Newsletter for March, 2013
From Our Minister:
More than 10 years ago, President Bush memorably described an “Axis of Evil” in his State of the Union address. Since then, there have been more stories, more studies, and more books on evil.
But that doesn’t mean evil is easy to talk about — or should be easy to talk about.
In modern history, the term “evil” is most closely associated with the Holocaust. This is the event to which all other horrors are most reliably compared, for better or for worse. But evil cannot be so neatly defined and confined, writes philosopher Susan Neiman.
She believes thinkers of every age have called “evil” that which “shatters our trust in the world,” an experience that is not only global or historical, but also, devastatingly, individual, personal, and inter-personal. “Evil is not mysterious, not insignificant, and not rare,” writes Rebecca Parker, liberal theologian and president of Starr King School for the Ministry, our UU seminary in Berkeley, CA. “It is ordinary, life-destroying, and pervasive.”
It seems to me that talking about evil, much less undoing evil, is ground where I have feared to tread — along with a host of religious liberals and pluralists. Have we abandoned the language of evil and left it in “morally unscrupulous hands,” as Neiman believes? What does evil mean to you? How do you understand evil at work in the world or in the human heart — and with what tools will we resist, interrupt, and unmask it?
These are deep waters. I hope you will dive in with me and your fellow church members as we wrestle with evil this month.
Much heart,
Rev. Rebecca
From Our President:
The 2013 pledge drive is almost over, and planning for the 2014 pledge drive has already begun. The pledge drive is an absolutely essential process that sustains everything we do. As a community, we are entirely self-supporting. Every day, every week, and every month of the year, the money we give pays the salaries and benefits for our staff and supports the programs we enjoy.
Despite challenges that were not of their own making (an understaffed committee and a late start due to difficulty finding a chair) the pledge committee conducted a successful drive. As of this writing, $395,814 has been pledged, which is near our goal.
We will continue to run a deficit budget, and we will be looking for ways to increase our income as well as increase pledges in the future. The projected total expenses for the current year are $522,000. We raise about $100,000 through fundraising, rentals, Sunday morning donations, and special contributions.
If the money we must raise from pledges were divided equally among the pledging units in our congregation, the amount would come to about $1,600 per unit per year. Expenses will undoubtedly be higher for the 2013/2014 year; we are working on that budget now. This is how the pledge levels break down for this year’s drive (a unit can be a person, couple, or family):
Under $200 - 31 units
$200-$499 - 52
$500-$1199 - 79
$1200-$1800 - 39
$1801-$2999 - 24
$3000 and up - 33
One of the challenges of the pledge drive is to make it life-enhancing, not only for the church, but also for the people who work on the drive. One way to do that is to eliminate the need for nagging — send in your pledge when the pledge drive starts. Failing that, at least answer the pledge caller cheerfully. Do not treat your fellow church members like unwelcome telemarketers. Remember that they are working for you in support of the community you care about. And in fulfilling your commitment, we encourage you to have your bank automatically
transmit your pledged amount monthly. This lessens the work for staff, adds predictability to the budget, and generally calms the chaos that can accompany our many different styles of contributing.
We will also be working to help you figure out how to make your giving life-enhancing for you.
Give until it feels good. Help others to do this. To me it is exciting to even imagine that we can create a community all on our own. We give, and our giving nurtures us and also others. We give, and our giving nurtures our wider community. Thank you to Abby Arnold, Natalie Kahn, Amy Lacombe and Lucy Hahn. Thank you to our wonderful office staff, Nurit Gordon and Nancy Thompson. Thank you to everyone who made a call or helped at a reception.
Thank you to each of us for our sustaining commitment to our values and our relationships.
See you in church,
— Cynthia Cottam
News & Announcements:
Are you a graphic designer?
Are you a (semi-) expert in QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign or Microsoft Publisher? Have you been looking
for a way to share your skills and talent with UUCCSM? Please help us continue to provide a clean,
clear, and inviting traditional monthly newsletter, the primary communication vehicle for our community.
You would be responsible for designing and producing just a few issues a year as part of a team of other
dedicated and experienced church members. You must have access to your own software. We can provide
fonts, a clear style guide and supportive fellowship. Much of the charm of our newsletter is the unique design
sensibility each artist brings to their issues of the newsletter. Make an impact at UUCCSM and join our
team! Contact us at newsletter@uusm.org for more information.
Building News:
Roof Update
I am pleased to announce that our roofing project is finished! The completed scope includes new clay tile on the upper roof, asphalt tile on the lower roof, and four new skylights to bring more natural light into the darker areas of the offices. Stucco repair where the roof flashing was installed, and a new gutter/downspout system for the lower roofs will be completed within the next few weeks.
Now that we are watertight, we can focus our efforts on the interior sanctuary projects. This includes replacement of the upper sanctuary windows and office windows and the office renovation.
The office renovation will include floor refinishing, painting, new lighting, and restoring the ceiling to match the sanctuary. We’ll also renovate with new finishes the sanctuary restroom and the restroom by the minister’s study. The aesthetic approach for the selection of finishes and materials will be to reflect the 1920 Spanish Revival Architecture.
— Bryan Oakes
Faith in Action News:
Faith in Action Town Hall Meeting: Putting Our Faith Into Action
Feb. 17 — After Diana Spears read a message from Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur and lit the chalice, Pastor Bridie Roberts of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) started our annual Faith in Action Town Hall meeting by describing the heroic struggles of carwash workers. As a result of the CLEAN Carwash Campaign, most carwashes in L.A. County have changed from tips-only to paying wages, and four have signed union contracts. Through CLUE, UUCCSM members have been active in supporting the workers. Much still needs to be done: violations of wage and hour and safety laws remain prevalent in the industry.
Christina Fialho, co-founder of Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC), spoke about the need to visit the hundreds of thousands of immigrants confined indefinitely in detention centers, to make them visible, to help them get their rights, and to advocate for changing the laws that create such conditions. Our members and other UUs participate in these visitations.
There is also a growing National Pen Pal program. Cathie Gentile, co-chair of our Peace and Social Justice
Committee (PSJ), presented the UU Legislative Ministry’s plans for “Compassionate Immigration Reform.” PSJ cochair Roberta Frye reported on demonstrations against the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (thousands of U.S. mercenaries are still there) on the first and third Fridays of the month at 6 p.m. at National Blvd and Barrington. Roberta also announced an ACLU program here March 12 on the U.S. use of drones as surveillance as well as weapons.
Cathie Gentile read Geoff Lee’s report on the programs of Interweave, our LGBTQ committee. Interweave
will again be leading our congregation in the L.A. Gay Pride Parade, in the Coming Out Sunday Service, and in
the Interweave summer picnic.
Kris Langabeer read Rhonda Peacock’s report on the Hunger Task Force’s programs to alleviate hunger and
to help our homeless brothers and sisters, through partnering with Turning Point and the Daybreak Center of
the Ocean Park Community Center, Step Up on Second, and the Westside Food Bank.
Beth Brownlie reminded us that the Green Living Committee continues its work to educate and encourage
our community to live green. She reported a successful Vegan Second Sunday Supper last year that may morph
into two suppers this year. A plan for involvement in Earth Day is in the works, and the minister’s office is the
recipient of new lighting that conserves energy and improves the work environment.
Peggy Rhoads reported that the book discussion of the UUA common read, “The New Jim Crow, Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness,” will continue with a third group of meetings, March 24 and 31, and April 7.
For more information, please contact FIA chair Rick Rhoads at fia@uusm.org.
— Peggy Rhoads
Splinters from the Board:
Through Generous Congregation Contributions UUCCSM has donated $686 to the UU Service Committee. Every year at this time the church checks with members of record who have not paid a pledge to see if they would like to renew their pledge. It is customary for the church to lose about a dozen or so members at this time. The church now has 361 members.
The Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur reported that the Small Group Ministry program has been launched. The program has 97 participants including 10 facilitators and four members of the Board of Directors. In addition, in order to create a Worship Associates group who would take a more active role in supporting meaningful, excellent worship at our church, Rev. Rebecca led a retreat, “Awe and Wonder,” in conjunction with her colleagues from the UU Ministers’ L.A. Metro Cluster. She invited church members Vilma Ortiz, Jessica Clay, and Amelia Monteiro to participate.
Catherine Farmer Loya reported that the UCLA Campus Ministry has been launched and as of this writing has six members. Elementary RE worked with Faith in Action to put together 55 lunches and delivered them to the Turning Point housing shelter.
Director of Music DeReau Farrar reported that the MLK Choir Festival of Greater Los Angeles Area UU church choirs was a great success. He also announced two Dining for Dollars events: “America Singing: Patriotism
vs. Pride,” a choral concert, and “The Old Maid and the Thief,” a performance of Menotti’s chamber opera classic in 1950s radio opera style.
The board unanimously accepted Robert Kory’s generous offer to represent the church in the handling of Judy Federick’s property bequest. Church member Judy, who died last year, had arranged for some of her assets to be given to the church.
The board spent considerable time reviewing a revision of the Employee Manual.
The board will meet next on March 26.
— Bronwen Jones
RE News:
From Our DRE:
As spring approaches, thoughts turn naturally toward renewal, new warmth, new life
— even here in Southern California, where flowers bloom year-round. As I write, little taps and thumps keep me mindful of the new life that will be joining my family in just a few short months, so it’s perhaps no surprise that these reflections on the imminence of springtime — and all that it brings — strike me as especially poignant this year. I am
so grateful to all in our UUCCSM community for the care and support and excitement you’ve shown me already as I begin this journey toward parenthood.
And lest you feel any anxiety about what is to come, let me do some reassuring of my own: I will indeed be taking a period of leave to welcome this new member of my family, but our LRE programs will be well-shepherded in my absence. I am working with the Lifespan RE Committee, the Personnel Committee, the Board, and church staff to craft a plan for my time away, which will begin in late May and last until mid-August. If this little one proves amenable to arriving more or less as scheduled, my final Sunday at UUCCSM will be May 19, Coming of Age Sunday, and the day of our Annual Meeting.
Springtime is also when the LRE Committee and I always begin planning for the summer and the next year’s programs, but we’re getting an extraearly start this time around so we can be sure to be fully prepared in plenty of time for my leave. And we’ll be calling on all of you — the members and friends of UUCCSM — to join us in our eagerness to prepare.
First up is summer: this year we’ll be reprising a beloved program in our preschool-Kindergarten class, The Senses. We’ll kick off on June 16 with an introduction to the five senses, and then will spend two weeks exploring each one. For the “elementary and up” class, we’re trying out a brand new program that I think will be great fun for participants and leaders alike — we’re importing summer camp right here to our church, with a special Sunday Chalice Camp program. Each week we’ll have a tactile camp-style craft or activity that helps our kids develop their UU identity. Tie-dye chalice shirts, prayer flags, and outdoor games, oh my! In both of our classes, we invite UUCCSM members to volunteer to lead or assist for one Sunday. In the Senses program, leaders are encouraged to come up with their own plans for engaging young children in exploring their senses — perhaps a mini-cooking lesson for taste, a music-making extravaganza for hearing, experiments with mixing paints for sight — what would you most enjoy sharing with our younglings? In the Sunday Chalice Camp program, all projects are scheduled ahead of time and all supplies will be provided, so all our volunteer leaders
will have to do is choose their Sunday and show up ready to have fun. We’ll be starting sign-ups soon, so take a look at your calendars and consider spending a morning celebrating “being you and being UU” with the younger members of our faith community.
— Catherine Farmer Loya
Evil
Bettye Barclay, with assistance of Kathy Cook, has provided this list of daily thoughts about our ministerial theme for March.
March 1. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke
March 2. The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the
people who don’t do anything about it. Albert Einstein
March 3. I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is
permanent. Mahatma Gandhi
March 4. If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing
good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own
heart? Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
March 5. If you try to cure evil with evil you will add more pain to your fate. Sophocles
March 6. Imaginary evil is romantic and varied; real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren, boring. Imaginary good is boring; real good is always new, marvelous, intoxicating. Simone Weil
March 7. Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it. Baltasar Gracián
March 8. Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always. Mahatma Gandhi
March 9. When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad. Lao-Tzu
March 10. Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil. Thomas Mann
March 11. The reason for evil in the world is that people are not able to tell their stories. C.G. Jung
March 12. There is an old illusion. It is called good and evil. Friedrich Nietzsche
March 13. When we forgive evil we do not excuse it, we do not tolerate it, we do not smother it. We look the evil full in the face, call it what it is, let its horror shock and stun and enrage us, and only then do we forgive it. Lewis B. Smedes
March 14. When one with honeyed words but evil mind persuades the mob, great woes befall the state. Euripides
March 15. War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn to live together in peace by killing each other’s children. Jimmy Carter
March 16. Ultimately evil is done not so much by evil people, but by good people who do not know themselves
and who do not probe deeply. Reinhold Niebuhr
March 17. I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation
with good. Martin Luther King, Jr.
March 18. An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind. Buddha
March 19. We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies. Martin Luther King, Jr.
March 20. False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil. Socrates
March 21. There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. Henry David Thoreau
March 22. Boredom is the root of all evil — the despairing refusal to be oneself. Søren Kierkegaard
March 23. Whatever is done for love always occurs beyond good and evil. Friedrich Nietzsche
March 24. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant. Martin Luther King, Jr.
March 25. It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways. Buddha
March 26. Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand. Anonymous
March 27. The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding. Albert Camus,“The Plague”
March 28. Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction. Blaise Pascal
March 29. It is much easier at all times to prevent an evil than to rectify mistakes. George Washington
March 30. I happen to think that the singular evil of our time is prejudice. It is from this evil that all other evils
grow and multiply. In almost everything I’ve written there is a thread of this: a man’s seemingly palpable need to dislike someone other than himself. Rod Serling
March 31. Evil lurks in the heart of man, and anonymity tends to bring it out. Internet flamers would never say the jagged things they do if they had to sign their names. Garrison Keillor