Newsletter for April, 2013
From Our Minister:
Witnessing for Love
“This line goes on forever,” said one student, as he passed by the “wall of humanity” gathered to counterprotest the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) at Santa Monica High School. The WBC is nationally known for its anti-gay activism, and for using its right to free speech to bring hate-filled signs to schools and to the funerals of soldiers.
On Monday, February 25, I joined the counter protest to tell our students that hate has no home here. Eventually, we grew to about 400 strong, a double loop lining Pico Boulevard with messages of peace, love and acceptance. We were overwhelmingly students, organized by leaders of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at Samohi and neighboring schools, as well as clergy, hotel workers, and community members. Bursts of song rang up and down the line: “Amazing Grace,” “Give Peace a Chance,” “All You Need Is Love,” followed by chants of “two, four, six, eight, teach our students not to hate!” We linked arms, stayed true to our vow not to engage the protestors, chatted, watched the line grow and grow. My colleague Robert English, youth pastor of First United Methodist Church, was interviewed by two journalists for a story in the Santa Monica papers. He took a break from armlinking to post photos on Facebook with the caption, “witnessing for love.”
At 7:45 a.m., the WBC ended their protest, packed up their signs, and left to cheers from the counterprotestors.
The GSA finished collecting donations, saying their goal had been $100 for every minute of the protest. The students headed to class, or to breakfast. The counter-protestors unlinked our arms, packed up our rainbow signs, and melted away to other streets and sidewalks.
It felt good to be in that line, going on forever.
- Rev. Rebecca
From Our President:
Your Board of Directors is currently at work preparing materials to present to you at the Annual Meeting, which will take place on May 19. All materials will be posted on the office door 30 days before the meeting, and the final versions will be mailed to you two weeks prior to the meeting. The Nominating Committee prepares a slate of officers for your vote. The Finance Committee hears presentations from church departments and major committees and works with the Church Administrator to create and approve a budget for the 2013/2014 fiscal year. This budget is reviewed and approved by the Board and then submitted to you for approval at the Annual Meeting. Church committees present resolutions for your approval. Any proposed amendments to the Bylaws are placed on the agenda and must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the congregation.
The Bylaws are a document that has served the church for many years. They establish and define the authority
of the Board of Directors. They establish key policies and procedures that may be changed only by the Congregation, not by the Board alone. Last year we made a major amendment to the Bylaws by decreasing the size of the Board from 12 members to 9 members. Your Board feels that this has worked out well. It allows for more direct participation by each member. As your President and Chairperson of the Board, I feel there is a minor adjustment that needs to be made in the duties of the officers, as they are currently stated. When the size of the Board was decreased, the number of officers was decreased from 5 to 4. The duties of the First Vice-President were combined with the duties of the Secretary and the position of Secretary was eliminated. The First Vice-President is to act in place of the President when the President is unavailable. The Secretary is responsible for recording the minutes of all Board meetings and Church business meetings in addition to activities associated with maintaining the Church membership list and certifying the status of members, for the purpose of voting or presenting petitions. The Secretary does not have to personally perform all these duties, but must supervise them and certify that they are done correctly. Some of the duties of the Secretary are legal requirements for the functioning of our corporation.
Our current officers include a President, a First Vice-President, a Second Vice-President and a Treasurer. The only duty of the Second Vice-President is to act in place of the President when both the President and First Vice-President are unavailable. This circumstance virtually never occurs, and could be covered by either the Secretary or the Treasurer.
To my mind, the First Vice-President should serve as a potential helpmate to the president. He or she should pay attention to the discussion at meetings, noticing the tenor of the room and other nuances that the Chair may not be attending to, on account of being Chair. He or she should assist in the work of the presidency when needed. The skill set of a vice president is somewhat different than that of a secretary. The Secretary must pay attention to recording the details of the meeting, even if he or she does not physically record the minutes. The Secretary must agree at the outset to perform the work assigned to the position; otherwise there is a tendency for this work to fall to the President.
The Board is proposing a Bylaw amendment to eliminate the position of Second Vice-President and reinstate the position of Secretary. If you approve the amendment, the Second- VP has agreed to become the Secretary. If you do not approve, the First-VP will assume the secretarial duties. The text of this amendment will come to you in the mail with the Annual Meeting materials in early May. If all of this has stimulated your interest in the Bylaws, you may read them on our website. Don’t become too much of an expert. This will be my first Annual Meeting, and I’m bound to make a mistake or two.
Looking forward to your participation in the meeting,
— Cynthia Cottam
Featured Articles:
An Introduction to the Committee on Ministry
How do we minister to ourselves, how do we minister to each other within this church as we build our beloved community, and how do we minister to the broader community beyond our church walls? These are questions that many of us ask, and they are questions which our Committee on Ministry, in particular, is commissioned with pondering.
Many UUCCSM members are unfamiliar with the role of the Committee on Ministry, and, in fact, the committee itself, made up of the Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur, Gerrie Lambson, Dan Patterson, Kris Langabeer, and Alan Brunell has spent some time in trying to clarify its responsibilities.
Recently, we agreed on the following Statement of Purpose:
The UUCCSM Committee on Ministry will:
• Encourage direct communication between members and the minister and staff.
• Educate itself and the congregation about carrying out effective ministry.
• Communicate with members and visitors to understand their vision for the church.
• Assess the state of ministry in the congregation.
• Empower the congregation to fulfill the church’s mission.
• Be a model of good relations.
• Report regularly to the board with recommendations for improving the entire ministry of the congregation.
• Support the minister in her professional development.
• Meet monthly, or as needed.
The following are brief introductions to the current lay members of the Committee:
Gerrie Lambson found the UU church in Kansas City in 1961. Since then, finding the local UU church has been the first thing she has done after her many moves, culminating in settling at our church around 1991. This is the longest Gerrie has stayed in one place in her adult life, and she thanks all of you for being here for her and asks us to “Please help in making sure we are here for the next person seeking a spiritual home.”
Dan Patterson and his wife, Karen Hsu Patterson, joined UUCCSM in 2009, in part so that they could vote on our new minister. Dan has been involved in fUUsion, our young adult group, since 2007, and he has been ushering since 2010. In 2011, Dan joined the Committee on Ministry and became a Youth Advisor, and recently, he became a Small Group Ministry facilitator.
Alan Brunell has been a member of UUCCSM for 7 years. Just before that, Alan’s wife, Amy, who had been part
of the Liberal Religious Youth (precursor to YRUU), brought the family for the week-long Family Camp at de Benneville Pines. After one week there, Alan realized that he had found his people. He and their youngest son, Jake, started attending that fall. Since that time, Alan has served as Treasurer and Director of the Finance Committee, Board Member, Finance Committee member, OWL teacher, Forbes Hall Renovation Committee member, and avid attendee and promoter of the Second Sunday Suppers. He is also a volunteer staff member
for Family Camp at de Benneville Pines (Amy is Camp Dean) and a regular marcher in the Gay Pride Parade.
Kris Langabeer, along with her spouse, Debbie Menzies, has been a UUCCSM member for over 20 years. She has taught RE classes, been a long-time member of Interweave, our group for LGBTQs and their allies, helped lead our church’s journey in becoming a Welcoming Congregation and our fight against Prop. 8, directed the Friendly Beasts (our preschoolers through 5th graders) for our December Pageant for the past 19 years, and currently also serves on the Membership Committee and as a Sunday morning greeter.
— Kris Langabeer
News & Announcements:
UUCCSM Staff at Our 2012 Holiday Lunch
Back row, left to right: DeReau Farrar, VanNessa Hulme, Nurit Gordon, Bobby Akinboboye;
Middle: Rima Snyder, Tom Ahern, Gabriel Paredes;
Front: Rebecca Benefiel Bijur, Nancy Thompson, Catherine Farmer Loya.
Not pictured: ZaNyaa Lee, Roxanne Coleman-Bell, Kevin Roller, Norma Rodriguez (on leave).
Caregivers Support Group
I have been caring for my elderly disabled mom, Frances Spencer (member of UUCCSM since 1961!!!) for
almost 3 years now, and I have found the tips gleaned from my participation in this group to be invaluable. The
very best thing I have gotten, something I was completely unaware of, was that my mom would most likely
be eligible for hospice care at home. I always thought hospice meant the person was very close to death, and
that is not the case. Joyce Holmen is just the most wonderful, caring, and comforting individual who continues to moderate the group along with Helen Brown, who is cut from the same cloth as Joyce. This generous service they provide is something I would very highly recommend to anyone who is in the position of caregiver. The input of all who attend has been extremely helpful to me. The meetings take place at 10 a.m. in Forbes Hall on the second Tuesday of the month. Upcoming dates are April 16 and May 21. Hope you can make it.
— Amy Lacombe
Faith in Action News:
Carwash Workers Publically Take on Management’s Dirty Practices
Workers at two carwashes owned by the Damavandi family took a brave action February 20. They wrote, signed and publically presented letters to management outlining their grievances and requesting that “The owners meet with Justin McBride of CLEAN to sign the CLEAN Agreement and discuss a path to Unionization.”
The Damavandis, who also own Bubble Bee Carwash in Long Beach, have stonewalled the unionizing campaign for about two years, including hiring a law firm that specializes in resisting unionization.
A delegation from Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE-LA) supported the workers as they presented the letters at Millennium Carwash, on Lincoln Blvd. in Venice, and at Santa Monica Carwash, at Pico Blvd. and 25th Street. UUCCSM members participating were Roberta Frye, Peter Hermann, and Peggy and Rick Rhoads.
If you have been following the CLEAN Carwash Campaign, the workers’ grievances will sound familiar. They include
• Paychecks delayed, sometimes by weeks.
• Being forced to work through legally required breaks.
• Violations of health and safety standards, including having to share eating areas with rats.
• Preferential distribution of hours and work assignments to workers management favors.
• Firing of Anselmo Leyva, a worker at Bubble Bee whom management refused to reinstate when he came off disability.
• Being required to show up early to prepare for the day, but not allowed to clock-in until the carwash opens, thus not getting paid for the first hour or two of work. According to the workers, this practice continues despite a lawsuit filed against the Damavandis for recovery of previously stolen wages.
CLUE-LA met at our church March 14 to plan further activities in support of the CLEAN Carwash Campaign. To be notified of upcoming ways you can help, sign the Peace & Social Justice Committee email list at the Faith in Action table in Forbes Hall or email Rick Rhoads at fia@uusm.org.
— Rick Rhoads
Upcoming Program to Challenge the Prison Industrial Complex
On Sunday, April 14, the Peace and Social Justice Committee will present a program, Challenging the Prison Industrial Complex, a power-point presentation of the poster exhibit “Prison Nation” and a discussion by Mary Sutton. The program will be held in the Sanctuary at 1 p.m. “Prison Nation” is an exhibit of posters of the Center for the Study of Political Graphics (CSPG), an archive of 80,000 social movement posters, which has developed exhibits that have been presented at numerous venues in the United States as well as other countries. As Program Director of CSPG, Mary helped to curate the Prison Nation exhibit. She is also a member of Critical Resistance and Californians United for a Responsible Budget. Mary’s discussion will give some background on the history of prison expansion in California and an update on the current struggle to prevent further prison and jail expansion, particularly in Los Angeles County.
The exhibit Prison Nation consists of powerful posters from artists, activists, and organizations around the country and the world depicting the devastating impact of the mass incarceration required to support the rapidly growing prison industrial complex (PIC). The posters in Prison Nation cover many of the critical issues surrounding the system of mass incarceration, including the death penalty, the three strikes law, racism, access to education and health care, the growing rate of incarceration, slave labor, divestment, privatization, torture, and re-entry into the community.
While funding for education and the arts plummets, funding for new prisons is skyrocketing. The United States has the largest prison population in the world — over 2.3 million people behind bars. With only five percent of the world population, the U.S. has 25% of the world’s incarcerated population. Black men are imprisoned four times more often than any other group. One out of three black men, one out of six Latino men, and one out of seventeen white men will be imprisoned at some point in their lifetime.
This event is part of the effort of the Peace and Social Justice Committee to understand the dimensions of mass incarceration and its impact, particularly on the African American population, and what can be done about it. Other activities have included several discussion sessions of Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow” and presentation of the film “The House I Live In.”
— Nora Hamilton
Earth Day with Food Forward - Sunday, April 21, 12:30 to 3 p.m.
Want to celebrate Earth Day in a fun and meaningful way? Join in Food Forward’s annual fruit harvest at Cal
State Northridge. Food Forward is a volunteerpowered organization dedicated to the issues of urban hunger, food waste and food justice. The organization collects excess fruits and vegetables and donates 100% of the food to local food banks across southern California. Our group will carpool to CSUN from the church after the 9 a.m. service, have lunch, and then join in picking fruit from the orchard on campus. We need to know how many
places to reserve, and they do fill up quickly, so please let us know if you are interested. Visit foodforward.org to find out more about the group, and contact Rima Snyder or Rhonda Peacock to sign up for the event.
What’s up with Interweave?
Westside Bi social chat. Interweave sponsors a monthly group meeting (every fourth Tuesday 8 to 9:30 p.m.) for a group called AmBi: http://www.meetup.com/AMBILA/. Originally hosted by Judy Federick, the monthly chat is now hosted by Geoff Lee. This group recently held a movie night in Forbes, showing “Kinsey” (with Liam Neeson and Laura Linney).
Monthly Interweave chats/meetings. Beginning March 10, Interweave will meet the second Sunday after the second service 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Cottage (southeast room).
2013 L.A. Pride Parade. Sunday, June 9. We need to plan and discuss how we wish to proceed for this year. Do we want to rent another convertible? Janet Goodwin can handle the application and safety workshop. We need funds for our application fee and we need to decide if we want a vehicle (car/flatbed) since the fees vary. The application is not yet on the website so I can’t give an accurate figure yet. A unit with a float/car tends to be cheaper than just walkers (I believe the reasoning is that it is most entertaining to view cars and flatbeds).
Dallas Pride 2012. Dallas UU congregations had 250 participants in last year’s Dallas Pride Parade (please visit this link to see it):http://www.standingonthesideoflove.org/blog/making-a-splash-at-dallas-pride/ We can gain some valuable ideas for signs, flags, and banners from this inspiring group.
Annual All-congregation Interweave and Women’s Alliance Picnic. July 28 (Kris Langabeer & Debbie Menzies coordinate this)
2013 Coming Out Sunday. Long-range planning for a topic/ speaker(s) for next fall.
— Janet Goodwin
Drones: Killers and Spies
On the evening of March 12, about 45 people came to our Sanctuary to hear a presentation on drones — those used in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia for “targeted killings” of suspected militants and domestically, primarily by police departments, for surveillance and other purposes. The Peace and Social Justice Committee of our Faith in Action Commission co-hosted the event with the ACLU-Southern California Westside Chapter. Speaking on domestic drones and the implications for privacy and civil liberties were KNX Reporter Charles Feldman and ACLU-SC attorney Peter Bibring. We learned that these drones are typically about 3-feet long but bird- and even insect-sized drones have been developed and police departments around the country have been ordering them. However, when citizens in some cities have discovered that their police have purchased such systems, there have been such outcries that the orders were cancelled. Such was the case in Seattle when the public, mayor and city council found out that their police department had ordered drones without their consent. Use of drones for search and rescue operations is one thing, but surveillance had also been an explicit purpose.
ACLU-SC attorney Ahilan Arulanantham spoke on overseas targeted killings by Predator drones, emphasizing the absence of due process and targeting of military-age Pakistani and other men whose names were not known and whose behavior was “suspect” for no stated reason (so-called “signature strikes”). According to the New York Times and other sources, there have been up to 4,700 people killed in overseas drone strikes, including innocent civilians — men, women and children. Arulanantham also spoke on the targeted killings of U.S. citizens abroad, and recalled that Attorney General Holder did not initially rule out such killings here in the U.S., but when pressed by a group of Senators, he finally conceded it was unconstitutional. For more information on drones, visit aclu-sc.org.
— Roberta Frye
The Hunger Task Force is growing!
We now have several regular food donation projects, and we are looking for more volunteers to lend a hand and bring us your ideas. We serve a meal at Step Up on Second on the fourth Saturday of the month, and donate frozen casseroles and fresh produce to Turning Point on the first Sunday. Your Backyard Bounty donations now go to Turning Point every week. Our newest program, Lunches for Bunches, is a fun community activity preparing bagged lunches for the clients of P.A.T.H. (People Assisting the Homeless) every fourth Sunday of the month. Find out more at the Faith in Action table or contact hunger@uusm.org
— Rhonda Peacock & Rima Snyder
Splinters from the Board:
Rev. Rebecca lit the chalice and initiated the check-in inviting us to include a response to the question “Tell me
your story about when you have been in a disaster?” There were a few earthquake stories, one 911 story, and an “almost drowned” story. As they had all lived to tell the tale, it was a good feeling overall.
As of this month’s meeting the church has 366 members. The Generous Congregation contribution in February
was $747 to Turning Point.
Rev. Rebecca reported that the Small Group Ministry program began in February with 10 groups and almost
100 registrants.
DRE Catherine highlighted that the Coming of Age group will host a Seven Principles Supper on May 12. The YRUU service trip will be to New Orleans, with nine youths planning to attend.
Director of Music DeReau reported that another section of the church’s organ has been tuned and restored
and that the roof project seems to have had minimal impact on the instrument. The choir’s repertoire is
shifting from the history of African American music to the Easter and Spring season.
Nurit’s report shared that 4 new skylights have been installed — two in the Minister’s office and two in the
front office. She also reported that squirrels had chewed their way through our phone lines and that Verizon
replaced them at no charge to the church.
Garland Allen has agreed to be on the Personnel Committee. The Board of Directors unanimously ratified
the appointment.
Dining For Dollars went well again this year, thanks to the particular efforts of Melissa Weaver and Sue
Moore, raising about $32,000.
The Disaster Preparedness Committee is up and running.
The board went through a first read of the new 2013/2014 budget proposal in preparation for board approval at the April meeting. A summary for the congregation will be prepared and also approved at the April meeting, in order for the congregation to discuss and vote on the budget at the Annual Meeting in May.
Cynthia presented her proposal to the board to be presented to the congregation that we eliminate the Second Vice President position and replace it with a Secretary position. No action made at this time.
The meeting adjourned at 9:55 p.m. and the next board meeting will be on April 9.
— Bronwen Jones
Other UU News & Events:
Nonviolent Communication Conference Update
In the spirit of our covenant that love is the doctrine of this church, the Committee on Ministry has been
encouraging UUCCSM congregants to attend the free Nonviolent Communication Training Conference occurring April 13 and 14 in Oxnard.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC), or Compassionate Communication, is based on the work of Marshall
Rosenberg, Ph.D. It is a way of interpersonal communication in which we express our observations, feelings, needs, and requests, and we also encourage others to express to us their observations, feelings, needs, and requests. As Dr. Rosenberg has stated, “Through its emphasis on deep listening — to ourselves as well as to others — NVC fosters respect, attentiveness, and empathy and engenders a mutual desire to give from the heart.”
NVC is a way of communicating that can be used with spouses/partners, children, co-workers, strangers, and
friends, especially when they are mad at you or you are mad at them — and, indeed, it has been used in high level conflict mediation. It fits in well with our Board’s Covenant of Good Relations and our overall goal of creating a beloved community.NVC is not easy, however, and so if we go on this journey together, and possibly
pursue trainings or practice groups here at our church after the conference, we can support one another in the effort.
As of this writing, 23 congregants plan to attend the conference. To see if the conference is still taking
registrations (it may be filled up), please visit http://chooseconnection.squarespace.com/nvc-conference/
Car pools are being arranged, so please inform me if you plan to attend.
In closing, as Mahatma Gandhi said, “Let us become the change we seek in the world.” If we want more peace, let us be more peaceful. If we want more respect, let us be more respectful. If we want more forgiveness, let us be more forgiving. If we want more love, let us be more loving. I realize these are all easier said than done, but I am glad I am on, as Catherine Farmer Loya, our DRE, said recently, this “choose love” journey with all of you.
— Kris Langabeer, Committee on Ministry
RE News:
From Our DRE:
This month’s ministry theme is “Transformation,” fitting as we move more fully into springtime and into a time at UUCCSM of preparation for the changes that will come for our UUCCSM community with the arrival of summer and the start of a new church year. My own circumstances make this predictable, perhaps, but I’m also thinking a great deal these days about personal transformation: the ways in which we are utterly changed by the circumstances of our lives or the choices we make.
This summer, youth and adults from UUCCSM are planning to travel to New Orleans to spend a week participating in the New Orleans Rebirth Volunteer Program, a program of the Center for Ethical Living and
Social Justice Renewal (CELSJR), housed at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans. The
program includes training to help participants understand the context in which they will be working, and learn to be effective witnesses to the need for continued assistance and recovery of the Gulf Coast, in addition to linking with community partners to help with rebuilding homes or other reconstruction work that is still needed in the New Orleans area. I am so proud of our youth for the commitment to social justice and acts of service shown by
their decision to make this their “big trip” of the year, and hope that many of our UUCCSM members and friends
will help make this plan a reality by contributing toward the fundraising efforts to get our youth there. Adults are also invited to join the trip — this is a wonderful opportunity to take an active role in building justice in our world while connecting with youth and adults in our UUCCSM community! The trip will be from June 29 to July 6; if you are interested in participating, let me know right away and I’d be delighted to share more details with you.
Change comes in many guises, sometimes unbidden and at other times through deep reflection or acts of
service or even sacrifice. What is your personal story of transformation, either anticipated or already realized?
And how can our UUCCSM community help support your blossoming?
— Catherine Farmer Loya
Ministry Theme for April: Transformation
Bettye Barclay has provided this list of daily thoughts about our ministerial theme for April.
April 1. When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness. Joseph Campbell
April 2. First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination. Napoleon Hill
April 3. Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one. Marianne Williamson
April 4. It is all very well to copy what one sees, but it is far better to draw what one now only sees in one’s memory. That is a transformation in which imagination collaborates with memory. Edgar Degas
April 5. The way of the Creative works through change and transformation, so that each thing receives its true nature and destiny and comes into permanent accord with the Great Harmony: this is what furthers and what perseveres. Alexander Pope
April 6. The call of death is a call of love. Death can be sweet if we answer it in the affirmative, if we accept it as one of the great eternal forms of life and transformation. Hermann Hesse
April 7. In the kind of world we have today, transformation of humanity might well be our only real hope for survival. Stanislav Grof
April 8. And what classical music does best and must always do more, is to show this kind of transformation of moods, to show a very wide psychological voyage. And I think that’s something that we as classical musicians have underestimated. Michael Tilson Thomas
April 9. History is the transformation of tumultuous conquerors into silent footnotes. Paul Eldridge
April 10. What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Maya Angelou
April 11. Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place. Rumi
April 12. If the point of life is the same as the point of a story, the point of life is character transformation. If I got any comfort as I set out on my first story, it was that in nearly every story, the protagonist is transformed. He’s a jerk at the beginning and nice at the end, or a coward at the beginning and brave at the end. If the character doesn’t change, the story hasn’t happened yet. And if story is derived from real life, if story is just condensed version of life then life itself may be designed to change us so that we evolve from one kind of person to another. Donald Miller
April 13. So you must not be frightened if a sadness rises up before you larger than any you have ever seen; if a restiveness, like light and cloud shadows, passes over your hands and over all you do. You must think that something is happening with you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand; it will not let you fall. Why do you want to shut out of your life any uneasiness, any miseries, or any depressions? For after all, you do not know what work these conditions are doing inside you. Ranier Maria Rilke
April 14. Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation. Ann Voskamp
April 15. The Augusteum warns me not to get attached to any obsolete ideas about who I am, what I represent, whom I belong to, or what function I may once have intended to serve. Elizabeth Gilbert
April 16. Scared and sacred are spelled with the same letters. Awful proceeds from the same root word as awesome. Terrify and terrific. Every negative experience holds the seed of transformation. Alan Cohen
April 17. Analysis does not transform consciousness. Jiddu Krishanmurti
April 18. Does the butterfly to be quake with fear as it waits to fly — or — is surrender its way as it waits for the new day. Bettye Barclay
April 19. Questions are only as transformational as the commitment behind honestly answering them.
Brandon A. Trean
April 20. Love is an expression of power. We can use it to transform our world. Ericka Huggins
April 21. We can see the Divine in each speck of dust, but that doesn’t stop us from wiping it away with a wet sponge. The Divine doesn’t disappear; it’s transformed into the clean surface. Paulo Coelho
April 22. Meditation is an essential travel partner on your journey of personal transformation. Meditation connects you with your soul, and this connection gives you access to your intuition, your heartfelt desires, your integrity, and the inspiration to create a life you love. Sarah McLean
April 23. Transformation is a process, a journey, not a one-time decision. David Kinnaman
April 24. For the ethical, political activism was seductive because it seemed to offer the possibility that one could improve society, make things better, without going through the personal ordeal of rearranging one’s perceptions and transforming one’s self. Tom Robbins
April 25. Only you can take inner freedom away from yourself, or give it to yourself. Nobody else can.
Michael A. Singer
April 26. This is our purpose: to make as meaningful as possible this life that has been bestowed upon us … to live in such a way that we may be proud of ourselves, to act in such a way that some part of us lives on. Oswald Spengler
April 27. Lasting change cannot occur without transformation of the heart. Nathan W. Morris
April 28. In her novel Regeneration, Pat Barker writes of a doctor who ‘knew only too well how often the early stages of change or cure may mimic deterioration. Cut a chrysalis open, and you will find a rotting caterpillar. What you will never find is that mythical creature, half caterpillar, half butterfly, a fit emblem of the human soul, for those whose cast of mind leads them to seek such emblems. No, the process of transformation consists almost entirely of decay.’ Rebecca Solnit
April 29. Transformation can come in the mysterious guise of shape-shifting, or through a simple change of mind. C.R. Strahan
April 30. Transformation is the change that occurs again and again as we grow toward our highest potential, maybe the true meaning of “resurrection.” Bettye Barclay
Lifespan Religious Exploration In April
Children:
This month in the children’s RE program, preschoolers will learn about the Jewish observance of Passover, and then will move into an exploration of our church community as a place where we learn about ourselves, and have fun with our friends. Early elementary participants will engage this month’s theme of TRANSFORMATION through stories and special class activities that help us think about how the choices we make in our lives can lead to transformation in ourselves, in others, and in the world around us.
Upper elementary children in the UUniverse Story program will begin an exploration of the origins of life – appropriate in April as a time of the blossoming of spring and celebrating new life. How have people traditionally explained the beginnings of life? What is our current understanding of this question? Are scientists really on the verge of unlocking the answers to this biggest of mysteries? And are we alone in the Universe?
Middle-schoolers in the Compass Points classes will take a look some of the big questions of our faith tradition: are people born good or bad, or are they influenced by their life’s experiences? What leads people to commit acts of evil, and what can we do as Unitarian Universalists to “stand on the side of love”? Our elementary participants will also enjoy this month’s Faith in Action project, on Sunday, April 28, when we’ll make a joyful mess cooking up doggy treats for donation to a local animal shelter.
Youth:
April is a busy month for our UUCCSM youth, with 8th to 9th grade and 10th to 12th grade O.W.L. classes going strong, the YRUU-led Youth Sunday service on April 28, and a big fundraising effort to help our teens get to New Orleans this summer for a service trip to help with the ongoing reconstruction that is still needed post-Katrina.
Our Coming of Age youth are also working hard on preparation for the culmination of their program in May, which will include the launch of a new UU Holiday they’ve crafted, celebrating self-discovery and our UU Principles, as well as their own Coming of Age worship service.
Adults:
Patio Chat
Monthly UUCCSM Theme Discussion with Leon Henderson-MacLennan @ 10:10 a.m. on the Patio
Sunday, April 28 — Transformation
READ IT NOW...TALK ABOUT IT IN JUNE
“Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals” By former UUA President John Buehrens
UUs sometimes have a tenuous, even difficult relationship with our Judeo-Christian heritage and its source material, but the Bible remains both the most important text in Western Civilization and a powerful icon in modern American culture. Buehrens argues that religious liberals should not cede interpretation of The Good Book to literalists and fundamentalists and their political ends. Rather, we should seek to better understand it as a human text, with all its contradictions, complexity and richness. From the publisher’s description: “This warm, straightforward guide invites readers to rediscover our culture’s central religious text and makes accessible some of the best contemporary historical, political, and feminist readings of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.” We will read and discuss the book, with an emphasis on our own backgrounds and spiritual/personal growth on June 9 and 16 at 12:45 p.m. in the Cottage. James Witker will facilitate. The book is available in Forbes Hall and you can sign up for the workshop at the Lifespan table.
Wednesday Night Writers
This growing group is becoming a dynamic forum for writers at all stages in their creative development, meeting on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 7:30 p.m. in Forbes Hall. On the second Wednesday we write from prompts suggested by members of the group on a rotating basis. On the fourth Wednesday we bring in pieces we are working on at home. In both cases we share our writing with the group and receive their reactions. The atmosphere is safe and supportive, and new members are always welcomed. Drop by the Lifespan Table in Forbes Hall if you would like to be added to the email list for reminders about group meetings.
Empty Nesters Temporarily Switch Nests
The April 21 meeting of the Empty Nesters group will be in the Cottage due to some scheduling overlaps. But the group will return to their regular spot upstairs in Forbes for their June meeting.
Neighboring Faiths for Adults
The March 24 visit to the Sikh Temple was a huge success. Watch the Newsletter, the Order of Service, and the Lifespan Table in Forbes for information on the next outing.
Continuing
• Small Group Ministry — days and times vary
• Wednesday Night Writers Group — second and fourth Wednesday of each month in Forbes Hall, 7:30 p.m.
• Empty Nesters — third Sunday of each month at 12:30 p.m.