It is time to recruit participants for the adult versionof Our Whole Lives (OWL), the lifespan sexuality curriculum,which we are fortunate to be able to offer ourcongregation. We did not teach the course last yearbecause there was not sufficient interest.

Lack of interest? Since sex sells everything, it is notpossible that we are uninterested. Perhaps sex seemsunimportant - after all, we are busy and we alreadyknow how to do it. However, if we broaden our perspectivea little, we must realize that sexuality is centralto our identity. It is our connection to the life forceand it colors every aspect of our lives. It is a criticalcomponent of our physical, mental, and spiritualhealth.

Religion has always been intimately involved withsexual rules and rituals. The problem is that sex isembarrassing. We have a great deal of trouble talkingabout it. We are not very good at talking about it withour partners or our children, and we are even lessgood at talking about it with each other.

So how about some practice? The curriculum forthis course is excellent. It is interactive and fun. Therichness of the course comes from participation,which is why we do not run it without 10 to 12 committedparticipants. There is no need to be shy. It isnot necessary for participants to reveal personal sexualexperiences. An intern minister participated withinitial trepidation and ultimate enthusiasm.

This spring we offer three four-hour workshops, andthe course will continue next fall. There are 12 workshopsin all, and we present them two at a time. Theseare the topics: sexuality and values; sexuality and communication;sexuality and spirituality; discovering thesexual self; experiencing the sexual other; sexualattraction and early relationships; developing relationships;committed relationships; sexual diversity; sexualityand family; sexuality and aging; sexual health.

The dates for spring are Saturday, May 10, 1 to 5p.m.; Sunday, June 1, 1 to 5 p.m.; Saturday, June 7, 9a.m. to 1 p.m. To sign up, come to the table in ForbesHall, or contact Cynthia Cottam.

Letters

This is my personal take on the costs estimates forthe building program calculated for the church by C. P.O'Halloran Associates. I am not speaking for anyonebut myself.

The church developed a plan that expanded thesanctuary, rehabilitated Forbes Hall and the roomsabove it, built a small new building behind the cottage,and landscaped the entire site. It was a good plan thatmet the expressed needs of the congregation. The constructioncost was estimated at $3,057,000. This doesnot include costs for architecture, project management,furniture, etc. Even so, it is considerably morethan the $1,268,000 we have. In my view it is extremelyunlikely that we are going to raise the difference beforeour Conditional Use Permit expires in 2013. So somethinghas to give.

O'Halloran broke the construction costs down asfollows:

Landscaping $273,000
New classroom building $536,000
Refurbishing Forbes $1,604,000
Expanding sanctuary $645,000
Total $3,057,000

It's pretty hard to see how we can get by withoutlandscaping. My understanding is that Santa Monicaregulations make landscaping fairly expensive. Fortunatelythe city is willing to contribute. So if we assumea city contribution of $40,000 we are left with$1,268,000 + $40,000 - $273,000 = $1,035,000. That is,we have about a million dollars for things other thanlandscaping. I see two basic options:

Option A: Expand the sanctuary. That means movingthe office somewhere, presumably the cottage. SoRE has to go back to the rooms above Forbes Hall. Wewould have $390,000 left over, not enough to build theclassroom, but enough to substantially improve thesecond floor rooms above Forbes Hall. Alternatively,we could leave RE in an unimproved second floor andspend the $390,000 on accessibility or other improvements.

Option B: Not expand the sanctuary. This leaves REwith the cottage, removing the need for the new building.The entire $1,035,000 can be spent improvingForbes Hall and the rooms above it. This is still muchless than the $1,604,000 estimated for the Forbes renovationswe have planned. Some decisions would haveto be made about relative priorities within Forbes.

I prefer option B, focusing on Forbes Hall and thesecond floor rooms. My hunch is that most other folksagree.

Finally, let me note what great work the buildingcommittee has already performed. The cottage is glorious.Most of RE has great facilities, the sort that really impress visitors. When the backyard is landscaped wewill have a spectacular facility.We may not get everythingwe want in Forbes, but we are going to get a lot,including greatly improved accessibility. If the sanctuaryis a little crowded sometimes, that's a problemmost older Protestant churches would love to have.Our most important goal is to stay united and keepmoving. We are doing really well.

- Tom Hamilton