Newsletter for March, 2017
From Our Minister:
Moments of Connection and Love
Dear congregation,
I was surprised to learn recently that the Broadway musical “Rent” is now on its 20th anniversary tour. “Rent” was a phenomenon I remember experiencing in high school and college; it was the CD (remember CDs?) that I borrowed most often from my college roommate to listen to in our dorm room. “Rent” tells the story of a group of young people trying to make it on their own in New York City and struggling with HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, relationships, family, money, and identity. Its anthem, “Seasons of Love,” by Jonathan Larson, answers the question, “How do you measure a year?” by arguing that a meaningful life is not measured in time alone, but rather in love, which is often felt deeply in small moments of connection, beauty, and presence. Here are some of the lyrics of the song:
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutesFive hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dearFive hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutesHow do you measure — measure a year?
In daylights — in sunsets
In midnights — in cups of coffee
In inches — in miles
In laughter — in strife
In — five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in love
Seasons of love
Seasons of love
As our time together continues to move towards its close — as we enter a season of transition at UUSM — I am noticing and appreciating those small moments of connection and love that make up our church life, and I hope you will, too.
Over the past few months, I’ve worked with our Board of Directors to gain clarity on what tasks in ministry I’ll continue to oversee, which I’ll hand off, and which I’ll finish in this season of transition. Updates on these tasks are available in my monthly reports to the board, and they are already helping me and your elected leaders feel a sense of clarity and control that we are in a process that will carry us through the end of this ministry.
I also want to commend the Board of Directors, and particularly Kim Miller and Jacki Weber of the Developmental Ministry Task Force, for their efforts over the past few months to communicate clearly their vision for next steps in ministry here, and to do so with openness, transparency, and a willingness to be changed by the conversations they are having with congregants. It is our shared goal that there be as caring and seamless a transition as possible between my ministry and that of my successor, and we are well on the way toward meeting that goal.
Much heart,
Rev. Rebecca
Featured Articles:
Standing on the Side of Love
As many as 100 of our congregants participated in the Million Women’s March in LA or DC. They and others are asking, What’s next? Here are a few suggestions from our Peace & Social Justice Committee:
Justice for Brendon Glenn
Our campaign to indict Clifford Proctor, the LAPD officer who killed Brendon Glenn in Venice in May 2015, continues. Pick up a petition to LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey at the Faith in Action table in Forbes Hall and circulate it at your job, school, or community organization.
Interfaith Solidarity
March in support of the Muslim Community, Sunday, April 2, from 1 to 4 pm, starting at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, 3663 Wilshire Blvd., LA. Rev. Rebecca and 24 others from our congregation participated last year. Can we double that? Or more? See instituteforreligioustolerance.org.
UUA Pacific Southwest District Assembly
March 31 to April 2 in southern Arizona will concentrate on educating congregants and advocating for fair treatment of immigrants in and entering the U.S. Five of the UU churches in the Tucson area will host members from across the Southwest. If enough people from UU Santa Monica want to go, we can carpool. See www.pswduua.org.
Trial of Anaheim 3 Scheduled to begin Tuesday, May 30, in Santa Ana. Support these anti-racists by demonstrating in front of the courthouse. More info at the FIA Table.
May Day March for Immigrants’ Rights Monday, May 1, Downtown LA, time and location TBA
#Resist March for LGBTQIA and POC Equality (a.k.a. The Pride Parade) Sunday, June 11, West Hollywood.
The Joy of Generosity - Thank You to Those Who Pledged for 2017
Many thanks to all church members and friends who financially support our church, its ministry, and programs.
With gratitude from the Stewardship Team,
—Beth Brownlie, Gretchen Goetz, Cindy Kelly, Kim Miller, Kit Shaw, Patricia Wright, and Rev. Rebecca
This list includes only pledges received after December 15, 2016 and pledges that were “rolled over” from last year. (Pledges received earlier were listed in the January newsletter.) The list is in alphabetical order by first name. Couples are listed once; if you don’t see your name, please check under your partner’s name.
Alan and Amy Brunell
Alan and Liza Cranis
Alice Hall
Amy and Bruno Lacombe
Anne and Doug Escaron
Audrey Lyness
Barbara Powers
Beth TenPas
Beverly Alison
Bryan and Beth Oakes
Cassandra Christenson
Catherine Smith
Charlie and Kim Woods
Cheryl Barnett
Chris Jones
Chris and Silvia Brown
Christie and David Ferreria
Christine Ong
Christine and Mark Suarez
Christine and Joseph Hardin
Cicely and Kerry Gilman
Cindy and Louis Scott
Clayton Fosset
Colleen O’Mara Diamond
Dan and Wie Parks
Deirdre Dietel
Edgar and Robin Hirst
Elaine Gordon
Eleanor Long
Elizabeth and Soren Eilertsen
Ellen Stuart
Emily Hero
Emma Stashin
Erika and Steven Valore
Eve and Bill Ahlers
Farrokh and Garland Allen
George and Susan Stahl
Geralyn Lambson
Gerry Hurst
Heather Brittenham
Hildreth Simmons
Jacki Weber and Lorenzo Pelayo
James Witker
Janet Goodwin and Karl Lisovsky
Jason and Jessica DeVita
Jeffrey Greenman
Jeremy Arnold
Jila and Mansour Tayefehnowrooz
Jo An Gaines
Joan Zierler
JoAn and Tom Peters
Joe Straw
John and Melissa Weaver
John and Sharon Hart
Joyce Holmen and Mort Postel
Julia Jonathan
Julie Nyquist
Julie and Adam LaRue
Karen Mathews
Kathy Cook
Katie Malich
Kevin Squire
Kikanza Nuri-Robins
Kirk Attebury
Kristina and Eric Schauer
Lance Richter
Larry Howard
Larry and Laura Weiner
Laura Matthews
Laurel Bleak
Lauren Movius
Len Harris
Liam Mina
Lily and Ed Sais
Linda Van Ligten and Greg Wood
Lloyd and Carmen Drum
Lois and Brad Hutchinson
Maija and Andre Beeton
Marge Dodge
Mark Christiansen
Mark Huberman
Mark Warkentin
Mary Ellen Cassman
Melissa Campbell
Melissa Goodnight
Michael and Eileen McCormack
Michael Slane
Michele and Rod Prichard-Lane
Mike Monte
Natalie Sue Kahn
Nina Emerson
Nora Hamilton
Olga Felton
Peter and Deborah Hermann
Phyllis Gabriel
Rebecca Crawford
Resa Foreman
Robert Kwan
Sarah Edgington
Sarah Mae and Hugo Harper
Sean Cameron
Sheila Cummins
Steve Garboski
Susan and George Hendricks-Richman
Suzan and Paul Matuszewski
Temitope Sonuyi
Thomas and Anne Kafka
Tom Ahern
Tom Foretich
Tony Patel
Tracy and Tyler Blair
Wendi Gladstone
William and Marjorie Anderson
Stepping Up to Help a Fellow Congregant
Three rainy days before Christmas, Steve White was over at the Rev. Ernie Pipes’ house helping with computer stuff when he noticed that the railing leading up the back steps was in poor shape, its wobbliness constituting a safe- ty hazard. Steve contacted Karl Lisovsky, reported the situation, and suggested they might act. Karl understood the need to address the matter quickly. Two days after Christmas, he spent a few hours removing the old and installing a new post and railing. A visit to the lumberyard for boards and hardware: $32; a safe ascent to the street for our emeritus minister: priceless.Right Relations Task Force Report
Conflict Is an Opportunity for Creativity
Conflict is inevitable. We may avoid or ignore conflict, hoping it will go away, and we often view it as a negative necessity, trying to get through it quickly and painlessly. Yet, at its core, conflict is an experience that reveals problems and allows for creativity. We could shift our perspective and consider conflict an opportunity to process issues and deepen relationships with others. This shift in perspective entails examining how we interact with others when we are in conflict and working through problems utilizing a relational focus; this is the Right Relations process.
Currently, the Right Relations Task Force and Interview Team are completing the collection of our Sharing Personal Stories of Meaning and mining them for the core values we hold as a community.
I had been attending this church for several years before I finally joined (in 2014, I believe). For some reason, I could never take that final step towards committing to the church. One Sunday, Rev. Rebecca spoke about the topic of membership in her sermon and it was as if she were speaking directly to me. She voiced exactly the concerns I had that made me hesitate. She spoke about her own reluctance to commit to joining the church she’d been attending (I believe it was the first UU church she attended). Finally, she said, she realized “I can have this.” She (and, by extension, I) were deserving of this community we’d been rather bashfully observing from the sidelines. It felt as if she were speaking directly to me, inviting me into the center, away from the sidelines and into this community.—Sheila Cummins
Sheila shares a story of personal meaning, and in it, we hear core values of welcoming and commitment. What values do you hear?
We are listening deeply to the stories you share so that we can reflect back our shared core values. This process will culminate in the creation of Congregational Core Values, to be presented and affirmed at our annual congregation meeting in May.
Core Values are “the essential and enduring tenets of an organization. A small set of timeless guiding principles, core values require no external justifications; they have intrinsic value and importance to those inside the organization.”(Collins & Porras, Harvard Business Review, 96501)
On March 26, our Right Relations Team will lead a special worship service to present some Personal Stories of Meaning and emerging Core Values.
The next part of the Right Relations process is to share stories of conflicts we have faced with others where these were turned into opportunities to strengthen and transfom relationships, even if we continue to disagree on the issues. Starting mid-month, we will be offering several occasions to Share Stories of Conflict Transformation. These include open groups which you may sign up for at the Right Relations table or by using the Google form at http://tinyurl.com/right-relations-share-stories.
We encourage you to participate by sharing a conflict you experienced and were able to resolve while maintaining and deepening relationships. With this collection of stories, the Right Relations Team will begin to develop our Covenant of Right Relations, to be presented to the church and affirmed at a future meeting.
A Covenant of Good (Right) Relations is a brief set of agreements made between members of a congregation about how they would like to live and work with one another, in good times and in difficult times. Covenants, unlike legal agreements, acknowledge our humanity and provide forgiveness and room to begin again if and when mistakes are made. Because of the historical religious significance of covenants these agreements are highly relevant in church communities.
Each of these processes uses the Appreciative Inquiry model. Often, organizations are prevented from fully knowing or drawing upon positive qualities because of a constant focus on problems. Compulsive concern with what’s not working, why things go wrong, and who’s not doing their job demoralizes members, undermines relationships, and reduces learning and cooperation. We are using the Appreciative Inquiry model because it builds organizations in which everyone has full voice and where real listening is the norm.
Also, the Right Relations Task Force continues to offer Listening Circles on a monthly basis. For more information about Sharing Groups and Listening Circles, stop by our table on Sunday mornings or go to the Right Relations Task Force page.
—Our RRTF and Interview Team: Kirk Attebury, Ed Brand, Helen Brown, Liza Cranis, Janine DeZarn, Vicky Foxworth, Wendi Gladstone, Cindy Kelly, Allison Kendall, Audrey Lyness, Cindy Martin, Emily Linnemeier, Margot Page (co-chair), Tom Peters, Vilma Ortiz (co-chair), Buddha Jonathan Quant, Kim Santiago-Kalmanson, Nalani Santiago-Kalmanson, Beth Rendeiro, Rima Snyder, Joe Straw, Sue Stoyanoff, John Sussman, Linda VanLigten, James Witker, Patricia Wright, Steve Young and Sylvia Young
A Little hUUmor
Thomas Starr King is credited with describing the difference between Universalists and Unitarians: “Universalists believe that God is too good to damn men; Unitarians believe that man is too good to be damned.”
Update on Developmental Ministry
Your Developmental Ministry Task Force has now discussed the Developmental Ministry (DM) Program, along with UUSM Process and Application, with nearly 150 congregants. Every week we learn something new and have been updating supporting documents and posting them online at uusm.org/ministerialtransition in as timely a manner as possible.
Rev. Keith Kron (head of the UUA Ministerial Transitions Office) and Rev. Sarah Schurr (our UUA Regional Ministerial Transitions contact) are now sharing our DM Application with ministers who could be a good fit for our congregation as well as distributing it far and wide on the our Ministerial Transition page.
Keith and Sarah will look for experienced ministers qualified to undertake the work outlined in our DM Application.
We have received new information that it could be advisable for the congregation to vote to affirm the board’s choice of the final DM candidate. The Board of Directors will take this up for discussion at its March meeting.
We also now know more about the timeline we will follow in the next few months:
• February – UUA Transitions Office vets potential DM candidates for UUSM. This includes everything from resume review to background and reference checks.
• February/March – UUA Transitions Office shares top candidates (up to 5). DM Task Force conducts independent research on candidates and holds phone/Skype interviews. With additional consultation with UUA, DM Task Force selects top candidate.
• April – DM Task Force brings top candidate to Los Angeles for pre-candidating weekend: DM candidate will meet with staff, DM Task Force, and board as well as preaching either in Santa Monica or in a neutral pulpit (at another local congregation).
• Late-April – With good fortune we have found a match with a candidate. Personnel Committee works with UUA to negotiate ministerial agreement with candidate. Board and candidate execute ministry agreement with UUA
• June – Without a match, we move forward with an Interim Ministry search.
• June/July – We execute our Summer ministry plans (TBD)
• August – Minister arrives and starts work!
— Jacki Weber
Quotations Related to Risk
Lois Hutchinson has provided these quotations that relate to our March ministerial theme, Risk.
March 5: One day, baby, we’ll be old. Oh, baby, we’ll be old. And think about the stories that we could have told.
— Asaf Avidan
March 12: Familiarity with danger makes a brave man braver, but less daring. — Herman Melville
March 19: The past is rooting for us. And the future is calling us to greatness. — Michael Dowd
March 26: But, whether our efforts are or not favoured by life, let us be able to say, when we come near the great goal, “I have done what I could.” — Louis Pasteur
Helen Brown Still Flying High at 95
Helen Brown, who turned 95 December 10 while on a 17-day cruise to the Hawaiian Islands, is one of UU Santa Monica’s Super Seniors (80+ year-olds). Helen was born in 1921 in Norfolk, VA. Her only sibling, a brother, was seven years older. When Helen was four years old, while the family was living in Baltimore, her father sat her in the pilot’s seat of a WWI plane, kindling her interest in flying.
During the time of the Crash in 1929, Helen’s lawyer father drove the family cross-country to relocate in Hollywood, California. The trip was an adventure to young Helen, as there was no interstate highway system at the time — only hard-packed dirt roads. To cross the Mississippi River, they drove their car onto a raft.
At Hollywood High School, Helen took courses in aeronautical drafting. She got a job in a medical lab to earn money to pay for flying lessons. Helen was about to take off to complete the last 30 minutes solo she needed to qualify for her pilot’s license when her instructor jumped in front of her plane, waving his arms. Helen stopped, and the instructor told her, “We’re grounded.” It was December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor had just been bombed.
Helen didn’t return to flying, but at the airport she had seen job offerings posted by Douglas Aviation. She applied, was hired, and was among the crew that opened a plant for Douglas in Long Beach in the lead up to WWII.
Helen married and had three children — a boy and two girls. Sadly, one daughter died shortly after birth. Another
daughter was born with a heart problem that prevented oxygen getting to her brain properly, which resulted in her having a lifelong speech impairment. This inspired Helen to return to college — first to Santa Monica College, then to Cal State Northridge, where she earned a BA and a Master’s Degree in Communicative Disorders.
Helen became a licensed speech pathologist. Later, as a teacher, Helen pioneered in developing program tools for the underserved below-50 IQ group. Helen brought resourceful thinking to a field of brain function little understood at the time. Few resources were available, so she handmade many tools for use with her students. She was recognized as a valuable source for training others to work with this group.
Helen retained her passion for aviation. After retiring from teaching in 1988, she served for five years as a docent at the Air Museum at Santa Monica Airport.
— Diana Spears
News & Announcements:
Congregational Meeting March 5 to Decide on Hiring of Developmental Minister
Our congregation will hold a business meeting Sunday, March 5, at 12:30 pm, to vote on whether to authorize our Board of Directors to proceed with searching for and potentially hiring a developmental minister.
We want as many people as possible to actively participate in the discussion. We must have a quorum of at least 55 people onsite for the vote to proceed. If you cannot be there, please participate via absentee ballot (go to, call, or email the church office).
There is a ton of information about developmental ministry on our Ministerial Transition page. If you have questions, we need to hear them so we can understand where there is lack of clarity or disagreement.
About Developmental Ministry (DM): DM is a type of transitional ministry that occurs between two long-term called/settled ministries over a period of three or more years. It’s ideal for a congregation that has goals it wants to work on before calling its next long-term minister.
What we see as our work to be done: Your Board of Directors feels that we have some congregational goals to pursue that are optimal for Developmental Ministry. Here they are in super simplistic form in no particular order:
• Get better at working and playing together — respecting difference while recognizing our common goals of making this life of ours the best it can be (as individuals and in community);
• Reconnect with and recommit to our shared mission and vision;
• Revitalize membership, leadership, and leadership development so that our UU congregation becomes a better instrument for personal and community development;
• Invest in strengthening programs that help us learn more about where we come from; get better about developing stronger stewardship of the programs and resources that fuel our mission and vision — that means
fundraising, but it’s more than that;
• Address structural issues in our church governance that may make our congregational work harder than it needs to be.
— Developmental Ministry Task Force Co-Chairs:
Kim Miller
Jacki Weber
Newsletters and Websites and Facebook, Oh My!
The volunteers and staff that produce the various communications of the church are pulling together as a Communications Team. We want to coordinate our efforts and use technology to communicate better with our community and to make a difference at UU Santa Monica and beyond. All are welcome to join the team and share their expertise — or just a willingness to help your community stay informed. Come meet with us March 12 and April 30, 12:30 to 1:30 pm, in Forbes Hall, Room 2, or email Jackie Schwab in the church office, oos@uusm.org.
Support UUSM Through the Ralphs Community Contribution Program
Ralphs Grocery Stores offers an easy way for church members with a Ralphs Rewards Card to support UUSM through Ralphs’ Community Contributions Program. Eight UUSM households are currently enrolled and effortlessly donated $105.97 by shopping and using their cards to donate a percentage (up to 4%) of their purchases between September 1 and November 30, 2016.
If you would like to participate too, please go to ralphs.com and create an account to register your Rewards Card. At the bottom of the Account Summary page is the Community Rewards section. Search for the UUSM organization number, 81397, enroll, and then go shopping! Important: you have to re-register EVERY year in
September. For questions about this nearly effortless UUSM fundraising program, contact Hildreth Simmons.
Ralphs Online Registration Instructions
REGISTERING YOUR REWARDS CARD ONLINE:
1. Log in to www.ralphs.com
2. Click on ‘Create an Account’
3. Follow the five easy steps to create an online account
4. You will be instructed to go to your email inbox to confirm your account
5. After you confirm your online account by clicking on the link in your email, return to www.
ralphs.com and click on ‘my account’ (you may have to sign in again first).
ALREADY REGISTERED YOUR REWARDS CARD ONLINE:
(This means that you have already entered your email address and chosen a password)
1. Log in to www.ralphs.com
2. Click Sign In
3. Enter your email address and password
4. Click on “My Account” (In the top right hand corner)
5. Link your card to our organization (Unitarian Universalist Community Ch #81397) by clicking on “edit my community contribution” and searching for 81397. Click the button to the left of our name and click Enroll.
Questions?
Supporters can earn rewards on almost everything, every time they shop! However, there are specific purchases that cannot be included: alcohol, tobacco, pharmacy, postage stamps, gift cards and Green Dot Prepaid Cards, gift certificates, CRV, fluid milk and milk products, lottery and promotional tickets, fuel, fuel center purchases, and sales tax. More information is available at https://www.ralphs.com/topic/community-contribution-2.
Are You Aware? (Transportation)
Depending on public transportation to get to church makes church participation more difficult.People in the congregation may stop coming or limit participation if they need to depend on public transportation.Despite improvements, public transportation is still unreliable and time consuming.
The Disability Support Group proposes reactivating a network to provide rides (like Care-Net).We want to try to help people come to church.We need you! If you are willing to be on a list of people who can offer rides to and from church, mainly on Sundays, or think you may sometimes need a ride, please contact Mark Christiansen or Steve Young.
You can help by talking with the Disability Support Group and others in the church about ways to improve support for persons with disabilities in our church community or by sharing your concerns and needs.Not sure whom to contact; look for Mark Christiansen, Michael Young, Steve Young, or Sylvia Young.
Green Living Committee:
March and April, 2017 - Climate Justice Month
Seeds of Change
Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.
-- Henry David Thoreau
Join Rev. Rebecca, Green Living committee leaders , and special guests for Seeds of Change, a five-week exploration of personal and social transformation through the lens of climate justice. The journey begins on March 19, with Reverend Michael Dowd, eco-thologian, preaching in honor of World Water Day on March 22. Our Climate Justice Month will conclude with our participation in the March for Science in Los Angeles on April 22 and then celebration with the Earth Sunday sermon on April 23.
Splinters from the Board:
Application for Developmental Minister Submitted to UUA
The board met Tuesday, February 7 in Forbes Hall, a week earlier than originally scheduled, to allow for celebration of Valentine’s Day. All board members were present except Rev. Rebecca, who has a commitment to meet with Heart to Heart facilitators on the first Tuesday of the month. Also present were Church Administrator Nurit Gordon and six guests. The Rev. Sarah Schurr, UUA Western Region Congregational Life Lead, who specializes in ministerial transition, participated via internet in the developmental ministry discussion. The meeting was conducted by Ron Crane, who shared that he was very happy to be back, and we were very happy to welcome him back.
We welcomed new church members since the last board meeting: Cheryl Sims, Mark Berlin, and Chela Metzger, for a total UUSM membership of 322.
The Treasurer/Finance report was taken off the consent agenda and added to the regular agenda. The remainder of the consent agenda was approved.
The first item on the discussion agenda was an update and discussion of the developmental ministry application process. The application has been submitted, communication with the congregation, led by Jacki Weber and Kim Miller, continues, and there will be a church business meeting March 5 to ask the congregation to endorse by majority vote the board’s process for hiring a developmental minister.
The application for a developmental minister was submitted to the UUA January 23. It was accepted with high compliments on the excellence of the overall content and especially the articulation of our goals. The UUA team of Rev. Schurr, the Rev. Jonipher Kwong, and the Rev. Keith Kron are leading the search. They expect that it will take about eight weeks to identify an initial pool of candidates, which will then be evaluated by the team and a subcommittee of the board. The cost to our congregation will be approximately $1,500, mostly for transportation.
The application has been posted on the web page for developmental ministers, and Keith has made phone calls to encourage ministers to apply. The team will narrow the search to a short list of three candidates based on the goals defined in our application. While a regular called minister must be hired by a vote of the congregation, the board is responsible for hiring a developmental minister.
Qualifications for a developmental minister who would support our congregation include a non-anxious presence, experience in achieving a cultural shift, understanding of and comfort with our church’s culture, and ability to work with the regional staff and our right relations consultant.
The second item on the agenda was an inquiry into how to best use the board’s time between now and May. Proposals included a community-wide workshop on leadership enrichment and articulation of roles and responsibilities (Patricia Wright), continuing work on the smart goal of assessment (Joe Engleman), and continuing work on the smart goal of a Sexually Safe Congregation (Emily Hero). A motion to hold a leadership and roles/responsibilities workshop to be led by Gregory Rouillard of the Living the Seven Principles Ministry failed by a 2/7 vote, based on the desire to wait for a developmental minister to work with right relations. Assessment was put on hold. Emily Hero and Kim Miller will continue to work on the goal of a Sexually Safe Congregation.
The third item on the agenda included a discussion of the budget process and a proposal for how the board can handle responses to written letters, complaints, and concerns that come to the board’s attention. Feedback on the proposal was positive but no immediate action was taken.
The treasurer and chair of the finance committee, Kim Miller, updated the board on the budget process and status, following the budget development procedure defined under our finance policies. The Personnel Committee’s recommendations regarding salaries have been submitted to the Finance Committee and budget requests have been received. The Finance Committee will meet in closed session and prepare a draft budget to be submitted to the board at its March meeting. The final budget will be voted on by the congregation at the Annual Meeting in May.
As of the submission of the statement of income and expenses for January 2017, UUCCSM is “in the black” by $2,855. The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:30 pm following check out by individual board members.
— Patricia Wright
RE News:
ADULT RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION AND AAHS PRESENT MICHAEL DOWD’S 2017 MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION:
Faithful to the Future: Big Picture Inspiration for Chaotic Times
Sunday, March 19, 3 to 5 pm, Sanctuary.
Childcare provided.
This program, geared for adults and teens, builds on Rev. Dowd’s two TEDx talks and on material in his
bridge-building book, “Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your
Life and Our World,” which was endorsed by six Nobel Prize-winning scientists and by religious leaders across
the spectrum.
We each have experienced times of trouble that threaten to overwhelm our individual lives. In such times, a vision of possibility is essential. The same holds for the punctuations in history when whole societies face troubles of an immense and uncharted variety. Truly, we here and now have arrived at such a time. Humans, unwittingly, have become a planetary force. We are changing, irreversibly, the very climate of our world. Henceforth, any actions we take as individuals and societies will be done in the new light of climate change. What vision will carry us forward through such times and inspire us to work together? How shall we frame the need to shed our business- as-usual outlook on life and take on a new vision of possibility that can unite us as a species in joyful self-sacrifice and service? What vision will charge us with a sense of heroic purpose that the future is, indeed, calling us to greatness?
Science and religion are not enemies; indeed, they must work together if humanity is to survive the 21st century. Given our impact on Earth’s climate, the seas, and other species, humanity is about to experience what could be called “The Great Reckoning.” The good news is that this will also be “The Great Homecoming”: the prodigal
species coming home to reality. This presentation will focus on six points of agreement held by tens of millions of
religious and non-religious people across the globe — and how to stay deeply inspired in the face of changing climate and other large-scale challenges.
Rev. Michael Dowd is a bestselling eco-theologian and pro-science prophetic voice whose work has been featured in The New York Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Newsweek, Discover, and on television nationally. Michael and his science writer/evolutionary-educator wife, Connie Barlow, have spoken to more than 2,000 groups throughout North America since 2002, including some 500 UU churches. Their work has been featured on the cover of the “UU WORLD” twice, in 1997 and 2006.
Michael has delivered two TEDx talks and a program at the United Nations. He has also conducted an acclaimed online conversation series: “The Future Is Calling Us to Greatness.” Dowd’s great joy is sharing a
science-based message of inspiration about our sacred responsibility to future generations. He last appeared at
UUSM in March 2014, and we’re excited to have him back.
MARCH ADULT RE GROUPS
Canticle to the Cosmos
A scientific and spiritual odyssey through the evolutionary origins of the universe, life, and humanity. We will view and discuss this 12-part video course by cosmologist and religious naturalist Brian Swimme, who seeks to provide people with a scientific *and* sacred understanding of cosmic origins, divine creativity, and an ecological consciousness urgently needed in our time. In his book, “The Universe Is a Green Dragon,” Swimme writes, “Our ancestry stretches back through the life forms and int the stars, back to the beginnings of the primeval fireball. This universe is a single multiform energetic unfolding of matter, mind, intelligence and life. None of the great figures of human history were aware of this, not Plato or Aristotle, or the Hebrew Prophets, or Confucius.…We are the first generation to live with an empirical view of the origin of the universe…to look into the night sky and see the birth of the cosmos as a whole. Our future as a species will be forged within this new story of the world.”
Every Sunday in March, 4 to 6 pm in Forbes Hall
Facilitator: James Witker,
Spirited Seekers
Discover the world of spirituality in the monthly Spirited Seekers group. We shall endeavor to keep an open mind, and to delight in the multitudinous expressions of spirituality and the deeply personal encounters with the Divine, according to our understanding. 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, if we choose to engage in any. All are welcome.
March’s Topic: Michael Dowd, the Pro-Future, Eco-theology Evangelist, will be visiting our church this month. In preparation, Spirited Seekers will plunge into Dowd’s “Ten Commandments to Avoid Extinction,” also known as Reality’s Rules or the Limits of Grace. Come and discuss these important ideas.
Sunday, March 5, 1 to 3 pm in the Warren Mathews Conference Room
Facilitator: Sarah Robson
Sneak Peek: At April’s meeting, Julia Jonathan will present American Shamanism.
“Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind”
Join us for a multi-week exploration of this bestselling book by Yuval Noah Harari that draws from many fields of study (history, anthropology, archaeology, and the biological sciences) to tell the story of how modern human beings came to be and where we may be headed in the future. “Sapiens” argues that history has been shaped by three major revolutions: the Cognitive Revolution (70,000 years ago), the Agricultural Revolution (10,000 years ago), and the Scientific Revolution (500 years ago). These paradigm shifts empowered Homo Sapiens to order our world around ideas (politics, economics, religion, etc.). The resulting transformations quickly made us the dominant species on Earth and have now put us on the verge of overcoming the forces of natural selection itself, even as we face grave ecological peril. We’ll discuss this “big history” epic from a variety of perspectives,
valuing our congregation’s philosophical and spiritual diversity, in four sessions over eight weeks.
Saturdays, March 4 and 18, 4 to 6 pm, Forbes Hall.
Co-Facilitators: Laura Matthews and James Witker
Reverence for Life: Transforming Belief into Practice through Animal Ministry
This class is designed for UU’s interested in beginning, supporting, or growing animal ministries in their congregations. During this one-session, one-hour webinar, we will reflect upon Albert Schweitzer’s ethic of Reverence for Life and what it could mean for our lives, organizations, and congregations. We will outline resources and possible next steps to set up an animal ministry within our congregation. Part of this ministry
might include joining the Reverence for Life Program designed by the UU Animal Ministry (UUAM).
Sunday, March 19, 1 to 2 pm, in the Warren Matthews
Conference Room
Facilitators: Amy Lacombe and Bruno Lacombe
Create an Advance Healthcare Directive
A workshop is set for Sunday, April 30, 12:30 to 3:30 pm, to help individuals prepare critical paperwork that will guide their families and physicians with personal instructions about end-of-life care. Many of us learned about Advance Healthcare Directives in the Conversations about Death discussion group. You can print your own copy of the form for free, as well as explore a good checklist and resources, by visiting the website of California State Attorney General: http://oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/care. I’ll bring several copies of forms plus reference materials and home-baked cookies. You bring notes or drafts and contact information for your doctor, health
insurance, and your healthcare proxy/agent.
Sunday, April 30, 12:30 to 3:30 pm, in the Warren Matthews
Conference Room
RSVP and/or questions: Joyce Holmen
ONGOING GROUPS
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 is a brief time of comments, sharing, and questions. We end the evening with a guided Mindfulness meditation.
Thursdays 7 to 8:30 pm, in the Cottage.
Please contact the facilitator, Bettye Barclay, beforehand
An Enjoyable Dive into 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 includes 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.
Monday, March 6, 7 to 9:30 pm, Forbes Room 1
Facilitator: Bill Blake
Co-facilitator: Dave Watson
Music News:
Second Sunday Concert Featuring Leslie Beauvais
Immediately following Second Sunday Supper, in the Sanctuary, a special concert by our fantastic and talented singer/songwriter Leslie Beauvais. All donations to this event will go to the UUSM music fund, which relies on events such as this to help raise funds for our musicians, printed music, and other expenses related to music ministry. Please join us! Contact: Kim Miller for more information.