Calendar of upcoming events:

            Saturday, 11/17
                        Thanksgiving Feast
            Sunday, 11/18
                        Youth Leadership Team meets
                        Bring donations of travel-sized toiletries and warm clothing for Common Ground!
            Sunday, 11/25
                        Faith in Action Sunday in RE – Donation drive for homeless youth served by Common Ground
            Sunday, 12/2
                        Youth Leadership Team meets
                        Mandatory Parent Orientation (Part 1) for Jr. High O.W.L., 12:00-2:30
            Sunday, 12/16
                        Mandatory Parent Orientation (Part 2) for Jr. High O.W.L., 12:30-3:30
            Saturday, 12/22
                        Friendly Beasts Pageant Rehearsal
            Sunday, 12/23
                        Winter Holiday Pageant

Volunteer Opportunities:

NEW Common Ground Faith in Action Project Helpers Needed: On November 25th the 1st-5th graders & YRUU youth will be collecting donations of hygiene products to make “kits” for teens served by Common Ground’s homeless youth drop-in center, as well as donations of warm clothing, sleeping bags, etc.  I’m looking for people who would like to help out, at either service, during the kit-making & donation-sorting effort on the 25th.  Can you help?  Contact Catherine Farmer Loya at Catherinedre@yahoo.com or call 310-829-5436 x105.

This Week in RE:

·         Preschool-Kindergarten: “I Can Help” This week our preschool class will explore ways in which we can help those we care about.  Meets in the NW room of the cottage.

·         1st-2nd Grade (Spirit Seekers):  “Flaming Chalice Lesson” This week our 1st-2nd graders will learn about our UU symbol, the flaming chalice, and will make personalized tote bags with chalices!  Meets in the SE room of the cottage.

·         3rd-5th Grade:  “Basking in the Afterglow” This week, as we continue our exploration of the universe and the development of the Big Bang Theory, we’ll learn “how we know what we know” about the evidence that supports our current understanding of the origin of the universe.  Meets in the mural room at the end of the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.

·         6th-7th Grade (Compass Points): “What’s the Bible to Us?” This week we’ll gain some understanding of how and when the Bible came to be written, will consider it as a collection of books of different genres, and will begin to understand how much there is to be learned about its many versions and interpretations, both currently and throughout history. Meets in Room 3, the third room down the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.

·         8th Grade (Coming of Age) – 9:00 only:  This Sunday in Coming of Age we’ll explore a number of different spiritual practices.  Meets in Room 2, the second room down the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.

·         9th-12th Grade (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) – 9:00 only: This Sunday we’ll view some videos from the “It Gets Better” campaign and will talk about ways we can show our support for the worth and dignity of all youth in our communities. (Youth Leadership Team) – 11:15 (following Time for All Ages in sanctuary): This Sunday the new Youth Leadership Team will meet for the second time will explore our own leadership styles as well as craft plans for leading the full youth group in a vote on this year’s “big trip” for YRUU. All high school youth who would like to be involved are warmly invited to join us! Meets in Room 1, the first room at the top of the stairs above Forbes Hall.

Announcements:

NEW Guest at Your Table begins this Sunday: Every year UUCCSM supports the work of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee by participating in the annual Guest at Your Table program during the holiday season.  This year’s GAYT program will begin this Sunday, November 18th.  For more than 30 years, UU communities nationwide have participated in Guest at Your Table. They have come together for this special tradition to give thanks, celebrate UU values, and partner with UUSC to change the world.  After our kickoff on Sunday, we invite you to place a Guest at Your Table box where you have your meals and keep it there for several weeks. During that time, share the Stories of Hope — stories drawn from UUSC’s human rights work which we’ll send to you in our weekly UUpdates emails — to imagine a different guest at your table with you each week. And when you have your meals, insert coins or bills into the box to help feed the guest in need who has come to your table. Then bring your box, or write a check to UUSC, on one of the first two Sundays in January, when we’ll be collecting them and sending our congregation’s contribution to UUSC.

Faith in Action Project - Donation Drive to Benefit Common Ground’s Homeless Teen Program:  On November 25th, children and youth in RE will be putting together “hygiene kits” and organizing other donated items for our November Social Justice Project.  Common Ground is a nonprofit organization that provides services to people living with HIV-AIDS, and one arm of their program is a drop-in center for homeless youth in Santa Monica.  (To learn more about Common Ground, visit http://www.commongroundhiv.org/prevention.php.)  Please, take a look at the list of items below and bring some things in for our donation drive.  Undergarments, socks and personal care items should be new.  Other items can be gently used or new.  Please bring donations this Sunday, November 18th to the “Common Ground Donations” basket at the Lifespan RE table in Forbes Hall during coffee hour.  We will collect through the 25th, when we’ll organize all of the donations during the services in RE.
Personal Care items needed for “hygiene kits”: 

- Travel- or hotel-sized  shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash, toothpaste, deodorant, mouthwash, soap
- Toothbrushes
- Shaving razors
- Feminine hygiene products

Common Ground’s homeless youth always have a more difficult time living on the streets during the colder, wetter months. They will greatly appreciate any items- I had a youth tell me last year when we were handing out socks that it is “nice to feel like someone cares”.  The kids need warm things for the winter. Often socks and clothes get wet and they show up at our place soaked to the bone with no other clothes to change into.  They are always in need of the following specifically:

- Sweatshirts/Hoodies (L, XL, XXL) (In the winter they generally wear as many layers as possible to try to stay warm and dry so they need the bigger sizes of sweatshirts)
- Socks
- Warm hats/ beanies
- Underwear- (boxers, women’s underwear)- most youth only have one pair to their name
- Bras 

Although the Westside has a cold weather shelter for adults that opens for a few months each year in early December, many of the youth will not access it. Often, this is due to fear. Many of the youth have told me about horrible experiences at various LA shelters. There is no “youth” shelter on the Westside. In the cold months ahead, many of the kids will need other non clothing items to support them on the street including:

- Sleeping bags
- Blankets
- Backpacks 

I just provided a long list! Sorry for that! This time of year is always so hard. I wonder how we can let any of our young people sleep out on the cold streets for months on end. It is so difficult to have to shut our doors at the end of a night and send those kids back out to the cold and wet.  Any help that you can provide is wonderful and much appreciated!

The Return of the Friendly Beasts! Once again, our pre-K through 5th-grade children will sing “The Friendly Beasts” song at our holiday pageant on Sunday, Dec. 23, at both services.  Kris Langabeer will begin rehearsing the kids Nov. 4 for about 10 minutes in each classroom.  She’ll begin with the preschoolers and then move from classroom to classroom rehearsing the older kids.  Please mark your calendars: a dress rehearsal for all Beasts will occur Saturday, Dec. 22, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary.  We’ll need parent/teacher help in supervising/entertaining/feeding kids on Pageant day.  For more info, see the November church newsletter or contact Kris.

Jr. High & Sr. High Youth Camps at de Benneville Pines – Registration Open:  Youth are encouraged to head to Camp de Benneville Pines this winter for a camp experience like no other!

·         Jr. High Camp is Nov.30-Dec.2, and this year’s theme is “Our Amazing Race!”  Teams of youth will move through the weekend travelling to different countries “around the world”, completing quests, puzzles, challenges and races that emphasize community building and teamwork. There will be road blocks, of course, bonus opportunities and UU fun along the way.  All regular camp activities (raps, workshops and snow play) will be folded into this amazing adventure. This weekend is sure to be a new experience for all and a way to explore the world at beautiful de Benneville Pines!  For more information and to register online, visit http://www.uucamp.org/camps/2012/PSWD/jrhigh_fall/JrHFall2012.html.

·         Sr. High Camp is Dec. 27-Jen. 2, and the theme for this year is “Camp ApUUcalypse.”  Live like you're dying at Camp ApUUcalypse, a winter weekend of survival and growth!  Master the art of zombie fighting. Finish off your bucket list. Come for new friends, laughter and an awesome UU experience! And even if the world does end, then what could be a better send-off than a weekend with our fabulous district-wide youth community? All the traditional workshops will be available during the week, as well as new activities, so we will have fun up until the moment of doom!  For registration online and more info, visit http://www.uucamp.org/camps/2013/PSWD/srhigh_winter/SrHWinter2013.html.

RE Registration & Parent Commitment Form for 2012-13:  Every child and youth who participates in our RE classes needs to have a registration form and parent commitment form filled out and signed each year.  The registration form helps us make sure we have current contact information for your family as well as information about your children’s needs, your dreams for their experience in our RE program, and the areas in which you’d like to help support our church’s educational ministry.  The parent commitment form asks for parents of children in our RE program to help out as volunteers during the year to ensure that our program is fully supported and of the highest quality we can make it.  We’ll have plenty of blank forms at the LRE table in the courtyard before and after the services on Sunday mornings in September, and they are also posted on the UUSM website at http://uusm.org/sundays-and-services/lifespan-RE/registration-permission-forms. Please bring yours on Sunday, or stop by the table to fill them out.  It is very helpful for us to have our registrations right away, so we can begin to build our class rosters and update our church records for this year.

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 (November’s Theme – GRATITUDE):

November 18:
Amid all the noise in our lives,
We take this moment to sit in silence –
        To give thanks for another day,
        To give thanks for all those in our lives who have brought us warmth
and love
        To give thanks for the gift of life.
-- Timothy D. Haley

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 November our theme is GRATITUDE.  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 GRATITUDE:

“Thanksgiving” (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox)
How to Make a Thankfulness Tree – Draw a maple lead template.  Once you have the template, use a pencil and outline the leaf shape on colored paper.  Cut out as many leaf shapes as you wish.  If your children are very young, you may want to do this part ahead.  Spread the leaves across the table, and let everybody in the family write things on the leaves for which they are thankful this year.  Poke a small hole in the stem part of the leaves, thread with string, and hang on the branches.  Afterwards, save all the leaves, either gluing them into the family scrapbook or stuffing them in a plastic baggy marked with the year.  (When he gets older, my won will love that he was thankful for “my brane” at age six.)  Alternate idea:  Make your thankfulness tree as a poster, drawing a picture of a tree, then having the kids trace around their hands on colored paper and make those handprints the leaves.  Glue “leaves” to three on poster.

Thankful Box – Put a cardboard box with a slit cut into the top on the kitchen counter the week before Thanksgiving, with a pile of blank paper and a pencil next to it.  Everybody writes down things they’re thankful for.  Read them aloud during the feast, and guess who wrote what.

Thanksgiving Scroll – Each year before the feast, the Butman family of Walkersville, Maryland, unrolls a paper scroll across the kitchen table.  (Arts and crafts stores sell paper rolls, which are about 1 foot wide.)  To start, Bryan Butman or one of his three kids picks out a Bible verse having to do with giving thanks, and they write it across the top.  The paper is taped to the table and divided into five sections, one for each family member.  Each family member draws or colors something they were thankful for that year, whether a pet, good grades, or close friends.  The Butmans keep adding on to the same scroll until it’s full, but you could also cut off each year’s section and carefully tape it to the dining room wall while eating your feast.

Corn Kernels – Put three kernels of corn next to each place setting for Thanksgiving dinner, and at some point, have each person count out three things for which they are grateful.

Thank-You Notes – Kim Meisenheimer realized that many of the people for whom her kids were thankful didn’t come to their Thanksgiving dinner.  So she started having her sons write (and mail) two or three special thank-you notes a year to special people, anyone from the soccer coach to Grandma.  On Thanksgiving Day itself, each family member could be required to write a thank-you note to each other person attending the feast.  Slip them under the plates before the meal.

Connecting When You’re Apart – On the day before Thanksgiving, Gines family members all over the country make pie at exactly the same time, using Grandma Betty’s pie crust recipe.  Betty herself calls each household in turn, and speaks to each grandchild.

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

November 18, 1787:  James Freeman was ordained as a Unitarian minister at King’s Chapel in Boston, by authority of the congregation, after two Anglican bishops refused to ordain him.  At the service, he was names “Rector, Minister, Priest, Pastor, and Ruling Elder.”  Thus the first Anglican church in America became the first avowedly Unitarian church in America.  Through Freeman’s Harvard College associations and civic activities, King’s Chapel grew into full relations with its former Puritan enemies.

November 18, 1861: The Unitarian Julia Ward Howe wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” at the specific request of President Abraham Lincoln.  Many of the Union forces adopted it as a marching song in the Civil War, but it soon gained nationwide popularity.  American troops sang it in the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II.

November 18, 2003:  The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued its decision in the case of Goodridge v. the Department of Public Health of Massachusetts.  The court held that under the Constitution of Massachusetts, it is illegal to deny to people of the same gender the same marriage rights granted to people of different genders.  The primary plaintiffs were Hillary and Julie Goodridge.  Of the 14 plaintiffs, seven were Unitarian Universalists, including Hillary Goodridge.  The Unitarian Universalist Association and the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association of the Masachusetts Bay District filed amicus curiae briefs in the case.

November 19, 1621:  A mob of angry orthodox Christians stormed the Unitarian congregation in Haarlem, Holland, on this date.  The Unitarian minister and Remonstrant Hermann Montanus escaped, but 25 of his parishioners were arrested.  Remonstrants, especially those showing Unitarian tendencies, were frequently persecuted at this time.  The Haarlem congregation had been infiltrated by Daniel Brenius, who betrayed its Unitarian tendencies to the authorities.

November 20, 1850:  Charlotte Garrigue Masaryk was born in Brooklyn, New York.  Her family belonged to First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn.  Masaryk spent some time in Germany studying piano.  Friends there told her about Thomas Masaryk, whom she married on March 15, 1878.  The couple moved to Prague, Czechoslovakia, where Thomas fought for his country’s independence and Charlotte devoted her time to social problems.  Thomas became the first president of Czechoslovakia, elected in 1920 and again in 1927 and 1934.  Charlotte died in 1923.  At her funeral at First Unitarian Church in Brooklyn, her husband and her son spoke from the pulpit.

November 20, 1888:  Nathaniel Currier, a Unitarian and noted lithographer with partner James Merrit Ives, died at age 74.

November 24, 1597:  George Enyedi, the third superintendent (bishop) of Unitarian churches in Transylvania, died.  In a time of fading religious faith, Enyedi rallied the Unitarians with regular synods and writings.  His death, followed by that of King Sigismund II, marked the end of Unitarianism’s major presence in the area.

November 24, 1859:  Charles Darwin, a Unitarian, published The Origin of the Species, setting forth radical ideas that challenged biblical literalists.