UUSM - Newsletters - Monthly Features - December, 2006
Featured Articles - December, 2006
Congregational Conversation on Youth Ministry December 10
A congregation-wide, intergenerational conversation
on youth ministry will be held on Sunday, December
10, 1 to 3:30 p.m. in Forbes Hall, facilitated by
church members Jordan Paddock and Karen Patch.
This is an exciting time for our congregation. From
four youth who completed Coming of Age five years ago,
we now have a pool of over 40 youth in our program. Are
we serving them well? Do they see our church as their spiritual
home? Do they feel welcomed, especially youth of
color and all sexual orientations? Do they see themselves
part of the adult community? Will we support them as
young adults? What does it say about our future as a religious
community that our youth often leave after high
school and don’t return? Can we do more? Just imagine
what could be, here in Santa Monica.
Because this conversation concerns the life and vitality
of our congregation as a whole, everyone is encouraged to
attend and participate: youth (grade 8 and above), parents,
staff, church leaders and members of all ages. You are all
invited to come explore together:
• Strengths and weaknesses of our current youth ministry
• Ways to strengthen this ministry and empower our
youth leaders
• Youth ministry in the larger context of the full life of
our congregation
For more information or questions, please contact
DRE Catherine Farmer, Karen Patch or Jordan Paddock. Childcare will be
available. Please let us know ahead of time so we can be
fully staffed. Lunch will be for sale after the service.
This meeting is part of an inclusive, transformational
process that is being lead by the UUA Task Force on Ministry
To and With Youth. The goal is to revitalize and
strengthen youth ministry through a two-year process on
all levels. For more information, please visit
http://www.uua.org/TRUS/youth.
Join the Women's Alliance
In 1927 our church and our Women’s Alliance were
founded. The Alliance, as an affiliated organization, has
provided ordinary and extraordinary opportunities for
leadership training, interesting programs, fundraising,
worship, good food, community outreach, personal
growth, and getting to know some amazing women.
Our twin-circles logo acknowledges the many gifts
received from our Unitarian and Universalist foremothers,
and we tend the flame that they tended for us.
In 2007 we’ll celebrate our 80th birthday. We will
gather quarterly on Sundays, nurturing friendships on
January 14, April 29, July 29, and October 21. Nonmembers
are always welcome. Dues allow us to maintain
our membership in the Unitarian Universalist
Women’s Federation (uuwf.org), which has an
exciting new grants program that “advances equity and
justice for women and girls by funding bold, innovative
projects that effect positive social change.” If you’re
interested in being an Alliance member, please join by
December 18 since we want to forward our dues to
Boston on time. Checks for $25 payable to “UUCCSM”
and marked “Women's Alliance” in the corner can be
mailed to the church or dropped in with the offertory.
Any questions? Please contact us because we’ve
loved being in the Alliance for many years and want to
share the experience with you. Contact Joyce Holmen,
President or Sue Moore, Treasurer.
Michael Eselun Recognized
Church member Michael Eselun was given an
award by the Southern California Cancer Pain Initiative.
This is the wording of the statement the organization
made in honoring Michael:
"Michael Eselun serves as a chaplain supporting
the UCLA Santa Monica Palliative Care Program and
the Transplant Oncology Program. Michael supports
patients with life threatening diseases and their families.
Michael’s work provides major support to patients
with some of the
most life-threatening
diseases
undergoing
aggressive therapy
with major side
effects causing
pain. Michael’s
kind nature and
peaceful presence
allows patients to
endure their treatments
with less
anxiety and also
helps alleviate the
spiritual and psychosocial
pain
related to treatment.
It is our
pleasure to give
this much
deserved award to
Michael Eselun."
News from New Orleans
I spent the last days of October visiting my daughter,
Emily, who is a freshman at Loyola New Orleans.
While I was there we attended a service with the congregation
of First Unitarian Universalist Church. The
church buildings of both of the New Orleans UU congregations
were severely damaged in the flooding that
occurred with Hurricane Katrina. For almost a year the
two congregations met together in a suburban Presbyterian
Church. Now they have both been able to return
to their neighborhoods. First UU meets in the second
floor auditorium of another Presbyterian Church that is
across the street from their damaged building.
We attended a lay-led service that celebrated All
Saints Day. All Saints Day is a big deal in New Orleans.
Schools and city offices close and people go to the cemeteries
to clean up and whitewash the tombs. The congregation
was small, perhaps 35 people. Everyone was
invited to come forward and speak about an ancestor,
genetic or spiritual. Everyone did, many at length, and
the service went on for almost two hours. I didn’t get the
least bit bored. Everyone had wonderful stories.
I was struck by how comfortable and familiar the
service seemed, even in a borrowed room of a neighboring
church. They sang “Spirit of Life” and “Go Now
in Peace” after the children’s story. Instead of an “Ask
Me” volunteer they have a Designated Extrovert.
New Orleans is a long way from being recovered.
Many parts of the city are still largely uninhabited.
Many people are living in trailers. But people told me
that they see progress every day. A traffic light begins to
work again, a neighborhood business reopens, a neighbor
starts to gut their house. They are determined to
rebuild their city and hope that the rest of us do not
forget them.
— Dorothy Steinicke
Commitment Sunday a Resounding Success -- Still More Work to Do
I am pleased to report that on Commitment Sunday
we received more than $100,000 in pledges from
nearly 100 people. Our totals (as of 11/16/06) stand
at $225,544 in stated pledges from 150+ people. We’re
well on our way to reaching our goal of 100% participation
in the drive.
A couple of numbers for you: More than 40% of
those making their pledges have increased their support
of the church for the coming year, with the median
increase being 20%. It’s truly a testament to the vibrancy
of our community and it portends important changes
in the work we can consider in the coming year.
Thanks to all of you who stepped up to the plate to
state your commitment for 2007. You make this
church’s work possible.
Now comes the challenge of confirming the
remaining 190 pledges from 2006. Through the month
of November, Sanjeev Jain diligently staffed the pledge
table in the church courtyard and Forbes Hall. It’d be
nice to think he caught up with everyone, but I’m sure
he didn’t. So here’s what’s going to happen in December.
We’ll continue to ask for 2007 pledges through the
month of December, via order of service announcements,
e-mail, and any other means we can devise.
We’ll confirm what we can by the end of December,
and then send out letters to any remaining unpledged
members in January. We hope this will get us to our
$400,000 goal in stated pledges for the year.
With pledges in hand, our church’s budgeting
process will begin and we’ll determine our priorities for
the coming fiscal year. May they express our desire to
play a more integral part in the lives of our members
and our larger community.
— Jacki K.Weber, Stewardship Committee Chair
Thanks to...
Very heartfelt thanks to those who have worked to
make this year’s Commitment Sunday a success: our
stewardship committee of Phil Bonacich, Sanjeev Jain,
Ofelia Lachtman, and Patricia Wright; fantastic volunteers
Carol Kerr, Bronwen Jones, Dayla McDonald,
Marv Pulliam, Ed Field and John Fels on brunch; and
Toshi Nakajima, Smitha Chandrabose and Satyavan
Kepper at the pledge table.
Thanks as well to those who worked behind the
scenes on the drive: John Fels, Anne MacQueen,
Charles and Christine Haskell, Melinda Ewen, Holly
Nguyen and Mark Dwyer. And finally to our Reverend
Judith Meyer, who is steadfastly encouraging us to just
imagine the possibilities.
— JW
Veterans Day at Arlington West
Rev. Judith Meyer and the UUCCSM choir participated in last month's Veterans Day Sunday UU memorial service at Arlington West.
New Talent Shines at Saturday Spotlight
The Loungebillies kicked off last month’s Saturday
Spotlight program with their own brand of ironic Texas
blues-rock, composed by church member Kyle Bergersen.
Then vocalist Katie Gross, 16, who grew up in
our church, demonstrated her ability to present mature
and haunting emotion with her clear and powerful
soprano voice. We look forward to watching her musical
career.
Greg Wood modestly informed the audience that he
hasn’t written many songs, then launched into his composition
about the vicissitudes of modern love, expertly
accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica.
Judith Martin-Straw read “Early Girl,” one of her
short stories, graphically expressing the thoughts, feelings
and sensations of a young mother barefoot and
alone in her garden at dawn.
Karl Lisovsky performed “The saddest song I’ve
ever heard,” his own composition about an elevenyear-
old friend who lost both his parents. Tom Ahern
sang “God Bless the Child” in his rich bass voice,
accompanied by Jeff Greenman on guitar. Jeff, representing
the Poetry Group, then put to music an American
classic poem, “The Highwayman.” It was a story
beautifully sung.
Comic relief was provided by husband-and-wife
team Lauri Semarne and Lisle Leete. One hilarious skit
was based on the premise, “What if there are real people
living the life depicted in those story-problems
from high-school math class?”
DWP (Dayla McDonald, Wally Giffen, Peter van den
Beemt) performed “Crying in the Rain” (Peter), “Big Yellow
Taxi” (Dayla), and “’Til Kingdom Come” (Wally).
Intricate medieval part-songs were performed a cappella
by Music Director Steve Wight, Michael Lamb, Rima Snyder,
and Kim Miller, eliciting vigorous applause.
New church attendee Daniel Nahmod closed the
program with thanks and a love song that embraced
UU philosophy.
Musicians Jeff Greenman (guitar), Wally Giffen
(bass), and Steve Wight (piano), accompanied several
of the performers, while Norb Gallery provided musical
and technical expertise in running the soundboard.
Kudos to Bronwen Jones for spearheading the
event, to comedian Kathy O’Keefe, who emceed the
show, and to Melissa Parkerton for organizing the
champagne reception that followed.
— Sherman Neusom
Back to Features Index
|