Who We Are

The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica was founded in 1927. We are a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association. The covenant we share with other Unitarian Universalist congregations is known as our "Seven Principles."

We affirm and promote:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part

Our UU History is Courageous and Life Affirming

The Unitarian tradition draws from the congregational church of Puritan New England, an experiment in religious democracy and a distinctively American faith. Even earlier, Unitarian movements in central Europe struggled for the freedom of religion, and for the belief in one God.

The Universalist faith came to the U.S. from England. Universalism comforted many with its vision of a loving God, who saved all souls from damnation. The Unitarians and the Universalists, desiring to share the inspiration and the resources of their separate institutions, merged in 1961 to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The Santa Monica Church

Our church is a vital and influential liberal religious resource for Los Angeles. Our worship services, religious education for children, young people and adults, intergenerational activities, and social action projects attract thoughtful individuals who seek an environment for religious growth.

We are an inclusive community. We encourage and value the participation of ALL people who share our philosophy, regardless of age, race or sexual orientation. We have many small groups to help people focus on their own interests or identity.

We are a non-credal church. We do not require allegiance to religious dogma for membership. Unitarian Universalism promotes tolerance and religious freedom, values that are central to our tradition.

We are an intentionally diverse religious community, embracing atheists, theists and persons of many different religious backgrounds, all sharing a desire to worship, learn, serve and celebrate together. We gather together as Unitarian Universalists.

We care about children and young people. Our religious education program offers relevant and engaging curricula presented by teachers who are trained and supported by our Director of Religious Education.

We offer child care for infants and toddlers during the worship service and for all-church events. We also sponsor intergenerational activities throughout the year so that families may participate together in the life of our church.

Our governance is democratic. We follow the tradition of congregational polity, in which each local congregation is responsible for its own business and management. Our leadership is elected each spring at the annual meeting. Our minister is called to lead us by a vote of the congregation.

Our most recent settled minister, the Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur, served the church from 2011 to June, 2017.  Developmental Minister Rev. Greg Ward served us from 2017 to 2019, and our current Developmental Minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae, joined us in late 2019.

We have two Ministers Emeriti -- the Rev. Ernest Pipes, Jr. (d. 2021), who served this congregation from 1956 to 1991, and the Rev. Judith Meyer, who served from 1993 to 2008.

Membership in our congregation is a participatory activity. When you join us, you are eligible to vote, to serve on committees and to become fully involved in the life of our church. 

• Want a religious home where diversity is appreciated and celebrated;
• Value the inherent worth and dignity of individuals;
• Appreciate the freedom to explore and develop your own religious philosophy;
• Support a place where intergenerational connections are nurtured
• Believe that social action is a religious obligation.

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UUCCSM members and friends of all ages are invited to join an exciting journey of questioning, searching, challenging and wondering about the meaning of life with all its mysteries, great and small. Our Lifespan Religious Exploration Program provides the opportunity for the deeper meanings of life to be explored and experienced in a safe, loving and fun community that is most successful when families attend regularly. We offer a basis for spiritual development, which augments the religious growth and learning each family is engaged in. The goal of our program is to give each young person a firm ground of belief, rooted in our Unitarian Universalist principles, from which they can stretch and grow, question and explore. Together as a religious community we learn love of one another and ourselves, to search for truth with an open mind, and to work to make the world a better place.

Whatever your religious background—or even if you have never participated in a faith community before—there is room in our church for your family. For generations, Unitarian Universalism has welcomed and guided interfaith families, exiles, and seekers. We are enriched by each others’ faith journeys and our liberal religious values.

We invite you to join us as we celebrate “being you and being UU” on Sundays and every day.

For more information, contact our Director of Religious Education, Cleo Anderson, at dre@uusm.org.

On January 8, 2002, our church board endorsed our efforts to become a Welcoming Congregation. The UUA Welcoming Congregation program started in 1989, after it was acknowledged that ignorance and prejudice about LGBTs had led to their exclusion from UU churches. Since then, more than 360 UU churches and societies have been officially certified as Welcoming Congregations.

After more than a year of Welcoming Congregation workshops and events, we fulfulled the UUA's requirements, and pledged to be welcoming, supportive, and embracing of bisexuals, gays, lesbians, and transgenders. Finally, on May 18, 2003, our congregation ratified this resolution, voting for our church to become an official UUA Welcoming Congregation:

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 the Unitarian Universalist Association designate our Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica a Unitarian Universalist Welcoming Congregation.