Oct-04
From Our Minister:
I invite you to come hear longtime member Dean Voegtlen talk about his lifeon Friday evening, October 29. Dean has served our congregation in many leadershipcapacities, including president. He has guided our music program and performedas a soloist. He has chaired pledge drives, the Personnel Committee, and theCommittee on Ministry. He has led a popular intergenerational dam-building activityat Camp de Benneville Pines for many years. And this is only the short listof his contributions.
I asked Dean if he would be willing to share some of his life stories and wisdomwith us and he agreed to do so. As many of you know, Dean has written up someof his memoirs. He has some great stories to tell.
I hope you will plan to join us as we honor Dean and thank him for his serviceto our community. The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. and conclude with a receptionat 9 p.m. Childcare will be provided.
The gathering for Dean will kick off a series of reflections from our octogenarianchurch members. Last year several of our younger church members told us thatthey wanted more opportunities to learn from the wisdom and example of our olderpeople. Many members of our congregation live far from their own parents andmentors. Their children do not get to know their own grandparents. These familieslook to the church to provide the intergenerational experiences they would nothave otherwise.
If you're over 80 and would like to offer a pulpit message during a Sundayservice, please let me know. We'd like to hear how your Unitarian Universalistfaith has helped you live your life. We'd like to know what hopes you have forour church. We want to hear from you.
--Judith Meyer
Featured Articles:
It's pledge drive time - the time we raise the dollars that will keep our doorsopen and programs going through 2005. Here's how the drive is going to work:
In the next few weeks, you'll receive an overview from our minister, JudithMeyer, appealing for your help in making our congregation as fiscally strongas it is programmatically strong. A few weeks after that, you'll receive informationthat may be helpful to you in making your financial commitment for the year.In conjunction with the drive, many of us will meet face to face to talk aboutthe intersection between our own spiritual paths and the covenants we make withthis church. This canvass will be an opportunity to connect with fellow churchmembers and talk about what really matters to you in this church. I think it'sgoing to be a positive experience for everyone involved - enlightening, empoweringand enriching.
If you want to find out more about the canvass, contact me. I'll be happy totalk with you about it.
Whether you are new to the church or a longtime member, here's an appeal toconsider making a substantial increase this year. Our Religious Explorationclasses are growing in size and popularity. Our Adult Religious Growth and Learningofferings are stronger than ever. Faith in Action is acting in ways it hasn'tbefore, and our Sunday worship just keeps on getting better. Small Group Ministryis off to an amazing start, and there's a real movement afoot to bind ourselvestogether for both personal spiritual transformation and community transformation.
When you support UUCCSM in a way that is meaningful, you are participatingin this transformation. That support comes in both time and money-time spentat Sunday services, time spent volunteering both at church and in service tothe community, and money in the form of an annual pledge to support UUCCSM'swork.
Your dollars mean that Marie Kashmer-Stiebing can keep the church doors andlines of communication open; that Judith Meyer can minister to all who ask;that Catherine Farmer can tend the spiritual lives of our children; that ourchurch is not just clean, but that we have the music and landscaping to enrichour experience here.
Thank you in advance for making UUCCSM stronger so that we may serve you andmake a positive mark on Santa Monica and beyond.
- Jacki K.Weber
Stewardship Committee chair
For Personal and Spiritual Growth, Covenant Groups are Powerful
Members of the implementation team for the Covenant Group program have profitedpersonally during the learning, planning, and training period of our being together.How do I know? I am one. This safe space has allowed me to express my true selfhonestly, feel heard fully, and assist in shaping our Small Group Ministry program.During our working meetings, others have told of realizing the power of thegroup to help them grow and to feel respected and appreciated.
I want to share with you comments other UUs have made:
"Covenant Groups are transforming Unitarian Universalism, giving churchesa new way to serve their congregations' need for spiritual uplift and connection."
- Robert L. Hill, executive, Southwest District of UUA"No one is better qualified than Bob Hill to make the case that, at a timewhen big fears, big bucks and big missiles seem to rule the world, small reallyis beautiful because small, done right, can lead to the large and glorious."
- William F. Schulz, past president, UUA, and director, Amnesty InternationalUSA"Small Group Ministry is one of the great grassroots movements in UnitarianUniversalism today. It is also one of the healthiest. It is helping us shapea faith that affirms real, lived human experience in all its complexity. Itis helping us live out our individualism in ways that not only support butenhance our sense of community."
- William Sinkford, current president, UUA
At UUCCSM, two groups of 10 adventurers each will be gathering in October toparticipate with heads and hearts to hopefully enjoy the process of moving towardthe large and glorious. Please bring your gifts to share them with others.
- Carol-Jean Teuffel
Thanks to the Yard Sale Donors, Movers and Sellers
Taking advantage of our new yard, we had a yard sale. In fact, unlike manyyard sales, ours was primarily indoors. The public who came to our sale werepuzzled to wander through our empty rooms, wondering who was living in a housedevoid of furniture except for folding tables holding items for sale.
Thanks to Ren Renshaw and his van, we were able to pick up and transport furnitureto the sale, with hours of muscle-power provided by Jim Cadwell, Greg Wood,George Armondo, Dwight Flowers, and Phil Bonacich. Many hours of advice andlabor were provided by Liz Fuller, who is enough of an expert on yard salesto have published instructions on her web site (http://www.zilf.org/saletips.html). Carol Ring designed and printed ads for thesale, and Liz and her husband, Dan Kegel, posted them on nearby streets. Lizalso made huge "yard sale" signs for our yard and the street corner, and sheplaced ads in newspapers and on the internet.
And thanks to the crews of people pricing and selling: Sylvia Berke, Liz Fuller,Jan Folick, Lyn and George Armondo, Helen Burns, Ofelia Lachtman, Ron Crane,John Fels, Megan Watson, Greg Wood, Shirlee Frank, Gerald Saldo, Ruth Robinson-Deen,Anne MacQueen, Pat Gomez, Jean Allgeyer, Heather Smith, Bob Dietz, Ellen Levy,Pat Wright, Kathy Cook, Nancy Miller, Janet Goodwin, John-Michael Lisovsky,Jeff Greenman, Gene Murray, Susan Higginbotham, Melinda Ewen, and Marv Pulliam.Thanks also to the many donors, too many to list here.
The sale was scheduled to start at 9 a.m. As those with yard sale experiencehad warned me, people, mostly dealers, begin to arrive early. Our first customerarrived at 7:45, wanting to know if we had costume jewelry. Assured that wedid-but that she would have to wait until 9 to see it-she persistently kepttrying to sneak into the house. By 8:30 we had about a dozen people wanderingonto the lawn, despite our efforts to tell them we were not yet open for business.Finally some of them accepted our offer of chairs that we lined up on the sidewalkfor their use while they waited. By 8:47 our setup was complete, so we let customersin, and they came charging. The rest of the day the customers were less franticand the shopping spread out more evenly.
So far the proceeds from the sale come to $1,779, to be placed in the buildingfund. We will continue selling some of the more valuable leftovers through adson Craig's List and other local listings. The yard sale was a lot of work forthe amount it brought in, but the experience was fun for most people who participated.If you are interested in coordinating a Round 2, let me know.
- Carol Agate
News & Announcements:
"Stevenings" with Steve Wight Begins New Series About Music
On Saturday evening, October 9, the Music Committee presents Music DirectorSteve Wight in the first of a new series of monthly talks on music. Aimed atenhancing the understanding and enjoyment of music, "Stevenings" will be informal,fun evenings of discussion and music listening. Each will focus on a differenttopic.
The inaugural event, "Dancing about Architecture: A Discussion about Music,and Why Discussions about Music Are a Bad Idea," will address questions suchas these: "Does music mean anything?" "Is music a universal language?" "Howdoes music evoke an emotional response in the listener?"
On November 13, the second evening in the series is "Bach's Brain: The PrivateWorld of J. S. Bach," with particular emphasis on an analysis and hearing ofthe "St. Matthew Passion." The events will be held in the sanctuary, startingat 7 p.m. and running about two hours. All are encouraged to attend, and admissionis free.
ARGL Courses May Be Open
The following Adult Religious Growth & Learning classes that begin in Octobermay still be open: Tibetan Meditation, OWL for Adults, Building Your Own TheologyI, and Building Your Own Theology III-Ethics.
To register, call or email the church office. To read the complete class description,review the catalog mailed to all members, ask at the office for a catalog, orgo online to uusm.org (click on Religious Exploration and select Adult Learning).
Sign Up for New Turn on Our Circle Suppers
You are invited to join church members for a new twist on circle suppers -same suppers, new circles. Our first supper of the year is scheduled for Saturday,November 13.
Circle Suppers are a way for churchmembers to get together, see friends, and make new friends. These potluck dinnersare hosted throughout the year by church members at their homes. Church memberscan sign up to either host a dinner or to be a guest.
Sign up for the Circle Suppers at the table in Forbes Hall following the 9a.m. and 11 a.m. services, and be a part of this circle.
For more information, call the new Circle Supper coordinators: BeverlyAlison, Karen Canady, or Phyllis Kory.
Building News:
Congregation Votes 108-34 to Proceed with Plan; Sell 17th St.
In a crowded sanctuary on Sunday, September 19, the congregation as a communityvoted to move forward on development plans outlined in the Building Committee'sM-1 design. It then voted to renew the capital campaign to raise additionalmoney to pay construction costs. Finally the congregation voted to authorizethe immediate sale of the 17th Street property.
In a respectful, orderly, and issues-oriented special congregational meeting,over 130 members heard and spoke about maybe the most important choices to bemade in many years by the congregation.
The final vote on the first motion, to authorize the Building Committee to"proceed immediately with the development and submission of an application"on the M-1 design to the Santa Monica planning commission, was nearly unanimous.But before the vote was taken, there was plenty of discussion and questionsto the Building Committee. The M-1 design would include enlarging the sanctuary,adding RE classrooms on the 18th Street property, and moving the existing houseforward and refurbishing it as church office space.
Alison Kendall, the chair of the committee, outlined the steps leading up tothe congregation's vote on the M-1 design. These steps included three workshopssince the purchase of the 18th Street property in March, surveys of church members,research, and conversations with city, community, and UU Association officials.She also stated the urgent needs of the congregation for better RE facilitiesand for a larger sanctuary.
Alison said that although the M-1 design may be a compromise based on financialand time constraint issues, it was a good plan that had fewer constraints thanbuilding on the 17th Street property. Keeping the old house on 18th would removetime-consuming preservation issues. She said that after congregation approval,the Building Committee could fine-tune the design and work with interested churchgroups to make sure their needs were met.
Many of the questions raised centered on the vision for the church, what sizecongregation was desired (550 to 600, acknowledging that more could not be fiton the property in Santa Monica), open space for the children and for the congregation(an important consideration), and whether keeping and moving the old house wasa good idea (the house would be brought up to code and the rear rooms removed,making the house a good space for church offices).
Warren Mathews presented a financial picture that showed that the church didnot have a lot of money currently available to support capital construction.He also stated that the budget for 2004-2005 anticipated a $13,000 budget deficit.He had indicated earlier that it would be difficult to get loans for constructionwhen the church could not show that it was consistently meeting its currentexpenses.
The second motion, to authorize the Board of Directors to "renew the capitalcampaign to raise construction funds from the members and interested friendsof the Church..." was also almost unanimously approved, with little discussion.
The final discussion, to sell the 17th Street property, brought out the strongestdifferences in opinion. Beginning the discussion, Richard Boothe noted thatreal estate prices may dip, even in Santa Monica, and that the church couldlose out by delaying a sale. Rob Briner wanted to hear discussion on ways toboth keep the 17th Street property and proceed with the M-1 development. RayGoodman, Bonnie Brae, and Rebecca Crawford strongly opposed the sale. They feltthat the congregation was rushing into a vote on the property, that there wasenough of a possibility that loan guarantees could be developed, and that thechurch was ignoring and would forever lose the benefits that keeping the 17thStreet property would bring. They suggested that waiting a little longer beforeselling the property would cause no problems and would allow time to pursuefund-raising and loan possibilities.
Some of the congregation left before the vote on the motion, but when tallied,the vote was 108 in favor of selling the property, 34 opposed, and 1 abstaining.The vote included a number of absentee ballots.
The church now has a focus for its next steps, plus a lot of hard work stillto do. And after that a lot of construction dust.
- Nels Hanson
From the Archives:
One Sunday, I interviewed a married couple who live across the street fromour two 18th Street lots, 94-year-old Bob Sears and his wife, Barbara. Theypurchased and moved into their home at 1247 18th Street 63 years ago, in 1941,a year or two after they were married.
Although age has slowed them, Bob was for many years a Santa Monica beach lifeguard,and he regularly golfed until only a few years ago. Barbara continues to maintaintheir beautiful front and back gardens. Although their home appears to be newerthan those on either side of them - including the one currently posted for demolitionand construction of condos - Bob said all of the single family homes in theneighborhood were built at about the same time in the late 1920s and early 1930s,and they bought their home from the family next door who owned both lots atthe time. Bob and Barbara are United Methodists, and they raised two childrenwho are now retired themselves, their son in Nipomo (a rural area north of SantaBarbara) and their daughter in Studio City.
Not being associated with our church, they said they don't remember havingever met The Rev. Ernie Pipes or The Rev. Judith Meyer. For more than 50 yearsthey knew the family who owned the house next to them that's slated for development,and when it was sold several years ago by the surviving daughter, Bob wantedto buy it but never had a chance to bid. (A friend of his was interested inthe property at 1248 18th Street, but the Re/Max agent wouldn't accept any morebids after ours had been accepted. Bob's friend had the idea of clearing thelot and building as many as 20 condos there.)
When I asked Bob about the Shutt family, who owned 1248 18th Street for atleast 80 years (starting with Judge Fred Taft, a founding member of our congregation),he said he vaguely remembered having met Judge Taft and his nephew, ThurlowTaft (another founding member), but they were an insular family who didn't interactwith the neighbors and, in fact, rented out the bungalow for many, many yearsrather than live there themselves. They know a former tenant who lived at 1248for 25 years.
When I suggested that maybe the Shutt family regretted that their grandfather,Judge Taft, had sold 1260 18th Street to the congregation in 1929, Bob saidfairly emphatically that that wasn't the likely cause of any resentment becausethe family owned other property in Santa Monica. He said they were simply peoplewho thought of themselves as purchasers and owners of property, not sellers.In other words, they thought it was best to keep the land they had and if theycould, to buy more.
I gained an insight into this thinking when Bob pointed out that he would buythe property next door to him if it had not been sold. Unfortunately, if it'storn down and a two-story condo complex is built, Bob and Barbara will loseabout half of the sunlight that currently comes through their kitchen windowand falls on their lovingly-tended garden, including a rare mature tree grownfrom a cutting Bob brought back from Hawaii. When I told Bob that UUCCSM mightsell the 17th Street lot, he said he hopes that he or someone he knows can bidon it.
- Rob Briner, historian/archivist
Learn About Our Neighbor Churches
Many of you know that our sanctuary was built in 1930 (its 75th birthday willbe next year). Where does that date fall in the context of church building inSanta Monica? It was UUCCSM that started much of the church building in thisneighborhood.
On the same block as UUCCSM, at 18th Street and Wilshire Blvd., is PilgrimLutheran Church, built in 1952, replacing a predecessor church at 14th and ArizonaAve.
Two blocks away, at 20th and Arizona Ave., is the Little Chapel of the Dawn,built in 1933 as a nondenominational chapel by Gates, Kingsley & Gates, funeraldirectors. This building came to recent national prominence as the place thebody of Ronald Reagan was taken after his death.
Three blocks to the north is SantaMonica First Church of the Nazarene; the sanctuary was finished in 1927,an educational wing added in 1947, and the interior remodeled in 1952.
At 19th and Arizona, one block away, our neighbor one block to the east isthe Seventh Day Adventist Church, built in 1939, with an administrative annexcompleted in 1996. We have rented space from this congregation for this schoolyear because our religious education classes have outgrown our capacity.
When our church was founded as All Souls Unitarian in 1927, it joined a numberof churches already active in our city. The FirstUnited Methodist Church is the oldest church in Santa Monica. Originallyestablished at 5th and Arizona in 1876, then at 4th and Arizona in 1896, thepresent sanctuary, at 11th and Washington Ave., was built in 1952.
St.Augustine-by-the-SeaEpiscopal Church, on 4th, a half-block south of Wilshire, was built in 1969,succeeding the original church built in 1888. It is the oldest church in SantaMonica at the same location. The First Church of Christ, Scientist is the second-oldestchurch at the same city site. At 5th and Arizona, across from the main postoffice, it was built in 1963, succeeding the original sanctuary built in 1900.
Phillips Chapel, Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church at 4th and BaySt., may be the oldest continuously occupied public building in the city. Itwas originally built in either 1890 or 1895 as a school at 4th and Ashland Ave.,and was later moved to its present site and dedicated in 1908.
Santa Monica is home to dozens of churches representing most religions youcan think of and a few you may not know (for example, SokaGakkai International, at 6th and Santa Monica Blvd.).
The Church in Ocean Park, at 2nd and Hill St., was built in 1923. Also in OceanPark, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, at 2nd and Strand, wasbuilt in 1922. The Mount Olive Lutheran Church, in Sunset Park at 14th and OceanPark Blvd., was built in 1961, succeeding a previous sanctuary built in 1949.St. Paul's Lutheran Church,at Lincoln Blvd. and Washington, was built in 1926.
St.Monica's Church,at 7th and California, was built in 1925, followed by the rectory in the samecity block in 1926, the elementary school in 1930 and the high school in 1948(with the most recent addition to the high school completed in 1994). St. Monica'soriginal location was at 3rd and Santa Monica Blvd. (now on the Promenade) in1884.
The Calvary Baptist Church, at 20th and Broadway, was built in 1947. The congregationwas organized in 1920 and its first sanctuary was a few blocks south of itspresent location. The TrinityBaptist Church, at 10th and California, was built in 1950, replacing a previousstructure completed in 1926.
How many other Santa Monica churches have you visited or noticed? Clearly,Santa Monica is a city rich in ecclesiastical architecture.
(Primary source: Looking At Santa Monica by James W. Lunsford, 1983, self-published.)
- Rob Briner, historian/archivist
Splinters from the Board:
On September 14 the first item of our church board's business was Marv Pulliam'spresentation about Small Group Ministry and the nature of the Covenant Groups.The board approved a motion to make this ministry a recognized function of thechurch.
Marie Kashmer-Stiebing, church administrator, reported that pledge receiptsare currently behind projections but that a summertime drop is usual. Two expensesthat were not anticipated and are therefore not in the budget include greatergardening costs because of the need to hire a new gardener due to the additionof the 18th Street property and the Sunday rental of two classrooms from theSeventh Day Adventists due to our own limited Religious Education space.
Current membership is 476.
Director of Religious Education Catherine Farmer reported that the young peoplelearned about Korea, Spain, and Peru this summer. Everything is in place forthe coming year except for the need for a few additional volunteers. The classroomspace problem was solved by renting the two classrooms from the Seventh DayAdventists.
Director of Music Steve Wight reported that the August hymn singing sessionswere well attended and appreciated.
Peter Van den Beemt said that there will be a music table after services tomake it possible to learn about the music program and to make it easier to jointhe choir. Male voices are seriously needed for the choir. The music table willalso have for sale CDs of some memorable choir performances.
- Gerrie Lambson
RE News:
From the Desk of the DRE
It hardly seems possible that I've been your director of religious educationfor a full year. Where does the time go? It was a wonderful first year . . .and yet I'm glad to have gotten through it and into year two. It's nice to feellike I've achieved an "insider's perspective," to visit classes and know almostall the kids in the room, to see so many familiar faces in coffee hour.
It's also nice, though, to see new faces, and to realize that there are stilllots of folks I don't yet know-those who are new to the church or to the REprogram, and even some I just haven't encountered yet who have been here allyear. With 476 members and 150 children, it takes a long time to create connectionswith everyone.
But the most important thing I've realized about being here at UUCCSM is thatit feels like home. And it's a good home to have.
There you have it: a short statement that articulates one of the most importantparts of our RE program (not to mention the whole church). I want every kid(and every adult) who walks through our doors to be able to say, "This feelslike home. And it's a good home to have."
So what does that tell us about how we "do" church? What does it take to makethis church a home for everyone? I'll give you a hint-take a look at our sevenUU Principles. The extent to which we live those principles, as individualsas well as in our congregation's programs and structures, tells us how we'redoing at creating a home for everyone in our church family. What are the implicationsfor how we greet newcomers, if we take their inherent worth seriously? Whatare the implications for how we choose curricula, if we truly value justice,equity and compassion? And so forth. The good news is that I think we're doingvery well. The better news is that we could be doing more-there are always opportunitiesfor growth and innovation. Those principles provide a wonderful lens throughwhich to view all that we do.
Our RE program for the first part of this year will be grounded in an explorationof our Second Principle, "Justice, equality, and compassion in human relations"-or,in kid-friendly wording, ". . . all people should be treated fairly." We'llbe asking the children in our classes to reflect on how they can more fullyincorporate this principle into their daily lives. Shall we adults do any less?Here's my challenge to you: every time you walk through our doors, ask yourselfhow you've lived the principles this week, and what you'll do today to createa good home for all who enter. That's what I'll be doing on Sunday morning.I hope to see you there.