Recent changes in deportation policy and practice have harmed the economic and social lives of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and intensified the atmosphere of racism that surrounds immigrants from Latin America.

Tanya Golash-Boza, Associate Professor of Sociology at U.C. Merced, will speak on this subject, with a discussion to follow.  

The Peace and Social Justice Committee invites you and your friends and families to hear Prof. Golash-Boza describe how the imiigration policies under George Bush and Barack Obama have caused a massive increase in the numbers of undocumented workers in detention centers and their subsequent deportation.  In 2001, the number deported was 186,000; in 2012 it was 409,849.  The number of immigrants held in detention increased from about 190,000 in 2005 to just under 400,000 in 2010.  Those masses of workers are about 76% Latino and a great majority (73% in 2008) have families who are residents or U.S. citizens.  Their arrest, detention and departation leads to disruption of family life, loss of income, and impoverishment, and provides an excuse for racist treatment by police, in employment, and in social services.

Ms. Golash-Boza is the author of Due Process Denied (2012), which describes how and why non-citizens in the United States ahve been detained and deported for minor crimes, without regard for constitutional limits on disproportionate punishment, and Immigration Nation (2012), which provides a critical analysis of the impact that U.S. immigration policy has on human rights.  She has written for scholarly journals and popular magazines and newspapers, such as The Nation and Counterpunch.  Her website is radprof.weebly.com.

For more information, contact Peggy Rhoads.

MLK Jr. Day of Service is a powerful day of activism and reflection. Each year volunteers across the nation commemorate this day with meaningful service, learning, and remembrance. On Monday, January 20, 2014 volunteers from our church will join L.A. Works and more than 1000 community and corporate volunteers to make MLK Jr. Day of Service a “Day On, Not a Day Off”. We will revitalize the campus of Title I school Hillcrest Drive Elementary in South Los Angeles whose physical grounds are in great need of care. 

Research has shown that children learn better in an environment in which they feel proud and comfortable.  School gardens and gardening have an impact on science, math, social studies and language and visual arts.  In addition, the students have the benefit of learning teamwork and responsibility by caring for the garden. The students will also see first hand the wonders of fresh food, healthy nutrition, and benefits of exercise. 

As a Title I school, 40% or more of students at the elementary school come from families that are low-income.

What to Expect: Murals across the campus that are dated and peeling will be repaired or replaced, school buildings and grounds will be painted, and landscaping will be rehabilitated. While volunteers will work across the entire campus on the day, the focus will be on building an enlarged school garden. 

The fine print: The volunteer commitment is from 8am-12pm. Lunch will follow. Volunteers must be at least 5 years of age. Children under the age of 14 must have a parent/guardian with them. To participate: sign up at the Faith In Action table in Forbes Hall on Sundays or contact volunteer@uusm.org.

In The Beginning

On this day-long retreat we will welcome the new year by considering anew our purpose and direction in life. Sometimes what we call "retreats" wind up being forums, workshops or meetings. This will be an honest-to-goodness retreat. Our unstructured, self-directed day together will include time and space for reflection, silence, meditation, movement, prayer, journaling and other practices of the heart. The gardens and chapel of Holy Spirit Retreat Center will be open to us. Rev. Rebecca will lead a brief opening worship and closing worship time. We will share a simple lunch.

Please wear comfortable clothing and bring personally meaningful or religious texts, journals and pens, yoga mats, and anything else that might help you ground yourself and reflect on new beginnings in your life. A fee of $35 covers lunch and rental of the comfortable facilities at Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino. If this fee creates a barrier to your participation, please contact Rev. Rebecca (minister@uusm.org). Sign up at the Lifespan RE table in Forbes between services, or contact Rev Rebecca (minister@uusm.org) by 1-12-2014.

Rev. Judith Meyer, Minister Emerita, returns to the pulpit with worship leader Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur. Every stage of life poses challenges, but retirement age, whether we remain employed or not, seems to demand something entirely new from us. Rev. Meyer has been retired over five years. She will share with us what she has learned, as well as what she must keep learning, now.