Newsletter for December, 2020
From Our Minister:
From our Minister: Holiday Blessings
Happy Holidays!
“With mounds of greenery, the brightest ornaments, we bring high summer to our rooms, as if to spite the somberness of winter come. In time of want, when life is boarding up against the next uncertain spring, we celebrate and give of what we have away.”-Margaret Starkey
We have much to celebrate this season of lights. I love that in our liberal religious home we cherish the many holidays of this month. Like the banners that surround our sanctuary with the symbols of the great religions and humanistic philosophies of the world, the month of December embraces us with many opportunities to find the light and warmth and soothing darkness found in the religious wisdom of the world. Paganism reminds us that the cold and long nights are meant to draw us inward to rest and restore ourselves with the rhythms of nature. Judaism holds up a light to humanity that burns despite all odds. Christanity tells the story of the birth of a child who will save humankind from its destructive ways. Kwanzaa celebrates the richness of African American culture and the principles of unity, self-determination, collective work of responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Our Unitarian Universalist faith honors all of these wonderful traditions as we also cherish our liberal religious ancestors bringing many of the traditions of Christmas–such as the Christmas Tree and “A Christmas Carol”–to our larger culture. I hope you will find some hope, joy, and peace in the holidays this year.
Stillness is our spiritual theme for community contemplation this month. Each month, we reflect upon a theme in our worship life, group activities, and publications to build connections across the life of our congregation and to provide opportunities for spiritual deepening together. Stillness is broadly defined as the absence of motion and sound. In religious terms, stillness often means to dwell within oneself or to encounter the divine. It is a prerequisite for many forms of spiritual practice, creativity, and more mundane activities.
I often think of stillness in terms of absorption in being itself–the antidote to always being in a hurry or too focused on becoming. Stillness invites us to be with ourselves and to accept ourselves as enough. It invites us to live with greater patience and acceptance of what is. It helps us to rest and restore ourselves for the time when we cannot be still. I hope you will reflect more deeply on this important spiritual theme in your homes and through our church activities this month.
In addition to being a time of celebration for many, the holidays can also remind us of the loss of loved ones and may amplify feelings of isolation and sadness. We will again be hosting a Holiday Community Dialogue Circle this year to provide some time for support from beloved community on Wednesday, December 16th, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. The zoom information will be published in our private online group.
Our Pastoral Care Associates are also available to provide companionship and a listening ear if some additional support would be helpful. They can be reached by email at pastoralcare@uusm.org or by calling the church office. Lastly, this is a great time to reach out to friends and family members, our elders, those who may be isolated, and others who are struggling in this difficult year. Lets support each other this holiday season and keep the spirit of our liberal faith burning bright.
Holiday Blessings!
Jeremiah
From our Minister: Hope is on the Horizon
“A cheerful heart is good medicine…”
— Proverbs 17:22
— Proverbs 17:22
Dear Ones,
There is much to be cheerful about in this season of giving thanks. The Lakers won their 17th NBA Championship. The turbulent election season came to a conclusion. History was made with California Senator Kamala Harris–the first female, Black, and Asian American–being elected to the White House. The Dodgers won the World Series. Multiple highly effective COVID-19 vaccines appear to be on the horizon. The light at the end of the tunnel seems to draw nearer with each passing day.
After months of a seemingly unending pandemic that completely transformed life as we know it, dramatic outbreaks of civil unrest, and heated displays of political animosity in this nation, it seems “the storm is passing over,” and there is much to be hopeful about in our world. Despite the many things we have to celebrate, we are likely headed into the worst months of the pandemic, and this isn’t a time for relaxing our guard or not taking appropriate precautions–like wearing masks and avoiding unnecessary travel or gatherings–to keep ourselves and others safe and healthy.
Our ministry theme for contemplation this month is healing. At its origin, healing denotes “returning to wholeness” or restoring balance. We’ve been exploring this theme on Sunday mornings and in the many meetings and activities in the life of the church. It is a fitting topic for contemplation in this time of so much illness, death, and division in our culture. Developmental ministry is also a period of healing that invites us to practice living by our liberal religious faith and moving from a place of woundedness to greater health as a congregation. Our community has made great strides in that regard, and the journey of healing continues. My experience is that the pandemic has brought our community closer together and has helped us to set aside many of the differences and divisions as we face a common threat and prioritize what really matters in a beloved community.
Our congregation is moving forward with many of our plans for the year as we continue to adapt to learning how to minister to each other and our world in this unique time. We’ve established our Intersectional Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Commission, launched our Chalice Circles small group ministries, are forming a Bylaws Refresh Committee, and are continuing to build out a more comprehensive model of pastoral care, in addition to a multitude of other congregational initiatives. We practice what we call shared ministry because we understand that ministry is the work of the whole congregation. We need your involvement and commitment to be as successful as possible this year. There are three important upcoming opportunities for service I’d like to highlight this month:
Reimagining Religious Education Together
Sunday, December 6th, Noon-3pm
Help us Reimagine Religious Education with this lively and interactive workshop, where Cleo, Rev. Jeremiah, and religious exploration leaders and volunteers will join together to engage the congregation’s mission to set a path forward for religious education and family support at UUSM. We will explore how, in these unprecedented times, we can draw on our abilities for deep care, abounding creativity, and a shared commitment to community in our religious education. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet our new UUA regional partner, Dr. Messlia James, who will help to facilitate this program. Please email Cleo if you would like to participate or have questions.
UUSM Fundraising Committee
Thank you for your generous financial support of our beloved community. These are particularly challenging times as we are losing significant regular income due to our inability to serve the larger community as a rentals center or to host our major annual fundraiser, Dining for Dollars. If you’re able to provide some additional financial support beyond annual pledges, we truly appreciate it. We’ve already had to make some significant changes to our staffing to offset our losses and adapt to changes in our staffing needs during this pandemic. We are in the process of organizing a Fundraising Committee to develop creative ways for us to raise funds in safe ways to support our community in this challenging year. If you have experience in fundraising or are inspired to explore serving the congregation in this way, I invite you to contact me about possibly joining this group of committed community leaders.
Hunger Task Force
From Lois Hutchinson and Jacki Weber
Are you seeing hunger all around you, but you don’t know what to do? Join a newly re-forming Hunger Task Force and put your values into action, helping families and others who don’t have enough to eat. UUSM Members have been working independently to support needy households, but there’s so much more that could be done. And we could have more fun in service together (at a safe social distance, of course). You can offer food, time, or money and make a real difference. To learn more, please email hunger@uusm.org today.
As always, if you or a loved one is in need of pastoral support, please contact our Pastoral Care Team at pastoralcare@uusm.org.
Hope is on the horizon.
Yours in ministry,
Jeremiah
Jeremiah
Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae
Developmental Minister
Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica
Featured Articles:
Bidding Extended! Online Holiday Auction Supports UUSM
UUSM Online Auction bidding extended to Jan. 6, 2021
The Show Goes On…
UU Santa Monica Online Auction extended until January 6, 2021
Many items are still available! Many event slots are still open!
Bid high. Bid often.
If you have already bid on an event or an item, it’s yours! You will be notified. Please coordinate with the donor (person offering the item) about how to claim your prize.
Email auction@uusm.org with questions or concerns.
But the auction is still LIVE, so let the bidding continue!
Bid high. Bid often.
We can’t hold a craft fair this year, but we CAN hold a holiday auction with beautiful art, delicious pies, online pizza making, and even plumbing visits! Please join in our online Auction Fundraiser Pilot! Everyone at UUSM and friends can join in the fun.
Bidding starts Sunday, December 13 and has been extended through January 6. So please bid early and generously. Visit www.biddingowl.com/UUSantaMonica to see what’s available. We have auction items for everyone and Zoom experiences, like an affordable Nature Scavenger Hunt for All Ages, that will bring us a bit of community and connection during our holiday season at home.
Anyone can view the items, but you must register to place your bid. And unlike in-person Dining for Dollars bidding where the top three or eight or 12 bids win the group experience, the top bidder on each online auction post wins that slot in the virtual group event. Check back often to see if any bidding wars erupt, and to see if anything new has been added.
Questions? Email the team at auction@uusm.org.
Looking to the Future
This is an initial pilot, to see if we can replenish some of the income we’re missing while the campus is closed. Want to donate an item for auction or have an idea for an experience? Email the team at auction@uusm.org, because we will be having a new auction with exciting, fresh items and experiences in the spring.
Thank you for your generosity.
News & Announcements:
Christmas Eve Candle Lighting — Light Your Candle
AN INVITATION
This Christmas Eve service will be like none other. To bring in the sharing of the light that we usually do, we would like to include a candle lighting from as many people as we can get. If you submit a short video of you or your COVID pod lighting a candle following the parameters listed below, we can include it in the December 24th service. Please note the time frame plus the email address and subject line so we can get your video in time to include it with the other elements of the service.
Videos can be submitted with the following parameters:
- Portrait mode is preferred if possible.
- Hold steady for at least 5 seconds, then light your candle.
- Move the lit candle closer to the camera, as if offering the light to the world.
- Hold that pose for about 30 seconds, before ending the video.
In keeping with the spirit of Christmas Eve and our theme of stillness, be mindful of any background sounds as you are taking the video.
Videos can be sent to worshipassociates@uusm.org with the subject “Candle lighting video” by December 16th.
Here is a demonstration:
What a gift to be able to see as many people as we can this holiday season! Please join us at 6:00 pm Thursday, December 24th as we joyfully sing the carols of the season from around the globe and consider the deeper meaning of the story of Christmas. The night’s offering will benefit the Minister’s Discretionary Fund, which is used to help members and friends in need and to fund special projects throughout the church year.
December Generous Congregation Supports UNICEF
“I am happy for the reopening of child friendly spaces and we missed it a lot during COVID-19” says Muzhgan from Ferdousi Internally Displaced camp, Nahri Shahi district of Balkh, a north province of Afghanistan. In 2019, with partners and through funding from the European Union, UNICEF Afghanistan supported a total of 38,649 children (18,292 girls, 20,357 boys) in the most at risk areas and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) settlements across Afghanistan. These children benefited from psychosocial support services and essential social services in 234 Child Friendly Spaces (CFSs) in the targeted communities over 4 regions in 15 provinces, bringing the total for the programme to 56,641 children. © UNICEF/UNI367271/Fazel
UNICEF, also known as the United Nations Children’s Fund, is a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. The agency is among the most widespread and recognizable social welfare organizations in the world, with a presence in 192 countries and territories.
For more than 70 years, UNICEF has worked in the world’s toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents – and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. UNICEF’s mission is to help children survive, thrive and fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
The world’s largest provider of vaccines, UNCEF supports child health and nutrition, safe water and sanitation, quality education and skill building, HIV prevention and treatment for mothers and babies, and the protection of children and adolescents from violence and exploitation.
Before, during and after humanitarian emergencies and despite remarkable challenges, UNICEF is on the ground, bringing lifesaving help and hope to children and families. Non-political and impartial, they are never neutral when it comes to defending children’s rights and safeguarding their lives and futures.
Generous Congregation
Our practice here at UUSM is to dedicate half of our non-pledge Sunday offerings to organizations doing work in the world that advances our Unitarian Universalist principles; the other 50% of the offering is used to support the life of our church.
UUSM’s Generous Congregation supports our church community. And together, we uplift the reach and impact of vital organizations doing work we could not do on our own. This month, half of our Sunday offerings will go to the UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund. Your donations will help the UNICEF fight for the rights of every child seeking safe shelter, nutrition, protection from disaster and conflicts, and equality.
Please consider supporting the mission of our church, and UNICEF. To give right now, text “$10 GCC” (or another amount) to 844-982-0209. (One-time-only credit card registration required.)
Holiday Community Dialogue Circle
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16 AT 7-8:30 PM ON ZOOM
What do “The Holidays” mean to you? How have they been different so far this year? How will they be the same?
In the past, the winter holiday season may have meant family reunions, worship in the sanctuary, good food shared with friends, and festive outings. For many, this time of year may amplify an existing sense of loneliness — especially during the pandemic, or alienation from religious beliefs and rituals, or disenchantment with commercialism, or generalized stress.
If you would like to share your thoughts and feelings about the holiday season in a supportive virtual circle, you are invited to a facilitated dialogue on Wednesday, December 16, from 7-8:30pm. In gratitude for the gathered community of caring, we will speak our truths and listen, with compassion and humility, to each other’s deep expressions of self.
For further information and to obtain the zoom link, please email stories@uusm.org.
Invite a Friend for Christmas Eve Online at UUSM
Faith in Action News:
Justice for Alex Flores 1 Year Angelversary
6 PM ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 AT 2731 S CENTRAL AVE.
For the past year we have joined the Flores family in their fight for justice in the police murder of their son Alex Flores on November 19, 2019. During this year, the fight has expanded from just being about justice for Alex to also calling for justice for all victims of police brutality and murder.
What started as daily rosaries and then marches from the site of the killing to Newton Police Station, evolved into a weekly rallies and marches; first, just to Newton Station; later, through the neighborhood to the site of the police killing of Daniel Hernandez, and expanding to include the family of David Flores who was killed in Gardena by LAPD.
We went to former District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s house twice to call out her refusal to charge even one officer in the more than 600 cases of police killings during her tenure. We even participated in a May Day car caravan that linked the fight of tenants to the struggle against police violence as the police are the ones enforcing illegal evictions even during the pandemic.
In August, we hosted a speak-out at Newton Station featuring many families and a car caravan to South East Station where the police that killed David Flores are stationed.
Just last month, the Say Their Names art installation and rally honored the 600+ victims of police murder under DA Lacey.
Now, as we approach the one-year mark, we need all hands on deck to support the Flores family and their struggle.
The plan is to gather at 2731 S Central Ave at 6 pm on Friday, November 20 for a rosary service. The march through the neighborhood will begin around 7 pm ending with a rally at 9:30 pm at Newton Police Station. Cars are very welcome.
Healthy LA Coalition: Fighting to Keep People in their Homes During the Crisis
The UUSM Faith In Action Commission is signatory to the Healthy LA Coalition, a network of more than 330 advocacy organizations, worker centers, labor unions, congregations, community groups, affordable housing developers, public interest lawyers, public health and safety organizations, and many more uniting to address the devastating social and economic impact of the pandemic and to achieve just relief, recovery, and reconstruction.
At the Sunday, December 20th meeting of the Faith In Action: Peace & Social Justice Committee, we will hear directly about the coalition’s work and how we can do more to support it from our good friend and ally Rev. Rae Huang of Healthy LA and LA Voice.
More info on how you can help:
Since March 2020, Healthy LA has been pressuring LA city and county elected officials to ensure the response to the COVID-19 pandemic not only protects our community’s health, but also addresses the fundamental racial and economic inequities impacting vulnerable Angelenos. Together we have done so much already — see the coalition’s accomplishments here.
Healthy LA is now gearing up for our biggest fight yet, and perhaps the most crucial. Since our inception, one of Healthy LA’s priorities has been rent forgiveness and mortgage suspension. The Cancel Rent/Cancel Mortgages Platform proposes to make this priority a reality through a variety of policy mechanisms that will aid struggling renters, homeowners, and small landlords. Here is the full platform in English and Spanish.
With that statewide eviction moratorium ending in less than 7 weeks, we need to take action now and push the Los Angeles City Council and Board of Supervisors to adopt our platform. Otherwise, millions of our neighbors face risk of eviction, homelessness, infection, and death.
2020 has been one of the toughest years in memory, but it has also united us in making Los Angeles a healthier and more equitable place. Healthy LA is currently over 330 organizations strong–we can do this!
We are urging the Los Angeles City Council and the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County to sign the Housing is Health Pledge and commit to introduce and vote in support of policies that:
- Cancel Rent (Download Policy Platform in ENGLISH and SPANISH)
- Cancel Mortgage debt of homeowners and small landlords
- Codify a Right to Counsel for tenants facing eviction
- Stop the Sweeps of our unhoused neighbors’ possessions and allocate funding to guarantee permanent housing to our unhoused neighbors, starting with Project Room Key participants
To send a message to your representatives, please use THIS FORM.
RE News:
Personal and Spiritual Exploration for Adults, December 2020
November 30, 2020 Adult Programs Personal and Spiritual Exploration for Adults, Programs
Learning and exploration are about the transformation of the individual, our community, and the larger society. Participation helps us grow in wisdom, compassion, and ethical living. See below for our December activities, programs, and workshops for adults.
To contact the facilitator in regard to any offering, you may email AdultRE@UUSM.org with the title of the group in the subject line. Your email will be forwarded. Please note that currently, all offerings are facilitated through Zoom. Contact Teri Lucas for more information and the link to the Zoom meeting.
Do you have a passion or an expertise? Are you a chef or a gardener, a historian or an actor? Would you like to offer some help, support, or some frivolity to our UU community via Zoom? We’re seeking programming that is fun, informative, and engaging. Please let us know if there’s something you’d like to offer and the Adult RE Committee will help you to do it. Email the Adult RE Committee (AdultRE@UUSM.org) or Teri Lucas (uusmREassist@uusm.org) and we can work with you on presenting your ideas.
Community Building Through Personal Development:
Nature Journaling with Dorothy Steinicke Sunday December 13
Come and join us in observing, learning about, and enjoying nature. Whether you are spending some time outdoors or not stepping out your front door at all, you can still enjoy and appreciate nature. You are welcome to join even if you have no knowledge of nature, botany, drawing or writing. In fact you are encouraged to join if this is the case. People who attend these groups remark that they are reminded of times in childhood when they had the time to get lost in wonder at the natural world. As adults, we rarely give ourselves that permission. We will meet from 2:30 – 4:00 pm. Contact: Dorothy Steinicke.
Ukulele Strum Along Saturday December 12
Come and play ukulele with us or join with another strumming instrument. We recommend a familiarity with the ukulele for this online format but all levels are welcome (beginner to advanced). Bring a ukulele to our Zoom meeting and chords and lyrics will be provided in advance with a few folks prepared to lead some songs. We will share tips and support each other, pulling from a wide range of music. This event is for ages 15 and up, or 10 and up if accompanied by a guardian. We will need your email contact information by December 10, so that we can send you the music ahead of time. We will gather from 9:30 – 10:30 am. Contact: Kim Kalmanson.
Exploration of Ideas:
AAHS Freethinker Forum Sunday December 27
The Freethinker Forum is a monthly interactive meeting sponsored by AAHS: Agnostics, Atheists, Humanists & Secularists of UU Santa Monica. All are welcome to join in a lively discussion where a diversity of viewpoints are encouraged and respected. We’ll meet from 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm via Zoom. Contact: James Witker.
Science Non-Fiction Book Discussion Tuesday December 15
We will discuss “The Poison Squad: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century,” by Deborah Blum. Toward the end of the 19th century, food was dangerous – even lethal. For example, milk was diluted with formaldehyde. When Dr. Harvey Wiley became chief chemist at the Department of Agriculture, the agency began investigating food and drink fraud. “The Poison Squad” was a group of young men who volunteered to be guinea pigs. To receive the link to join the discussion, you will want to be on the group email list. All are welcome. We meet from 7:30 – 9:00 pm. Contact: Rebecca Crawford, sci-nonfiction@uusm.org.
UU Men’s Group Thursday December 3
The Men’s Group offers a special opportunity to the men of the congregation and other like-minded men to join our welcoming group in provocative and stimulating discussion and to get to know others with UU perspectives in a more meaningful way. The topic for Thursday, December 3, is: Ideally, as we get older, at some point we become at peace with all the decisions we made in our past. However, do you have a particular regret and wish that you could have had a do-over? How might your life be changed as a result? How might it have actually turned out worse? We meet the first and third Thursdays of the month at 7:30 pm via Zoom. For more information, contact Richard Mathias.
Meditations:
Open Meditation Mondays December 14, 28
We gather twice a month to sit together quietly for 20 minutes, to walk with gentle awareness for seven minutes, and to explore the integration of meditation with ordinary life through reading and sharing. Anyone who senses they would benefit from 20 minutes of silent, non-guided sitting is welcome to join us. We have found that this time of quiet meditation and shared exploration can be deeply nourishing – a time of simply “being” amidst all the “doing” of our lives. We meet from 7:30 – 9:00 pm. Contacts: Bev Shoenberger or Carol Ring.
Open Meditation: Wellsprings All Wednesdays and Fridays
These are exceptional times. Taking this time for quiet meditation and sharing in the intimacy of having sat in silence together can help sustain and ground us during these difficult days. We trust each of you will use this group in the way that fits your needs. We listen to brief readings, sit together quietly for twenty minutes, journal, and share with each other what’s on our hearts. We simply sit together in our shared humanity. We call off the struggle to become other than we are. These are drop-in groups. You are welcome to join us when it feels right to you. If you come in late or need to leave early, just do so quietly. We meet every Wednesday and Friday afternoon from 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm online. Contact: Bev Shoenberger.