May-05
From Our Minister:
I am making plans for a four month sabbatical, which will take place from Septemberthrough December of this year. A ministerial sabbatical, the usual practicein churches, is earned leave time: one month for every year of service to thechurch. It is time to rest, study, write, reflect, travel - and to bring newexperiences and perspectives back to the congregation as a result.
I am very grateful to the church for providing this sabbatical, which is oneof the many benefits of ministry. I have already taken two short leaves of twomonths each in 2000 and 2002. Now plans are falling into place for the nextone.
The main project for my sabbatical is to prepare a book of my sermons. FelicityNussbaum, a member of our congregation and a professor of English at UCLA, generouslyoffered to serve as my editor and publisher. I would never have considered undertakingthis project without Felicity's encouragement and expertise. We have been workingtogether this past year to identify themes and begin selecting sermons for thebook.
From September through December, the Rev. Jim Grant will serve as your WeekendSabbatical Minister. Jim is a semi-retired Unitarian Universalist (and AmericanBaptist) minister who lives in San Diego. He has preached at our church, andhas been well received. I think very highly of him. Jim and his wife, Betty(an accomplished storyteller), will be in Santa Monica from Saturday eveningthrough Monday afternoon. Jim will conduct Sunday services and be availablefor pastoral care, rites of passage, and other ministerial duties as needed.
With our capable board, led by Carol Kerr; our dedicated staff, our generousminister emeritus, Ernie Pipes; and Jim Grant, I know you will be in good handswhile I am gone.
I am grateful to them and to all of you for supporting my sabbatical program.
(Note: Jim and Betty Grant will need a place to stay Saturday and Sundaynights during the sabbatical period. If you can offer them a place to stay,perhaps a guesthouse or apartment, please let me know.)
- Judith Meyer
Featured Articles:
Are you a member of a UUCCSM committee? Do you ever wish there were a simpleway to e-mail all of your committee members without constantly looking up andre-typing their e-mail addresses? Do you ever lose track of who has joined orresigned from a committee you're trying to contact? If so, you might want toconsider setting up an e-mail alias for your committee, which would establisha single address for e-mail that is sent to all your committee members. Forexample, members of our Building Committee can now be reached using the addressbuilding@uusm.org, the Stewardship Committeeis at stewardship-committee@uusm.org,and the people who receive newsletter submissions are at newsletter@uusm.org
The benefits of having a single address for your committee are that anyonetrying to reach the committee can use just a single address to contact all themembers at once, a "reply all" response lets everyone follow the conversationthread, and it doesn't matter how often people leave or join the committee -the contact address always remains the same.
To set up an e-mail alias for your committee, please contact Marie Kashmer-Stiebingat the church office, and let her know the name of your committee, the e-mailaddress (with an @uusm.org suffix) you'd like to use, and the namesand personal e-mail addresses of the people who should receive mail sent tothat address. Marie will pass the information on to Greg Wood and Liz Fuller,who manage the mailing addresses through our website host.
Also, if you'd like your new committee address to be published on our website,we can do that as well. Just be aware, however, that any address published onany website will become a target for spam and the occasional strange or randominquiry. So anyone who receives mail from a published address (i.e., anyoneon your committee mailing list) will receive that spam as well. (We do havejunk mail filters on the aliases, but while they help, they can't solve theproblem entirely.) If all the members of a committee approve publication ofthe committee's address, however, we will be happy to include it on the website.
- Liz Fuller
Once in a Lifetime is Now
I paraphrase the late Robert Karnan, UU Minister, because he speaks to thegreater meaning of what a community builds:
We UUs are theists and atheists, pagans and Trinitarians, the confused andthe certain. Our sharing stimulates us. We are made thoughtful by our differences.
We do not come to church to balance a budget or meet the goals of a buildingcampaign. We come to church because it speaks and acts for the transformationof our lives at all levels: spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and morally.
We live together as a community made of companionship and love, social concerns,agreements and disagreements, and hospitality, spirituality and mystery.
Our community exists to do something a great deal more compelling than growingour congregation or annual budget. We exist to enjoy the gift of deep and soulfulfriendship. We share our sorrow, our tears, our laughter and our joy. We shareour lost moments and our insanity, our found moments and our sanity. We shareour humanity. We live to err time and again, but we do so openly and in a communityof searching and understanding. We mold a context of truthfulness and spiritualvulnerability that is ferociously alive and transforming.
For our children, and for ourselves, we provide the safety of learning andloving.
Above all the items we are both a giver and a receiver. As you consider thedifficulty and excitement of making buildings and gardens, remember that theyare only vehicles that carry our community. Contribute to what we are and whatwe offer others to be.
"Once in a Lifetime" is now.
-Ron Crane
Member, Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica
Our Ministers Lobby in Sacramento
The Rev. Silvio Nardoni and I joined 50 clergy from several faiths in Sacramentoon April 17 to ask legislators to support AB 19, the "Religious Freedom andCivil Marriage Protection Act." This bill ensures equal treatment under thelaw for same-sex couples by allowing them to marry in California.
A highlight of the day was listening to the coauthors of the Act, AssemblymanMark Leno and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nu
News & Announcements:
You're Invited...
The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica requests the honorof your presence to affirm the ordination of Stefanie Etzbach-Dale Sunday, June19, at 7 p.m. Please join us for a garden reception following the ceremony.
Hold Book Donations 'til Summer is Over
We have recently added about 50 "new" books to our library in Forbes Hall.Thank you for your generosity. I am glad to see by the sign-out list that ourmembers are reading and enjoying our selections.
Since I will be away over the summer, please hold additional donations of booksuntil September. Books may be checked out for 30 days. Cross out your entryon the checkout list when you return your book. Thank you and good reading.
- Sandra Trutt
We Need Your Ideas for Our Work Parties
In the Merry Month of May, we will meet on May 21 for our monthly church workparty. Whether you enjoy gardening, woodworking, cleaning, organizing, sewing,painting, cooking, or any number of other things that need to be done in oraround a home or in the garden or yard, there is something you can do and enjoydoing with other members of our church home.
If you haven't been able to participate in a monthly church work party andwant to, let me know what would make it easier for you to participate. Woulda work party after the second service on Sunday be better for you? In July andAugust when we have one service each Sunday, would you want a work party? Ifyou are a parent would you be able to participate if childcare were available?What can we do to make it possible for you to make a contribution of time andenergy that benefits the UUCCSM, that you enjoy, and that, at the end of theday, leaves you with a sense of satisfaction?
Please contact me to RSVP or give me your suggestions.
- Marie Kashmer-Stiebing, Church Administrator
Discuss the Guilt of Jewish UUs
Adult Religious Growth and Learning (ARGL) will present a one-session programon "The Guilt of a Jewish UU" in June. The discussion will be held in Room 4on Saturday, June 4, 10 to 11:30 a.m., with UUCCSM member Carol Agate, leader.It is common for Jews to feel guilt about becoming UUs. They often remain "friends"of a congregation for years but can't bring themselves to join. This workshopprovides an opportunity for participants to discuss whether they still considerthemselves Jews, whether and why they feel guilty about joining a church, andwhether and how they have experienced anti-Semitism in Unitarian Universalism.Non-Jews are also welcome to learn more about this conflict and add the insightsof their different perspectives.
Faith in Action News:
The Faith in Action Bulletin is Now Available Online
The Spring 2005 issue of the FIA Bulletinis now available online. Printed copies may be found on the FIA table in ForbesHall. This issue includes a poem, personal opinion essays, and commentary fromchurch members, national organizations, and friends of our church. Most of theissue is devoted to two topics - peace and health care.
Peace. Myra Wald starts us off with a poem about the horrorsof war. Next, Tom Hamilton provides an analysis of the genocide in Darfur. Hefeels that the genocide will probably continue until one side or the other prevailsmilitarily and that the UN is basically powerless to alter the outcome. An alternateperspective comes from Senate bill 495, which is under current review. The essenceof this bill, which is published as a "Sense of the Congress," calls for UNsanctions and possible military action. Tom's article is followed by a proposednew Study/Action issue from the UUA entitled Peacemaking (S3). This proposalcalls for us to carefully consider just what it means to be a Unitarian Universalistwhen it comes to issues of peace and war.
Health Care. Phyllis Gabriel reports on efforts to reformhealth care access in California. Cathie Gentile reports on the activities ofthe UU Legislative Ministry- California, including the support of same-sex marriage,health care access reform, and water rights. Liz Fuller provides an essay onher experiences with health insurance coverage as a new mother.
The next issue of the FIA Bulletin is planned for publication during the summer.Wouldn't you like to contribute an essay, photograph, or poem of your own forpossible publication? Questions, comments, suggestions, and creative work forpublication are welcome. The deadline for the next issue is August 1. Submissionsmay be placed in the FIA box in the church office or sent to m
- Charles Haskell
Editor, FIA Bulletin Chair, Faith in Action Commission
Splinters from the Board:
The board meeting on April 12 primarily addressed planning measures for thecongregational meeting on May 15. The slate of candidates for the Board of Directorsand Nominating Committee was submitted by Kathy Cook as chair of the committee.The agenda for the meeting and two changes in the proposed restatement of thebylaws, as presented by Charles Haskell, were approved.
The major point of discussion was the interpretation of the balanced 2005-06budget prepared by the Finance Committee. Warren Mathews, as chair of the FinanceCommittee, contends the balanced budget for next year is a one-time fix thatdoes not address the long-term issue; others take the view that the balancedbudget for next year is a positive step and can be emulated in future years.It was broadly felt that it is important that both points of view be presentedat the annual meeting and that it is vital for all members to participate inthe budget decision.
The Rev. Judith Meyer reported that she led orientation for nine new facilitatorsfor Covenant Groups in the Small Group Ministry program on March 19. Four ofthese will co-facilitate two groups to begin the end of April or early May.The others will be available to start new groups in the summer or fall.
Judith also reported that 15 people are involved in the Telephone OutreachProgram. Judith, Anita Brenner, and Michael Eselun conducted training on April2. With the help of Carol Agate, Judith completed the application to the SpiritLevel Foundation for a grant that could bring up to $25,000 that can be usedfor UU building and growth programs.
Judith has accepted the resignation of Jane Machnik as chair of the Adult ReligiousGrowth and Learning program. The small response to courses offered this springdoes not justify the cost and effort to produce the program and catalog. WhenJudith returns from her sabbatical on January 1, 2006, she plans to renew attentionto the adult religious education program.
Catherine Farmer, Director of Religious Education, reported that children involvedwith the Social Justice Program completed bowls and sold tickets for the EmptyBowl luncheon, which will provide funds for the Westside Food Bank. Planningis underway to provide a summer "Travel in Time" RE program, which will extendlast year's successful cultural programs to cover life and culture in many placesat many times.
The Junior and Senior High OWL (Our Whole Lives) program was completed in April,and the Junior High program had a graduation ceremony.
UUCCSM will be hosting the Pacific Southwest District (PSWD) training for newOWL leaders in October.
- Gerrie Lambson
Other UU News & Events:
There will be a Human Rights Forum sponsored by UUSC on May 14, at Troop MemorialChurch, 300 S. Los Robles, Pasadena, at the corner of Del Mar.
The conference program includes the following speakers and topics:
RE News:
From the Desk of the DRE
We've just finished our program planning for next year in RE, and it looksgreat! I'm just so tickled with what we've planned that I decided I can't waitto tell you about it.
Similar to our format last year, our focus will be on two of our Principlesduring the year, and will include lessons from published UU curricula, as wellas from a rich variety of outside sources. For the first half of the year, we'llexplore the fourth Principle, "the free and responsible search for truth andmeaning," and then we'll shift to the fifth Principle, "the right of conscienceand the use of the democratic process."
We will maintain the first Sunday of the month as Worship Sunday. We hope tointegrate the children's choir into Worship Sundays as song and celebrationleaders, and each classroom will be in charge of one Worship Sunday during theyear, starting with the oldest kids first (after, of course, the kickoff WorshipSunday which the adults organize and lead), with our fabulous children's choirdirector available to provide support and resources.
During the remaining three Sundays per month, our Classroom Sundays will provideadditional time for smaller age-specific classes to be together. Lessons willfocus on Principles, and each will now include specific ideas for how to integratethe arts and social justice projects as well as tactile and active learninginto the day's plan.
Then comes the most exciting new part of our program - intensives. In January,instead of continuing our worship to classroom rotation, we will have a month-longSocial Justice focus; members of the congregation with passion for and experiencein various aspects of social justice work will be invited to create single ormulti-week action projects for our program. Each week during the month, kidswill have four or five projects to choose from, allowing us to really get indepthas we engage the kids in "putting hands and feet" on our UU Principles.
From February to April, we'll go back to our worship