Calendar of upcoming events:

 

Sunday, 4/7

UUCCSM T-shirt sale begins, benefitting the YRUU trip to New Orleans!

Tuesday, 4/9

Under-5 Play Group first meeting, 9:30-11:00am in the cottage

Saturday, 4/13

COA/YRUU Outing – Get Your Bounce On!

Sunday, 4/14

8^th-9^th O.W.L. meets

10^th-12^th O.W.L. meets

Second Sunday Supper – fun and fellowship for all ages!  6pm in Forbes

Sunday, 4/21

8^th-9^th O.W.L. meets

10^th-12^th O.W.L. meets

Sunday, 4/28

YRUU Sunday Service – don’t miss it!

Faith in Action Sunday for 1^st-5^th grades – doggy treats for shelter puppies

8^th-9^th O.W.L. meets (begins at 12:30 today only)

10^th-12^th O.W.L. meets (begins at 12:30 today only)

 

 

Volunteer Opportunities:

 

Nursery Assistants Needed 1x per month: As our nursery program has grown this year (in leaps and bounds!), so has our need for assistants on Sunday morning.  Would you enjoy spending one morning per month playing in the nursery with our younglings?  We are particularly in need of volunteers for the 11:00 program, but need at least one more volunteer for 9:00, too.  This is a GREAT opportunity for adults – or teens – to get to know our wonderful babies and toddlers.  It is such fun, and such a service to our UUCCSM parents.  Can you help?  Please contact catherinedre@yahoo.com or 310-829-5436 x105 for more information or to volunteer.

 

 

This Week in RE:

 

·         Preschool-Kindergarten: “Passover” This week our preschool classes will be introduced to the story of Passover and will explore how it is celebrated in Jewish households all over the world. Meets in the NW room of the cottage.

 

·         1^st-2^nd Grade (Spirit Seekers):  “The Brave Little Parrot” This Sunday we’ll begin our exploration of April’s theme of TRANSFORMATION with a story about a parrot whose act of extraordinary compassion and sacrifice saved a forest of animals from a terrible fire. Meets in the SE room of the cottage.

 

·         3^rd-5^th Grade:  “Origins of Life” This week our UUniverse Story classes will begin an exploration of the origins of life – appropriate in April as a time of the blossoming of spring and celebrating new life.  How have people traditionally explained the beginnings of life? What is our current understanding of this question?  Are scientists really on the verge of unlocking the answers to this biggest of mysteries? And are we alone in the Universe?  Meets in Room 2, the second room down the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.

 

·         6^th-7^th Grade (Compass Points): “The Devil Made Them Do It” This week we’ll explore the concept of whether people are born good or bad, or whether they become that way through their life’s experiences, will consider what makes a person do violent things, and will explore the idea of inherent worth and dignity – for everyone?  Meets in Room 3, the third room down the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.

 

·         8^th Grade (Coming of Age) – 9:00 only:  This Sunday, the COA class will screen COA services from past years as they continue working on crafting their own service for May.  Meets in the mural room at the end of the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall. 

 

·         9^th-12^th Grade (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) – 9:00 only: This Sunday YRUU will continue working on plans for their YRUU Sunday service in April and will work on publicity for this week’s t-shirt fundraiser launch.  Meets in Room 1, the first room at the top of the stairs above Forbes Hall.

 

 

Announcements:

 

NEW Under-5 UU Play Group Starting 4/9:  A weekday play group for children under 5 and their parents will begin meeting weekly on Tuesdays from 9:30-11:00 am in the Cottage nursery, beginning next week on April 9^th.  Contact Jonathan Bijur for more info.

 

NEW UUCCSM Shirt Sale Begins this Week!  Show your UUCCSM pride and help support our YRUU youth’s fund-raising effort for their service-learning trip to New Orleans this summer by purchasing a special UUCCSM t-shirt!  Shirts are $25 each and are available in a wide variety of styles and sizes and come in a rainbow of colors, with our UUCCSM logo printed in white.  We have t-shirts in adult and child sizes, women’s cut short-sleeve and ¾ sleeve t-shirts, and long-sleeve t-shirts!  On sale now in the courtyard on Sundays following the service – purchase one of the shirts we have on hand, or place an order for the exact shirt you want if it’s not already available.  Hint: these shirts are GREAT to wear as part of the UUCCSM contingent at the Pride Parade in June, or if you purchase a white shirt they’d be perfect for tie-dying, on your own, at our UUCCSM church camp in September or on Tie-Dye Sunday in summer RE!

 

NEW COA/YRUU Outing April 13 – Get Your Bounce On!  UUCCSM youth in grades 8-12 are invited to a special social outing to Sky High Sports!  (http://woh.jumpskyhigh.com/)  From the Sky High Sports website:  Sky High Sports is a unique trampoline fun center. This facility has been designed and created for one purpose...to have FUN! Come and improvise! Whether you flip forward or flip backward, you will definitely flip out for Sky High Sports!  The group will gather at UUCCSM at 2:15pm to carpool to the valley for the event, and will return to the church by 6pm.  Cost is $10 for a group of 10 or more, or $12 if the group is smaller.  Be on the lookout for an invitation w/ more details and permission form coming directly to youth and parents soon!  FMI contact catherinedre@yahoo.com.  

 

Let’s Go to Camp this Summer!  de Benneville Pines Summer Camp Registration Open:  Flyers and registration information for this year’s Summer Camps at our lovely UU camp in the mountains are now available online.  UUCCSM has its own church camp weekend in September each year (HIGHLY recommended), but there are many more opportunities to go to camp for people of all ages throughout the summer.  See below or check out the full roster of programs at http://www.uucamp.org.  

 

What is Camp de Benneville Pines?  Owned by our UU district (including SoCal, Arizona and part of Nevada), the camp is located in the Barton Flats area of the San Bernardino National Forest, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles. At an elevation of 6,800 feet, the camp is surrounded by a forest of towering pines, cedars, and oaks.  The mission of Camp de Benneville Pines is to provide a mountain retreat where Unitarian Universalist principles and values are lived and celebrated in community.

 

Elementary Summer Camp, “Generosity of Spirit,” June 30 – July 6, 2013

http://www.uucamp.org/camps/2013/PSWD/elem_summer/Elem_Summer_Camp_2013.html

For youth completing grades 2-5.

Please join us as we play, sing, laugh, swim and enjoy the greatness of being in community with Unitarian Universalists from all over the Pacific Southwest District. We talked last summer about how “what we bring to the world is exactly what the world needs from us.” This summer, we will explore the many ways in which we can share who we are and be where we are needed.  As always, we will have tons, tons, tons of fun!

 

Jr. High Summer Camp, “Keep the Unity in ComUUnity,” July 7 - 13, 2013

http://www.uucamp.org/camps/2013/PSWD/jrhigh_summer/JrHigh_Summer_Camp_2013.html

For youth completing grades 6-8.

This year, our Junior High summer camp will be centered around becoming peacemakers in our lives and in the world! Each day we will focus on one of the following: respect, communication, listening, forgiving, and living courageously. Living peacefully - at home, at school, with friends - begins with us and spreads like ripples in water. Campers will also participate in swimming, hiking, canoeing, archery, crafts and more!

 

YRUU Sr High Summer Camp, “Camp IllUUminate-Us,” July 14 - 20, 2013

http://www.uucamp.org/camps/2013/PSWD/srhigh_summer/SrHigh_Summer_Camp_2013.html

For youth completing grades 9-12.

Let that little light of yours shine brightly at Camp IllUUminate-Us, a spectacular summer week of self-discovery and fun in a caring, accepting community. Roast marshmallows, tell stories and worship, all around a blazing bonfire. Join in groups to share your favorite song and learn about each other. Come to Summer Camp! You'll get to discover wonderful friendships, work together in team building games at our Summer Olympics, and enjoy an exciting star-gazing evening, all the while singing "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!" Who wouldn't want to let their individuality shine and grow within our spectacular district-wide youth community? Enjoy all of your favorite workshops and events, not to mention quite a few new activities. You can expect an illuminating and exciting week at Camp DeBenneville Pines! We hope to see you there!!

 

UU Family Camp, “Exploring the Interdependent Web”, July 21-27, 2013,

http://www.uucamp.org/camps/2013/PSWD/family_summer/Family_Summer_Camp_2013.html

Unitarian Universalists affirm and promote 7 key principals or beliefs within our congregations and communities. The 7th principal states: " Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.  But who is included in our web? Does it include all life? What does “respect” actually mean? What does it mean to be “interdependent?” How can we teach our children? How can we influence one another? In this year’s Family Camp, let’s explore the interdependent web and how we are each a part of it. In our beautiful natural setting, we can spend a week together making music, "capturing the flag", tie-dyeing, staring at trees, hiking, contemplating, swimming, worshiping, laughing and playing. In a co-operative environment, we will explore together what it means to be part of an interdependent web. Price includes lodging, all meals, all workshops and activities, including hiking, swimming, canoeing, playing, music making, archery and arts & crafts.  Oh yes, and all the R & R you can fit into the week!  Register early; this camp sells out.  An extra perk for UUCCSM folks: the Camp Dean is our very own Amy Brunell! 

 

 

Please sign up to bring snack for your child’s RE Class:  Most of our RE classes still have lots of open spots for parents to sign up to bring a snack to class.  Children and youth value snack highly as part of their RE experience; parents, please take part in making sure it’s available every Sunday!  Here are links to online signup pages for each class; just fill in your last name for the Sundays you’re willing to help out, and you’ll get a reminder email midweek leading up to the Sundays you’ve signed up for.

 

·         9:00 Preschool-K: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ufVuIEr6mprU7qJoBIB5zLLa_3jE9N7fr3A4zTaWhMk/edit#

·         9:00 1^st-2^nd Grades: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AF3KpLXhQQ3VjhG6iUoJ_pnLty_UXzI9ZeitbBd0H8M/edit#

·         9:00 3^rd-5^th Grades: https://docs.google.com/document/d/110AaDJ89pZT_ZjO9lVreQ27fKGmKOFOho7AKExSyLRI/edit#

·         9:00 6^th-7^th Grades: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EKU4mbGqhw44nPj9LdfW27-csnLDHW5QmxOrejIam74/edit

·         9:00 8^th Grade (COA): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FB5jHL7YoaH108ssr5IJGlnhiK8jg20s0Koj11Lm3ps/edit

·         9:00 9^th-12^th YRUU: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oqqIus8jaWyxtJYmWcNpmbsosVpi1TfA-F11_sSAwnU/edit

·         11:00 Preschool-K: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gPziJCMxNoRq4-0griRoMOrkjZZ5jMqfEzieCUTWpFs/edit#heading=h.gjdgxs

·         11:00 1^st-2^nd Grades: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UnitBIIPUViUOH-hIAYZD4eMoNSv_Tbpd8pFyCs-q34/edit#

·         11:00 3^rd-5^th Grades: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zMN3zUu13da4GFt8xgIBQbnoRP1PLh_kA3qr_IYx_xE/edit#

·         11:00 6^th-7^th Grades: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12d_JtawEjyetDi1mFIKU_Ds8v0KqpCcVEiTGhHEIJZE/edit

 

 

RE Books Wish List on Amazon:  Another arm of the “master wish list” for the RE program, is an Amazon Wishlist of books and supplies that will be useful in RE classes this year or that will be valuable resources for teachers & families in our church.  We do have some money earmarked for purchases, but we are running on a tight RE budget, and donations are happily accepted.  If you’d like to help out by donating to the program, check out the Amazon list at http://tinyurl.com/rewishlist.  (Used books in “good” condition are just fine!)  THANK YOU to the members who have already sent books or other supplies our way – they are so appreciated!

 

 

UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):

 

Chalice Lighting Words of the Week (April’s Theme – TRANSFORMATION):

 

 

April 7:

He allowed himself to be swayed by his conviction that human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, from Love in the Time of Cholera

 

For the 2012-13 church year we’re trying out a new way of living as one lifespan religious community: congregation-wide ministry themes. Each month we’ll explore a new theme, and in April our theme is TRANSFORMATION.  The chalice lightings shared here will be used in all of our RE classes, and I hope that your family will also share it at home during the week.  I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. 

 

 

At-Home Ideas to Explore our Congregational Theme for April - TRANSFORMATION

 

 

This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)

 

April 7, 1780: William Ellery Channing, “the father of American Unitarianism,” was born in Newport, Rhode Island.  He entered Harvard at age 15 and was a distinguished scholar throughout his life.  On June 1, 1803, he was ordained at and became minister of the Federal Street Church, now the Arlington Street Church, in Boston.  Despite an initial reluctance to divide the Standing Order, he took and active role in the Unitarian Controversy in Boston and created a stir with the sermon he preached at the ordination of Jared Sparks.  The sermon, “Unitarian Christianity,” is also known as the Baltimore Sermon.  Its clear points made it the central rationale for the Unitarian movement.  Channing was instrumental in forming the American Unitarian Association, though he declined its presidency.  He was a vigorous and influential preacher, who exerted much of his influence on behalf of associational organization and progressive social causes, especially opposition to slavery.  His sermons were published widely and his collected works went through many editions.  In 1820, Harvard awarded Channing a Doctorate of Divinity degree.  A statue of him stands at one entrance to the Boston Public Gardens, facing the Arlington Street Church, which now uses his former pulpit.  When the Library of Congress was built in Washington, D. C., his name was placed with “Theology” in the hallway decorations where the various disciplines are named.  He died in Bennington, Vermont, on October 2, 1842.       

 

April 7, 1794:  Unitarian Joseph Priestley sailed for America after his home, church, and laboratory were burned in Birmingham, England, in response to his liberal theology and support for the French Revolution.

 

April 7, 1891:  The showman Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum, a devoted Universalist, died at age 80 in Philadelphia.

 

April 8, 1652:  The Rakovian Catechism was burned in London by the common hangman, signifying that its publication was a criminal offense.  Translated into English by John Biddle, it espoused Unitarian doctrines that Parliament considered blasphemous and seditious because they contradicted the Church of England. 

 

April 9, 1959:  The pioneering American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and active Unitarian, died at age 89.

 

April 10, 1866:  The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incorporated in New York City.  Its founder was Henry Bergh, a member of All Souls Church (Unitarian) in that city.

 

April 11, 1925:  Viola Fauver Gregg Liuzzo was born in California, Pennsylvania.  She was a Unitarian committed to education and economic justice.  Active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Liuzzo was arrested twice for civil rights activities and pleaded guilty both times.  She went to Selma, Alabama, to join the march to Montgomery in support of voting rights for African-Americans after the murder of James Reeb, a Unitarian minister.  On March 25, 1965, the day that the marchers arrived in Montgomery, four men forced her car off the road and shot her.  She died instantly.  President Lyndon Baines Johnson and Martin Luther King, Jr. praised her martyrdom.  A plaque in her memory hangs at Unitarian Universalist Association headquarters in Boston.  Viola Liuzzo attended the First Unitarian Church of Detroit.

 

April 13, 1743: Thomas Jefferson was born in Shadwell, Virginia.  He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he established a reputation as a patriot.  As delegate to the Continental Congress (1775-1776), he drafted the Declaration of Independence.  Jefferson also wrote the Statute for Religious Freedom of Virginia.  In 1785 he became the U.S. minister to France.  Upon his return to the United States in 1789, he was appointed secretary of state under George Washington, became vice president under John Adams, and served two terms as president of the United States.  In retirement he founded the University of Virginia.  Though never formally a member of a Unitarian church, Jefferson was a convinced Unitarian and wrote extensively in Unitarianism’s defense.  He also prepared a Socinian edition of the Bible, known as the Jefferson Bible, which is still in use.

 

April 13, 1895:  The first conference of the Khasi Unitarians was held at Jowai, India.  Seven villages were represented.