Practice, Practice, Practice
Theme:
Covenant - What Binds Us
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur and Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
May Worship Theme: What Binds Us
There are names for what binds us:strong forces, weak forces.Look around, you can see them…-- Jane Hirshfield
In our UU faith, we are bound together not by creed or dogma, but by covenant, the sacred promises we make with one another about who we are and how we want to be in community together. We often quote our Seven Principles, yet rarely repeat the concluding lines of the congregational covenant from which they come:
Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising one another our mutual trust and support.
Join Rev. Rebecca and our worship leaders for a month-long exploration of covenant, mutual trust and support, and what binds us to one another, to our living tradition, and to the wider world.
May 8 Sermon: Practice, Practice, Practice
As a promise-making people, we are also a promise-breaking people. How do we reweave the bonds of community when we have disappointed or hurt one another?
At our 11am service we will embody our faith’s theology of interdependence by hosting the choir of First Church Los Angeles, our closest neighboring UU congregation at 7th and Vermont. At both 9am and 11am, Rev. Bijur and Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels of First Church, who was called to ministry from this congregation and is a former member of our Board of Directors, will lead worship and preach together.
Note: Special guest Bruce Rankin, ED of the Westside Food Bank, will also join us for both services on May 8 to talk about our congregation's longtime partnership with WFB to end hunger on the Westside of Los Angeles, and to receive a gift of over $2,000 from the congregation. Thank you to those who increased their pledges last fall in order to give more money away to WFB, those who participated in our Supper Bowl Sunday fundraiser with our children and families, gave more in the plate during the month of February, and for all the gifts of food you bring each week for our neighbors in need.
Guidelines and Ground Rules
Theme:
Covenant - What Binds Us
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur
May Worship Theme: What Binds Us
There are names for what binds us:strong forces, weak forces.Look around, you can see them…-- Jane Hirshfield
In our UU faith, we are bound together not by creed or dogma, but by covenant, the sacred promises we make with one another about who we are and how we want to be in community together. We often quote our Seven Principles, yet rarely repeat the concluding lines of the congregational covenant from which they come:
Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising one another our mutual trust and support.
Join Rev. Rebecca and our worship leaders for a month-long exploration of covenant, mutual trust and support, and what binds us to one another, to our living tradition, and to the wider world.
May 1 Sermon: Guidelines and Ground Rules
What guidelines and ground rules can UUs follow to create brave spaces to speak about our diverse identities and experiences, across those very differences?
Music Library Work Party
We’re updating the church music library. We could use your help (and your laptop if you have one), so please join us for the Choir Library Work Party at the church on Saturday, May 14 from 10 am until we’re all worn out. It’s easy and fun! Library is located in classroom 2 upstairs.
Date / Time:
Saturday, May 14, 2016 - 10:00am - 6:00pm
Contact Name:
DeReau Farrar
Music Library Work Party
Date / Time:
Saturday, April 23, 2016 - 10:00am - 6:00pm
Contact Name:
DeReau Farrar
Music Committee Meeting
MUSIC COMMITTEE TAKE TWO!
Hi all music lovers
Music committee is reforming. Join us for the first meeting on April 24, 2016 at 12:30pm in room 2 to "reset" our music committee.
All are welcome.
Date / Time:
Sunday, April 24, 2016 - 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Contact Name:
Kim Miller
Lunches for Bunches
Date / Time:
Sunday, April 24, 2016 - 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Contact Name:
Dorothy Steinicke
Advanced Healthcare Directive Workshop
On Memorial Day, we will be brave together as each of us who comes fills out an Advance Healthcare Directive. Beforehand, you can print your own copy for free, as well as explore a checklist and resources, by visiting the website of California State Attorney General Kamala Harris, http://oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/care. Also, start gathering contact information of the people to whom you should give a copy of this vital document.
Date / Time:
Monday, May 30, 2016 - 9:30am - 12:00pm
Contact Name:
Joyce Holmen
Importance of Membership
At the Annual Meeting, members set the direction of UUSM for the coming year, by electing a Board of Directors and passing an annual budget to guide financial decisions. Your vote is important to decide how we will best steward and allocate our resources.
UUSM Bylaws state that to become a member, an individual must:
• Sign the membership packet’s registration form, a statement of intent to
become an active member in the community life of the Church.
• Reside within the Pacific Western Region of the Unitarian Universalist
Association (PSWD-UUA).
• Be at least sixteen years of age or have successfully completed the Church’s
Coming of Age Program.
• Make a financial contribution of record to the Church, or a pledge to do so.
To help answer questions and facilitate your integration into our community, you are encouraged to meet with the Minister or Membership Committee chairperson. New members sign the membership book as the statement of intent, a tradition that connects new members with existing membership and past generations of members. Completion of the membership packet also represents a statement of intent.
Membership then begins as of the next Board meeting, when a new member’s name is read into the minutes. Forty days after that date, the new member becomes a Voting Member and is eligible to vote, directly or by proxy, at Church Business and Annual Meetings. Members then determine our next board of directors, budget, and path forward in the coming year.
UUSM provides regular classes and resources to potential members to explore the many ways one can serve this church and the wider community. Please feel free to contact any member of the Board for questions or help with membership.
Norm Richey
Chair, Membership Committee
Chair, Membership Committee
Holiday Craft Fair
Sponsored by the Art Committee. Lots of items to choose for yourselves or for gifts – clay, pottery, glass, jewelry, silk scarves, cards and more. The church receives a percentage of all sales. If you make handmade items –crafts, jams, jellies, or ???-- and you would like to participate that day contact Bettye Barclay.
Date / Time:
Sunday, November 13, 2016 - 9:00am - 1:00pm
Contact Name:
Bettye Barclay