Newsletter for January, 2017

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Month:

Jan 2017

From Our Minister:

Now is the Time for Sacred Resistance and Sanctuary

When I heard our host from the Islamic Center of Southern California say, “Our house is open. Our heart is open. Our door is open. We will wrap our arms of love around you,” I knew I was in the right place. I was moved by these words, offered by our Muslim neighbors who have been targeted for hate and discrimination and who I would not blame for closing their doors in the name of security. But they have made a different decision: they know that safety doesn’t come from closing one another out with more locks and guns; it comes from open houses, open hearts, and open doors.

At the time, just a few weeks after the presidential election, I was sitting next to Rev. Nate from St. Augustine’s Episcopal and Rev. Rick from First UU Church, along with over 50 diverse faith and lay leaders convened by our partners at CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice) for a strategy meeting dedicated to Sacred Resistance and Sanctuary. We heard from immigration attorneys and longtime leaders of social change in Los Angeles about what we can expect from the coming Trump Administration. The news was not good. We join our interfaith cousins as we prepare to stand with people of conscience and moral courage, and especially with our Muslim and immigrant siblings, and to stand up to ignorance, racism, and hate.

What can we do here at UUCCSM? There are many ways we can answer the call of love — as we have done

before in times of great need. We can show up for one another and our neighbors; we can organize; we can educate ourselves; we can worship, sing, pray, and walk together. As individuals and as a congre- gation, we can pledge our support and resources to Sacred Resistance and Sanctuary, including specifi actions highlighted by CLUE, such as:

• Expressing our opposition to deportation/registration of Arab/Middle Eastern/Muslim/South Asian/Latino

populations.

• Joining the national Sanctuary Movement as a Sanctuary congregation

• Offering sanctuary to immigrants or those feeling threatened for short or long term stays

• Helping with relocation efforts for those facing immediate deportation

• Receiving training on prosecutorial discretion packets, to help immigrants prior to court cases

• Showing up for acts of public witness and civil initiative to resist ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids and discriminatory actions

What will we do at UUCCSM? On January 15, MLK Sunday, our Faith in Action Commission will host a meeting for further discussion and action on these vital issues at 12:30 (location to be determined). I hope to see you there. So many of you have spoken with me personally about your commitment to act against hate and fear. The actions outlined above are not exhaustive or exclusive; there are many ways we can build bridges and not walls. As the activist Christian preacher William Sloane Coffin reminded us, in times like these we are not called to be our brother’s keeper. We are called to be our brother’s brother.

With you,

Rev. Rebecca

PS: Your Board and I are in agreement that we can anticipate an increased need for pastoral care in these difficult times, and because of our upcoming ministerial transition. To meet this need, please call or email me, speak with a Board member, attend a Listening Circle with our Right Relations Task Force, and/or consider reaching out to Michael Eselun, a church member and chaplain who is on-call for additional pastoral care. Additionally, as your minister, I am asking you, again, to reach out and to keep reaching out to your friends in the congregation to check on them. Care is built when we know that there are other members (not only the minister) in our community who are thinking of us, looking out for us, and noticing what is going on for us, in one-on-one relationships of mutuality, authenticity and trust. This is what we are here for. This is how we walk together in troubled and troubling times.

From Our President:

FROM OUR VICE PRESIDENT: Building Better Beloved Community

I have a vision for the UUCCSM phrase of the year to be “building better beloved community.” And I’m turning it into a short form right now, because I’m going to be referring to it a lot. Also, if it’s shortened, maybe you’ll forgive how I start using it grammatically inappropriately in sentences. (Thanks in advance for that.)

B3C is elemental. On a personal level, it’s what each of us hopes to get from being in this place. It feels good to be valued by others. From B3C springs feelings of worth and dignity. On a community-wide level, B3C is a natural consequence of making a regular practice of valuing justice, equity and compassion in human relations. In B3C, we accept one another and encourage each other to spiritual growth in the congregation. Notice how B3C is interconnected with our first, second and third UU Principles? If we keep B3C in the forefront of our minds, we will have an amazing year together.

As I think about how I want to spend my hours, days and weeks this year, I can think of no better aspiration than B3C. And I’d like to share with you what that’s going to look like for me. Maybe it’ll inspire you.

Here on the hippie West Coast, we use the term “namaste” (roughly translated “the divine light in me bows to the divine light in you”) a lot. Namaste will be my mantra for manifesting B3C. If I can keep that divine light front and center, it will color my speech and action; and it’s bound to begin to color our community.

Namaste is about more than bestowing a silent blessing on to everyone I with whom I come into contact. By making a practice of namaste as my mantra, I’m bound to see worth and dignity in others. I’m compelled to speak kindly to others. And I’m humbled by the divinity of others.

I expect my family relations will grow more peaceful. I see the potential for church life to become richer and more

rewarding as well.

With B3C as the highest aspiration, and namaste as a mantra, I can imagine creating right here at UUSM “a community of kinship such as God might recognize it” as Father Greg Boyle at Homeboy Industries says. I don’t know that my higher power has recognition abilities, but the sentiment is powerful to me, nonetheless.

Here’s to B3C in 2017 with you, divine friends. Namaste.

— Jacki Weber

PS – I’m standing in as your board VP to write this column in December, as your President, Ron Crane, takes time to grieve the loss of his beloved husband, John. Ron treasured John in a way that I ASPIRE to treasure my most intimate relationships. I can’t imagine what mourning looks like to Ron. I just want to give him the space to do it. Peace.

Friendly Beasts Capture Our Sanctuary

Sunday, December 18, to the delight of congregants at the 9 and 11 am services, 35 children, costumed as brown donkeys, red and white cows, dogs, doves, and mice, sang “The Friendly Beasts” song. The children, from our Religious Education (RE) program, were participating in UU Santa Monica’s 23rd annual Holiday Pageant. The backstory: The animals courteously left the barn during the birth of Jesus, then reentered it to greet the infant in song.

The performance — and the six weeks of rehearsals that preceded it — was led by Kris Langabeer, who has produced and conducted the Friendly Beast song in all 23 of these pageants. She and the kids were ably assisted by parents and other adult congregants getting the beasts in and out of costumes and to the right places at the right times, adult congregants acting the parts of Mary and Joseph, and older youth acting as shepherds. The wise men were very young children who rode in on the shoulders of parents.

Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur, Director of Religious Education Kathleen Hogue, and Director of Music Dr. Zanaida Robles were the worship leaders for the overall services, entitled “The Spirit of the Christmas Tree.” Dr. Robles led the congregation in singing a song by the same name and several other songs, her soprano voice radiating — and eliciting — joyous energy. Rev. Rebecca noted that Jesus is celebrated by Muslims as well as by Christians [and he was, of course, Jewish]. Ms. Hogue narrated a story for all ages about a young boy, previously made fun of by his peers because of his exceptional height, who is embraced by them when he is the only one who can place the ornament atop the class Christmas tree. The story goes deeper; the boy draws the scene, his mother and father see aspects of the drawing other than their son placing the star, the disappointed boy shows the drawing to his perceptive and wise grandmother, and…lifelong lessons are learned.

— Rick Rhoads

The Joy of Generosity - Thanks to Those Who Have Pledged for 2017

Many thanks to all members and friends who have already sent in their 2017 pledges, who are listed below. Your pledges will help keep our church, and its ministry and programs, thriving this year and for years to come.

If you haven’t made your pledge yet, it’s not too late — you can email Nurit Gordon in our church office at admin@uusm.org by December 31.

After that, all other pledges will be rolled over at the same amount as last year. You can email Nurit if you would like to change that amount.

Thank you.

With gratitude from the Stewardship Team,

— Beth Brownlie, Gretchen Goetz, Cindy Kelly, Kim Miller, Kit Shaw, Patricia Wright, and Rev. Rebecca

2017 Pledgers (so far), in Alphabetical Order by First Name

Abby Arnold

Alice Hall

Alison Kendall and Francois Bar

Anne MacQueen

Barbara Gibbs

Barbara Kernochan

Bettye Barclay

Beverly Shoenberger and Norman Richey

Bill Blake and Haygo Salibian

Bob Dietz and Ellen Levy

Bonnie Brae

Bruno Loran

Bryan and Lisa Cahill

Bryan Gordon

Carl and Ann Levken

Carl and Diane Hoppe Fletcher

Carol Ring

Carol Serling

Catherine Gentile

Charles and Christine Haskell

Cynthia Kelly

Dan and Karen Hsu Patterson

David and Gretchen Goetz

David and Kitsy Olson

Denise Helton

Diana Spears

Diane Montieth

Dorothy and Philip Curtis

Dorothy Steinicke

Ed Brand and Leslie Beauvais

Edna and Phillip Bonacich

Edward Field

Francine and Stuart Moore

George and Anita Brenner

Gretchen and David Goetz

Harvey and Sheila Bjornlie

Helen Brown

Ian Dodd and Margot Page

James and Helen Morrison

James Duckman and Emily Linnemeier

Jan and Bruce Ferguson

Jay Johnson and Rachel Sene

Jennifer Westbay

Jenny Jay

Jerry and Sue Moore

Jerry Gates and Julie Nyquist

Jessamine Winston

Jill Barnes and Sarah Marquez

Joan Reizel

Joanna Woods Marsden

Joe Engleman

John Schroeder

John Sussman

John Zinner

Jonathan and Rebecca Benefiel Bijur

Joyce and Warren Mathews

June Bray

Kay Ward

Kenneth and Crystal Alexander

Kim and Nalani Santiago Kalmanson

Kim Miller

Kit Shaw

Kris Langabeer and Debbie Menzies

Lee Voegtlen

Leonard Cachola

Linda Marten

Liz Fuller and Dan Kegel

Lucy Hahn

Lynne Rouff

Marguerite Spears

Marion Goldenfeld

Melinda Ewen

Michael Eselun

Michael Young

Monica Mason

Nancy and Glen Howell

Natalie and Matt Burton

Norb Gallery and Rima Snyder

Pam and Rick Teplitz

Patricia and Ned Wright

Patrick Burrows and Nancy Shinno

Patrick Meighan and Amy Thiel

Peggy and Rick Rhoads

Peggy and Yacoub Kharraz

Phyllis and Robert Kory

Rev. Ernie Pipes

Rhonda Peacock

Richard Mathias

Roberta Frye

Ron Crane

Ruth and Allen Potts

Sanna Egan

Steve White and Sue Stoyanoff

Sue Bickford and Dan Nannini

Susan Marsh

Susana Nierlich

Teresa M. Castelli

Toshi Nakajima and Wendy Snyder

Vicky Foxworth and Jeff Pressman

Vilma Ortiz

RIGHT RELATIONS TASK FORCE REPORT:
Right Relations through Change and the Power of Listening Circles

Being in right relations with one another is hard work, especially when we aren’t explicit about wanting to interact with one another in this manner. But as part of a faith community that values “justice, equity, and compassion in human relations,” as stated in our “UUA Covenant,” it is important that we strive to do this hard work explicitly and lovingly.

Here at UU Santa Monica, the importance of this work becomes even more apparent as we deal with change. We are dealing with change in our congregation and the wider community — the upcoming leaving of our settled minister and the search for a developmental minister, as well as changes in the political arena including the incoming federal administration. In order to move through these changes in ways that sustain and strengthen our congregation, we need to listen to one another from a place of compassion and empathy and hold one another in support, even when we disagree.

This is the work that the Right Relations Task Force (RRTF) has and will continue to do with all of you — to make the manner in which we communicate and interact with one another explicit, supportive, and loving. We have started with the first step of developing our congregation’s covenant of right relations: learning how to listen to each other through the Listening Circles process. As our “Ground Rules for a Safe and Trustworthy Space” say, we practice how to “listen with an open mind to others’ truth, setting aside judgments and creating a hospitable space for each other” during these circles.

Listening Circles are facilitated by RRTF members. We strive to provide you with a safe, respectful, and welcoming space so that you can share your perspectives. Our hope is that this will offer you the opportunity of having your perspective listened to by fellow members of the congregation, and for all participants to begin to live into our Right Relations practice together.

We encourage you to participate in one or more of the upcoming Listening Circles. You can sign up for a Listening Circle at the RRTF table in Forbes Hall after Sunday services or by emailing rightrelations@uusm.org Childcare will be provided for Listening Circles upon request. Please also check the For Members section of our website, which includes a Right Relations Task Force section including our past newsletter articles, upcoming events, and more.

If you would like to discuss an aspect of church life that concerns you, RRTF members are available to support you as you determine next steps. The vehicle for this work is called “Note to RRTF,” which can be picked up at the Sunday table or found on the website.

— Our RRTF: Helen Brown, Leon Henderson-MacLennan, Emily Linnemeier, Margot Page (co-chair), Tom Peters, Vilma Ortiz (co-chair), Beth Rendeiro, Sue Stoyanoff, John Sussman, James Witker

Note: So far we have held eight Listening Circles for congregation community members. More Listening Circles are planned in 2017: January 8 from 1:30 to 4 pm, January 12 from 7 to 9 pm, and January 14 from 9 am to 12 pm. Several participants have attended more than one. The reception to this process has been mainly positive.

Dining for Dollars: Don’t Miss Hosting and Bidding

A special event is coming in Feb.
You can sign up for hosting by using the web
Mark your calendars now for these auction dates
Feb. 19th and 26th, as our announcement states.

We’re talking biggest fundraiser of our church year
It’s Dining for Dollars, which makes us all cheer!
Not only did last year’s proceeds all-time excel,
The events that we had made us feel happy and well.

There are those that are offered that don’t cost a thing

Or pay what you can when you’re invited to sing

And fun things are waiting like dinners and such

And parties and tours — even flowers to touch.

Have somebody bake for you or make you clothes

And fancy dinners and brunches — there are plenty of those

You can offer and sign up for so many fun things

A banquet, a class, or a choir that sings!

If you have an idea or need some advice,

Our team can advise you on events, time, and price.

There are so many offerings — dozens and dozens

So invite your church friends, and your aunts and your cousins.

Our team members are waiting to hear what you’ll host

It’s fun and it’s friendly and you’ll love it the most.

So contact our committee; we’re listed below

And let generosity and fellowship flow!

— Farrokh Allen, Barbara Gibbs, Nancy Howell. Rebecca Crawford, Melinda Ewen, Emily Hero, Cheryl Barnette, Natalie Kahn

UUSM Communications in 2017: Join the Team

We are excited to share the creation of a new team to look at communications efforts in 2017! Unlike our Right Relations Task Force — which is helping create healthier ways to communicate in the singular, the Communications Team wants to facilitate communications in the plural. We are considering how we can use technology and create systems that support engagement within our congregation and beyond our community.

Here are a few areas where we have already begun work:

Right Relations: We laid groundwork so that our RRTF could have a robust web page in the For Members

section of our website, dedicated to Right Relations resources, updates and invitations.

Ministerial Transition: We have developed a plan to share information about the process, updates, and invitations for engagement on our website, via email, and in person. You’ll now also find a Ministerial Transition area in the For Members section of our website.

Kitchen Ministry: The working name for bringing community members together to engage around food

— for events from Second Sunday Supper to Thanksgiving Feast, along with supporting community members

in need of a casserole drop-off. We did online signups through Sign-Up Genius for our Christmas Eve Service

Cookie Reception and are trying the same for Second Sunday Supper.

How can the Communications Team be of greater assistance to the community? Would you like to join our

effort? Contact Jacki Weber.

The following folks are currently super active in the Communications Team: Abby Arnold, Beth Brownlie, Bob

Dietz, Liz Fuller, Lois Hutchinson, Pam Teplitz and Jacki Weber. We also have many lurkers (this term is lovingly

used to refer to folks who want to keep informed of what we’re doing but are not rolling up their sleeves at this

time).

We are currently collaborating online through Basecamp. We will likely schedule meetings when needed. Mostly we just enjoy each other’s company when we see each other.

Happy New Year! Hope to hear from you!

— Jacki Weber

Quotations Related to Prophecy

Lois Hutchinson has provided these quotations that relate to our January ministerial theme, Prophecy.

January 1: And when one dies, the memory lives in the other, and is warm and breathing. And when both die — I

almost believe, rationalist though I am — that somewhere it remains, indestructible and eternal, enriching all of the universe by the mere fact that once it existed. — Isaac Asimov

January 8: Let the future tell the truth and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The

present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine. — Nikola Tesla

January 15: I’d remind you we can all be a little late sometimes in doing the right thing, and Dr. King understood

this about his fellow Americans. — John McCain

January 22: They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. — Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 29: Life is demanding without understanding. I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, I saw the sign.

No one’s gonna drag you up to get into the light where you belong. But where do you belong? — Jonas Berggren

February 5: When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. — Helen Keller

News & Announcements:

Please Join Us on Sunday, January 22 at 3 p.m. for a Ceremony of Welcome for Our Director of Religious Education, Kathleen Hogue

We will share our hopes and dreams of our shared ministry together. A light dinner reception will follow the service. Please put this date on your calendar, and help us welcome Kathleen into our church family.

The Rev. Diane Dowgiert, preaching
“RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IS ALL WE DO”

If our UU congregation is where we come to learn how to live our liberal religious values and principles, then everything we do together is religious education. The great Universalist educator, Angus McLean, believed that how we teach is more important than what we teach. Or, as McLean would say, the method is the message. How we are together in community and how we embody our covenants — this is religious education.

Rev. Diane Dowgiert serves as interim minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greensboro, NC. She served as minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, AZ for ten years and at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta, OH for five years. Diane is a graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry. With a background in social work, Diane has a passion for responding to the needs of the local community, bringing Unitarian Universalist principles and values to social justice issues. Outside of church, she enjoys hiking and quilting. She has been married to her husband AJ for 42 years. Their family includes two adult sons, one wonderful daughter-in-law, one grand dog, and two adorable cats.

Rev. Pipes Commendation

The Rev. Emeritus Ernie D. Pipes accepted a commendation from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on December 4, held by Rev. Rebecca. Longtime member of our congregation Diana Spears made the presentation. Photo by Carol Ring.

Sign Up for 2017 Heart to Heart Circles

Our congregation’s Heart to Heart Circles are groups of eight to ten people who participate in a structured practice of deep listening and intimate sharing within the safety of a covenant of interaction. Each group meets monthly from February through December, following a curriculum we share with UU congregations throughout the U.S.

The Third Principle of Unitarian Universalism is “acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.” Heart to Heart Circles are small-group ministries designed to foster acceptance and spiritual growth by providing a structure in which values, ideas of spirituality, and personal experiences can be explored. Participants find the practice to be heart opening, as we listen with unconditional love and reflect from the depths of our experience. Some people consider this to be a spiritual practice; others value the strong connections they make with in their groups.

“What I like most is the opportunity to hear others’ perspectives,” says Rhonda Peacock, a participant and leader in Heart to Heart Circles. “It’s a time of deep listening, setting aside ‘me’ and holding the space for the one who is sharing. When it’s my turn, I receive the same respect and space. It is unique among our church programs.”

Heart to Heart Circles are “a way for me to connect deeply with other people and myself,” says Margot Page, a group facilitator.

Margot is echoed by Ken Alexander, a Circle participant, who says the program “enables me to connect and get to know people at a level that is different from ordinary social interactions.”

Denise Helton, a Circle leader in 2016, says that “in Heart to Heart Circles we build a deeper connection that does not come through social events.”

If you would like to be part of this program, now is the time to sign up for a group that begins in February. You can

sign up on our website: bit.ly/2017H2H (case sensitive), or at the Heart to Heart Circles table in Forbes Hall after services.

—Abby Arnold

2016 Winter Solstice

More than 60 people celebrated the Winter Solstice on December 21. The service was led by Rev. Rebecca, RE Director Kathleen Hogue, Rima Snyder, and Judith Martin-Straw. Music by Lynn Angebranndt, cello, and Karen Hsu-Patterson, piano. Ushering and reception by Tom Early, Peggy Kharraz, Jimmy Ranieri, Joyce Holman, Katie Malich, and Diana Spears. Photo by Katie Malich.

Are You Aware (Service Animals)?

Service animals (usually dogs) provide many forms of assistance for persons with visible and invisible disabilities. Generally, service animals are permitted to accompany people with disabilities in all areas where members of the public are allowed to go — restaurants, farmers’ markets, churches, airplanes, and more.

You can help by recognizing that the service animal is working and is performing a vital service for their companion. The general advice is, “Do not pet a service animal while they are in public.” Help both person and animal feel welcome by permitting them the space they need; ask if they have any special needs, for example, access to water.

You can help by talking with the Disability Support Group and others in the church about ways to improve support for persons with disabilities in our church community, or by sharing your concerns and needs. Not sure whom to contact? Look for Mark Christiansen, Michael Young, Steve Young, or Sylvia Young.

Cookie Thanks

Thank you to the wonderful hosts for our three Christmas Eve Cookie Receptions: Sheila Cummins, Carol Ring, Emily Hero, Linda Van Ligten, and Wendi Gladstone. Photo by Carol Ring.

A-Caroling We Went

Choir members and friends, joined by other church members, sang Christmas carols December 17 to residents of three Santa Monica rehab centers: Sunrise, Berkley East, and Seaport 17th. Rima Snyder organized the outing. Singers and residents had a joyous time. Photo by Karen Hsu-Patterson.

Faith in Action News:

Updates on Faith in Action’s Anti-Racist Campaigns

LE MERIGOT HOTEL

Now that the housekeepers have won union recognition, their next battle is to negotiate a contract. UNITE-HERE Local 11 staff is working with the housekeepers to formulate their demands; they hope to begin negotiations with management in January. At the December meeting of the Santa Monica Committee of Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice, two housekeepers from Le Merigot reiterated their thanks for the support they received from faith-based and other community organizations, and we pledged to continue supporting them as needed.

PROFILED

The faces in the film are not all Black — they are Black and Brown, Asian and white. They are not all young — there is a multi-generational outrage in Brooklyn. They are not all women, but the leadership of the movement to demand justice for the victims of police violence that has spread across the US largely comes from working-class Black women, who are among the most exploited and oppressed people in our society. “Profiled” makes it clear that they are not into identity politics. They welcome their white and Latino brothers and sisters with open arms and no suggestion of separate “spaces” for themselves or others.

UUSM’s Peace & Social Justice Committee and the ACLU of Southern California sponsored a screening of “Profiled” in our Sanctuary December 10. The documentary, by Kathleen Foster, tells the story of an organized fight back by the families and friends, the teachers, students, and neighbors, to obtain justice for their daughters and sons, sisters and brothers who were killed by the NYPD in the last few years. Like Eric Garner and Michael Brown in their communities, Kimani Gray and Shantel Davis were among those in Brooklyn who were the victims of racial profiling. The film also documents the fight back of Black and Latino students and staff in a Brooklyn high school. School security guards and police make the youth enter school through a metal detector every morning and herd them out of the affluent neighborhood where the school is located when the school day is over. Stephanie Foard, a math teacher in that high school at the time, introduced the film, in which she and her students appear.

Most of the 55 people who attended the screening gave us their contact information so we could get in touch with them about the next steps in the Justice for Brendon Glenn campaign.

Please let us know if you would like to see “Profiled” and/or arrange to show it at a school or organization you’re in. In the heightened atmosphere of racism and nationalism after Donald Trump’s election, the lessons of multiracial unity in fighting back against acts of police and institutional racism will make us stronger for the struggles ahead.

BRENDON GLENN

In yet another sign of the open-and-shut nature of this case, the Los Angeles City Council approved payment of an outof-court settlement of $4 million to Brendon Glenn’s mother, Sheryn Camprone, and his 5-year-old son, Avery. John Raphling, who was co-counsel for the family, spoke at our church and at a march we organized to demand justice for Brendon Glenn. Glenn, an unarmed, un-housed Black man, 29 at the time, was shot twice in the back by LAPD officer Clifford Proctor May 5, 2015, in Venice. Police Chief Beck has called on District Attorney Jackie Lacey to prosecute Proctor, and the LA Police Commission unanimously agreed. They based their conclusion on a still-unreleased security camera video, which shows Glenn prone on the street when he was shot, and on Proctor’s partner’s rejection of Proctor’s claim that Glenn was reaching for the partner’s gun. Nineteen months after the killing, Lacey says her office is still investigating the case, which she describes as “complicated.”

What might Lacey be finding “complicated” about this seemingly simple case?

The LA Police Protective League, the union representing LA police officers, backed Lacey for reelection, as did virtually every other law-enforcement union in LA County. The union is adamantly opposed to prosecuting Proctor, and has blasted Beck for advocating it. Lacey was also supported by a long list of liberal, Democratic, and African American organizations and politically prominent individuals, who generally agree that Proctor should be prosecuted. Whatever she decides, Lacey will alienate a significant section of her political base.

Another “complication”: wrong narrative. Have you noticed that in most mainstream media stories about killings of Black or Latino men and women by police, the cop, if white, is described as “a white police officer”? If, however, the cop is Black, Latino, or Asian, the description is usually, “a police officer.” The standard narrative supports the idea that the problem is the racism of individual white cops, and one of the proposed solutions is often the recruitment of more people of color into the police force. In this case, Proctor is Black, Brendon Glenn was Black, and DA Lacey is Black. Some people and organizations in the Black community have already suggested that if Lacey decides to prosecute Proctor, it will be selective prosecution of a Black cop while white cops get away with murder.

Which brings us to the final “complication.” One of the jobs of the police is to protect the lives and property of the rich and powerful. DAs, who are tied by dozens of strings to the rich theand powerful, have historically been reluctant to undermine authority of those who enforce the law. In Los Angeles County, there have been 1,300 shootings by police since 2000. According to a study by KPCC, 25% of those shot (in a sample from 2010 to 2014) were unarmed. How many of the 1,300 killings by police have led to prosecutions, let alone convictions? Zero.

You can sign a petition demanding that Proctor be prosecuted at the Faith in Action table in Forbes Hall. We plan to continue our campaign to demand justice for Brendon Glenn, including a visit to Lacey’s office to deliver the petitions. jUUstice LA, a collaboration to fight for social justice of the 12 UU churches in LA County, has made the Brendon Glenn campaign a central feature of its activities.

— Peggy and Rick Rhoads, for the Peace & Social Justice Committee

Start 2017 with a Purpose

FIA Second Sunday Supper

Sunday, January 8, 2017, 6 to 8 pm

Comfort food and conversation about goals for 2017. Please bring a side dish, salad, dessert, or drink. Bringing you own plates/utensils/glassware also helps!

FIA Town Hall Meeting

Sunday, January 15, 2017, 12:30 pm in the Sanctuary

Help plan what we can and will do to act for social justice, peace, and civil liberties in the coming year.

Splinters from the Board:

Board Will Hire a Developmental Minister for 5 to 7 Years

In addition to the regularly scheduled board meeting on December 13, the board met November 29.

President Ron Crane led the November 29 meeting, which focused on how to support our minister and the congregation following Rev. Rebecca’s letter of resignation. Consultant Nancy Edmundson attended the meeting, as did nine guests. Nancy emphasized the need for a leadership response and a compassionate leave taking. The board asked Rebecca to identify which programs she would be able to support in her remaining time. Her reply is in her report to the board for December 13 and will be discussed further at the January board meeting.

The board voted to hire a developmental minister. We must determine what we are looking for in a developmental minister to help us through the hard times ahead. It was proposed that we create a chronology of what happened and why. The board authorized $5,500 to pay Nancy Edmundson for additional right relations consulting from November 19, 2016 through June 2017.

The board expressed gratitude for the directed donations that will facilitate the January 22 Welcoming and Celebration Ceremony for our new DRE, Kathleen Hogue.

DECEMBER 13 BOARD MEETING

Seven guests and a quorum of the board met December 13 with VP Jacki Weber presiding in the absence of Ron Crane.

Rev. Jonipher Kwong, our PSWD representative, and Rev. Sarah Schurr of PSWD joined via internet to discuss the process of hiring a developmental minister. Our application should articulate clear goals that our congregation wishes to achieve; the region will work with us to identify and state our goals.

Unlike an interim or settled minister search that is conducted by a search committee, a developmental minister is hired by the board, and will serve from five to seven years, in order to shift the culture of a congregation. A subcommittee of the board, which will include Jonipher and Sarah from the PSWD, will be presented with a confidential list of possible candidates. A UUCCSM FAQ and the board-approved Communications Team will facilitate communication with the congregation.

Vilma Ortiz reported on Right Relations. The RR “Notes” are working well, as are the listening circles, which have had 80 to 100 participants. The RR report is posted in the For Members section of the UUSM website.

Jacki led the board in reviewing the board’s goals. Active goals (compassionate leave taking, developmental ministry, assessments, clarifying roles and responsibilities, sexually safe congregation) were assigned to individual board members, who will present action plans for achieving the goal by the January 2017 board meeting.

The board voted to take over coordination of Second Sunday Suppers from now until June 2017. We no longer have a Hospitality Committee.

JoAnn Peters has replaced Melinda Ewen on the Nominating Committee. The board approved the nomination of Alice Koga to the Finance Committee. We welcomed new members Kim and Barbara Andres, Ian-Patrick Tapé, Catie Grasso, Mike Quist, and reinstated members Charles and Christine Haskell and Jenny Jay. Our membership stands at 351.

— Patricia Wright

RE News:

Winter 2016-17 Adult RE Groups

GROUPS CONTINUING IN JANUARY

Thursday Night Centering Meditation

We will do Centering Meditation where you choose a word to say silently to yourself as you enter the silence. You can choose a word such as peace, love, or joy. There is a brief time of comments, sharing, and questions. We end the evening with a guided Mindfulness meditation.

Thursdays 7 to 8:30 pm, in the Cottage.
Please contact the facilitator, Bettye Barclay, beforehand.

An Enjoyable Dive into Who and What We Are

This ongoing, once a month class is presented to help participants master specific meditation skills. We endeavor to answer the questions Who am I? (attitudes and beliefs) and What am I? (essence or true nature). This class includes meditations that explore participants’ spiritual goals. The monthly group meetings will also focus on insights gained throughout the month. It is expected that participants have a regular meditation

practice.

Monday, January 2
Forbes Room 1

7 to 9:30 pm.
Facilitator: Bill Blake; co-facilitator: Dave Watson.

NEW GROUPS FOR JANUARY

Canticle to the Cosmos

A scientific and spiritual odyssey through the evolutionary origins of the universe, life, and humanity. We will view and discuss this 12-part video course by cosmologist and religious naturalist Brian Swimme, who seeks to provide people with a scientific *and* sacred understanding of cosmic origins, divine creativity, and an ecological consciousness urgently needed in our time. In his book, “The Universe Is a Green Dragon,” Swimme writes, “Our ancestry stretches back through the life forms and into the stars, back to the beginnings of the primeval fireball. This universe is a single multiform energetic unfolding of matter, mind, intelligence and life. None of the great figures of human history were aware of this, not Plato or Aristotle, or the Hebrew Prophets, or Confucius… We are the first generation to live with an empirical view of the origin of the universe… to look into the night sky and see the birth of the cosmos as a whole. Our future as a species will be forged

within this new story of the world.”

Day, Time, and Location: TBD.
Facilitator: James Witker.

Self-Criticism vs. Self-Honesty: Right Relationship with Oneself

As Unitarian Universalists, we believe that every human being has inherent worth and dignity. And yet we often forget to include ourselves in this benevolent attitude. We can treat ourselves in harsh ways that we would never use towards another person. Sadly, this negative attitude towards our own worth can discourage us from bringing our gifts into the world. And the world really needs each one of us to be as fully present as possible right now. In this workshop, we will be exploring the origin and limitations of these critical voices, their original benevolent intent, and, most importantly, ways to differentiate self-criticism from self-honesty. Getting even a little wiggle room from negative self-talk can help us think more clearly and land in our true feelings. What you know to be true in your bones can then serve as an inner compass, a place of strength that you can stand on, and give direction for your next step.

Group size will be limited, so early registration is encouraged. You are warmly invited to speak with me after the 11 o’clock service or email me if you have any questions about this group.

Day: Saturday (TBD)
Time: 9:30 am to 12:30 pm

Location: TBD.

Facilitator: Beverley Shoenberger

Spirited Seekers

Discover the world of spirituality in the monthly Spirited Seekers group! We shall endeavor to keep an open mind, and to delight in the multitudinous expressions of spirituality and the deeply personal encounters with the Divine, according to our understanding. We aim to discover new ways of looking at spirituality beyond the bonds of a specific theology, and we seek to enrich our own practices, if we choose to engage in any.

This month’s topic: an introspective discussion of our personal experiences with spirituality, and comparing these to our experiences with established religions. This group is open to all.

Day and Time: Sunday, January 29, 1:30 to 3:30 pm

Location: Warren Mathews Conference Room

Facilitator: Sarah Robson

Calendar

February