NOTE: This Tentative Board Agenda reflects items to be considered at a special 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.

November is FIA Month for the Gallery Wall

Faith in Action is responsible for the gallery wall each November. Last year,we emphasized peace andanti-war activities. This year the art wall emphasizes the pictures of peoplewho have led and/or participated in a wide range of FIA activities over theyear.

S. J. Guidotti and members of the Peace Committee have worked valiantly insupport of our church’s statement of conscience against unilateral, preemptivewar in Iraq. Dan Kegel and others initiated study/action related to civil liberties.This work meshes nicely with the thrust of work by the Unitarian UniversalistService Committee (UUSC). For manyyears our representative to the UUSC was Betty McDonald. During the past year,she has passed the mantle of UUSC coordination to Rachel Donaldson and SimonHuss. Max Epstein and a small subcommittee of the Peace Committee have workedhard to bring interesting speakers to our church. The gallery wall providespictures of some of these speakers, as well as a poster promoting FIA speakerseries lectures for November and December.

Charles Haskell and an editorial board of five have published three issuesof the FIA Bulletin. Last year, Julie Hill, Kathy Layton and Marguerite Spearscoordinated food sorts by church members at the Westside Food Bank. This comingyear, Paula Bernstein will coordinate this activity. Our next food sort is scheduledfor Wednesday, December 10. Cathie Gentile, Lyn Armondo, and Janet Goodwin haveled our effort to provide food for the hungry, homeless and mentally ill. Wedo this by donating food to the Westside Food Bank each week and by preparingfood periodically for Turning Point and monthlyfor Step Up on Second.

Judy Federick, Kris Langabeer and Ron Crane of Interweave have led our congregationaleffort to become a Welcoming Congregation. We are reaching out to the greaterwestside community as members of the Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition.Some of our work with the coalition is illustrated on the gallery wall. We expectto expand this connection over the coming year.

— Charles Haskell, Chair, FIA Commission

Our Fourth Annual Issues Election

The Faith in Action Commission calls a town hall meeting each September toreview our ongoing witness and advocacy programs and to prioritize possiblenew social action initiatives. Our fourth annual meeting was held September26, with more than 30 participants.

The FIA Commission recommended that all of our current programs be continued,but with some changes in leadership and emphasis. This recommendation was stronglyendorsed by the church members present at the meeting.

There was a resounding endorsement of our church's approach to helping hungryand homeless people in our community. We continue an active collaboration withthe Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition (WSHC). Marge Zifferblatt has ledthis effort for many years, with help from Charles Haskell since 2003. Threemember organizations of the WSHC and one of its major public events have beenthe focus of our church's work.

The longest association has been with the Westside Food Bank. Our church donatesfood to this organization every Sunday, and twice a year we help sort food collectedby Postal Service food drives. Paula Bernstein coordinates this activity.

Our second longest association has been with Turning Point, a program of transitionalhousing managed by the Ocean Park Community Center (OPCC). Janet Goodwin anda team of volunteers prepare periodic meals for this organization.

The third and most recent association is with Step Up on Second, a programof housing and case management for the ambulatory mentally ill. Lyn and GeorgeArmondo and more than 40 volunteers prepare monthly dinners for the organization'sclients living in Santa Monica. Our final contribution has been in support ofWSHC's annual success breakfast honoring people who have been able to make thetransition from homelessness to relative self-sufficiency.

Economic justice was endorsed as an ongoing program of our church, but withnew leadership. We want to thank Cathie Gentile for leading this effort lastyear and to welcome Mar Preston as the new coordinator of this effort. Continuationof our criminal justice reform initiative under the leadership of Patrick Barbushwas also endorsed.

For the last two years we have had an active Peace and Civil Liberties Committeeunder the direction of S. J. Guidotti. With his resignation as chair in August,the committee has decided to hibernate until after the November elections. Whilethe members of the committee consider their options, Charles Haskell will beserving as the contact person for this initiative.

The following core FIA programs and liaison responsibilities were stronglyendorsed without a change in leadership: UU-United Nations Office (Eleanor Eagan);UUSC (Simon Huss and Rachel Donaldson); Women's Alliance (Lyn Armondo); Interweave(Ron Crane); FIA Bulletin (Charles Haskell); and FIA Speaker Series (Max Epstein).We also decided to add the California UU Legislative Ministry to the list ofthese core FIA functions.

At the request of the Rev. Lindi Ramsden, executive director of the CaliforniaUU Legislative Ministry, a straw vote was taken to see which of the issues currentlyunder review by the California UULM was of greatest concern to our congregation.Healthcare access legislation and support of legislation to legalize same-sexmarriage stood out as the issues of greatest interest.

As part of a discussion of possible new initiatives, Marv Pulliam providedan overview of our church's new small group ministry program (covenant groups).He explained how the groups function and how they democratically choose shortterm projects of community service. After full discussion it was decided thatFIA would not undertake a major new witness and advocacy initiative this yearthat might compete with the covenant groups. Rather, we look forward to seeingwhat kinds of community service projects are chosen by the various covenantgroups during the coming year. Hopefully, this new program will help us deepenour church's involvement in social action and community service. As stated bythe Rev. Ramsden, this may be another way we can take concern for social justiceand community involvement "from the porch to the living room of our congregations."

-Charles Haskell Chair, Faith in Action

Calling Food Sorters: Put Thursday, Dec. 2 on Your Calendars

Once again, it's time for our December Food Sort at the Westside Food Bank.Here's our chance to respond to a real need to help hungry people by sortingthe cans and boxes of food collected by the Food Bank, and putting them intoboxes for the agencies that distribute groceries. Please plan to join us onThursday, December 2, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at the Westside Food Bank, 1710 22ndStreet, Santa Monica. Last December, we sorted 11,250 pounds of food. It's afun and worthwhile project for the entire family. For more information, callPaula Bernstein

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Health Care Insurance Wins the Vote

Durig the fifth annual Faith in Action issues election held September 25, wereviewed the current spectrum of FIA programs and reaffirmed our commitmentto fighting hunger in our community and the promotion of peace and civil liberties.Because of the success of our economic justice initiative in supporting hotelworkers over the last year, this program was disestablished to make room forone or more new initiatives.

Three new initiatives were nominated: healthcare insurance reform, nominatedby the FIA Commission; election- and election-finance reform, nominated by JanetGrillo; and working to improve race relations, nominated by Deborah Hermann.

These three worthy issues were discussed. Of particular note was the fact thathealthcare insurance reform is currently one of the highest priorities of theUnitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry in California, so we would be workingat the cusp of religion and legislative action by choosing this topic for emphasis.After casting our votes, healthcare insurance reform emerged as the clear preferenceof those in attendance.

Cathie Gentile, Phyllis Gabriel, and Marge Zifferblatt will be taking the leadin promoting healthcare insurance reform. Congregants interested in workingon this issue may contact any one of the three leaders of this program or godirectly to the UULM website, uulmca.org.

- Charles Haskell, Chair, FIA Commission

UUs March for Peace

Marching for peace on September 24 were 19 UUCCSM adults (members and friends)and two church youths (Conner Nannini and Baxter Hamilton) who participatedin some or all of the 1.5 mile Los Angeles Peace March.Here, from left, areMelanie Sharp, S. J.Guidotti, Kathy Roth, Sue Bickford, Peggy Kharraz,YacoubKharraz, Rob Briner (behind the banner holding a red, white and blue sign),Melinda Ewen, Christine Haskell, Keith Greenhouse, and Ren Renshaw.

- Charles Haskell, Photo

Shakeel Syed Will Speak on Islam in America and Mid-East

The Faith in Action Peace and CivilLiberties Committee Speaker Serieswill present Shakeel Syed, ExecutiveDirector of the Islamic Shura Council ofSouthern California, to speak to the norms,values and conflicts of Islam in America andthe Middle East on Friday, December 1, at7:00 p.m., in the church sanctuary. A Q&Aperiod and reception will follow.

He will provide insights into the Shiitedenominational view and respond to questionssuch as the following: