Requiem for Hope: A Tribute (Online Service)
Theme:
Deep Listening
Sunday, October 25, 2020 - 10:00am
Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae
Worship Associate:
Alison Kendall
2020 has been quite a year. Between the pandemic, fires and climate catastrophes, and the general political landscape, there is no doubt that we have lost many lives. This year, the choir presents its Requiem to pay tribute to all that is lost and what we have gained. We would like to dedicate this service to our healthcare workers; justice leaders Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Lewis; the countless Black lives that we lost to systemic brutality, to get the discussion of equality on the table, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor among them; lives lost because of COVID-19, to natural disasters. We also honor the souls in our own community that have moved forward from this earth to join the ancestors; we will dedicate new bricks in our beautiful Memorial Garden. May the music offered in this service be meditative, reflective, and healing, ushering us to a more hopeful tomorrow.Listening with the Heart (Online Service)
Theme:
Deep Listening
Sunday, October 18, 2020 - 10:00am
Rev. Kikanza Nuri-Robins
Worship Associate:
JoAn Peters
Have you ever wished that someone would just stop talking and LISTEN to you? Have you ever felt you were listening to someone but even though you understood the words, you were missing the meaning? Sometimes rather than listening with your ears and processing with your brain, you need to listen with your heart and take in the meaning of the message THERE. Heart Tones. Heart Songs. Heart Sounds. When should you shift from the head to the heart? How can you use both head and heart? Approaching the speaker with the appropriate Listening Attitude is the key to listening as a spiritual practice. Listening with your heart. Wholly Listening. Holy Listening.
Keep Turning the Pages (Online Service)
Theme:
Deep Listening
Sunday, October 11, 2020 - 10:00am
Mylo Way
Worship Associate:
Chela Metzger
What do we do when the truth is hard to face and the outcome is frightening? How do we stay in community and get ourselves through the hard truths, together?
We welcome to our pulpit Mylo Way, a lifelong UU who has served as a chaplain in congregational, conference, and hospital settings. Mylo studied at Starr King School for the Ministry and is transmasculine genderqueer.
Blessing of the Animals (Online Service)
Theme:
Deep Listening
Sunday, October 4, 2020 - 10:00am
Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae
Worship Associate:
Cassie Winters
We gather on the Feast of Francis of Assisi — patron saint of animals and the environment in the Christian tradition — to celebrate and digitally bless our non-human animal companions and the natural world. Our Seventh UU Principle is “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” And our Six Sources affirm and promote many ways that this world is so much more than just the humans in it.
Flex Vote Center
LA County voters can drop off their ballot at The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica on Thursday, October 29, from 10am-4pm.
UUSM will be a Flex Vote Center as a part of Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) Flex Program. The program ensures that the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC) meets the needs of all LA County voters to cast their ballot with expanded voting options. The program lends a special focus to voters with distinct needs such as seniors, people experiencing homelessness, voters with disabilities, and geographically isolated voters.
In response to COVID-19, VSAP Flex Vote Centers are fully equipped to ensure voter safety with social distancing guidelines. For more information about VSAP Flex Vote Centers, visit https://www.lavote.net/home/voting-elections/voting-options/vsap-flex-program.
Date / Time:
Thursday, October 29, 2020 - 10:00am - 4:00pm
Ukulele Class - Zoom/Online
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 October 22, so that we can send you the music ahead of time. We will gather from 9:30 – 10:30 am. Contact: Kim Kalmanson.
Date / Time:
Saturday, October 24, 2020 - 9:30am - 10:30am
Contact Name:
Kim Kalmanson
Sunday Service - "Yamim Nora’im: The Days of Awe" (Online Service) - September 27, 2020
Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae
Embedded Video:
Newsletter for October, 2020
From Our Minister:
From Our Minister: Deep Listening
RENEWAL
“At a certain point, you say to the woods, to the sea, to the mountains, the world,
Now I am ready. Now I will stop and be wholly attentive. You empty yourself and wait, listening.”
–Annie Dillard (1945 – )
Dear Ones,
Our congregation is alive with so much activity at the beginning of the new church year. We celebrated our annual Ingathering Water Communion and honored the High Holidays and are preparing ourselves for annual Blessing of the Animals and the autumnal season of remembering our beloved dead. Our Board of Directors is busy attending to the mission and developmental priorities of our congregation. Our worship leaders are creating dynamic online worship services as we continue to learn new technologies and explore how to offer a variety of our cherished services in a virtual environment. Our UU the Vote activities are in full swing as we affirm “the use of the democratic process…in society at large” by helping to ensure the integrity of our elections by countering voter suppression with efforts to encourage voting across the country. We are discerning an Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Commission to advise our Board as to how best to widen our circle of concern and inclusion throughout the life of our congregation. Our new Chalice Circles small group ministries are preparing to weave a stronger sense of community in this time of physical separation through ministries of listening and presence. Our pastoral caregivers are reaching out to those in our congregation who are in need of support. These are just a few of the many things we’re doing to tend the bright flame of our liberal faith even as we live through a bleak period in our lives.
Our congregational theme for October is “deep listening.” Each month, we explore a different spiritual theme as a community through worship, publications, small group ministries, religious education, and group meetings. Deep listening invites us to dive beneath the noise of pundits and politicians, 24-hour news cycles on television, and doom scrolling on social media, to listen more deeply to the sacred within our lives and in the world. I often lament that our society seems to be designed to keep us distracted and to keep us from being in a deeper relationship with each other and our world. Arundhati Roy writes:
“Another world is not only only possible, she is on her way.
On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
Where would we begin if we were to create another world? I imagine it might begin with a lot of deep listening. Are we willing to listen deeply to all of our BIPOC, Queer, Transgender, and other marginalized siblings to create a world of fairness and justice? Are we willing to listen deeply to each other to witness to life’s struggles and triumphs together? Are we willing to listen deeply to what we hold sacred? Are we willing to listen to spirit or the still small voice within or our cherished humanistic values that give our lives direction and purpose? Are we listening for the ancestors who speak to us in this time of so much loss? Does nature herself call to us through this crisis we are facing together? I hope you will join me this month in practicing listening deeply to each other, to all that we hold to be sacred, and to our badly hurting world.
Let us not try to walk on water in this perilous time when we are confronting so many challenges and adapting to many changes. Walking on the beautiful Earth will do. We do not need miracles right now. Encouraging each other to practice self-care and community-care, fostering sustainability and regenerativity in our lives through adjusting expectations and routines, and creating plenty of time and spaciousness for rest, play, and joy can fuel our spirits for the long haul. Let us encourage hope and resilience and do good in the ways we are able. Let us find comfort in our breathing, in the beating of our hearts, and in the spirit of beloved community. Let us listen, as Arundhati Roy encourages us, for the possibility of another world on her way.
Yours in ministry,
Jeremiah
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae
Developmental Minister
Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica
October 2, 2020
“Eight Commands in Times of Uncertainty”
By the Rev. Molly Housh Gordon, Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia, Missouri
Read by the Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae for “Yamim Nora’im: The Days of Awe” Service Reading on September 27, 2020.
What would Yom Kippur — the Day of Judgement — be without a few commandments? Now this is a Unitarian Universalist service and not a Jewish temple service so instead of the 613 commandments of Torah, I share with you the important and helpful wisdom of eight commandments from my colleague, the Rev. Molly Housh Gordon, for navigating through these times of uncertainty:
1. Quadruple down on your spiritual practices. The things that keep you tethered to the earth, even as it shifts. The things that keep you living the life you are living in this moment, not some other life or moment. The things that allow your spirit to settle from the flurry and sink back into your body. These practices need not be a lofty hour of meditation, as long as you are present to them. A walk with the dog will do. Or a moment with a poem. Nursing the baby. Making a meal. Just do the thing with your whole self and the intention to practice and it is a spiritual practice.
2. Put some pleasurable thing on your calendar that will be reliable no matter what is unfolding around you. Make a date and keep it. On Friday I am going to make chocolate mousse. On Tuesday I am going to call my best friend. On September 23 a new movie about Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister drops on Netflix and I will watch it with hot milky tea and scones in hand.
3. Find something to give thanks for every day. Not as a tool of spiritual bypass demanding that you somehow re-frame or breeze by your suffering. But as a reminder that the world is beautiful and terrible and we can’t forget about the beauty if we are to survive the terror.
4. When you are surrounded by way too many questions and options, drill down to the smallest bit. Small is all. Just do the next right thing. And then the next. And then the next. Suddenly, you’re somewhere different than where you started and new options open before you.
5. And when you feel totally robbed of options, be so intentional about the decisions that you are able to make. Here are two revelatory, and deceptively simple questions to ask yourself, depending on the situation: “What do I prefer?” and “What does love look like right now?”
6. Turn off the news y’all. Or log off the doom-scrolling. You cannot information your way through this, and most of our sources are intentionally calibrated to keep our bodies on high alert so we always want more. Opt out. Curate your social media feed to be mostly funny cat pics and babies.
And for God’s sake turn off the cable news. Switch to the classical station with the five minute news update on the hour. It is enough.
7. Rigorously pursue soothing and comfort for your body, which is constantly being activated into stress response right now. Start by noticing several times a day that you have a body. What’s going on below your neck? Continue by asking yourself how you can be 5% more comfortable. Maybe you need a cushion. Maybe you need a heavy blanket. Maybe you need a walk. Maybe you need to drink some water. You probably need to drink some water.
8. Finally, for now… Remember that you are not alone. Reach out to the people who can support you and rely on them. Reach out to your church if nothing else. Ask for what you need. Be reliable to your people, in return.
Stay soft, my dear ones, and we will make it through this stumbling.
Featured Articles:
Make Sure You’re Registered to Vote
ARE YOU REGISTERED AND READY TO VOTE?
Register to vote (or make sure you're registered) onlineThis year all registered California voters will be sent a mail-in ballot to make the process easier for everyone! In order to receive this ballot though, you will need to be sure you are registered to vote and that the correct address is reflected in your registration. Here are some helpful places to check your registration or register to vote if you have not already.
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Check your voter status HERE. If you are registered you’ll be able to confirm your address as well.
If you are not registered there are three ways to do so:
- Online voter registration is open until Monday, October 19, 2020.
- Mail-in your voter registration by Monday, October 19, 2020:
- You can register to vote using the federal voter registration form available HERE. (Spanish and additional languages HERE.)
- Send the completed form to your local election official:
Los Angeles County
Dean Logan, Registrar
P.O. Box 1024
Norwalk, CA 90651-1024
Questions? Email: voterinfo@rrcc.lacounty.gov
- Californians can register to vote in person up until and on election day, Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
- Conditional (same-day) voter registration is a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register or need to update their voter registration information.
- Eligible citizens can go to their local election office, polling place, or vote center to register and vote conditionally.
Did you know that children ages 16–17 can pre-register to vote, so they are ready for election day upon turning 18? Click HERE to pre-register to vote in upcoming elections?
With love and faith,
The UUSM #UUtheVote Team
The UUSM #UUtheVote Team
PS: Be sure to share this valuable info with California friends and neighbors via social media. That’s one way to #UUtheVote!
League of Women Voters’ Information on California’s 17 Ballot Measures
GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 3, 2020
At this election, California voters will choose the president of the United States for the next four-year term, and elect state and federal legislative representatives.
California voters will also be deciding on 12 state propositions that are explained on the League of Women Voters’ website and in their publication, Pros & Cons — a PDF is below. Four of the propositions were placed on the ballot by the state legislature, seven of them were placed on the ballot by supporters who gathered sufficient signatures and seek to make changes in state laws or the California Constitution, and one is a referendum that seeks to overturn an existing law, and was also placed on the ballot by supporters who gathered sufficient signatures.
Visit Voter’s Edge California to see everything on your ballot, your polling place, and unbiased information on all your voting choices.
How to Evaluate Ballot Propositions
- Examine what the measure seeks to accomplish. Do you agree with those goals?
- Is the measure consistent with your ideas about government? Do you think the proposed changes will make things better?
- Who are the real sponsors and opponents of the measure? Check where the money is coming from on the Voter’s Edge California website: votersedge.org
- Is the measure written well? Will it create conflicts in law that may require court resolution or interpretation? Is it “good government,” or will it cause more problems than it will resolve?
- Does the measure create its own revenue source? Does it earmark, restrict, or obligate government revenues? If so, weigh the benefit of securing funding for this measure against the cost of reducing overall flexibility in the budget.
- Does the measure mandate a government program or service without addressing how it will be funded? Does the measure deal with one issue that can be easily decided by a YES or NO vote? Or, is it a complex issue that should be thoroughly examined in the legislative arena?
- If the measure amends the Constitution, consider whether it really belongs in the Constitution. Would a statute accomplish the same purpose? All constitutional amendments require voter approval; what we put into the Constitution would have to come back to the ballot to be changed.
- Be wary of distortion tactics and commercials that rely on image but tell nothing of substance about the measure. Beware of half truths.
- The League of Women Voters of California Education Fund (LWVCEF), a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization, encourages informed and active participation in government and works to increase understanding of major public policy issues. The LWVCEF does not support or oppose candidates, political parties, or ballot measures.
Pros & Cons is a nonpartisan explanation of state propositions, with supporting and opposing arguments. The arguments come from many sources and are not limited to those presented in the Official Voter Information Guide. The LWVCEF does not judge the merits of the arguments or guarantee their validity.
The LWVCEF grants permission for the Pros & Cons to be reproduced. This publication is available online at CAVotes.org.
News from the Mountain Top
OUR HEART IS IN THE MOUNTAINS
El Dorado Fire Update #11 from Camp de Benneville Pines Executive Director Janet James
Reprinted with permission
September 27, 2020
Dear Campers and Camp Supporters:
The drive up the mountain was emotionally difficult. Hot spots in some places on the mountain shoot up plumes of smoke. One major spot on San Bernardino mountain looks like a volcano erupting. All along the drive the charred remains of manzanita, yucca, scotch broom, pines and oaks are everywhere. Acres upon acres of charred nothingness. Burned logs and branches are along the road, and one can see where Cal Trans has been busy pushing burned limbs, blackened rocks and boulders off to the side. It is an eerie, stark, devastating, and curiously mesmerizing drive up to Angelus Oaks. I just wanted to stop the car in the middle of the road and take pictures. How strange to actually see hiking trails up into the forest, where no forest remains. On several occasions I found myself thinking “What will hold this mountain back when it rains?”
I attended a meeting with San Bernardino County Fire officials yesterday in Angelus Oaks. The news was not surprising.
- Cal Trans will be working to improve culverts over the next two months and road closures on Hwy 38 may last from a few hours to several days each time they work on another section.
- Mud flows and rockslides will be ongoing problems each and every time it rains.
- There are still hot spots up on the peaks and with the expected winds over the next few days, some fire crews will remain in the area.
- Angelus Oaks residents remain on evacuation alert until the wind event is over.
- The El Dorado fire consumed 22,000 acres of forest and wilderness. To visualize the size of the area, think of 22,000 football fields of burned trees.
- USFS fire officials and County engineers will be out accessing dangerous rock and water flow areas over the next 2 weeks.
Of importance was the official thank you from community members to so many fire crews and hot shot teams from areas near and far. As I was driving to camp, I saw fire crews and rigs from Santa Barbara, Ventura, Loma Linda, Big Bear, Yucaipa, Redlands, San Diego. I pulled over whenever it was safe to do so, and I personally thanked the fire weary warriors.
Along this drive, I couldn’t help but feel relieved that most of the trees along the highway are still standing and alive. It gave me hope for Jenks Lake Road. But around many of the bends where I had a clear view of the mountain top, I could only see the smoldering remains of trees. And I realized that the park-like drive was only a screen hiding the real truth. Again, the thought “What will hold this mountain back when it rains?”
Coming around the curve to the Jenks Lake Loop I saw a large group of fire fighters resting under some shade. I stopped to thank them. When they found out I worked at de Benneville Pines they were happy to tell me they had saved our camp. And I was beyond pleased to meet the crew members who fought so hard to save our cabins. As it turns out, Fire Captain Jett Schuster was in the group, and I thanked him to the moon and back for texting me personal updates from the fire front. I told him I had been sharing his texts with over 4,700 campers and supporters. The crew looked pleased to know that the camp they had saved was an important place to so many. They asked if they could one day retreat at our camp. Gosh, I do believe we can work that out Captain Schuster and crew!
Fire Captain Jett Schuster from the San Bernardino Country Fire Department.
The drive up Jenks Lake Loop looks fairly green and lush, and one has to look into the woods to see where the fire took off in the direction of our camp. The fire came into camp on the west side above Cabin 3 and wanted to naturally burn the maintenance area and travel down into camp. The fire fighters had a battle on their hands to push the fire back behind the upper cabins. The fire came across the hill behind these buildings; and between Cabin 6 and Craig’s Cabin it came down to the camp road (across from the swimming pool). It whipped around to the northeast after burning past the Staff Cabin, traveling down around the Pavilion. It burned the forest between the Pavilion and the creek and was stopped short of the Coffee House/Office.
Miles of yellow and white fire hoses are in and around camp. Some hoses are still attached to the hydrants. A few crew members were in and out of camp today checking on hot spots, and I could hear the sounds of chain saws running up in the burn area. The crews were dealing with burned and dangerous trees. Our water tanks ran dry after the stored water was all used up. The fire burned through the wooden structure that supports the water pipe across a deep culvert. When the structure burned, the pipe could not support itself and fell to the ground broken. Frank Haahr, maintenance supervisor, has already rigged up a bypass so our tanks can fill again.
The walk from the Staff House across to Maintenance was tearful. I was relieved to see the buildings intact, but the idea of the loss of our green belt between camp and the Lake Fire burn area fills me with worry. Remember, it is the duff (decaying vegetable matter on the ground of a forest) that helps to hold back the mud and water when it rains. With two feet of duff turned to ash, we will have to mobilize quickly to fill sandbags and place them in strategic locations. I am in conversation with our civil engineer and the USFS about next steps.
Rock with plaque
This rock is on the edge of the camp road between Craig’s Cabin and Cabin 6. You can see how close the fire came and the loss of the duff we need to prevent flooding and mudslides.
Please know that your beloved camp looks perfect in so many ways. The forest and drive up into the parking lot look green and thriving. Once in the parking lot, the view up to the mountain above the camp reveals the truth. Thousands of acres of forest are gone.
In the weeks prior to the fire, employee Ed Bagdon was assigned to check out all of camp’s fire hoses by running water through them. During this process of checking for leaks, he decided to shoot the water at the base of the cabins in order to chase the leaves and pine needles out of their hiding places. Because of this decision, 100% of the ground around each cabin was free of debris for about 12 feet. This decision essentially made the difference to structure protection in our camp. Strange how these things play out. Earlier in the year we had over 200 trees pruned away from structures by a professional tree service.
Please click here for a slide show of my drive up the mountain to camp, and my walk in the ashy woods. I concentrated on taking photos of the burn areas since all of our buildings are intact and look as you remember them. I am in contact with our insurance inspector. He will be in camp this week to assess for smoke damage.
As I was walking down from the water tower I had a chance meeting with Jeff James (no relation) who was in camp with his GoPro streaming live for Redlands Buzz. Employees Niki Giberson and Frank Haahr came over to meet Jeff, and we applauded his daily live coverage of the fire. Day after day, Jeff drove up from Redlands and bounced down mountain roads to film the fire crews. His daily journeys and his posts gave us an inside view of the fire situation. Jeff said that “UU’s are a chatty bunch” and laughed. He shared that many camp supporters had reached out to him directly with stories of their days at camp, and they were not shy about asking him to return to our camp each day for more video updates.
Folks, this was a very close call, and I know you are all feeling relief in knowing that your camp is still intact. Your love for camp is great and it is clear you want to see it protected for generations to come; and it will be! We will need your volunteer labor filling sand bags and your donated dollars to pay for straw bales to be placed upon the hill from one end of camp to the other. Your financial support will be needed indeed. And then it will be needed again, and again, and again if we are going to make it through this crisis.
It is clear to me that you are the caretakers of camp’s legacy, and as such, the stewards of its future. Your collective heart lives upon this mountain top, now five generations strong. I look forward to the day when you will return to this place you hold so sacred.
I will be back with another update as I know more, but I imagine it will be a few days out.
Janet James
Executive Director
Your Beloved Camp
Watch a quick video of Janet, Niki and Frank filmed by videographer Jeff James.
Keep the spirit of de Benneville Pines and yoUUr faith alive in your heart.
UUs Step Up for Camp de Benneville Pines
CONCERT RAISES THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR OUR BELOVED CAMP
Karl Lisovsky and family have been spending UUSM Family Retreat weekend at Camp de Benneville for about 25 years. Lesley Kernochan spent weeks on the mountain when she was a teenager, and has recently been a camp counselor there. They both have deep attachments to our church retreat, UU Camp de Benneville Pines.
The two have been collaborating musically recently, with Lesley bringing vocals, instrumentation, and creative ideas to original songs of Kai Landauer (Karl’s artist’s name). When they heard that de Benneville was running out of money as a result of having to shut down because of COVID, they decided to offer a fundraiser.
With UUSM Sunday worship services in mind as a model, they held a Facebook live event, a concert among the trees and flowers behind Karl and Janet’s house. Karl and Lesley produced a short but satisfying concert of four original songs. Lots of people tuned in to the show.
De Benneville Pines tells us that $1,550 was raised in donations, possibly with more to come. Furthermore, because of a dollar-for-dollar matching gift grant program, these donations will count double.
UUSM has done well in efforts to keep alive our beloved UUCamp at 7,000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains, which narrowly escaped any serious damage from the El Dorado fire (see Camp Director Janet James’ post). We wish for it a wonderful and verdant future.
News & Announcements:
Dear Members and Friends,
Our new Chalice Circles are a wonderful small group ministry opportunity to strengthen our community in this time of physical distancing. Your participation will help us to weave the threads of beloved community so our community becomes even more connected this church year. They offer opportunities to share from the heart, listen deeply to others, and offer compassion and presence to your fellow church members and friends. Many who have attended small group ministries like these describe them as truly transformational experiences.
Chalice Circles will include 8-10 participants who meet together over time to deepen relationships and practice living a Unitarian Universalist religious life. The groups for this year are organized around a variety of themes which you will find described in detail below, along with the group facilitators, meeting dates, and times. Although our groups will meet online, you may participate by phone if you do not have a computer or internet access at home.
To register for a Chalice Circle, please send an email to ChaliceCircles@uusm.org with the name of your preferred Chalice Circle in the subject line. In the body of the email, include your name and contact information. You may also include a first and a second choice to be considered if space is available. If you do not have email, please contact the church office and let our staff know you’d like to participate in a Chalice Circle by phone.
Chalice Circles Starting October 2020
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 to 3 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 to 3 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 to 9 PM
CommUUnity Connections
This Chalice Circle is a place to come 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 to 9 P.M.
Council Meeting
This small group ministry provides a space for people to be seen and heard through 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
Toward a Beloved Community Embracing Anti-racism: Telling Our Stories
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 times: Second Wednesdays, October - June, 7 to 9 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
Meets: Fourth Sundays, October through June, 12 to 2 PM
We hope you’ll register for a Chalice Circle today and help us create a vibrant liberal religious community together!
Yours in ministry,
Jeremiah Bettye
Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae Bettye Barclay
Developmental Minister Chalice Circle Facilitators
Generous Congregation Recipient: UUA Disaster Relief Fund
We come together for more than ourselves. This month 50% of the Sunday offering will be donated to the UUA Disaster Relief Fund. The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Disaster Relief Fund is part of a covenant — a covenant between the UUA and congregations, between congregations who give generously and those in need, and with our community partners. Through aiding our congregations, their members, and their community partners, we are able to embody our faith and values.
Disasters impact our congregations and their communities with increasing rapidity. From natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes to human caused disasters, UU congregations, people, and communities sustain the impact. Your donation allows our national organization to respond flexibly on your behalf to tragedies that overtake us.
Grants can be used for damage to congregations’ buildings, and relocation to temporary locations; damage to members/friends homes, and relocation expenses; donations to local partner organizations that serve the community at large, particularly those who would not be eligible for other funding; and certain expenses related to the COVID-19 Pandemic. For details, visit UUA Disaster Relief Fund. Thank you for your generous support.
October Generous Congregation Supports UUA Disaster Relief Fund
Disasters impact our congregations and their communities with increasing rapidity. From natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes to human-caused calamities, UU congregations, their members, and their community partners bear the impact.
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Disaster Relief Fund is part of a covenant—a covenant between the UUA and congregations, between congregations who give generously and those in need, and with our community partners. By aiding other congregations, we act through our faith and values. Donations from across the nation allow the national organization to respond quickly and flexibly.
Grants can be used to repair damage to congregations’ buildings or for temporary relocation; to help members and friends who require housing assistance; to support partner organizations that serve the community on the scene, particularly those that would not be eligible for other funding. For grants related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, priority is given to UU organizations partnering with local organizations to support the larger community and at-risk individuals.
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 the UUA Disaster Relief Fund. Your donations will help congregations, their members, and their communities facing the impact of disasters.
Please consider supporting the mission of our church, and the UUA Disaster Relief Fund. To give right now, text “$10 GCC” to 844-982-0209. (One-time-only credit card registration required.)
RE News:
Personal and Spiritual Exploration for Adults, October 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 October 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:
Come and join us in observing, learning about, and enjoying nature. Whether you are spending your days mostly outdoors or not stepping out your front door you can still enjoy and appreciate nature. This session will focus on seedpods and fruits, the containers of life and the future. We’ll do a little botany and we’ll do some drawing and writing. You are welcome to join even if you have no knowledge of nature, botany, drawing or writing, in fact you are encouraged to join. People who attend these groups remark that they are reminded of times in childhood when they had the time to get lost in wonder at the natural world. As adults, we rarely give ourselves that permission. A lifelong lover of the outdoors, Dorothy Steinicke has more than twenty years experience encouraging 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 from 2:30 – 4:00 pm. Contact: Dorothy Steinicke.
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 October 22, 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:
Join AAHS (Agnostics, Atheists, Humanists & Secularists) for a conversation about the legacy of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — feminist icon of the Supreme Court, transformative intellect for human, women’s and LGBTQ+ rights in modern history, champion of church/sate separation, and a pop culture phenomenon unto herself. We will reference recent commentary from feminist and Humanist sources, and consider what a paradigm shift to the right for the highest court could mean for Ginsburg’s legacy and for the endangered progressive values that we cherish. 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 Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond. Although this book was published some time ago, it contains some very interesting ideas as to why some cultures have so much “cargo,” and why only certain animals, from limited locations, have been domesticated – and much more. All are welcome. 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.
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, Oct. 1 is: How do you define peace of mind? Do you have it? If so how did you find it? What are things that bring you peace of mind? Have you been able to bring peace of mind to others? The two topics for Thursday, Oct. 15 are: If you could send a message back to yourself as a kid, what would you say, and what’s the best piece of advice anyone ever gave to you? We meet the first and third Thursdays of the month at 7:30 pm via Zoom. For more information, contact Richard Mathias.
Meditations:
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.
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.
Join us for a weekday morning short meditation and check-in session to encourage connection and accountability around mindful presence and daily action. We will meditate for 10-15 minutes and share priorities, victories, and stumbling blocks in our work-at-home life in this unprecedented time. We meet from 9:00 – 9:30 am. Contact: Jacki Weber.
Fall News for Children and Youth RE
GROWING ANTI-RACIST UUS
Elementary School programming begins in November
We’ll be using a curriculum created by UU Charlottesville called Growing Anti-Racist UUs. It’s geared for ages 4-11.
Pre-School (3-4 y/o) lessons will take place from 11:15 am-12:00 pm for five weeks each Sunday. The lessons are approximately 30 minutes long but I’m sure Zoom will add time to it, so we’re padding the end time. We also may find the kiddos are a tich too young to do Sunday school online. If so, we’ll pivot and find something they can participate in and have fun.
Grades K-2 will have 12 lessons for 12 weeks each Sunday from 12:45 pm-1:30 pm. Again, the time is padded because Zoom is finicky.
Grades 3-5 will have 12 lessons for 12 weeks each Sunday from 1:45 pm-2:30 pm.
It is imperative that you REGISTER your kids for Sunday school (click the button); this is how we keep track of attendance.
Middle School
This church year we will be doing a deep dive into anti-racism, what it looks like when you’re a tween and how being anti-racist ties into the 7 Principles. We’ll be using the book “When They Call You a Terrorist” YA Edition by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele.
PLEASE NOTE: The book club will initially be limited to the first 12 kids ages 11-14 (roughly grades 5-9 depending on birth date) who can commit to meeting every other Friday evening beginning on October 16th. After that we will start a waiting list and evaluate starting a second group.
Each student who can commit to the Friday evening meetings will be given a copy of the book to keep. We’ll ship it directly to your home.
High School
This church year we will be doing a deep dive into anti-racism, how it feels to live in a world that’s on fire, and how being anti-racist ties into the 7 Principles. We’ll be using the book “When They Call You a Terrorist” by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele.
PLEASE NOTE: The book club will initially be limited to the first 12 high school students who can commit to meeting every other Saturday starting October 17th. After that we will start a waiting list and evaluate starting a second group.
Each student who can commit to the Friday evening meetings will be given a copy of the book to keep. We’ll ship it directly to your home.
Emerging Adults
In a world where the greatest athlete (Serena Williams) is a woman, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and the #Squad are running Capitol Hill and female led movies like The Spy Who Dumped Me and Crazy Rich Asians are box office hits, it seems like feminism is finally diversifying itself. In her book “Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That the Movement Forgot”, author Mikki Kendall invites us to look around and see not just who doesn’t have a seat at the table, but who wasn’t even deemed worthy of an invite.
PLEASE NOTE: The first 12 Young Adults (18-21 for our purposes) who commit to meeting every other Saturday starting October 17th will receive a copy of the book to keep. We will ship it to your house.
Write Letters to Irregular Voters
LOVE NEEDS YOU to write letters to irregular voters to let them know that elections matter and they matter as voters. UUSM has all mailing materials and postage, along with contactless pickup from 20th and Pico in Santa Monica. We are also phone banking in English and Spanish (independently and with fellow UUS0. Sign up at tinyurl.com/uusm2020vote. This is a nonpartisan effort to encourage Americans to participate in our democracy, but we are focusing on geographic areas where there's a clear opportunity to #defeathate and #votelove. Thank you! - Jacki Weber, Santa Monica UU the Vote
Date / Time:
Repeats every day until Thu Oct 15 2020 .
Wednesday, September 23, 2020Thursday, September 24, 2020
Friday, September 25, 2020
Saturday, September 26, 2020
Sunday, September 27, 2020
Monday, September 28, 2020
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Friday, October 2, 2020
Saturday, October 3, 2020
Sunday, October 4, 2020
Monday, October 5, 2020
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Thursday, October 8, 2020
Friday, October 9, 2020
Saturday, October 10, 2020
Sunday, October 11, 2020
Monday, October 12, 2020
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Contact Name:
Jacki Weber
Sunday Service - "The Masks We Wear" (Online Service) - September 20, 2020
Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae
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