Jul-03
From Our Minister:
The Rev. Judith Meyer is on vacation this month.
From Our President:
School’s out! Literally, for our children, and figuratively, for thoseof us who work year round. As summer hits its stride, life around the churchmay seem quieter or slower. But don’t let the droning bees outside thewindows on Sundays fool you. There are many ways that we are reaching out toeach other, and involving our church members, friends and visitors.
Responses to the all-church survey have been very gratifying, with about 175in hand. The survey results will allow us to tap into the energy and creativityof our members in a more thoughtful way. We have already been able to identifyvolunteers who can revitalize our Building and Grounds Committee and keep thechurch looking beautiful. It is never too late to fill out a survey and getinvolved!
Liz Fuller, the magician who keeps our website fresh and up-to-date, is workingwith the subcommittee on committees team to develop an onlinecommunications survey that will find out how our members, friends and visitorsuse the website, the online version of the newsletter and the Faithin Action bulletin. The survey can be done electronically; so it is fast,fun and helpful.
The Religious Education department will spend the summer working with the directorof religious education at the UniversalistUnitarian Church of Riverside, CA, to develop a program and curriculum forthe fall so we can hit the ground running when we hire our new director of religiouseducation. There are always opportunities to get involved with the children,and Liza Cranis, our acting DRE for the summer, can certainly use help on Sundays.Reach out to the children upstairs!
Dining for Dollars dinners, outingsand events continue throughout the summer and offer our members wonderful chancesto get to know each other better (and to enjoy some wonderful food).
The Business Network Committee is gathering steam, and will be reaching outto our members who have their own businesses or interesting services. The ideais to have a better forum for advertising the talents and resources of our members,both in a business directory and perhaps through a bulletin board. If you areinterested, please contact Phyllis Kory.
If Forbes Hall seems a little more spacious this summer with vacation schedulescalling people away on Sundays, use the extra elbow room to say hello and towelcome visitors and new members. Remember your name tag!
-- Carol Kerr
Featured Articles:
“Getting Involved” is Finished; Pick One Up in the Church Office
You have responded to the interests survey, so committee chairs may contactyou about your expressed interests. We have also developed another way for youto get involved. Thanks to the hard work of Liz Fuller, withassistance from Melinda Ewen, Carol Agate,Marie Kashmer-Stiebing, Warren Mathews, ScottRoewe, and LuAnn Darling, we now have a publicationcalled “Getting Involved.”
The idea behind this publication is to serve as a reference to let membersknow what the church offers them and what they may offer to the church. It willbe a publication in constant flux, so it will be kept as up-to-date as possible.Webmaster Liz Fuller will put it on the web site and update it frequently. Thebooklet itself has been created as simply a listing of activities on 8-1/2 x11 paper, with no graphics so pages can easily be changed as the informationchanges.
Church activities are divided into three categories. The first is committeesand councils, the groups that do the work of the church on a long-term basis.The second category is task-oriented volunteer opportunities. These can be doneon a one-time, or as-needed basis. The third is activities and special interestgroups. These are more social than work oriented, and bring together peoplewith specific interests.
An example of the first category is working on the committee that puts togetherthe annual de Benneville weekend. The second category is doing a workshop atde Benneville. And the third category is attending camp. Each listing includesa contact person.
Hard copies of “Getting Involved” are available in the churchoffice, or you can read it online and downloadyour own copy.
Survey Responses Have Come in; Data are Entered and Published
As of June 15 we have received 175 completed surveys. Data entry of the initialresponses has been completed and information will soon be distributed to variouscommittee chairs, event coordinators, and activity leaders. Surveys from newmembers and anyone else who responds later will be added on an ongoing basis.Anyone who wants a copy of the survey to complete may pick one up at the churchoffice or send me an e-mail and I will send a copy in return. Thank you to everyonewho has provided the church with knowledge of your skills and interests. I hopethat you will find new ways to become involved in the life of the church. I’msure the church will benefit from your generosity.
-- Kathy Cook
The Stewardship Story Continues with Jacki’s Second Installment
As this newsletter goes to print, informal stewardship talks have begun; andthough we’ve only had one weekend of sessions — two more will havebeen held by the time you read this — we wanted to begin to reflect afew of the thoughts people have shared with us as they relate to stewardship.
There’s an overall sense that we need to communicate better on a varietyof stewardship-related topics:
° “Why do we need to be more generous?”
° “We’re dipping into savings accounts to cover our annual operatingbudget?”
° “Tell people what’s going on in the church. If they knew allthat was going on, they’d give increased financial support.”
° “This is my religious home. If I’m at home and see a messyhouse, I clean it up. If I’m here and see paper on the ground, I pickit up. If I’m at home and I see I need to do more financially, I’lldo more. If I’m here and I need to do more financially, you just needto ask me.”
And there’s also a sense that greater consciousness with regard to stewardshipissues leads to a more enriched spiritual life:
° “I like the idea of thinking of ‘caring for the church, ourcommunity and our future’ in the context of considering my own contributionto the church.”
° “Practicing giving in youth religious education not only teachesthe kids about stewardship, but it ends up teaching the adults as well.”
° “Giving away 15% of the weekly offering has given me a sense ofour role in the larger community.”
Finally, we’ve received very specific feedback on what people want (anddon’t want) with this fall’s pledge drive.
With even this preliminary report in, our path is clear: keep the dialoguegoing and expand it. That’s what July and August are about -- if you’reon a committee or you’re a committee chair, you’re next.
Thanks to everyone who has joined the discussion so far. I find that everystewardship conversation I have with a fellow church member deepens my connectionto this church. I hope you feel the same.
In faith,
Jacki K. Weber
Our Members Step Up to Help Step Up on Second
For 20 years, she worked as a technician at a Valley aerospace company. Thenshe was laid off, a victim of the economy. When her job fell apart, so did herworld. No longer able to cope with life, 40 years old, she suffered a majordepression, and eventually joined the homeless wandering the streets of SantaMonica.
A typical story, perhaps — but one with an untypical happy ending. Thiswoman now is employed in a Marina del Rey hotel in maintenance/housekeeping,rents an apartment, and attends Santa Monica College engineering courses, allthanks to the help and support she has received from StepUp on Second since 1995. “It’s a lifesaving place with amazingpeople,” she says.
Founded in 1984 by Susan Dempsey, a community activist whose son sufferedfrom a mental illness, Step Up on Second at 1328 Second Street, Santa Monica,provides meals, some rental housing, job training, and various programs eachyear to over 1000 men and women recovering from diagnosed mental illness --severe depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Our church provides adinner at Step Up on Second the fourth Saturday of each month.
“We have a wonderful partnership with the Unitarian Universalist Church,”says Penelope Schlesinger, vocational services team leader with Shannon Brown.“They have been so supportive of our program, both by providing theirmonthly donations of a dinner for all of the membership, but also in being anexcellent customer of our catering service. The Unitarians really model whatwe look for and whom we look to in our local faith-based community.”
Cathie Gentile, chair of our church’s HungerTask Force, comments, “I realize a monthly commitment to Step Up isa lot to ask. Unfortunately, the government’s so-called ‘socialsafety net’ that was supposed to materialize just didn’t. Agencieslike Step Up are really struggling to feed a population that has a difficulttime appealing to the public for assistance. Homeless, mentally ill individualsdo not generate warm fuzzy feelings in our population. Step Up offers them aplace with so many valuable services. Contributing this one dinner every monthis a small but important way we can help Step Up keep offering these services.”
About 40% of Step Up on Second’s clients live in shelters. The restlive at home, or, in the case of the homeless woman from the aerospace industry,rent one of 30 apartments owned by Step Up on Second. (She plans to move outon her own next year.) All of them are receiving treatment, mainly at localmental health centers. Many work in job training programs sponsored by StepUp on Second at the Farmers Market and in local offices.
For several years, the organization has also offered job training in the makingand selling of sandwiches at its Fresh Start convenience store. During the pasttwo years, Step Up on Second has expanded this food service into a flourishingcatering business. “We saw a huge opportunity to get more people involvedin job training programs,” says Penelope. “Our catering serviceoffers whatever people request, including barbecue specials, sandwiches, fruitplatters, roasted chicken, Portobello mushrooms, ziti, lasagna, and lots ofvegetarian specialties.”
The catering service prepares food for between eight and 300 people five to10 times every week. In addition to individuals, Step Up on Second has cateredevents for the American Cancer Society, the City of Santa Monica, Eli LillyDrug Corporation, First Federal Bank, First Presbyterian Church, Loadstar ManagementCorporation, Madagascar Music, Malibu Kiwanis Club, Malibu Little League, MaxiProductions (Santa Monica Film Festival), and many other corporate clients.Delivery service is available, and a week’s advance notice for cateringservice is advised. Sal Cirnigliaro and Kareim McKnight oversee the program,and can be reached at Fresh Start Catering, (310) 394-6889, Ext. 50 or Ext.16. More information about Step Up on Second is available from its website,http://www.stepuponsecond.org.
-- Paula Bernstein
High Praise for de Benneville After First Weekend at Camp
I have always longed to be a part of a caring family who enjoyed having a summerget-together in the mountains. I think I have found my new family during ourchurch weekend at de Benneville Pines. It was indeed a feast for my soul.
From the assiduous prep work done by Marv Pulliam, ElleLong, Carol Agate, and Kris Langabeerto the great home-cooked meals, to the many volunteers coordinating all kindsof activities, I am sure every kid and kid-at-heart from ages two to 81 foundit hard to say goodbye to the 2003 church camp at de Benneville Pines.
I’ve heard our attendance of 110 was the largest Santa Monica churchgroup in memory. A gift was presented to Peggy Kharraz, whohas been the registrar for the event for the past 15 years. Actually, it wasa rain check — for a de Benneville lap robe that is being made.
It was fun to sit across the lunch table with Judith Meyerand be able to connect informally. Her discussion group drew the largest attendanceof any. Other workshops included discussions, exercise, and crafts. I did asession called “Finding Your Bliss.” There was yoga, hiking, andaerobics. Swimming included both the heated pool and, for hardier souls, thelake. The hot tub was a popular attraction, as was the traditional campfire.We enjoyed it even though the Forest Service banned outdoor fires and we hadto gather around the fireplace in the lodge.
Arts workshops includedtie-dying, making personalized pillows, landscape sketching, and cookie decorating.There were a poetry writing workshop and a class on Islam. In addition to sing-alongson Friday and Saturday evenings, we had Kerry Thorne and KarlLisovsky strumming and singing away on the porch for most of the day.And then there was the perennial favorite, dam building. I heard how DeanVoegtlen has been gathering a crew of adults and kids to build anotherdam each year. Chris Brown did a variation on last year’swatermelon seed spitting contest by using cherry pits this year. They travelfurther, he explained.
Continuous activities included ping pong, bubble blowing, chess and bridgeplaying, and working on the jig saw puzzle that sat on the porch all day.
I especially enjoyed meeting the other half — those who go to the earlyservice so I rarely see them. My whole being felt nourished and satisfied. Howblessed I am to call this rich, diverse, loving community we share my spiritualfamily.
-- Suzanne De Benedittis
News & Announcements:
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.
Building News:
Suppose We Gave a Party...and Nobody Came?
The building process has reached the point where we have invited the neighborsin to explain our plans and to deal with any objections. We mailed out morethan 300 invitations to the surrounding neighbors and invited them to the churchSunday afternoon, June 8, for a presentation and Q&A session. We displayeddrawings, illustrations and models of the new building. We prepared refreshments.The architect and the building committee were present, ready and eager to resondto any questions or objections.
No neighbors showe up: zero, nil, nada, zilch.
Paradoxically, we are satisfied with the results: it means that the projectis progressing. It means that currently there is no active opposition. It meansthat we can demonstrate that to the city. It means we got to eat all of thebrownies.
-- Len Adler, for the Building Committee
Faith in Action News:
Speakers Past and Future are Part of FIA Program
Our congregational statement of conscience against unilateral preventive warin Iraq was part of a global battle to avert war in that troubled region andto derail the Bush doctrine of American imperialism. Nevertheless, preventivewar was launched without the full support of the United Nations Security Council.
We now find ourselves in a new battle — the battle for peace in theMiddle East. Nobody knows just how long this will take and how much it willcost. Personally, I believe our country is morally bound to help repair whatwe have destroyed. That means a full commitment to the process of nation buildingin the region. But what does nation building require? Can our country do itby ourselves? Who should be our partners? Should our country punish those whoopposed the war?
As a dedicated peace site, our church has a responsibility to its members andto the community to explore the meaning of these events. The FIA speaker seriesis one way of educating ourselves about such matters.
We have had three Faith in Action speakers since war was declared in March2003. On April 25 G. Wayne Glass, Ph.D., spoke about the Bushdoctrine. During his talk he offered to return to our church to conduct a workshopon how to be an effective advocate for a cause. We plan to offer his workshopon “Lobbying 101” in the near future. 
OnMay 30 Olivier Plancon, the deputy consul general in the FrenchConsulate of Los Angeles, discussed the role of the United Nations in timesof crisis. He concluded that France and the United States will and must remainpartners in foreign affairs, especially in Iraq and the Middle East. On June13 Ambassador A. Engin Ansay of the Turkish Consulate of LosAngeles discussed the question, “Can the United States impose democracyon the Middle East?” His conclusion was simple: democracy cannot be imposed,but the Republic of Turkey proves that democracy is feasible in a largely Muslimcountry as long as the government is secular and there is a clear separationof church and state.
FIA is planning monthly speakers starting in the Fall. Feedback about priorspeakers and suggestions for the future are welcome.
-- Charles M. Haskell
Chair, Faith in Action
Splinters from the Board:
New board members Charles Haskell and David Knudsenwere welcomed.
Dean Voegtlen presented a proposal to honor StuartMoore for his years of expert dedicated service to the church in maintainingand upgrading the church facilities. The board voted to adopt a resolution ofappreciation and to present a plaque to Stu to be hung in the church in a locationto be agreed by the minister and the Design and Decor Committee.
Barbara Kernochan reported for the building committee. Aneighborhood meeting was held on Sunday to introduce our plan to neighbors wholive within 500 feet of the church. (See adjacent article.) Our applicationfor a city permit is close to being submitted. The application fee is $8,000.In 30 to 60 days we may expect to have a hearing date set for public comment,which will be about 90 days after the notification. The $5,000 cost for thepaid attendant at the UCLA Hospital lot in 2003-04 has been shifted to capitalcampaign funds instead of the general fund. Charles Haskellquestioned whether the person doing this job is receiving a “living wage”since the service agency probably takes about 50% of the fee. CarolAgate will check with our insurance agent about liability coverageto indemnify the owners against loss if we were to make an agreement to useanother lot in the neighborhood instead of UCLA’s. The Executive Committeewill consider solutions to the long-range parking problem. Negotiations areongoing with Dreyfus Construction Company to “value engineer” thenew building and renovation plans to obtain a reliable cost for the project.The plan is to get the cost as low as possible without compromising the sizeof the building. The Capital Campaign has raised $1.1 million. How to coverthe reminder of the cost will be a congregational question. Options includeconducting a second capital campaign or taking a mortgage. Barbara will reportupdates to the board in approximately 4 to 5 months.
Current membership is 460.
Treasurer Carol Agate reported a substantial increase incollection plate donations since initiation of the generous congregation planin February. Higher contributions overall have netted additional money for ourgeneral funds, even after donating 15% to various charities. Collection of pledgereceipts has increased significantly during the past month, owing primarilyto resumption of delinquency notices. Collections for the year are estimatedat about $12,000 less than budgeted. The end of the year financial statementis expected to show an overall deficit of $345. We have experienced savingsin music and religious education, primarily because of the absence of personnel.Offsetting increased expenses are our PSWD fair share contribution and increasedworkers’ compensation insurance premiums.
In response to Administration Committee alternative proposals to change thebuilding and grounds function, Warren Mathews suggested thatthe Building and Grounds Committee be deleted from the bylaws, since congregationaldirection is not needed on this management issue.
Pat Parkerton presented the newly written job descriptionfor a director of religious education, who will focus exclusively on children’sreligious education and not be responsible for adult education. The RE Searchcommittee will be chaired by Karen Patch with JanetGoodwin, Victor Paddock, Diane Fletcher-Hoppe,and Karen Raiford as members. The board will be required toratify hiring of the new staff member.
Carol Kerr presented a recommendation from the Executive Committeethat a standing subcommittee be established to review the church bylaws, andpolicies and procedures. The board approved the recommendation and ratifiedthe selection of Charles Haskell as chair.
The board retreat will be held on August 9 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The facilitatorwill be Kathy Van Tassle, with the topic being portfolio identification.
Carol Agate presented a draft of the document, “GettingInvolved,” which culminates two years of committee work. Based ona concept by Liz Fuller, it divides our programs into threecategories: activities and special interests, committees, and task-orientedvolunteer opportunities. Suggestions were to include the document as part ofthe directory, to print copies in plain text without any design so they canbe easily updated regularly, and to annotate the three major division titlesin the document.
-- Melinda Ewen
RE News:
Way Cool Camp July Schedule is Set; More Help Can Be Used
Way Cool Camp is coming July 6. Every Sunday in the months of July and Augustreligious education for children first grade and up will be held outside inthe 17th Street yard. Many outdoor activities have been planned as a nice changeof pace from the classroom setting.
Preschool and kindergarten children will meet upstairs in the mural room fora “Summer of Seuss,” a curriculum using the books of Dr. Seuss,as well as activities and crafts.
Here’s the July Way Cool Camp schedule. The first listing is for grades1 and up, and the second listing is for pre-school and kindergarten (in italics):
July 6 — Game Day.
Everyone is invited to bring their favorite board games.
"Horton Hears A Who.” Every Voice Counts, we need little people.We will play cooperative games.
July 13 — Camp Shirts “Tie Die”For.
We’ll be tie-dyeing Way Cool Camp shirts to wear all summer long.
“Horton Hatches the Egg.” Do the job right. Plan and stick withit. We will make elephant bird eggs.
July 20 — Water World (Prepare toGet Wet).
Water fun for everyone. Bring a towel, sunscreen and some dry clothes and shoesas we transform the yard into a water paradise. (No Super Soakers, Water Blastersor Water Guns PLEASE!) We will be taking donations or loans of any water toysor games (Slip n’ Slides, wading pools, sprinklers, water balloons.)
“The Lorax.” The interdependent web of life. We will make aLorax garden.
July 27 — 2003 Way Cool Summer Games.Obstacle courses and challenges will be set up, capped off with a medals ceremony.“I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today.” Know your limits, don’t biteoff more than you can chew. We will work on puzzles together.
Of course our summer program is only as good as our fantastic volunteers andwe need you to make it all happen. All we need is a commitment of an hour anda half on one Sunday during the summer. You can act as head or assistant counselorfor Way Cool Camp or lead or assistant for Summer of Seuss. Please contact thesummer DRE, Liza Cranis. Let’s show our kids that makinga spiritual journey on Sundays can also be a fun trip.
Peace!
Liza, Your Summer DRE
A Search Committee Has Been Formed
The Board of Directors has appointed a committee to search for a new directorof religious education. Members are Karen Patch, chair,Diane Fletcher-Hoppe, Janet Goodwin, VictorPaddock, and Karen Raiford. They began work June 7.
Message from the Personnel Committee
As part of our child safety program that the committee is developing, churchstaff will be screened with background checks and religious education programvolunteers must have been members of our congregation for six months beforeserving with the children.