Apr-07
From Our Minister:
Adult Religious Exploration is back in session withweekly classes, half-day workshops, and otherevents throughout the spring and summer.Here's what is coming this month:
Featured Articles:
For more than a generation, this church has hadbanners hanging in our sanctuary. They becamepart of our identity. When they wore out, for manyof us, the first reaction was essentially to maintain thestatus quo with a new set more or less like the old.
The time spent in considering a new set of bannersmay have had an unintended consequence: more timefor reflection, time for some people to move beyond the"just fix it" response, to "What are we saying with thesethings anyway?" And eventually the letter written byone congregant to the board raised deeper questionsstill: "Who are we who appear to give unqualified supportto religions with historical and even present-daybehavior that is dissonant with our own principles?" Ofwhat are we being tolerant?
Although we do have a set of replacement (plusPagan) banner designs, we are still free to determinewhether we want to use these designs, this theme, orbanners at all. We can decide that we want non-religiousbanners or no banners. We can decide to exercisesymbolism of whatever kind wherever we want, not justthe sanctuary. We can decide to give ourselves moretime to decide.
This will be a meeting to hear people's thoughts andfeelings about things that have been associated withbanners - things like being welcoming, tolerant,diverse, and inclusive - and about our place in thecommunity of faiths.
Please come and share your thoughts and feelingsfollowing services on April 15 at 12:30.
- Dan March, ChairCommittee on Religious Symbolism
Carmen Haley Joins UUCCSM Staff
Carmen Haley has joinedour staff as part-timeOffice and RE Assistant.Carmen is a native of Huntsville,AL, and is the daughter of aChurch of God minister. Sherecently moved here fromBirmingham, AL, and has a B.S.in Business Management fromAlabama A & M University andan M.S. in Counseling and Psychologyfrom Troy State University(Dothan Campus) inAlabama.
She is currently in her secondyear of a Ph.D. program inIndustrial OrganizationalPsychology at AlliantInternational University(Alhambra campus), andhopes to pursue a careerin either government ornon-profit organizations.Holly Nguyen has been promotedto Finance Assistant, reportingto Administrator Melinda Ewen.
Building News:
Report from the Transition Committee
The Transition Committee will be providing youwith a monthly report on the progress of construction,effects on programs and services, and utilization ofspace during Phase #2 of our Building Program scheduledto begin October 2007 and to be completed April2009.
The Blue House construction is scheduled for completionthis August. RE classrooms, church programmeetings, and community rentals will be moved to theBlue House as much as is possible.
Demolition of Forbes Hall and the RE Classrooms isto begin this October.
We will have a gigantic garage/moving sale in July(church stuff only), which will be coordinated by TheMen's Group. Volunteers for this activity are needed.
"Moving Day" to move materials from Forbes, RE,17th Street into storage modules and the Blue Housewill be in August - watch for this date as we will needMANY workers to labor and be festive.
The members of the Transition Committee are:Carol Kerr, Marv Pulliam, Catherine Farmer, MelindaEwen, Ron Crane, Steve Wight, Nancy Howell, and CarolAgate.
Ask questions - make suggestions - help! - andbe patient.
- Ron Crane, Transition Committee Chair
Other UU News & Events:
Experience the Wider World of Unitarian Universalism
The annual district assembly of the PacificSouthWest District of the UUA will be meetingfrom mid-afternoon of April 27 to the morningof April 29 in Riverside. All are welcome to attend, butif you are a member of the church you may also be adelegate.
The meeting includes an opening celebration andkeynote speaker Friday evening, an annual meeting,workshops, and a banquet on Saturday. On Sundaymorning there is a breakfast and worship service. Fordetails on the program and a description of all 24workshops, go to pswduua.org.
The registration fee of $126 includes three mealson Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. Registration forSaturday only is $71. Youth registration is $76.
The keynote speaker is William J. Doherty, Directorof the Marriage and Family Therapy Program inthe Department of Family Social Science at the Universityof Minnesota. An active member of the FirstUniversalist Church, he has practiced as a psychologistfor over 25 years. Dr. Doherty is a dynamicspeaker to lay and professional audiences and is frequentlyinterviewed by print, radio, and TV media onfamily rituals. Among his books for parents is "PuttingFamily First," in which he discusses how today's familiessuffer from time famine, scheduled hyperactivity,and parental anxiety about how to combine love andlimits.
The Universalist Unitarian Church of Riverside iscelebrating 125 years as a congregation. Tours of theirhistoric church, downtown Riverside, and the MissionInn will be offered before and after the Assembly.
If you would like to be a delegate, contact CarolAgate.
GA to Be Held in Portland...and in Our Sanctuary
General Assembly (GA) will be in Portland, OR, thisyear from June 20 through June 24. This annualgathering of UUs is where the business of the UUA isdone. There are countless workshops to choose from andchances to worship with thousands of other UUs. It is anexciting and moving experience.
Have questions? Check out http://www.uua.org/ga website for official information or ask those of us who havebeen before! We'd love to hear from you if you are going tooand/or if you have any questions. Registration rates go upMay 1 and housing can be tricky, so don't delay. Just talk toCarol Agate, Jacki Paddock, Amelia Harati, or Karen Patch tolearn more.
If you cannot make it to GA, you can still be part of theprocess. This year there will be a new open meeting processcalled Open Space Technology, which will be used to planthe future of our congregation. We will have a meeting ofour members who are interested in discussing the GA topics.These topics will include the current Study/Action issueof Peacemaking, a final vote for the Statement of Conscience/Moral Values in a Pluralistic Society, plus the OpenSpace topic and what work we have done in the areas ofAnti-Oppression and Anti-Racism. This meeting will helpour delegates know where we in Santa Monica stand. Moreinformation will follow.
- Karen Patch
District Assembly Registration Underway
District Assembly registration brochures are available now at http://www.pswduua.org/pages/district-assembly.php andsome printed copies are available in the church office. It is importantto get your registration in before April 2 when the price goes up! Registrationforms must be mailed to the PSWD Office, 2052 Norma St., Oxnard, CA 93036
This year’s District Assembly will be held in Riverside, California,on April 27-29.
DA offers a great program for families. There is programming for childrenof all ages and this year’s keynote speaker, Dr. William Doherty, isDirector of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program in the Department of FamilySocial Science at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Accordingto Dr. Doherty, many of today's families suffer from time famine, scheduledhyperactivity, and parental anxiety about how to combine love and limits. "Wehave lost control of our time, and our family activities such as dinner, weekendoutings, and vacations have suffered. Many of us have also lost confidencein our own leadership with our children, treating them as entitled consumersof parental services who must be catered to." Doherty focuses attentionon what is happening in the frenetic, anxious culture of parenting. He encouragesfamilies to consider how "we can reclaim family time, revive family relationships,regain leadership as parents, and take back our kids."
Inaddition to hearing Dr. Doherty’s dynamicperspective on family issues, adults and youth have the opportunity to bepart of the UUA Consultation on Youth Ministry to help expand PSWD YouthMinistry programs. This series of exciting conversations will reviewdata from the UUA national survey, go in depth on issues on spiritual needsof youth, needs of junior high youth, congregational involvement, racialand sexual identity of youth and provide tools for creating exciting intergenerationalworship services.
Otherexciting aspects of DA are the opportunities it provides for celebration,fellowship and networking for young adults, Christian UUs, Board members,lay leaders, Green activists, other social justice activists, conservativeUUs, poets—in other words, everyone!
Sotake a mini-vacation in April. Activitiesbegin with the banner parade on Friday evening and end with worship on Sunday. Ifyou’ve never been to a District Assembly, gather in Riverside to seewhat you’ve been missing!
Abrahamic Faiths Peacemeking Initiative to Convene April 1
"War and its impact on U.S.-Muslim relations" willbe opened by Ali Mazurui, Albert Schweitzer professorof Humanities at Bingham University, New York. Discussionwill follow with Rabbi Leonard Beerman, Rev.George Regas, Dr. Maher Hathout, and Connie Rice,Esq. The program will be moderated by Edina Lekovic,at the Islamic Center of Southern California, 434 S. VermontAve. on April 1, with registration and reception at7 p.m. and the program starting at 7:30.
Scholarship Supports Study for Unitarian Universalist Ministry
Do you know an outstanding UU lay leader whohas started on her or his path toward ministry?This year's scholarship of $11,000 will supportone individual through the first year of seminary.
This scholarship is given by public recommendation.This is your chance to give back to an individualwho has been an outstanding lay leader in your congregation.Those who wish to submit a nomination shouldwrite a letter of recommendation showing a connectionbetween the individual's ministry and her or his lifegoals along with examples of strong leadership skills.
Send recommendation letters to: The Rev. Chuckand Nancy Thomas Scholarship, Attn: Chris May, 25Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108 or to cmay@uua.org;or fax to (617) 742-2875. Recommendations must bereceived by April 15.
For more information about this scholarship contactThe Rev. David Pettee at (617) 948-6403 or throughChris May at cmay@uua.org.