Newsletter for January, 2013
From Our Minister:
One of my colleagues signs his emails “caught in the web,” reminding me of how we are all bound up together in the interdependent web of life. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we celebrate as a national holiday this month, called it “an inescapable network of mutuality” and “a single garment of destiny.”
One of my hopes as your minister is to uncover those ties, and strengthen those connections, both among members of this church and with the wider world. This is one reason why I encourage you to participate in Small Group Ministry this year.
Starting this February, Small Groups will meet monthly at church to offer you a place to listen, be heard, share your life, and deepen your faith. This is a yearlong program, and each group of six to ten people is led by a trained facilitator or co-facilitator team. Each Small Group also participates in two service activities each year, one serving the church, such as ushering or hosting a Second-Sunday Supper, and one serving the wider community, such as serving a meal at Step Up on Second.
Small Groups are a wonderful way for newcomers to get to know people at our church, and they are highly recommended for longtime members who want to strengthen their connections to our community. Small Groups encourage people in their spiritual growth and help them develop relationships of substance and depth.
Each month, your Small Group Ministry Facilitators meet with me to prepare to lead that month’s session. As part of our training over the past four months, I have led sessions on Letting Go, Gratitude, and Listening.
Again and again, I have been heartened and humbled by your facilitators’ faith in our Small Group Ministry
circle — the circle of community we build together.
I hope you will “come into the circle” of Small Group Ministry.
Interdependently yours,
Rev. Rebecca
From Our President:
Recently I was sitting next to my son, waiting for the Moira Smiley concert to start, when he asked me if we still go to church on New Year’s Eve. I answered no, that normally church is not a New Year’s party venue. I knew why he was asking, though. We took him to church on the millennial New Year’s Eve, when he was only 11 years old. His older sisters were off doing something more exciting for them, and he, being only 11, had nothing better to do. Some of you were probably there with us; the sanctuary was full. What a nice thing that was, that we were all able to celebrate an event that seemed so momentous at the time.
It’s good to have a place to mark the passing of the years in community. It’s fun to watch the Christmas pageant and notice how the wise people and the mice grow up each year. For awhile, the church had neighborhood groups. It was for a Thanksgiving potluck of my group that I invented my pureed squash recipe, which has become a family staple at both our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. You never know what can be gained from your involvement with church.
Now another New Year has come — time for selfimprovement, for looking to the future, for making plans, for accomplishing the goals you set in the fall. For us at church, it is budget season, where we try to match our limited income to our expansive ideas. We will be working hard over the next couple of months and will present the final budget to you for your approval at the Annual Meeting on May 19.
So I have a few suggestions for you for the 2013 year. First, if you have not yet sent in your pledge, please do so. It is difficult to plan a budget without knowing the income. Budget cuts are extremely difficult in our organization, because over 80% of our expenses are salaries and related expenses for staff.
Second, commit to coming to church on a regular basis. I think you will be amazed how much more satisfying your church experience will be, if you make attendance a regular spiritual practice. Third, sign up for Small Group Ministry. This is a chance to connect more deeply with others: to support, to share, to explore. Perhaps you’ll invent a recipe.
Perhaps you’ll make a friend. Perhaps you will learn a new thing or two about being in relationship with
others. What could be more important than that?
-- Cynthia Cottam
Featured Articles:
Small Group Ministry Registration Begins January 13
“I believe we can change the world if we start listening to one another again…Simple, truthful conversation where we each have a chance to speak, we each feel heard, and we each listen well.” —Margaret Wheatley
Prior to the beginning of our church’s reconstituted Small Group Ministry, 50 people participated in six Small Group “mini sessions” on December 9. The topic was “listening.”
The purpose was to give participants an experience of a Small Group meeting prior to the beginning of registration. Claudia Dikinis was one of the mini-session participants. “SGM is exactly what I need in my life. If the mini-session is anything like what I’ve got to look forward to in the future, why isn’t it February already? Our introductory session was one hour and at the end of it I felt rejuvenated.”
Through Small Group Ministry we listen and share as we explore spiritual questions and personal experience in an environment of trust and intimacy.
In the meetings we continue to develop and articulate our personal beliefs. Small Group Ministry offers ways to find unity within our diversity.
The Small Group Ministry program will begin in February. Registration Sundays will be January 13 and 20 during coffee hour in Forbes Hall. A registration form is included in this month’s newsletter; additionally, registration forms are available at the Lifespan RE table. Completed forms will be collected at the Lifespan RE table or the Small Group Ministry mailbox in the church office.
Come and be a part of this powerful program.
— Rhonda Peacock for the SGM organizing team
Dining for Dollars
It’s hard to believe it’s already 2013, but I’m excited about the New Year, which brings another great Dining for Dollars (D4$) silent auction fundraiser.
Dining for Dollars is the church’s most important fundraising event, raising between $25,000 and $30,000 each year. And it’s a “two-fer” (or maybe a win-win-win) — not only can you contribute financially, either as a host, or a bidder, or both, but it’s also a great opportunity to broaden and deepen our community experiences, and have great times along the way. Dining for Dollars allows us to connect with one another, meet new people, see old friends, share food and fun, build our social and interpersonal connections — and raise money for the church, all at the same time.
On the last two Sundays in February, immediately following each church service, we’ll have the Dining for Dollars silent auction. D4$ events include dinners, brunches, and events such as hikes and pool parties. Some D4$ events are annual church traditions, like the choir concert and the pancake breakfast. You will even be able to bid to have homemade cookies and baked goods delivered.
Events are hosted by members and friends of the church who donate their time and money to provide activities and meals. The possibilities are limited only by the creativity of the hosts — anything from sophisticated dinner soirees to family-friendly events. Lots of hosts offer ethnic specialties and themes, but you don’t have to be fancy, or even a good cook — simple fare is great! (Think hot dogs and potato chips.) And if you don’t have the room to host something at your house, you could host a barbeque picnic at the beach or a park.
Whether you haven’t ever bid on an event, or are an enthusiastic regular bidder, be sure to enjoy the silent auction action this February, and please consider hosting an event or offering your homemade goodies.
In order to line up as many events and hosts as we can, the D4$ committee will send emails and make phone calls, so get ready to be solicited, and don’t hesitate to volunteer to host, even before we call you. If you’re interested, Melissa Weaver and her committee are always pleased to take YOUR phone calls and emails. Please call them if you are interested in hosting.
We are looking forward to all the fun and work that transforms your creative ideas into unique community events that raise funds (and fun!) for the entire church community.
This year’s incredible team consists of Melissa Weaver, Sue Moore, Nels Hanson, Sue Bickford, and Jasmine
McGlade Chazelle.
If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to host, please contact Melissa Weaver. And when you are contacted and asked to be a host/hostess/baker, please remember how much our church counts on each one of you.
— Melissa Weaver
Public Art: Gestation
Editor-in-chief and photographer Charles Haskell offers us this spectacular photograph of a piece of public art in Palisades Park in Santa Monica. “Gestation” was created by Baile Oakes for the city of Santa Monica during the gestation of his first child. The form of the sculpture grows from a circular central opening that appears to close as one looks southwest toward the horizon line of the ocean and sky. It is precisely oriented so that the sun appears in the center of the vertical cleft during the Winter Solstice, thus celebrating the basis of all life on the planet — the cycle of the sun. Photo by Charles Haskell, December 20, 2012.
Building News:
Roof Update
The Facilities Development Committee is pleased to announce that the roof replacement project will proceed after the first of the year. The roofing contractor has been selected and is ready to order material and apply for the permit. We expect the project to take approximately 2 months.
The roofing project will include the removal of the existing clay tile and asphalt, new plywood over the existing structure, new waterproofing, two small skylights in the minister’s office, new clay tile on the upper roof, and asphalt tile on the lower roof.
After the roof is complete, we will begin organizing bids for three potential projects, subject to congregational
approval. The first would be the replacement of the upper sanctuary windows and the office windows.
The new windows would match the style and color of the new sanctuary windows on the North side of the sanctuary that were replaced during the Forbes renovation. This project would also include patching the exterior stucco as needed after the windows are installed and painting the exterior walls as needed.
The second project would be the office renovation. This project would bring new life to the office by refinishing
the wood floors to match the sanctuary floors, restoring the ceiling so that it matches the sanctuary and minister’s office, replacing the light fixtures with fixtures that match the character of the sanctuary, painting of the interior walls, and a reorganization of the office furniture that would increase the efficiency of the workspace. The final project would be the renovation of the sanctuary restroom. This would include finishes that reflect the aesthetic of the 1920 Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. The flooring would be replaced with Saltillo tiles, the walls would include Malibu glazed tiles and painted walls, a new toilet and sink, bathroom accessories and lighting.
We will keep you informed during the sanctuary roof project and provide updates as we develop plans for our upcoming projects. And, as always, feel free to ask us if you have any questions.
— Bryan Oakes, FDC co-chair
Good news!
We received the $35,000 Spirit Level Foundation grant money for the roof. It was deposited on December 18.
— Nurit Gordon, Church Administrator
Faith in Action News:
Peace and Social Justice Committee: Review of 2012
In their meeting of December 9, the Multiracial Development and Peace and Social Justice committees decided to merge into a single committee, Peace and Social Justice (PSJ), a move that was prompted by the overlap in membership and shared interests of the two committees. The PSJ is one of several committees of the Faith in Action Commission, which also includes the Green Committee, the Hunger Task Force, and Interweave.
During 2012, the activities of the two committees that now compose the Peace and Social Justice committee were focused on four areas:
Peace, including opposition to the war in Afghanistan and support for various initiatives on behalf of peace and alternatives to war. Among other activities, the PSJ holds bi-monthly peace vigils between 6 and 7 p.m. on the first and third Fridays of each month at the corner of Barrington and National. Members of PSJ also participated in the May Day Westside Caravan from Santa Monica, one of four caravans that paraded into downtown Los Angeles.
Anti-racism and promotion of racial and ethnic diversity. These themes have informed various activities, including the commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the annual Seder, and the program of the Thanksgiving feast. During the spring the committee sponsored a book discussion based on Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow.” Members also participated in monthly meetings of the Santa Monica Committee for Racial Justice (initially formed in the aftermath of a racist event at Santa Monica High School), which has expanded its scope to oppose racism in various institutions.
Economic justice, with a particular emphasis on labor issues. The committee (as well as other members of UUCCSM) has supported various campaigns on behalf of workers’ efforts to organize and obtain fair wages and benefits. During 2012, PSJ continued its collaboration with Los Angeles Clergy and Laity United (CLUE) and other groups in the Clean Carwash Campaign in an effort to organize carwash facilities in the Los Angeles area, including Santa Monica. Members of UUCCSM have participated in demonstrations, pickets, prayer vigils, and meetings with various carwash owners on behalf of car washers. In 2011, Bonus Carwash on Lincoln in
Santa Monica became the first U.S. carwash facility to recognize a union; subsequent activities have been
focused on the Santa Monica Carwash on Pico and 25th and the Millennium Carwash in Venice. Members
of the UUCCSM also spoke at a Santa Monica City Council meeting to urge the City to stop contracting with carwashes that violate labor laws. The Council agreed to strictly adhere to policies requiring those contracting with the city to respect the law, and stated that the City Attorney would investigate practices at carwashes in Santa Monica.
PSJ has also supported organizing efforts of hotel workers. On March 20, members of the PSJ committee attended another Santa Monica City Council meeting with hotel workers regarding a living wage
and benefits provision in the Development Agency for a new hotel at 710 Wilshire Boulevard. While the
Council did not adopt the proposals as part of the Development Agency, pressures on the developers
resulted in their signing a card check agreement with UNITE-HERE for that hotel.
Immigration, particularly issues related to immigrant detention. PSJ members have protested “Secure Communities,” an initiative of Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE) which requests that police officials send the fingerprints of those they pick up to ICE, which may then request that anyone suspected of being undocumented be held an additional 48 hours to enable ICE to check their status.
In September, three PSJ members joined five others in a visit sponsored by the Detention Watch Network (DWN) to the Theo Lacey prison in Orange County, a maximum security prison that in 2010 contracted with ICE to house approximately 430 immigrant detainees. The visit included a briefing by officials of the facility and ICE, a tour of the area where immigrant detainees are held, and interviews with some 130 detainees to assess their treatment. Detainees had numerous complaints, ranging from monotonous food to cases of verbal and even physical abuse. Many of the detainees are confronting indefinite stays, due to delays in hearings or lack of legal assistance. In its final report, the DWN listed Theo Lacey as one of twelve detention centers that should be closed down. The PSJ is currently looking into setting up a program of regular visits to immigrants in detention in collaboration with CIVIC, the Community Initiative for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement.
PSJ also worked with the UU Legislative Ministry to support the TRUST Act, a California legislative initiative that would require that police officials issue ICE detainers only for immigrants accused of serious or violent crimes. The initiative was passed by the California Assembly and Senate but was vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown, who said that he would revisit the initiative in order to correct some flaws.
In the meantime, Attorney General Kamala Harris issued a statement to the effect that ICE detainers are not mandatory; subsequently Sheriff Lee Baca concurred with this position, which L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck has already agreed to. The California legislature is working on a revised version of the TRUST Act in the hope that it will meet Governor Brown’s requirements.
PSJ Events in 2012
January 8. UUCCSM program on U.S.- sponsored torture and solitary confinement (recognized as a form of torture by NRCAT), including a video, “Ending U.S.- Sponsored Torture Forever”; a speaker on the three-strikes law; and a report by a mother whose son was in solitary confinement at Pelican Bay.
January 15. The annual Martin Luther King service featured a presentation by Victoria Gray, the mother of a student who was the victim of a racist event at Santa Monica High School. We learned about the failure of the school authorities to report or even recognize the seriousness of the event. Victoria Gray is a leader of the Santa Monica Committee for Racial Justice which grew out of these events and meets monthly at the Church in Ocean Park.
January 16. The Multiracial Development Committee had a table at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition Community Celebration. Will Coley videotaped interviews with participants, which are posted on our
UUCCSM website.
April 14. We sponsored our second Seder this year, with a celebration of the deliverance of the Children of Israel from slavery and an emphasis on eliminating modern slavery.
April 18. UUA Pacific Southwest District Assembly, held at First Unitarian Church and attended by several members of PSJ, included an update on legislative initiatives and action; information on the Esperanza
Project, an initiative to provide legal assistance to detained immigrants; and information on the bail fund, which raises funds for detained immigrants eligible for bonding out.
June 20 to 24. Several members of the PSJ/MRDC as well as other members of UUCCSM, including four YRUU teenagers, participated in the UUA General Assembly in Arizona. The Assembly focused on immigration
issues, including the Arizona anti-immigrant law (SB 1070), and featured several workshops on how to combat
anti-immigrant legislation. Rick Rhoads of FIA participated in a panel “Partnering Congregations and Community Organizations” where he spoke of UUCCSM support for grocery workers during their strike in 2011 and ongoing collaboration with CLUE in organizing carwash workers. On Saturday night of GA, UUCCSM members participated with others in a demonstration in front of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Tent City, where undocumented immigrants are being held in horrendous conditions.
July. FIA sponsored the monthly art wall, “Put your faith in action,” which featured photographs and brief descriptions of events and activities sponsored by member committees.
September 29. In conjunction with efforts to organize carwash workers, the PSJ committee screened the film “Salt of the Earth,” which focuses on a 1951 miners’ strike in New Mexico; a discussion followed. Forty people attended, including six carwash workers.
October 13. A visit to the Great Wall of Los Angeles, a half-mile mural that documents the cultural and ethnic diversity of Los Angeles, was sponsored by the MRDC as a Dining for Dollars event for the third year in a row.
November 17. The PSJ presented the annual Thanksgiving Feast program, based on a service by the Rev. John F. Hayward. The program recognizes the efforts of those who have suffered persecution and oppression and have sought to find a place in American society, and gives thanks for the contributions of the diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural groups that have helped to build the country.
December 1. Presentation of the film “He Who Must Die,” based on a book by Nikos Kazantzakis, which focuses on plans of a Greek village for their annual Passion Play; their faith and humanity is tested when refugees from a neighboring village that has been destroyed solicit their help.
The PSJ has collaborated with the UU legislative Ministry of California (UULMCA) on various issues, including support for the TRUST Act, the Sustainable Communities campaign, and the Assembly Bill promoting the Human Right to Water. In 2012 the UULMCA organized its activities into a series of clusters; UUCCSM is a member of the cluster which also includes First Church and Pacific Unitarian Church. The PSJ has also supported other initiatives, such as efforts of the California Nurses’ Association to obtain Medicare for All for the State of California (formerly passed by the California legislature but vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger); the anti-death penalty ballot initiative (Proposition 34); and efforts of NRCAT to end torture and solitary confinement, which are currently focused on efforts to close Guantanamo, eliminate indefinite detention, and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture.
Upcoming PSJ Events
January 6, 13; February 3, 10. Book discussion of Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow,” the UUA Common Read for 2012-13.
January 19. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition Celebration. PSJ will again have a table at the event.
January 20. Commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr., at Sunday service.
February 10 (tentative date). FIA crafts fair fundraising event. The next meeting of the Peace and Social Justice committee will take place on Sunday, January 20, at 12:30 p.m. Please join us.
— Nora Hamilton
Splinters from the Board:
Reverend Rebecca lit the chalice and asked the meeting attendees to share their various and wide-ranging Christmas holiday rituals.
As of this month’s meeting the church has 374 members. Through the Generous Congregation Contributions the UUCCSM donated $904 to the St. Joseph Center during the month of November.
Rev. Rebecca is excited about the rekindling of the Small Group Ministry that she believes will greatly assist our congregation in providing a “ministry of presence.”
DRE Catherine Farmer Loya said that she is working closely with the RE Committee to make a smooth transition for the time she will be on family leave.
Music Director DeReau Farrar reported that the organ has been tuned and repaired.
Church Administrator Nurit Gordon was pleased to announce that there has been an increase in group rentals. We currently rent to 23 groups, which is an increase from 17 last year.
Treasurer Kit Shaw presented the Finance Committee’s tentative budget for 2012-2013. The board made it through about 25% of the line items and will continue at January’s board meeting.
Two amendments to the existing financial policies were passed unanimously by the board. #1) Checking and Investment Accounts — Establishment and Signatories: The Church Administrator no longer has the authority to
establish or be a signatory on church accounts. #2) Annual Financial Review Policy C4.10 — the review process will begin six months after the end of the fiscal year (as opposed to 2 to 3 months).
Bryan Oakes updated the board on the roof replacement. The board supports his approach to get the work done and expects there will be a contract to be approved by the board shortly.
President Cynthia Cottam checked in regarding the board’s first two goals that were established at the annual retreat back in September. To support the process of developing a Covenant of Good Relations she asked board members to read the iChurch article in the current UU World. This can be located at http://
www.uuworld.org/ideas/articles/279318.shtml. To address the second goal, Leadership Development, Cynthia suggests that we help committees have co-chairs in order to share the load.
— Bronwen Jones,
Board Recording Secretary
Other UU News & Events:
UUA Resources for Disaster Aftermath
To help Unitarian Universalists and their communities in the aftermath of the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on December 21, the Unitarian Universalist Association has collected a variety of pastoral resources.
These resources include a Tapestry of Faith workshop on Making Meaning after Disaster, selected meditations and readings, several blog posts and articles, tips and fact sheets, a video Q&A, and book recommendations.
http://www.uua.org/re/families/disaster/281580.shtml.
RE News:
From the DRE:
The wheel of the years continues turning — and here we are in 2013. As each new year begins I find myself marveling at how quickly the last year passed, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that sense of wonderment. And the advent of a brand new year marks a time for reflecting on the changes that have come in the last 12 months as well as the setting of intentions for the year to come. I began 2012 with a bang, or rather a thump, with a fall on Christmas Eve that resulted in a broken ankle. So my memories of the early part of last year are heavily accented with lessons about slowing down, accepting help, and paying attention to the needs and rhythms of my body as it began to heal.
This year begins in a different way for me, with new life forming and the anticipation of adding a new little one to my family in May, though the lessons from early 2012 are certainly relevant this time around, too — it’s so easy during the holiday season to rush-rush-rush about, feeling overwhelmed and frazzled, and taking precious little time to rest and reflect. As the new year begins, I find myself recommitting to slowing down, taking care of myself, and accepting help from others as I find new adjustments are needed. The new year is also a time to take a look at our congregation’s life and its programs. In the Lifespan RE department, we often take time at this point in the year to do a mid-year assessment: how are things going, and how could we make them even better?
In our 3rd- through 5th-grade classes, we’re piloting the second year of the UUniverse Story curriculum developed by UUCCSM members Ian Dodd and Margot Page, and I am regularly regaled with stories from kids and parents about the adventures that have been taking place in the classroom. The overarching theme of the program is the question, “How do we know what we know?” The class spent some time earlier this year discussing “why we do science at church?” This attention not only to seeking answers to our questions, but also learning how to determine for ourselves what is true and trustworthy, is a big part of what makes the curriculum fit so very well into the landscape of our religious exploration program. The “free and responsible search for truth and meaning” is ensconced right in the center of our seven Unitarian Universalist Principles. We are not only free to look for truth, wherever it is to be found for each of us, but are also called to temper our search with responsibility: to be thoughtful and use our powers of reason and discernment as we are choosing truths to follow. Friends, as we move into 2013, what are the deep truths from the last year that you want to hold onto, or rediscover anew in yourself? And how can our covenantal community help support you in living out those truths?
— Catherine Farmer Loya
Lifespan Religious Education News
Children
This month in the children’s RE program, preschoolers will explore ways we can help ourselves and each other when we’re feeling sad, or need some extra care, and will begin to learn about special rites of passage in our church community, such as weddings and baby dedications. Early elementary participants will engage this month’s theme of TRUTH through stories and special class activities, and will also begin to explore the six different sources of our Unitarian Universalist faith. Upper elementary children in the UUniverse Story program will take part in a three-week unit called “Our Cosmic Neighborhood,” which explores our own solar system, giving participants a sense of scale. The class will also learn about human exploration of the Earth’s moon and of Mars, as well as the formation of the moon and how it is vital to the foundation of life on Earth, and will have a special Skype visit from a geologist who will talk with the classes about what it’s like being a working scientist.
Middle-schoolers in the Compass Points classes will explore some of the “big questions” of life and its meaning, within the context of our Unitarian Universalist faith. And we’ll also take part in this month’s Faith in Action project on January 27 with a visit to the Turning Points transitional housing shelter, where we’ll take a tour
and will make bag lunches for the residents. A big thanks to all UUCCSM members for your generous
contributions to our Common Ground Faith in Action project in November; RE participants compiled 127 hygiene kits and sorted many donations of warm clothing and blankets, including more than 100 pairs of socks and 50 sweaters and jackets.
Youth
Last month the Youth Leadership Team members led the YRUU youth group in a vote to determine this year’s “big trip” for our high school youth, and a service trip to New Orleans won by a landslide. We will be working with 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 trip will be in early July; logistical details will be worked out over the next month and we’ll be launching fundraising efforts in the new year. We are very proud of our youth for their commitment to social justice and are looking forward to enlisting the aid of UUCCSM members to help make this trip happen. We’ll be in need of a number of adults
to go along to participate in the work and providesupervision of our youth. Be on the lookout for more
information coming soon.
We’re also gearing up for the launch of our 8th and 9th-grade Our Whole Lives (OWL) class on January 13. The 10th- through 12th-grade OWL class will begin in March. For more information about the OWL program contact OWL coordinator Beth Rendeiro at rendeiro2@aol.com or Director of Religious Education Catherine Farmer Loya at catherine@uusm.org.
Adults
Adapting to the “Empty Nest”
It was a big adjustment when the kids were born into the nest. Now it’s a big adjustment when they leave the nest. Come join other parents who are readjusting to this new phase of life, without children.
He’s going away to college — she’s getting her own apartment — they’re getting married. They’re leaving the nest and, no matter how well-prepared we think we are, it’s a jolt. We will share our experience, insights, feelings, and helpful ideas, books, etc.
When: Once a month, the third Sunday of each month, starting January 20.
Time: 12:45 p.m.
Place: Forbes Hall, Upstairs
Facilitator: Linda Marten (an empty nester and parent educator)
Come find out you’re not alone. Sign up in Forbes Hall after either service on Sunday mornings.
Wednesday-Night Writers
This group continues to meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. in Forbes Hall. Meetings will be on January 9 and 23. We write, we share if we choose to, we take turns as group leader, and we deepen the connection with our authentic selves. All are welcome; there’s no need to sign up.
Come when you’re able; miss when you’re not.
Preservation, Restoration, Sustainability
On Sunday, January 13, at 12:45 p.m. in our Sanctuary, Dr. Alan Pollack will offer us his presentation on preserving and restoring wildlife habitat in our own backyards with valuable information about sustainable gardening practices, including use of native plants. Also included are: a virtual tour of his certified habitat garden, useful handout material, and ample time for questions and discussion.
It’s Time to Talk about “The New Jim Crow”
This year’s UUA Common Read is “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness”
by Michelle Alexander (The New Press). The book is available in Forbes Hall on Sunday mornings at both the Lifespan table and the Bookstore table for $19.95; 20% of the purchase price is a donation to UUCCSM.
A four-session discussion of the book, the problem, and possible solutions to be led by Peggy and Rick Rhoads will begin on Sunday, January 6, at 1 p.m. in the Cottage, and continue on January 13, February 3, and February 10.
January Ministry Theme: Truth
Bettye Barclay has provided this list of daily thoughts about our ministerial theme for January.
January 1. Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. Buddha
January 2. If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything. Mark Twain
January 3. When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it — always. Mahatma Gandhi
January 4. Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t. Mark Twain
January 5. A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it. Oscar Wilde January 6. Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth. Pablo Picasso
January 7. If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people. Virginia Woolf
January 8. A truth that’s told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent. William Blake
January 9. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. Kahlil Gibran
January 10. There’s a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure truth. Maya Angelou
January 11. Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures. Jessamyn West
January 12. Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. Henry David Thoreau
January 13. Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth. William Faulkner
January 14. Truth never damages a cause that is just. Mahatma Gandhi
January 15. The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth. Lao Tzu
January 16. Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it. André Gide
January 17. You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. C.S. Lewis
January 18. Whatever satisfies the soul is truth. Walt Whitman
January 19. I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the Heart’s affections and the truth of the Imagination. John Keats
January 20. The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth. Niels Bohr
January 21. Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. Marcus Aurelius
January 22. Knowing can be a curse on a person’s life. I’d traded in a pack of lies for a pack of truth, and I
didn’t know which one was heavier. Which one took the most strength to carry around? It was a ridiculous question, though, because once you know the truth, you can’t ever go back and pick up your suitcase of lies. Heavier or not, the truth is yours now. Sue Monk Kidd, author of “The Secret Life of Bees”
January 23. The most common form of despair is not being who you are. Søren Kierkegaard
January 24. There are some things one remembers even though they may never have happened. Harold Pinter
January 25. I believe in the fundamental truth of all great religions of the world. Mahatma Gandhi
January 26. The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it deliberately with faulty arguments. Friedrich Nietzsche
January 27. Oh, what a tangled web we weave... when first we practice to deceive. Walter Scott
January 28. The high-minded man must care more for the truth than for what people think. Aristotle
January 29. The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with joy are goodness, beauty, and truth. Albert Einstein
January 30. There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth. Leo Tolstoy
January 31. Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space. Orson Scott Card
Monthly UUCCSM Theme Discussion with Leon Henderson- MacLennan: TRUTH
10:10 a.m. on the Patio
Sunday, January 27