to Islamic Sufism, as well as his legacy.
Sunday June 4, from 1 to 3 pm in the Warren Mathews Conference Room. Facilitated by Sarah Robson
Continuing Group
Monthly Meditation Summer Film Series: An Enjoyable Dive into the Who and What We Are
This on-going, once a month class is presented to help participants master specific meditation skills. We endeavor to answer the questions Who am I? (attitudes and beliefs) and What am I? (Essence or True Nature). This class will include meditations which explore participants’ spiritual goals. The monthly group meetings will also focus on insights gained throughout the month. It is expected that participants have a regular meditation practice. Monday, June 5, 7 pm to 9:30 pm in Room 1 of Forbes Hall. Facilitated by Bill Blake with co-facilitator Dave Watson.
Adult RE Committee Invites New Members and Leaders
Want to have fun, work with dynamic people, make connections and help plan programming? Want to help others by providing them with the tools to become who they want to be? Join the Adult RE Committee (ARE Committee). We meet every first Friday of the month at 7:00 PM in Forbes Room 1. All are welcome to come to the meetings and ask questions, offer feedback and ideas, or join the committee!
NOTE: Thursday Night Meditation will no longer be offered.
We are grateful to Bettye Barclay for her many years as a facilitator.
From Our New Director of Religious Exploration
Hello!
I am so glad to be here. I would like to tell you a little about myself. First, the geography (because many of you will ask me about my accent). I was born in Ravenna, OH. When I was three, my family moved to Nashville, TN, where most of my language training took place. At age 17 I moved back to Cleveland, OH. Then at about 26 years old I moved to Tucson, AZ, where I lived for 23 years. Wow…I am old!
I am a single at the moment and OK with that! I have three children. My daughter Jennifer (30) lives in Denver with her husband of about a year. My daughter Katrina lives in Tucson. At the age of 22, she is going through some growing pains. My son, Jimmy (28) will be joining me shortly and is looking forward to becoming involved in the life of the congregation. Stormy the kitten came with me, and Bear the service dog arrived with Jimmy. (We are leaving pets behind.)
In my life I have done a variety of work. Woodcutter from age nine to about fifteen (check out my arm muscles), server, fast food worker, call center worker, pet sitter, house cleaner, interior design company co-owner, daycare owner for 20 years, and 17 years working for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson.
I am so excited to be working with all of you. I look forward to meeting you and all the children. I know change is difficult and scary sometimes. (It has been quite an experience being out here without a place to live for the past few weeks.) But, if we all work together on creating, maintaining, and strengthening relationships, we will be able to keep our vision alive of being welcoming, creating and nurturing community, providing religious growth, and serving our world.
I hope to see you at all the social gatherings, potlucks, and events that this vital congregation has to offer. Please contact me with any questions, concerns, or just to chat. The church number is 310-829-5436 ext. 105. My email is dre@uusm.org . You can also stop by my office.
P.S.: PLEASE REGISTER YOUR CHILDREN FOR RE!
— Kathleen Hogue
Fall 2016 Adult RE Groups
GROUPS CONTINUING IN NOVEMBER
Thursday Night Centering Meditation
Participants can choose:
First and third Thursday OR second and fourth Thursday We do Centering Meditation. You choose a word to say silently to yourself as you enter the silence. You can choose a word such as peace, love, or joy. There is a brief time of comments, sharing and questions. We end the evening with a guided Mindfulness meditation.
Please contact the facilitator, Bettye Barclay, beforehand.
Monday Night Monthly Meditation: “An Enjoyable Dive into Who and What We Are”
We endeavor to answer the questions, “Who am I?” (attitudes and beliefs) and “What am I?” (essence or true nature). This class will include meditations that explore participants’ spiritual goals. The monthly group meetings will also focus on insights gained throughout the month. The class is open to everyone from beginners to experienced. No meditation experience required. Participants are encouraged to cultivate a regular meditation practice.
November 7, Forbes Room 1 , 7 to 9:30 pm
Facilitator: Bill Blake
Co-facilitator: Dave Watson
NEW GROUPS FOR NOVEMBER
Reason as a Religious Source: An Exploration of Critical Thought and Free Inquiry in the UU Tradition, Past and Present
Unitarian Universalism differs from most other religious movements in that the ultimate source of authority and
Unitarian Universalism differs from most other religious movements in that the ultimate source of authority and
truth is said to be the individual rather than holy text(s) or governing bodies. “Nothing at last is sacred,” wrote Emerson, “but the integrity of your own mind.” Indeed, the history of Unitarianism was largely a movement of reason within Christianity, bringing intellect and conscience to bear against dogmatic ideas such as the Trinity, original sin, and predestination.
This course is adapted from one module of the UUA’s expansive “Faith Like a River” UU history curriculum, but we will expand it to two (possibly more if needed) sessions. We will follow an arc of thought and action across several hundred years of liberal religious history to examine how expanding knowledge about our place in the universe, as well as philosophical traditions such as deism and humanism, have influenced UU common beliefs and values. Relevant to this exploration, of course, are questions about the role of reason in the UU movement today and in the shifting religious landscape of the future. A range of viewpoints is welcome. Please join us for a fascinating discussion.
Sundays, November 6 and 13 (Schedule subject to change), 3 to 5 pm, Forbes Hall
Facilitator: James Witker
Neighboring Faiths: Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens
Did you know there was a spiritual oasis in the middle of Los Angeles with beautiful gardens for meditation? Join us for a visit to the Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens. We will meet with a docent who will give us a tour of the labyrinth and gardens and introduce us to the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness. We will then have time to walk the labyrinth and meditate in the gardens. Space is limited, so if you are interested in joining us, please email Dan Patterson or sign up at the Lifespan RE table after services.
Sunday, November 20
Meet at 1:15 pm in front of the church
Contact: Dan Patterson
Good News About Our DRE Search: Introducing Kathleen Hogue
Our DRE Search Committee is delighted to share the good news that Kathleen Hogue has accepted our offer to become our new director of religious education.
Kathleen comes to us from Arizona, where she served the UU Church of Tucson as director of lifespan faith formation. Kathleen has been serving Unitarian Universalism as a leader in religious education since 2001. She brings to her role a contagious passion for nurturing people of all ages in their spiritual growth. Honesty, sharing feelings, and coming from a place of love are three of her core values as a religious professional; her past leadership has focused on ministry with youth and young adults, multiculturalism and acceptance, volunteer support, and program administration. Prior to joining the RE staff at UU Tucson, Kathleen founded and ran her own daycare center for over 20 years. She grew up in Tennessee and has also lived in Cleveland. Kathleen is particularly thrilled to come to a congregation with such a clear vision for social justice. She relocated to Los Angeles, with her adult son, a service dog, and a cat, in mid-September.
The DRE Search Committee will be staying on (with slight modifications) as the DRE Transition Team, to ease Kathleen’s introduction to our congregation and integration with the church. We will continue in this capacity until the completion of the DRE Start Up Workshop with our UUA Congregational Life staff and a DRE Service of Installation, to be scheduled as soon as is reasonable for the fall or winter.
Fall 2016 Adult RE Groups
GROUPS CONTINUING IN OCTOBER
THURSDAY NIGHT CENTERING MEDITATION
Participants can choose: First and third Thursday OR Second and fourth Thursday: We will do Centering Meditation where you choose a word to say silently to yourself as you enter the silence. You can choose a word such as peace, love, joy, etc. There will be a brief time of comments, sharing and questions. We will end the
MONDAY NIGHT MONTHLY MEDITATION: “An Enjoyable Dive into the Who and What We Are” We endeavor to answer the questions, “Who am I?” (attitudes and beliefs) and “What am I?” (essence or true nature). This class will include meditations that explore participants’ spiritual goals. The monthly group meetings will also focus on insights gained throughout the month. The class is open to everyone from beginners to experienced. No meditation experience required. Participants are encouraged to cultivate a regular meditation practice. October 3, Forbes Room 1, 7 to 9:30 pm Facilitator Bill Blake. Co-facilitator Dave Watson
NEW GROUP FOR OCTOBER
DEALING WITH BULLYING: HOW TO EMPOWER THE VICTIM
Adults and youth are invited to attend a workshop on “Dealing with Bullying: How to Empower the Victim,” led by UU Santa Monica member Linda Marten, MSW. Linda has been a bullying expert, resiliency trainer and credentialed parent educator since 1998. This workshop will address what motivates and perpetuates bullying and effective ways to deal with bullying through demonstration of real life situations. Take-home information and resources will also be provided. For more information, contact Linda Marten. October 30, 1 to 3 pm, Warren Mathews Conference Room
BE AN ADULT OWL
O.W.L. for Adults (18-98) is swooping back into UU Santa Monica for four more sessions (the first five were in the spring).
Please join us to explore adult sexuality. You are welcome to attend even if you weren’t part of the spring sessions. The first meeting is Saturday, September 24 from 1 to 5 pm in Forbes Hall. The final three sessions will take place October 8 and 29 and November 5.
Here are grade 8/9 O.W.L. September dates to note:
• Sept. 11 - Part II Parent Orientation for 8/9 O.W.L. 1 - 4pm Forbes Hall
• Sept. 23 - 8/9 Youth O.W.L. Potluck Launch 6:30 - 10pm Forbes Hall
Questions? Contact Beth Rendeiro.
California’s Groundbreaking Law Authorizing Medical Aid in Dying: Does it Promote UU Principles?
The End of Life Discussion Group hosts a two-part presentation: Part I: Compassion & Choices Presents “Everything You Need to Know About the New California End of Life Option Act” Sunday, September 25, 7 pm, in the Sanctuary.
Following in the footsteps of Oregonian UU’s who drafted a ballot initiative 20 years ago, the California legislature passed, and Governor Brown signed into law, the End of Life Option Act, which became effective June 9, 2016. This law permits terminally ill patients with mental capacity, under certain conditions, to make a choice regarding when and where to end life, peacefully and painlessly, by means of aid-in-dying medication prescribed by their doctors. Joe Barnes, California Outreach Manager of Compassion & Choices, will discuss the history of the legislation and the legal rights and obligations therein. What does the statute provide for? How do I obtain the medication? Can my doctor refuse me a prescription and, if so, what do I do? Under what conditions am I eligible to get the prescription? Is there any protection against coercion by relatives? What is the cost of the medication and will insurance cover it?
Part II: End of Life Discussion Group Presents Sundance Award-Winning Documentary “How to Die in Oregon” Monday, September 26, 7 pm in Forbes Hall.
The film describes the enactment and implementation of the Oregon law and follows several Oregonians in their decision-making process about whether and when to end life. In addition to the patients, we meet Compassion & Choices volunteer advocates, physicians, and family members who walk with the patients through the process, and learn how the choices affect them. Finally, we have a chance to reflect on how these stories impact us and our perceptions about dying, including what makes a good death, the moral implications of choosing to hasten death, and whether the medical aid in dying laws promote or circumvent the 1st, 2nd, and 7th UU Principles.
Facilitators: Audrey Lyness and Joyce Holmen.
Parents, Register Your Kids for RE!
Wanted, 4 More Volunteers
Our children and youth programming during both our services is now offered on Sundays. With the exception of YRUU, youth activities will happen in the Cottage with all ages K through 8th grade participating together at both services. Our age-specific programming for preschoolers through eighth graders will start September 25, by which time we should know who our new Director of Religious Exploration (DRE) is—and he or she may even be in place.
Parents, please fill out registration forms for your participating youth and children. Church members, we still need four volunteers for our regular age-specific programming — specifically working with K-2nd grades and 3rd-5th grades.
We are fortunate in this interim period to have the expert support and capable mind of Emmalinda MacLean, the DRE at Emerson Church, who is working with Rev. Rebecca and the Children and Youth Subcommittee to help with all the work the beginning of the year in Children and Youth programming involves.
Thank you, as always, for your care and support of our RE programs!
Gratefully,
Sabina Mayo-Smith for your LRE Children and Youth Committee, Emmalinda MacLean, and Reverend Rebecca
Any questions can be directed to Rev. Rebecca, minster@uusm.org.
All-Church Camp Weekend September 16-18, 2016
SIGN UP AT CHURCH OR ONLINE AT http://tinyurl.com/2016uuccsmcamp
Each year, UUSM members and friends flock to Camp de Benneville Pines, an idyllic rustic paradise two hours east of Santa Monica (if you leave at the right time on Friday) for a weekend of reveling in nature, ping pong tournaments, dam building, s’mores, tie-dying and sing-along versions of every ‘60s song you know (or don’t).
You are invited to join us! Singles, couples and families young and old enjoy clean mountain air, lots of activities, great camp food and fellowship. Rustic heated cabins are clean and comfortable, with indoor plumbing and hot showers, for “roughing it, gently.”
Prices start at $145/person for adults, $85/person for kids and $110 for teens, and that includes all food and activities for the weekend!
This year we are also offering a limited number of financial aid “camperships” for those who need it. If that’s your situation, your camp fee is just half-price (down to $70 per adult), and FREE for kids/teens. Or alternately, if you’re flush with cash, you could contribute to the campership pot, which’d help even more campers make it to
de Benneville in September. A full camp is a happy camp and we aim to be very happy.
Contact Jacki Weber for more information.
Summer 2016 Adult RE Groups
GROUPS CONTINUING IN SEPTEMBER
Thursday Night Centering Meditation
Participants can choose: First and third Thursday OR Second and fourth Thursday:
We will do Centering Meditation where you choose a word to say silently to yourself as you enter the silence. You can choose a word such as peace, love, joy, etc. There will be a brief time of comments, sharing and questions. We will end the evening with a guided Mindfulness meditation. Please contact facilitator Bettye Barclay beforehand
Monday Night Monthly Meditation
“An Enjoyable Dive into the Who and What We Are”
We endeavor to answer the questions, “Who am I?” (attitudes and beliefs) and “What am I?” (essence or true nature). This class will include meditations that explore participants’ spiritual goals. The monthly group meetings will also focus on insights gained throughout the month. The class is open to everyone from beginners to experienced. No meditation experience required. Participants are encouraged to cultivate a regular meditation practice.
September 12, Forbes Room 1, 7 to 9:30 pm
Facilitator Bill Blake. Co-facilitator Dave Watson
NEW GROUP FOR SEPTEMBER
“Just Mercy”
“Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption,” by Bryan Stevenson (2014, Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of Random House) was last year’s UUA Common Read. But our congregation wanted more than just one class! Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, has dedicated his legal career to defending those who are trapped by an often capricious, political, and willfully unjust criminal justice system — poor people, people of color, children, and others over whom the system has run roughshod. It speaks to justice, mercy, and compassion, themes of concern to us as Unitarian Universalists and as human beings. This is a two-session class. The second session ends just in time for Second Sunday Supper.
September 4 and 11, 4 to 5:30 pm, Room TBD
Facilitator Natalie Kahn
You can purchase your book online at www.uuabookstore.org
A free online study guide is also available at the same website.
Summer 2016 Adult RE Groups
GROUPS CONTINUING IN AUGUST
Thursday Night Centering Meditation
No classes in August
Monday Night Monthly Meditation
“An Enjoyable Dive into the Who and What We Are”
We endeavor to answer the questions, “Who am I?” (attitudes and beliefs) and “What am I?” (essence or true nature). This class will include meditations that explore participants’ spiritual goals. The monthly group meetings will also focus on insights gained throughout the month. The class is open to everyone from beginners to experienced. No meditation experience required. Participants are encouraged to cultivate a regular meditation practice.
First Monday of the month (August 1).
Location: Forbes Room 1
Time: 7 to 9:30 pm Facilitator Bill Blake
Co-facilitator Dave Watson
NEW GROUP FOR AUGUST
The Inner Critic vs. Your Inner Compass
Each of us has inherent worth, wisdom, and beauty. And yet, as we take a step into the world, we are often beset by inner voices that belittle, discourage, and sometimes even paralyze us with fear. In this three-hour workshop we will find the original benevolent intent of these critical voices and explore ways to get a little wiggle room from the onslaught of criticism. Even a little separation can help us think more clearly and find our inner truth. The voice of truth can then be like an inner compass that guides us, and a refuge that we can stand on.
Saturday August 27th
Location TBD
9:30 am to12:30 pm
Facilitator Beverley Shoenberger
On July 10, We Said Goodbye to Our Beloved DRE, Catherine Loya - Photos by Carol Ring
Parting is Such Sweet...Separation
As our time together draws to a close, I want you to know that I have deeply loved working hand in hand with this community to bring your vision for Lifespan RE programs to life over the last 13 years. We have done a good job of celebrating that relationship over the last month, and now we move into the time of saying goodbye. I do so with deep affection in my heart for all of you, and also a deep commitment to upholding the guidelines and best practices for religious professionals leaving their staff positions.
You have work to do, as you move into this transitional time and prepare for welcoming a new DRE. A big part of that work is reminding yourself that your staff member is not your program. Like ministers, religious educators have professional guidelines that urge us to leave when we leave — to not remain tied to the congregation through continued contact and news-sharing with members.
Please know that this separation and intentional severing of contact for a time does not indicate a lack of caring for you and your families — indeed, it is a hard line for me to draw. But my role as a staff member has always been to serve the health of the congregation, not use my connections to the congregation to meet my own needs, and this is especially true now. Your next DRE will be able to fill the role I leave only if I have truly left. I have no desire to be a ghost that hangs over the shoulder of my successor, keeping my fingers in the life of the congregation from afar. I can only hope that the outgoing DRE of the congregation I will serve next shows me the same consideration.
What does this mean? It means that I will not be in direct contact with congregants after July 10. I will not respond to personal emails or phone calls, and I will not be commenting on your Facebook posts or talking with you about what is going on at UU Santa Monica. I will be available as a resource for your next DRE or other UU Santa Monica staff for a time, to ease the transfer of institutional memory about RE to those who will be serving you in the future. I share these very clear boundaries because I want it not to be a surprise, this separation that is a clearing of space for new life to grow in relationship with your new staff member(s).
This month I am finding myself sitting in a strange inbetween place, with many small goodbyes that lead up to the big goodbye July 10. So here is one more: goodbye, my beloved UUSM members and friends and children and youth. I leave with love, and wish you the very best in the future which you will create together.
— Catherine Loya
Summer 2016 Adult RE Groups
GROUPS CONTINUING IN JULY
Thursday Night Centering Meditation
7 pm to 8:30 pm Cottage SE
We will do centering meditation where you choose a word to say silently to yourself as you enter the silence. You can choose a word such as “peace,” “love,” or “joy.” There will be a brief time of comments, sharing, and questions. We will end the evening with a guided mindfulness meditation.
Please contact facilitator Bettye Barclay beforehand.
NEW GROUP FOR JULY, ONWARDS
Monday Night Monthly Meditation
“An Enjoyable Dive into the Who and What We Are”
This ongoing, once-a-month class is presented to help participants master specific meditation skills. We endeavor to answer the questions Who am I (attitudes and beliefs)? and What am I (essence or true nature)? This class will include meditations that explore participants’ spiritual goals. The monthly group meetings will also focus on insights gained throughout the month. The class is open to everyone from beginners to experienced. No meditation experience required. It is encouraged that participants cultivate a regular
meditation practice through participation.
First Session: July 11th
After July: The first Monday of the month.
Location: Forbes 1
Time: 7 pm to 9:30 pm
Facilitator Bill Blake
Co-facilitator Dave Watson
Farewell to Catherine
We at UU Santa Monica are about to embark on a journey with Catherine Farmer Loya. One that we had hoped would never come. As many of you know, Catherine is moving to continue to pursue her career as director of religious education at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist church in Knoxville, TN.
Many of you have become familiar with Catherine’s commitment to educational versatility, talented storytelling, grace and charm. All of the qualities we have come to appreciate and cherish. Catherine is a treasure, and she has been welcomed into another UU community.
This does not really mean we are losing her, only that we are sharing her on a long term basis with another congregation. The gifts of creative activities for children and adults remain. The compassion and commitment to the development of our religious education can be seen in the eyes, actions and words of our children, youth and adults.
Catherine has tirelessly created celebratory and weekly Sunday events that not only amazed us, but reminded us of the beauty and wonder that we each hold within. She has taught our children that we can chose to share our gifts with those around us. We have learned from her stories that even the simplest acts can render the greatest surprises. Who wouldn’t want an RE leader like that?
With the guidance of Reverend Rebecca, Catherine has taught our youth how to craft a Sunday service for the Coming of Age and Bridging ceremonies. She has helped to foster inventiveness and responsibility in our youth by supporting the volunteers who work on the front lines. I know that when I was at my wit’s end, and had tied the last knot in my withering rope, she bolstered my strength and confidence that all would work out — despite the near fiascos that seemed to be before me. Her commitment has been that, “We should always hold a space for the visiting child or youth, in hopes that they will gladly return.”
Catherine has shared her humor, insight and patience with all of us at one time or another. Please, take a moment and share your memories with her and with other members of our UU family.
I began this labor of love stating we are embarking on a journey with Catherine. I was not waxing poetic, rather I was reminding myself, and perhaps you, that we are once again in the midst of change and discovery. What activities, stories and volunteer commitments will we participate in to honor what we have learned from Catherine? What “simple act” will remind us of the remarkable job she has done here?
I invite you to join me with enthusiasm and gratitude in wishing all the best for Catherine, Eric and Evan as they move to Tennessee, so they will know we hold a special place for them in our hearts and church.
— Jo An Peters
From Our Director of Religious Education:
“We Will Model a Healthy and Loving Separation”
It is with both joy and sorrow that I share the news that I have accepted an offer to join the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, TN as their Director of Religious Education, and thus will reach the end of my time at UU Santa Monica in July. My final Sunday will be July 10.
Saying goodbye is never easy. How can I put into words how I feel about the many, many gifts you have given me in the past thirteen years as we have worked together to build the wonderful RE program that we’ve created here in Santa Monica?
Deciding that my path was leading me elsewhere was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. I have loved working with all of you, I have grown tremendously myself in the time that I have been here, and I have delighted in watching our kids and youth grow and stretch as well.
I know transitions are hard, and I know that change is scary. I also know, however, that the RE program of this church is strong, and that I am not the program. I am leaving, yes, but the work we’ve done together remains. We have a great plan in place for the summer and the next year’s RE program, and a cadre of wonderful teachers and committee members will be in place to sustain it before I head out on my new adventure.
I have two priorities in the time that I have remaining here: to make sure that everything is in place for program maintenance while you’re in search for your next DRE, and to take the time to say a loving and healthy goodbye. We’ll be doing both of those things in the next month.
And truly, my friends, for you this is not an ending! It is a separation, yes, but is also the opening out of many wonderful possibilities for where you will take your programs as well as your DRE position. As a congregation, you will be able to step away from your emotional commitment to the person who fills the position, and can then look more clearly at the staff role in supporting your programs, and at your own needs and resources to discover how best to proceed.
You are the church. You are the program. You are the leadership that you need. In this transitional time let’s celebrate our time together, and do the good work of preparing for the future. It will be a good one.
— Catherine Farmer Loya
Summer 2016 Adult RE Groups
Groups Continuing in June
Thursday Night Centering Meditation
We will do centering meditation where you choose a word to say silently to yourself as you enter the silence. You can choose a word such as “peace,” “love,” or “joy.” There will be a brief time of comments, sharing, and questions. We will end the evening with a guided mindfulness meditation.
Please contact the facilitator, Bettye Barclay, beforehand.
Groups Beginning in June
UUA Foundational Texts: Emerson’s Harvard Divinity School Address
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Divinity School Address, delivered to the graduating class of Harvard Divinity School in 1838, was so shocking for its time that Emerson was not invited back to Harvard for another 30 years. What was so controversial? The “sage of Concord” implored the students to cast aside nearly all they had been taught about Christianity. He inveighed against “stationary” theology and urged them to live, learn and speak from their own life experiences — to show that “God speaketh, not spake.” Like other radicals in their own time, Emerson expressed ideas that would have a profound influence on the future of Unitarianism.
When: June 9, from 7 to 9 pm
Location: NE Cottage
Facilitator: James Witker: jwitker@mac.com
The 2016 UUA Common Read: “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson (2014, Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of Random House)
Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, has dedicated his legal career to defending those who are trapped by an often capricious, political, and willfully unjust criminal justice system — poor people, people of color, children, and others over whom the system has run roughshod. The book speaks to justice, mercy, and compassion, themes of concern to us as Unitarian Universalists and as human beings.
There will be one session on Sunday, June 26, from 3 to 5 pm.
Location NE Cottage
Facilitator: Natalie Kahn
According to interest, more sessions may be scheduled in July. You can purchase your book online at www.uuabookstore.org A free online study guide is also available at the above website. GROUPS BEGINNING IN JULY An Enjoyable Dive Into the Who and What We Are This on-going, once a month class is presented to help participants master specific meditation skills. We endeavor to answer the questions Who am I? (attitudes and beliefs) and What am I? (essence or true nature). This class will include meditations that explore participants’ spiritual goals. The monthly group meetings will also focus on insights gained throughout the month. It is expected that participants have a regular meditation practice.
When: First Monday night of each month
First Session: July 4th
Location: TBD
Time: 7pm-9:30pm
Facilitator: Bill Blake and Co-facilitator: Dave Watson
UU Santa Monica Summer 2016 Youth RE - Join the FUN!
A SUMMER OF SEUSS
For preschool-aged kids: The Glunk that Got Thunk, Horton Hatches the Egg, The Lorax, What Was I Scared Of?, The Big Brag, The Zax, I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today, The Sneeches, Yertle the Turtle, and Gertrude McFuzz.
HOGWARTS ACADEMY for Young UUs
Wands, Potions, Professors and Four Houses that celebrate Peace, Love, Hope, and Justice. Curriculum may include: Wand Shopping and Sorting Hat, Charms, Magical Creatures, Brewing Up Mindfulness: the Potion of Awareness, Incantations, Potions, Spell Play, Herbology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Volunteer professors may bring their own ideas. For kids elementary ages and up.
FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
We are a Religious Community, not a Social Club
As we move into May, I find myself following familiar patterns of preparing for summer programs and wrapping up the church year as well as creating a map for the next year’s RE program which will launch in August. This month’s ministry theme, Covenant, feels particularly apt — now is a time in our community for setting our vision for how we will work together to carry out our mission to “Love Generously, Seek Truth, and Serve the World” in the coming year.
It is very likely that you will find at least one member or group within our community to be challenging to work with at times (and, lest we be tempted to point fingers, any one of us may BE the one who is challenging for someone else!). It is easy to hold the circle of community with those we feel are like-minded, or those we like. It is harder – and deeper and more spiritual — work to hold the circle of community with people who rub us the wrong way, or who don’t always act the way we think they should. And these interactions, as tough as they are, are also gifts to us — we need that work! We are a religious community, and not a social club, because of our commitment to building the kind of beloved community that includes and embraces and challenges all of us to live increasingly more authentic and compassionate lives, and that means seeking to be in authentic community with one another, especially when it is hard.
Unitarian Universalism in this country was formed in 1961 with the merger of the Universalist Church of America and the American Unitarian Association. The Universalist side of our heritage reminds us that we can never run out of chances to turn toward one another, no matter how disconnected we feel we are. And the Unitarian legacy of covenantal church calls us to trust in the power of our covenant — our agreement to “walk together” as one people of faith — to build a beloved community that will nurture those within our walls and give us resources and inspiration and company for the work of bringing the life-giving message of our UU faith out into the world in every choice we make, every single day.
UU minister Victoria Safford writes, “We are bound by covenant, each to each and each to all, by what theologian Rebecca Parker calls ‘freely chosen and life-sustaining interdependence.’ The central question for us is not, ‘What do we believe?’ but more, ‘What do we believe in? To what larger love, to what people, principles, values, and dreams shall we be committed? To whom, to what, are we accountable?’ In a tradition so deeply steeped in individualism, it becomes a spiritual practice for each of us to ask, not once and for all, but again and again, even over 90 years of life: How do I decide which beautiful, clumsy, and imperfect institutions will carry and hold (in the words of one congregation’s bond of union) my ‘name, hand, and heart’?”
Let’s take this month’s theme of Covenant as an invitation to start afresh with one another. This is our congregation. It is a whole church family. And we are bound together by choice and by covenant, rather than by doctrine or creed. We are a pluralistic community — not a gathering of like-minded people but an intentional congregation of diverse thought and opinion and need and expression. Oh friends, I am so glad that each of you is with us. I am so glad that we don’t all agree.
— Catherine Farmer Loya
FROM THE ADULT RE SUBCOMMITTEE
Groups Continuing in May
Thursday Night Centering Meditation
We will do Centering Meditation where you choose a word to say silently to yourself as you enter the silence. You can choose a word such as peace, love, joy, etc. There will be a brief time of comments, sharing and questions. We will end the evening with a guided Mindfulness meditation. Please contact the Facilitator Bettye Barclay beforehand: bfbarclay@earthlink.net
Groups starting in May
Literary Heads Up: Common Read Discussion Group coming in May!
“Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson (2014, Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of Random House) is this year’s UUA Common Read. Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, has dedicated his legal career to defending those who are trapped by an often capricious, political, and willfully unjust criminal justice system — poor people, people of color, children, and others over whom the system has run roughshod. It speaks to justice, mercy, and compassion, themes of concern to us as Unitarian Universalists and as human beings.
There will be three sessions on Sunday as follows: May 15, 22, and 29 from 4 – 6 pm. Location TBD
You can purchase your book online at www.uuabookstore. org. A free online study guide is also available at the website.
YRUU Performance
The YRUU senior high youth group at UU Santa Monica performed an original play, “The Adventures of Captain UU and the Seven Principles sUUperheroes.” The play was the Story for All Ages during their YRUU Service on Sunday, April 17. The story is now being submitted to the UUA for use in UU churches throughout the country. Photo by Liza Cranis
FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Change Brings Opportunity for Growth and Rebirth
Our congregational ministry theme for April is Transformation, and it seems particularly apt at this moment in the life of our beloved community. Whatever happens in the coming months, we know that change is coming. And we know, too, that change is never easy, even when we choose it and especially when it comes seemingly without warning. This is true whether the change is a good one or is, as happens more often, a more complex mix of positive and painful, hopeful and bruising. Sometimes, I know, the ground feels shaky. Sometimes moments come in each of our lives when we fear we’re not up to the challenges that face us.
But it also requires no great leap, I’m sure, for us to recognize that with change also comes great opportunity for growth and rebirth. It feels entirely appropriate to me that we find ourselves at this crossroads in our journey as a community in the springtime, just as we are observing Easter, Passover, and the greening of the earth. In March, on Easter Sunday, children and youth in our Religious Exploration program celebrated the spring holidays in the cottage, mindful that this place where we have gathered is a place that others once called home, its very walls built upon the bones of its former life. So too our sanctuary has sheltered many generations of seekers, and will be here for many generations to come.
But our church is not just a building; it is a place made sacred by the gifts of love and service that its many members bring to it. Whatever comes, may we choose to face the future with a renewed commitment to creating sacred community within and beyond our walls, and the conviction that the way we choose to treat one another is a reflection of the values we hold most dear. Let us walk together with faith in our ability to choose love, especially when the way is not easy or clear. The future is open, friends, and transformation comes only when we are willing to make ourselves vulnerable to change and growth. Love will guide us.
— Catherine Farmer Loya
FROM THE ADULT RE SUBCOMMITTEE
Spring 2016 Groups Groups Continuing in April
Book Study Group: Naomi Klein’s “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate”
Along with being the hottest year on record, 2015 brought us further evidence of sea-level rise, ocean acidification, drought and extreme weather, as well as more dire predictions from the world’s scientists about the threat to human civilization from runaway global warming. Nevertheless, the year ended with a relative bright spot -- at the COP21 talks in Paris, world leaders committed to meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But can these emissions targets truly be met under the current global economic system?
In her momentous and contentious 2014 book, Naomi Klein, author of “No Logo” and “The Shock Doctrine,” takes on what she calls “the fiction of perpetual growth on a finite planet.” She writes: “There is still time to avoid catastrophic warming, but not within the rules of capitalism as they are currently constructed... Any attempt to rise to the climate challenge will be fruitless unless it is understood as part of a much broader battle of worldviews. Our economic system and our planetary system are now at war.”
As we begin Climate Justice Month (designated by the UUA’s Commit2Respond.org as the period from World Water Day on March 22 to Earth Day on April 22nd), join Adult RE and Faith in Action for an in-depth discussion of the issues Klein raises in her wideranging and engaging work. Is the drive for profit incompatible with sustainability? Can capitalism function without the ready availability of cheap, carbon-based fuels? Or can neoliberalism — the doctrine of hyper-gowth and free-market fundamentalism — be curbed in favor of a regulated capitalism that accounts for social and environmental costs? What would a world truly shaped by our shared Unitarian Universalist values look like, in which human rights, environmental stewardship, and freedom of conscience are all upheld? And what can we as individuals and as a congregation do to fight climate change before it’s too late?
We will meet for four sessions starting Thursday, March 31 and continue on Thursdays 7-9 pm, room TBD. Signup and purchase copies of the book at the RE table in Forbes Hall. Facilitators are Rick Rhoads and James Witker, both at fia2@uusm.org. For more information about this group, contact James Witker.
Thursday Night Centering Meditation
Participants can choose:
• First and third Thursday: February 4, 18, March 3, 17, April 7, 21, 7:00 to 8:30pm, in Cottage SE, or
• Second and fourth Thursday: February 11, 25, March 10, 24, 31, April 14, 28, 7:00 to 8:30pm, in Cottage SE
We will do Centering Meditation where you choose a word to say silently to yourself as you enter the silence. You can choose a word such as peace, love, joy, etc. There will be a brief time of comments, sharing and questions. We will end the evening with a guided Mindfulness meditation. Facilitator: Bettye Barclay.
Groups Starting in May
Literary Heads up for Common Read Discussion Group:
Bryan Stevenson’s “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” (2014, Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of Random House) is this year’s UUA Common Read. Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, has dedicated his legal career to defending those who are trapped by an often capricious, political, and willfully unjust criminal justice system — poor people, people of color, children, and others over whom the system has run roughshod. It speaks to justice, mercy, and compassion, themes of concern to us as Unitarian Universalists and as human beings.
You can purchase your book online at www.uuabookstore.org We will also have copies available at the LRE Adult Table. A free online study guide is also available at the above website.
Times and dates TBD.
GREEN EGGS AND HARRY? Join us for a Magical Summer in UU Santa Monica RE
This month we’ll be wrapping up our 2015-16 RE program year in all of our classes and preparing for a fabulous summer program launching in June. We are excited to announce what we’ll be offering this year: the preschool class will be reprising the very popular Summer of Seuss program last offered in 2014. And for elementary and up, we’re transforming our campus into the Hogwarts Academy for Young UUs, replete with wands, potions, professors, owls and four Houses that celebrate Peace, Love, Hope and Justice.
We will be recruiting church members to sign up to lead or assist for one Sunday during the summer, so start thinking about your schedule now — perhaps you can offer a “Transfiguration” workshop with origami, or a “Defense Against the Dark Arts” session on lovingkindness meditation. The possibilities are endless — join us for a magical summer in UU Santa Monica RE!
We Grow by Offering, Not by Grabbing
In our society and in many parts of our lives, people are encouraged to value getting ahead of, competing against, and doing better than other people. In schools children compete to win the spelling bee or be the valedictorian of their class. Ads on our televisions and on our social media, one after another, sell us products by promising that they will make us look better than someone else or beat someone to the finish line — they tell us that our worth is determined by comparison to other people, and that if we aren’t winning, we’re losing. And they do everything they can do convince us that the way to be the winner is to buy and consume and get and gather more and more and more.
We live in a consumer culture — it is the ocean we swim in, and we do not leave it behind when we walk through the doors to church on Sunday mornings. But “what’s in it for me?” and “I’ll give exactly the worth that I’ve gotten out of it so far, and no more” do not serve us well in the context of a covenantal community that is committed to personal growth and effecting change in the world. What would change in our lives and in our congregation if instead we made a spiritual practice of asking, “What does the world need of me, and what contribution can I give that will help me respond to that need in a meaningful way?”
This is not news — we know this already. We know that we are all enriched when we are connected to one another. Our minister is called by the congregation, our Board members are elected, and our programs are supported by the work of church members who volunteer their time because they know that what we’re doing here is important and because they find meaning in their own lives through taking part in the work along with others who share this commitment. Don’t underestimate the value of what we do here — we’ve got a special thing going! And every piece makes a difference, whether you’re teaching an RE class, singing in the choir, making coffee, preparing mailings in the office, leading a book group, or even (and perhaps especially) introducing yourself to someone new on Sunday morning.
Friends, coming to church is not just about finding nice people who think like we do to spend an hour with on Sunday mornings. There are plenty of social clubs that can fill that role. I’m interested in something more and I have a suspicion that you are, too. I’m here to be part of a community of people dedicated to thinking deeply about our values and beliefs … and then walking together and holding one another accountable for spending every one of our days doing our best to align our actions with those core values. I’m here to be part of a community that encourages us to push beyond what is comfortable for us and to engage the big, hairy questions of life and justice and faith, because that’s how we grow. I’m here to be part of a community where we don’t just hope that someone else will put together something of interest for us to consume, but instead show up with hands ready to build the beloved community the world needs.
Maybe the most important thing we can do as a faith community is to stand counter to the consumer mindset that is so deeply ingrained in our American culture. Maybe one core message of our faith is, “We grow by offering, not by grabbing.” This month, I invite you to take some time to think about ways that you can celebrate and enhance your connection to the other people around you — at church, at home, at work or school, and even when you’re driving your car or standing in line at the grocery store — because we know that together we can do more than we can do separately to build lives of meaning and to bring justice and peace to our hurting world. What will you offer the world?
— Catherine Farmer Loya
Winter 2016 Adult RE
GROUPS STARTING IN MARCH
“This Changes Everything, Capitalism vs. the Climate,” by Naomi Klein, Study Group
Four sessions beginning the fourth week of March. Times and dates TBD according to the group’s preference. Sign-up and purchase copies of the book at the RE table in Forbes Hall.
Along with being the hottest year on record, 2015 brought us further evidence of sea-level rise, ocean acidification, drought and extreme weather, as well as more dire predictions from the world’s scientists about the threat to human civilization from runaway global warming. Nevertheless, the year ended with a relative bright spot — at the COP21 talks in Paris, world leaders committed to meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But can these emissions targets truly be met under the current global economic system?
In her momentous and contentious 2014 book, Naomi Klein, author of “No Logo” and “The Shock Doctrine,” takes on what she calls “the fiction of perpetual growth on a finite planet.” She writes: “There is still time to avoid catastrophic warming, but not within the rules of capitalism as they are currently constructed... Any attempt to rise to the climate challenge will be fruitless unless it is understood as part of a much broader battle of worldviews. Our economic system and our planetary system are now at war.”
As we begin Climate Justice Month (designated by the UUA’s Commit2Respond.org as the period from World Water Day on March 22 to Earth Day on April 22), join Adult RE and Faith in Action for an in-depth discussion of the issues Klein raises in her wide-ranging and engaging work. Is the drive for profit incompatible with sustainability? Can capitalism function without the ready availability of cheap carbon-based fuels? Or can neoliberalism — the doctrine of hyper-growth and free-market fundamentalism — be curbed in favor of a regulated capitalism that accounts for social and environmental costs? What would a world truly shaped by our shared Unitarian Universalist values look like, in which human rights, environmental stewardship, and freedom of conscience are all upheld? And what can we as individuals and as a congregation do to fight climate change before it’s too late?
Facilitators: Rick Rhoads, fia@uusm.org and James Witker, fia2@uusm.org
GROUPS CONTINUING THROUGH MARCH
Building Your Own Theology
February 10 - March 16, Wednesdays, 7-9pm, in Forbes Hall
Inspired by the fourth principle, a free and responsible search for truth and meaning, this class allows you explore what UUs believe and help you “build a theology” of your own. We will explore our spiritual odysseys, examine the varieties of liberal religious experience, discuss the nature of ultimate reality, and learn how to make meaning in our lives. At the end of the class participants will have the opportunity to write a personal credo of their own theology.
Facilitators: Catherine Farmer Loya and Dan Patterson.
Thursday Night Centering Meditation
Participants can choose: First and third Thursday: February 4, 18, March 3, 17, April 7, 21, 7:00 to 8:30pm, in Cottage SE Or second and fourth Thursday: February 11, 25, March 10, 31, April 14, 28, 7:00 to 8:30pm, in Cottage NW
We will do centering meditation where you choose a word to say silently to yourself as you enter the silence. You can choose a word such as peace, love, joy, etc. There will be a brief time of comments, sharing and questions. We will end the evening with a guided mindfulness meditation. Facilitator: Bettye Barclay.