Jan-06
From Our Minister:
You'll be hearing about my sabbatical adventures from the pulpit, so I won'ttake up this space recounting each of them. I spent the time on travel, family,work, and rest. I walked the dog a lot. I took time to grieve the death of mymother and to work with my brothers as we divided our parents' belongings andestate.
My book of sermons is coming along nicely. I have completed the manuscript.Ernie Pipes has written a wonderful foreword. David Denton has produced a drawingfor the cover. Felicity Nussbaum is hard at work editing. Production shouldbe under way soon.
I shall always be grateful to you and to our church leadership for making itpossible for me to take my sabbatical when I did. Many volunteers, especiallyour president, Carol Kerr, assumed additional responsibility in my absence.Vilma Ortiz, Pulpit Committee chair, worked closely with the Rev. Jim Granton Sunday mornings. Jim and the staff kept programs running smoothly.
I come back to my ministry so appreciative of our congregational life - thepeople, the good works, the creativity and vision and passion for our faith- and I am happy to be back with you. Even better, as a result of the SantaMonica City Council's decision December 13, we have a building program to begin.The timing is perfect. I can't wait to get started again.
-- Judith Meyer
Featured Articles:
It is widely accepted that if a person comes to any church and is unable todevelop at least one meaningful relationship with a member of the church withina couple of months, the person will drift away.
Covenant Groups are a means to connect with others in our church in a shorttime. The small groups meet for two hours at least twice a month. Members sharetheir personal views and feelings on topics of importance in their lives. Oneperson speaks at a time and others listen actively. The meeting offers a safeenvironment for sharing experiences. Soon, a bond of trust among the membersdevelops, and each participant gets to know the others in a special way.
Topics, usually with a spiritual component, are selected by each group's membersand include items where a personal point of view or personal experience is important.Groups are formed and members are included according to time of meeting, thusassuring that members will probably meet someone who they don't already knowas a personal friend. They will almost certainly develop new relationships ofvalue with others in their group.
If you are interested in joining a group, drop by the Small Group MinistryTable in Forbes Hall on Sunday after each service to explore how to get connected.
- Marv Pulliam
Living Green Takes Organization; Recycling is a Place to Start
You have to be organized to live green. The first step for most people whoare environmentally conscious is to recycle aluminum cans, glass, plastic andpaper. Those of you who live where there is weekly pickup of recycled itemsare lucky because it is so easy to sort directly into your bins. Others needto have a simple system set up to do this.
You need containers (bags, boxes, trash cans) to hold recyclables and a placeto put them (under the sink, outside, in the laundry room or garage).
When your containers are full, make a trip to the recycling center. Try tovisit the center on a regular basis such as the first or last day of the month.This is part of your system. I don't have that much to recycle, but for me it'sconvenient to stop by the Santa Monica Recycling Center every Sunday on my wayto church. I leave 10 minutes early as part of my routine.
How did you start recycling? What is your system? Let us know. Ask about joiningother church members in the Living Green discussion group.
- Sandra Trutt, Living Green
News & Announcements:
February Will Be Bidding Time on Dining for Dollars Events
Dining for Dollars bidders alert: Be in Forbes Hall on Sunday, February 19and 26, to bid on more than 70 wonderful events. More information? Contact HelenBurns.
Give the Church Your Services and Your Unwanted Christmas Gifts
$So Much to Do, $So Little Time Committee is working to raise money to helpbalance the church budget. This month we are asking you to donate personal servicesand to bring unwanted gifts to the church on Sunday, January 8, for re-givingSunday.
Please come by the gallery wall in Forbes Hall after church and talk with oneof our volunteers about these donations. Questions about this fund raising effortmay be addressed to Leslie Reuter or Kathy Cook.
Church Member is Lecturing at Getty
UCLA Professor Joanna Woods- Marsden will give a lecture,"Titian's portrait of Alfonso d'Avalos in its Political and Artistic Contexts,"in the J. Paul Getty Museum lecture hall, Sunday, January 8, 4 p.m.,in Brentwood. You are invited to attend.
Our Next Food Sort is January 24
Will you help the church help the Westside Food Bank? We're needed to sortthe cans, packages, and jars of food donated to the Food Bank to feed the hungry.The boxes we fill are delivered to nearby social service agencies and food pantries.Please give two hours of your time on Tuesday night, January 24, from 5 p.m.to 7 p.m. and join our food sort at the Food Bank, 1710 22nd St., Santa Monica.For additional details, contact PaulaBernstein. All are welcome,including families with children. Please participate in this important activity.It's fun and it's rewarding.
Celebrate Ernie's 50th Anniversary
On Sunday, March 12, we will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of calling Rev.Ernest D. Pipes, Jr. to serve as our minister. Now emeritus, Ernie will givethe sermon at both services on that date, and Ernie and Maggie will be honoredin Forbes Hall following both services.
Tell Your Friends About Our Opening for Adminstrator
The following ad has been posted to our website,to Craig's list, the PSWD e-mail list, and other locations. Please considerthe qualifications below and refer friends and acquaintances who you think wouldfit and would enjoy the job.
"We seek a Congregational Administrator for the liberal, 75-year-old UnitarianUniversalist Community Church of Santa Monica. This team leader will assurethe church's administrative, financial, facility, and communication needsare met with the assistance of paid staff and member volunteers. The CongregationalAdministrator reports directly to the minister. The applicant should haveexperience with management of a small enterprise and staff supervision. TheAdministrator must be well organized, skilled in office applications for computers,well versed in office practices and financial reporting, a clear communicator,and possess strong interpersonal skills. Consideration of applicants willbegin on January 8. To express interest in this position, please mail a coverletter and resume to the Chair, Administrator Search Committee, UnitarianUniversalist Community Church, 1260 Eighteenth Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404or by e-mail to: volun@uusm.org."
UUCF Prayer Meetings Suspended
The Santa Monica UU Christian Fellowship Prayer Group is no longer meetingon the first Sunday of each month at our church. If you wish to help them beginagain, please contact Iris Jue or Achim Jung.
Building News:
City Council Denies Appeal and Approves Variance and Use Permit
On December 13, 2005, the Santa Monica City Council voted 4 to 3 to approveour use permit and parking variance, adding a number of conditions regardingparking during the week. The additional conditions include a requirement toprovide 12 spaces within 1000 feet of the church in a manner satisfactory tothe planning staff. Additional requirements would add a monitoring provisionto assure the parking was provided, and that the parking was provided througha formal lease.
Councilmembers expressed concern about assuring that the parking secured wouldnot already be required by the lots' owners. A brief comment from CouncilmemberBloom just before the vote created some confusion about the time period duringwhich the parking would be required. Leaving the meeting, Councilmember Katzreassured us that it did NOT mean the church would need to provide overnightparking. The intent of Bloom's remark seemed to be to require the parking Mondaythrough Friday evenings, rather than simply requiring activities to be restrictedif the 12 offsite spaces were not provided.
At the outset of the hearing, the church presented a letter reporting thatit had obtained approval from the Board of Elders of the Seventh Day AdventistChurch at Arizona and 19th Street to enter into a parking agreement with us.Under the agreement, the church could use 12 spaces in the Adventist churchlot off 19th Street from Monday through Friday from 6 to 9:30 p.m. In addition,the church proposed that if the council wished additional assurance that therewould be no increase in activity causing greater parking demand associated withthe church project, we would agree to either provide the parking or limit activityto current levels. Chris Harding, pro bono attorney for the church, also submitteda letter describing a federal statute known as the Religious Land Use and InstitutionalizedPersons Act and its relationship to the church project.
Throughout the discussion, the fate of the church project seemed to be in jeopardy.Councilmember Genser questioned why the church would propose to provide additionalparking, if we do not intend to increase activity. Building Chair Alison Kendallresponded that the proposed evening parking was to address neighborhood concerns,but that the new space was to address the needs of the church's Sunday programs,but no increase was anticipated in activities during the week. She explainedthat Sundays are the only time when the church facilities are fully used. Shenoted that city parking requirements assume each room is fully used all thetime.
Additional discussion focused on the variance findings, and whether the churchcould provide the 12 parking spaces on site. Planning Manager Amanda Schachterexplained that the lot and existing buildings made underground parking unfeasible.Councilmember Genser described how the church could roll the house into thestreet and leave it there while an underground garage was excavated, and thenroll it back into place. Grumbles from the crowd suggested most of the neighborsthought this would not be a great way to address their parking problems.
A motion to deny the appeal and grant the approval was made by Herb Katz andfailed to find a second. A counter proposal by Ken Genser to grant the appealwas made. Ultimately, Councilmember Richard Bloom moved to deny the appeal withthe staff recommendations, but adding the condition requiring an additional12 spaces within 1000 feet of the church in a manner that is satisfactory tostaff. Voting yes to grant the church approval were Councilmembers Bloom, Holbrook,Katz and Shriver. Voting against the motion, and thus to grant the appeal, wereCouncilmembers Genser, McKeown and O'Connor.
The next step for our Building Committee is to make final adjustments to thebuilding plans and prepare a phasing plan. As soon as the city planning staffclarify the parking requirement, the church intends to secure the parking agreement.The committee will then submit construction drawings for first phase of constructionfor building permit review. With good luck, relocation of the house and itsrenovation could begin within a few months.
- Alison Kendall, Building Committee Chair
From the Archives:
Our Archivist Finds News of 1958 Capital Campaign
The capital campaign for building Forbes Hall ran from October 20 to November14, 1958. We used the professional consultant firm of American Campaign Services.
The co-chairs of the campaign were Philip Bates and Norton Breiseth, who workedwith 23 volunteers to solicit donations. Volunteers called on an average ofseven people each. The goal of the campaign was $50,000.
The total number of prospects in the church was 216, and 86 made a pledge.Seventy-five people declined to pledge. The total amount pledged was $53,795.The average gift was therefore $625.52. Imagine what we could build if we hadthat average now in 2005 dollars.
- Rob Briner, Historian, Archivist
Splinters from the Board:
Charles Haskell moderated the meeting, which was held early so board memberscould attend the City Council meeting.
The board approved the plans of the Congregational Administrator Search Committeeand of the advertising for the position.
The board also approved an amendment to our submission to City Council thatrequires that we guarantee 12 off-site parking spaces in the evenings. Thiswe were able to guarantee through an agreement reached the night before withthe Seventh Day Adventists to use spaces on their grounds.
The board accepted a document describing the history, functions, and goalsof the Faith in Action Commission.
The Bylaws and Policies Committee presented, and the board approved:
* Leaders of functions may exclude anyone who is a threat to any person atthe church or who is disruptive of events at the church. The leader may callthe police, if necessary, and the staff is to support the action and notifythe board.
*Groups that rent church space may sell goods or services. Members may notuse the church for these purposes without the approval of the minister or theboard.
*Photographs with names of children may be used for a directory or displayonly with the written approval of the parent or guardian. Photographs of adultmembers may be used unless that person has forbidden it in writing.
Melinda Ewen, Interim Congregational Administrator, reported that membershipnow stands at 468 with one resignation and six new members. She is spendingmost of her time dealing with staffing issues and parking.
Warren Mathews reported that, due primarily to the phenomenal success of therecent pledge drive, it appears likely we will realize a year-end surplus ofover $23,000. This also is contributed to by increased investment earnings andtemporarily reduced personnel costs.
Catherine Farmer, DRE, reported good progress on preparations for the holidaypageant. She has developed a relationship with Ocean Park Community Center todevelop the social justice month in January for all grades. The emphasis willbe on homelessness.
- Gerrie Lambson
Other UU News & Events:
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The UU bed and breakfast directory "UU're Home" (formerly "Homecomings") canfulfill your dream. For 27 years the organization has provided a network ofhosts in the US (and a few abroad) who enjoy making new friends and who arehappy to open their home to like-minded people.
Visit the website at UUreHome.com,where entries are updated whenever changes are made or new hosts are added.You can charge a membership to your credit card. The 2006 edition of the annualpaper directory will be available in April and can be ordered by sending a checkfor $18 (or $23, along with your e-mail address, for both the directory anda year's access to the website) to UU're Home, 43 Vermont Court, Asheville,NC 28806.
You can also become a host and be listed in the directory. Contact us at (828)281-3253 or at info@uurehome.com, andwe will gladly send you information about listing your accommodations.
RE News:
From theDesk of the DRE
Recently I've been following a very interesting discussion on a UURE e-maillist about how and why social justice is done in churches. The focus of thediscussion has primarily been on the structure of social justice programs, somethingthat we already do very well at UUCCSM. I have been continually impressed withthe work of the Faith in Action Commission. I do think, though, that the discussionis relevant to how we articulate the reasons for doing social justice work tothe children and youth in our religious exploration programs. One danger, accordingto some, is that we don't always know why we're doing what we do, and that sometimeschurches can fall into "charity mode," doing social action for the purpose oflooking good in the community or so that we can feel good about ourselves.
So why do we do social justice in RE? To instill a sense in our children thatwhat we do matters, that as Unitarian Universalists it's important not onlyto do the thinking - deciding for ourselves what we believe and being respectfulof the beliefs of others - but also the doing - taking action to put our beliefsinto practice. No one else is going to save the world for us; it's up to usto do it ourselves. In RE classes we don't teach our children that there's abetter, happier world waiting for them after this life is over; some UUs believethat and some don't. What we do teach is that, whatever happens next, what ismost important is what we do with the world we're living in right now. Thisis one thing that we UUs agree about.
To this end, the RE program is spending the month of January doing our first-ever"Social Justice Intensive" program. From January 8 to 29 kids in our elementaryclasses will come together to participate in a different project each week,all organized around our central theme for the month, homelessness. Our congregationhas a long history of supporting community organizations, such as the WestsideFood Bank, that are providing support and resources for those who are homelessor in danger of becoming so. We are excited to be partnering with Ocean ParkCommunity Center, a network of shelters and services for low-income and homelesspeople in Santa Monica, for this month's activities.
A schedule for the month will be included in the Order of Service each week,and will be mailed to all families with children in RE. We're also looking fora few more people to sign up to assist for one Sunday during the month. Formore information or to volunteer, please contact me.
- Catherine Farmer, Director of Religious Education
January RE Star: Nels Hansen
This month we honor NelsHansen as our RE star. You might have seen him serving coffee, but three yearsago Nels also began teaching the 4th and 5th graders at the 11 a.m. service.They eagerly welcomed his gentle kindness and good-natured disposition.
Last spring, Nels found out that the 6th and 7th grade group was visiting otherreligious services in the area as part of their curriculum. Out of personalinterest, Nels decided to join these field trips, an experience that inspiredhim to move to the 9 a.m. service simply to have the opportunity to teach this"Neighboring Faiths" curriculum.
Why does Nels teach RE? For many of our RE teachers, it's because they havechildren in the RE program and they want to "do their share" or maybe they wantto be one of their own children's teachers. Other volunteers, like Nels, haveno children in RE yet have generously volunteered their time and energy forthe benefit of all our kids. For his unselfish commitment to RE, his desireto expand his own knowledge along with the kids, and his amazingly cheerfulcountenance, we salute Nels Hansen. Way to go, Nels!
Interweave Has Ppicnic for 5th to 7th Grades
A joint picnic and hike for 5th through 7th graders, their families, and Interweave(our church's group for bisexuals, gays, lesbians, and/or transgenders and friends)will occur Sunday, January 15, at 1 p.m. at Malibu's CharmleeWilderness Park. Charmlee Park is located at 2577 S. Encinal Canyon Road,about a 40- minute drive from church, north on PCH, and then about four milesup the canyon road. Park information is available at (310) 457-7247. This willbe a bring-your-own picnic lunch. Tables are available near the parking lot,and after lunch we'll walk to the ocean overlook, which provides an A-1 view.For those not up to the hike, it's very pleasant just sitting at the picnicarea and enjoying the view and the quiet. Also, there's a nature center, whichshould be open. There is a $3 fee to park, and you need exactly $3 (unless youwant to donate more) because you have to fill out a ticket envelope and putthe money in an iron ranger. Please contact Kris Langabeer orDebbie Menzies with questions.
Cast of the 2005 Friendly Beasts Pageant
