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December, 2003To Serve Humankind in FellowshipOur church board has chosen “reaching out to our greater community”as one of three major goals for this church year. This fits our covenant “toserve humankind in fellowship.” This month’s column provides a briefoverview and some questions about our progress in reaching this goal. We have become more generous on Sunday mornings, direct 15% of each Sunday’scollection to a local charity. Sharing our collection has raised thousands ofdollars for charity. This is welcome news, but is it enough? Should we be expandingour generosity beyond the Sunday collection plate? Should we consider includingfunds earmarked for charitable purposes as part of our annual church budget?Should we plan on sharing a percentage of future bequestswith our community? Hunger and homelessness continue to plague our community. We have respondedto these challenges by supporting the Westside Food Bank with food and assistancewith sorting food, Step Up on Second by preparing a monthly meal, and TurningPoint by providing meals for some holidays. We are becoming more involved withthe Westside Shelter and HungerCoalition (WSHC), which is a consortium of public and private social serviceagencies and faith-based organizationsdedicated to reducing the burden of hunger and homelessness in our community.A major new project of the WSHC is a pair of cold/wet weather shelters for homelesspeople in West Los Angeles and Culver City. Another project is a “VolunteerDay” in early February for faith-based institutions. These two projectshave arisen since our annual issues election in September and both are askingfor volunteer support. How should we respond to this call for volunteers? The FIA speaker series is open to the public and we are planning two new outreachprograms. One is led by Cathie Gentile and deals with economic justice. Theother is led by Simon Huss, Rachel Donaldson, and S. J. Guidotti and involvesa UUSC program known as the Free Speech Project. Should we do more? Please sende-mail commentson this question to Charles Haskell. -- Charles Haskell
Calling all Food Sorters! You’re needed December 10
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December, 2004 This month, instead of the usual Faith in Action column, Charles Haskell has provided photos of some of the congregation's community activities.
Our annual Halloween carnival is a fundraiser to support UNICEF.
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December, 2004 This month, instead of the usual Faith in Action column, Charles Haskell hasprovided photos of some of the congregation's community activities.
Our annual Halloween carnival is a fundraiser to support UNICEF.
The other picture shows Forbes Hall, dressed up for November 2. It was usedas a polling place on Election Day. In addition, many of our church memberswere active advocates for fair elections. |
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December, 2005Visit the Faith in Action Corner Now Set Up in Forbes HallThe table on the southeast corner of Forbes Hall has been the physical home base for social justice work in our church for many years. Over the years, the table and its bulletin board fell on hard times. The table was frequently littered with fliers, pamphlets, program announcements and trash that had nothing to do with Faith in Action. The table was hard to move and it diminished floor space in Forbes Hall when the area was used for functions unrelated to social action. |
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December, 2005Visit the Faith in Action Corner Now Set Up in Forbes HallThe table on the southeast corner of Forbes Hall has been the physical homebase for social justice work in our church for many years. Over the years, thetable and its bulletin board fell on hard times. The table was frequently litteredwith fliers, pamphlets, program announcements and trash that had nothing todo with Faith in Action. The table was hard to move and it diminished floorspace in Forbes Hall when the area was used for functions unrelated to socialaction.
The new look for the Faith in Action corner of Forbes Hall is shown in thephotograph. We look forward to letting you know about our social justice work,to give you opportunities for expressing your opinions about social justicematters by signing petitions, and to attract volunteers to provide food forour monthly dinners at Step Up on Second and thrice yearly dinners at TurningPoint. We invite you to stop by the table, meet our Faith in Action volunteers, andfind out more about our work. Most of the time Lyn Armondo,Cathie Gentile or Marge Zifferblatt will beat the table, but other volunteers will serve as well. We hope you like thesechanges and that you'll give us feedback about how we can further improve howwe function. - Charles Haskell, Chair, Faith in Action Commission |
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December, 2008 Our Saturday Spotlight last month was a blast. It isalways a friendly environment in which we canall strut our stuff. And the Louis Durra Trio'sopening concert for the season, twisting well-knownBeatles tunes, was a sensation. It is really a treat to hearsuch great jazz within our sanctuary walls. This month's main music event is A Celestial Christmas.The Celestial Opera Company (Michelle'sMcWilliams' group) and our UU music committee areco-sponsoring this delightful evening to be held on Saturday,December 13, at 7 p.m. Local opera singers andcompany members perform in this special evening ofseasonal classical favorites and traditional carols withan audience sing-a-long. Yay! See ad for more info. During December, the music committee will reintroducethe Music Table in Forbes Hall after church.Come and stock up on Louis' CDs and DVDs, and thechoir's CDs for all your holiday needs. We welcome Judith Straw and Victor Wylie to themusic committee. Judith will be covering PR for ourevents. Victor is going to launch a whole new music program- Sunday afternoon jam sessions and chambermusic readings in the cottage. Folks will be invited tohang out to play and/or listen to music, just for fun. Norehearsal essential. - Rima Snyder and Bronwen JonesCo-Chairs,Music Committee
A Celestial Christmas
Mark your calendars for a very special concert and singalong of holiday music performed byThe Celestial Opera Company Singers. Saturday, December 13, 7 pm atThe Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica Tickets: $15 or $10 with a non-perishable food donation at the door.Call our ticket hotline (626) 628-3305 for more information,or to purchase tickets online, visit our website atwww.celestialoperacompany.org |
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December, 2008Promote TolerancePromote toleranceWe all need to be active participants in fighting prejudiceand stereotypes. The Southern Poverty Law Centersuggests ways we can promote tolerance and fight hate.Here are two things we can do:1. Speak up when you hear slurs. Let people knowthat biased speech is unacceptable. Apathy can be asdangerous as hate.2. Complain to media outlets when they promotestereotypes.Let's be active in speaking out for the inherent worthand dignity of every person. - Sandra TruttMultiracial Development Committee
Undy Sundays are ComingUndy Sundays are comingWhile you are doing your holiday shopping,remember to look for underwear. During January UndySundays collect new underwear of any size for men,women, or children. For several years, our church hasbeen able to provide new underwear for those in needin our community. We have contributed throughOPCC, Daybreak, the Salvation Army, Step Up on Second,the rape treatment center at SMUCLA hospital,and others. Please remember how valuable it is to havesomething new to put on when you get clean and offerthat feeling to others. |
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December, 2008Promote ToleranceWe all need to be active participants in fighting prejudice and stereotypes. The Southern Poverty Law Center suggests ways we can promote tolerance and fight hate. Here are two things we can do: 1. Speak up when you hear slurs. Let people know that biased speech is unacceptable. Apathy can be as dangerous as hate. 2. Complain to media outlets when they promote stereotypes. Let’s be active in speaking out for the inherent worth and dignity of every person. — Sandra Trutt Multiracial Development Committee |
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Dedication Service in Garden of Eternity
All are invited to share in a special dedication service in the Garden of Eternity immediately following the 11 am service, at which we will dedicate all memorial bricks that have been installed since November 2015. Rev. Rebecca will lead a brief service of memory and gratitude.
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Democracy Still Matters The service offers some post-election reflections inspired by Cornel West. His new book, Democracy Matters, is timely and provocative, no matter who wins. Music: Julie Millett, singer |
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Demythologizing Christmas What's underneath all the religious and commercial hype? The essence of 12/25. |
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Designation of Church as a Welcoming Congregation Adopted at the Annual Meeting May 18, 2003 We, the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica, having engaged in a process of self-examination and education in accordance with the Welcoming Congregation Guidelines of the Unitarian Universalist Association, do hereby declare ourselves to affirm bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender persons, to be responsive to their concerns, and to celebrate and be inclusive of bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender persons as members of our church community and our community at large; and we hereby request that the Unitarian Universalist Association designate our Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica a Unitarian Universalist Welcoming Congregation. |
Consequently,the Faith in Action Commission, with concurrence from the Board of Directors,removed the table and bulletin board from Forbes Hall on November 12. The bulletinboard has been replaced with a small, portable bulletin board, and a portabletable will be used and stored away after use each Sunday.