Newsletter for November, 2020
Featured Articles:
News and a New Publication from the UU Humanist Association
By James Witker
The UU Humanist Association (on whose board I have been privileged to serve for the past several years) has just published the long-anticipated, latest issue of its semi-annual journal, Religious Humanism. Whereas past issues have often dealt with weighty themes such as anti-racism, climate change, ontological naturalism, and interfaith cooperation, the latest installment delves into a lighter, fun topic: Humanist “elevator speeches.” You can read more about the edition here.
Back in January, when the theme was announced and submissions were solicited, AAHS held a lively discussion about the challenge of coming up with our own short but insightful UU and Humanist elevator speeches. I was excited to see that the journal features two beautiful quotations about compassion and caring from UUSM’s own Cassandra Christenson!
Here are some other highlights by way of a brief preview…
The Rev. Dr. Roger Brewin, minister emeritus of the First Unitarian Church of Hobart, IN, and the journal’s longtime editor, writes:
I’ll share two of my favorite Humanist bumper stickers. The first makes the claim that all of us, regardless of our faith or philosophy, experience or ideology, possess at best, imperfect knowledge. It reads “Militant Agnostic: I Don’t Know! — and you don’t either.” The second, equally important, says simply “Humankind: Be Both.” Some days I am inclined more to one of these statements, some days the other. Every day I realize they must be offered together. Gentle skepticism and basic Humanist ethics, spoken with a touch of humility and the hope of further conversation.
Michael Werner, a prolific writer, longtime UU and past president of the American Humanist Association, writes:
Our hearts long for an integrated whole view of life, where our ideals match reality … for a vital center to our lives that both grounds us and inspires us, a vision of grander authenticity to our lives, not just smaller truths… Why Humanism? Because we want to devote our lives to profound ideals. We want to answer the fundamental questions of existence. We are looking for passionate life commitments beyond our own needs. We are looking for ideals born of conscious reflection in the glaring light of knowledge. As the progressive educator John Dewey wrote, “We are looking for those ideals and ends so inclusive that they unify the self.”
And Leika Lewis-Cornwell, intern minister at the UU Church of Annapolis and current president of the UUHA, writes:
I define humanism by its bounty rather than its lack. What is important to me is not what we don’t believe in, but the opportunity to shape a space together in which unaffiliated “nones” and non-theists can still ritualize grief, hope, anger, and joy. Where doubt and mystery can exist side by side. Humanists have lost their faith, they say? I would say instead that we find our faith in everything.
The Journal of Religious Humanism, which is transitioning from print to an all-digital distribution due to increasing production costs, is included in UUHA membership ($60 per year) or available via annual subscription ($30 per year). Discounted memberships are available for those who need them.
The UU Humanist Association is an affiliate organization of the UUA. It was originally founded in 1962 as the Fellowship of Religious Humanists by Unitarian Ministers Rev. Edwin Wilson, Rev. Lester Mondale and other signers of the first Humanist Manifesto. Its mission is to celebrate and promote “reason, compassion, and community” within the UU movement and in the wider world through scholarship, education and advocacy.
News & Announcements:
November Generous Congregation Supports Lakota People’s Law Project
In 2004, a group of grandmothers in Lakota country — an area comprised of nine Indian reservations in North and South Dakota — asked to investigate and help prevent South Dakota’s Department of Social Services from removing their grandchildren from their families. The investigation uncovered that drugging and routine patterns of physical and mental abuse of Native children in foster care were leading to high levels of youth suicide.
These atrocities, a direct violation of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) — a federal law enacted in 1978 — inspired the formation of the Lakota People’s Law Project (lakotalaw.org). Their mission is to end the cycles of injustice leading to the slow genocide of the Lakota.
In 2016, the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL) threatened the Lakota’s sacred lands and water, so the LPLP expanded their mission. The injustices perpetrated against the Lakota during the peaceful and prayerful resistance to DAPL highlighted a blatant pattern of contempt and disregard for the Lakota and their sovereignty.
The Lakota People’s Law Project also works closely with tribal nations and nonprofit compatriots to amplify Indigenous voices, provide renewable solutions in place of fossil fuel consumption, protect the voting rights of Native people, and provide on-the-ground support when and where it is needed most. That includes working with organizers to advance LGTBQ2S rights in Indian Country and help with challenges around COVID-19.
Understanding that Native peoples possess inherent sovereignty and the right to autonomous rule and self-determination, LAPL aims to assist in the reclamation of Indigenous lands and to stop all threats to the Lakota culture.
Generous Congregation
Our practice here at UUSM is to dedicate half of our non-pledge Sunday offerings to organizations doing work in the world that advances our Unitarian Universalist principles; the other 50% of the offering is used to support the life of our church.
UUSM’s Generous Congregation supports our church community. And together, we uplift the reach and impact of vital organizations doing work we could not do on our own. This month, half of our Sunday offerings will go to the Lakota People’s Law Project. Your donations will help the Lakota toward the revitalization of their people and culture.
Please consider supporting the mission of our church, and the Lakota People’s Law Project. To give right now, text “$10 GCC” (or another amount) to 844-982-0209. (One-time-only credit card registration required.)
RE News:
Personal and Spiritual Exploration for Adults, November 2020
Learning and exploration are about the transformation of the individual, our community, and the larger society. Participation helps us grow in wisdom, compassion, and ethical living. See below for our November activities, programs, and workshops for adults.
To contact the facilitator in regard to any offering, you may email AdultRE@UUSM.org with the title of the group in the subject line. Your email will be forwarded. Please note that currently, all offerings are facilitated through Zoom. Contact Teri Lucas for more information and the link to the Zoom meeting.
Do you have a passion or an expertise? Are you a chef or a gardener, a historian or an actor? Would you like to offer some help, support, or some frivolity to our UU community via Zoom? We’re seeking programming that is fun, informative, and engaging. Please let us know if there’s something you’d like to offer and the Adult RE Committee will help you to do it. Email the Adult RE Committee (AdultRE@UUSM.org) or Teri Lucas (uusmREassist@uusm.org) and we can work with you on presenting your ideas.
Community Building Through Personal Development:
Nature Journaling with Dorothy Steinicke Sunday November 15
Come and join us in observing, learning about, and enjoying nature. Whether you are spending some time outdoors or not stepping out your front door at all, you can still enjoy and appreciate nature. You are welcome to join even if you have no knowledge of nature, botany, drawing or writing. In fact you are encouraged to join if this is the case. People who attend these groups remark that they are reminded of times in childhood when they had the time to get lost in wonder at the natural world. As adults, we rarely give ourselves that permission. We will meet from 2:30 – 4:00 pm. Contact: Dorothy Steinicke.
Exploration of Ideas:
AAHS Freethinker Forum Sunday November 22
The Freethinker Forum is a monthly interactive meeting sponsored by AAHS: Agnostics, Atheists, Humanists & Secularists of UU Santa Monica. All are welcome to join in a lively discussion where a diversity of viewpoints are encouraged and respected. We’ll meet from 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm via Zoom. Contact: James Witker.
Science Non-Fiction Book Discussion Tuesday November 17
We will discuss “Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies,” by Geoffrey West. The author is a fellow of the Santa Fe Institute, which examines the power laws governing the points in the title. Power laws in biology have been well understood for years, but predictability in more global ways is fairly new. All are welcome. To receive the link, you will want to be on the group email list. We meet from 7:30 – 9:00 pm. Contact: Rebecca Crawford, sci-nonfiction@uusm.org. All are welcome.
UU Men’s Group Thursdays November 5 and 19
The Men’s Group offers a special opportunity to the men of the congregation and other like-minded men to join our welcoming group in provocative and stimulating discussion and to get to know others with UU perspectives in a more meaningful way. The topic for Thursday, Nov. 5 is: “Men generally do not like to admit to fear, but was there a time in your life when you were immobilized or driven by fear?” The topic for Thursday, Nov. 19 is: “Is your life’s path very different from what you envisioned at the age of 21? If so, how do you imagine that everything would have turned out for you had you taken that path?” We meet the first and third Thursdays of the month at 7:30 pm via Zoom. For more information, contact Richard Mathias.
Meditations:
Open Meditation Mondays November 9, 23, 30
We gather twice a month to sit together quietly for 20 minutes, to walk with gentle awareness for seven minutes, and to explore the integration of meditation with ordinary life through reading and sharing. Anyone who senses they would benefit from 20 minutes of silent, non-guided sitting is welcome to join us. We have found that this time of quiet meditation and shared exploration can be deeply nourishing – a time of simply “being” amidst all the “doing” of our lives. We meet from 7:30 – 9:00 pm. Contacts: Bev Shoenberger or Carol Ring.
Open Meditation: Wellsprings All Wednesdays and Fridays
These are exceptional times. Taking this time for quiet meditation and sharing in the intimacy of having sat in silence together can help sustain and ground us during these difficult days. We trust each of you will use this group in the way that fits your needs. We listen to brief readings, sit together quietly for twenty minutes, journal and share with each other what’s on our hearts. We simply sit together in our shared humanity. We call off the struggle to become other than we are. These are drop-in groups. You are welcome to join us when it feels right to you. If you come in late or need to leave early, just do so quietly. We meet every Wednesday and Friday afternoon from 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm online. Contact: Bev Shoenberger.