Greetings from the Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae - Welcome Him on August 22
Dear UUSM,
I am so excited to begin developmental ministry with you this summer. I discerned months ago that I would only explore a new congregational ministry if I had a strong sense of calling to the work. When it was shared you were looking for a new developmental minister, I began to learn more about the community and started speaking with the appropriate leaders within and beyond the congregation. It became clear to me that I had a very strong sense of calling to the opportunities, challenges, and aspirations of this ministry. I was especially impressed with the skillful leadership of your Board of Directors, the progress you’ve already made in 2 years of developmental ministry, and the identified developmental goals. I was delighted to meet many of your leaders and was inspired by their commitment, wisdom, and love.
The compelling ministry before us will touch upon the very heart of congregational life. We will explore mission, vision, and the covenants that bind us to each other and to the larger world. We will learn to deepen our relationships, explore matters of the heart and emotional intelligence, practice good communication and setting appropriate boundaries in congregational life, and create spaciousness for an affirmation and celebration of the diversity inherent to our pluralistic spiritual life. We will also work to examine systems and structures of the congregation and continue the important work towards increased financial vitality and sustainability. We will be in deep conversation around these goals and others in the coming months. This is truly a time for a holistic reflection on the essence of beloved community and what is required of each of us to be transformed by liberal religious community.
My most recent ministries have been serving congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area and teaching multireligious philosophy and theology at Starr King School for the Ministry – our Unitarian Universalist seminary at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. At Starr King, I also served for many years recruiting and preparing our next generation of Unitarian Universalist ministers and progressive religious leaders. In addition to being a UU minister, I am a practicing Sufi in the lineage of Ibrahim Abdurrahman Farajajé and Moinuddin Chishti. In the larger community, I’ve been especially invested in the Black Lives Matter, Standing Rock, Climate Justice, Disability, Refugee and Aslyee, Transgender/Queer and Feminist Liberation movements. Before entering the ministry, I was a social justice activist, educator, nonprofit professional, and community leader.
We will have a lot of time to learn more from each other and I look forward to ministering with each of you!
With love and gratitude,
Jeremiah
From Our President:
On behalf of the Developmental Ministry Search Team, I am pleased to introduce you to the Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae, who will join us beginning Thursday, August 22, 2019.
It’s challenging to welcome a new minister and talk about all the great skills he will bring without implying somehow that there is a comparison to our current minister, so let me make clear that when we went looking for a new minister we did so only with the intention of moving forward the developmental work we began with Rev. Greg in Fall 2017.
We wanted someone who would help us connect more deeply to our Unitarian Universalist values. We needed someone who could work in a complex organizational system to help us find a common purpose and a way for us to engage in new ways to fulfill our mission as a community of faith. And we knew our next minister was coming to UUSM at a pivotal moment in our history when we need to decide how we will adapt for literal and figurative “climate change.”
Rev. Jeremiah is described as “remarkably intelligent and insightful.” According to one of his references, “he has a tremendous spiritual depth and great passion around public witness, social justice, and spiritual growth, deepening, and discipline.
He has a wry wit and he’s an extraordinarily gifted teacher and worship leader. His grounding in spiritual principle and discipline, along with his insight into institutional systems, helps him move people and groups through [difficult situations].”
Over the past decade, Rev. Jeremiah has served congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area and as a member of the adjunct faculty of our Unitarian Universalist theological school in Berkeley. He completed a Chaplain Residency in the Heart Center and Center for Integrative Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic and was a McElroy Scholar and Intern Minister at the largest congregation in our movement, All Souls Unitarian Church, Tulsa.
He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Starr King School for the Ministry, a Master of Science in Social Work degree from Case Western Reserve University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Baldwin-Wallace University.
I will let Jeremiah tell you more about himself, but I speak for all of us who served on the search team: we are unequivocally enthusiastic about the intellect, positivity, spiritual grounding, and skill that he brings to our community, and we have the utmost confidence that he is the right person for our congregation at this moment.
Our new Director of Religious Educatio will also join us mid-August. Thank you all for walking this path with us.
-- Jacki Weber and the Developmental Ministry Search Team (Ed Brand, Beth Brownlie, Ron Crane, Eileen McCormack, and Kikanza Nuri-Robbins)
PS - Feel free to contact us or any member of the board with questions!
Featured Articles:
The Power of We: Dispatches from UUA General Assembly 2019
CELEBRATE THE POWER OF COMING TOGETHER
Worship, witness, learn, connect… This year’s General Assembly in Spokane, WA, is inspiring UUSM’s delegates as they discover and explore new tools to carry on the work of our community.
Intern Minister Robin Stillwater says, Hello from GA!
Sunday, June 23
UUSM Choir Section Leader Jyvonne Haskin gets her gospel on at Sunday Morning Worship. Sing and clap along at https://youtu.be/rMgD7nGc9NY?t=2600.
Saturday, June 22
Theme discussion: What is so important in Unitarian Universalism that you would be willing to sacrifice for it? Barb Greeve, co-moderator of General Session II (Business Meeting) presenting.
Friday, June 21
“The Power of We” is the theme of GA.
When we do move the margins to the center and fully value the leadership and contributions of those who have been marginalized within our movement, people of color, queer and trans people, disabled people, low-income people, young people, and others – amazing things happen.
– Barb Greeve, co-moderator of General Session I (Business Meeting)
Dismantling systems of oppression within our movement means doing things differently. It takes more than different leaders. It also takes different leadership structures, culture, and different ways of doing things. It takes trying things and failing, and figuring out what to do differently. It takes slowing down, evaluating what we are trying and evaluating the process, not just the outcome.
– Elandria Williams, co-moderator of General Session I (Business Meeting)
We are sitting at the precipice of something beautiful, incredible, and radical in this faith. We must allow it to happen, and not let fear and distrust of change be our guide…. It is meaningless for organizations and movements to claim to be about change in the world, and operate in oppressive ways in terms of staffing, how decisions are made, and how people are treated…. It’s time to do religious education for everybody, and not just go to church and hear the sermon. So maybe we can all be on the same page. It’s time for us to put care of each other first, the impact we want to have on the world next, and then the deliverables third. Because when you put the care and the impact first, the deliverables will come.
– Elandria Williams, co-moderator of General Session I (Business Meeting)
See more, including the annual report from UUA President the Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray at https://youtu.be/7iAi0L5tFC8: “This is no time to go it alone.”
Thursday, June 20
We love how UUSM Choir Section Leader Jyvonne Haskin raises her voice “for the children of our children” at the Service of the Living Tradition.
Later, the Rev. Lindi Ramsden, from Starr King School for the Ministry, channels Bill Nye the Science Guy’s NSFW tirade on climate change. “Now is the time to go all in…. Massive public and private resources will be mobilized. The question is, where and in whose interest will those investments be made? It is so important to leverage this moment and this time of gathering momentum to advance equity, to create climate justice.”
Wednesday, June 19
UUSM delegates proud to march in the Opening Ceremony. Camp de Benenville Pines in the house!
Divas and Drag Queens: a Choral Celebration of Pride and Empowerment - In Case You Missed It
On Saturday, June 8, the UUSM Choir presented “Divas and Drag Queens,” a musical fundraiser celebrating Pride and Empowerment.
A variety of pieces were showcased, ranging from classy to camp; arias from Donizetti to tunes by Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, and showstoppers from Priscilla Queen of the Desert!
The event was hosted by the magnificent Ms. Beverly Luxe, bingo was played through the night, and a few lucky winners took home fantastic prizes.
If you missed it, or if you were there and want to experience it again, please enjoy one or more of the selections by clicking the links – use full-screen view and turn up your speakers for the best experience.
New Members Welcomed with Radical Applause - JUNE 16TH CEREMONY HIT A HIGH NOTE
Membership Committee co-chairs Norm Richey and Sarah Robson led us in a simple, heartfelt ceremony on June 16 to welcome six new members. The response from the pews to this introduction was smiles, laughter, and radical applause. The message is this: We deeply thank you all for enriching our congregational life and for joining us in our important mission.
New Members Ceremony 6-16-19 - (L-R) Erik and Kirin Paesel, Shona Gupta, Suzanne Rainey, John Oliver, Sharon Harrel, Norm Richey, and Sarah Robson.
Erik Paesel is thrilled to join the church. Born overseas, in Munich, he grew up as a “military brat” in Germany and England. He is essentially a Midwest transplant – a diehard baseball fan of the Chicago Cubs; in fact, all his sports allegiances are with Chicago teams. He is a filmmaker still writing scripts and pilots and hoping for his big break. But for now, he teaches editing to university and high school students at the New York Film Academy. He wants you to know that he’s generally game for anything, especially camping, board games, softball, and craft beer. He’s the coach/manager of the UUSM softball team, the Waldos. Erik is also excited that his wife Shona and their son Kiran participate in the church and Religious Exploration (RE), and he’s very interested in helping both the church and the RE program grow. Kiran is very interested in taking OWL and enjoys Cub Scouts, Dungeons and Dragons, chess, soccer, and Minecraft whenever possible. Kiran hopes that he forms lifelong friends here in the RE program.
Shona Gupta has enjoyed her experience with the UU philosophy. She was struck by the kind and inclusive attitude of the UUSM community. She was born into a Hindu family that respects all religions, believing that “Truth is one but we call it by many names.” Her family is from India originally and immigrated to the US when she was a toddler. She moved Canada and spent many years there as well. She loves the outdoors and thus was delighted to participate in our 2018 church weekend at Camp de Benneville Pines – she even made the poster for archery. Shona has worked in publishing and technology for several years. When not managing tech projects, she’s working on her own entrepreneurial initiatives. She’s also an active member of the Culver City Arts District. Her hobbies include travel, tennis, art-gallery-hopping, piano, photography, and camping and hiking with her family!
Suzanne Rainey is a Southern California native, born in San Gabriel. She grew up Mormon and stopped practicing the religion in her 20s. She’s explored Buddhism, studied Judaism, and married Mark Barshop in a Jewish ceremony two years ago and comments, “I guess this makes me a ‘MobujuUU.’ I’m delighted to be joining this congregation.” Her teenage daughter Dagny recently participated in the OWL program.
Sharon Harrel and John Oliver are natives of Virginia and longtime UUs who found each other almost 20 years ago at camp – the Southeast Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute (SUUSI). They and married six years ago in the Unitarian Church of Norfolk. This April they sold their Virginia home and most of their possessions and moved to Santa Monica to help with the raising of their first grandchild, Robin Harrell Lee, born in May. Sharon is a retired school psychologist who worked for many years with teens diagnosed with serious emotional disabilities. She also taught psychology as an adjunct professor at George Mason University and Virginia Wesleyan College. She has a son here and a daughter in Olympia, WA.
John Oliver was a local government attorney in Virginia for over 30 years and currently works part-time on mental health legal issues for the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. He has a son in Virginia.
Leo Forester moved to LA from NY in September to pursue his passions of music and staying warm. He previously attended First Unitarian Church in Brooklyn and found it to be a haven for young people finding themselves and their way in the world, and the community has become a key piece of his social life. Leo has been really excited to find this congregation as he settles into life in LA.
We’re gonna keep on moving forward
Keep on moving forward
Keep on moving forward
Never turning back
Never turning back
– Pat Humphries’ song
Healthy Congregation Events Past and Future
LISTENING CIRCLE ON RECENT STAFF TRANSITIONS ON SUNDAY, JULY 21 AFTER SERVICE
July 8, 2019 Audrey Lyness Healthy Congregation, Right Relations
In March, we learned that our Developmental Minister would be leaving the congregation in a few months, and shortly thereafter, our Director of Religious Education announced her resignation. We already knew that our Intern Minister’s tenure would conclude in June. These turnovers signaled disruption for a church that had endured tumultuous transitions in the recent past. Accordingly, the Right Relations Team implemented two interventions with the goals of taking the temperature of church members and offering an opportunity to process these changes.
The first effort was to begin developing our survey that was administered in May and June, the results of which will be discussed in a subsequent article.
The next step we took was to host a Healthy Congregation Listening Circle: Transitioning in Love and Hope, on a Thursday night in April. Over two hours, folks of varying age and length of time in the church spoke emotionally about their confusion and disappointment, as well as about their hopes for the future. The participants listened with compassion and metaphorically held each other in their distress. This Circle was succeeded by one that followed a Sunday service in June, boasting an even larger attendance, and allowing fellow church members to provide unconditional support through active listening. Circle participants’ feelings, observations and experiences about staff departures varied widely, but many expressed a similar sense of relief in having a forum in which to voice their perspectives.
On Sunday, July 21, after the service, we hope you will consider joining us at our third Listening Circle addressing the staff transitions.
The Right Relations Team is also pleased to announce a new series, the Healthy Congregation InterGroup Dialogues Across Difference. The InterGroup Dialogues will establish contained and respectful spaces for congregants to discuss topics about which they may passionately disagree. Whereas during Circles we listened deeply and honored each others’ perspectives without offering responses, InterGroup Dialogues encourage thoughtful replies directed to more thoroughly understanding each other. The goal is not to debate, nor to change each other’s minds, nor even to come to an agreement, but rather to truly appreciate one another despite our differences – to accept the inherent worth of another’s viewpoint, and in so doing to uphold the dignity of our fellow congregants.
The first InterGroup Dialogue will take place on Sunday, August 18 after service, from noon to 2pm. The topic will be Dialogues Across Difference: Are We What We Eat?
Faith in Action News:
Stand With Women Against Abuse
As part of our partnership with CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice) we have been supporting the hotel housekeepers from Le Merigot and other Santa Monica hotels in their struggle for a housekeepers’ bill of rights. On June 18, six members of our congregation joined about 100 workers, clergy, union, and community members to stand up and say that we will not tolerate the abuse of workers in Santa Monica.
CLUE and Unite Here Local 11 are calling for the Santa Monica City Council to pass an ordinance that includes the following provisions:
Panic Buttons
Safety devices that workers can activate to notify on-site security of an ongoing crime or threatening behavior, and protection against retaliation for using a safety device.
Humane Workloads
Fair compensation if workers are required to clean more than 3500 square feet during an 8-hour shift and a prohibition on mandatory overtime.
Hotel Worker Retention
Transition period to prevent mass layoffs and ensure that dedicated, trained staff keep their jobs after a hotel changes ownership
Housekeeper Training Program
Training on key issues affecting the public, including potential threats or crime including human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual violence, risks to public health, as well as workers’ legal rights
To get involved now:
Sign up to canvas in Santa Monica on Saturdays from 11 am – 2 pm by emailing Rev. Rae Huang at rhuang@cluela.org
Stay tuned for more actions as the date of the City Council vote approaches.
Helping the Homeless with Lunches for Bunches
FAITH IN ACTION'S HUNGER TASKFORCE
About once a month, 8 to 12 volunteers gather under the shade structure or in Forbes Hall to prepare 100 sack lunches to be donated to nearby homeless service facilities run by The People Concern. After the lunches have been made and checked, they are taken to either Turning Point, a transitional housing facility near our church, or Cloverfield Safe Haven, a transitional housing facility that also runs a drop-in center for people in need. The People Concern is the umbrella organization that tells us where to deliver the lunches that are are given out to individuals over the following week.
Lunches for Bunches is an initiative of the Faith in Action Hunger Taskforce operated completely by volunteers and funded exclusively by targeted donations. It has no line-item in the church budget. The food is bought in bulk at Smart and Final. Volunteers just show up and help. There is no need to sign up in advance.
Patrick Meighan and Dorothy Steinicke are co-coordinators who alternate months in organizing the activity on Sundays. The Sunday of the month and the times vary — sometimes between the two services, sometimes after the second service. While the random schedule can make it a bit difficult for people to plan in advance, it also gives more people the opportunity to participate. The activity date is always listed on the UUSM calendar under FIA Lunches for Bunches. The next two Lunches for Bunches assembly activities are scheduled for July 21 and September 1, 2019.
Lunches for Bunches has been a UUSM tradition for many years. It’s a simple and wonderful way for church members to roll up their sleeves (figuratively and literally) and make an immediate impact in the broader community. The assembly-line-style work of creating the lunches is fun for people of all ages. In fact, many of our most dedicated volunteers are children.
If you would like to help coordinate Lunches for Bunches, please contact Patrick or Dorothy at hunger@uusm.org
Photos by Carol Ring and Cedar Boschan
Green Living Committee:
Living the 7th Principle
AFTER THE WOOLSEY FIRE
By Wendi Gladstone
In last June’s UUSM Newsletter I shared with you the adventures of the Sky Valley Volunteers (SVV) and living the UU 7th Principle. My business partner John and I revived a dormant environmental nonprofit for purposes of habitat restoration and living the 7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence.
Our operation was quite successful in its first year. We got permission from the Boeing Company at the Santa Susana Field Lab (SSFL) site and from MRCA at Sage Ranch Park and Dayton Canyon to plant a total of about 150 Coast Live Oak Trees in February 2018. Today we have about 350 trees in the ground.
Woolsey fireThen the Woolsey Fire happened in November 2018. The Sage Ranch forest escaped the flames, as it was just north of the fire’s onset, but the Boeing property was not as fortunate. John and I stood on a mountain top not far from our planting area and watched our nine-month-old forest burn. It was heartbreaking to say the least.
We weren’t given access to the site at SSFL until mid December. I knew everything had burned, but seeing it for the first time was devastating. I just fell to my knees and wept next to our “first baby” which had grown to be 18 inches tall. The area had been completely toasted.
Our next visit to SSFL was granted in early March. It is amazing to witness the ability these trees have to survive. Below, though the tree in the foreground is obviously gone and you can see its “ghost” on the ground in the December 2018 photo, the trees in the background have sprouted new growth by March 2019.
Not only had many of the mature trees re-sprouted, so had most of our newly-planted forest. By March 90% of our babies were coming back.
Next to my thumb below is the re-sprout of our “first baby.” She’s three inches tall here, and by May she’d grown significantly, as you can see.
We are determined, in spite of fire, to carry on the environmental aspect of the UU 7th Principle. Not only are we respecting the interdependence of all on this planet, but we are actively participating. See our video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cZK0S2smAK0.
We added trees to our first forest and we planted a new forest at Santa Susana Field Lab on the Boeing property on April 5th. This is my Mom’s forest, The Barbara Gladstone Memorial Forest. All of the more than 80 trees have names, one for each person/group who cared, attended her memorial service, or who were her friends. UU of Santa Monica has a tree planted in that forest. Thank you all for caring!
Long live the interdependent web of all existence.
Photos by John Luker.
RE News:
Personal and Spiritual Exploration for Adults, July 2019
Learning and exploration are about the transformation of the individual, our community, and the larger society. Participation helps us grow in wisdom, compassion, and ethical living. See our upcoming activities, programs, and workshops for adults.
To contact the facilitator in regards to any offering, you may email AdultRE@UUSM.org. Your email will be forwarded.
Do you wish to express yourself creatively in art, and yet may feel inadequate or untrained? Do you yearn to make an artistic statement, yet not sure how? Do you have too many catalogs, magazines, and advertisements, and haven’t a clue what to do with them? We welcome you to create your own collages with Stan Bemis! Stan works to bring joy and peace into people’s lives through creating art. He has taught many who didn’t realize they had creative talent, from all across the world – from California to Palestine/Israel. He welcomes any age, from youths to older adults. The goal of this group is to help foster personal worth and empowerment, entering that holy place within and having sacred fun. The objectives are: 1. to create works of art; and 2. to possibly create cards for events or celebrations. We encourage you to bring your old magazines to work with as well. We will meet from 10:00-12:00 pm in the NE Cottage. Contacts: Stan Bemis or Sarah Robson.
Our guiding intention is to provide structure and opportunities for meaningful connections between individuals in our congregation. We will break into groups of 2, offering an opportunity for one-to-one conversations with 3 different people during our time together. It isn’t necessary to have attended previous Conversations and Connections gatherings. All are invited. We will meet in Forbes Hall from 10:00am-12:00pm. Contacts: Sue Stoyanoff or Bettye Barclay.
AAHS (Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists, and Secularists) is an open group that meets for lively and engaging discussion on topics of politics, science, religion, and philosophy. We also host occasional guest speakers, films, and outings. We are a home base for non-believers and questioners, but everyone is welcome. For many, atheism/agnosticism is a first step; Humanism is the thousand steps that come after. We’ll meet 12:00-1:00 pm in the Warren Matthews Conference Room Contact: James Witker.
This month, we will read and discuss the essays, “The Marketing of Liberal Religion” and “The Unfulfilled Dream” by renowned UU minister and seminary professor David Bumbaugh which provocatively argues that the Universalist quest for a defining theology in modern times was lost in the 1961 merger with the Unitarians. “By refusing to define itself, Liberal Religion surrenders its ability to stand in judgment on the idolatries of our time,” he writes. “If we are to serve our people, and the world in which we find ourselves, it is critical that we now take up the unfinished project. It is time for Liberal Religion to declare clearly the faith we hold.” We will meet on Sunday, July 14th 3-5 pm and Monday, July 15th 7-9 pm in Forbes. Contact: James Witker.
We will discuss “The Fifth Risk,” by Michael Lewis. The fifth risk is the one we least imagine. For Lewis it is “project management.” In the Trump administration, it is what can happen in various Cabinet Departments, when they are headed by people unfamiliar with and/or uninterested in their inner workings. The reader gets a flavor for hidden ways by which government funding helps some of the people who are most skeptical of big government. All are welcome. We will meet from 7:30–9:00 pm in Forbes. Contact: Rebecca Crawford.
Interest Groups:
Discussion and Support for Persons with Disabilities Sunday, July 28
The Disability Support Group will be promoting a dialogue on a selected topic at each of its meetings throughout this church year. All church members interested in the topic are invited to attend. For July, the topic of discussion is “Summer Recreational Activities.” We meet on the fourth Sunday of each month from 12:30–2:00 pm in the NE Cottage. Contact: Michael Young.
The Men’s Group offers a special opportunity to the men of the congregation and other like minded men to join our welcoming group in provocative and stimulating discussion and to get to know others with UU perspectives in a more meaningful way. We normally meet the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month but due to the 4th of July this month we will meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday at 7:30 PM in the NE room of the Cottage. The topic for July 11 is: What beliefs and perspectives that you held in youth have you changed and at what period or circumstance did these changes happen. The topic for July 25 is: What interests or avocations have you done that you no longer do and do you regret not still doing them? Contact Richard Mathias.
This ongoing class helps 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 also focus on insights gained throughout the month. It is expected that participants will develop and enjoy a regular meditation practice. This group meets on the first and third Mondays from 7:30-9:00 pm in Forbes Classroom 3. Contact: Bill Blake.
We gather twice a month to sit together quietly for 20 minutes, to walk with gentle awareness for seven minutes, and to explore the integration of meditation with ordinary life through reading and sharing. Anyone who senses they would benefit from 20 minutes of silent, non-guided sitting is welcome to join us. We have found that this time of quiet meditation and shared exploration can be deeply nourishing – a time of simply “being” amidst all the “doing” of our lives. We meet on the second, fourth, and fifth Mondays from 7:30-9:00 pm in Forbes Classroom 3. Contacts: Bev Shoenberger or Carol Ring.
Highlights of additional interest groups meeting in July:
Knitters and Friends
On hiatus until September 22, 2019, when we return to two services. Contact: Linda Van Ligten.
Body-Mind Tune Up for Seniors This group is for seniors, superseniors, and people with physical difficulties. All Fridays 10:30–11:30 am in Forbes Hall. Contact: Bruno Lacombe. Note: Free for church members, $10 suggested donation for nonmembers.