Newsletter for December, 2021
From Our Minister:
From Our Minister: Opening to Joy - DECEMBER 2021
I slept and dreamt that life was joy
I awoke and saw that life was service
I awoke and saw that life was service
I acted and behold, service was joy!
-Rabindranath Tagore
The lights of the menorah are burning brightly. Beautiful evergreens are being brought indoors. And the days are growing darker and colder. The holidays are upon us, and this is a time for gratitude, beloved community, and rejoicing!
We are moving towards the completion of another year of surviving in the midst of a pandemic and turning with hopefulness to what the New Year may bring. The persistence of our faith has carried us this far, and it will continue to guide us through this season and through whatever the future may bring. The winter months are a time for slowing down, moving inward, recharging, and reflecting upon the deeper meanings and purposes of our lives. They are also a time for connecting with families and friends, gift giving, shared meals, and reaching out to those who may be isolated, depressed, or alone. It is through the beloved community that we approach the holiday season knowing we are all held by something greater than ourselves.
I am reminded and comforted in this holiday time by the words of the meditation “There Is a Love” written by the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker and set to music by Elizabeth Norton: “There is a love holding us. There is a love holding all we love. There is a love holding all. We rest in this love.” May we find the time to rest in this love as we restore ourselves, celebrate, and rejoice this holiday season.
Our Souls Matters theme for reflection this month is “Opening to Joy.” Every month we focus on a single theme of spiritual significance in some of our publications, church activities, and worship services. “Opening to Joy” invites us to consider the joy that is already present in our lives but perhaps goes unnoticed. The holidays are a time when the world seems to be filled with opportunities to slow down and appreciate the small miracles of our lives. Each month, we provide theme-based reflection questions which you can contemplate or bring to your church groups and families and friends beyond the church to practice spiritual deepening through sharing and reflection. A few questions to meditate upon this month include: Who helps you see the joy in front of you? How has your definition of joy changed as you’ve grown older? Are you mostly a creator of joy, receiver of joy, notice-er of joy, or spreader of joy? What needs removed from your life in order for joy to expand, or to return? Is it time to choose joy?
If you are having a difficult time this winter and would like to be spiritually companioned by one of our Pastoral Associates, or have a need our Care Ring members might be able to assist you with, you can confidentiality reach out for support at pastoralcare@uusm.org. You can use this same email if there’s a joy, sorrow, or important milestone you’d like us to share on a Sunday morning.
May you have a Bright Hanukkah, a Peaceful Winter Solstice, a Merry Yule, a Warm Christmas, a Happy Kwanzaa, and a Joyous New Year!
Yours in ministry and love,
Jeremiah
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae
Developmental Minister
Developmental Minister
Featured Articles:
Who are the Tongva and Why Do We Acknowledge Them in Our UUSM Services?
RECOGNIZING THE ORIGINAL STEWARDS OF THE LAND WE ARE OCCUPYING
Takic language map by Noahedits, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Our church and the homes of most of our members are on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the Tongva people, who continue to live here and who cared for these lands for thousands of years. We recognize and mourn the often-deadly harm inflicted on the indigenous people of this country. We lift up their grace, resilience, and their relationship with these sacred lands.”
We hear these words during every UUSM service now, and while the message is clear, it has often piqued our curiosity and made us (especially those of us who didn’t grow up in Los Angeles and didn’t study California history in fourth grade) want to learn more about the Tongva people: Who are they? What is their history? Where are they today? And why have UUSM and many other organizations (including some municipal governments) started using these kinds of public “land acknowledgements” in public gatherings?
Here are a few answers, and some resources for further information.
Who are the Tongva and what is their history?
The Tongva are an indigenous people from the Los Angeles basin and Southern Channel Islands. According to Wikipedia, the Tongva had as many as 100 villages in a 4,000 square mile area and “primarily identified by their village name rather than by a pan-tribal name.”
Radio station KCRW adds that “Tongva villages were often built near rivers, creeks, and other sources of water. Their biggest village was called Yangna and it sat right where downtown LA sits today, near the Los Angeles River. The Tongva traded extensively between themselves and with other tribes- like the Chumash, their neighbors to the North and West.”
And the LAist website notes that “If you live in what’s now known as the Los Angeles Basin, you’re living on what its Indigenous residents call Tovaangar, which means “the world.”
“Along with the neighboring Chumash,” Wikipedia says, “the Tongva were the most influential people at the time of European arrival. They developed an extensive trade network through te’aats (plank-built boats) and a vibrant food and material culture based on an Indigenous worldview that positioned humans, not as the apex of creation, but as one strand in a web of life (as made evident in their creation stories). Over time, different communities came to speak distinct dialects of the Tongva language, part of the Takic subgroup of the Uto-Aztecan language family. There may have been five or more such languages (three on the southernmost Channel Islands and at least two on the mainland).”
In the 1700s, however, after the founding of the Mission San Gabriel, many Tongva were enslaved, forcibly relocated and/or victimized by treaties that promised but never delivered land and other benefits. The Tongva are also called “Gabrieleño” and “Fernandeño” after the missions built on their land.
Painting of Mission San Gabriel by Ferdinand Deppe (1832) showing a Gabrieleño kiiy thatched with tule.
Where are the Tongva now?
According to Wikipedia, the Tongva were rumored to have died out by the early 20th century, but in reality, “a close-knit community of the people remained in contact with one another between Tejon Pass and San Gabriel township.”
Since 2006, Wikipedia continues, four organizations have claimed to represent the people: the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe (the “hyphen” group), the Gabrielino/Tongva Tribe (the “slash” group), the Kizh Nation (Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians), and the Gabrieleño/Tongva Tribal Council.
But while the state of California now officially recognizes the Gabrielino as “the aboriginal tribe of the Los Angeles Basin,” the federal government does not recognize any organized group representing the Tongva – even though by 2008, “more than 1,700 people identified as Tongva or claimed partial ancestry,” and “in 2013, it was reported that the four Tongva groups that have applied for federal recognition had over 3,900 members collectively.”
Today, reports KCRW, “Roughly two thousand Tongva descendants live in Los Angeles,” and many communities in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains, including Rancho Cucamonga, Azusa, Pacoima, Tujunga have names that originated with the Tongva. The last of these – “Tujunga” – “comes from the word ‘tohu’ which is like an elder woman or an esteemed elderly woman in the community.”)
What are “Land Acknowledgements” and why are UUSM and other organizations doing them now?
In a 2019 statement about the practice, California State University Long Beach says, “Simply stated, a land and territorial acknowledgment is a statement that recognizes the ongoing presence and relationship of the First Peoples whose land an institution occupies. For First Peoples, this recognition is protocol for visitors and guests travelling, working, or living in a community that is not their original homeland. The statement expresses an awareness about the dispossession of the indigenous peoples of the land to make visible ongoing forms of settler-colonial privilege and dominance.”
And according to the LAist story mentioned above, the statements have more recently become “more visible in the U.S. in the last several years as public officials, universities, nonprofits and others start to incorporate land acknowledgment into their regular communications.” Land acknowledgements are “an important step in the process of “rematriation” — the reunion of the land with its original caretakers and stewards.”
“By stating our name, by talking about us, by making ‘Gabrielino Tongva’ a word that people know, it makes them consciously think about the land that they’re occupying and standing on, and that they’re guests of this land,” said Kimberly Morales Johnson, tribal secretary for the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians/Gabrielino Tongva and a member of the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission, in the LAist story.
Where can we learn more about the Tongva?
Kuruvungna Springs photo by Jengod via Wikipedia.
For more information virtually, see the three stories linked to above, or any of the other links in the Further Resources section below. But if you’d like a more real-world experience, you might also consider visiting a Tongvan sacred creek, Kuruvungna ( “a place where we are in the sun”) Springs, located very close to Santa Monica on the campus of University High School at 1439 S. Barrington Ave.
The site is leased from LAUSD and maintained by the non-profit Gabrielino/Tongva Springs Foundation, and it contains not only the well-preserved natural resource, but also the Kuruvungna Village Springs & Cultural Center, featuring “artifacts, historical documents, photo collections and other historical resources directly associated with the history of the Tongva people as well as the High School.”
According to the Foundation website, the area is open to the public the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. And if you’d like to learn more about the springs before you visit, see the Foundation link above, or this recent story from Alta Online.
Resources for Further Reading:
Happy 100th Birthday to Helen Brown
by Katy Malich
Ten years ago, longtime UUSM member Helen Brown celebrated her December 10 birthday by taking a flying lesson.
Lots of people take flying lessons. But I don’t know anyone else who did it on their 90th birthday.
Helen’s flight was significant in more ways than one. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 80 years ago, Helen was just hours away from having enough flying time to qualify for her pilot’s license. The attack put an end to civilian aviation and Helen’s dreams of flight. But she did her part to support the war effort. And after the war ended she lived on a military base in Germany with her GI husband, Grant, working on postwar German reconstruction.
Helen and Grant moved back to California upon return to civilian life. Their daughter had special needs. Helen was her staunch supporter and advocate throughout school, scouts, and adulthood. In fact, Helen went back to school and became a speech pathologist to help other children like her beloved daughter.
Helen’s caretaking skills were called upon again when her husband was diagnosed with Parkinsons. Helen was active in local Parkinson support groups and our church’s caretaker support group, providing valuable advice and assistance to one and all.
Prior to COVID, Helen participated in a number of other church groups and activities, including Dining for Dollars, the Women’s Alliance Sewing group, the Green Committee, the Super Seniors Group, and Bruno Lacombe’s weekly exercise classes. She prefers mystery novels and public television to the internet, but thanks to church member Greg Wood she’s been able to listen to our weekly online services during the closure of our physical building.
Helen was an avid-cruise goer, classical music fan, and a proud alumma of Hollywood High School. She loved gardening and was an early convert to xeriscaping, replacing her front yard with a drought tolerant garden of California native plants which she designed herself. I was so excited about her front yard that I’d inadvertently embarrass Helen whenever telling others about how fantastic it was. (Spoiler: It is. It really is.)
Knowing Helen’s reticence and desire to keep a low profile, I called Helen to tell her I’d been asked to write a little something for the newsletter for her 100th birthday. I asked her if she’d ever forgive me for writing this. It could have been the phone connection, but I’m not sure I ever got an audible response. Knowing Helen, she’d probably rather not have a fuss made over her. I’m sorry Helen. You mean so much to so many of us we want to acknowledge your special day.
There will be a little in-person, socially distanced fuss, too. I’m pretty sure the members of her longtime knitting group will celebrate her 100th at their weekly COVID-safe outdoor gathering in Cloverfield Park.
If you want to wish Helen a happy birthday, her home address is in the directory. Yes, at 100 years old, she’s still in her own home with her beloved cat, Butterscotch. Happy birthday, Helen.
Fans and Friends of Camp de Benneville Pines: Opportunity Alert!!
SHARE YOUR LOVE!
By Rick Teplitz
Pam and I already had plans to include Camp de Benneville Pines in our holiday end of the year charitable donations. When we heard about the DOUBLE MATCH available, we got right on it.
UUSM is participating in a mini-match to raise funds for the camp, which means that any donation sent between now and December 31, 2021 will be matched dollar for dollar. For example, $25 becomes $50, $50 becomes $100, etc. Any and all amounts are welcome!
But it doesn’t stop there! Other friends of the camp have set up another special matching fund for the same time period, the “Share Your Love Matching Gift Campaign,” with the goal of encouraging Southwestern UUs to contribute. This fund will again double the gift, as noted above, dollar for dollar.
Here’s the special sauce: if you designate your donation for Camp de Benneville Pines by December 31, 2021, noting UUSM as your participating congregation, it will be matched by UUSM and that doubled amount will be matched again by the Share Your Love match!! Your $25 contribution is matched two times and becomes $100, while a donation of $100 becomes $400!
All donations are gratefully received and go to support our camp at a time of great need. During the two years of the COVID crisis and forest fires, camp rentals and activities were essentially shut down and the camp requires our additional support.
Those who are able can contribute online at https://www.uucamp.org/contribute/share-your-love/. Please be sure to scroll to the bottom of the form on that page and indicate UUSM in the affiliation drop down menu and “de Benneville match” in the comments.
You can also write an send a check to UUSM with “de Benneville match” in the memo line, or donate online at https://uusm.org/donate, entering the amount you want to donate into the Camp de Benneville Pines fund and noting “de Benneville match” in the memo line. The office will have to subtract any credit card fees however, and then write a check to send to Camp de Benneville to be matched. The office recommends that the most timely and cost effective way to donate is to go directly to the Camp de Benneville Pines website and contribute there, or write a check directly to Camp de Benneville Pines, 41750 Jenks Lake Road West, Angelus Oaks, CA 92305-9789, and write “UUSM Matching Donation” in the memo line.
However you donate, thanks for caring about our UU home in the mountains!
Towering Succulents in our Church Courtyard
BEAUTIFUL AND DROUGHT-TOLERANT LANDSCAPE DESIGN
The lovely tall succulents around our campus are Blue Flame Agaves. Many were planted in 2008 when we landscaped the courtyard, though they have been thinned out as they grew. The impressive flower spikes can grow to 22 feet high. The Blue Flame Agave plant is very drought-tolerant and long-lived, and a favorite for landscape use in our area.
Our landscape design was prepared in 2007 as a donation to the church by member and Landscape Architect Keith Ludowitz. The design features many drought-tolerant plants like the Blue Flame Agave, Agave shawii x attentuata. This plant’s flamelike leaves, along with planters in front of the cottage that resemble stone chalices, bring to mind the flaming chalice symbol of our religion.
The entire courtyard is paved in permeable pavers which allow rainwater to percolate down into a reservoir beneath the courtyard and eventually back into the groundwater so that the stormwater system is not overwhelmed, which would result in pollutants being swept into the ocean. We received a grant from the City of Santa Monica to incorporate these green features, which helped offset the extra cost. The reservoir is sized to offset a Religious Education building which the City approved to be built where the parking area and shade structure are now. However, during the 2008 recession, the Board decided not to proceed. Instead, Forbes Hall was remodeled.
Blue Flame Agave
Agave shawii x attenuata ‘Blue Flame' is a highly sought after succulent that works well in any landscape setting. These soft-edged agaves grow in a clumping pattern with tight rosettes of blue foliage that appears almost flamelike in its growth habits. These agaves are not only a great drought tolerant water-wise choice but they are also considered to be fire-wise. Slower growing than most agave species, these are long-lived agaves that add color and beauty even when planted in pots.
Growing in their native Mexico, these plants are well adapted to many different soil and weather conditions and this makes them great to be planted in any Southern California landscape.
The next time you are in the church courtyard, take a moment to enjoy our majestic Blue Flame Agave and other carefully chosen plants and features.
UUSM Sunday Morning Worship Online and In-Person
HOW IN-PERSON SERVICES WORK
Worship Service in the UUSM Sanctuary on December 12, 2021.
Most people see this opening screen as they tune into the UUSM Sunday Worship Service remotely. For the immediate future, most people will continue to experience Sunday Morning Worship this way.
But since September, our sanctuary has been lightly populated on Sunday mornings. Let’s see how they do it.
The Tech Team coordinates the event, signaling to the pulpit and the musicians when to speak, sing, and play, all the while showing on screen to viewers at home the transitions that mark the different parts of the worship service (like “Covenant” and “Hymn of Praise”).
Aubrey and Adran seated at the tech board. Cassie and Saunder looking on.
On the chancel, the day’s Worship Associate and Minister conduct worship in mostly the traditional way, but mindful of the fact that there is an in-person audience as well as a much larger audience (mediated by a camera) that they are addressing.
Worship associate Kikanza Nuri-Robins and guest minister Joshua Lewis Berg, preaching.
Musicians work at the Forbes Hall doorway.
It is a challenge for all participants to manage this hybrid format, where the in-person experience is blended with the remote one so that everyone benefits as much as possible from the full Sunday Worship Service.
You can join the few that attend each week by filling out THIS RESERVATION FORM and submitting your COVID-19 vaccine immunization card to the office.
For even more great photos of what happens in-person at church on Sundays, see the great photo album from Carol Ring on our news.uusm.org site.
News & Announcements:
December 2021 Generous Congregation Supports UNICEF
WE COME TOGETHER FOR MORE THAN OURSELVES
“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.)
UPDATED: UUSM COVID-19 Safety Policies & Practices - 12/16/21
We are excited to be gradually returning to our church campus for in-person services and group activities. Our COVID-19 Steering Committee has been working hard to ensure our services and activities are safe and accessible. We’ve adopted the following policies and practices based on UUA Guidelines, County Health Data, and input from neighboring congregations. Please see below for our COVID Safety Policies and Practices.
● Masks are required on campus, both inside and out, until future notice. Extra masks are available in the church office.
● We expect that anyone entering the sanctuary or participating in church activities will be vaccinated unless there is a medical reason not to be.
● Our Sunday morning service is at 10:30am and only adults and youths who are vaccinated are permitted to attend. Registration is currently required in addition to providing vaccination documentation to the church office. Please use this form to register.
● A limited number of socially-distanced seats will be made available in the sanctuary and overflow seats will be provided in Forbes Hall. The service may be viewed remotely in Forbes Hall.
● Congregational singing is prohibited while in the building. Members and friends may hum along with hymns during the service.
● All windows in the sanctuary and the glass doors in Forbes Hall will be open to provide optimal air flow and ventilation in the church. Please dress for the weather as it can be quite drafty and chilly in the church building.
● Our Sunday morning service is streamed on Facebook and YouTube to ensure accessibility for all.
● We are not presently printing Orders of Service. Hymn lyrics are displayed online.
● The sanctuary is thoroughly cleaned before services.
● Instead of passing a collection plate, a QR code is posted to assist in making an electronic donation. We also have a box for cash and check donations in the back of the Sanctuary.
● Following Sunday morning services, members and friends are invited to immediately exit to the courtyard and garden next to the Sanctuary and Forbes Hall to avoid too many people gathering indoors during our social time.
● Coffee and food will not be served following the service until it is safe to do so.
For questions on COVID Safety Policies and Practices please email assistant@uusm.org.
Dear Ones,
We hope this finds you enjoying the beauty of this season of peace, goodwill, and glad tidings. We have some important news we wanted to share with you about our congregation’s holiday offerings this season.
Candlelight Christmas Eve Service
Dear Ones,
We hope this finds you enjoying the beauty of this season of peace, goodwill, and glad tidings. We have some important news we wanted to share with you about our congregation’s holiday offerings this season.
Our traditional Christmas Eve Service will be offered online and in the sanctuary and Forbes Hall at 7 pm on Friday, December 24th.
We have decided to increase the seating capacity to allow for 20 members and friends in the Sanctuary and 10 in Forbes Hall, in addition to our staff members and choir. Unfortunately, as we are still in the transitional phase of the pandemic, we have to restrict in-person attendance to members and friends. We require vaccination, well-fitting masks, and social distancing while on the church campus.
Don’t forget your mittens! It will likely be cold in both spaces as we have to open the windows and doors to provide good ventilation, so please dress warm and come prepared for a chilly but moving holiday service.
You can register to attend with the church office on a first-come, first-served basis. You will need to send Cyndee Hayes a picture of your COVID-19 Vaccination Card (and vaccination cards for everyone in your party), if you have not done so already, to register to attend in person. You can use this special Christmas Eve form to RSVP.
Our Online Candlelight Christmas Eve Service is accessible to all of our families and friends, so we hope to be with you virtually, if not in person, this year on our Facebook page or on our YouTube channel.
Pastoral Care Holiday Circles
We are going to once again offer Holiday Pastoral Care Circles for anyone in need of some extra support or time with Beloved Community this holiday season. These will be sacred spaces for members and friends to check in with a circle of caring. Pastoral Associates and Care Ring members will hold space on two occasions–one will be online and the second opportunity will be in person at the church (masks and social distancing required).
Holiday Pastoral Care Circle (Zoom – Online)
Tuesday, Dec. 21, 7:00-8:30 pm
Host: Bettye Barclay
Holiday Pastoral Care Circle (at Church in Forbes)
Wednesday, Dec. 22, 3:00-4:30 pm
Host: Linda Van Ligten
To register – which is not required, or to request the Zoom link, please email pastoralcare@uusm.org.
Vaccine Boosters
We encourage everyone to speak with their healthcare providers about the appropriateness of receiving a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccines to help protect you and the larger community. Waning antibodies means many of us no longer have the protection we once did and it makes sense to boost protection this holiday season if you haven’t already. A booster shot is not yet required to attend in-person services and meetings, but we encourage you to consider it with your healthcare provider.
May we all be open to receiving the joy of beloved community this holiday season!
Warm Holiday Blessings,
Jeremiah
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae
Developmental Minister
Beth
Beth Brownlie
President of the Congregation
Faith in Action News:
A Holiday Wish: To Fill Pantries for People Facing Hunger in Santa Monica
Dear UU Friends,
In our ongoing quest to help keep food on the table for insecure families, the UUSM Hunger Task Force is launching a Winter Food Drive for Westside Food Bank during this year’s darkest month. Our allies at the Westside Food Bank serve 200 food-insecure families each week at the Virginia Avenue Park Mobile Food Pantry.
The average bag of various groceries is now around $50. Can you donate a bag—literally or figuratively? Can you do it once? Once a month? Once a week?
- GIVE CASH: Click here to give and specify that it’s for the Hunger Fund. Pledge one bag for the drive ($50), one bag a week ($200), or whatever amount of cash feels good to you.
Is $50 too much? Every dollar donated to Westside Food Bank helps provide four meals to our most vulnerable neighbors: children, families, seniors, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and others who urgently need help. Your gift in any amount will truly make a difference. Click here to donate.
OTHER WAYS TO GIVE: Would you rather collect food from your friends, family, and neighbors? Order online? However you want to give, we want to make it easy.
- Fill ‘er up: Fill your own bag of groceries with items from your pantry or the store and email hunger@uusm.org to arrange for pickup. Church volunteers will pick up as needed the duration of the drive.
- Shop from home: Order a bag (or box) of groceries from Instacart, Costco, or your other favorite grocer and have them delivered to Jacki Weber (address and email in the church directory).
- Be a Can ‘o Beans Chauffeur: Pick up or receive food donations in your neighborhood and deliver to Westside Food Bank.
The drive begins Tuesday, December 21 but you can give starting today. Questions? Email hunger@uusm.org. We’ll keep a running total of donations and share updates.
Thanks for joining us!
— The UUSM Hunger Task Force
RE News:
Personal and Spiritual Exploration for Adults, December 2021
Come, come, whoever you are!
Welcome to an exciting journey of questioning, challenging, and celebrating life’s mysteries and wonders. For generations, Adult Programs at UU Santa Monica has welcomed seekers, exiles, and interfaith families along with those who have grown up in our own Unitarian Universalist tradition. We are a congregation made up of people who believe in God or a higher power, people who do not, those who are content to live with the mystery, and those who are ever searching for answers to the big questions. Most of all, we are enriched by one another’s life journeys, diverse beliefs, shared progressive values and uniting UU Principles as we learn and explore together.
Our Purpose and Our Guide
At its core, the purpose of our educational ministry is to provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to deepen their spiritual lives, and to live with compassion, integrity and joy as we nurture beloved community and work together for peace and justice in this world. Adult Programs offers classes, discussion groups, and special events on an array of topics relevant to the Six Sources and our congregation’s spiritual life. Some of these may include in-depth study of theology and spirituality, discussion of science writing or Humanist ideas, opportunities to explore music, arts and crafts, or chances to connect socially for fellowship and fun. Many programs are made possible through the time and talent of our members and friends.
An Invitation
Do you have an idea for a program or event? We want to hear it. Email the Adult RE Committee (AdultRE@UUSM.org) and we can work with you on presenting your ideas.
Special Event:
Tour Ballona Wetlands Saturday, December 4
Come discover a local gem with Dorothy Steinicke! The Ballona Wetlands is one of the few remaining coastal wetlands in Southern California, featuring a unique plant habitat with annual migratory birds to view.
Binoculars will be available to borrow. The tour will involve about a mile of flat walking. Of important note, Los Angeles Audubon requires that all participants be vaccinated and remain masked throughout their visit even though we will be outdoors.
We will be meeting promptly at 10:30 AM at the gate entrance. For directions: take Culver Blvd. almost to the ocean and turn into the dirt parking lot behind Gordon’s Market. The Market is at 303 Culver Blvd. 90293. In the northeast corner of the parking lot will be a gate for entrance to the wetland.
Please RSVP to Adult RE so that we can get a head count and would be able to contact you in the unlikely event that the tour would be canceled. AdultRE@uusm.org.
Exploration of Ideas:
A History of God, Book Discussion Saturdays, December 4, 18
How and why have concepts of God changed over time and across cultures, yet remained resonant and important? How have the three great monotheistic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — shaped the image of God in their own ways? How have these faith traditions influenced each other? Join us for a theological and historical exploration of monotheism in its myriad forms and possibilities, guided by Karen Armstrong’s classic, “A History of God.” This group is facilitated by both Sarah Robson and James Witker, and will be held from 9:30 -11:30 AM on the Saturdays. Contact: AdultRE@uusm.org for the Zoom link.
Science Non-Fiction Book Group Tuesday, December 21
We will discuss “The Undoing Project: A Friendship that Changed Our Minds,” by Michael Lewis. “Forty years ago, Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky wrote a series of breathtakingly original papers that invented the field of behavioral economics. One of the greatest partnerships in the history of science, Kahneman and Tversky’s extraordinary friendship incited a revolution in Big Data studies, advanced evidence-based medicine, led to a new approach to government regulation, and made much of Michael Lewis’s own work possible. In The Undoing Project, Lewis shows how their Nobel Prize–winning theory of the mind altered our perception of reality.” — (quote from WWNorton Books) All are welcome. We meet from 7:30 – 9:00 PM. Contact: Rebecca Crawford at sci-nonfiction@uusm.org.
UU Men’s Group Saturday December 4, Thursday December 16
The Men’s Discussion Group provides a special opportunity to the men of the congregation and other like-minded men to join in thoughtful and stimulating discussion and meet others with UU perspectives:
- On Saturday, 12/4/21, 1:30-3:00 PM: During the next two years what aspect(s) of your life do you anticipate will give you the most joy and happiness? What do you see as your biggest concern or challenge for this same period?
- On Thursday 12/16/21, 7:30-9:00 PM: Do you have a hobby? What first stimulated your interest in it? Has your interest in it changed over the years?
To request more information or to join us, please ask the church office for information about how to contact Jim Rheinwald or Richard Mathias through the Adult RE Committee email, AdultRE@UUSM.org.
Meditation:
Open Meditation Mondays, December 13, 27
We gather and listen to brief readings, sit together quietly for twenty minutes, journal and share with each other what’s on our hearts. We explore the integration of meditation with ordinary life through reading and sharing. This is a non-guided, quiet meditation that may be deeply nourishing. A time to simply “be” amidst all the “doing,” calling off the struggle to become other than we are. We meet every 2nd, 4th, and if possible 5th Monday evenings, from 7:30 – 9:00 PM. Contact Bev Shoenberger or Carol Ring through the Adult RE Committee email (AdultRE@UUSM.org).
Open Meditation: Wellsprings All Wednesdays and Fridays
Taking 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 through the Adult RE Committee email (AdultRE@UUSM.org).
Challenges and Rewards of “A History of God”
AN UPDATE ON THE ADULT RE CLASS EXPLORING KAREN ARMSTRONG’S LANDMARK BOOK
The group is midway through our study and discussion of Karen Armstrong’s A History of God — and it has been a challenging journey! To be fair, the book is dense. Its brilliant author spares neither the depth of her research nor the breadth of her knowledge of the many traditions and movements that shaped the great monotheistic faiths. While it was written for a general audience, some of us are finding it to be, nonetheless, a bit academic. For one example: we found Chapter 4 on the development of the Trinity in Christianity to be particularly difficult. It can be confounding to try to understand how this concept developed and why it was so important to debates about the meaning of Jesus in the early Christian church. Yet perhaps this is unsurprising in a group of UUs? After all, the emergence of Unitarian and Universalist traditions were deeply rooted in “heresies” that sought to reform Trinitarian ideas and their implications (e.g. original sin, atonement, salvation, etc.). We’ll be digging further into these questions in upcoming chapters on how monotheism evolved through the Reformation, Enlightenment, and various scientific revolutions.
To help us along on this epic journey of history and theology, the published chapter summaries have proven helpful, and the facilitators have been spending some time during our sessions breaking down chapters into key concepts with related questions. Additionally, many of us found a History Channel documentary based on the book, featuring Armstrong and other scholars, to be extremely valuable. It’s available to view here on YouTube:
As usual, discussion has been lively and rewarding, with an opportunity not just to learn from the material but from the perspective and experiences of others. As such, and because of the challenges of the reading, the group decided at our most recent session to cover two chapters per meeting instead of three. This means that we will be adding at least one more class, likely in the New Year. If you are curious about the subject but haven’t yet participated, you are still welcome to join us. (See contact info below.)
Overall, I am struck by Karen Armstrong’s vision and dedication to this subject, and wonder if she will ultimately be regarded as a prophetic voice in her own right. Consonant with our UU tradition (and worth noting that Armstrong delivered the 2011 UUA Ware Lecture), she seeks to celebrate and build common understanding across diverse beliefs and spiritualities. In the great tradition of reform in liberal religion, she regards simplistic literalism and oppressive fundamentalism harshly. As a former nun and lifelong seeker, she does not hesitate to offer pointed critique of the Western Christianity out of which she comes: it has not recovered from a “neurotic misogyny” that comes from unhealthy and alienating ideas about original sin and sexuality.
And perhaps Armstrong should be seen as a theologian herself. A common theme in this book and throughout her other work is the idea that all human-made images and linguistic depictions of God are partial, metaphorical. The map is not the territory. “God” is always pointing to deeper meanings and mysteries about the universe and human existence that can never be fully captured by language or art. As such, God can mean many different things to different people — but our common quest for meaning is universally human, and never finished.
Next sessions: this Saturday, Dec. 4th 9:30AM, Saturday, Dec. 18th 9:30AM, and at least one more date TBD.
We are still meeting exclusively via Zoom. To join us, please contact AdultRE@uusm.org.
Music News:
Meet UUSM’s Amazing Team of Talented Musicians
Photography by Charles Haskell and Carol Ring.
Ryan Humphrey, Pianist
Ryan Humphrey started playing piano for UU services at a young age, having grown up attending the Greenville UU Fellowship in South Carolina (earliest remembered performance: either “The Circle of Life” or the theme from Jurassic Park). He helped found the women’s choir, Bon Voyage, at the UU Congregation of Columbia while in grad school, and prior to joining UUSM’s staff, he served for five years at First Unitarian Church of LA, first as accompanist and later as Director of Music. When not at a keyboard, Ryan mainly spends his time as an orchestrator, having worked on the scores to WandaVision, Frozen II, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Minions, and more. He dabbles in bagpipes and pipe organ, but always plays responsibly.
Ryan’s IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4979105/
Saunder Choi, Director of Music
Our music director, Saunder Choi, is a Los Angeles-based Filipino composer and choral artist whose works have been performed internationally by various groups including the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the World Youth Choir. As an arranger and orchestrator, Saunder has written for Tony-Award winner Lea Salonga, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Filarmónica Portuguesa, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, and many others.
As a choral artist, he sings with the L.A. Choral Lab, Pacific Chorale, Tonality, and HEX Vocal Ensemble, as well as in film scores such as the soundtrack of Disney’s The Lion King (2019), Mulan (2020), and Turning Red (2022).
Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, Saunder moved to the US in 2012 to pursue studies in music. He holds degrees from De La Salle University – Manila, Berklee College of Music, and the USC Thornton School of Music. His first encounter with Unitarian Universalism was as a staff singer at First Church Boston in 2013-2014. He grew up in a multi-faith family, where, he says, “we practiced an odd mix of Catholicism, Buddhism, and traditional Chinese lore.”
He believes in music as advocacy, using the media as a platform for diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. His compositions are focused on narratives and conversations surrounding immigration, racial justice, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and other social causes. In addition to serving as our Director of Music, Saunder is a teaching artist with the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s Voices Within and Oratorio Project. His works are published and distributed by MusicSpoke, Earthsongs, MuzikSea and See-A-Dot Music Publishing.
Sander’s website: http://www.saunderchoi.com/
Chloé Vaught, Soprano Section Leader
Chloé Vaught is a native of Los Angeles, California. In December 2020 she received her BA in Vocal Performance from UCLA. During her time at UCLA, she performed with Seraphic Fire, Tonality, and attended the Aspen Festival and School of Music. In 2020, she received a Grammy for her choral performance in Richard Danielpour’s The Passion of Yeshua with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. Chloé frequently records for independent films, background vocals sessions, and enjoys contributing to others’ passion projects. As a soloist, she possesses versatility and loves to sing early music, contemporary classical, jazz, and more. Chloé wants to continue recording for film and television, premiering pieces in collaboration with contemporary composers, and performing in the Los Angeles area.
Chloé’s website: https://www.chloemaliavaught.com/
Jyvonne Hasken, Alto Section Leader
Jyvonne Haskin serves as Alto Choir Section Leader at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica and is Co-Executive Director for Selah Gospel Choir. As a session singer and live performer, Jyvonne has sang with Lady Gaga, Janelle Monáe, U2, Michael Bolton, Arcade Fire, and Roger Daltrey. She *loves* making music with her LA Opera group, The DC6 Singers, an a cappella Gospel/Motown Experience, and is currently melding many of her heart goals as a Founding Partner of GreyLoc Entertainment and singing broadly within LA’s choir community.
Jyvonne’s website: https://www.jyvonnehaskin.com/
Darita Seth, Tenor Section Leader
Teaching choral artist and composer, Darita Seth was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He is the son of Cambodian refugee immigrants and is the first generation of his family born in the United States. His identity has shaped his entire professional career. An early composition, “This Tan Skin,” includes music and text that he wrote as a student at Interlochen Arts Academy and Camp about his struggle with the “model minority” myth.
He is Founder, President, and Artistic Director of CHORAL AUDACITY, a project-based ensemble choir centering stories of marginalized communities through programming of underrepresented composers with a roster of underrepresented singers. He is the Director of the Chamber Choir at Cantabella Children’s Chorus. Before relocating to Long Beach to work on a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at CSU Long Beach (graduating in 2023), Darita was the Director of Music at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Danville, California, an Associate Director of the Danville Girls Chorus, and the Director of Vocal Music at Stoneridge Creek Retirement Community. He was the former Interim Director of the Grammy Award-winning Pacific Boychoir Academy and recently concluded his tenure with Chanticleer, the Grammy Award-winning, San Francisco-based men’s vocal ensemble.
While pursuing his undergraduate degree at the Capital University Conservatory of Music in Columbus, Ohio, Darita began studying countertenor while immersed in the sacred early music at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Columbus. Darita is also a proud alumnus of Interlochen, where he participated in the composition, opera, and choral programs, as well as spending summers working for the offices of Advancement and Arts Administration. Darita is an active member of ACDA, NATS, and ASCAP.
Outside of music and teaching, Darita enjoys cooking meals from his proud Cambodian-American heritage, weight-lifting, and being a dog-dad to his American Dingo, Remy Martin.
Darita’s website: https://www.daritaseth.com/
Carl Oser, Bass Section Leader
Carl Oser (he/him) is a vocalist, pianist, and educator based in Los Angeles, California. He has taught music at K-12 institutions such as Sierra Canyon School (Los Angeles, CA) and the Harker School (San Jose, CA). At the university level he has taught at San Jose State University and Berklee College of Music’s “Instituto de Música Contemporánea” in Quito, Ecuador.
Carl is proud to perform as one half of kartercarl (instagram.com/kartercarl) and as a core member of the Los Angeles-based vocal ensemble, Tonality. As a collaborative pianist he has accompanied for many choir, cabaret, and musical theater productions.
Carl earned a graduate degree in Choral Conducting from San Jose State University. His graduate recital theater featured over 40 performers, 150 audience members, and the North American premiere of Maarten De Splenter’s Pax Pro Patria for saxophone quartet and choir. Carl graduated magna cum laude from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California where he studied with Grammy-winning pianist Russell Ferrante.
Carl’s website: http://www.carlosermusic.com/
