Newsletter for November, 2013
From Our Minister:
Three years ago, my family and I made a decision to give away a percentage of our income each year to our church and to the global poor. We were inspired (and gently reprimanded) into sending more of our money to the global poor by the philosopher and ethicist Peter Singer, whose book, “The Life You Can Save,” has changed many lives — the lives of those of us who have more than we need, and the lives of the very poor, whose needs go unmet every day. You can learn about this level of giving, which 95% of Americans can meet
by giving away no more than 5% of their income, at http://www.thelifeyoucansave.org. (Our current choice of recipient is the United Nations Population Fund for maternal and fetal health, at http:// www.unfpa.org.) This year, our goal is to give 4.5% of our income to the global poor.
We have also been inspired (and not at all reprimanded) to give to our church. This year, our goal is to give 6.5% of our income to this congregation. I don’t give just to keep the lights on, or to pay professional salaries to our staff, though I appreciate working lights and professional salaries. I don’t give only to support 400 folks in recovery who visit our church each week for their 12-Step and support groups, or to serve 1,000 Unitarian Universalist congregations of all sizes across the country, though I admire our recovery community and I am proud of our support for Unitarian Universalism beyond our walls. I don’t give only for our 120 children and
youth, who are growing up here as compassionate and curious, or for our 400 members and friends who make this their spiritual home, although you make this journey worthwhile in more ways than you can know.
At this point in my life, I give to the church because I want to give. I give because I don’t want to talk about generosity, I want to be generous. This is a place where I can practice what I preach, and invite you to do the same.
As our church volunteers lead us through our annual fundraising drive this fall, please be generous.
Thank you for all you do for this congregation, and for supporting good work in the world. Thank you for your money, your leadership, your investment, your commitment, your presence, your teaching, your voice, and your heart.
Yours,
— Rev. Rebecca
PS from Rev. Rebecca…
If you are a percentage giver, or would like to talk about becoming a percentage giver for the global poor or this congregation, please contact me at (310) 829-5436 x104 or at minister@uusm.org Thank you again.
From Our President:
Since last month was the month to share your dreams, this month is the month to share your money. Sometimes we can move from imagination to reality pretty quickly around here. We are now in the heart of our pledge drive. This is the time for each of us to decide how much the church really matters in our lives and to make a commitment to keep the doors open and to pay our staff. We have a budget of $541,000 for this fiscal year. We need to raise 76% of that from pledges, which is $410,000. 75% of the budget is used for expenses directly related to paying people — wages, benefits, payroll taxes, and fees. Our pledges are really a statement about how much we appreciate the people we employ and about our intentions to pay them fairly.
I urge each of you to turn in your pledge card promptly. The great majority of people do not want to be called about their pledge. I can tell you from my experience last year, that the great majority of people don’t even answer their phone. The great majority of us don’t want to call people about their pledges either. Thankfully, there are some among us who are good at this work and understand that it is absolutely vital to our very existence. You can make their jobs much easier. Please do so. There is no point in living in denial. This vibrant community requires money, and there is no one to pay for it but us.
I would like to encourage everyone to consider having your bank electronically transfer your pledge directly to the church each month. Of course, we are happy to have your money any way you want to send it. But direct transfer avoids the 3% fee that credit cards incur, and it requires the least amount of time and effort from our administrative staff. It provides a predictable and dependable income stream. It also requires the least amount of time and effort from you.
Pledging should be fun and meaningful. It supports everything the church does for you, for the other people in our community, and for the wider community in which we live. It supports our liberal faith; it makes a statement about our liberal religious values. It also turns out that generosity makes us happy. Let’s erase our budget deficit entirely and move forward into a future full of possibility.
Generously,
— Cynthia Cottam
Featured Articles:
OUR ANNUAL PLEDGE DRIVE
“You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.”
The Fundraising Committee kicked off the 2014 Commitment Campaign on October 20 with a wonderful crepe meal. Shown here (L to R) are committee members Nicole Henderson-MacLennan, Leon Henderson-MacLennan, Teri Bond (cochair),
Jila Tayefehnowrooz, and Lucy Hahn (co-chair). Also shown are key advisers Patrick Meighan and Beth Rendeiro.
YRUU event workers included Maxwell DeVita (shown) and Parsa Tayefehnowrooz (not shown because he was busy in the kitchen). Photo by Charles Haskell
Camp de Benneville Pines — An awesome retreat all year round
With winter around the corner and Thanksgiving coming up, now is a great time to figure out how you will escape Los Angeles and head to Camp de Benneville Pines — a little slice of paradise just 100 miles east of church in the San Bernardino Mountains on the back road to Big Bear.
Winter Youth Camps are as follows:
•.Junior High (grades 6 to 8) Camp MUUgle runs Friday, November 15 to Sunday, November 17.
•.Senior High (grades 9 to 12) Camp SeUUs runs Friday, December 27 to Wednesday, January 1, 2014.
•.Family/Elementary (currently K to 6 + adults) Choose Your Own Adventure runs Saturday, February 15 to Monday, February 17, 2014.
Last but not least, and not actually last either, Thanksgiving Camp is an all ages retreat that runs Thursday, November 28 to Sunday, December 1. Enjoy all the fun of the Thanksgiving Holiday (friends, family, food, fun) with none of the hassle (cooking, cleaning, running yourself ragged).
Find out more about each of these camps — and about Camp de Benneville Pines in general — online at uucamp.org. Got questions? I’m our church’s “camp champion.”
— Jacki Weber
News & Announcements:
Arts & Crafts Sale
Handmade jewelry, cards, scarves, and more on Friday, December 6, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, December 7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., OPCC, 1751 Cloverfield Blvd., second floor, Santa Monica, CA 90404. For more information contact Cathie Gentile.
Faith in Action News:
UUCCSM at the Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition breakfast celebration
The Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition has celebrated the success of homeless people making the transition to successful living with an annual breakfast celebration for 18 years. Our church has participated in this celebration for the last 11 years. This photo shows our members at our UUCCSM table this year. Left to right: Jonathan Bijur, Catherine Farmer Loya, Cynthia Cottam, Ellen Stuart, Christine Haskell, Parsa Tayefehnowrooz, Sue Stoyanoff, and Jila Tayefehnowrooz. Photo by Charles Haskell.
Tom Early (shown here with Timothy Sweeney of Venice Community Housing) was recognized by the Westside
Shelter and Hunger Coalition for his work with the Venice Family Clinic. The Community Support Award from the coalition cited his dedication to seeing a full grid of Venice Family Clinic patients each Friday for the past 21 years!
Our Annual Coming Out Sunday Was October 6
Left to right: Liam Mina, Ian Lawrence, Kate Harlan, Rev. Rebecca, Geoff Lee, and Janet Goodwin. Photo by Charles Haskell.
Every year, our Coming Out Sunday service celebrates living proudly and loving boldly. This year’s service on October 6 was no exception. Longtime member Jay Roberts shared his gorgeous voice, singing “Everything Must Change.” During the Time for All Ages, the kids reenacted a mini-Pride Parade, wearingrainbow leis and carrying the signs our Interweave group made for the June event. The Generous Congregation contribution for
October went to the Trevor Project, an organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth. Recent member Liam Mina, who works at the Trevor Project, told us firsthand about talking with desperate teens contemplating suicide.
Our guest speakers, Ian Lawrence and Kate Harlan, spoke on the theme of bisexuality. They are leaders of a Los Angeles group called “amBi,” a social community for bisexuals, their partners, and allies . Ian clarified common misconceptions about bisexuality and talked about, in his words, the “Queer Majority.” Kate shared her personal story of growing up bisexual. Both speakers described the feeling of invisibility, of having your
existence denied or distorted, and of discrimination — even by other members of the LGBTQ community. The process of “coming out” for a bisexual can be a never-ending one.
It was an informative and moving service and we thank all those who participated. The strong message of coming out as yourself — whoever you are — remains with us. [To see additional photos of the service, go
to the Interweave Facebook page: Interweave at UUCCSM.]
— Janet Goodwin
Textbook Fund for Incarcerated Students
Donations for the Textbook Fund now total over $2,000! Faith in Action would like to again thank all those who have donated so generously so far. Your contributions will help incarcerated students to buy books for community college courses while in prison, which can lead to an AA degree and/or prepare students to attend a four-year college upon leaving prison. Taking courses in prison can enable inmates to turn their lives around, and has been shown to reduce recidivism. After they have completed their courses, students may contribute
their books to prison libraries or pass them on to other students, making them available to be used more than once.
We also want to remind everyone that this is an ongoing project, so if anyone is still interested in donating, the contributions will be gratefully received. The forms are available at the FIA table in Forbes Hall every Sunday and on the UUCCSM website. Checks should be made out to FIA–Textbook Fund, and can be left at the FIA table or sent directly to the Church.
— Nora Hamilton
Picketers Call for Boycott of Millennium Car Wash; Join Us Every Sunday Afternoon
Sunday, October 13, from 1 to 3 p.m., 15 adults, 4 kids, and a dog picketed Millennium Car Wash. The dog and nine of the adults — including one of our YRUU youth — came from UUCCSM. Many drivers turned away, leaving the car wash almost empty by 2:15.
In collaboration with the CLEAN Carwash Campaign and Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), we plan to picket Millennium every Sunday afternoon until they allow workers to freely organize to form a union. Millennium has a history of firing pro-union workers and punishing them with fewer hours of work. Please join us! Information is available at the Faith in Action table in Forbes Hall or from Rick Rhoads at fia@uusm.org.
The owners of Millennium, who also own Santa Monica Car Wash and Bubble Bee Car Wash, in Long Beach, are defendants in a class-action lawsuit to recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen wages. The picket lines are part of an effort to encourage Westside residents to boycott Millennium, as a focus of the CLEAN Carwash Campaign.
An alternate destination is Bonus Car Wash. Bonus is the only unionized car wash on the Westside. It’s 1.6 miles north of Millennium, at Lincoln Blvd. and Ashland Ave.
Drivers and passersby received a CLEAN Carwash Campaign flyer that itemized some of theincluding:
• Paying less than minimum wage
• Not paying overtime
• Violating labor laws requiring rest breaks and
access to shade and clean water
• Not providing gear for protection against
dangerous chemicals
A speaker at the picket line explained over the bullhorn that almost all car wash workers on the Westside are Latino immigrants, and many are undocumented. That the car wash owners get away with their illegal practices is an example of the ongoing institutional racism and anti-immigrant bias in our society. Even though they are highly vulnerable, the car wash workers are fighting back. In this period of cutbacks in wages, benefits, and social services, they are an inspiration and an example for the rest of us. Their fight is our fight. Join us Sundays
from 1 to 3 p.m. Millennium is at 2454 Lincoln Blvd. in Venice, just south of Venice Blvd.
— Rick Rhoads
Green Tip:
Recycle your technology. Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple, and IBM, among others, offer recycling programs.
Splinters from the Board:
Rev. Rebecca lit the chalice and invited attendees to share what time they get up in the morning. It turns out we have a bunch of early risers. First prize to the 4 a.m. riser, Catherine Farmer Loya. Close second was Cynthia Cottam (4:40 a.m.) and third, Jerry Gates, representing the Nominating Committee, who rose at 5:05 a.m. The
more civilized board members, Rebecca Crawford and Vilma Ortiz, drew a tie at 7:45 a.m. The rest were all in between. Heavens to Betsy!
As of this month’s meeting the church has 375 members. Nicole Robinson and Gerry Venable have joined us.
Church Administrator Nurit Gordon has been busy with all the logistics of the current office renovation. By the time of this writing the Sanctuary bathroom will be done.
Director of Music DeReau Farrar reported that the new layout in the Sanctuary has been mostly extremely positive. The overall balance is better and it is great to see the guest performers on the chancel. The choir is averaging 20 folks per week, which is amazing.
DRE Catherine Farmer Loya reported that the new Children’s Chapel program is going very well. She is enjoying the work to lead a more spiritual program for the kids and connect with them in a more consistent way.
Rev. Rebecca brought to the board the idea that we become a Teaching Congregation again. Now that Rebecca is in Final Fellowship we can welcome an intern minister.
About seven church members are considering joining a 10-day interfaith trip to Israel/Palestine with Beth Shir Shalom and the Islamic Center of Southern California. It will be a beautiful way to visit this part of the world.
Treasurer Kit Shaw presented the Treasurer’s Report saying that there was nothing to highlight this month.
The board approved that the Santa Monica Boy Scout Troop 67 can sell holiday wreaths and that the Girl Scouts can sell their cookies, once again!
Beth Brownlie and Bryan Oakes updated the board on what has happened and their plans. Lead abatement
has finished and so the work on the office can resume. They shared their creative and practical plans. The board voted to approve the purchase of the Tangram furniture as proposed by the Facilities and Development
Committee. Unanimous approval.
Robert Kory has worked very hard on our church’s behalf to settle property issues that arose as part of Judy Federick’s estate. The board unanimously signed the following letter to Robert in recognition of his work: “The Board of Directors of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica would like to express its deep appreciation for the work you are doing on our behalf and on behalf of our entire congregation. We understand full well that the negotiations involved in the disposition of the Federick bequest require time, effort, and considerable expertise. We are so grateful that you have volunteered to assume this difficult task for us. We would not be able to do it without you. Ultimately, the entire church will benefit from your efforts. Thank you for
all the gifts you give to our community.”
The meeting adjourned at 9:55 p.m. and the next board meeting will be on November 12.
— Bronwen Jones
RE News:
This month, with the holiday season speeding toward us, I find a new kind of poignancy in
the celebration of Thanksgiving. Our ministry theme for November is GRACE , a word that
one may encounter more often in many more conservative religious communities than in our liberal faith. I think this is a shame; surely there is value for Unitarian Universalists in reflecting on the concept of gifts that come into our lives which we did not earn. This Thanksgiving, the first since my son’s arrival, the unearned gift of life itself — his as well
as my own — will be chief among the things I find myself giving thanks for. Life includes such sweetness as well as sorrow; it is inexplicable as well as ordinary. Perhaps if I think of my life as a gift of grace, I will be more mindful of my intention to use it well, to do my best to deserve the world that has been entrusted to my care through no particular merit of my own. Perhaps I’ll be able to hold onto gratitude even through the pain and loss that are an inevitable part of living in the world, and perhaps being grateful for my own unearned gifts will help me practice compassion for those whose lives intersect with my own.
As our 1st to 5th graders explore our theme this month in the Children’s Chapel RE program, they’ll encounter a Sufi story about a holy man and his student who avoided being run over by a speeding carriage by throwing themselves into a ditch at the side of the road. The student responded with anger, but the holy man ran after the carriage, shouting “May all your deepest wishes come true!” The student asked why the holy man wished for something good to happen to people who had shown so little care for his safety, and he replied, “Do you really
think that if their deepest desires were satisfied they would show such thoughtlessness and cruelty to others?”
As UU musician Peter Mayer writes, “Nobody asks to be born. They just show up one day at life’s door… and no one’s assured of a grade on the curve, or a friend they can trust, or a house where they’re loved. And no life includes a book of how-to because no one has lived it before. So to all the living be kind.”
This month, I invite you to join me in reflecting on the many unearned gifts which we have each received from other people as well as from the world we have been born into. May the grace we have experienced help us turn from anger and toward kindness.
— Catherine Farmer Loya
CHILDREN’S RE
This month in the children’s RE program, preschoolers and kindergarteners will “celebrate me and my world” by exploring their senses of hearing, taste, and smell and will think about ways to show gratitude to people who care for them. 1st to 5th graders will engage this month’s theme of GRACE through stories and special class activities: we’ll think about unexpected gifts that have come into our lives, create beauty from brokenness with
mosaic art, and more. Middle-schoolers in the You the Creator class will hear and create creation myths, consider the concepts of soul and their inner selves, and will explore the idea of happiness and plan projects to build happiness in their classroom and in our wider church community.
— Liza Cranis
YRUU
My name is Paice Van Ooyen. I am 15 years old. I’m in YRUU and Sunday, October 13 I went to my first picket line. It was at a car wash that treats its workers like dirt. I arrived at the meeting spot (a restaurant across the street) with Rick Rhoads and there was a group of about three waiting for us. More people came and soon we had a large enough group to start. We got our signs and started our picket line in front of both car wash driveways.
CLUE brought a megaphone and Rick took up the job of announcing to all of Lincoln Boulevard why we were there. At one point management sent a worker to videotape our protest. By the time we left we had discouraged many cars from entering and the lot was almost empty. I thought it was a good experience even though we may not have caused immediate change. It was good to use my teenage rebellion in a productive way.
Friendly Beasts Celebrate 20th Anniversary
For the 20th year, our preschool through elementary-aged children will sing “The Friendly Beasts” song at our holiday pageant on Sunday, December 22, at both services. To celebrate the anniversary, we’re planning a number of special events:
CALLING ALL FORMER BEASTS
All former Beasts from the past 20 years are joyfully invited to join this year’s Friendly Beasts on the chancel to sing the last verse of the song on December 22. If you’ve forgotten the words, don’t worry, we’ll provide them. The congregation will love seeing you again, so please join us in this blast from your past!
Calling for Videos and Photos from the Past 20 Years of Friendly Beasts
Friendly Beasts Video
Nalani Santiago-Kalmanson has graciously offered to produce a video made up of photos/videos (presented chronologically) from the 20 years of Friendly Beasts performances. The video will be shown on December 22 in Forbes Hall. Please share a CD/DVD of your photos/videos by dropping them off in the southeast room of the Cottage in the temporary Friendly Beasts mailbox (See the second bankers box labeled “Mail Box” and look for the “Friendly Beast” hanging file.). Please be sure to identify your disk with your name and email, your Beast’s
name, and the year the photo/video was taken. Please turn in all photos/videos by November 24.
“20 Years of Friendly Beasts” Photo Display
A photo display of Friendly Beasts over the past 20 years will be on the bulletin board in Forbes Hall beginning in November. Please share your photos by posting them on the bulletin board beginning Nov. 1 (under the year they were taken), or dropping them off in the Friendly Beast mailbox in the Cottage. Again, please be sure to include your name and e-mail, your Beast’s name, and the year the photo was taken on the back of the photo.
Receptions After Each Service December 22
All are invited for receptions after each service in Forbes Hall. Come enjoy a finger-food brunch with cake between services and cake and fruit after the second service. Catch up with our former Beasts, watch our video, and peruse our display of historical photos, featuring Friendly Beasts from the past 20 years!
CURRENT BEAST INFORMATION
As in years past, all current preschoolers through 5th-graders will sing the first and last verses of the song during the Pageant December 22 (both services). Small groups of children will sing the middle five verses, dressed in a costume appropriate to the animal speaking in that verse (brown donkey, red and white cow, dog, dove, and mouse). The children pick which animal they want to be, but traditionally, the preschoolers sing the mice verse.
We have costumes for our Beasts from previous years. Older kids who don’t want to dress as an animal but do want to sing are welcome to be shepherds. If you know your child will only be singing at one service, please let Kris Langabeer know.
Religious Exploration teachers and parents, please note: I will lead Sunday rehearsals (about 10 minutes long) that occur in the RE classrooms during both services. Below is the rehearsal schedule, including a dress rehearsal Saturday morning, December 21.
November 3 Preschoolers to grade 5: 10 minutes each classroom
November 10 Preschoolers to grade 5: 10 minutes each classroom
November 17 Preschoolers to grade 5: 10 minutes each classroom
November 24 Group rehearsal for all at RE beginning
December 1 Preschoolers to grade 5: 10 minutes each classroom
December 8 Preschoolers to grade 5: 10 minutes each classroom
December 15 Group rehearsal for all at RE beginning
December 21 Saturday dress rehearsal in sanctuary from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
December 22 Pageant! (both services)
SUPPORTING OUR BEASTS
There are many ways you can support our Beasts this year: (1) make a donation to help pay for the dry cleaning of the Beasts costumes; (2) if you sew, help repair/refresh the costumes; (3) bring food for the receptions December 22; or (4) help supervise/ entertain our Beasts on December 22.
Contact me for more information. I look forward to this special celebration of our Friendly Beasts!
— Kris Langabeer
Our Whole Lives (O.W.L.) for Children Beginning Soon
If your child is in Kindergarten, First, Fifth or Sixth grade, then they are eligible to enroll in Elementary O.W.L. If you’d like to learn more, please attend the O.W.L. information session on Sunday, November 17 from 10:15
to 11 a.m. in Room 2. You can also contact our DRE, Catherine, or Beth Rendeiro, O.W.L. Coordinator.
November Worship Theme: Grace
Bettye Barclay has provided this list of weekly thoughts about our ministerial theme for November. Daily thoughts are published in the weekly email announcements.
Week 1 - The ideal man bears the accidents of lif with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances. — Aristotle
Week 2 - I do not at all understand the mystery of grace — only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us. — Anne Lamott
Week 3 - Grace has been defined as the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul. — William Hazlitt
Week 4 - If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow, but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much. —
Week 5 - I want to live “in grace” as much of the time as possible. By grace I mean an inner harmony, essentially spiritual, which can be translated into outward harmony. — Anne Morrow Lindberg