Oct-03
From Our Minister:
The Adult Religious Growth and Learning (ARGL) committee has always encouragedme to offer classes. Over the years I have responded by leading study groupsin Transcendentalism, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, importantcomponents of our Unitarian Universalist history and spiritual tradition. Manyof you have attended these sessions, reading primary texts and attending ourgroup meetings. ARGL member Ren Renshaw joined me last year in co-leading thediscussions, and the collaboration improved the class enormously.
Last spring, another member of ARGL, Jean Allgeyer, approached me with a newidea. She suggested that I open a dialogue with the congregation and hold aseries of discussions about my personal beliefs. I liked her idea and gave somethought to the best way to plan such a program.
What I decided to do is to hold six to eight meetings over the course of theyear, with the discussion based on the Sunday sermon for that week. The topicswill address various aspects of personal faith and spirituality. In the sermon,I can offer some of my personal views. In the discussion, participants can respondand offer their own views as well.
The first meeting takes place Wednesday, October 1, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. We’llmeet in Forbes Hall. I will present the topic in my sermon Sunday, September28, “On Being a Person of Faith.” I look forward to the opportunityto explore ourfaith and our spirituality together. We will get to know each other better aswell! I hope that the result will be a stronger sense of our common faith anda stronger feeling of community.
-- Judith Meyer
From Our President:
At the board meeting this month, we read out the names of 11 new members, andbrought our church membership to a new total of 471! Jim Cadwell, a recent pastpresident, likes to remind me that he was the 400th member of our church. Iam not certain if he received a toaster, or some other token, but we are wellpast that milestone and heading toward 500 members.I also received some materials from the Pacific Southwest District today suggestingthat UU churches of the future will either remain small (less than 150 members)or become “large” (more than 400 members), and that most UU churchesor congregations are in the small category.
I find it a little shocking to think of UUCCSM as a large congregation (andperhaps a little more shocking to think that we are one of the few PSWD churchesin this category). I say this because everything about our church feels smallishto me, and I am not just talking about the sanctuary at the 11 a.m. service.After just a few years with the church, coffee hours are filled with friendly,known faces. The children sitting on the chancel steps are growing up, but arenow familiar and friends of my daughter. The newsletter brings the many eventsand activities of our church into manageable focus. The various church eventsthroughout the year (e.g., Halloween Carnival, Pilgrims Feast, Christmas Pageant,Dining for Dollars) draw us together in very satisfying ways.
But we are a big church, certainly in comparison to other UU congregations,and are bound to face challenges in making each member feel welcome and at home.I worry that, as our church gets a little more crowded, our members will notfeel that our church is a smallish place. But the remedy for that concern hasto start with each of us, and a willingness to reach out to each other. Thisrequires more than just wearing our name tags. It is keeping tabs on our oldfriends so they don’t slip away, and reaching out to make new friendsso they are also drawn into the circle of our church.
I am pleased to report that the Faith in Action Commission has found one concreteway of keeping our church a smallish place: it has implemented a “phonetree” to make sure that those of our members who do not have email (thereare about 100) are contacted by phone if there is an important event at thechurch or an urgent communication. I am confident that we will find more waysto remain smallish even as we head toward the day when we welcome our 500thmember (with a toaster).
-- Carol Kerr
Featured Articles:
Substantial Bequest Received by Church
Earl Morgan, a longtime friend of our church who died August 31, named thechurch the beneficiary of his retirement accounts, amounting to almost $500,000.The Board of Directors has asked the Finance Committee for recommendations concerningthe ongoing investment of this bequest, and the allocation of the money amongour depleted reserves, the new
building fund, and other possible alternatives.
Trained as an architect, Earl enjoyed hands-on building projects. He helpedout at church work parties
and enjoyed Camp de Benneville Pines retreats. Although he had no immediatefamily, Earl had friends
from his many diverse interests, including the Hawthorne American Legion, ElCamino College, and
sailing. He was especially close to former members of our church Bill and GinnaBaker MacDonald, and their
children. He lived in Inglewood and died at the Daniel Freeman Hospital there.He was 47.
The Rev. Judith Meyer said, “I was saddened to learn of Earl’suntimely death, but very moved to learn that the church meant so much to him.”President Carol Kerr said: “I look to the Finance Committee and the Boardto find a way to honor Earl Morgan by allowing his gift to make a lasting contributionto our future.”
— Paula Bernstein
Despite Wonderful News, the Puzzlement Continues
Last month, I observed that we are heading into our third deficit year in arow. I bemoaned the fact that we have a vital church community with excellentprograms and services, but not quite enough income to pay for it.
With the stunning news of Earl Morgan’s bequest, you may think thatproblem has suddenly gone away. Not true. The primary thing the bequest willdo for us is to assure that we can complete both parts of our building program(previously,
with a projected cost of a little over $1.5 million and capital pledges in handof slightly over $1.0 million, that was not assured). But use of any non-continuingsource to cover ongoing operating expenses is a sure path to disaster, whenthe source runs out and we suddenly have no way to pay our bills.
The bequest is indeed wonderful news and will let us do wonderful things,but the necessity to pay our ongoing expenses out of current income is undiminished.We still have the same puzzlement: How to get our pledge income up to a levelthat will support the operations the congregation wants.
--Warren Mathews, for the Finance Committee
Stewardship Story: “What it Takes”
A place to call home – where I can daily become the person I want tobe, develop my spiritual life, create values-based relationships that enrichme and my family and make me feel like I live in a community rather than a sprawlingmetropolis – these are my personal aspirations as they relate to my churchcommunity.
Beyond the spiritual, though, is the practical: the fact that in order tohave this place called home, I am called to make a number of commitments. Oneis to attend Sunday services, another is a volunteer commitment, third is a
financial contribution.
In the time since I’ve joined this church (a mere two years) we’venot been very clear about what it takes, beyond worship, to make our churchtick. That is changing. You’ve seen more communication in a variety ofareas from member interest surveys to new “GettingInvolved” brochures. You’ve even received a program bookletwith a letter from Judith articulating
our collective hopes for the congregation. Now we’re in pledge seasonand it’s time to think about money.
You and your neighbors in the pews on Sunday will contribute nearly 80% ofUUCCSM’s operating budget this
year through annual pledges. We’ve never asked for a specific amount –though it does take about $100 a month per member to keep the doors open –and there’s always been an assumption that regardless of anyone’sindividual pledge, we’ll somehow pay the bills.
It’s time now to rethink the way each of us pledges support to the church.
This year, we decided to adopt the UUA’s fair share giving guidelinesand distribute them widely to all members
of our community. The idea is that each of us can make a meaningful financialcommitment to the church (in addition
to our commitments to worship and to volunteer our time), and that the amountshould be based on a graduated
percentage of our income. If you haven’t received the new guidelines withyour pledge card yet, you will shortly;
and just as we held stewardship meetings after services in June, we’llhold them again in October to answer your
questions.
Consider the implications if we each were Fair Share contributors: think aboutthe support for our vital community
and the hopes and dreams (articulated in this year’s pledge/program booklet)that could be realized.
— In faith,
Jacki K. Weber
News & Announcements:
Now That We’re a Welcoming Congregation,
How Do We Show It? Your Ideas are Needed.
A sign on the front of the church has “A Welcoming Congregation”notice on it. Would we, as a church, like to display more, for instance, a hanging“window,” a flag, a framed poster? What design would we like onit? A chalice, a rainbow, something completely unique? Give us your ideas, maybeeven your art, and help us decide. Contact Judy Federick.
The Music Committee Needs You
The reconstituted Music Committee will meet on Sunday, October 12, at 12:30and invites new members to participate. You do not need to be a musician, butneed simply to have an interest in music. Call Gaye Follmer Deal forfurther information.
Faith in Action News:
Peace. This is obviously something we don’t have. If I went around theroom, I’m sure that everyone could come within an ambush or two of thenumber of Americans who have died in Iraq — just as I am equally certainthat no one in this room could tell me how many Iraqis have died in Iraq. Thisis, of course, a trick question. No one could. We’ve made it a deliberatepolicy not to count Iraqi dead or wounded. Take, for example, the friendly firekilling of eight Iraqi police officers at a roadblock in Fallouja. Initiallythe Pentagon acknowledged the death of only one officer. Presumably, the manyfunerals were burying the living.
This has, in the past year, become our everyday reality, or rather, non-reality.Has there been any situation this side of “we had to destroy the villagein order to save it” that cried out more clearly for opposition by peopleof good will?
If this were not enough, the same government that perpetuates this grosslyexpensive fraud at the expense of health care, education, and the environment,all the while cutting taxes for the richest Americans — this same you’vetaken from the Santa Monica Library or bought through Amazon.com, and who maynow imprison you without the right of habeas corpus or keep you from seeingan attorney or judge merely by the declaration that you are an enemy combatant.
This is the twin charge of the Peace Committee: to oppose this intolerableoccupation of a foreign nation and to preserve those liberties that make usAmericans. If you have ideas or energy to commit to these goals, then pleasejoin our committee. Yes, your assistance will be greatly appreciated for ourongoing lecture series, and the many vigils and protests in which we’vetaken part.
But if you have new ideas, if you’ve ever said to yourself that stillseems good to you, then perhaps you should join our committee, share that idea,and lead others to its fruition.
The Peace Committee meets in the 17th Street building at 7 p.m. on the firstWednesday of each month
— S.J. Guidotti
FIA Audience Gets Firsthand Glimpses of Life in Baghdad Before and After War
Kelly Hayes-Raitt was the 10th speaker in the Faith in Action series. Her talkon August 29 was sponsored by the Peace Committee. Hayes-Raitt had just returnedfrom her second trip to Iraq. Her first was weeks before the cruise missileshit Baghdad and her most recent was in July, where the absence of electricity,continuing gunfire, and 120-degree heat definitelymade it the off-season for tourism.
Hayes-Raitt, whose Iraqi experiences have appeared recently in the Santa Monicapress, reported on her many conversations with civilians who suffered throughthe Bush administration’s bombings, bombings supposedly conducted to protectU.S. civilians from yet-to-be-found weapons of mass destruction. She pointedout that this occurred despite opposition by every major religious group inthe world, making this the first time in history that such unanimity of opinionoccurred prior to war.
She exhorted the crowd to join her three-pronged personal response to our currentsituation. First, to examine how we can conserve energy to end our addictionto the Middle-Eastern oil; second, to prepare to Iraq for the political onslaughtof the Bush candidacy in 2004, which will doubtlessly center on waving the flagat ground zero; and lastly, to reclaim our stake in the world rather than lettingthe administration invoke “God”on their side to continue their aggression.
An ominous ending note settled over the Friday evening crowd when Hayes-Raittrelated the story of a Bechtel representative hiring local contractors for thelucrative task of rebuilding Iraq. When the interviewer turned down a candidate,he told him to be optimistic and stay in touch because “we might havesomething for you later, in Iran.”
— Melinda Ewen
Splinters from the Board:
Warren Mathews reported a change in our pledge accountingprocedures from an accrual to a cash basis. Under the new procedure, all pledgereceipts are credited to income for the month in to the pertinent pledge yearin the reports to the pledgers. This new system will allow better projectionsof our financial status vs. the budget, is less work than our previous system,and still provides reports to the pledgers that both (1) show the pledgers wherethey reporting purposes.
Warren also reported that we currently forecast pledge receipts at $16,000less than the figure in the approved budget, but savings of $17,000 will berealized because the new director of religious education and the new administrativeassistant are starting well after the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year. Thenet result is a projected year-end deficit of $8,000, rather than the $9,000deficit in the approved budget.
Melinda Ewen, who has stepped down as coordinator of theBienvenidos Council, was thanked by the board for her work. The board supportedher recommendation that the by-laws and policies subcommittee consider the questionof leadership in the program (non-management) areas of church operation.
The Rev. Judith Meyer is working with Bienvenidos and CarolKerr, president, on membership enrollment and pledging issues. Judithexplained that the time she spends enrolling new members is a valuable investmentin their association with the congregation. The board approved a motion directingthe Finance Committee to make recommendations concerning investment of the EarlMorgan bequest of approximately $500,000, and allocation of the moneybetween church reserves and the building program. (See story, page 1, and thefinance committee report on page 2.)
The board ratified the appointment of Marv Pulliam to theFinance Committee, approved job descriptions for the new administrative assistant,for the current administrator, and for the administrative and finance assistant;approved the personnel committee’s recommendation for a short-term disabilitypolicy; and approved Judith’s recommendation that the entire Sunday collectionon September 21 be donated to the UU Service Committee’s Iraq Relief Fundfor food and medicinefor women and children affected by the U.S. invasion and occupation.
Charles Haskell said that the Faith in Action Council hasestablished a telephone tree to communicate with church members who do not haveemail. The telephone tree can be activated by contacting Christine Haskell.
Current membership is 471.
— Paula Bernstein
RE News:
From the Desk of the DRE
As I write, I have not yet officially joined you, though I am with you in spiritalready – my thoughts fly to the weeks ahead, when I’ll arrive andbegin settling into the year, into the position. I’ve taken a break fromthe half-hearted packing I’ve begun(I can’t stand the process of moving, though I enjoy having moved onceit’s all over) and have sat down to try and figure out what I can sharethat will express how I feel about joining you as your new DRE.
We have much to celebrate together in the coming year. So let’s shoutit to the rafters, sing out in praise, tell the world our story – we,here together, today and every day, are celebrating being human, celebratingbeing alive, celebrating the ongoingstruggle to be ever more human, ever more alive. Unitarian Universalism is atheart a lived faith; if we could teach our children nothing else, we would stillaccomplish something vital if we convinced them that what matters even morethan what we believe is how we believe. It’s not enough just to say allthe right words; how have you lived your faith today?
In the children’s RE program, we feel that those seven UU Principlesprovide an essential framework for all that we do as Unitarian Universalists,and so our focus for this year is the first principle, affirming the inherentworth and dignity of every person. Yes, for the entire year. There is much toexplore in this one statement of principle, and I invite every one of you tojoin our children and youth in grappling with it this year – if I trulyaffirm that first principle, what are its implications for how I respond tothe guy who honked at me today because I hadn’t noticed that the lightwas green, and the woman I have to deal with tomorrow who’s just aggravatingthe heck out of me, and the person who said something to me last week that reallyhurt my feelings? How does it inform how we encounter one another in committeemeetings, RE classes, coffee hour, walking down the street? Truly, being UUis something very special, and I cannot wait to join this community in developingever more effective ways of living our UU faith together.
Audre Lorde wrote, “Tomorrow belongs to those of us who conceive ofit as belonging to everyone; who lend the best of ourselves to it, and withjoy.” It is with great joy that I arrive in your midst, ready to walkwith you through the days ahead. We have much to celebrate together.
— Catherine Farmer
It's Not Too Late to Teach RE
Our religious exploration program thrives on the fact that the entire congregationnot only believes in it, but also shows support. We have a great curriculumfor this year and a great new DRE. We still have room for teachers — fromPre-K to seventh grade at 9 a.m. and for YRUU at 11 a.m. Contact WendySalz Johnston or Catherine Farmer or RE@uusm.org.