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January 11, 2005 NOTE: This Tentative Board Agenda reflects items to be considered at a regular meeting of the Board of Directors. Additional items of new business may be added prior to the Board meeting. An Updated Agenda is available from the Church Office on the day of the Board Meeting. PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO REVIEW YOUR BOARD PACKET |
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January 12, 2012
January 12, 2012 Calendar of upcoming events:
Sunday, 1/15
Guest At Your Table Boxes Collected this Sunday
Neighboring Faiths trip to Ocean Park Meditation Center
Sunday, 1/22
RE Faith in Acton Sunday – trip to Turning Point shelter for K-5th grades
First day of class for 5th-6th grade O.W.L.
Sunday, 1/29
5th-6th O.W.L. meets
Saturday, 2/4
COA/YRUU Overnight at UUCCSM (details to come soon)
Sunday, 2/5
Neighboring Faiths field trip to Taoist Temple in Chinatown
5th-6th O.W.L. meets
Sunday, 2/12
5th-6th O.W.L. meets
Lifespan RE-sponsored Valentine’s Potluck Supper, 5-7pm (see announcement below)
This Week in RE:
PRESCHOOL (Ages 3-5 at 9:00 & 11:00): “Differences are Interesting” This week our preschool class will learn about some of the wonderful ways in which we are different from one another. Meets in the NW room of the cottage.
SPIRIT PLAY: (K-1st at 9:00) “I Live in the Universe” This week we’ll continue our focus on science and nature with a story that places each of us at home within our universe. (K-2nd at 11:00) “Cosmic Creation” This week we’ll begin our next trimester focus – exploring the interconnected web of all existence – with a story about the very beginnings of the universe. Meets in the SE room of the cottage.
THEME WORKSHOPS (2nd-3rd at 9:00 only): “Wisdom Workshop” This week we’ll begin our exploration of January’s theme of WISDOM with special activities to engage participants in thinking about the wisdom that they have already gained through their own experiences, as well as the wisdom the others have to share. Meets in the NE room of the cottage (formerly known as “the couch room”).
UUNIVERSE STORY (4th-5th at 9:00/3rd-5th at 11:00): “Diving into the Deep End, Part II” This week in the UUniverse Story program, we’ll engage in activities to help participants gain an appreciation for the vast time (and, to a certain extent, distance) scales involved in the concept of Deep Time and to give a perspective of where our species sits on the grandest of time and size scales.. Meets in the mural room at the end of the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.
NEIGHBORING FAITHS (6th-7th at 9:00 & 11:00): “Buddhism Field Trip” This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will continue their study of Buddhism with a field trip to the Prajnaparamita Buddhist Center. The group will leave from the UUCCSM front courtyard promptly at 8:40 am and expects to return at 11:20 am.
COMING OF AGE (8th at 9:00 only): This Sunday in Coming of Age we’ll screen the film “Contact,” in preparation for next week’s visit from Rev. Silvio Nardoni. This week only, please plan to arrive in class by 8:30 so we have time for the whole movie! Meets in Room 2, the second room down the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.
YRUU (9th-12th alternates 9:00/11:00): Meets during the 11:00 service only this week.
This Sunday will be the first YRUU Game Day! Come prepared to have fun with me and Emily! Bring your favorite game and we'll vote on what to play. Also, the YRUU-led service is coming up on March 25. What do you want the theme to be? Bring your ideas and we'll do some brainstorming. Meets in Room 1, the first room at the top of the stairs above Forbes Hall.
Announcements:
· NEXT WEEK Elementary RE Field Trip on Sunday, 1/22: Children in our elementary RE program are invited to take part in our second Faith in Action field trip for the 2011-12 year, a visit to the Turning Point transitional housing shelter for a tour and to prepare lunches for the residents. Be aware: we will make one full-morning trip, leaving after the story in the first service at 9:20 am, and returning at 11:30. If you would like for your child to participate in the trip, please make sure to come to the first service, or meet us in the cottage at 9:20 for the walk to the shelter, located about four blocks from UUCCSM at 1446 16th street. There will be alternate activities offered during each service for children who choose not to participate in the trip. Note: Volunteers are needed to accompany us on the trip, and families will be invited to contribute ingredients for sack lunches. A separate email with information about what is needed will be sent out soon to K-5th parents.
· NEW Valentine’s Craft Party & Potluck, 2/12: All families are invited to a very special Second Sunday Supper on Sunday, February 12th, from 5-7pm. At 5:00 we’ll gather for a Valentine-making project – come and make some for your friends and families, as well as some for UUCCSM members who are ill or otherwise in need of special messages of care. Then at 6:00, take part in a potluck dinner – bring a side dish to share, and we’ll supply make-your-own pita pizza fixings for the main course. Don’t miss it!
· Snack Signups for RE Classes: Parents of each RE class will be contacted soon to request that you sign up to bring snack for your child’s class. Snack is a highly valued part of the RE experience – just ask your kids – and we need your help to provide the supplies. If each parents signs up just a few times per year, we can cover all of our classes without placing the burden of bringing snack on the volunteer teachers who are already donating so much of their time to make our RE program happen. Sign ups will be available at the Lifespan RE table on Sundays during coffee hour – please stop by to sign up, to save us some time making phone calls.
· Guest at Your Table Boxes Collected this Week: Some of you have already brought your Guest at Your Table boxes back to the church, but if you haven’t yet, this Sunday is the time! We’ll collect them in the service, so bring them on in. Money raised through the GAYT program is given to the UU Service Committee to help people in need all over the world.
· Unsupervised Children: Parents, please remember that you are responsible for your children at all times when they are not in RE classes. Even though our church is a safe and loving place, it is not a good idea for children to roam the grounds without their parents. Staff and volunteers are not responsible for supervising children when they are not in our RE classes or official childcare. Also, please remember that children through grade 5 must be picked up by their parents at the end of RE time (10:15 or 12:15). This is one part of our church’s safety policy, and is especially important as our younger RE classes are now held in a separate building from the sanctuary and social hall.
· RE Wish List: I am currently developing a “master wish list” for the RE program, which includes general and lesson-specific RE supply needs for this year’s classes. While the RE operating budget does have some money for supplies, this year’s budget is very tight and donations are happily accepted. The list so far includes:
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):
Chalice Lighting Words of the Week (January’s Theme – WISDOM):
January 15:
Almost every wise saying has an opposite one, no less wise, to balance it.
--George Santayana
For the 2011-12 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. The chalice lighting shared here will be used on Sunday in all of our RE classes, and I hope that your family will also share it at home during the following 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 Explore our Congregational Theme for January - WISDOM
“Change is Needed for Growth”: (from Nurturing Spirituality in Children by Peggy Joy Jenkins)
This lesson is especially useful when a child is facing a challenge or a risk, perhaps like joining scouts or a soccer team, going away to camp, staying overnight with a friend for the first time, or entering a new school.
Materials: A real houseplant that has become bound by its roots in its current pot and needs transplanting. If a rootbound plant is not available, use a tiny clay flowerpot or a small cardboard transplanting pot, a large tangled mass of string stuffed into the pot, and an artificial flower to be inserted into the string mass.
Lesson: If you don’t use a houseplant, explain that the mass of string represents the roots of the flower. “Roots need a lot of soil to grow in, but these roots have grown so that there is hardly room for any soil. We need to remove the plant from the old pot and put it into a larger one, or the plant will always be limited in size.”
Explain that people are just like the plant, and at times we, too, need more room to grow. Compare the pot to the children’s old ways of thinking about themselves. The old pot, or the old ways, can be so comfortable that sometimes we need to push ourselves out of our “comfort zone.” If not, our growth will become stunted, just as the plant’s growth is stunted when it’s in a container that’s too small for it. The old pot met the needs of the plant at one time and was good for the plant. Now that the plant has grown, a change is necessary so it can continue its growth.
Discuss how, in order to grow and become all that they can be, children must change their old ideas about themselves. Help them see change as a means of “becoming,” and use examples like an acorn breaking apart to sprout a new tree or a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.
Suggested affirmation: I welcome change in my life because it helps me grow.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)
January 13, 1568: Following the Diet of Torda on January 6 in Transylvania, at which Unitarian minister Francis David won debates with Calvinist Bishop Peter Melius, Prince John Sigismund converted to Unitarianism on this day and then issued the Edict of Torda, which declared toleration for other religions.
January 13, 1819: The Unitarian Association for Protecting the Civil Rights of Unitarians was formed at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate Street, to protest the persecution of Unitarians in England. Reflecting a split between orthodox and Unitarian Dissenters, Unitarians were under severe civil penalties from laws and court decisions. It was a criminal offense to profess Unitarian belief. Most of the penalties were repealed in 1836 with the Registration Acts.
January 13, 1832: Horatio Alger was born in Revere, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard Divinity School and was ordained in 1864 as a Unitarian minister in Brewster, Massachusetts. Later he moved to New York City and devoted himself to literature, drawing on his experiences in social work at the Newsboys’ Lodging House in New York. His books about young boys made him enormously popular and wealthy. Alger was a prolific writer and produced 119 novels as well as collections of poetry and biographies of Abraham Lincoln and James Garfield. He died on July 18, 1899.
January 14, 1571: The Diet of Maros Vasarhely in Transylvania legally recognized the Unitarian religion as equal to three other recognized religions – Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism. This protection, subsequently reaffirmed by Prince John Sigismund, saved the religion from the extinction it suffered in Poland.
January 14, 1615: John Biddle was baptized at Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucester, England. He was known as the “father of English Unitarianism.” His study of scripture caused him to reject the Trinity and adopt Unitarian belief. After his views were betrayed to a Parliamentary Commission, he was jailed the first of several times for his heresy. The House of Commons declared that Biddle’s work was “blasphemous against the Deity of Christ” in 1647 and ordered that his pamphlet outlining his beliefs should be burned by the hangman (signifying that its publication was a criminal offense). Yet the pamphlet went through several printings. Biddle published many theological works, including a translation of the Rakovian Catechism and the Two-fold Catechism, which contained A Scripture Catechism and a brief Scripture Catechism for Children. He died on September 22, 1662, from a disease contracted in prison.
January 14, 1875: Albert Schweitzer was born in Kayersberg, Upper Alsace, Germany (now part of France). He trained as a theologian and held doctorates in theology, philosophy, music, and medicine, and he was an authority on Bach and on organ construction. In the early 1930’s, Schweitzer went to French Equatorial Africa (now Gabon) as a medical missionary. He wrote many books, including The Quest of the Historical Jesus (1906), Civilization and Ethics(1923), Out of My Life and Thought (1931), and The Psychiatric Study of Jesus (1948). A Nobel laureate, Schweitzer left Africa only to lecture in Europe and the United States to raise money for his hospital in Lambarene. Schweitzer was a member of the Unitarian Church of Capetown, South Africa, and accepted an honorary membership in the Unitarian Church of the Larger Fellowship. He died on September 4, 1965.
January 15, 1654: A committee of the British Parliament recommended that John Biddle stand trial for publishing his Two-fold Catechism. Capital punishment was the expected sentence, but Oliver Cromwell dissolved Parliament and banished Biddle to the Scilly Islands off the southwestern coast of England instead.
January 16, 1826: The idea of creating a Boston Sunday School Society was proposed at a teacher’s meeting of the Franklin Sabbath School, organized by Josiah Flagg. Joseph Tuckerman was chosen as the first president. In 1832, the Society changed its name to the Sunday School Society, and it became the Unitarian Sunday School Society in 1858. The Society coordinated the development of hundreds of Sunday school books and teacher-training conferences until 1912, when the Department of Religious Education of the American Unitarian Association took over most of its responsibilities.
January 17, 1827: The Nonconformist Club in London, composed chiefly of Unitarians, resolved to work for repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, which restricted the civil liberties of Dissenters.
January 18, 1778: Joseph Tuckerman was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Educated at Harvard University, he became a minister in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in 1801. Tuckerman was the first president of the Boston Sunday School Society, the forerunner of the Unitarian Sunday School Society. He was concerned about the growing poverty in Boston and, under the tutelage of Henry Ware, became the first Unitarian minister-at-large to assist the needy. In 1834, he founded the Benevolent Fraternity of Unitarian Churches in Boston, which became a major influence on the development of professional social work and a model for other ministers and organizations in the United States and England who wanted to address urban poverty. Joseph Tuckerman died on April 20, 1840.
January 18, 1782: Daniel Webster was born in Salisbury, New Hampshire. He was a Unitarian lawyer and political leader best known for using his powerful oratorical skills to promote moderate federal unity when the divisions over slavery were growing extreme. He opposed the War or 1812 and, as a member of Congress from New Hampshire, refused to vote for taxes to support the war. Webster moved to Boston and became a leading constitutional lawyer, and eventually a U.S. congressman and then senator representing Massachusetts. As a senator, he opposed the annexation of Texas. Webster also ran for president on the Whig Party and served as secretary of state under William Henry Harrison, John Tyler and Millard Fillmore. He supported the Compromise of 1850, allowing slavery where it existed but not in new states. Daniel Webster died on October 24, 1852.
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January 19, 2012
January 19, 2012
Calendar of upcoming events:
Sunday, 1/22
RE Faith in Acton Sunday – trip to Turning Point shelter for K-5th grades
First day of class for 5th-6th grade O.W.L.
Sunday, 1/29
5th-6th O.W.L. meets
Saturday, 2/4
COA/YRUU Overnight at UUCCSM (details to come soon)
Sunday, 2/5
Neighboring Faiths field trip to Taoist Temple in Chinatown
5th-6th O.W.L. meets
Sunday, 2/12
5th-6th O.W.L. meets
Lifespan RE-sponsored Valentine’s Potluck Supper, 5-7pm (see announcement below)
This Week in RE:
PRESCHOOL (Ages 3-5 at 9:00 & 11:00): “Celebrating a New Year (Chinese New Year)” This week our preschool class will learn about some special rituals that are part of the Chinese New Year celebration. We’ll even make our own New Year’s Dragon! Meets in the NW room of the cottage.
Kindergarten-5th Grade: “Turning Point Field Trip” This week children in our elementary RE program are invited to take part in this month’s Faith in Action field trip, a visit to the Turning Point transitional housing shelter for a tour and to prepare lunches for the residents. Be aware: we will make one full-morning trip, leaving after the story in the first service at 9:20 am, and returning at about 11:30 If you would like for your child to participate in the trip, please make sure to come to the first service, or meet us in the cottage at 9:20 for the walk to the shelter, located about four blocks from UUCCSM at 1446 16th street. After returning to the church, children can be picked up right away or will participate in an activity in the cottage until the 11:00 service has concluded. There will be alternate activities offered during each service for children who choose not to participate in the trip. Note: Volunteers are needed to accompany us on the trip, and families are invited to contribute ingredients for sack lunches. A separate email with information about what is needed was sent out to K-5thfamilies on Sunday. If you have questions or would like to volunteer to help, email Catherine or call her at 210-829-5436 x105.
NEIGHBORING FAITHS (6th-7th at 9:00 & 11:00): “Buddhism Integration” This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will conclude their study of Buddhism with a special wrap-up lesson to help participants integrate their experiences from our Buddhist visitor and two field trips. We’ll also be finalizing plans for participation in the 1/29 Sunday service – Neighboring Faiths will lead the chalice lighting. Meets in Room 3, the third room down the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.
COMING OF AGE (8th at 9:00 only): This Sunday in Coming of Age Rev. Silvio Nardoni will visit the class to talk with us about spiritual and ethical themes in the film screened last Sunday, “Contact.” If you were not in class last Sunday, please make sure to watch the film before coming this week. Meets in Room 2, the second room down the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.
YRUU (9th-12th alternates 9:00/11:00): Meets during the 11:00 service only this week (note meeting time is out of sequence due to special plans with Rebecca). This Sunday YRUU will attend the service together in the sanctuary, then will meet in the YRUU room after the service for a special lunch with Rev. Rebecca, to talk about putting a service together, in preparation for the YRUU service at the end of March. We’ll provide pizza; youth are invited to bring drinks or side dishes to share. This week, we’ll start out in the sanctuary together, in the section of pews near the Forbes Hall doors.
Announcements:
· THIS SUNDAY Elementary RE Field Trip on Sunday, 1/22: Children in our elementary RE program are invited to take part in our second Faith in Action field trip for the 2011-12 year, a visit to the Turning Point transitional housing shelter for a tour and to prepare lunches for the residents. Be aware: we will make one full-morning trip, leaving after the story in the first service at 9:20 am, and returning at 11:30. If you would like for your child to participate in the trip, please make sure to come to the first service, or meet us in the cottage at 9:20 for the walk to the shelter, located about four blocks from UUCCSM at 1446 16th street. There will be alternate activities offered during each service for children who choose not to participate in the trip. Note: Volunteers are needed to accompany us on the trip, and families will be invited to contribute ingredients for sack lunches. A separate email with information about what is needed will be sent out soon to K-5th parents.
· NEW Time to Register for Elementary Winter Camp: The Pacific Southwest District’s Elementary Winter Camp at de Benneville Pines, is over President's Day Weekend next month, Saturday February 18 - Monday February 20.
Family and Elementary Winter Camp – Treasure Huunting!
February 18-20, 2011
Register at www.uucamp.org
Dean: Danielle Bell
Pricing - Child Camper or Adult: $145.00; Accompanying child: $85.00
Families with elementary age campers (or just the campers themselves) are invited for a weekend of treasure hunting with us up here in the snow. We’ll work on an actual pictorial treasure hunt while discovering what fantastic gifts we all carry, regardless of age or ability. Join us for tons of snow play, hot cocoa by the fire, games, crafts and community worship. Campers grades 3-6 may attend without parents and will be supervised by trained cabin counselors. Come to camp and find your own treasures!
· Valentine’s Craft Party & Potluck, 2/12: All families are invited to a very special Second Sunday Supper on Sunday, February 12th, from 5-7pm. At 5:00 we’ll gather for a Valentine-making project – come and make some for your friends and families, as well as some for UUCCSM members who are ill or otherwise in need of special messages of care. Then at 6:00, take part in a potluck dinner – bring a side dish to share, and we’ll supply the main course (pasta). Don’t miss it!
· Snack Signups for RE Classes: Parents of each RE class will be contacted soon to request that you sign up to bring snack for your child’s class. Snack is a highly valued part of the RE experience – just ask your kids – and we need your help to provide the supplies. If each parents signs up just a few times per year, we can cover all of our classes without placing the burden of bringing snack on the volunteer teachers who are already donating so much of their time to make our RE program happen. Sign ups will be available at the Lifespan RE table on Sundays during coffee hour – please stop by to sign up, to save us some time making phone calls.
· RE Wish List: I am currently developing a “master wish list” for the RE program, which includes general and lesson-specific RE supply needs for this year’s classes. While the RE operating budget does have some money for supplies, this year’s budget is very tight and donations are happily accepted. The list so far includes:
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):
Chalice Lighting Words of the Week (January’s Theme – WISDOM):
January 22:
Blessed are the man and the woman who have grown beyond their greed and have put an end to their hatred and no longer nourish illusions. But they delight in the way things are and keep their hearts open, day and night. They are like trees planted near flowing rivers, which bear fruit when they are ready. Their leaves will not fall and wither. Everything they do will succeed.
--Stephen Mitchell
For the 2011-12 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. The chalice lighting shared here will be used on Sunday in all of our RE classes, and I hope that your family will also share it at home during the following 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 Explore our Congregational Theme for January - WISDOM
“A Birthday Tribute”: (from How to Bury a Goldfish by Virginia Lang and Louise Nayer)
No spring, nor summer beauty hath such grace,
As I have seen in one autumnal face.
-John Donne
It is sad to admit that our culture associates aging with loss. After a certain age, birthdays are often greeted with crude jokes about crow’s feet, hair loss, and other declining capacities. We focus more on what we cannot do than what we have become
When we see the beautiful autumnal face of a woman (or man) whose life has been richly lived, we know there is much to celebrate and acknowledge on the day of her birth. Here is a ritual intended to honor an elder for all she/he brings to the lives of those who love her/him.
What you Need: A blank journal, a person to act as coordinator, a pen.
What you Do: If the elder is fortunate to live near most of her friends and family, buy a blank journal and paste a recent photo of the honoree on its cover. With the help of an organized family coordinator, circulate the journal among the honoree’s dear friends and family members.
Ask each person to write about a quality that she appreciates in the honoree. For example, “Grandfather, you are my model of honesty and compassion. Happy Birthday!” You may wish to recall a treasured memory: “You are the most patient grandmother who has ever lived; I would have failed algebra without you!” The sentiments need not be long, just heartfelt and personal. Present the book as a group on the honoree’s birthday. It is sure to be a most treasured gift.
When Louise’s grandmother turned eighty, she took part in a “card shower” coordinated by her godmother’s daughter. Each person wrote a heartfelt sentiment on a blank card and sent it to the daughter, who created a master scrapbook of all the cards. If distance is a challenge, this is a good option.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)
January 19, 1561: At the 19th Synod of Pinczow, Poland, Peter Statorius formally accused Socinian George Blandrata of heresy. Blandrata was forced to sign a confession of faith, disavowing his heresy. He left Poland for Transylvania, where he served as court physician to Prince John Sigismund. There he used his influence over the prince and the court to support Unitarianism.
January 20, 1566: Francis David, who later converted Prince John Sigismund of Transylvania to Unitarianism, gave his first Unitarian oration in the main church of Koloscar, Transylvania.
January 20, 1839: The Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson preached his last sermon, “The Miracle of Our Being,” in Concord, Massachusetts.
January 21, 1825: George Blaurock received the first adult congregational baptism in Zurich, Switzerland, thus establishing congregational Anabaptism, which later merged with Socinianism to enlarge and strengthen the Unitarian movement.
January 22, 1556: Peter Giezek declared his Unitarianism at the Calvinist Synod in Secemin, Poland. He went on to form the first Unitarain organization in Europe, the Minor Church, later called the Minor Reformed Church.
January 23, 1830: The first Brahmo Samaj Temple opened in India. Brahmo Samaj is a Unitarian form of Hinduism. (Visit http://dcwi.com/~uuf/Sermons/012305.html for the text of a sermon that explores the relationship between Unitarianism and Brahmo Samaj.)
January 24, 1556: The second Synod of the Reformed Brethren (Socinians) in Poland at Secemin adopted Unitarian positions and rejected the Nicene and Athanasian creeds. Gregory Pauli, the pastor of Pelsnick, Poland, avowed his anti-Trinitarianism.
January 25, 1759: Robert Burns was born in Ayershire, Scotland. He is the national poet of Scotland and a beloved figure in Scottish history and literature. His birthday is the annual occasion of Burns Night festivities. Though he had no formal connection with Unitarianism, Burn published several satires of orthodox revivalism, for which he is celebrated by the Unitarians of Scotland as a religious forbear, and there is no doubt of his Unitarian beliefs. Such Unitarians as Joseph Priestley and Theophilius Lindsey influenced him. His heretical views were notorious, as were his irregular romantic alliances. Some of his contemporaries shunned him, but his poetry and songs are now familiar everywhere. He wrote and adapted many Scottish songs, including “Auld Lang Syne” and “John Anderson, My Jo.” Known as “Rob the Ranter,” Burns was concerned about the repressive measures against reformers and founded a debating society. He died on July 21, 1796.
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January 7, 2012
January 7, 2012
Calendar of upcoming events:
Saturday, 1/7
Mandatory parent/child orientation for 5th-6th grade O.W.L.
COA/YRUU Event night – Ice Skating! Details to come soon
Sunday, 1/8
Guest At Your Table Boxes Collected this Sunday in the service!
Neighboring Faiths trip to Venice Buddhist Temple
Sunday, 1/15
Guest At Your Table Boxes Collected this Sunday
Neighboring Faiths trip to Ocean Park Meditation Center
Sunday, 1/22
RE Faith in Acton Sunday – trip to Turning Point shelter for K-5th grades
First day of class for 5th-6th grade O.W.L.
This Week in RE:
PRESCHOOL (Ages 3-5 at 9:00 & 11:00): “We Must Care for the Earth and its Plants and Animals” This week our preschool class will learn about ways they can help take care of the earth and the plants and animals that share it with us. Meets in the NW room of the cottage.
SPIRIT PLAY: (K-1st at 9:00) “Cosmic Creation” This week we’ll begin our next trimester focus – exploring the interconnected web of all existence – with a story about the very beginnings of the universe. (K-2nd at 11:00) “Sources Introduction” Now that we’ve explored all seven of our UU principles, we’ll move on to examine the Six Sources of our faith tradition. This week’s lesson is an introduction to the Sources. Meets in the SE room of the cottage.
THEME WORKSHOPS (2nd-3rd at 9:00 only): “Wisdom Workshop” This week we’ll begin our exploration of January’s theme of WISDOM with special activities to engage participants in thinking about the wisdom that they have already gained through their own experiences, as well as the wisdom the others have to share. Meets in the NE room of the cottage (formerly known as “the couch room”).
UUNIVERSE STORY (4th-5th at 9:00/3rd-5th at 11:00): “Diving into the Deep End” This week in the UUniverse Story program, we’ll engage in activities to help participants gain an appreciation for the vast time (and, to a certain extent, distance) scales involved in the concept of Deep Time and to give a perspective of where our species sits on the grandest of time and size scales.. Meets in the mural room at the end of the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.
NEIGHBORING FAITHS (6th-7th at 9:00 & 11:00): “Buddhism Field Trip” This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will continue their study of Buddhism with a field trip to the Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. The group will leave from the UUCCSM front courtyard at 8:45 am and expects to return at 11:30 am.
COMING OF AGE (8th at 9:00 only): This Sunday in Coming of Age we’ll begin to explore concepts of God, and will use a variety of art materials to illustrate our religious beliefs. Meets in Room 2, the second room down the hallway upstairs above Forbes Hall.
YRUU (9th-12th alternates 9:00/11:00): Meets during the 9:00 service only this week. This week YRUU youth and advisors will talk about New Year’s Resolutions. Have you ever made an unusual resolution? Have you ever followed through on a resolution? Are they even worth making? Meets in Room 1, the first room at the top of the stairs above Forbes Hall.
Announcements:
· NEW Snack Signups for RE Classes: Parents of each RE class will be contacted soon to request that you sign up to bring snack for your child’s class. Snack is a highly valued part of the RE experience – just ask your kids – and we need your help to provide the supplies. If each parents signs up just a few times per year, we can cover all of our classes without placing the burden of bringing snack on the volunteer teachers who are already donating so much of their time to make our RE program happen. Sign ups will be available at the Lifespan RE table on Sundays during coffee hour – please stop by to sign up, to save us some time making phone calls.
· NEW Guest at Your Table Boxes Collected this Week: Some of you have already brought your Guest at Your Table boxes back to the church, but if you haven’t yet, this Sunday is the time! We’ll collect them in the service, so bring them on in. Money raised through the GAYT program is given to the UU Service Committee to help people in need all over the world.
· NEW Elementary RE Field Trip on Sunday, 1/22: Children in our elementary RE program are invited to take part in our second Faith in Action field trip for the 2011-12 year, a visit to the Turning Point transitional housing shelter for a tour and to prepare lunches for the residents. Be aware: we will make one full-morning trip, leaving after the story in the first service at 9:20 am, and returning at 11:30. If you would like for your child to participate in the trip, please make sure to come to the first service, or meet us in the cottage at 9:20 for the walk to the shelter, located about four blocks from UUCCSM at 1446 16th street. There will be alternate activities offered during each service for children who choose not to participate in the trip. Note: Volunteers are needed to accompany us on the trip, and families will be invited to contribute ingredients for sack lunches. A separate email with information about what is needed will be sent out next week to K-5th parents.
· NEW Unsupervised Children: Parents, please remember that you are responsible for your children at all times when they are not in RE classes. Even though our church is a safe and loving place, it is not a good idea for children to roam the grounds without their parents. Staff and volunteers are not responsible for supervising children when they are not in our RE classes or official childcare. Also, please remember that children through grade 5 must be picked up by their parents at the end of RE time (10:15 or 12:15). This is one part of our church’s safety policy, and is especially important as our younger RE classes are now held in a separate building from the sanctuary and social hall.
· RE Wish List: I am currently developing a “master wish list” for the RE program, which includes general and lesson-specific RE supply needs for this year’s classes. While the RE operating budget does have some money for supplies, this year’s budget is very tight and donations are happily accepted. The list so far includes:
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):
Chalice Lighting Words of the Week (January’s Theme – WISDOM):
January 8:
Let us sing the magic of creation by which we build the world of our soul and teach its wisdom to others, young and old.
-- Susan L. Van Dreser
For the 2011-12 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. The chalice lighting shared here will be used on Sunday in all of our RE classes, and I hope that your family will also share it at home during the following 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 Explore our Congregational Theme for January - WISDOM
· The Letter Shower for a Teen: (from How to Bury a Goldfish by Virginia Lang & Louise Nayer) The teenage years are ones of transition from childhood to adulthood. Have you ever seen a young adult holding a favorite stuffed animal while waiting to go to a rock concert? The night before Sarah started high school she crawled into bed with me for a few minutes. We both knew what was going on and just held each other. At our UU congregation, Sarah took part in a coming-of-age ceremony, but we wanted to do something at home, too. We decided to create a book of letters from those who love her as well as a work of art that she could treasure. –L.N (Catherine’s Note: This would also be a lovely project for a birthday or other special milestone for a child or youth of any age – even a very young child who can’t appreciate it now would have something to treasure in the future.)
o What You Need: Letters from relatives and adult friends of your child. A scrapbook with a decorative and personalized cover. Important pictures that represent different stages in your child’s life. A work of art that speaks to the experience of transition.
o What You Do: Ask relatives and friends to write a letter to your child when she turns thirteen. Tell them the letter needs to be sent by a particular date. They could write to the child about her strengths, her courage, her talents, and how they trust that she will become a wonderful adult. Remember the special moments of childhood and offer words of wisdom, without preaching. Whatever you write, write it from the heart. Collect the letters in a scrapbook, interspersing them with pictures representing milestone events in your child’s life. Have a special dinner with some of the most important people in your child’s life. Light candles, bring out a cake, and present the book. Bring a positive perspective to the newfound freedom and independence that your child has begun to experience. Along with the book, give her a painting that best expresses the transitional nature of the teenage years. She will most likely want to hang it up in her room. If that is not the case, let her choose where she wants to display it.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)
January 4, 1846: Theodore Parker, a radical Unitarian theologian, was installed as the first minister of the Twenty-Eighth Congregational Society of Boston, Massachusetts. On that occasion he preached the sermon, “The True Idea of a Christian Church.”
January 5, 1835: Olympia Brown was born in Prairie Ronde, Michigan. Reared as a Universalist, she graduated from St. Lawrence University Theological School and became the first woman ordained to the ministry by a full denominational authority on June 25, 1863. She served Universalist churches in Vermont, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Illinois, and Iowa. Brow was also co-founder of the New England Women’s Suffrage Association and president of the Federal Suffrage Association. She died on October 23, 1926.
January 6, 1568: The Diet of Torda, called by Prince John Sigismund to settle disputes between the Calvinists and the Unitarians, opened in Transylvania. The minister Francis David represented the Unitarians, and the bishop Peter Melius represented the Calvinists. As a result of the debates, Sigismund converted to Unitarianism and issued the Edict of Torda, which declared official toleration for other religions. It was the first time in Western history that a ruler allowed his subjects to practice a religion different from his own.
January 6, 1811: Charles Sumner was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University and Harvard Law School and began a law practice. In 1837, Sumner toured Europe for several years to learn its languages and to study its social changes. After returning to the United States, he went back to his law practice, became a notable lecturer, and joined reform movements involved in improving education, abolishing slavery, and advocating world peace. In 1849, at an address before the American Peace Society, Sumner called for “institutions of international government, including a court and congress of nations.” Sumner became a senator from Massachusetts in 1851 and was an ardent abolitionist. He is best known for surviving a physical attack on the floor of the U.S. Senate. His assailant was a South Carolina congressman who took offense at Sumner’s strong language against slavery and the South. Sumner was a lifelong member of King’s Chapel (Unitarian) in Boston. He died on February 11, 1874.
January 7, 1800: Millard Fillmore was born in Locke, New York. He was a lawyer who served in the New York State Assembly and the U.S House of Representatives. Elected vice president of the United States in 1848, Fillmore became president on July 9, 1850, when President Zachary Taylor died, and he held that office until 1853. Fillmore signed a series of bills known as the Compromise of 1850, which admitted California into the Union as a free state, restricted the slave trade in the District of Columbia, and provided for the return of fugitive slaves. He authorized the first American mission to establish trade relations with Japan. In 1856 he ran for president as the candidate of the Native American (“Know-Nothing”) Party but was defeated. Fillmore was a member of the Unitarian Church in Buffalo, New York. He died at age 74 on March 8, 1874.
January 8, 1985: The Universalist Church of the Philippines changed its name to the “Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines.”
January 9, 1784: Sir George Savile died at age 63. He was a noted philanthropist and a member of the English Parliament for Yorkshire who worked for the civil and religious rights of Catholics and the reform of penal laws. Savile spoke publicly of his Unitarianism and worked to free Unitarians of the legal impediments to practicing their faith. At that time, Unitarians were forbidden to own their own churches or perform weddings, funerals, or baptisms.
January 12, 1737: John Hancock was born in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts. Raised by a wealthy uncle in Boston, Hancock graduated from Harvard University in 1754 and joined his uncle’s mercantile business, which he inherited in 1764. A leading patriot, he opposed the Stamp Act (1765) and other British commercial policies. In 1769 Hancock was elected to the Massachusetts General Court. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1780, serving as president for the first two years, and he was the first delegate to sign the Declaration of Independence. In 1780 the people of Massachusetts elected Hancock governor. He resigned in 1785, was reelected in 1787, and served again until his death. He presided over the Massachusetts convention to ratify the new Constitution in 1788. Hancock was a member of the Brattle Street Church (Unitarian) in Boston and chair of the church’s building committee in 1773. He died on October 8, 1793.
January 12, 1820: Carolina Seymour Severance, known as Caroline, was born in Canandaigua, New York. She worked all her adult life for social reform and her home was a gathering place for liberal causes. At first she held the conventional view that a woman’s role was as a wife and a mother, but she became increasingly involved with women’s rights and stressed women’s ability to shape public policy. When her family moved to Boston, Massachusetts, Severance took part in the city’s reform movements. When her family moved again, to Los Angeles, California, they founded the city’s first Unitarian congregation, Unity Church. Severance championed Christian socialism, progressivism, and peace. In 1900 she became president of the Los Angeles County Woman Suffrage League. Carolina Seymour Severance died on November 10, 1914, at age 94.
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January 9, 2007 NOTE: This Tentative Board Agenda reflects items to be considered at a regular meeting of the Board of Directors. Additional items of new business may be added prior to the Board meeting. An updated agenda is available from the Church Office on the day of the Board Meeting. 1. Check-in [6:30 pm] 2. Call to order & identification of new business items: [6:45 pm] 3. Discussion and approval of minutes: Dayla McDonald [6:50 pm] |
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January, 2004We’ve Received a Grant to Hire Our Second FIA InternEconomic justice was chosen as our new witness and advocacy focus at the annual Faith in Action issues election in September. Cathie Gentile has agreed to guide this new initiative and more than 60 people have signed up to participate. |
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January, 2004We’ve Received a Grant to Hire Our Second FIA InternEconomic justice was chosen as our new witness and advocacy focus at the annualFaith in Action issues election in September. Cathie Gentile has agreed to guidethis new initiative and more than 60 people have signed up to participate. Because of the potential scope and impact of this new initiative, we decidedto seek additional funds to support the program. Under the leadership of theRev. Alexia Salvatierra of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE),we submitted a grant proposal to the Fund for Unitarian Universalist SocialResponsibility to hire a part-time person to help us pursue a program of socialjustice for low-wage workers in the hotel industry. It is my great pleasure to announce that this UU fund has awarded us $12,000to pursue our “U.U. Worker Sanctuary Project,” with the option ofreceiving an additional $4,000 from a matching grant. Assuming we raise theadditional $4,000, which we plan to do by seeking help and involvement fromother UU churches in our area, we’ll have $20,000 to use in hiring a newFIA intern to work on economic justice. We’ll be looking for a Unitarian Universalist interested in workingfor economic justice. Many of the lowwage hotel workers are Latino/Latina, sowe hope to find a person who is bilingual in Spanish and English. We’ll pay the salary for this part-time employee, but our new FIA internwill be located at CLUE headquarters and will work directly with their staffin the field. Supervision of the intern will be the joint responsibility ofour church (Cathie Gentile, assisted by our minister) and CLUE (Dr. David L.Wheeler, Sanctuary Organizer, and Rev. Salvatierra). Our agenda for economic justice starts with an all-church Town Hall meetingin February to discuss the 2003 UUA Statement of Conscience on Economic Globalization. Our agenda also includes the collection of food for low-wage workers in Februaryand training sessions in March. We want to be ready for possible strikes inApril. Our new FIA intern will be a key participant in this process. — Charles Haskell,
When Did You Last Go Bowling?
What: “SuperBowl-A-Thon VIII” event Faith in Action has endorsed forming one or more five-person teams for theevent. The three available times for groups of five bowlers are: 1 to 2 p.m.or 2:30-3:30 p.m. or 4 to 5 p.m. There is a registration fee of $100 per teamof five bowlers. Please contact Charles Haskell for more information,or to sign up. |
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January, 2005Biggest Food Sort Ever Held on December 2About 40 UUCCSM volunteers and friends (including many young people) sortingcans and packages of food on December 2 at the Westside Food Bank in Santa Monica,and breaking the all-time record. "This year you sorted a record 14,660 poundsof food in one evening," Bruce Rankin, Food Bank director, told them. "Thanksagain for the fabulous job you did, sorting the food that came in during thestart of our Holiday Food Drives. Over the past year our 65 member agencieshave seen a growing need for food assistance among the working poor familiesand individuals they serve. We greatly appreciate your efforts to help ensurethat those in need receive the food that is so vital to their existence." TheFood Bank distributed nearly four million pounds of food last year. Over 100,000people on the Westside, including 50,000 children, live in poverty, accordingto the Food Bank. Our church's Faith in Action Committee sponsors Food Sortsin December and June. |