Newsletter for March, 2015
From Our Minister:
Dear ones,
It’s been exhilarating to walk with you over the past month in exploring the theme of God. Thank you for bringing your open and courageous hearts to worship, week after week. Of all those who have spoken directly to me this month, so many of you have been supportive of addressing the creative tensions of pluralism, particularly between theism and nontheism, within our community in this direct way. You have also commended me for my courage in choosing this path of leadership in our diverse community. While I deeply appreciate the compliment, I hope one day it will not seem so courageous to talk about our religious differences openly, honestly, and with compassion.
One thing I know is that even though the month of February has drawn to a close, this conversation we are having about who we are as a religious community, and about how we care for one another and value differences among us, must continue.
We must continue to speak boldly about who we are and the kind of future we are building for our church, because this is a time of great change in religious life in the United States. The old way of religious life is dying. Every month, I read more stories about how traditional religious institutions are closing their doors, dissolving their charters, and selling off their properties and buildings. Those of us who are surviving in this new religious landscape, including this congregation, face hard choices about what we will preserve about our traditional institution, and what we must let go of in order to survive and thrive. So much of what this church is comes directly from our powerful, inspiring past. So much of what we will be depends on how we harvest that power to do what needs to be done now, for a new way of religious life that has yet to emerge.
Several years ago I asked Rev. Peter Morales, president of our Unitarian Universalist Association, how I would know if our church was not just surviving, but truly beating the odds by thriving in this new, emerging, uncertain religious landscape.
He said that you must look at membership and fundraising, of course. So, here are some numbers for you: currently, 85% of UU congregations have fewer than 250 members, and 75% have fewer than 150 members. This means our church is in the largest 15% of all UU congregations in the country. That said, our membership now stands at 321, the lowest I can remember since you called me to minister here five years ago, with about a 15% decrease since the same time last year, when we were at about 375 members. While much of this decrease can be attributed to a new record-keeping system that has allowed us to dis-enroll members who did not realize they were still being listed as members, months or years after their departure from the church, it is still a substantial decrease.
Additionally, of the $450,000 we set as our ambitious fundraising goal in annual and monthly gifts (pledges) this year, we completed the fall campaign on February 1 with $380,000 in commitments, or 85% of our goal. This is about 7% less than our campaign last year, and 15% short of our stretch goal for the campaign.
Of course, I’m not going to let that stop me from thanking you all again for your generosity, especially the 64 individuals and families — 23% of all our donor households — who were able to increase their financial giving to the church this year. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Peter was also quick to say that the numbers are not the only story, or even the whole story. He said you have to look at these numbers, and you also have to listen at coffee hour. You have to look to see if there is a thrill, an excitement, a buzz on Sunday mornings. Then you will know if your church is fulfilling its call to be a vital, vibrant spiritual home.
Well, it’s not a hum I hear in coffee hour (both coffee hours — we do two each week, of course). It’s more of a dull roar. Many Sundays it is hard to get a seat at the 11 a.m. service, and for most of February the same was true at 9 a.m.
And although our pledge drive came in at 85%, and not 100%, of the most ambitious goal we’ve set since 2010, our income from other sources (rentals and unexpected or unpledged gifts) has risen dramatically in the past few years, as have our unrestricted reserves. This has happened even as we’ve approved deficit budgets and increased the amount of money we give away more and more generously each year, both to local organizations by sharing our Sunday offering, and to the Unitarian Universalist Association and Pacific Southwest District through our Fair Share contributions.
So I’m not sure what our numbers are telling us, my spiritual friends, or how to square it with that brilliant cacophony I hear on Sunday mornings. I know the old way of doing church is dying. I know a new way is emerging. But how, or if, we will keep the best of the old while embracing the new — well, that is something we will have to figure out together.
-- Rev. Rebecca
From Our Intern Minister: “I had to master the Red Shift and Doppler Effect”
For the last two months I have had the privilege of observing and teaching a variety of Religious Exploration classes. Since I have been participating in worship until now, I discovered I had little idea about the extent of the work that goes on in our RE programs every Sunday morning. Catherine Farmer Loya, the RE Committee, the curriculum designers, and all the teachers are amazingly dedicated to offering quality experiences to our children. As a mother myself, I know how important it is to feel we can relax and trust that our children are in good hands. Not only are they in good hands here at UU Santa Monica, but they are being treated to rich, interesting, and diverse programming. The K to second grade classes are studying Sacred Stories from religions around the world. They mix in physical activities, together with a central story and a craft activity. The third to fifth grade classes are studying the origins of the universe in the UUniverse Story. I gained new respect for teachers who have to teach intricate scientific concepts that they may not have known about before being asked to lead these classes. I had to master “Red Shift” and the “Doppler Effect” for the class I taught. Sixth to seventh grade classes are studying world religions in their “Interfaith Quest.” Our Coming of Age eighth graders have their own program and will be leading a worship service in May to summarize their learning this year. Attending our huge group of YRUU students (high school age) was very impressive. These students are bright, empowered, and articulate and are making a difference in our community and the world. I look forward to working with them on their upcoming worship service on March 22.
I invite you to join me, starting March 22 from 4 to 6 p.m., for the 6-week adult class “Building Your Own Theology.” We will be exploring our own spiritual odysseys, examining the varieties of liberal religious experience, discussing the nature of ultimate reality and how we make meaning in our lives. The class will culminate on May 3 with the opportunity to write your own credo statement. We will have 3 classes, with a one-week break in the middle on April 12, followed by 3 more. Please sign up at the LRE table in Forbes Hall and let us know if you need childcare. Space will be limited so sign up early, if you’re interested.
I look forward to seeing you in worship again during March, and to getting to know some of you better during “Building Your Own Theology.”
— Nica Eaton-Guinn
From Our President:
Please Join Me at the UUA General Assembly
I am very appreciative of the wonderful job the board (including President’s Spouse) did in sponsoring and cooking for February’s Sweetheart Chili Second Sunday Supper. A wonderful array of chilies, breads, and desserts was devoured by the equally appreciative guests and there were many. Special thanks to Beth Brownlie for being the lead organizer and to the unknown person who washed out Ned’s big chili pot!
I was absent because I was in Birmingham, Alabama for my 5-month-old granddaughter’s baptism, which took place at the Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. Vivian James Wright wore a christening gown originally worn by Ned’s mother’s grandfather, born in 1866. The gown was lovingly restored by Vivian’s “other” grandmother. The gown was also worn by my daughter Diana, who was dedicated in our church in 1985 and by my son Will, who was dedicated in the Harvard Square UU church in 1981. Both wore it “out of the box”! The Harvard Square church (First Parish Cambridge) owns the Dummer 1695 christening bowl that is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Jeremiah Dummer was THE silversmith in Boston before Paul Revere. If a church member is planning a dedication, the bowl is retrieved from the museum and used in the ceremony. Between the bowl and the vintage garment, it was quite an event.
I have received a mid-February update on General Assembly 2015, which takes place this year in Portland, OR. The dates are June 24 to 28. General Assembly (GA) is the annual meeting of our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). To learn more, check out www.uua.org/ga I am planning to attend and the YRUU youth in our congregation are planning to attend. I hope to organize a daily “Ponderings on Tap” where we can gather at the end of the day’s events to share a brewskie, glass of wine, or beverage of choice and share impressions of the day. I hope you will consider joining us. There are various ways to make it affordable and it is meaningful and fun. I would love the company.
— Patricia Wright
Featured Articles:
The Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur with pulpit guest speaker Candace Haskell Swirkal on Sunday, February 15. Rev. Rebecca’s sermon was the third in a series of sermons about God, with this Sunday devoted to ways of thinking about God as used in the many 12-step programs that call our church home. Candace was joined by a number of church members in one or more of these 12-step programs who shared their perspectives on God. Photo by Charles Haskell
Turning Towards Lent: Trying on Change
For the three major religions of the Western World — Islam, Judaism, and Christianity — there are periods in the year that deal specifically with self-improvement. For Islam it’s Ramadan; for Jews it’s Rosh Hashanah; and for Christians it’s Lent. Both Unitarianism and Universalism are historically liberal Christian faiths with distinctive theologies. Unitarians looking back to the time of Jesus have seen him as an inspired human being rather than a deity. They followed the traditional Jewish idea of one and only one God. The Universalists focused more on the reconciliation of God with all humanity after Jesus was sacrificed. Both came into existence rejecting the negative Calvinistic view of human depravity and inspired by our human potential for goodness. In the last 100 years, Unitarians in particular began cutting their ties with Christianity, attracted to a humanistic perspective that leaves theological questions up to each individual and focuses on common values. They said, in effect, “Let’s not worry about whether our ethics and morals came from divine revelation or social construction. Let’s put them into action for the good of the world.” In our rush toward liberating ourselves from the confines of theology that is no longer relevant, we’ve discarded rituals, traditions, and practices rich with meaning. Lent is one of them.
For me, Lent is a manageable period of time to try on change. A time to turn away from oppression and turn towards dignity and respect. I have chosen to “take something on” rather than “give something up” — but it’s all semantics, as when taking something on, something is given up in return.
It’s a time of self-discipline and self-reflection where I try on change, deepen my commitment to self-care, and spiritual growth. It’s a time to reflect on who I am and who I want to be. It’s a time of re-balancing. And it’s “just” for 40 days. What would you like to turn away from and turn towards?
This year, UU Santa Monica is trying on Lent. February 18 marked the beginning of the Lenten period, and we started with an Ash Wednesday service: remembering that we are made of ashes from the dust of the Universe. We meet each week for reflection and meditation, and to check in regarding how we’re doing with our “turning.” The Lenten period concludes with a Maundy Thursday service, UU style, on April 2. For more information about this new program contact either Rhonda or Rev. Rebecca.
The Rev. Sam Trumbore’s blog was a resource for this article.
— Rhonda Peacock
Photos from February Dining for Dollars Bidding
Thank-You from the Coastline Community College Foundation
News & Announcements:
Save the Date: Work and Play at Camp de Benneville Pines.
We have reserved Craig’s Cabin over the weekend of May 8 to 10 for about 20 members of UU Santa Monica. That weekend is scheduled as the regular Spring Work Weekend, so UU’s from many churches will be there painting, repairing, and raking leaves for fire safety. You have two choices: agree to work and receive free room and meals, or just have a leisurely time in the mountains for reading, hiking, and hot-tubbing under the stars for a reduced rate of $100 for adults, $75 for accompanying children above grade 6, and $50 for grade 6 or below. First-come, first-served until our 7 rooms are spoken for. Please contact Jerry Moore for more information. Note: Our regular church weekend at Camp de Benneville Pines is scheduled for September 18 to 20.
Building News:
What’s Happening in Our UU Santa Monica Facilities
We are working to tackle our Sanctuary Upgrade and Lighting Project (SoUL Project). We are currently receiving multiple bids to do the first part of the work that is replacing our old 1930s wiring in the walls and getting the light switches working at the chancel. We are hoping to start this very soon. Please be patient with our mess! We may have to open up walls and repair them during this phase of work. We are working to make our church a safer and better functioning place. Our Electrical and Lighting Task Force members are Brad Hutchinson, Nurit Gordon, Beth Brownlie, and Karl Lisovsky. We also want to get some power up to our new projection screen and AV system that the AV Task Force has installed. These members include Bob Dietz, Karl Lisovsky, and Steven DePaul. Thank you to all of you for your efforts to improve our audio and visual experience.
Forbes classrooms and the DRE office have received some new (slightly used) commercial-grade furniture. Each classroom got a credenza and overhead cabinet, and Catherine got a better desk. A law office was replacing their furniture and we found these wonderful pieces at a used furniture store for a fraction of their original cost. Come check them out!
The roof of Forbes Hall Entry was replaced, preventing further leaking in this area. We are also repairing our elderly windows in the clerestory with some wood stops and caulking. Some new paint for Forbes Lobby, after the repairs, is planned, as well.
The final part of our Roof Replacement project is being completed now with installing of gutters with screens and downspouts. This is happening on the lower roof on the south side of the sanctuary. We had delayed this part of the project due to the construction of the offices.
— Beth Brownlie Oakes
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Green Living Committee:
Free Green Living Workshops: Six-Part Series Beginning March 4. Santa Monica Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401. The Green Committee invites everyone to participate in a series of free Green Living workshops. Topics discussed include: water, energy, waste, shopping/food, and much more. Learn how to become part of the solution! Classes are held Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the following dates: March 4, 11, 18 and 25; April 1 and 8. For more information please visit: http: www.eventbrite.com/o/sustainable-works-109375305 Contact: Alison Kendall for more information.
Splinters from the Board:
Consent Agenda Will Make Time for Deeper Discussions
The Board began the meeting on February 10 with our chalice lighting, covenant and check-in. We expressed our happiness with the large attendance at our Sweetheart Chili Second Sunday Supper, and we ate a few leftover cornmeal muffins.
We proceeded with our investigation into using policy governance in our church. Patricia Wright led a discussion about the best way to proceed to get the strongest and most effective Governance Task Force, which will be in charge of fashioning a proposal for governance change.
The Board then discussed a draft of a Statement of Responsibilities for Board members. Several changes in wording were suggested. A revised draft will be presented at the next Board meeting.
Patricia Wright, Rebecca Bijur and Beth Brownlie recently attended the Annenberg Alchemy Leadership Seminar. One practice recommended at that gathering is to move to the use of a consent agenda. This means that reports are issued to Board members a week prior to the meeting, and that they read them and resolve questions ahead of time, then accept them together at the meeting without discussion. This practice is common and frees up time for substantive discussions. The Board agreed to transition to a consent agenda for the March meeting. The attendees will continue to consider other “best practices” introduced at the meeting.
The membership report reveals that after removal of all members who made no pledge contribution in 2014, membership stands at 321. We have two new members: Olga Felton and Andrea Steffan.
Nurit Gordon, Church Administrator, reported that the south sanctuary heater was repaired. It had not worked all of last winter due to a wiring problem. The flat roof over the Arizona entry has also been repaired. We have new credenzas for all Forbes classrooms. She also reported that the 2015 pledge commitments stand at $380,984. The goal had been $450,000 in pledges to meet a budget of $410,000. Our pledge receipts year-to-date (July 1 to January 31) are $223,535, as compared to $242,742 budgeted.
Rebecca Bijur reported that she and Intern Minister Nica Eaton-Guinn have just returned from the UU Ministers Association CENTER Institute, attended by 450 UU ministers and students. They both described a stimulating, thought-provoking experience.
Kit Shaw presented the treasurer’s report. Total income is $306,254 compared to $317,719 budgeted. Total expenses are $360, 878 compared to $367, 659 budgeted. We have a significant underpayment of pledges, but increased rental income continues to help balance this out. Net income is deficit ($54,624) compared to deficit ($49,940) budgeted. Excluding the value of our property the fund report reveals our total assets to be $1,047,508.
The Board approved the Empty Bowls fundraiser and anticipates receiving a proposal addressing design, installation and fundraising for the Garden of Eternity at the March meeting, which would ultimately be considered at the Annual Meeting.
— Cynthia Cottam
RE News:
Let’s find the courage to break out of our protective shells
This month, as I reflect on our ministry theme of BROKENNESS, I think of physical as well as spiritual wounds. Some of you will remember that a few years ago I broke my ankle. I was overjoyed when I was finally out of the cast, but I was a bit startled to realize then how much of my recovery still lay ahead — my bones were no longer broken, but that was the quick part. What took a great deal more time and effort was stretching the tendons that had gotten used to working in one way — staying very still, not moving much — and it was a hard thing to retrain them to move around and stretch and bend. My tendons didn’t particularly want to stretch beyond the place that they had gotten used to while I was in the cast. It was very uncomfortable and it often didn’t feel good to do that work. But I knew that the discomfort of that stretching was good for me, was what I needed.
Our spirituality is similar to our physicality in this way, I think. I find that the ways in which I am most rigid, most in need of stretching out and moving beyond, are in the protections I’ve built around places in myself that are tender, perhaps because they have been wounded in the past. And I work hard at this job of protecting places that maybe don’t really need protecting any longer.
Sometimes, we do experience real hurt and pain and brokenness. There are times in all of our lives when what we need, fundamentally, is respite and care. The cast on my ankle was necessary — we need to build a hardness around the tender places when we are hurt, to give ourselves a chance to mend the broken places. And church is also a place to come to find that sort of spiritual rest and care and safety when it is what we need.
But once the walls we build around our broken places have served their purpose, sometimes we find it difficult to move beyond them. And it is at that point that church should be a place where we are encouraged and inspired and maybe even pushed a little bit to venture beyond the walls we have built for ourselves. Wholehearted living, full healing, comes when we are willing to show the places where we have been broken. They are what make us beautiful, and human, and whole.
And so this month, I invite you to look for the places in your own life where, by building protections around old hurts, you have hardened and are not growing. Your mission is to do the hard, personal, religious work of deepening… what is keeping you from embracing life fully, from living with deep meaning and purpose and joy? What is the work that needs doing so you can be truly open and alive? These are not things that have quick or easy answers. And no one can tell you what the work before you is — only you can know that. But look for that work, and find ways to break yourself open so that you can grow in spirit and become more and more the person you most aspire to be. Join me at church where we come for some tools and provisions and some company in that work, and to be reminded that living a meaningful life isn’t supposed to be easy.
May we all find the courage to break out of our protective shells, to lift our scars and cracks to the light, and say, holy, holy. They shine, friends.
— Catherine Farmer Loya
Children and Youth RE Programs
This month in the UU Santa Monica RE program, preschoolers will explore and celebrate the wonderful world around them, with sessions on snow and rainbows and dreams and shadows. Participants in the Kindergarten to second grade Spirit Seekers class will continue this year’s focus on sacred stories from the world’s religions with stories from Hinduism. Over the course of the month in our third to fifth grade UUniverse Story class we will take part in a three-week unit called “Our Cosmic Neighborhood,” which explores our own solar system, giving participants a sense of scale. Middle-schoolers in the sixth to seventh grade Interfaith Quest class will visit the Islamic Center of Southern California and will explore Judaism. This month in Coming of Age, youth will wrap up their exploration of some of the “big questions” of faith, and will move into crafting their credo statements and the Coming of Age service coming up in May. Coming up this month for tenth through twelfth graders is the launch of the Our Whole Lives class with parent orientations on March 15 and 22, and the first day of class for the youth March 29. And our YRUU youth will be planning this year’s Youth Sunday service on which they will present to the congregation at both services on Sunday, March 22. Don’t miss it!
Adult RE
NEW PROGRAM
Poetry Workshop —
Rima Snyder will be leading this brand new 7-week class, scheduled to begin on March 16. This in-depth class will meet on Monday evenings at 7 p.m., and will explore the following topics:
• introduction and overview, including discussion of what a poem is, goals of the workshop, and looking at examples of poems.
• the theme of “beauty” in poetry • observing nature and writing your own poem
• poetry about faith and spiritual journeys • poetry about connection with other people and cultures
• poetry as a form of social justice work • poems about death and transformation Participation is limited to 8 people.
Sign up at the RE table in Forbes Hall. This will be an exciting workshop, with lots of participation from the class.
ONGOING PROGRAMS
Fundamentals of Marxism. This class meets every other Thursday evening in Forbes Hall. See Rick Rhoads for details, reading material, and the date for the next class session. Lively discussion of Marxism and how this philosophy impacts our liberal thinking in today’s world. Visit the RE Table for more details.
Mindfulness Meditation, facilitated by Bill Blake. This 9-week class began on Thursday, February 19, in the Cottage. For more information, visit the RE table or contact Bill at (310) 578-7203.
Wednesday night writers Emmy Cresciman leads Wednesday night writers, every other Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Forbes Hall. Come anytime. All writers (including just for fun) are welcome.
The fourth Sunday of the month is Patio Chat, led by Leon Henderson-MacLennan. The topic is the UU theme for the month, which is Brokenness for March. Contact Leon or Natalie Kahn for details.
For all of these and other events, please visit the RE table after each service.
Quotes about Brokenness
Bettye Barclay has provided this list of quotes about our ministerial theme for March. Daily quotes also appear in the weekly electronic announcements.
Week 1. The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places. — Ernest Hemingway
Week 2. Forgiveness is the answer to the child’s dream of a miracle by which what is broken is made whole again, what is soiled is made clean again. — Dag Hammarskjold
Week 3. Much of life is like a mosaic; it is created out of brokenness. Have you ever wondered why we cut a ribbon to inaugurate a new building or smash a bottle over the bow of a new ship, or cut the cake at a wedding? It is an age-old understanding that new life is formed out of brokenness. — Rev. Marlin Lavanhar
Week 4. It is in knowing that others have survived being broken that we gain the courage and the strength to tackle our own brokenness. It is from knowing that everyone has been or will be broken in life — that everyone has a bag to fill with brokenness — that we begin to befriend what we can learn from our own brokenness. — Rev. Tamara Lebak
Week 5. No one would wish adversity on anyone, but it does seem to be what connects us, what makes us real, human. It is when we hit bottom that we can push off and rise above our original circumstance to a place even higher and greater. From crisis comes renewal, from adversity comes strength, from brokenness comes healing and growth and wisdom. — Kate Starr