Newsletter for May, 2013
From Our Minister:
Dear Friends,
There are probably more efficient ways to organize a congregation than by asking all of our 370 voting members to show up, mostly in person, for our Annual Congregational Meeting. And I’m sure we could think of other ways to elect our leadership, approve our budget (most of which will be raised from our own pockets), tend to our facilities, and take a stand on the justice issues of our time.
But I’m not sure there are many other approaches to congregational life that would do as much to demonstrate our faith in democracy, and allow us to “practice our openness to the wisdom in every voice among us,” in the words of my colleague Heather Janules. I take a lot of pride in our way of doing things, and I appreciate the staff and volunteer leadership that allows our Annual Meeting to continue to be a meaningful, wise, and faithful gathering.
This year our goal is to provide a comprehensive Report on Programs at least a week before the Annual Meeting, so that you can learn more about the accomplishments, challenges, and hopes of fellow church members and staff who have served our congregation this year. Last year’s report included updates from more than 40 groups! My hope is that by May 12, electronic versions of this report will be posted on our website, and paper copies will be available at the church office and at coffee hour.
See you in church, and on May 19,
Rev. Rebecca
From Our President:
Our 86th Annual Congregational Meeting is May 19
The time is here for our Annual Meeting, which will take place on May 19 after the second service. We need a quorum of 62 members to conduct business, so please plan on attending. This is our UU democracy in action; don’t miss it.
One of the most important issues on the agenda is a congregational vote to authorize the board to expend funds to complete the next phases of our building renovation project. The roof replacement is complete. The next plans involve projects that have been talked about for years, and your board unanimously feels that they are becoming urgent and that this is the time to address them. All the projects require the professional removal of lead and asbestos. The first project is to replace the windows in the office and the high windows in the sanctuary. The windows contain lead and are held in place with rotten, peeling wood. Bugs come into the office, and the windows provide no security. The new windows will be similar to the lower sanctuary windows we are currently enjoying.
A second safety issue is the electrical wiring. We are currently working on disaster preparedness for our community. By far the most likely disaster we could face is fire. Our wiring is old, complicated, and a little scary. It turns on by itself at times, and the outlets frequently contain a maze of wires. We need to completely replace the office and sanctuary wiring.
The third project is the renovation of the office and the restrooms in the sanctuary and office. Lead and asbestos will be removed from the walls, ceiling, and cabinetry. The floor will be refinished, now that the roof no longer leaks. New cabinets and work counters will be placed in the front office, and attention will be paid to making these spaces more functional. The bathrooms will receive new tiles, fixtures, paint, and hardware.
The fourth project is new lighting. If you look closely (which you may find difficult), you will notice that the lighting in the sanctuary is not good and that the lighting in the offices looks like that in a dangerous warehouse. Lighting will be replaced with LED energy efficient lighting, which will be beautiful and will reduce our energy cost to approximately 1/6 of the present amount.
At the start of the roof replacement project, the board, in consultation with Bryan Oakes, decided to break
this work into separate projects and forego the supervisory services of a general contractor. This has created
a great deal more work for Bryan, who is aided by his wife, Beth Brownlie, but has saved the congregation
$50,000. This is a generous gift they are giving us. The roof project proceeded seamlessly under Bryan’s direction. He is excited about helping the church complete the rest of this work.
We propose to complete this work through use of the Drew Still building fund. Andrew Still, a longtime and
well-known member of the church, died a little over a year ago and left his estate to the church. We do not have
firm bids on the projects yet, but estimates have been obtained. The Board asks that you authorize the expenditure of up to $200,000 from this fund. If you or your family would like to contribute additional funds for these projects, the church office is glad to accept them. Your generosity will stretch Drew’s gift even further. Drew was an engineer, and he stipulated that his money be used for the building; it cannot be used for program expenses. His gift to us was very generous, and we believe these projects will honor his memory. Our sanctuary and offices are the center of our church life; let’s make them safe and livable.
On May 5 we will hold a meeting in the front of the sanctuary for anyone who would like to discuss these plans in more detail. The meeting will start promptly at 12:15 p.m. and end at 1 p.m.
See you at the meetings,
— Cynthia Cottam
News & Announcements:
Girl Scouts Say "Thank You!"
Dear Everyone,
On behalf of the Girl Scouts of UUCCSM we thank you for your support of the 2013 cooperative cookie sale. Your purchases provided enough cookies for many coffee hours.
Families receiving food from the Westside Food Bank may enjoy an unexpected treat and those living at Step Up on Second will appreciate a cookie snack — and this all due to your generosity. Hopefully, too, you relished your
personal box of treats. All of us — the girls, their parents and the troops — appreciate your understanding and celebration of the leadership goals of Girl Scouting by supporting us year in and year out.
— Beth Rendeiro
for the 8 UUCCSM Scouts and their families
Faith in Action News:
Proposed UU General Assembly Resolution
Faith In Action’s Peace & Social Justice Committee proposes that UUCCSM support Compassionate Immigration Reform as stated in the UUA’s Immigration Policy and Programs. In doing so, we affirm that any legislative immigration reform should include:
1. Uphold family unity as a priority of all immigration policies.
2. Create a process for undocumented immigrants to earn their legal status and eventual citizenship.
3. Protect workers and provide efficient channels of entry for new migrant workers.
4. Facilitate immigrant integration into U.S. society.
5. Restore due process protections and reform detention policies.
6. Align the enforcement of immigration laws with humanitarian values.
For the full text of the UUA’s Principles of Humane Immigration Reform please go to http://www.uua.org/immigration/policy/reform
— Cathie Gentile
Church Member Speaks on Health Risks from Fracking in Baldwin Hills
Oil companies have increased oil and gas production by fracking operations in the Baldwin Hills area. Fracking injects water laced with dangerous chemicals into wells to fracture rocks, releasing oil and gas. The process is sending a toxic cocktail of air pollution into neighborhoods next to the oil field in Culver City, Blanco-Culver, Culver Crest, Inglewood, Ladera Heights, Blair Hills, and Baldwin Hills.
Several of our congregants who live in the area attended a public meeting at West L.A. Community College March 23 about the air pollution caused by fracking. James Dahlgren, M.D., an environmental toxicologist and a member of our congregation, spoke to the group about the health risks created by fracking.
Why is the federal government permitting fracking all over the U.S. in the absence of studies proving it safe, and in the presence of evidence that it is unsafe? (See “Fracking Our Food Supply,” The Nation, December 2012, at http://www.thenation.com/article/171504/fracking-our-food-supply#) The drive for new sources of oil and gas by the petrochemical companies (aided by government agencies) is given a higher priority than human health and safety, but as a participant in the meeting pointed out, there is another reason, related to the Obama Administration’s “pivot to Asia” and preparation for a potential war with China. According to the Pentagon’s 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, “Energy security for the DOD [Department of Defense] means having assured access to reliable supplies of energy and the ability to protect and deliver sufficient energy to meet operational needs.” The main player in fracking in Baldwin Hills is Halliburton, fresh from its service on the oil fields and battlefields of Iraq.
Los Angeles County has thousands of active and abandoned oil wells. The 469 active production wells and 168 water injection wells in the Inglewood field in the Baldwin Hills have been brought back to life by fracking —injecting millions of gallons of water laced with chemicals at 6000 pounds per square inch (PSI) deep into the ground to “liberate” the oil and gas trapped in rocks. Toxic chemicals added to the water include benzene, silica, and glycol ethers, which add to the toxic chemicals naturally present in oil and gas. The toxic effect of benzene occurs far below its odor threshold, so you can’t rely on your nose to protect you. Air pollution from fracking increases long-term risk for cancer and can cause immediate adverse effects, including sinusitis, bronchitis, asthma, bloody nose, brain fog, fatigue, memory disturbance, and immune and reproductive system disruption.
The “safe” level of benzene is in the low parts per trillion (PPT) range. The level of 5 parts per billion of benzene (PPB) has been shown to cause an excess of leukemia in neighbors to a benzene source in Sweden. The level of benzene from a fracked gas well in Pennsylvania was above 5 PPB, and since there are other toxic chemicals present, the additive effect of the mixture makes the quantitative safety margins for single chemicals inadequate.
The fracking of gas wells in Pennsylvania has killed livestock and sickened many humans exposed to these chemicals. It will take direct action by the residents to stop the deadly poisons arising from the oil field. For
more information contact James Dahlgren.
— Peggy Rhoads
Presentation Addresses Prison and Jail Expansion
The number of prisoners in California increased from 21,325 in 1978 to over 170,000 in 2007. In that same time period California built 22 state prisons, filling them to double their capacity. California has the second largest prison population next to Texas in the United States, which in turn has the highest per capita prison population in the western world — 700 compared to 50 to 80 in European countries. The Supreme Court has upheld a ruling that the state of California reduce its prison population by 33,000 people, but rather than seeking to reduce the prison population, the state wants to build more prisons and the County of Los Angeles is proposing to spend billions of dollars to expand the county jail system.
These were among the points raised by Mary Sutton, Program Director of the Center for the Study of Political Graphics (CSPG) and a member of Critical Resistance and CURB (Californians United for a Responsible Budget) in a talk sponsored by our Peace and Social Justice Committee on April 14. Her address was accompanied by a power point presentation of the CSPG exhibit, ”Prison Nation,” and is part of a series of initiatives focusing on mass incarceration, which has also included several discussion groups on Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow. ”
While funds from California AB109 (realignment of low level state prisoners to county jails) provide an opportunity to pay for social programs that can reduce incarceration, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has allocated the bulk of funds for the county to the Sheriff’s Department, and is planning to expand the jail system, which will require an additional $2 billion for interest on construction bonds. Initial plans include a new jail for women.
CURB, along with Critical Resistance and other organizations, is opposing jail expansion, beginning with construction of the women’s jail complex. They are calling for the AB 109 realignment funds to be spent instead on social programs that will help women with re-entry, such as affordable housing and health programs, and for an emphasis on alternatives to jails, including re-examination of sentencing laws (such as drug sentences), alternatives to the incarceration of youth, release of the incapacitated and terminally ill, and expansion of opportunities such as education, job training, and drug and alcohol treatment for those returning home from prison. They are currently attending meetings of the Board of Supervisors and encouraging others to pressure the Board to end jail expansion and redirect funds to social needs.
Sutton’s talk was followed by a question and answer session. For more information about efforts to end prison and jail expansion, see the CURB website (http://curbprisonexpansion.org).
— Nora Hamilton
Interweave
New Second Sunday Interweave Meetings. Interweave, our UU group for LGBTQ and their allies, recently held the first of its monthly Second Sunday chats in the cottage. Upcoming plans include marching in the L.A. Pride Parade on June 9 and holding our Annual Interweave and Women’s Alliance Picnic on July 28. In addition to our social potlucks and barbecues at various homes, we plan to host a Second Sunday Supper in the coming months. And stay tuned for Interweave Movie Nights! Our next meeting will take place Sunday, May 12, in the Cottage from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Hope o see you there.
Standing on the Side of Love on June 9. Last September, a group of Dallas UU congregations brought a contingent of 250 marchers of all ages to the Dallas Pride Parade. Watch this short video to see their inspiring members marching in the rain — proudly standing on the side of love: http://vimeo.com/49690449 Wouldn’t you like to be part of a similar group here in L.A.? Join us on Sunday, June 9, as we stand on the side of love, equality, and justice for all.
Why I March in the L.A. Pride Parade. This is going to be my 10th Gay Pride Parade. About 7 years ago, I was marching along with our Santa Monica UU group and I heard a voice yell out from the crowd: Hey, Janet! I looked and I didn’t recognize the person running toward me in the beautiful dress, sunglasses and heels. Janet, it’s me, Brent! A few years before, Brent had been one of my very best students at UCLA. We hugged each other like long lost friends. And then, before I left to rejoin my rapidly disappearing fellow UUs, he did something I did not expect — he thanked me for marching. Actually, people all the way up and down the parade route thanked us. They saw that we were young and not so young, gay and straight, singles and families with kids. They read our banners: “Standing on the Side of Love” and “Unitarian Universalists Blessing Gay Marriages since 1959.” Why do I march? I march because I want the world to know that our church welcomes the LGBTQ community. I want everyone to be able to march with pride. I march with pride. You can too. Wear your Love, Equality, Pride shirt, or if you want a new UUCCSM T-shirt to wear, please buy a colorful one from our YRUU group on Sundays, to support the teens’ New Orleans service trip.
— Janet Goodwin
Splinters from the Board:
As of this month’s meeting the church had 370 members. The Generous Congregation Contribution in March was $932 to Homeboy Industries and $150 to the UU Legislative Ministry.
Rev. Rebecca reported that the participants of Small Group Ministry are focusing on deep listening without advice-giving or fixing. Melinda Ewen is planning to re-start the Fourth Friday Lunch, working with our CareNet. The 11 a.m. Intergenerational Easter service was standing room only. Rev. Rebecca is gathering ideas from us all to keep developing a spirit-filled, inspirational approach to Easter.
DRE Catherine Farmer Loya brought to the board a letter of agreement to employ Emmalinda McLean to be our Acting DRE while Catherine is on her family leave. The board voted unanimously to accept the contract. Emmalinda is DRE at the Canoga Park UU church and is available for the summer. The board expressed appreciation for the smooth transition. Catherine also reported that the T-shirts to raise money for the Youth Service trip to New Orleans are “selling like hotcakes.”
Director of Music DeReau Farrar has started rehearsals for the two Dining for Dollars events coming up. Two! That is a first.
Church Administrator Nurit Gordon said that about 80% of the money from our Dining for Dollars event has been received. We have also received a generous donation from the San Diego Foundation (Dianne Fletcher-
Hoppe and Carl Hoppe) toward the church’s general operations.
Jerry Gates, chair of the Nominating Committee, revealed the slate for our next board. It shall remain unchanged from our current board unless there is a petition to present another candidate. The board also unanimously supports the bylaw change to make the second vice president the secretary.
The board unanimously passed the budget proposed by the Finance Committee to be presented to the congregation at our Annual Congregational Meeting on May 19.
Bryan Oakes presented a proposal from the Facilities Development Committee for church renovations, which would draw on the resources of the Drew Still Building Fund. The board endorsed the committee’s plan and it will be presented at the Annual Congregational Meeting. There will be a meeting in the Cottage on May 5 for the congregation to ask questions and provide feedback before the formal vote on May 19.
The next board meeting will be on May 14, right before the Annual Congregational Meeting on May 19.
— Bronwen Jones
RE News:
As we move into May, I find myself following both familiar patterns as preparing for summer programs and wrapping up the church year as well as marveling at how different this spring is for me than the many that have preceded it. After
nearly 10 years as UUCCSM’s Director of Religious Education, I am finally following in the footsteps of all of our RE parents as Eric and I prepare for the
arrival of our first child in a few weeks. I am overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity you have all shown me during these months of anticipation, and I am so grateful for the gift of this loving religious community’s presence in our kid’s life.
My last Sunday prior to my leave, unless the baby has other plans, will be on May 19, when we’ll celebrate the Coming of Age of this year’s crop of 8th grade youth and will come together for our annual Congregational Meeting. My leave will begin on May 23, and I’ll be returning to UUCCSM on August 15. This time away will be spent getting to know our child and ourselves as a family of three, and I am very thankful for your support and understanding. My time away will truly be time away
— I will not be taking calls or checking emails during my leave, but will be reachable by church staff if a need arises. I look forward to returning to work as clearheaded and refreshed as possible (parents, feel free to
chuckle at my naiveté), and will be back in plenty of time for a strong launch to our 2013-14 Lifespan RE program in September.
And do not fear — our programs will be in extremely capable hands in my absence, with the help of many UUCCSM volunteers for our summer programs, the Lifespan RE Committee, as well as the professional support of Emmalinda MacLean, who I am extremely pleased to announce will be serving as Acting Director of Religious Education for the 12 weeks of my leave.
Emmalinda is a lifelong UU and currently serves as DRE at Emerson UU Church in Canoga Park. She is very excited to join our staff this summer, and we are very lucky to have her. She brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm for teaching, games, storytelling, and sharing UU values. She is proud to facilitate the Our Whole Lives and Coming of Age programs with her congregation, and to volunteer as a youth advisor at district YRUU events, having been through and benefited from these programs herself as a teen.
After receiving her degree in theater from UCLA, Emmalinda served as the education director for a small theater company where she trained, performed, and taught with their resident clown troupe. Since trading in her theater company for a church, she has enjoyed sharing her love of theater, improvisation, and clowning at Camp de Benneville Pines, leading clown workshops for all ages over the past two summers. Emmalinda looks forward to supporting our Religious Education program in the coming months, nurturing the spiritual growth of our children and youth, and sharing in our beautiful UUCCSM faith community.
Emmalinda will begin working weekday hours at the beginning of my leave, and her first Sunday at UUCCSM will be on June 16 for the kickoff of our summer RE programs. Not only will she provide support and continuity for our programs, but it is also a great opportunity for our congregation — and Emmalinda herself — to experience new ideas, explore different styles of leadership, and create connections with our UU neighbors. I hope you will welcome her warmly; I know that you’ll have a fantastic summer together.
— Catherine Farmer Loya
LRE This Month:
Children:
This month in the children’s RE program, preschoolers will wrap up the program year with a special “Teddy Bear Month” series of lessons. Early elementary participants will engage this month’s theme of COVENANT through stories and special class activities that help us think about the promises we make to one another that help us create beloved community in our congregation and elsewhere in our lives. Upper elementary children in the UUniverse Story program will continue to explore the origins of life, and will conclude with a wrap-up of our two-year program focused on the overarching question: “How do we know what we know?”
Middle-schoolers in the Compass Points classes will take a look at our place in the universe, as well as what we have faith in, as individuals and collectively as Unitarian Universalists. And in the midst of it all, each class will be preparing to help put on a fabulous Lifespan RE Sunday service for the congregation at the beginning of June!
Youth:
Please join our youth this month as we celebrate the coming of age of our 8th graders, and continue fundraising efforts to send nearly a dozen of our high school youth to New Orleans this summer for a service-learning trip.
On Sunday, May 12, at 6 p.m., all UUCCSM members and friends are invited by the Coming of Age class to attend our monthly Second Sunday Supper, which will include the launch of a new UU holiday they’ve developed. This weeklong holiday celebrates our seven UU principles and encourages participants to spend the time engaging in acts of self-discovery and spiritual growth. Then on the following Sunday, May 19, our congregation will celebrate Coming of Age Sunday, with services at 9 and 11 a.m. planned and led entirely by our 8th grade Coming of Age youth, including the sharing of credo statements that they’ve written, articulating who they are and what they believe at this point in their lives. Don’t miss these wonderful events!
Also of note in May is the culmination of this year’s 8th to 9th grade Our Whole Lives sexuality education class, with a graduation ceremony for the 14 youth participating in this year’s class on the afternoon of May 5.
Hiking to New Heights — UU Youth Explore Santa Monica Mountains. Join the adventure on Saturday, May 11 to explore the Santa Monica Mountains with the UU Youth (ages 13 to 18). We’ll meet at the church at 10 a.m., then carpool to Bayside Deli to pick up some delicious picnic items. Then, we’ll arrive at our hike starting point and
moderately hike for about two to three hours. We expect to return to the church by around 3:30 p.m. We hope you can join us. For further information contact Teri Bond.
Adults:
Bible Discussion Dates Changed - In deference to the Gay Pride Parade on June 9, our discussions of “Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals” by former UUA President John Buehrens will be changed to June 2 and 16 at 12:45 p.m. in the Cottage. The book is still available at the book table or you can purchase it when you sign up for the workshop at the Lifespan table in Forbes Hall. James Witker will facilitate the discussion.
Continuing
• Small Group Ministry — days and times vary
• Wednesday Night Writers Group — second and fourth Wednesday of each month in Forbes Hall, 7:30 p.m. Contact Emmy Cresciman for more information
• Empty Nesters — third Sunday of each month after the last service, except that May 19 we’ll
meet at 10 a.m. Contact Linda Marten for additional information.
— Emmy Cresciman
Patio Chat
Monthly UUCCSM Theme Discussion with Leon HendersonMacLennan
10:10 a.m. on the Patio
Sunday, May 19
This month's theme: COVENANT
Baby Shower for Catherine and Eric Loya
Sunday, May 5, 1 p.m. in Forbes Hall - It’s a potluck lunch so bring something yummy to share. Catherine and Eric are registered at BabiesRUs.com if you need some gift ideas. You can also make a financial donation toward a larger gift from the congregation. Sign up at the Lifespan Table so we will know how many folks
to expect. If you need additional information, contact Liza Cranis.
May Minesterial Theme: Covenant
Bettye Barclay has provided this list of daily thoughts about our ministerial theme for May.
May 1. What is a covenant? Here’s a definition that I learned years ago while training to be a New Congregation start-up minister. “Covenant is the central unifying promise or commitment that binds a religious community together in voluntary loyalty. It grows from an affirmation of shared needs, values, purposes, and principles. As such it is rooted in the past, in the tradition of the
congregation, and reflects the embodiment of the promise through history. It is a promise made in the present, with implications for the future.” Rev. Roberta Finkelstein
May 2. The most glorious moments in your life are not the socalled days of success, but rather those days when out of dejection and despair you feel rise in you a challenge to life, and the promise of future accomplishments. Gustave Flaubert
May 3. Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. A.A. Milne
May 4. Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil. James Allen
May 5. I can promise you that women working together — linked, informed and educated — can bring peace and prosperity to this forsaken planet. Isabel Allende
May 6. Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.
Martin Luther
May 7. Ultimately, a UU community exists as an open laboratory for spiritual exploration. We covenant to support each other with loving feedback and cheerful encouragement in the ongoing search for depth of understanding
and happiness. Rev. Dr. Michael A. Schule
May 8. Love always creates, it never destroys. In this lies man’s only promise. Leo Buscaglia
May 9. A promise made is a debt unpaid. Robert W. Service
May 10. Your ordinary acts of love and hope point to the extraordinary promise that every human life is of inestimable value. Desmond Tutu
May 11. Science reckons many prophets, but there is not even a promise of a Messiah. Thomas Huxley
May 12. Those that are most slow in making a promise are the most faithful in the performance of it. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
May 13. Success is full of promise till one gets it, and then it seems like a nest from which the bird has flown. Henry Ward Beecher
May 14. Please give me some good advice in your next letter. I promise not to follow it. Edna St. Vincent Millay
May 15. Dr. King’s leadership reaffirmed the promise of our democracy: that everyday people, working together, have the power to change our government and our institutions for the better. Maria Cantwell
May 16. A vow is a purely religious act which cannot be taken in a fit of passion. It can be taken only with a mind purified and composed and with God as witness. Mahatma Gandhi
May 17. One may preach a covenant of grace more clearly than another … But when they preach a covenant of works for salvation, that is not truth. Anne Hutchinson
May 18. Covenants are the glue for our Unitarian Universalist congregations. We are not held together by creed or dogma. The Common Cause of belief does not bind us together, rather it is the promises we make to each
other about how to be together that keep us together. Covenants are powerful and we make light of them and stray from them at our peril. Tony Lorenzen
May 19. Put more trust in nobility of character than in an oath. Solon May 20. Science is bound, by the everlasting vow of honour, to face fearlessly every problem which can be fairly presented to it. Lord Kelvin
May 21. Creation implies authority in the sense of originator. The possibility of a ‘Fall’ is implied in a Covenant insofar as the idea of a Covenant implies the possibility of its being violated. Kenneth Burke
May 22. The deepest depth of vulgarism is that of setting up money as the ark of the covenant. Thomas Carlyle
May 23. Justice … is a kind of compact not to harm or be harmed. Epicurus
May 24. The biblical idea of covenant is what I call a covenant of being. That is, the Old Testament asserts that the people’s covenant is a covenant with the essential character and intention of reality. It is not merely a covenant between human beings; it is a covenant between human beings in the face of reality. James Luther
Adams, UU theologian
May 25. It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath. Aeschylus
May 26. But then, so far as I know, I am the only performer who ever pledged his assistants to secrecy, honor, and allegiance under a notarial oath. Harry Houdini
May 27. Put plainly, covenant already exists; it began with your creation, with all of Creation, and it binds you to all else that is, and was. It is bigger — so much bigger! — than an agreement between people (e.g., a contract). We must relate. We must keep it real. Such is our nature. Such is our bond. Jason Seymour
May 28. I call that church free which enters into the covenant with the ultimate source of existence. It binds together families and generations, protecting against the idolatry of any human claim to absolute truth or authority. James Luther Adams
May 29. Mindful of truth ever exceeding our knowledge, of love and compassion ever exceeding our practice, reverently we covenant together, beginning with ourselves as we are, to share the strength of integrity and the heritage of the spirit, in humanity’s unending quest for reality and love. Walter Royal Jones
May 30. Covenant begins in longing. There, where the heart calls up our origins and oldest memories of oneness and belonging, we find a taproot that grows into covenant if given the right conditions, including our own willingness to acknowledge and oblige it. When we feel that tug beckoning us from our individual isolation into relationship with others, there is the germ of covenant already taken root. Karen Hering
May 31. Love is the doctrine of this church, the quest of truth is its sacrament and service is its prayer . To dwell together in peace; to seek knowledge in freedom; to serve humankind in fellowship; thus do we covenant with each other . UUCCSM covenant