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Newsletter Policy

Created September 2001; Revision approved by the Board of Directors on May 9, 2006; Revision approved by the Board of Directors on May 15, 2013. Revisions proposed by Newsletter Team, May 14, 2019. Approved by the Board of Directors on July 9, 2019.
 
The online Newsletter is a continuously updated multi-author blog and there are no specific deadlines. However, in order to mimic the previous monthly publishing timeline of the printed Newsletter, certain timely content is requested by the 20th of each month: the Sunday service schedule, columns by the Minister and DRE, Board meeting reports, Art Wall, and Adult Programs. A Newsletter Digest with excerpts from several articles of particular interest selected by the Managing Editor(s) and Comm Team Chair will be sent at least once every month, shortly before the first service of the month, to the entire Members and Friends email list, leading people to the full Newsletter website for more information and news. 
 
Other content may be submitted at any time and must be supported or formally endorsed by a committee or working group of the church. To be considered for inclusion in the end-of-the- month Newsletter Digest, articles must be submitted by the 20th of the month to allow time for editing. All submitted content is subject to editing by the Newsletter Team. Content may be edited for style, grammar, format, etc. If content is deemed to be inappropriate for publication, the author will be contacted before being rejected. Any questions or problems concerning editing shall be addressed by the content editor and Managing Editor(s). Disagreements about broader content issues shall be mediated by the Newsletter Managing Editor(s), with input from the Comm Team Chair as necessary. All content is copyrighted by and is the property of the UUSM Board of Directors, except in instances of Fair Use or where authors contractually retain copyright. 
 
Comments on articles are not published but will be responded to by the Managing Editor(s) and shared with the Newsletter Team and the author as feedback. A policy on Letters to the Editor will be developed. 
 

Test Limited Product - Class Space

This is a test of the "Limited Product" product type.  It represents an available seat in a classroom limited to an occupancy of 30 people, with 3 spaces reserved ahead of time.

"Leaving Room for Hope: Sermons for Uncertain Times"

By the Rev. Judith E. Meyer, Minister Emerita
Edited by Felicity A. Nussbaum
Forward by the Rev. Ernest D. Pipes, Jr., Minister Emeritus

This collection of sermons from our Minister Emeritus spans the years 1993-2005 and addresses a variety of themes. From the spiritual experience of every day life to Unitarian Universalist history, Leaving Room for Hope is a good sampling of our Sunday pulpit messages. Publication of the book celebrated Judith’s twenty-fifth year in the ministry.

Make a Donation

Text to GiveDonate Immediately With Your Smartphone

Text to 844-982-0209 with the amount you’d like to donate and the code for where you would like your donation to go. To make a Generous Congregation Contribution, use code GCC; for example, “$20 GCC”. To make a Pledge contribution, use PLG (“$20 PLG”). To make a non-pledge contribution to another fund, use IDC (“$20 IDC”). Text giving is easy and makes a big difference. Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. (The first time you give, you’ll be asked to register.)

Make an online donation now

Click on the UUSM ONLINE image above to make an online financial donation to the church from your computer. It will take you to a secure form powered by VANCO Payment Solutions, the company that processes our donations. You will be able to enter your donation details and designate the specific purpose of your donation.

PLEASE NOTE:  When you click the "Make a Donation" button, you will be taken away from the uusm.org website, to a secure page powered by VANCO Payment Solutions. If it asks you to log in, you will need to create a NEW separate account on that site, and log into it separately from your uusm.org website account. Find out more about Vanco at www.vancopayments.com.

  • Online pledge payments and donations can be made by credit card or electronic funds transfer (EFT) from your checking or savings bank account
  • A confirmation page will appear after your payment is completed.
  • Questions about making an online pledge payment or donation? Contact us at info@uusm.org.
Make a donation on your phone

The GivePlus Mobile app, also powered by VANCO Payment Solutions, allows you to make a donation to UUSM on your phone or other mobile device - wherever you are. It's as easy as 1-2-3.

1. DOWNLOAD THE APP

Google PlayApple App Store

Search for "GivePlus Church" to find it quickly.

2. SEARCH FOR "UU COMMUNITY CHURCH"

3. MAKE A DONATION

GivePlus Mobile supports donations via all major debit and/or credit cards, as well as by electronic funds transfer (EFT). If you have a Vanco or GivePlus account or choose to create one, you can log in and select the frequency of the transaction during the donation process.

If you would prefer to write a check, mail it to:

Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica
1260 18th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Please note on the check what you want the funds used for. Checks without a notation will be deposited into the General Operating fund.

Annual Commitment Campaign

Update your annual pledge by downloading, completing and returning the pledge form found HERE. You can arrange scheduled payments through the Make A Donation link above.

Garden of Eternity

DONATE A BRICK ENGRAVED WITH YOUR LOVED ONE'S NAME.  Members can donate $500 or more in memory of a loved one, family member, or former church member and have that person's name, date of birth and date of death engraved in a brick which will become part of the Garden of Eternity project.  Download and complete the order form and make your donation, or contact Nurit Gordon at admin@uusm.org for more information. Once you've make your donation, please e-mail or deliver your completed form to the Church Office or admin@uusm.org, attention Nurit Gordon.

FIA Textbook Fund

A few years ago UUSM joined with several other UUs throughout the state of California to raise funds for textbooks for inmates who were taking courses through a community college.  Although the courses are free, students must pay for textbooks, which are often quite expensive.  At UUSM we set a goal of $750, which was exceeded by more than 100  percent, with a final total of over $2,000.

We have now received several letters from inmates who received textbooks through the fund, expressing their gratitude for the textbooks and for the opportunity provided to continue their education.  Many indicated how they hope to use what they learn to help others.  The need for textbooks for student inmates continues, and we are re-launching the campaign to raise funds, this time with a goal of $1,500.   As before, the funds are being administered by Faith in Action.   At the end of the campaign, UUCCSM will send a check for the total to a foundation set up by the community college; the foundation then provides scholarships (the Unitarian Universalist Textbook Scholarships) for student inmates to be used to pay for textbooks.

If you would like to donate to this effort, please click here or on the blue donation button, above, and specify that you would like your donation to go to the "FIA Textbook Fund."

Ralphs Community Contributions

If you shop at Ralphs, we have a way for you to give to UUCCSM. Under their Community Contributions program, Ralphs donates to UUCCSM a portion of every dollar you spend at Ralphs when you enroll on-line with your Ralphs Rewards Card number.  For more information, and instructions on how to register your Ralphs Card and connect it to UUSM, see https://www.ralphs.com/asset/ralphs_participant_faqs_2017 (Note: you will need our NPO (non-profit organization) number which is 81397.)

Donate from your smart phone!

UUCCSM now offers a mobile version of our online giving page to make it easy for you to give anytime from your smart phone. Simply scan the image you see here using your phone’s Quick Response (QR) code reader!

For other payment options or to ask a question, call Cyndee Hayes, Financial Assistant, at (310) 829-5436 x102.

fUUsion: Young Adults

fUUsion is the social group for young adults age 18-35 years. Our events are a loosely rotating mix of social outings (such as group lunch after Sunday services, movie nights, potlucks), spiritual discussions, and service projects.

Join our Yahoo! Groups e-mail list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ UUCCSMYA/ and become a fan of fUUsion on Facebook to be notified about upcoming events.

Keep updated on UU young adult events throughout the greater Los Angeles area via UUYALA (Unitarian Universalist Young Adults in Los Angeles).

fUUsion is also now on Meetup.com. 

**NEW: As of June 1, 2017, Karen Hsu Patterson will be stepping down as primary contact and group coordinator. fUUsion is currently seeking new leadership. In the meantime, you can generally find our UU young adults at the 11 AM service, or in Forbes Hall after the 11 AM service.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

n/a

(Last updated: 4/28/2017)

Contact: 
Karen Hsu Patterson

Newsletters

Please note:  as of October, 2018, our UUSM newsletter is now available in a new format, produced especially for online viewing at https://news.uusm.org. 

Previous newsletters were produced in two different formats - a full PDF available to church members only (Church Member-level website account required), and a slightly different format available to the public.  Public newsletters from earlier in 2018 can be found at the following links:

January, 2018
February, 2018
March, 2018
April, 2018
May, 2018
June, 2018
July, 2018
August, 2018
September, 2018

Specific content from previous newsletters also appears on these pages:

....and you can find even more newsletter content in the Calendar, Worship & Sermons, Getting Involved, Faith in Action and Lifespan Religious Education sections of this website.

Religious Education Registration & Permission Forms

If your child will be participating in our Nursery or Religious Education programs, please complete our  Religious Education registration form.

Stewardship/Fundraising

You play a critical role in helping build the Beloved Community. 

We are 100% self sustaining. If you value the enrichment, the encouragment to growth, and the opportunities to work together to bring more love and justice into the world, please take a moment today to pledge for the life of this community.

There are three ways you can signify your commitment:
 

Got questions? Please email church president Beth Brownlie at president@uusm.org or Stewardship chair Jacki Weber at stewardship@uusm.org. They're also in the church directory and are happy to talk!

2022 Pledge Campaign - Contemplating your pledge?
 
 
Remember our spiritual home at 18th and Arizona? We sure missed it! We have recently reopened our vibrant space with COVID-19 safety protocols in place!
 
 
2022 Pledge Campaign - Our Spiritual Home
 

How we create a culture of abundance at UUSM.

2022 Pledge Campaign - Road Map to Abundance