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Newsletter for September, 2020

Month: 
Sep 2020
From Our Minister: 

From our Minister: The Path Is Beautiful
RENEWAL

 
 
“The path is beautiful and pleasant and joyful and familiar.”
                                          -Meister Eckhart (c. 1260 – c. 1328)
 
Dear Ones,
 
I hope everyone had a restorative summer and is excited about the new church year! I missed church and each of you this summer. You were in my heart as I practiced taking a rejuvenating break from the many demands of ministry.
 
Being away from church meant I had more time for family and friends. It also meant having time to swim each day, meditate, and I even started painting! I pray these activities continue. A highlight of my time away was a rafting trip in the SF Bay Area. I also reconnected with the Ashk Chishti Dergahs — my sufi “fire of love” community — and attended a summer course series on the teaching of the great sufi master Hz. Najm ad-Dīn Kubrà. I can’t wait to share some of what I learned with you in worship this year.
 
Our worship and ministry theme this month is “renewal.” It can be broadly defined as “to make new again” or “to refresh.” I know it is something we’ve had to cultivate for ourselves and with community in these challenging months. We will explore renewal in our annual Ingathering Water Communion Service next week, through our many social justice commitments, and by relying on our community for the support and love that has the power to “make all things new.”
 
I’d like to highlight a few of our upcoming events, activities, programs, and some new ways for you to be involved with this important work in the weeks before us:
 
Ingathering Water Communion
 
We will celebrate the arrival of the new church year with our Ingathering Water Communion from the safety of our homes on Sunday, September 13th, at 10 am. We are hoping you might be willing to record a short video of yourself or your family pouring a libation of water into a larger bowl of water with a few inspiring words to include in the service. Please be sure to record in a quiet and well-lit space and with at least a 720p HD resolution camera (such as on most phones), if possible. Saunder (music@uusm) needs the videos by Tuesday evening (September 8) so please email them to him. If you are unable to record a video, you can email me (minister@uusm.org) a sentence of a wish, memory, hope, or blessing for the new church year by Wednesday evening (September 9) and I will try to include them in the ceremony.
 
The Call to Racial Justice
 
We are responding to the call for racial justice on Sunday mornings, through our many Faith in Action activities, with new religious exploration curricula for our young people, through deep Chalice Circle conversations, and by forming a new church commission that will help to assess and catalyze intersectional anti-racism and anti-oppression work throughout the life of the congregation. If you have expertise in these fields and are interested in applying to serve in this new leadership body of the congregation, please email me so I know you’re interested in being involved.
 
UU the Vote
 
We are committed to doing all we can to fulfill the UUA’s #VoteLove pledge and to defend our sacred UU values of freedom, democracy, and justice.  Help us with this work by joining the Santa Monica UU the Vote Team today! Also, please plan to join us as we mobilize as a community on Sunday, September 13th after service at 11:30 a.m! RSVP here.
 
Chalice Circles – New Small Group Ministries!
 
Chalice Circles, our new small group ministry program, are small lay-led groups of 8 to 10 people that will meet together over time to deepen and expand the ministry of the church. By meeting together over time, being willing to share deeply from the heart and the soul, and by listening with an open heart we deepen our awareness of our own lives and hold with care the lives of others.
 
The focus of the groups is on meaning and significance rather than on details, information, and outcome. We are offering a variety of groups this year, starting in October. Examples are Spirit in Practice, Poetry as a Spiritual Practice, Transitions and Passages, and Anti-racism: Telling Our Stories Toward a Beloved Community.
 
For information about Chalice Circles email ChaliceCircles@uusm.org and someone will get back to you.
 
A Word of Thankfulness
 
Thank you to everyone who helped to create an inspiring and restorative summer at UUSM. A special thanks to Kikanza Nuri-Robins, Dorothy Steinicke, Saunder Choi, Worship Associates, choir, musicians, and our special guest worship leaders for the excellent services this summer! Also a special thanks to our pastoral care leadership for tending to the hearts and souls of our congregation these past summer months. Let us remember those who we lost this summer and celebrate all of the new life in our midst. Together, we have empowered our beloved community to continue to fulfill our mission and live out our liberal religious principles in the world.
 
Yours in ministry,
Jeremiah
 
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae
Developmental Minister
Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica
September 4, 2020
 
Featured Articles: 

#UUtheVote Call to Action – Support the USPS
HELP SAVE THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE

 
 
On May 6, 2020 businessman Louis DeJoy was announced as the unanimously selected 75th Postmaster General of the United States and Chief Executive Officer of the world’s largest postal organization. According to the Federal News Network, “DeJoy has become the first postmaster general in more than 20 years to lead USPS without prior experience working there.” His appointment has been a devastating factor in the current administration’s efforts to undermine the reliability of voting by mail in the upcoming election. 
 
What is at risk if more cuts are made to the United States Postal Service (USPS) includes:
 
  • People will have trouble receiving important medications. Over half of those receiving their medications through the mail are over 65. People with disabilities also rely on USPS for medications and equipment.
  • Voters in rural areas will not have reasonable access to mail-in voting.
  • A ‘poll-tax’ could be charged in the form of sending a ballot through another service. A FedEx envelope to send a ballot would be at least $8.50, according to Vox.
 
Our faith calls us to action! Here are two actions you can take right now to support the fight to save the USPS:
 
  1. Text “USPS” to 50409. This will send an email to your representatives urging them to join and continue the work to support the USPS.
  2. Sign this petition from the Center for American Progress to stop the blocking of relief funding to our post offices.

With love and faith,
The UUSM #UUtheVote team

Join us as we fight voter suppression and get out the vote. Click here to find out more!
 

The Call of Our Faith to Pass Proposition 15

 
 
A corporate property tax loophole has been squeezing the life from local governments and school districts across California. Proposition 15, the Schools and Communities First initiative on the November ballot, aims to change that to benefit public school kids and communities of every stripe. 
 
As people of faith, we are called to work for laws and policies that will bring about a more equitable and just society. Proposition 15 is a step in the right direction. It will make corporate property holders pay their share of property taxes, just like the rest of us do. 
 
I invite you to join me and others involved in UUSM’s Peace and Social Justice efforts to help pass Proposition 15. There are so many ways to get involved:
 
  • Outreach to our UUSM fellows to get out the vote
  • “Yes on 15” phone banks between now and the end of September
  • Letter-writing to infrequent voters
 
I started doing this work recently, and this week I’m sitting in on the UU Justice Ministry of California’s Turning the Tides organizing summit (happening now through August 29, 2020). We are learning how to better involve UUs in the work of bringing more love and justice to communities across California. Check out the schedule here. 
 
Want to help bring UU values to the November election with me (and others)? It’s easy-peasy. Sign up here if you’d like someone from UUSM to call you. Of course you can always email justice@uusm.org. Our Seven Principles call us to recognize the inherent worth and dignity of every person and to work for justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. Join us, won’t you? It’s actually fun! (There’s a whole #UUtheVote effort that we can tell you more about. For now, let’s talk about Prop 15.
 
Background
 
The reality is that until the late ‘70s, corporations paid their fair share of taxes. Then, as with so many other areas of society, tax code changes and lobbying increasingly tipped the scale more and more to the benefit of the very wealthiest individuals and corporations, and to the detriment of the rest of us.
 
Income inequality has reached a crisis point here in California: public schools, affordable housing stock, and local services (e.g., fire and safety, libraries, and parks) are all in dire straits.
 
While local communities and community members face these hardships, many corporations benefit from tax loopholes that drain resources from the very workers and services that have proven absolutely essential at this critical time. Proposition 15 will close corporate tax loopholes to generate $12 billion every year for critical local services and schools. 
 
Smaller businesses are exempt. Smaller farms are exempt. Residential property is exempt. 
 
Who will pay the price? Research has shown that only 10% of the biggest, most expensive commercial and industrial properties would generate 92% of the new revenue—meaning a fraction of top corporations would finally pay their fair share.
 
Here’s an example from San Jose Spotlight: “The Walt Disney property in Burbank spans 43 acres that was assessed in 1975. Disney pays $5 per square foot while Burbank Studios [half a mile away] pays $180. If the studios were reassessed and taxed at current market value, they would be competing on the same plane and paying $3.5 million more in taxes each year.”
 
Now, back to #UUtheVote. Through #UUtheVote, we will be organizing between now and election day, November 3, to build thriving communities, fight the US carceral system that threatens the principles of democratic society, and get out the vote to #DefeatHate and #VoteLove in elections.
 
Please join us! Sign up to UU the Vote at UUSM. 
 
Jacki Weber,
Past President, UUSM Board of Directors
 
 
 
 
News & Announcements: 

Generous Congregation Recipient:
Community Services Unlimited: Paul Robeson Wellness Center

 
We come together for more than ourselves. This month 50% of the offering will be donated to the Community Services Unlimited: Paul Robeson Wellness Center.  Community Services Unlimited Inc. (CSU), is a 501c3 established in 1977 and headquartered in South Central Los Angeles. Since then it has created community programs and organizing campaigns like the early Safe Seniors to the more recent Free Medical Screening Program and the most recent From the Ground Up.
 
UUCCSM volunteers have helped CSU to refurbish the Veggie Bus classroom and seed library and to remodel the Paul Robeson Community Wellness Center. The Center includes a produce market, cafe, catering kitchen, community center, and programs promoting environmental and social justice and health.
 
CSU’s mission is to foster the creation of communities actively working to address the issues of unsustainable resources and unequal impact. We are committed to supporting and creating justice-driven, community-based programs and educational initiatives which foster dialogue and raise awareness.  Thank you for your generous support.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

September Generous Congregation Supports Community Services Unlimited
CONTINUING TO HELP BUILD HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES

 
 
The COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement have brought to the fore the extreme inequalities that impact the health and lives of black and brown communities in Los Angeles. Food deserts — areas where residents have limited access to a variety of healthy foods — were already problematic in low-income areas of Los Angeles. Since the stay-at-home order closed thousands of businesses across the county, many permanently, food banks have been inundated with requests from working-poor households experiencing loss of income. Standing in line for food has become a daily, full-time job for some.
 
Community Services Unlimited, based in South Central Los Angeles, has been working to build a healthier local community since 1977. CSU helps local families apply for food aid via CalFresh. But their primary focus is to work against the injustices of a food system steeped in unsustainable charity and based on poor-quality and unhealthy foods. Founded on community self-reliance, CSU coordinates local food production. Among many health initiatives, CSU distributes organic produce, much of which is grown on their urban farm. During the school year (not this year) children tour the farm and colorful Veggie Bus, learning how to grow food at home, and why healthy, locally grown food is so important.
 
Over the past five years, UUSM’s Faith in Action Committee has supported the ongoing health and environmental justice efforts of Community Services Unlimited. UUSM volunteers provided expertise and connections to raise funds to convert an old school bus into the Veggie Bus learning center, and pitched in with some hands-on labor. UUSM was pleased to connect CSU leadership with the Los Angeles Chapter of the US Green Building Council (USGBCLA) and the Self Help Credit Union (where substantial UUSM reserve funds are invested) as they undertook a substantial renovation of CSU’s Paul Robeson Community Wellness Center (PRCWC). The center includes a produce market, cafe, catering kitchen, and community center, and created a model for sustainable development and self-sufficiency. The PRCWC and the urban garden are the base of operations for CSU’s work in the community.
 
Many of CSU’s programs have been negatively impacted by COVID-19, but they continue to provide healthy organic produce at affordable prices from their Expo Park garden and other local organic producers. UUSM members have organized a Santa Monica drop-off point for CSU produce bags, which enables congregants and friends to receive a weekly bounty of organic fruits and veggies grown by local farmers. These weekly deliveries to Santa Monica support CSU’s ongoing programs, including discounted produce sales to households in South LA. It also gives us a chance to greet some of our (masked) church friends every Friday afternoon as we pick up our produce. (If you are interested in ordering a weekly organic produce bag at the Supporter rate, first email greenchair@uusm.org and then sign up on the CSU market site choosing the UUSM Private Drop Site).
 
Generous Congregation
 
Our practice here at UUSM is to dedicate half of our non-pledge Sunday offerings to organizations doing work in the world that advances our Unitarian Universalist principles; the other 50% of the offering is used to support the life of our church.
 
UUSM’s Generous Congregation supports our church community. And together, we uplift the reach and impact of vital organizations doing work we could not do on our own. This month, half of our Sunday offerings will go to Community Services Unlimited. Your support will help provide healthy organic food and preventive health services, while building the South LA community’s capacity to address issues of unsustainable resources and unequal impact.
 
Please consider supporting the mission of our church, and the great work of Community Services Unlimited. To give right now, text “$10 GCC” to 844-982-0209. (One-time-only credit card registration required.)
 

Coming Soon: Chalice Circles at UUSM
SIGN UP BY SEPTEMBER 30

 
 
Chalice Circles are opportunities to explore ideas and delve into our beloved community this year.
 
As diverse as our community is, so too are the Chalice Circles being offered by your fellow congregants starting this fall. The Chalice Circle options are: Spirit in Practice, CommUUnity Connections, Poetry as a Spiritual Practice, Transitions and Passages, Anti-Racism: Telling Our Stories Toward a Beloved Community, Council Meeting, and A 7-Principled Perspective of Current Events.
 
Each circle will meet monthly from October through June on the Zoom platform.
 
Registration is open during September. Please send an e-mail to ChaliceCircles@uusm.org requesting the circle(s) in which you would like to participate. Registration closes September 30.
 
Spirit in Practice
 
This Chalice Circle explores and nourishes the many ways in which regular disciplines, or practices, can help us connect with the sacred ground of our individual being. Spirit in Practice affirms religious diversity while seeking unity in our communal quest for meaning and wholeness. Topics will include personal and communal practices, mind and body practices, and justice practices amongst others.
 
Co-facilitators: Patricia Wright and Cynthia Cottam
Date and time: Third Tuesdays, October through June, 1:00 – 3:00 pm
 
CommUUnity Connections
 
This Chalice Circle is a place to connect with our community by listening deeply, sharing our feelings, perspectives, and personal connections to a variety of topics. These topics may include our human connection to nature, personal growth, love, spirit, our inner narrative about current events, and connecting deeply with each other.
 
Co-facilitators: Wendi Gladstone and Margot Page
Date and time: Second Thursdays, October through June, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
 
Poetry as a Spiritual Practice
 
Join us to explore the ways in which poetry can enrich our lives and deepen our spiritual practice. We will discuss topics like Beauty, Observing Nature, Social Conscience, and others. We look forward to sharing together.
 
Co-facilitators: Rima Snyder and Dorothy Steinicke
Date and time: Fourth Wednesday, October through June, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
 
Transitions and Passages
 
With monthly ministry themes as a starting place, we will explore the transitions and passages in our lives and the ways they have expanded the depth dimension of our lives.
 
Co-facilitators: Denise Helton and Bettye Barclay
Date and time: Third Thursdays, October through June, 1:00 – 3:00 pm
 
Anti-Racism: Telling Our Stories Toward a Beloved Community.
 
This Chalice Circle offers the opportunity to engage together in the lifelong spiritual work of anti-racism and anti-oppression. We will do this by telling our own stories and exploring our relationship with race and racism. We will explore white identity and unearned privilege. We will look at how racism acts as a barrier to building beloved community. Together we will build a brave space so we may talk about the uncomfortable reality of racism in ourselves and in the larger community.
 
Co-facilitators: Sue Stoyanoff, Dorothy Steinicke and Audrey Lyness
Date and time: Second Wednesdays, October through June, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
 
Council Meeting
 
This small group ministry provides a space for people to be seen and heard in a facilitated practice for connecting to ourselves and our community through listening and speaking with intention. It is an opportunity to explore our growing edges, understand our shadows as protective responses to challenges. Through deep listening and sharing we will practice connecting with ourselves and one another while expanding and deepening our community.
 
Co-facilitators: Jo An Peters and Grace Edgerly
Date and times: Third Mondays, October – June, 7:00-9:00 pm
 
A 7-principled Perspective on Current Events
 
Featuring ways to explore current events, our group aims to maintain helpful and influential perspectives on today’s news cycle from pre-election through the election and post-election phases and beyond. Grounded in UU principles, we hope to manage what we take in through media in a way that fosters spiritual health and growth.
 
Co-facilitators: Tom Peters and Leon Henderson-MacLennan
Date and time: Fourth Sundays, October through June, 12:00 – 2:00 pm
 

Come Kick Off the #UUtheVote Campaign Sept 13
EXPLORE HOW WE CAN #UUTHEVOTE

 
 
 
 
Dear Friends,
 
The UUSM Board of Directors has committed that we will do all we can to fulfill our UUA’s #VoteLove pledge in November: we are fully committed to mobilizing the electorate and UUs in support of dignity and justice for all through our democratic process. 
 
And we invite you to join us on Sunday, September 13 at 11:30 a.m. as we gather online to organize for the remaining weeks before the election.
 
Already ready to sign on? Join the Santa Monica UU the Vote Team today!
 
You don’t need to be told about the importance of the November election, or to mail back your ballot early. But you might be wondering what else can you do to move the needle on the election, and who are the people you can do it with?
 
Well right now, you can take the #VoteLove pledge to mobilize the electorate and UUs. It states our faith’s values, that we are unequivocally: Pro-Migrant, Pro-Democracy, Pro-Equity & Liberation Movements, Pro-Human & Civil Rights for All, Pro-Reparations, and Pro-Sustainability.
 
Then join UUSM as we:
 
  • Act alongside advocates and issues that have direct and material impacts on the communities with which we have declared political solidarity.
  • Get Out the Vote through phone banks, text banks, postcards, and voter registration drives.
  • Have values-based conversations with our UU community and networks about our values and what we are voting for in 2020.
  • Participate in learning and political education to responsibly and effectively engage and organize in anti-racist and pro-democracy movements.
  • Share our resources with people and communities most deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the decades-long campaign of voter suppression.
  • Turn out with resources, time, and support to fight against authoritarianism and in support of communities of Color, poor people, people with disabilities, immigrants, and Trans and Queer people in our congregation and community following the election.
  • Vote!

UUSMers are already phone banking, writing postcards, and working with civic and faith-based organizations like the League of Women Voters, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, and the UU Justice Ministry of California.

 
Now we’d like to invite you to join us as we plan to mobilize as a community in the precious remaining weeks before the election.
 
Please join us September 13 after the Sunday service at 11:30 am as we explore how we can all best #UUtheVote! RSVP here.
 
In solidarity,
Beth Brownlie
UUSM Board of Directors President
 
 
Faith in Action News: 

Faith In Action Roundup – Fall Pandemic Edition
CONTINUING OUR IMPORTANT WORK

 
 
These are challenging times for our many congregational groups that thrive on in-person connection and collaboration. For FIA groups, it means that much of what we do feels like it has been put on hold. No workshops, screenings or in-person speakers; no assembling lunches for the needy or marching to City Hall; no packed and lively Cottage meetings over coffee and snacks. Still, we have done our best to keep meeting via Zoom, to stay grounded, and to keep the work going, one way or another. As we look ahead to Fall and the new congregational year, with hope that we will all see each other again before too long, here’s some of what’s happening now and coming soon.
 
2020: The Call of Racial Justice
 
Summer 2020 has ushered in a civic awakening and re-invigorated the movement against racism and state violence driven by yet more tragic deaths — Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and how many more? — and continuing unrest all over the country. Here in LA, local Black Lives Matter leaders whom we know and support have been attacked, and peaceful protests have been violently disrupted. Many in our congregation are asking how we can continue and strengthen our work against racism under the current circumstances.
 
How to Be An Anti-Racist: As a redux of its Winter 2020 workshop, the Peace & Social Justice Committee will sponsor another group discussion of this celebrated and timely book by pioneering scholar/activist, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. Concise and clear, personal and powerful, this work has become something of a “common read” for racial justice this year. Join us! Dates TBD September/October.
 
 
Ongoing Anti-Racism Study + Action Group: Beginning this Fall, Peace & Social Justice and Adult Programs are collaborating to launch a new group that will meet monthly, on an ongoing basis, to study racial justice and work together to put our learnings into action in our own lives and the world. Using the viral “100 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice” as a roadmap, we will focus on one area of study (political, spiritual, and/or personal) and one corresponding action item that we can take collectively or individually per month. The leadership of this group will be collaborative, and we will aim be accountable to one another to stay engaged and accomplish our goals. The work of this group will complement the decades-long work of FIA Commission members to work for racial justice alongside our community and interfaith partners.
 
Police Reform and Justice for Victims of LAPD Violence: Deaths of (often unarmed) people of color at the hands of law enforcement have been tragically frequent in Greater LA, and are still occurring with near impunity. We continue the work of many years to march — or these days, to socially-distance caravan — alongside community allies such as BLM-LA and others to seek justice, accountability, and reforms. Currently, there are actions centering around the families of the late Alex Flores and Daniel Hernandez, and protests continue to seek action from LA District Attorney Jackie Lacey. Contact Sarah Mae Harper at justice@uusm.org to learn more.
 
2020 Elections
 
Our congregation is supporting the UUA’s campaign to #UUtheVote — to amplify our values and defend the democratic process in this year’s elections.
 
 
 
Members of Peace & Social Justice are proud to have helped launch the campaign for Schools and Communities First last Fall, which is now on the ballot as Prop. 15. Learn more about how to participate here.
 
 
 
Just & Equitable Pandemic Response
 
Healthy LA: The UUSM Faith In Action Commission is signatory to the Healthy LA Coalition, a constellation of local faith and community groups that has helped to guide the city and county’s response to this year’s health and economic crisis. Healthy LA has called for prohibition on evictions, enhanced worker protections and increased support for the homeless community. Join us at an upcoming forum to learn how we can continue to advocate for desperately-needed community health and economic protections  during this time.
 
 
Interfaith Solidarity
 
We support our friends at the Institute for Religious Tolerance, Peace & Justice for persevering though the pandemic to hold a virtual edition of the annual LA Interfaith Solidarity March on Sunday, Sept. 13th. As ever, the goals of this community event are to unite with many local faith and secular groups to support the freedom of worship/belief for everyone, and to stand against all religiously-motivated bigotry, oppression, and violence. The Peace & Social Justice Committee and UUSM members have supported and participated in this event since its 2016 inception, at a time of growing threats against our Jewish, Muslim and Sikh neighbors in particular, and together we can continue to strengthen this community event and interfaith network. Register here!
 
 
 
Green Living and Community Support
 
In addition to meeting regularly via Zoom and hosting occasional guest speakers on climate policy, the Green Living Committee has organized a program to deliver organic produce bags from our longtime time South LA partner Community Services Unlimited to members of our community — and thereby to help fund CSU’s efforts to provide  healthy, fresh food at low cost to residents of LA’s largest food desert. Contact Alison Kendall to learn more. 
 
Backyard Bounty Returns
 
Thanks to the efforts of McCartney Hutchinson, Hunger Task Force is reviving a socially-distanced Backyard Bounty program. Do you have fresh produce from your garden that you can donate? Can you provide dry goods or other needed items to help neighbors who are struggling during this time? Contact hunger@uusm.org to schedule a pickup and have your donations delivered safely to recipient Grass Roots Neighbors, and read more here.
 
Contact Faith In Action: justice@uusm.org
 
Join Green Sanctuary Email list: green@uusm.or
 
Join Peace & Social Justice Email Group: https://groups.google.com/g/uusm-peace

Backyard Bounty Is Back, Fighting Hunger Right in Our Community
August 31, 2020 Newsletter Staff Faith In Action

 
 
In past years, the green thumbs among us have brought their surplus produce to church on Sundays and the Hunger Task Force has distributed donations to organizations fighting hunger in our community. During this time when we are not able to congregate, food insecurity among our neighbors is greater than ever. Hunger Task Force member McCartney Hutchinson is spearheading a revival of Backyard Bounty to provide a pickup service (contact-free), collecting extra produce and other donations and dropping them at local agencies.
 
Our first recipient group is Grass Roots Neighbors in Playa Del Rey. They are a local volunteer organization focused on meeting the needs of those that are experiencing a housing or food crisis. Founded by Stephanie and Vlad Popesce, Grass Roots Neighbors is a lifeline for the households they serve with regular food deliveries. With a long waiting list, demand is easily double what they can currently serve. They are in urgent need of increased donations.
 
In addition to produce, Grass Roots Neighbors welcomes pantry staples, personal care and baby items, and cleaning supplies. Of course, cash donations are gratefully received.
 
Rice/ Beans
Pasta
Pasta Sauce
Canned Goods (tuna, chili, etc)
Oil
Canned fruits and veggies
Cereal/ Oatmeal
Condiments
Baby formula
Snacks – granola bars, chips, cookies Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
Laundry Detergent
Disinfectant (Lysol, Clorox, Bleach)
Hand and body soaps
Shampoo and Conditioner
Toothbrushes and toothpaste
 
To donate your produce or other grocery items, email hunger@uusm.org to schedule a contact-free pickup.
 
Community Services Unlimited Produce Bags
 
UUSM’s long-term relationship with Community Services Unlimited (CSU) is flourishing during the pandemic. About 20 Westside friends and congregants pick up deliveries of CSU’s locally grown, organic produce bags every Friday in Santa Monica, which supports sales of half-price produce to South LA residents. For more information on the great work that CSU does in in its community, and their partnership with UUSM, see this month’s Generous Congregation article.
 
In addition to pickups, everyone is welcome to drop off donations for the Backyard Bounty project, produce or other, at the CSU Friday-afternoon pickup point in Santa Monica. Email hunger@uusm.org for the address.
 
In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, food insecurity is surging across the US and right here in Los Angeles. It’s especially the case for employees in the retail, restaurant, entertainment, and hospitality service industries, where thousands of workers — who often live paycheck to paycheck — have been laid off. In other cases, parents of young children and certain at-risk individuals are forced to miss work. Most of us are fortunate enough to not have to choose between rent and food. Let’s help our neighbors in need.
 
McCartney Hutchinson
Member, Hunger Task Force
 
 
 
RE News: 

Personal and Spiritual Exploration for Adults, September 2020

 
 
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 below our September activities, programs, and workshops for adults.
 
To contact the facilitator in regard to any offering, you may email AdultRE@UUSM.org with the title of the group in the subject line. Your email will be forwarded. Please note that currently, all offerings are facilitated through Zoom. Contact Teri Lucas for more information and the link to the Zoom meeting.
 
Do you have a passion or an expertise? Are you a chef or a gardener, a historian or an actor? Would you like to offer some help, support, or some frivolity to our UU community via Zoom? We’re seeking programming that is fun, informative, and engaging. Please let us know if there’s something you’d like to offer and the Adult RE Committee will help you to do it. Email the Adult RE Committee (AdultRE@UUSM.org) or Teri Lucas (uusmREassist@uusm.org) and we can work with you on presenting your ideas.
 
Community Building Through Personal Development:
 
Nature Journaling with Dorothy Steinicke Sunday September 13
We will come together again to appreciate the beauty and wonder of nature by contemplating, writing, and drawing. All that is required are pencil and paper and a few objects from nature. A lifelong lover of the outdoors, Dorothy Steinicke has more than twenty years experience introducing people to a love of the natural world. She leads hikes for children and for adults in Topanga Canyon, Ballona Wetlands, and Dockweiller State Beach. We will meet on Zoom from 2:30 – 4:00 pm. Please contact Dorothy Steinicke for more details.
 
 
Ukulele Strum Along Saturday September 26
Come and play ukulele with us or join with another strumming instrument. We recommend a familiarity with the ukulele for this online format but all levels are welcome (beginner to advanced). Bring a ukulele to our Zoom meeting and chords and lyrics will be provided in advance with a few folks prepared to lead some songs. We will share tips and support each other, pulling from a wide range of music. This event is for ages 15 and up, or 10 and up if accompanied by a guardian. We will need your email contact information by September 24, so that we can send you the music ahead of time. We will gather from 9:30 – 10:30 am. Contact: Kim Kalmanson.
 
Exploration of Ideas:
 
AAHS Freethinker Forum Sunday September 27
AAHS (Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists, and Secularists) is an open group that meets for a 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 from 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm via Zoom. Contact: James Witker.
 
We will discuss “The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge,” by Matt Ridley. Human society evolves. Much of the human world is the result of human action, but not of human design. Important achievements develop from the bottom up – not from on high. To receive the link, you will want to be on the group email list. We meet from 7:30 – 9:00 pm. Contact: Rebecca Crawford, sci-nonfiction@uusm.org All are welcome.
 
UU Men’s Group  Thursdays September 3 and 17
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. The topic for Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020 is:  “How are you handling your aging? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of growing older? Consider things like the evolving meaning of life, how you want to be remembered, and of course, how you and your mate are handling the usual aches and pains of aging that all couples encounter, and how you are handling that dark fact, ‘Everything has an expiration date?'”  The topic for Thursday, Sept. 17 is:  Men generally do not like to admit to fear, but was there a time in your life when you were immobilized or driven by fear? We meet the first and third Thursdays of the month at 7:30 pm via Zoom.  For more information, contact Richard Mathias.
 
Meditations:
 
Open Meditation  Mondays September 14 and 28
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 from 7:30 – 9:00 pm. Contacts: Bev Shoenberger or Carol Ring.
 
Open Meditation: Wellsprings  Wednesdays and Fridays
These are exceptional times. Taking this time for quiet meditation and sharing in the intimacy of having sat in silence together can help sustain and ground us during these difficult days. We trust each of you will use this group in the way that fits your needs. We listen to brief readings, sit together quietly for twenty minutes, journal and share with each other what’s on our hearts.  We simply sit together in our shared humanity. We call off the struggle to become other than we are. These are drop-in groups. You are welcome to join us when it feels right to you. If you come in late or need to leave early, just do so quietly. We meet every Wednesday and Friday afternoon from 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm online. Contact: Bev Shoenberger.