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End of Life Options Act
Endurance Training for Life

Is it possible to have inner peace living in a world at war? What strengths and attitudes do we need to keep our hope alive and our perspective in place?
Engaging Independent Contractors
Amended by the Board of Directors 5-13-08
Amended by the Board of Directors 5-28-13
 
This policy establishes the procedures to be followed when it may be necessary for UUCCSM (“Church”) to engage independent contractors.
 
This policy is applicable to contractors, whose anticipated fee is $3000 or more in a 12-month period, including any contractors who are Church members and any contractors who have been hired in the past. It does not include consultants provided by the UUA.
 
1. The Board of Directors (“Board”) or a committee of the Church that sees a need for a contractor shall create a description of the project, which shall include: 1) the work to be done, 2) the approximate time frame, 3) the required budget, 4) the invoicing procedures, 5) the names of at least two people responsible for oversight (one of whom shall be a member of the permanent staff of the church), and 6) any specific qualifications or licensing requirements of the contractor.
 
2. With regards to facilities projects, the following will apply: The Board designates an ad hoc committee to monitor the project. Except in unusual circumstances three bids will be obtained.
 
3. The ad hoc committee shall submit the contract to the Board for approval. No contractor shall be engaged until the board has approved the contract.
 
5. Those designated to oversee the contractor shall exercise due diligence in their capacity as fiduciary designees of the Board of Directors in monitoring the performance, evaluation, scope of work, expenses and fees, and time limits of the work of the contractor. The contract and invoices shall be maintained in the office and available for inspection by members.
 
Enlightenment Guaranteed

This is a delightful German motion picture, filmed in a Japanese monastery. It is the funny and tender-hearted story of two brothers who leave behind family, country, and the familiar in search of enlightenment in the ancient ways of Zen Buddhism. It has much to teach anyone who engages in a spiritual practice on a regular or irregular basis. Music: Barbara Kleban, soprano
Enter, Rejoice, and Come In! (Online Service)

Join us as we explore our ministerial priorities, new church offerings, and developmental progress this church year. We will also honor the arrival of the Lunar New Year as we celebrate and deepen our commitments to multiculturalism as a congregation. 
Enthusiasmos

What is that thing that calls us to live larger than the fear we've known allows us to live?  What breeds the risk and courage great lives need.  The Welsh used to call it 'Hwyl' - a contagious fervor for Love.  The Scottish used a more familiar word: 'gumption': a stubborn determination that won't be denied.  The French call it Joi de vivre.  UU's sometimes call it the 'divine spark.'   But it's the Greek word I like the best: Enthusiasmos.  What is this force of life?  How do we harness it?  And what does it ask us to do?

During the 11 am service, we'll hold a ceremony welcoming our New Members.
Ernie Pipes Lecture - Judith Meyer
The Ernie Pipes Lecture Committee is thrilled to bring you another fabulous weekend this year. We are excited to announce that our minister emerita, the Rev. Judith Meyer, has agreed to come for a Saturday afternoon tea on Nov. 4, and the Pipes Lecture on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 2:30 pm in the sanctuary.
 
The title of Rev. Meyer’s talk for the Pipes Lecture is “Falling Out: Alienation and Community in Divisive Times.” She will offer reflections on life in a red state, especially during this perilous year, and suggest ways to cope with the widening and hostile differences in our country.

Many of you will warmly remember Rev. Judith from her ministry here from 1993 to 2008. She and her husband, David Denton, will be returning to visit Santa Monica from their home in Knoxville, TN. Our minister emeritus, the Rev. Ernie Pipes, for whom the lecture series is endowed, is pleased to have Rev. Judith join us as speaker. For those of you who don’t know Rev. Judith Meyer, we expect you will share our enthusiasm when you meet and hear her.

Parking will be provided.

UPDATE:  The full text of Rev. Judith Meyer's address is available here.  The audio recording is available here. 
Ernie Pipes Lecture Series: Jeffrey Parola Organ Concert and Sing-along
 
We are pleased to announce that on December 15 at 4 pm, the Pipes Distinguished Lecture Series is bringing exceptional organist Jeffrey Parola to UUSM for an organ recital in our sanctuary.
 
Jeffrey Parola is an accomplished organist, conductor, and vocalist, who recently made his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut in the World Premiere performance of the David Lang sleeper’s prayer for boy soprano and organ.
 
Our monthly potluck Second Sunday Supper, will be held after the concert in Forbes Hall, on the Third Sunday this month. It will be hosted by the Music Committee, the Choir, and the Pipes Lecture Committee. Everyone is warmly invited to participate.
 
About the Pipes Distinguished Lecture Series
 
The Pipes Lecture Fund was established in 1991 to honor Rev. Ernest D. Pipes upon his retirement after 35 years in the Santa Monica pulpit. The founding members of the committee (Leonard & Elizabeth Adler, Ray & Betty Goodman, Patrick McGuire, and Marguerite Spears) collected monies for an annual free Pipes Distinguished Lecture Series of renowned guest speakers. The series has continued yearly since 1991 with one interruption in 2018.
 
The series began with William Schultz, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, and has included luminaries such as Ramona Ripston, Patt Morrison, Arianna Huffington, Michael Dukakis, George Takei, Father Gregory Boyle, and Reza Aslan. It resumes this year with an organ recital — something Ernie has always desired because our organ was hand picked in Italy by the Goodmans to complement the acoustics of our Sanctuary. The committee has also been able to provide money to repair our ailing organ.
 
Contributions to the Pipes Lecture Fund are welcome to support the tradition of a free, wide-ranging, public lecture series including the topics of public service, government, social justice, religion and ethics, environmentalism, and the media. Please contact the church office to make a contribution. office@uusm.org; (310) 829-5436. Anyone who wishes to become a member of the Pipes Lecture Committee or has a suggestion of someone they’d like to hear speak should contact Patrick McGuire.
 
 
Ernie Pipes, early ministry

Photos of Rev. Ernie Pipes, 1956 to
Esoteric Spirituality

As the first event in our Esoteric Spirituality Series, hosted by Mark Berlin, we will be presenting The Teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff, Saturday, October 26 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm in the Sanctuary.

G.I. Gurdjieff  brought to the West an ancient teaching from Central Asia with the aim both to provide people with a method for the awakening of consciousness in everyday life and secondly, to offer a foundation for understanding Man’s place in the Universe – the “sense and aim of Man’s existence,” as he called it. Representatives from The Gurdjieff Foundation of Los Angeles will give a talk and answer questions about the teaching and the specific practice Gurdjieff left for us. Contact apse@googlegroups.com for more information and to sign up.

The intent of the Esoteric Spirituality Series is help participants recover common core truths at the center of all world religions that have been lost or diluted over time and exploring how these truths enhance our Unitarian principles. Every other month, we plan on inviting a representative of an esoteric spiritual path to give a lecture and participate in a discussion with class participants.
Esoteric Spirituality

Esoteric Spirituality - The Diamond Approach, Saturday, January 11 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm in the Sanctuary.  The Diamond Approach offers an immense and precise body of knowledge about the nature of reality and the process of spiritual realization. Many levels of engagement with this approach are available ranging from on-line courses to three day retreats. Vince Draddy, will give us an introduction to this approach along with a Q&A session.

Contact AdultRE@uusm.org for more information and to sign up.  

Parking will be available at the UCLA lot on the corner of Arizona and 16th street.  
Esperanza/Hope - Reflections on the Youth Trip to Mexico