Calendar of upcoming events:

Sunday, 3/10
     Daylight Savings Time begins!
     Coming of Age parent meeting, 10:15-11:00am
     8th-9th O.W.L. meets
     10th-12th O.W.L. – first class!
Sunday, 3/17
     YRUU New Orleans trip informational meeting 10:15-11:00am
      8th-9th O.W.L. meets
      10th-12th O.W.L. meets
Sunday, 3/24
     RE Faith in Action Sunday – details coming soon
     8th-9th O.W.L. meets
     10th-12th O.W.L. meets
Sunday, 3/31
      Easter Sunday Intergenerational Service, followed by RE Egg Hunt

Volunteer Opportunity:
Easter Volunteers Needed: Easter’s on March 31st this year, and I’m looking for some volunteers to help with the day’s festivities.  Would you enjoy hiding eggs and/or helping to supervise the after-service eggs hunts for our kids?  If you’d like to help out, contact Catherinedre@yahoo.com or call me at 310-829-5436 x105.

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: “Rainbows” This week our preschool classes will celebrate the wonder and beauty of rainbows, with stories and a special craft project using bubbles. Meets in the NW room of the cottage.

·         1st-2nd Grade (Spirit Seekers):  “Jelly Beans” This Sunday we’ll continue our exploration of March’s theme of EVIL with a story about a boy whose family helps him figure out a way to make an enemy into a friend. Meets in the SE room of the cottage.

·         3rd-5th Grade:  “I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet"” Have you ever seen the surface of the Earth change? Or felt it? What about earthquakes? Or lava flows from volcanoes? But does the Earth always change so quickly that we can observe it? Or do most changes take place over millions of years? How do we know? This week our UUniverse Story classes will be explore the history of our planet and how land masses have moved over time.  We’ll also look at some of the ways geologists have tried to answer our class’ foundational question, “How do we know what we know?”  Meets in Room 2, the second room down the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.

·         6th-7th Grade (Compass Points): “Hey – Who’s in Charge Here?” This week we’ll learn about the way our history informs how our church community works today, though exploring the concept of congregational polity.  Who has the authority to make decisions in our church?  Why do we "call" our minister with a vote?  Who decides who can become a member, and are there any requirements for joining a UU church?  What do these things have to do with who we are and what we believe as Unitarian Universalists?  We’ll also take a look at ways our UU principles are derived from our polity.  Meets in Room 3, the third room down the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.

·         8th Grade (Coming of Age) – 9:00 only:  This Sunday, Valeo will lead and Larry will assist as we explore the topic: In Relationship.  Meets in the mural room at the end of the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.  And don’t miss the 10:15-11 COA parent meeting!

·         9th-12th Grade (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) – 9:00 only: This Sunday YRUU will welcome a special visitor to the group, UUCCSM member Patrick Meighan. Well, Patrick has a lot of 'splainin' to do, so join us this week to hear him speak. As you may know, Patrick is a producer/writer on the Family Guy, so in addition to being a funny guy he gets into some hot water on what types of humor crosses the line and what doesn't. If you want the inside scoop, see you Sunday! Meets in Room 1, the first room at the top of the stairs above Forbes Hall.

Announcements:

NEW Informational Meeting on the YRUU Service Trip to New Orleans, 3/17: High school youth and their parents are invited to join YRUU advisors and the Director of Religious Education for a meeting from 10:15-11:00 am on Sunday, March 17th, to discuss this summer’s youth trip to New Orleans.  We need to provide our host organization with a head count relatively soon, so NOW is the time to be thinking seriously about whether your youth will participate!  The likely trip dates are June 29-July 6.  Please RSVP by contacting Catherine@uusm.org or calling 310-829-5436 x105.

DRE Leave Planning  Now that we’re only three months out from the arrival of the newest member of the Famer Loya household, you may be wondering about what my leave will mean for the RE programs at UUCCSM.  I have been working with Rebecca, the Lifespan RE Committee and the Personnel Committee to make plans for this time, and I am confident that all will go smoothly during my time away.  My final Sunday at UUCCSM, unless the baby arrives earlier, will be May 19th, which is Coming of Age Sunday as well as the Annual Meeting.  My leave will begin on May 23rd and I’ll be away for 12 weeks, returning to UUCCSM on August 15th.  We are in the process of searching for a part-time Acting DRE to provide staff support for our programs while I’m away, and the Lifespan RE Committee will be working with me between now and then to make sure we’re fully prepared.  We need your help too!  We will begin our recruiting for RE volunteers for the summer programs as well as the new program year which launches in September sooner than usual, so we can have as much as possible in place before my leave begins.  So be on the lookout for information coming soon about opportunities to help, particularly in the summer program.  I am so grateful for the care and support shown to my family by UUCCSM members of all ages – thank you.  It is lovely to share this joyful time with all of you, and to know that our child has such a loving community ready and waiting.

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 1st-2nd Grades: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AF3KpLXhQQ3VjhG6iUoJ_pnLty_UXzI9ZeitbBd0H8M/edit#
·         9:00 3rd-5th Grades: https://docs.google.com/document/d/110AaDJ89pZT_ZjO9lVreQ27fKGmKOFOho7AKExSyLRI/edit#
·         9:00 6th-7th Grades:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EKU4mbGqhw44nPj9LdfW27-csnLDHW5QmxOrejIam74/edit
·         9:00 8th Grade (COA): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FB5jHL7YoaH108ssr5IJGlnhiK8jg20s0Koj11Lm3ps/edit
·         9:00 9th-12th 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 1st-2nd Grades:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UnitBIIPUViUOH-hIAYZD4eMoNSv_Tbpd8pFyCs-q34/edit#
·         11:00 3rd-5th Grades: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zMN3zUu13da4GFt8xgIBQbnoRP1PLh_kA3qr_IYx_xE/edit#
·         11:00 6th-7th 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 (March’s Theme – EVIL):

March 10:
Knowing that we do not always live up to our best expectations of ourselves, let us in quietness seek the good within, which some call the Inner Light, and some “a spark of the divine.”  Knowing that we live in a society that falls far short of the ideal, let us in quietness resolve to do one thing this week to aid those suffering from want and injustice.
-- Maryell Cleary

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 March our theme is EVIL, a challenging concept for many Unitarian Universalists!  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 Activities to Reinforce this month’s theme of EVIL:

Resources:

Blog Post for UU Parents: “Stories About Evil Can Be Good For Kids” by Michelle Richards - http://blogs.uuworld.org/parenting/2011/02/28/stories-about-evil-can-be-good-for-kids/

Books for Children and Youth:
·         Pandora, by Robert Burleigh, Harcourt Children’s Books 2002
·         Max and Ruby in Pandora’s Box, by Rosemary Wells, Puffin, 1998
·         The McElderry Book of Greek Myths, by Erik A. Kimmel, Margaret K. McElderry, 2008

Resources for Adults:
·         Explore the following readings in Singing the Living Tradition published by the Unitarian Universalist Association. (Our hymnal)
o   # 496 by Harry Meserve
o   #514 by Lala Winkley
o   #516 Khasi Unitarian Prayer
o   #523 Prayer from India
o   #597 Dhammapada
·         On Evil by Terry Eagleton, Yale University Press, 2010
·         “What is Evil” by Patrick O’Neill, uuworld.org, Winter 2007 http://www.uuworld.org/ideas/articles/56531.shtml
·         “Confronting Evil” by Warren R. Ross, U U World, January/February 2002 http://www.uuworld.org/2002/01/feature1.html

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

March 10, 1660:  A conference between Roman Catholics and Unitarians took place at Roznow, Poland.  Andrew Wissowatius took the lead for the Unitarians.  July 10 of the same year had been fixed as the date by which all Unitarians who refused to conform to the Catholic religion would have to leave the country.  John Szafraniec Wieolopolski, a senator of the kingdom, presided over the conference.  He said, “If all Hell had been let loose, the whole infernal host could not have defended the cause of the Socinians more valiantly than Wissowatius had done, standing alone.”  The Unitarians lost the debate and they were forced to leave the kingdom in what became known as the Great Exile.

March 11, 1965: James Reeb, a Unitarian minister, died in Selma, Alabama, after a civil rights march.  Two days earlier, segregationists had attacked Reeb and the two ministers he was with, hitting Reeb on the head with a club.  He was one of more than 125 Unitarian Universalist ministers who answered Martin Luther King’s call to march in support of voting rights for black Americans.  Two other civil rights activists were killed during the Selma protest – Jimmy Lee Jackson, an African-American farm laborer and church deacon, and Viola Liuzzo, a Unitarian Universalist layperson from Detroit.

March 13, 1733: Joseph Priestley was born in Fieldhead, Yorkshire, England.  He was educated for the Dissenting ministry and became an outstanding theologian.  He wrote many books on religion, including the influential History of the Corruptions of Christianity (1782), which Thomas Jefferson credited with his conversion to Unitarianism.  Priestley also became a successful preacher, despite a marked and painful stutter.  However, he is best known for chemistry, the hobby he took up in his mid-thirties.  He took part in a group of accomplished liberal religious thinkers (called the Lunar Society because it met when the full moon promoted safe travel) who also engaged in science.  Priestley is credited with a number of discoveries, including oxygen and a method of curing scurvy at sea, which was used by Captain Cook on his voyages.  His inventions included anesthesia, carbonated water, and pencil erasers.  Supported in these interests by his wife’s brothers, Priestley made his inventions available to the public and received no money for any of them.  Priestley’s major ministries were in Leeds and Birmingham in England, and then in Philadelphia.  He taught at Warrington Academy, a Unitarian school for training ministers and a predecessor of Harris Manchester College at Oxford.  There he conducted many of his scientific experiments and wrote science textbooks.  Extremely liberal in his politics, Priestley was forced to leave England for America in 1794 after a mob burned his home and laboratory over his support for the principles of the French Revolution.  He received numerous honors during his lifetime.  Priestley died on February 6, 1804.  [Catherine’s note: Joseph Priestley makes an appearance on our mural in Room 4 upstairs! His dual role as minister and scientist is depicted through clothing him on one side in a lab coat and holding a beaker of chemicals, and on the other side he wears a minister’s robe and holds a Bible.]

March 13, 1906:  Susan Brown Anthony, a Unitarian and American leader for women’s suffrage, died at age 86.

March 14, 1571:  Prince John Sigismund of Transylvania died at age 30 from injuries in a horse-riding accident.  He was a champion of Unitarianism and religious toleration in Transylvania.

March 14, 1583:  Faustus Socinus debated former Jesuit Christian Francken on the honor due Christ.  Like Francis David, Francken considered God alone to be due worship, and not Christ.  Francken’s debating style was reportedly abrupt and impetuous.  Socinus answered in so scholarly and thorough a manner that Francken conceded defeat and withdrew.

March 14, 1945:  The American Unitarian Association voted to establish fellowships, or lay-led groups.  The fellowship movement encouraged individualism and in many cases stressed social commitment.  Although many fellowships grew into churches, many preferred their lay status and its varying forms of worship.  Munroe Husbands and Lon Ray Call guided the movement.  Call had notices during his pastorate in Louisville, Kentucky, that several small churches continued with lay leadership after they could no longer support clergy.  From 1948 to 1958 the number of people joining fellowships accounted for one third of the denomination’s increase in membership.