Statements of Judith Meyer and Barbara Kernochan to the Santa Monica CityPlanning Commission

Judith Meyer:

I am Judith Meyer, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Community Churchof Santa Monica. We are here tonight to present our proposal for improvingour buildings. You will soon hear from Barbara Kernochan, chair of our buildingcommittee, and Ralph Mechur, our architect, about details of the plan. Membersand friends of our church are also hoping to speak at the appropriate time.My role is to introduce you to the history and mission of our faith community.

Our Santa Monica church was founded over 75 years ago, when a small groupof Unitarians began meeting in each other’s living rooms. With helpfrom our Association headquarters in Boston, a minister arrived along withthe funding to build a modest church. Our original building at 18th and Arizona,a mission-style sanctuary, was designed by the Santa Monica architect JohnByers. The sanctuary remains part of our worship space.

Our Unitarian Universalist faith embraces democratic process and respectfor the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We are an intentionallyinclusive and pluralistic community. Our doors are open to all who wish tojoin us regardless of religious background, race, color, sex, sexual orientation,gender identity, or national origin. Our lively congregation now numbers about450 adults and 120 children.

When you enter the front doors of our church, you see the words of our covenant,an historic statement from our faith tradition: “Love is the doctrineof this church. The quest for truth is its sacrament, and service is its prayer.To dwell together in peace; to seek knowledge in freedom; to serve humankindin fellowship; thus do we covenant with each other.”

Over the years, our covenant has guided us in building a community that putsour faith into action. We are especially proud of our history of communityoutreach and involvement. Here are some highlights:

-- Our minister emeritus, the Rev. Ernie Pipes and Rabbi Ernest Block formeda clergy association that later became the Westside Interfaith Council (1955-1960).

-- The congregation collaborated with the Santa Monica AME Church to setup one of the area’s first Head Start programs (1966).

-- Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Board members used our churchas a primary site for negotiations between the UFW and a major grower (1973).

-- The congregation voted to become a Sanctuary Congregation for refugeesfrom El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua and a dedicated Peace Site (1986).

-- After decades of advocacy for the civil rights of gay, lesbian, bisexualand transgender persons, we formalized our status as a Welcoming Congregation(2003).

Our tradition of community involvement and service continues today with ourFaith in Action program. Our congregation provides hundreds of volunteersto local social service agencies such as the Westside Food Bank, OPCC, andStep Up on Second. We belong to the Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition.Our Peace Site activities include regular public lectures and forums on currentissues.

In addition to our congregation, our buildings offer a resource for groupsin the local community. Nearly every day of the week we host a twelve-stepmeeting, or a music recital, or a spirituality program sponsored by membersof the larger community. Shared space nurtures cooperative relationships andunderstanding, which we cherish.

The proposed improvements will provide adequate and accessible space forour congregation and for the larger community. Our mission of service andcivic involvement will be well served by our building program. Thank you foryour time and consideration of our proposal.

Barbara Kernochan:

I am Barbara Kernochan, chairperson of the Building Committee which has undertakenthe church's current efforts to enhance our facilities. We began this processseveral years ago as we looked around and realized our buildings were inadequate,both to accommodate our Sunday worshipers and to house our religious educationprogram. We discussed the possibility of moving from our home of 75 yearsin order to meet our facility needs. Instead, we decided we wanted to stayin Santa Monica . Our congregation draws primarily from this community, andit is here that our history lives. Given the very limited square footage ofour two lots on 17th and 18th Streets, we recognize that we can hope onlyto accommodate our current programs and that our membership cannot grow muchbeyond its current size. Our goal therefore, is to make optimal use of thespace at our current location, with the following three priorities:

1. We need to improve accessibility, safety, and circulation throughout ourbuildings.

2. We want to provide appropriate facilities for religious education.

3. And we want to enhance our meeting space in the sanctuary itself.

*Looking first at accessibility and safety issues:

Our buildings are quite old, with numerous obvious shortcomings. There isno elevator to the classrooms now on the second floor of our 18th Street mainbuilding. Circulation, especially in the upstairs rooms, is downright dangerouswith our current floorplan. Only one bathroom is wheelchair accessible inthe whole complex, and there is no access to the chancel for those who usea wheelchair or walker.

We would like to provide accessible bathrooms, an elevator and two liftsin order to address these shortcomings. We plan to replace a rarely used secondstairway on the southside of the fellowship hall with a new stairway on thenorthside. Circulation as well as entry and exiting will be improved, withnew doorways opening to gardens and patio areas and better circulation withinthe sanctuary itself.

With our religious education program housed in a new 17th Street building,we can provide elevator access to all our classrooms. Appropriate space forour religious education program is our second goal. The rooms we currentlyuse for classrooms and meetings are very small, mostly on the second floor,and have only marginal access to the outdoors. What we call our nursery ismakeshift in the extreme. On Sunday mornings, we gate off a portion of ouradministrative office to care for our infants and toddlers. Instead of sinksand changing facilities, our little ones share space with file cabinets andother office furnishings.

We would like to replace our old, cramped classrooms with larger, light-filledrooms. We want our children to have direct access to secure outdoor spaces.And we want better meeting spaces for the adult workshops, committees, andothergroups that use these spaces at other times. We desperately need a dedicatednursery space, with appropriate facilites, sinks and counters, and its ownyard.

*Finally, we look to our sanctuary. With modest growth over the years, wefind ourselves very crowded at Sunday services. Even after moving to two morningservices, we still must provide overflow seating in the fellowship hall, wherethe service can be heard, at least, over the public address system.

We hope to widen the sanctuary to better accommodate our Sunday morning congregants.This will be accomplished not by increasing the building footprint, but byrearranging the interor space in a manner consistent with solving our accessand circulation problems. A larger chancel allows us to place our piano andorgan in a better location and to provide chancel access via a lift on oneside.

As you review our application, please consider the following points:

1. Our building proposal is designed to address our current needs, not toprovide for future growth by increasing our facility usage or programs. Wewant to replace our current classrooms, room for room, and incorporate a modestadditional space into our sanctuary. We do not anticipate that the Westsidewill be overrun by Unitarians.

2. In accordance with the principles of our faith,our congregation participatesin a wide range of activities promoting peace, social justice and environmentalcauses. Collaborating with numerous community agencies, we are anxious tocontinue our work here.

3. We know that Sunday morning services impact neighborhood parking. We provideoff-street parking at this time of high facility usge in order to minimizethis impact, and will continue to do so for the benefit of our neighbors aswell as our members.

4. We have always endeavored to be a good neighbor. At our preliminary meetingwith city planning staff, we were informed that there was not a single complainton record regarding our building or usage. Should there be concerns now, weare ready to work with city staff to find solutions. Thank you for your carefulattention.