Newsletter for September, 2021
From Our Minister:
From Our Minister: Possibility
Dear Ones,
We gather each year in September as a beloved community and ask what hopes, intentions, and dreams you have for the new church year. With the tragedies of the pandemic, the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and one the most significant attacks on women’s rights in a generation, the world can feel like a pretty gloomy place right now. We are all longing to be able to regather with each other and our larger families and friends as we once did without trepidation. How can we continue to kindle the flame of hope and faith and love? What intentions do you want to set for how you show up for and co-create beloved community? What new gifts of time, talent, wisdom, or resources might you bring to our congregation to help us thrive in this new church year?
Our worship life this month will include exploration of this month’s potent spiritual theme of Possibility, our traditional honoring of the High Holy Days of the Jewish tradition, our annual Ingathering and Water Communion service, and more! We had hoped to be able to worship together in our sanctuary this month but unfortunately the conditions of the pandemic don’t allow for it just yet. We are taking steps towards that goal by bringing our worship leaders back to the sanctuary and livestreaming while following all necessary safety precautions. This will help to relieve some of the pressure that has been upon our worship team as we produced digital content from our homes and then crafted them into our beautiful online services. We are once again breaking new ground and expanding the ways our community can reach our larger society by offering live worship at 10:30 am from our historic chancel.
We are now able to livestream from the sanctuary because we applied for and received a generous matching grant offer from the Spirit Level Foundation for technological infrastructure upgrades and staffing. To receive the grant, we need to raise $10,000 this year to have the same amount matched by the Foundation for a total of $20,000. This grant covers comprehensive audio and visual upgrades and onboarding a professional technician to produce the services. I hope you might consider donating and having your contribution matched dollar-for-dollar. This is an incredibly worthwhile investment in our congregation that will last long into the future and open so many doors of possibility!
Let us continue to be a community of open-heartedness, innovation, and liberal religious witness in the year before us. I am glad you are a part of this community and I am excited to journey with you into this new church year!
With love and faith,
Jeremiah
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae
Developmental Minister
Live Online Services Begin September 5
NEW TIME: 10:30 AM (PRELUDE BEGINS AT 10:20 AM)
Dear Ones,
We hope your summer was an enjoyable and restorative break. We were blessed as our GLAM Virtual Road Trip took us to Unitarian Universalist congregations all across Greater Los Angeles and many of us were able to visit distant family and friends for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Our staff has been busy preparing for us to regather and we wanted to write to you today to update you on our evolving plans for worship.
Starting Sunday, September 5th at 10:30 am (please note the time), our worship leaders will begin livestreaming from our sanctuary and courtyard. We’ve made significant investments to enhance our technological infrastructure and staffing to allow us to broadcast live on Sunday mornings! We had hoped to be able to reopen our sanctuary to everyone this weekend, but that is not possible at this time.
Our latest UUA Delta-Guidance asks us to refrain from holding any large indoor or outdoor gatherings until LA County is no longer designated as “Very High Risk.” When we are able to safely return to our sanctuary, we will likely do so masked and using a reservation system to ensure we can maintain adequate social distancing.
Our surveys and conversations indicate that most of our congregation is vaccinated and we will likely have to temporarily restrict in-person attendance to those who are vaccinated or have a medical exemption when we reopen. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated if possible!
Our staff has done an amazing job ministering to our sometimes weary spirits over the past year and a half and we realize livestreaming and new protocols will require them to once again learn a new media platform for our services. We thank you in advance for your understanding and graciousness as we learn these new skills.
In summary, our worship leaders will begin live streaming from the sanctuary this Sunday at 10:30 am, but we ask all of our members and friends to remain home and join us online. The live video stream will be available on Facebook and on YouTube.
We hope to be able to regather with each other soon! Until that time comes, let’s keep ourselves and others safe by washing our hands, masking when indoors, and practicing social distancing. We may be physically separated, but we remain united in love and spirit.
Yours in ministry,
Jeremiah
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae
Developmental Minister
Beth
Beth Brownlie
President
From Our President:
Check-in from the President: Summer Joys
WHEN LOSSES BRING CLARITY
A warm and joyful welcome to our new community church year. What joy have you found this summer, my lovely friends? Some rest, some play, some visiting old friends and family? Folks that you were missing for a year or more? I hope you found some of these joyful things this summer.
I learned this summer that self care is incredibly important in these trying times. I find that if I am not 100% committed to my practice of self-care, I fall back into old, unhelpful habits. Actually, I began to discover this truth about myself in March 2020, at the beginning of this twisty path we are on. This global pandemic with it’s great suffering and losses has brought clarity around the really important things in life.
One joy that I found is painting every day with watercolors. They are small and fit into the little journal where I write my gratitudes each day. There is some plain journaling in there too, some processing of thoughts. I started with a 100-day commitment (with a friend, as most great things start) to Our Mandala Universes on Instagram and kept it up. I love this practice so much. Every day it brings me clarity, and more joy.
I’d love to hear what practices you have found this summer that bring you happiness or equanimity. Email me at president@uusm.org.
Wishing you joy,
UUSM Board of Directors President Beth Brownlie
UUSM Board of Directors President Beth Brownlie
UUSM Weekend at Camp de Benneville Pines Reset to Oct. 22-24
THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING
September 14, 2021 Karl Lisovsky Events
Camp de Benneville Pines logo
Registration Is Open
UU Santa Monica Church Camp at de Benneville Pines
New Dates: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, October 22, 23, 24
Registration Is Open
UU Santa Monica Church Camp at de Benneville Pines
New Dates: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, October 22, 23, 24
Dear UU Santa Monica Church Community,
Good news: our church camp was postponed but not cancelled. We will have a weekend at our beloved de Benneville Pines after all!
Our September 17 to 19 weekend became unavailable as a result of a US Forest Service order to close the National Forests for public safety. However, soon, that fire restriction will be lifted. So we’ll gather in person at church camp the weekend of October 22, 23, 24.
You can still register online HERE. And we hope you will.
Things are flexible. Sign up now, and if it turns out you can’t come, we’ll understand. We are here to hold each other through this time. If you want to come to camp, let us know. We want this to happen.
Note the Comments section at the end of the registration form, which might be especially useful in this unusual year. Please tell us about special circumstances. We want to hear from you!
If you already registered, that’s still valid, and any money that you have put down is still there! Proof of vaccination will still be required for all participants.
Questions, concerns, offers: email us at debenneville@uusm.org. Let’s venture to beautiful Angeles National Forest near Big Bear — just 100 miles from 18th and Arizona — and refresh our spirits in the mountains.
Amy, Karl, Sunni, Judith, Chela, Larry, Greg, Linda, Joyce
September 14, 2021
Featured Articles:
September Update on the Arizona Lobby Repair Project
CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATES ARE IN
The Arizona lobby of Forbes Hall on our campus is sinking. The floor is cracked and the doors are not operable. After years of temporary solutions it is time to solve the problem, and at the same time install glass doors into the Garden of Eternity so that it becomes the attractive, peaceful place for quiet contemplation that was envisioned when it was created. The congregation authorized the expenditure of reserve funds to complete this project.
We hoped to be able to replace the decaying windows and the stairs to the second floor as part of the same project. As construction cost estimates have come in, we realized we won’t be able to replace the stairs at this time.
Our current project scope includes:
- A new foundation under the Arizona lobby
- New flooring in the lobby
- Replacement of the Arizona doors
- Replacement of the Arizona windows with new energy-efficient double-glazed windows in frames that require much less upkeep
- Installation of a new glass doorway into the Garden of Eternity
- A temporary door on Arizona will be installed in September so that an exit can be operable when we begin to use the church campus again.
Your construction management team is led by Church Administrator Nurit Gordon, supported by Bryan Oakes from the Facilities Management Committee and Abby Arnold from the Board of Directors. We will submit an application for a construction permit to the City of Santa Monica in the next few weeks, and expect approval to begin construction in December or January.
News & Announcements:
September Generous Congregation Supports the International Rescue Committee
HELP AFGHAN REFUGEES
The news coming out of Afghanistan is heartbreaking. But thanks to organizations like International Rescue Committee (IRC), there is hope. IRC provides vital support to Afghans who have endured four decades of violent conflict, as well as natural disasters and the spread of COVID-19. They are also helping Afghan refugees and Afghans who supported the US mission in their country.
The IRC works alongside communities and partners to support Afghans living in Southern California and to ensure a warm welcome for those arriving in the coming weeks. The IRC has resettled more than 16,000 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) recipients since Congress established the program in 2006, and IRS is committed to ensuring that these families are given a chance to seek safety and rebuild their lives here in the United States. In recent months, the IRC in Los Angeles has welcomed more than 90 Afghan newcomers, with more on the way, and many families are arriving in our community on very short notice.
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 International Rescue Committee (IRC). Your donations will help the IRC continue to assist people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by humanitarian crises.
Please consider supporting the mission of our church, and the International Rescue Committee. To give right now, text “$10 GCC” to 844-982-0209. (One-time-only credit card registration required.)
UUSM Weekend at Camp de Benneville Pines Postponed
We are sorry to announce that the UU Santa Monica Weekend at Camp de Benneville Pines, Fri-Sun, Sept 17-19, 2021, has been postponed for the time being, per order of the US Forest Service.
Given that UUSM’s church camp starts on September 17, we have decided to reschedule. Any reservations you might have made are still valid, and any money that you have put down is still there! We will be in touch as we learn more.
Email us at uucamp@uusm.org with questions or concerns.
New UUSM Chalice Circles Begin in October
BUILDING BELOVED COMMUNITY TOGETHER
Explore ideas and delve into our beloved community in our monthly Chalice Circles.
Chalice Circles are a place to come connect with your church community in a “safe space” with deep listening, sharing feelings, perspectives, and personal connections on a variety of topics. The Chalice Circles being offered by your fellow congregants this year are: Transitions and Passages, Sacred Activism, and CommUUnity Connections. All groups will start on Zoom in October and some may transition to our church when it is safe to do so.
Transitions and Passages
With monthly ministry themes as a starting place, we will explore the transitions and passages in our lives and the ways they have expanded the depth and dimension of our lives.
Co-facilitators: Denise Helton and Bettye Barclay
Date and time: Third Thursdays, October through June, 1 – 3 PM (starts 10/21/21)
Sacred Activism
This Chalice Circle offers the opportunity to engage together in the lifelong spiritual work of anti-racism and anti-oppression. We will read Andrew Harvey’s “The Hope” and incorporate healing practices into our lives.
Facilitator: Jacki Weber
Date and time: Third Tuesdays, October through June, 7 – 9 PM (starts 10/19/21)
CommUUnity Connections (Zoom Group All Year)
This Chalice Circle is a place to come connect with our community by listening deeply, sharing our feelings, perspectives, and personal connections to a variety of topics. These topics may include: our human connection to nature, personal growth, love, spirit, our inner narrative about current events, and connecting deeply with each other.
Co-facilitators: Wendi Gladstone and Margot Page
Date and time: Second Thursdays, October through June, 7 – 9 PM (starts 10/14/21)
Registration for participants is open. Please send an e-mail to ChaliceCircles@uusm.org with the following information:
- Name
- Phone number
- Chalice Circle choice – please include a 1st Chalice Circle choice and a Chalice Circle 2nd choice.
Share Your Videos for Ingathering Water Communion
It's hard to believe, but it's time to celebrate our new church year with our Annual Ingathering and Water Communion Service on Sunday, September 26th at 10:30 am. Like last year, we will join from the safety of our homes. We would love to include you in the ceremony. We are hoping you will record a short video of yourself or your family pouring a libation of water into a larger bowl of water with a few inspiring words to include in the service. We ask that you consider your hopes, dreams, or prayers for the new church year.
Please be sure to record in a quiet and well-lit space and with at least a 720p HD resolution camera (found on most phones). Saunder Choi, our Director of Music, needs the videos by Wednesday evening, September 22nd. Please email your videos here. If you are unable to record a video but would still like to be included, you can email Rev. Jeremiah a sentence of a wish, memory, hope, or blessing for the new church year also no later than Wednesday evening, September 22.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you!
Faith in Action News:
Beloved Conversations: Meditations on Race and Ethnicity – Register by Sept. 14
INTERSECTIONAL ANTI-RACISM AND ANTI-OPPRESSION
Last year, the UUSM Board of Directors authorized our Intersectional Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Commission to begin laying the foundation for us to more effectively engage with this critical work. Our first programmatic offering was Beloved Conversations. This faith-formation, anti-racism program offered by the Unitarian Universalist seminary in Chicago, Meadville Lombard Theological School, included more than 1,200 virtual learners in the first phase last fall. This spring over 20 from our congregation participated with UUs from across the country!
Participants meet online monthly for large group worship and discussion — with lessons published every two weeks — as well as in biweekly small-group check-ins. In the program’s current phase, “Within,” we engage with a personal exploration of race and our work for racial justice. In Beloved Conversations, we are here to heal the impact of racism on our lives.
A new session is starting online September 21, “Meditations on Race and Ethnicity.” About the spring session, our own Cheryl Barnett commented: “… as I read, listened, sang through the lessons, I felt challenged to think about my ancestors, my growing up with white privilege/heritage, and to first reflect on my life experiences as I worked through the program.” Larry Weiner said simply, “Loved it.”
Cheryl added: “The entire program is separated into two groups: White Folks and People of Color, letting the primary message of racism percolate personally without that inner or outer critique. By offering care to ‘move at the speed of trust,’ my own stories have no less meaning, rather they allowed me to move towards increased clarity on how I got to this place of privilege with my own White Supremacy. I felt no triggers to accept personal blame from the variety of lessons, rather an ever-increased awareness of the myriad of ramifications that race now has/had on my life as well of those persons of color in America. The phrase most clearly defining this is: ‘through an awareness of intersectionality, we can better acknowledge and ground the differences among us.'”
Rev. Jeremiah is again encouraging us to participate in this experience of connection and spiritual development. Scholarship funds are available. If you are registering now, or have done so already, please email admin@uusm.org (subject line: Beloved Conversations); add a note to request funding. Folks need to register on their own at the Meadville website; we do not handle the registrations but will just keep track of those who register and notify her.
Here’s your invitation, with links for details and signing up.
Beloved Conversations: Meditations on Race and Ethnicity
Fall Registration extended to September 14th!
So much has shifted in our wider world over the last couple of months. We know this has thrown off all kinds of plans and leaves many of us in a place of uncertainty. When we set our program deadlines, we had no idea what the state of the world, our lives, or our hearts would be.
In recognition that many of us need some extra time for discernment and planning, we have extended the deadline by 2 weeks. Please join us by registering and/or applying by September 14th for our Within program. See below for more details and head to our website to learn more!
Important Dates:
Fall Term Within Registration: June 22nd- September 14, 2021 visit: www.meadville.edu/beloved
Fall Term Within Begins: September 21st, 2021
Fall Term Within Ends: Mid-December, 2021
Cost: $250 USD per person (lay folks and religious professionals). White folks and anyone with economic privileges/ample professional expenses will be encouraged to pay more. Full and partial scholarships will be generous and easily accessible.
*No one will be turned away for a lack of funds. Please email JeKaren at belovedconversations@meadville.edu to request a full or half scholarship.
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If you have completed at least one term of Within, check out this ongoing learning opportunity with Beloved Conversations Virtual!
Within+: Exploration Stations Launching Fall 2021, for individuals who have completed at least one term of Within
Finished with Within and ready for more? Join one of these play stations for your soul and engage in deep and creative ways, focused on one topic, as it intersects with issues of race and racism. Each Station will:
- Serve Faith Development
- Include Fun
- Be a space for spiritual growth, deepening, and practice
- Address multiple learning/gleaning styles
- Feel flexible/ emergent
- Encourage celebration
- Be a space for the broken-hearted
- Focus on personal work
We will be adding additional Exploration Stations over time, but in the Fall of 2021, we expect to launch Stations focused on:
- Land
- Intersectionality
Registration Opens October 1, 2021 and will be ongoing. Participants will have access to the course materials for 3 months from the date of registration. See our website for more information and pricing for Within+ Exploration Stations.
If you have questions or need assistance with anything related to the program, please email JeKaren Olaoya at belovedconversations@meadville.edu
We look forward to being together in community!
In gratitude,
Jenice, Katie, Kierstin, Mark, Janine, Sarah, CB, Deanna, and Rhonda
Your Beloved Conversations Virtual, Gathering Ourselves Design Team
RE News:
Online Events in September
CREATING BELOVED COMMUNITY ONLINE
Come, come, whoever you are!
Welcome to an exciting journey of questioning, challenging, and celebrating life’s mysteries and wonders. For generations, Adult Programs at UU Santa Monica has welcomed seekers, exiles, and interfaith families along with those who have grown up in our own Unitarian Universalist tradition. We are a congregation made up of people who believe in God or a higher power, people who do not, those who are content to live with the mystery, and those who are ever searching for answers to the big questions. But most of all, we are enriched by one another’s life journeys, diverse beliefs, shared progressive values and uniting UU Principles as we learn and explore together.
Our Purpose and Our Guide
At its core, the purpose of our educational ministry is to provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to deepen their spiritual lives, and live with compassion, integrity and joy as we nurture beloved community and work together for peace and justice in this world. Adult Programs offers classes, discussion groups, and special events on an array of topics relevant to the Six Sources and our congregation’s spiritual life. Some of these may include in-depth study of theology and spirituality, discussion of science writing or Humanist ideas, opportunities to explore music, arts and crafts, or chances to connect socially for fellowship and fun. Many programs are made possible through the time and talent of our members and friends.
An Invitation
Do you have an idea for a program or event? We want to hear 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.
Even as the new church year begins, we continue to hold our events online. Please check out the information and links below for the UUSM online programs that are taking place this month. We look forward to connecting with you!
UU Men’s Group – Thursday, September 2 and 16, 2021, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. 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. We meet on the first and third Thursday of the month at 7:30 PM via Zoom. To request more information or to join us, please ask the church office for information about how to contact Richard Mathias. Topic for the first Thursday: Which of your elementary school teachers was your favorite and why? Which teacher or professor in high school or later made the biggest impact on your future life and why? Topic for the second Thursday: At what time in your life, covering a period of a year or more, were you the happiest? What sparked the beginning of this period and how did it end?
The Gifts of imperfectionBook Study – Gifts of Imperfection -Saturday, September 4, 2021, 8:30 am – 9:45 am, Zoom Meeting. Brene Brown’s doing a 6-week 10th anniversary deep dive into The Gifts of Imperfection and how we can transform the gifts of imperfection into a deeply fulfilling life. Everyone is welcome. Visit https://brenebrown.com/thegifts-hub/ for more info. Hosted by Jacki Weber and Beth Brownlie. This is the last class. Email uusmreassist@uusm.org for the Zoom link and registration.
Green Committee Meeting – Sunday, September 5, 2021, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, Zoom meeting. Please email greenchair@uusm.org for Zoom link. The Green Committee informs others of the simple changes that can be made to decrease their carbon footprint and to implement social action to green our community.
Morning Meditation and Check-In 2-Week Drop-In Group, Monday, September 6, 2021 – Friday, September 10, 2021, 9:00 am – 9:30 am, Zoom Meeting. Join us for a short wisdom class, meditation, and check-in session to encourage connection and accountability around mindful presence and daily action. Please note this class runs for 10 sessions, Monday – Friday. Please email assistant@uusm.org for the Zoom link.
Science Non-fiction Book Group – Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. We will discuss “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” by Isabel Wilkerson. The recent release of 2020 census data makes it clear that we are becoming more diverse as a society. By understanding the roots and pillars of caste, we may better see our common humanity. It is more important than ever. All are welcome. Contact Rebecca Crawford at sci-nonfiction@uusm.org for more information.
Open Meditation Wellsprings – every Wednesday and Friday, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@UUSM.org for the Zoom link and directions for using Zoom. We listen to brief readings, sit together quietly for twenty minutes, journal and share with each other what’s on our hearts. You are welcome to join us when it feels right for you. If you come in late or need to leave early, just do so quietly. These are exceptional times, and we trust each person to use the group in a way that fits their need. 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 meet every Wednesday and Friday.