Mar-11
From Our Minister:
Dear friends,
On February 13 we celebrated together.Thank you to all those who made our serviceof installation such a great day. I think especially of the hard work that happens behind thescenes, in planning meetings, in the kitchen,with traveling, preparing for a speaking role,moving furniture, setting up speakers, designing invitations, arranging flowers, and coordinating rides and childcare, and I extend oncemore my deepest gratitude to all our staff andvolunteer leaders. Many thanks to Rhonda Peacock for her work in designing the installationinvitations and printed program. It looked tome like the setting sun was giving that deepblue chalice a big hug. My gratitude also goesto Steven DePaul for coordinating our outdoorsound system, and to our Sunday Sexton TomAhern for preparing the sanctuary and cleaningup after a standing-room-only crowd.
As the memory of February's pomp andcircumstance begins to fade, including thatvision of robed ministers processing on a sunnySunday afternoon that graces the front of thisnewsletter, I invite you to join us back in thesanctuary at 18th and Arizona this spring to experience a quieter and more contemplative sideof worship and community. In March, April,and May, I will co-lead a monthly Vespersservice of evening worship. Our first service willbe on Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m. Vespers is ashorter service (about half an hour) that offersspace for silence, readings, candle-lighting, andmusic. It is a way to nurture your spirit, listento your heart, and end your day with soul-care.I hope to see you there.
Much heart,
Rebecca
From Our President:
It is not often that one gets to see an idea turn intoan institution. That is just what seems to have happened to the Second Sunday Supper. Two years agoas the board was talking about how to support churchmembers who had been hit hard by the economicdownturn, the idea of having a place to gather with noagenda but plenty of community crystallized into theSecond Sunday Supper. Nurtured along by a core groupfor the first couple of years, it is beginning to spread intothe wider church community. Attendance has grown.It is now preceded by a games gathering, has been attached to musical events, and been adopted in variousmonths by other church committees. The basic premiseis that the core group of the month brings a main dishand drinks and makes sure that plates, silverware, andcups are at hand. The event is a success because everyone pitches in. Side dishes, salads, munchies, anddesserts get brought. Chairs and tables get set up. Thereis dinner and conversation and community. When it istime, tables and chairs get put away, dishes get cleaned,counters are wiped, and we go home. It is simply a timeof community with each other.
As the awareness of this communal meal spreads,we would like to encourage sponsorship to spreadalso. It has begun to organically. The small core groupwhich has been nurturing this idea along would like ourfledgling institution to fly on its own. If your committeeis interested in sponsoring for a month, let me or RonCrane know. Create a theme. Celebrate an event. Makeothers outside your committee know you are a vital partof the church.
In a wider community note, the 2011 District Assembly will be held May 20 and 21 at NeighborhoodChurch in Pasadena. Our own Ron Crane will be on oneof the panels. This year's theme is "A Covenant for OurFuture." If you haven't been to any of the larger UUgatherings, this one is tailor-made for getting your feetwet. You can carpool there and back with no worriesabout housing or dinner unless you want to stay with thecrowd. Our district includes Nevada and Arizona. Youcould spread your UU horizons wider. Watch for moreinformation on DA and GA!
Enjoy March!-Sue Bickford
Featured Articles:
Project Dazzle Update
Project Dazzle UpdateAs our new website takes shape, we will continue toask for your input and feedback. By mid-March the ProjectDazzle team will have some sample home pages for the congregation to view. Please participate in a courtyard survey onSunday, March 13 and Sunday, March 20, in which varioushome page options will be displayed for your feedback.
The new website is for us, visitors, newcomers, thepublic, and the media. Over time the website will become atool for outreach, communication, and congregational news.It will help us build a strong web of interactivity and sharedknowledge. We expect it to launch sometime in late summer.
We are still seeking contributions to help us meet thematching grant we received from the Spirit Level Fund. Ifyou believe in the importance of the role the new websitewill play in the on-going development of our UUCCSM community, then we encourage you to help us meet our matchby donating whatever you can to this exciting shared endeavor. If you can make a contribution, please contact BethRendeiro. You can also contributeby making a check payable to UUCCSM, putting 'ProjectDazzle' as a memo, and turning it in to the office.
As always your input and insights benefit our work.Please e-mail any comments, suggestions and questions to: dazzle@uusm.org.
Thank you, in advance, for helping UUCCSM to dazzle!
Girl Scout Cookies for Sale
Girl Scout Cookies FOR SALEEvery year the Girl Scouts at UUCCSM collaborateon the sale of their cookies. Prior to this cooperativeventure, individual girls would collect as many ordersas they could, competing with other UU Girl Scouts forcustomers. The collaborative approach has led to robustsales and, simultaneously, a sense of fairness and equityfor all the girls in our congregation. The Girl Scouts willbe selling cookies in the courtyard before and after bothservices for four weeks, beginning February 27.
You will be able to purchase cookies for your ownenjoyment, for your friends and relatives, for a worthyorganization such as the L.A. Food Bank, for soldiersserving overseas, or for one of the Ocean Park Community Center (OPCC) programs we support through ourFaith in Action program. Best of all, you can donate themfor our very own coffee hour, a gift that comes in handywhen the cupboard is bare. At $4 per box you are makingan excellent investment in Girl Scouting, organizationsserving the needy, and/or your own once-per-year delicious decadence.
If you are a Girl Scout who would like to participate,please contact Beth Rendeiro.
Thank you for your support of UUCCSM Girl Scouts.See you on the courtyard.
Care-Net Update
A year ago, the Rev. Stephen Furrer created ourCare-Net program and recruited more than 120volunteers to serve for one year as zooms, shrooms,plumes, Car Czar, Card Specialists, Casserole Executives, Monthly Magicians, and Caring Ambassadors.Bryan Cahill will be the Monthly Magician in March,supported by Bruno Lacombe and Jacki Weber as Casserole Executives, and Pamela Beere Briggs and HelenBrown as Card Specialists. Presently, we have nobodywho has volunteered to serve as Car Czar in March. Atthe end of March the tenure of this group of volunteerswill end. What will happen next? We look forward tohearing how the Board and our Minister plan to extendand/or modify the program.
- Christine and Charles Haskel,lCaring Ambassadors
Meet Kate!
I'd like to introduce our Acting Administrator,Kate Schlesinger, who accepted our invitationto work with us for the next several monthswhile we make an assessment of our ongoing needsin the church office. "I am pleased to be part of thiswonderful community, working with you to makethe administrative transition smooth, pleasant, andeffective," said Kate.
Kate is a professionalmanager with experience innon-profit and commercialorganizations. Her skillsinclude budgeting, financialreporting, strategic planning and implementation,project management, communication, team leadership,mission and brand stewardship, and maintenance oforganizational processes andrecords. Kate earned a MBAin non-profit management and marketing from theUCLA Anderson School of Business, and holds a BAin Spanish Literature from American University inWashington, DC. Kate has worked for several international corporations and local non-profit organizations, including the Santa Monica Museum of Art andJewish Women's Theatre.
In a project close to her heart, Kate was active indeveloping an organic Learning Garden program ata local school, including overseeing the constructionand maintenance of the garden and irrigation systemand recruiting, training, and supervising parentvolunteers.
Kate and her 12-year-old son, Thomas, have beenattending services and events at our church for thepast few months. Please stop by to introduce yourselfand welcome Kate to our church office. Her e-mailaddress at UUSM is admin@uusm.org.
- Kathy Cook
Share Games; Stay for Second Sunday Supper
Share games, stay for Second Sunday SupperAt 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 13, join the games groupin Forbes Hall. Play Oh Hell!, a fast and fun game, plusPictionary, Bananagrams, and whatever you bring.Stay for the Second Sunday Supper at 6 p.m. andjazz with Louis Durra and the ARrOgANT DOoRMAtS at7:30.All are welcome.
- Carol-Jean Teuffel
First Name Member List
First name member listAn alphabetical list of members by FIRSTNAMES with spouses/partners has been compiled by Sam Polk for your use. Find your copyin the church office alongside the Directories.Sam says they promote connections and socializing and thus strengthen our community.
Faith in Action News:
Perhaps inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt,over 200 people turned out for Peace SundayJanuary 30, filling our Sanctuary from wall towall and choir loft to vestibule. In pews and on foldingchairs, they enthusiastically participated in the 2-hourprogram on "The Cost of War; the Price of Peace." Manythen adjourned to Forbes Hall to dine on food generouslyprovided by the Brahma Kumaris and Co-Opportunity,converse, and check out exhibits sponsored by 30 peacerelated groups.
Peace Sunday has been an annual event. Based on theresponse and the needs of the times, the three co-sponsorshave decided to present "Peace Sunday 2011-Spring." Itwill take place in our church June 5, with the theme to bedecided.
In addition to co-sponsoring Peace Sunday with Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP)and the Unity-and-Diversity World Council (UDC),UUCCSM played a key role in the event's content. TheRev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur opened the program with aninvocation and closed it with a benediction. Olivia Leganand Jessica Clay represented Unitarian Universalism in anInterfaith Candle Lighting Ceremony in which 11 faiths,plus an "other," participated. Faith in Action Chair RickRhoads delivered the concluding speech, which was a callto action. Emily Meyers, principal of Eyes of the WorldMedia Group and a frequent visitor to our church, created a slide show and collection of peace and social justicesongs that ran in Forbes Hall during the exhibition hours.
Olivia, a high school student, wrote her own description of our faith's relationship to peace, which she read as Jessica lit the candle: "All human beings deserve to livewithout wars, bombs, violence, and pain. While world peaceseems unattainable, as Unitarian Universalists we strive tomake this a safer place for all humanity. We light this candlefor the future, where we can make a difference."Rick said "I'm sure all of us feel frustrated at the lack ofmassive fight-back in the United States." He alsoasked "what kind of movement are we trying to build?" Rick went on to draw onlessons from the movements againstthe U.S. wars in Vietnam, Iraq, andAfghanistan to show that, from LBJto Barack Obama, a peace movementcannot be built by relying on presidentsor candidates who talk of peace but makewar. (The entire speech, including shout-outs from the audience, is at
Major figures in L.A.'s progressive religious community spoke at Peace Sunday, including Rev. George Regas,founder of Interfaith Communities United for Justice andPeace; Rev. Leland Stuart, founder of the Unity-and-Diversity World Council (UDC); Rabbi Leonard Beerman, founding rabbi of the Leo Baeck Temple, an Inclusive ReformJewish community; Shakeel Sayed, Executive Director ofthe Islamic Shura Council and Chair of Clergy and LaityUnited for Economic Justice (CLUE), and Marci Winograd,former congressional candidate and co-founder of LA Jewsfor Peace. Stephen Longfellow Fiske, founder and producerof the annual Venice Eco-Fest, was master of ceremonies,played guitar, and sang, as did fellow musicians Mitra Rahbar and Fidel Sanchez.
Thanks for the Undies!
In these difficult economic times, youstill were generous to the homeless. DuringUndie Sundays this winter, we received 13pair of mens' shorts, 12 undershirts, and 21pair of socks. Men's underwear Items weredelivered to StepUp on Second.For women we received 19 pair of panties, six bras, four t-shirts, and five pair ofsocks. These were delivered to Daybreak.
- Gerrie Lambson
Green Living Committee:
Come and check out our upcoming Events
MARCH: Come join us on March 13 for GLC's (GreenLiving Committee) Food Revolution Second Sunday Supper. We'll have a cooking demo with Farmer's Market Chefand local ingredients at 5 p.m. and a potluck at 6 p.m.
Bring your favorite side dish that is local, organic,home-cooked, or healthy. Please bring and share your recipes. The GLC will be providing drinks and vegetarian maindish. Trashless: Bring your own plate/napkin/fork.
Come and learn about UUA's Ethical Eating Statement of Conscience to be adopted this year. Also learnabout Locavores, the slow food USA movement; learn howvegetarianism helps combat climate change; learn aboutCSA groups (Community Supported Agriculture); and, thegood and the bad of organic alternatives. Join the conversation about how to improve our health and the healthof the earth by changing the way weeat. What you eat is a Political Act!Contact Beth Brownlie for info.
APRIL: Sustainable designin France and Germany. Architect Alison Kendall discussesher experience teaching andresearching sustainable design inEurope last year on Sunday, April 3from 12:30 to 2 pm. Living in a villagein the south of France, performing energyanalysis on a stone farmhouse, investigatinginnovative approaches to bicycle and transitplanning, and traveling with French architectsto visit a German city known for solar buildings andgrassroots environmentalism, she cringed each time thecarbon footprint of the average American was discussed,but she taught French architects and planners the innovative and effective programs California is using to reducegreenhouse gases. From tending a vegetable garden tohanging clothes up to dry, traveling by train and shoppingfor food, daily life had its own lessons.
Come see some ideas from Germany, France, Spain,and Lisbon and explore what it really means to live sustainably. In Europe "development durable" or sustainability is defined as far more than an environmental movement: it means integration of environment, economics,and culture in a sustainable equilibrium.
MAY: Are you afraid to ride your bike on city streets?Would you like to bike to church, work, or school butaren't sure how to begin? Join us for a Bike Skills Workshop after the Coming of Age service on Sunday, May22, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Certified cycling instructors fromSustainable Streets, a non-profit organization promotingactive transportation, will teach you what you needto know. Topics included are rules of the road andbike safety tips, common causes of crashes andhow to avoid them, basic bike maintenance,and helmet fit. From church we'll take ashort ride on bike lanes to a parking lotto practice some key bike riding skills,including scanning, signaling, turning,and quick stops. Suggested donationof $25 per participant supports bikesafety classes in public schools. Ages14 to 80. For information and registration, call Alison Kendall.
UUSM Conservation isRecognized
It was noted in the January 23 edition of the SantaMonica Daily Press that the Unitarian UniversalistCommunity Church of Santa Monica had received theAdaptive Reuse Award from the Santa Monica Conservancy. This award was given for the conversion of anadjacent Craftsman bungalow into classrooms and ameeting space for its congregation, choosing preservation and adaptive reuse over demolition and newconstruction. The article also noted that the churchitself is architecturally valuable, designed by localarchitect John Byers in the 1920s.
- Diana Spears
Splinters from the Board:
Our board is beginning to look into decreasing its size. This hasbeen a strong recommendation from three ministers whoknow us well and whose job was to tell us how it is - RobertaHaskin, Ken Brown and Stephen Furrer. They believe that our churchis simply too large for our governance structure. They suggested thatwe decentralize decision-making to the committees. The board couldthen focus on more long term vision and less on day-to-day management of the church. If our volunteers spent less time in board meetings they would be more available to take care of our community life.Look for a detailed discussion in our April newsletter and in themeantime I invite you to check out the online articler at http://www.sizetransitions.org/ (Changing Size: Chapter One Excerpt) for a discussion of the experiences of other churches our size.
- Sue Bickford
Other UU News & Events:
UU Women's retreat atCamp de Benneville PinesCamp de Benneville Pines is proud to announcethe theme and keynote speaker for the annualUU Women's Retreat on May 13 to 15, 2011."Awakening the Muse, Nourishing the Spirit" promisesto be an inspiring weekend for women from throughoutthe Pacific Southwest District (PSWD). With over half thebeds already sold, we are expecting this event to sell outearly. So if you needa bottom bunk, don'tdelay in registering. A$75 non-refundabledeposit is required tohold a space.
"The muse is thatwhich inspires andinvokes our creativeself, the expression ofwhich connects us toour spirit." Rev. ErikaHewitt from the Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Goleta, CA, will explore the questions of whatforms the muse can take. How do we cultivate a deeperrelationship with the Source of inspiration and creativity? How does nourishing the spirit go beyond simpleself-care and enter the realm of spirituality? How mightwe live from a place of greater centeredness, spiritualdepth, compassion, and interconnectedness? Rev.Hewittwill also offer a Saturday afternoon workshop titled"Yoga as Spiritual Practice."
Hiking, relaxing, drumming, music making, crafting,dancing, and singing are justsome of the activities that willbe offered during the weekend.Self-care with yoga, massage,facials, specialized workshops,and hot-tubbing will also beavailable. Please join yoursisters at the 2011 UnitarianUniversalist Women's Retreat.Rediscover your essential spiritas you engage your mind, bodyand soul through art, inspiration play, and renewal.
To download a flier toshare with a friend or to register for this event, go towww.uucamp.org. Click on COME TO CAMP and thenWOMEN'S RETREAT. Should you wish to reach thecamp directly about this event, e-mail Melissa Blackwell,Camper Liaison Coordinator, at registrar@uucamp.org, or call (909) 794-1252.
RE News:
As I write this column, I am preparing to load up agiant van with seven of our UUCCSM high schoolyouth, YRUU advisors Liza Cranis and GretchenGoetz, and many pieces of luggage and bedding to driveto San Francisco to participate in a "street retreat" withthe Faithful Fools Street Ministry. Created in 1998 by aUU Minister and Franciscan nun, the Faithful Fools is acharitable and educational organization whose mission isto be present with and to address the existence of povertyin the midst of material wealth. Each month they host a"street retreat" when members of the public are invitedto join them in a ministry of presence in the heart of SanFrancisco's Tenderloin.
This is our first experience with the Fools, though weare joining youth from Neighborhood Church in Pasadenawho have participated for several years already. I am gladto be joining a group of repeat-retreaters, though even soI head out with a great deal of excitement and a little bit oftrepidation. What can I expect from the retreat on Saturday?
The instructions are intentionally vague: the truth isthat there are no instructions, nothing that requires doing.Participants are asked to be present. We are told to allowourselves to be led and have the experience we were meantto have. We are encouraged to listen and be aware of ourown judgments. We are not given tasks or brochures orfood to hand out. The most instruction we are given is asuggestion to stand in a food line and eat a free meal at oneof the soup kitchens serving hot lunches.
Have you heard the old adage that the role of religionis to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable"? OnSaturday morning, before heading out into the Tenderloin,we'll encourage our youth to push themselves, to move beyond their expectations and limitations. Certainly, thoseof us going on the street retreat