The 2005 capital campaign has raised pledges of $720,000.

Our goal is $1,000,000.

As of now, 130 pledges have been received; 188 member units have not yet pledgedin our expanded capital campaign to build on the 18th Street property.

A number of you have: (1) Waited to pledge until the city permits are issued,(2) Waited to pledge until we begin building, or (3) Not yet responded to ourinvitation to pledge.

Beginning in September it is time to give our attention to our annual operatingpledge campaign. An adequate operating budget for physical expansion and currentprograms is essential.

We ask you to give your full and enthusiastic support to the Stewardship Committeeduring our annual operating fund pledge drive.

What of the capital campaign?

We'll follow up on those who have postponed their pledging or not responded,but we will remove ourselves from our highly visible presence of the past months.

When the congregation approves building phases and building begins, we'll beback to ask for your help in completion of the funds needed for our building.

"Once in a Lifetime" was not intended to be "Lasting for a Lifetime."

Your completion of a pledge for the 2005 campaign is still needed and requested.See Carol Agate, Ron Crane, Carol Kerr or Ofelia Lachtman to make your pledge.

At the least, consider giving "a dollar a day" to build our church.

With great appreciation for your enormous effort and generous contributionto the building of our church-we thank you.

"I'm a Builder" and so, too, are many of you.

- Ron Crane
Chair, 2005 Capital Campaign

 

A Long Night with the Planners Ends with a Unanimous "Yes"

As part of a larger group, six members of the Wednesday night covenant groupattended the Santa Monica Planning Commission meeting on July 20 to show oursupport for the church's building plans. The commission would now decide whetheror not we would receive approval to move forward.

We met for an enjoyable dinner at California Wok in West LA, allowing us toget to know each other better. But the best was yet to come.

The proposal was second on the agenda, so we caravanned to City Hall for 7:15p.m. The large group of supporters was proudly wearing bright iridescent yellowtags, identifying us as friends of the church.

The first part of the meeting went very quickly. But suddenly, time seemedto stop. The item preceding us, approval of a cellular telephone tower (we thoughtthis item would take a reasonable amount of time), began at 7:30 p.m., lastinguntil 10 p.m. By then, some of our group had to leave, understandably so. CarolKerr, church president; Catherine Farmer, director of religious education; CarolAgate, treasurer; Alison Kendall, Building Committee chair; our architect; threeof our youth, and 10 to 15 church members hung in there until close to midnight.All of us at UUCCSM can be proud of the presentation made by our representatives.

There were quite a few people who live on either 18th Street or Arizona, whoaddressed the body, even at the late hour, regarding their parking difficulties.(Please see article about parking relief on page 7.)

When all was said and done, the commission unanimously approved our petition,allowing us to build our dream church. Thank you to all who have worked so hardto bring our plans that much closer to a reality.

- Paulette Katz and Carol-jean Teuffel,
Wednesday night covenant group

 

Wanted: Fire in the Belly to Spark a Spiritual Need

Is the climate right for the message of Unitarian Universalism to be heartilyembraced by our communities? Are people searching for a faith that teaches tolerancerather than self-righteousness? For one that understands that giving man dominionover the earth doesn't mean "humans" can simply dominate the earth? Do peoplewant a faith that works for social justice instead of promising pie in the sky?Absolutely.

Why do we show up at church on Sundays, but to be challenged to go out andmake the world a better place in which to live? And to create a culture forour children where they feel a responsibility and, indeed receive pleasure,from doing the same?

I think of the amazing sermon my dear friend Daniel Sokatch gave this summeron the work of the Progressive Jewish Alliance (PJA). The congregation was raptas he continued far beyond the typical endof- service time. Daniel was talkingabout the transformative work the PJA does: how it's not doing just service,but working for justice; and it's filling a deep spiritual need, especiallywith young people. He talked about the Jewish moral imperative to work for justicein your own community: literally, faith in action. A dozen people approachedhim afterward and asked, "Is this really what Judaism is about? If it is, maybeI should consider revisiting it."

Do we have a fire in our belly that drives us to transform our own lives andthe lives of those around us for the better like Daniel and the PJA? I thinkmany of us feel it, and that's what draws us here. We hope to find in this churcha group of like-minded people searching for transformation. And we do.

I believe what happens, however, is that we fall short of realizing our potentialbecause we don't have the infrastructure to support this transformation.

I love our minister, Judith Meyer. I love Marie Kashmer- Stiebing, our churchadministrator. I love the work that Catherine Farmer, our director of religiouseducation, is doing, along with Steve Wight, Louis Durra and our other musicstaff. But ask any one of them: They will tell you there is so much more theycould be doing, and the church could be doing, if they had more support.

Imagine an addition to this great team: someone who focuses on lifelong religioustransformation among our members; someone who embraces new members and seeksto bring out their gifts; someone who can see the desire of people within ourcommunity for self-transformation and transformation of others and connect thosedots; someone who can help integrate the 50-plus new members we sign up eachyear, to help them incorporate our UU values into their lives and spread thegood word to others who might join us.

Imagine having a point person on staff who could work with our Faith in Actionand Small Group Ministry to make our presence in the community a formidableone. We only need look to our friends at Neighborhood Church in Pasadena tosee their impact on the community. A few years back they added an Outreach Coordinatorto their staff. They now have more than a dozen outreach programs, most of whichoffer effective hands-on volunteer opportunities that have daily impact on Angelinos(particularly at-risk children) for the better.

Imagine adding support for Judith and Catherine: someone who can focus on thespiritual development of the young adults in the church, or the older adultsin the church for that matter. Imagine a full-time member of our community whocould oversee programs from Circle Suppers to a Caring Committee . . . and reallygive them the energy and time they need to be nurtured.

These are a few of our needs. I'm sure there are others, and maybe more importantones. But since I joined the church a few years back, it seems to me that ourbudgeting process (i.e., how can we keep our expenses as limited as possible)has limited our vision (i.e., how can we transform as many lives as possible,both within our church and in the larger community)

Our UU faith has the right message for this time in history. But committedvolunteers alone cannot grow our church. We must all ask ourselves, how manylives do we want to transform? What do we want our legacy to be? And what willit take to fulfill that legacy?

Our fall pledge drive begins in just a few weeks. We'll once again be askingyour support for the coming year. You've been asked to fund our new buildingproject. Now, consider increasing your pledge for our operating budget. Thischurch is a vibrant community -one that has much potential and can truly changethe world. But it's going to take some resources from each one of us. Won'tyou make that commitment?

In faith,
Jacki Weber,
Chair, Stewardship Committee

 

One more thought . . .

Please consider making this congregation your primary charitable beneficiaryand pledge a percentage of your income to support the church's work. A pledgeof 5% or more of your after-tax income says in clear terms that your church,the values it helps you live by, and this community of friends have a significantplace in your heart or life. That 5% number may be scary to you. I'm at 3% (combinedcapital and operating pledges) and it's a real commitment. But this year, myhusband got a raise. We'll give the church 10% of his raise and yearby- year,we'll inch up toward that 5%. When we finish paying our capital campaign pledge,we'll increase our operating pledge by the amount we're currently sending tothe new building project. Join me in increasing your commitment and become partof the transformation.

 

Living Green: More Good Ideas

The Seventh Principle of our Unitarian Universalist faith is "Respect for theinterdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." With that in mind,here are some more ideas about living green.

1. Use an environmentally safe dry cleaner. They advertise,so look at storefronts or use the phone book to find one near you.

2. Buy things that last. Ignore ads prompting you to get anew one.

3. Use cloth napkins. Families can reuse these all week byfolding and putting them in napkin rings for the next meal. If you are handywith sewing, you can make your own from fabric scraps.

- Sandra Trutt

 

Pres. Bush to Our Dr. Goodman: "Your Actions are Part of Change"

President Bush has written a letter of commendation to our past president andlongtime active member Dr. Ray Goodman, sending congratulations to him on receivingthe President's Volunteer Service Award from the President's Council on Serviceand Civic Participation. "Through service to others, you demonstrate the outstandingcharacter of America and help strengthen our country," the President writes.

Ray is Medical Director of the Los Angeles Medical Reserve Corps, serving 11million people, all of Los Angeles County, the largest community in the U.S.Over 500 volunteers are prepared to provide health care services in mass vaccinationclinics, aid in the distribution of pharmaceutical centers, and participatein the presentation of public health education programs to prepare and respondto any major disaster. Ray and all his health care professionals serve withoutany compensation. More information is available at www.cphd.ucla.edu/mrc.

The President's letter to Ray added: "In January 2002, I called on all Americansto dedicate at least two years-or 4,000 hours-over the course of their livesto serve others at home or abroad. I congratulate you and all Americans whohave answered this call and have earned a Silver Award from the President'sCouncil. Americans of all ages can serve others in countless ways, such as mentoringa child, caring for an elderly neighbor, teaching someone to read, cleaningparks, and creating safer neighborhoods.

"My Administration encourages every American to help their communities andour country. Through the USA Freedom Corps and the President's Council, we arebuilding a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility in America thatwill last for decades to come. Americans continue to serve and are part of thegrowing momentum of millions of acts of kindness and decency that are changingAmerica, one heart and soul at a time. Your actions are part of this change.I urge you to continue serving your neighbors and earn a Gold Award. I alsohope that you will ask your friends, family, and colleagues to join you in servingyour community and our Nation.

"May God bless you, and may God continue to bless America.

"Sincerely, George Bush."