Newsletter for July, 2014
From Our Minister:
Dear friends,
One of the gifts you offer me as your minister is the gift of time.
Not only the time I share with you in worship, at the hospital, on the phone, in the meeting; not only the time when I am waving at the bus as it disappears down 18th Street, headed for West Hollywood and LA Pride, or the time that I am pulled into photos of the youth group (YRUU) and advisors on their way to a week of service in Mexico.
I mean the gift of time you offer me each year, by providing for an annual leave of study time and vacation, traditionally taken in the summer months.
This time is set aside for my continuing education, including professional development time at our UU General Assembly in Providence, RI, and for reading, study, and preparation for the next church year. This is time dedicated to spiritual renewal, a Sabbath time for rest, relaxation, and whatever is needed to “vacate.” Much of the work of the ministry is creative, and your gift of time allows me to seek deeper springs, so that the well will not run dry.
This year, from July 7 to July 30, I will be out of the office and pulpit on study leave, and on-call for pastoral emergencies. From June 30 to July 7, and July 30 to August 5, I will be on vacation. During these weeks, the church office and board president will have contact information for on-call members of the Committee on Ministry (Kris Langabeer, Alan Brunell) and Pastoral Care Team (Bronwen Jones, Ron Crane, Michael Eselun). They will respond swiftly to messages left on the minister’s line at (310) 829-9232 x104.
I wish every vocation and career included the gift of time, which you so generously provide to your minister.
-- Rev. Rebecca
From Our President:
Thank you again for the opportunity to serve as your president. Amidst what will no doubt be challenges ahead of me, I will do the best job I can and expect/hope to learn and grow from the experience. Fortunately, I do not have to do it alone!
In addition to the responsibilities of my role, I want to participate in church events as much as I can, some of which will be new to me. So far … In addition to the May 27 Executive Committee and the June 10 board meeting, I joined a small but dedicated group at the Saturday, June 7, work party and marched with our congregation in the Gay Pride parade on Sunday, June 8. After the march with some time to kill, my husband Ned and I visited the Gay Pride Festival. The Lutherans and the Catholics had booths. Maybe next year the Unitarians will have a booth! I also attended the bi-weekly Building Committee on Wednesday, June 11. By the time this article is published, I will have attended General Assembly in Providence, RI. Unfortunately, I will also have missed the June 22 celebration of the office renovation and the pergola wall, both of which are beautiful. A celebration in Chicago of our soon-to-be grandchild is the reason.
My overwhelming impression is that people in our congregation are working very hard and are passionate about what they are doing. The amount of work that goes into any activity or event isn’t always apparent. The Building Committee, for one, has been going full tilt for years. There is still a wish list of 20 items, some large and some small. The items on the list have come from the congregation’s visioning and from the Building Committee itself. An elevator at Forbes Hall is on the list. Accessibility is the great equalizer. We have made strides in making our campus accessible, but more is needed.There is always more work to do. I hope that we can work together as a congregation to make our wishes come true.
— Patricia Wright
Featured Articles:
Celebrating the Completion of Renovations
Bowling Break
New board members and some of our staff went bowling on May 25 to mark the end of the church year. Left to right: Pat Wright, Barbara Gibbs, Jacqueline Schwab, Pat Gomez, Catherine Farmer Loya, Rob Briner, Leonard Cachola, Rev. Rebecca, Beth Brownlie, Emily Hero, Gabriel Paredes, DeReau Farrar, Jyvonne Haskin, and James Hayden. Photo by Charles Haskell.
Volunteer Day
Volunteer Day took place on Saturday, June 7, right at the end of the school year, a perfect time to clean out RE rooms. We also put teak oil on some of the benches in the courtyard, began cleanup of the newly-enclosed yard facing Arizona Ave., weather-proofed the two cottage doors looking out onto the play yard, put in a spring garden, and washed the large windows where Forbes Hall looks out onto the courtyard.
Another Volunteer Day is being planned for the fall. Stay tuned.
Photos:
Clockwise from upper left: Angela Lisovsky washing windows; Dorothy Steinicke and Emily Hero taking a rest break; Patricia Wright and Greg Wood put teak oil on benches in the courtyard.
— Karl Lisovsky
News & Announcements:
Jacqueline Schwab
From Our Minister
I am delighted to report that we have a Communications and Volunteer Coordinator! Our new staff member is Jacqueline Schwab, and her first day in the office was Thursday, May 22.
A graduate of Oberlin College, Jacqueline brings strong administration and communications skills to the position from her previous work as Administration and Operations Manager for a large auction house in Los Angeles. Her coworkers describe her as a mediator and an organizer who is calm under pressure and never misses a deadline. After years in a for-profit setting, she is ready to leap into the non-profit world, where she wants to give back and be part of a more meaningful, helping community.
Many thanks to Robin Wohlman for her assistance in the office during the time of transition.
— Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur
Guest Musicians for the Summer
June 15 - Gertrude Bradley
June 22 - Paul Meier
June 29 - Debra Penberthy
July 6 - Ohannon
July 13 - Jared Anderson
July 20 - Leslie Beauvais
July 27 - Joe Engleman
August 3- Lynn Angebranndt
August 10 - Debra Penberthy
August 17 - DJ Alex Transistor
August 24 - Whyman Project
Camp de Bennevill Pines -- September 12-14
Each year, UU Santa Monica members and friends flock to Camp de Benneville Pines, an idyllic rustic paradise two hours east of Santa Monica, for a weekend of reveling in nature, ping pong tournaments, dam building, s'mores, tie-dying and sing-alongs. Singles, couples and families young and old enjoy clean mountain air, lots of activities, great camp food and fellowship. Look for additional information in the August newsletter. Sign-ups are currently being taken at old.uusm.org Just click on the event in the September calendar to download the registration form. Prices start at $145/person for adults, $85/person for kids and $110 for teens.
Faith in Action News:
Keep Sending Letters: Valentine's Day is a Yearlong Event!
We are still receiving letters from immigrants at ICE detention centers in Orange County and they all have a core sentiment: “Thank you for all your help and thank you so much for all your support and the time you spend with all detainees.”
Here is another quote: “Frankly speaking when I received [it] you made my day. It came at a time when I was feeling depressed thinking about my family in Los Angeles.”
And another: “I long to be back to my daughter, who I have not been able to hold for 10 months. My family brings her to visit me once a month only, because they live far away and my step-dad needs to work two full-time jobs in order to be able to provide for our family.”
And finally, in a letter dated June 14, we received a request for financial help from a mother in detention since April 26, 2013, who has been granted a $2500 bail bond while she awaits her U-Visa appeal.
“The U nonimmigrant status (U-visa) is set aside for victims of crimes who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse and are willing to assist law enforcement and government officials in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity,” according to the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services.
This U-visa appeal could take a year during which her three-year-old son is scheduled to be put into foster care. ICE will not allow her to attend his June 26 court date. Her family has raised $1000 for her bond and she is trying to raise the rest through friends and other organizations. Your Peace and Social Justice Committee has worked to connect her with organizations that can help her.
If you are able to assist persons in ICE lock-up, contact Peggy Rhoads.
Please note that we have received letters for Vicky, Laura, and Jean Allgeyer. Please see the FIA box in the church office. Your letter from an ICE detainee will be there.
— Peggy Rhoads
Minister, Minister Emeritus, and UU Santa Monica congregants at CLUE Giants of Justice Event
The Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur gave the benediction at the Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE-LA) annual Giants of Justice breakfast May 22 at St. Anthony's Croatian Catholic Church on the edge of LA’s Chinatown. She has been active with CLUE in support of the union organizing campaigns at Westside carwashes and at the Santa Monica DoubleTree hotel, and our church has frequently hosted CLUE’s monthly Santa Monica committee meetings, as well as gatherings of carwash and hotel workers and their supporters.
Jeremy Arnold of our congregation, a summer intern at CLUE after his second year at Tulane University, gave a compelling — and record-setting — fundraising pitch (photo below). Five other UU Santa Monica members were present: Rev. Emeritus Ernie Pipes, Abby Arnold (Jeremy’s mom), Vicky Foxworth, Patrick Meighan, and me (Rick Rhoads), along with about 20 UUs from other congregations. Rabbi Jonathan Klein, CLUE-LA’s executive director, mentioned the UU flaming chalice during his address to the 500 in attendance, and I learned later that he plans to attend the UUA General Assembly in Providence, RI, June 25 to 29.
The Giants of Justice designees at this year’s breakfast were Laphonza Butler, president of SEIU-United Long Term Care Workers, and Soledad Garcia, UNITE-HERE Local 11 worker-organizer. Anthony Ng, policy advocate for Asian Americans Advancing Justice, was named “Emerging Giant,” and Sr. Deacon Guy Wauthy (Ret.), of St. Jerome’s Catholic Church (who meets with our Santa Monica CLUE committee), received the Lifetime Achievement award.
— Rick Rhoads
Join Picket Lines at the Double Tree Hotel
Workers at the Santa Monica DoubleTree hotel and their community supporters have been picketing every morning since February. The informational picket lines call attention to the fact that the hotel is not (yet) unionized and that management has violated labor laws regarding breaks and wages and does not pay workers a living wage. Our congregation is especially responsible for coming out to support the workers on Fridays. For those who can’t make it on a weekday, Saturday is an excellent alternative. The picketing takes place from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. on weekdays and 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. on weekends. The hotel is on 4th St., one block north of Pico Blvd. You can park in the city structure just west of the hotel for $1.
Progreess in the Double Tree Campaign
The DoubleTree leases the land it’s on from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Workers and their community supporters attended and spoke at the Board of Education meeting May 15 and June 25. Among the many speakers in May were Rev. Rebecca and church members Tom Peters and Abby Arnold. The board responded by sending a strongly worded letter to the Procaccianti Group, the owners and managers of the hotel. The letter questioned whether the group was living up to the complex financial terms of the lease and whether they were treating their workers properly, and gave the recipients until June 15 to comply. The letter cited research conducted by UNITE-HERE Local 11.
Several Santa Monica High School students gave speeches at the May meeting in support of the workers, including Maxwell DeVita, a member of our congregation’s YRUU group. A DoubleTree worker had previously spoken about working conditions at the hotel at one of our Sunday morning YRUU sessions.
— Rick Rhoads
Faith in Action and Adult Religious Education Joint Fundraiser
“Arts and Edibles,” Sunday, July 27, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Funds will go to updating our audio-visual equipment and programs. If you make jewelry, pottery or other craft items, including edibles, and want to participate, please contact Diana Spears..
Second Sunday Cinema: July 13
The Peace and Social Justice Committee will screen Robert Greenwald’s “Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars” (2013) on July 13 at 7:30 p.m. The documentary is about the immoral consequences of drone warfare, which has killed hundreds of innocent civilians and also consists of so-called “signature” strikes in which people are targeted for assassination for appearing to fit the profile of terrorists. Please join us after Second Sunday Supper to watch this provocative film.
-- Roberta Frye
WANTED: Social ustice Activist for the UU Justice Ministry
The UU Justice Ministry advances justice in our state by cultivating and connecting leaders and communities, and by empowering the public voice of those who share UU values and principles. Evan Junker is the new Executive Director and Patrice Curtis is Director of Public Policy and Mobilization.
The UUJM is involved in more than just legislative issues (hence the name change from UU Legislative Ministry to Justice Ministry) up and down the state. UUJM has organized clusters of churches in roughly the same geographical area. Santa Monica is a member of the Valley/LA Cluster which includes ambassadors, i.e., church members, from First Church Los Angeles, Emerson, Throop, Neighborhood, Sepulveda, and Studio City. The cluster coordinator is the Rev. Betty Stapleford, minister, UU Church of the Verdugo Hills. The cluster is currently seeking a new ambassador for UU Santa Monica as I have stepped down.
UUJM's work involves immigrant justice, environmental justice and the right to water, economic justice, health care action team, and an LGBT Equality Action team. Workshops at the cluster churches train ambassadors in relationship-based organizing. Each year there is a Walking the Walk retreat that alternates between Northern and Southern California. This year, the retreat will take place in Sausalito, November 14 to 16. Another upcoming event is an immigration forum on November 2 at Neighborhood Church organized by the immigrant justice action team.
If you are interested in learning more about what it means to be an ambassador for our church please contact Cathie Gentile. Thank you.
-- Cathie Gentile
LA Pride Parade
FIA Casting Call
The Peace & Social Justice Committee is looking to present a production of the Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP) drama about solitary confinement, "If the SHU Fits." This will be a staged reading in our Sanctuary of the ICUJP script. We are looking for a few people with good voices who would act as readers. Also we would like to find a Director for the production. We are hoping to present the staging at the end of September in conjunction with the September Prison Art Wall. If interested contact Roberta Frye or Cathie Gentile.
— Cathie Gentile
Splinters from the Board:
The first board meeting of the new church year was held on June 10. It began warmly with a pot full of vegetarian chili provided by our new Board president Patricia Wright with the instruction to fill our bowls. The board members received a welcoming packet, which consisted of a binder with bylaws, policies, the budget, the directory, the personnel policy manual, the visioning report and the board minutes from last year — a useful present indeed.
The church has four new members: Manny Trujillo, Manuel Fonseca, George Herb Stahl, and Susan Stahl, bringing our total membership to 380. The generous congregation donation in May was $729, given to support Unitarian Universalism in a wider context — the UU Ministry for Earth, the UUA, the UU PSWD, and the UU Musician’s Network.
Our Church Administrator, Nurit Gordon, had just returned from her vacation in Israel, where she was able to spend wonderful time with her extended family. Our DRE, Catherine Farmer Loya, reported that the youth service trip to Mexico is fully funded and the 12 youth and 5 advisors are ready to go. They will report to the congregation on August 17. The young people who have just completed the Coming of Age program will be recruited for membership in the church, since they are now eligible. She spoke of her desire to encourage many more of the RE young people to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity to attend youth camps at de Benneville Pines. To that end, we are offering more scholarships this year. Catherine will be gone during the month of July for professional development and vacation.
Our minister will be attending General Assembly this year along with Patricia Wright, Rick and Peggy Rhoads, and possibly others. Rev. Rebecca expressed appreciation for the congregation’s willingness to experiment with changing worship times to accommodate Coming of Age and the LA Pride Parade. She notified the board of her four weeks of study leave and two weeks of vacation, which will take place between June 23 and August 5. She also reported that DeReau Farrar would be at the UU Musician’s Network Conference in San Diego July 16 to 20 and on vacation July 21 to August 10. Our intern minister will start in August.
The bequest of Judy Federick left the church a 17% interest in a Santa Monica apartment building. The sale agreement of the church’s interest in the property was finalized during the past month. The Board passed a motion ratifying the signatures on that agreement and expressed the Board’s support of the agreement. The members of the previous Board had read the agreement and expressed oral support prior to the signing. The church has already received a check for $125,000 resulting from the sale. There will be a small amount of money coming in the future after everything in the estate is taken care of.
Bryan Oakes reported on the status of the lighting projects. The committee is still collecting information, and will need to do mockups and obtain firm bids before any actual work can be done. Beth Brownlie reported that sconces must be installed on the pergola columns before final inspection. She found some on deep discount, and the Board passed a motion approving this cheaper lighting option.
Denise Helton, chair of the Personnel Committee, presented the revision of the personnel policy manual that has been completed by the committee and was prompted by our discussions with an employment attorney. The Board will contact her with any questions or comments, and the Personnel Committee will respond. The Manual will be reviewed again at the July meeting. The Board approved two job descriptions that had previously been approved by the committee.
— Cynthia Cottam
RE News:
The congregational ministry theme for the month of July is IMAGINATION, and we have an invitation for you — join us in our “Principles in Action” summer program! Young people and adults are welcome to take part - what better way to engage and inspire your imagination than to spend a morning with the young people in our congregation as they put their hands and feet on our seven UU Principles this summer? We can always use an extra helping hand. Here’s what we have in store for 1st grade and up in July and August:
• July 6. Principle 3: Acceptance and Encouragement to Spiritual Growth — Spiritual Practice Sunday: Yoga
• July 13. Principle 3: Acceptance and Encouragement to Spiritual Growth — Spiritual Practice Sunday: Meditation Beads
• July 20. Principle 4: Free and Responsible Search for Truth and Meaning — Science Experiment Sunday
• July 27. Principle 4: Free and Responsible Search for Truth and Meaning — Principles Scavenger Hunt
• August 3. Principle 5: Right of Conscience and Use of the Democratic Process — Board Games Sunday (create our own or play your favorites!)
• August 10. Principle 6: World Community with Peace, Liberty and Justice for All — Tie-Dye Sunday (Camp Sunday!)
• August 17. Principle 6: World Community with Peace, Liberty and Justice for All — Service Project Sunday
• August 24. Principle 7: Interdependent Web — Potted Garden Planting
• August 31. Principle 7: Interdependent Web — Cooperative Games Day
Meanwhile, preschoolers will celebrate a “Summer of Seuss” with a different Dr. Seuss story and related craft each week. I hope to see many of you at church on Sundays this summer — let’s celebrate “being you and being UU” together!
— Catherine Farmer Loya
Imagination
Bettye Barclay has provided this list of weekly thoughts about our ministerial theme for July. Daily thoughts are published in the weekly email announcements.
Week 1. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt
Week 2. We are what we imagine ourselves to be. Kurt Vonnegut
Week 3. Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. Albert Einstein
Week 4. A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Week 5. A relationship with our imagination is a relationship with our deepest self. Pat B. Allen