The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica

Featured Articles - April, 2005

Don't Park on Street; You Could Win a Raffle Ticket

The Building Committee met with neighbors of our church on March 13 to answer any questions about our building project. We blanketed the neighborhood with invitations, and had six neighbors attend, all of them residents of 17th, 18th or 19th Streets. We soon learned that they had three issues on their minds: parking, parking and parking.

The neighbors acknowledged that much of the problem in the neighborhood comes from employees at the car dealerships and visitors to the nearby hospital and medical offices who park on the street rather than pay high parking prices. In addition, many housing units in the neighborhood lack onsite parking for residents. Our church contributes to the lack of street parking at our busiest times, especially Sundays and Monday evenings when a large group rents Forbes Hall. We can help to reduce our impact on an already difficult situation by carpooling with others to events at the church.

We have a long-standing agreement with UCLA that provides us with access to their garage at the corner of Arizona and 16th Street from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Sunday. These hours can be lengthened with advance notice to accommodate our occasional Sunday afternoon events. All you need to do is pick up a light blue parking permit from the front office, place it on your dash, and have the attendant let you in. We are distributing copies of the parking pass at services to make sure everyone has a copy.

If you need to drop off food, young children, or older or disabled people who have difficulty with the walk from the garage, please use the spaces along Arizona. We have asked the City to allow one of the spaces on Arizona near Forbes Hall to be designated a yellow “drop off zone,” but until the curb is painted, we will need to try to keep this area free for dropping off on Sundays.

Another great way to get here without parking hassles is on the Big Blue Bus, Santa Monica’s award winning bus system. Our church is located right between line 2 on Wilshire Boulevard and lines 1 and 10 on Santa Monica Boulevard. We have posted the bus map and schedule in the lobby of Forbes Hall, along with a supply of schedules for these lines. The fare is 75 cents and is only 25 cents if you are at least 62 years old. Check bigbluebus.com for further information.

My favorite way to arrive at church is on foot or on a bike. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to take a walk or a bike route, what better time than Sunday morning? Walking to church gives you a chance to relax and enjoy the gardens, stop in for brunch, and do your errands. We have a bike rack in the back yard of 1248 and are looking into installing one in Anderson Courtyard to provide a convenient place to lock your bike. Don’t forget to wear a helmet. Bike route information is posted with the bus schedules in Forbes Hall.

For the next few months we will be offering special incentives for using our remote parking, carpooling, walking, biking or taking the bus to church. As you arrive at the church, tell us your “good neighbor” effort and you will get a raffle ticket good for prizes at the end of the month. You’ll also be helping us document our good neighbor travel behavior for our follow-up meeting with the neighbors and our public hearing with the Planning Commission later in the spring. So let’s not forget to “walk the walk” on our way to church, as well as within.

—Alison Kendall, Building Chair

Our Own Weekend Retreat Beckons Us June 17 to 19

Did you ever want to own a cabin in the mountains — a place where you can retreat on weekends; a place to walk in the forest and hear the sounds of the wild — the birds, a babbling brook, the chatter of a squirrel; a place so quiet you can hear an acorn or a leaf hit the ground; a place where you can wonder at the nighttime sky and smell the pines?

Well, you do own just such a place.

“Everyone who is a member of any UU church in southern California owns Camp de Benneville Pines,” says John Schaibly, president, Camp deBenneville Pines board of directors.

Our church will occupy the entire camp again for the Father’s Day weekend this year. The dates are June 17 to 19. A full agenda of activities for all ages is planned, so there is always plenty to do. Or, you can simply relax, enjoy the good food and get to know people from church in a very different setting.

We expect to have a full house again this year, so be sure to register after either of the services on Sunday, April 17. If Craig’s Cabin is overbooked, we will have a random drawing to select the lucky ones.

Don’t miss this special event. The record rainy season will guarantee a most enjoyable summer solstice environment.

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