The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica |
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From Our Minister |
Featured Articles - June, 2007Transition Committee is getting in gear — are you?There are three important messages from the Transition Committee this month: 1. The Blue House appears to be on schedule, with completion in July. 2. There are some new chairs in Forbes Hall for your examination. Please sit on them. Decide which ones should replace some of the pews in the Sanctuary. We need the ability to stack and store seating so that we have a semisocial hall for the next couple of years. 3. There will be a “GREAT MOVING DAY” on August 18 (a Saturday). We will provide breakfast and lunch. We need you to help move everything from the 17th Street facility (remember the garages) and everything from Forbes and from the second floor RE rooms and closets. Will you help? Bring your children for company, work, or just to hang out. Wonderful and interesting times are immediately ahead of us. You are invited to be a participant rather than an observer. — The Transition Committee
Small Group Ministry is to Continue in the Fall
The Rev. Calvin Dame says, “What it takes [to do church well, to its fullest] is for a congregation to determine that this is one of the most important areas it can focus on if it wants to grow and deepen the lives of its friends and members. People seek out churches because they want connection with other people and because they want to find more meaning for their lives and make a difference in the world. Small groups can do both.” Our current set of three groups will conclude at June’s end, with new ones forming in the fall. We invite you to become part of this exceptional program. — Carol-jean Teuffel
Our Monthly Meals at Step Up on Second
These are among some of the many comments we get when serving on the line at Step Up on Second, a shelter on Second Street in Santa Monica. Who are the people coming through the line? According the information on their website, Step Up on Second helps individuals who are suffering from severe and persistent mental illness. Every single day, 365 days a year, Step Up provides two hot meals to its members, many of whom are homeless. For the past five or six years, our church has provided one of these meals on the 4th Saturday of every month. Typically, I buy and drop off most of the food on the Friday before serving day. On Friday night, I make around 120 pieces of barbecued chicken to take with me on Saturday. The volunteers who help me on the line buy, prepare, and serve one of the additional items, such as salad, a vegetable, or a dessert. What does my monthly shopping list look like? Here is a tally of my February 2007 receipts: Smart & Final 3 large buckets of ice cream . . . . $15 Costco 3 large bags of meatballs . . . . . . . .33
TOTAL . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .$233 Does that seem like a lot? Well, for the 70 to 80 people we normally serve, it’s around $3 a meal. This amount of food means that everyone has seconds and a few hearty individuals occasionally even ask for thirds. How can you help? The most immediate need is for funds to mount this monthly meal. We desperately need to figure out a way to create an ongoing fund for this project. Many of you have contributed to our fund and we thank our “angels” for their generous donations over the years. We’ve had a dedicated group of volunteers — both adults and youth. I can’t list all of the many volunteers but some of the stalwarts are Ernie Pipes, Rhonda Peacock, and Kim Baldridge, who have been “on call” for close to three years. Madeline Hero, currently in Coming of Age, has assisted several months in a row this past year, along with her mom or dad. Other families who have helped include Margot and Ian Dodd with Rachael and Galen, Amy and Bruno Lacombe with Lucie and Priya, Jennifer Westbay with Max, Kit Shaw with Taylor, and I, too, have brought both my kids. My daughter, Angela, reports, “I like it because the people smile at you and appreciate it so much. Then, they say how cute you are and why don’t you come next time?” All of us who do it enjoy the camaraderie with the other servers, the friendly rapport we have with the staff, and, of course, the high you get just being able to help out. My favorite part is looking up and seeing familiar faces — people who recognize me and look happy to see me again. As the quotes at the beginning of this article reveal, hear many expressions of gratitude. In reality, we all agree that we are the ones feeling the gratitude. If you have questions or want to volunteer, please contact me. — Janet Goodwin
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Six years ago 65% of UU congregations formed
Covenant Groups to bring Small Group Ministries
into being. To identify their highest purpose,
Covenant Groups help members discover their
own ministries and increase the influence of the
church as a whole. They provide a safe place and
space to radically or subtly cause spiritual transformation. 
“I look forward to this meal every month!”