Episode 9 will be shown on March 8

On this Commitment Sunday I will encourage us to think in terms of abundance, not scarcity. We're all familiar with an envelope -- something into which we seal a letter. The opposite of envelop is develop ? to unroll or to push the envelope. This service will include the Dedication of Liliana Rodriguez, infant daughter of Roberto Rodriguez and Natalie Rusk. Music Charla Gulino, flute

Ryan Humphrey (Accompanist)

Jyvonne Haskin

Jyvonne was drawn to music at a very early age. She started the piano at the age of three, and the cello at age ten. But even before that, her first love was singing. Jyvonne's formal musical training began at Indiana University. Since her arrival in L.A., she has continued to add experience to her roster of musical diversity and achievement. Jyvonne has played with L.A.’s historic Southeast Symphony Orchestra, sang with Roger Daltrey of The Who and Ellis Hall of Tower of Power. She has also had the great pleasure to perform for musical legends Jessye Norman and John Williams. Jyvonne is the executive director for Selah Gospel Choir- listed by CBS News as one of the top 10 choirs in Los Angeles. In addition to being an accomplished soloist, Jyvonne is a member of the accapella group DC6 who perform regularly with the MUSE/IQUE Orchestra in Pasadena.

James Hayden

James Hayden, bass, has been trained as a singer, composer, and vocal arranger, excelling in the performance of traditional and avant-garde repertoire. Recent notable performances include the role of Sidney Gottlieb in Anne Lebaron’s LSD: The Opera, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and two concerts with the Rolling Stones on their 50th Anniversary Tour.  His voice can be heard on many movie, and video game soundtracks, including Godzilla, Minions, Jurassic World, and League of Legends. James is a 2013 graduate of the University of Southern California and sings with the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Colleen Keene

Colleen Keene has a Bachelor’s degree from CSU Northridge and a Master’s degree from CSU Long Beach, both in the same concentration: Jazz Voice. In addition to jazz, Colleen has also performed in many musicals and classical choirs. She is a founding member of vocal jazz quintet Down 4 The Count and has run The Other Reindeer Carolers, a Christmas caroling company, since 2009. She has been the soprano section leader for Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica since 2014. 

Gabriel Paredes

Southern California born classical lyric tenor/ countertenor Gabriel Paredes began his musical training by attending The Los Angeles county high school for the arts received his B.A in Vocal Performance from Azusa Pacific University. He has performed various lead roles including Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Alfredo in La Traviata,  Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutti and Laticia in Old Maid and the Thief. Gabriel has been the tenor section leader at UU Santa Monica for the past 4 years and is co-founder and artistic director of Sunday Opera a state non-profit that is dedicated to bringing classical music to the community.

Action of Immediate Witness

proposed by delegates from the  
Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica, California, and passed
at the 2011 Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in Charlotte, North Carolina

Support Southern California Supermarket Workers’ Struggle for Decent Wages and Benefits

BECAUSE our Unitarian Universalist Principles affirm “the inherent worth and dignity of every person” and call for “justice, equity and compassion in human relations” and

BECAUSE our denomination has a long history of opposing racism and sexism;

WHEREAS, fulltime supermarket workers in Southern California (SoCal) earn an average of less than$30,000 per year, despite the high cost of living in the area;

WHEREAS, many workers get only 24 hours of work per week and therefore earn far less;

WHEREAS, SoCal supermarket workers are disproportionately African-American and Latino;

WHEREAS, SoCal supermarket workers are disproportionately female;

WHEREAS, the 5-month strike/lockout of these workers in 2003 resulted in reductions in health insurance and pensions;

WHEREAS, despite that, the 62,000 members of United Food and Commercial Workers voted overwhelmingly on April 21, 2011 to authorize a strike against the three major SoCal supermarket chains—Ralphs, Albertsons and Von’s;

WHEREAS, the supermarket chains are demanding further increases in workers’ payments for health insurance;

WHEREAS, by authorizing a strike the supermarket workers acted on behalf of all workers, courageously rejecting the Great Recession rhetoric of “shared sacrifice,” which has so far meant primarily that only workers (employed and unemployed) and their families sacrifice;

WHEREAS, in 2003 the supermarket chains adopted a “national strategy,” relying on profits from operations throughout the US to offset losses in Southern California; and

WHEREAS it appears likely that the workers will strike within a few weeks of this General Assembly;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the 2011 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist   Association:

         • Calls upon UU congregations in Southern California to support the supermarket   workers, in ways such as educating our members, organizing petition campaigns and pledges not to shop at supermarkets where workers are on strike, holding demonstrations, walking picket lines, serving meals to the workers if they strike, and organizing congregations of other denominations and the community in general to do the same;

         • Calls upon congregations outside Southern California to a) support the strikers in ways they consider appropriate such as: letters of support, donations to the strikers, petition campaigns, demonstrations at markets owned by the parent companies of the three supermarket chains: Safeway (Von’s), Kroger (Ralphs and Fry’s), and Supervalu, Inc. (Albertsons), b) collect pledges not to shop at stores owned by the chains if the workers strike, and c) urge members of the community not to shop at those stores until the strike is settled.