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Religious Exploration (More or Less) Weekly UpdateMarch 5, 2010Calendar of upcoming events: Saturday, 3/6
This Week in RE:Preschool: “Rainbows” This week our preschool classes will celebrate the wonder and beauty of rainbows, with stories and a special craft project. Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “Creation” (9:00) This week we’ll begin our exploration of our Jewish & Christian Heritage with the sharing of the Biblical creation story. “Noah” (11:00) This week we’ll begin our exploration of our Jewish & Christian Heritage with the sharing of the story of Noah & the Great Flood. 3rd-5th Grade: “Timeless Themes” Our 3rd-5th grade classes this week will begin our March-May unit on our Jewish & Christian Heritage with an introduction to the Timeless Themes curriculum and an introduction to the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. 6th-7th Grade: This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will continue their study of earth-centered religions with a special visit from UUCCSM church member Rima Snyder. 8th Grade: This week the Coming of Age class will begin to work on their service planning with an introductory exploration of creating their credo statements. 9th-12th Grade: YRUU meets at 11:00 under in the Northeast room of the Cottage. This Sunday, YRUU youth will work on planning for their upcoming YRUU Sunday service, on March 14th and put on a T-shirt sale to raise funds for the upcoming UU-UNO spring seminar trip.
Announcements:THIS SATURDAY UUCCSM Family Game Night March 6: Please join us from 5-8 pm on Saturday, March 6, for an all-ages game night, co-sponsored by the RE Committee and the Adult Programs Committee. Dinner will be potluck - bring a dish that will serve at least eight - and bring along your favorite board and card games! We'll provide some kid-friendly games, and some for adults, but we need you to supplement our supply. (No video games, please.) We'll have a number of tables set up for games, so you'll have plenty of choices. All ages are welcome. For more information, contact Catherine@uusm.org or call 310-829-5436 x108. NEW UUCCSM T-shirts for Sale This Sunday: This Sunday, help support our YRUU youth’s fund-raising effort for attending the UU-United Nations Office Spring Seminar in New York in April by purchasing a special UUCCSM t-shirt! Shirts are $25 each. NEW RE FAMILY SNOW WEEKEND Rescheduled for March 12-14 – THREE ROOMS STILL AVAILABLE: Attention ALL RE Families and Friends: Our church has reserved Craigs Cabin at Camp de Benneville Pines for the weekend of March 12-14, 2010 (originally scheduled in January and moved to March due to TOO MUCH snow!). There are THREE rooms still available to reserve and the price can't be beat. If we get 9 families the price is $112. per family! We bring in our own food and pay a small additional fee for Sat night food service at the lodge. For those of you who have never been, Camp de Benneville Pines is located at 6800 feet elevation, in the San Bernardino National Forest amidst towering pines, cedars, and oaks. It is owned and operated by the Pacific Southwest District of the Unitarian-Universalist Association. Check out the camp at: http://www.debennev ille.org/ Craig's Cabin provides more luxurious accommodations for Camp de Benneville program participants. In addition, the cabin is available for rent as a self contained program site. It will sleep up to 25 people in the 9 bedrooms. There are three bathrooms each with showers and one has handicap facilities. There is a meeting room with a fireplace, adjacent to the kitchen/dining area. A TV with VCR allows viewing video cassettes. Info on Craigs Cabin: http://www.debennev ille.org/ craig.html. There’s only one week to go before the trip, so PLEASE contact Julie Kinsinger right away to reserve your spot TODAY!! NEW Thank You: Dear friends, I am so touched by the many members and friends of UUCCSM who have reached out to provide baby items and messages of care and support for my family this week. While the situation is tough in many ways, the good news is that baby Collin is on the mend and is safe and loved at home with my in-laws (his grandparents), Dawn and Bob. And the help they have received from so many of you will make things easier for them. They are prepared to care for him as long as they need to, and are greatly moved by your help. As am I. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please support members of the YRUU high school group on their road to the United Nations! Look for upcoming fundraisers (bake sale, raffle, and lunches for sale). We need to raise enough funds to send 7 youth and 2 chaperones to attend the UU-United Nations Office Spring Seminar (April 7-11). We also welcome Angels willing to sponsor youth (donate towards their airfare and registration). This year's seminar will focus on Climate Change and offers our youth an invalulabe learning experience. We're also the ONLY west coast church to ever attend this event! For more information on how you can help contact Liza Cranis. UU Parenting Blog and Forthcoming Book: This week uuworld.org announced the creation of a new blog on their site: UU Parenting with Michelle Richards (http://blogs.uuworld.org/parenting/), a blog about the unique challenges and blessings of Unitarian Universalist parenting. Author, religious educator and mother Michelle Richards will lead a lively weekly discussion on topics ranging from how to share beliefs, holidays, children and their peers of different faiths and the mystery of death. Michelle Richards is a religious education consultant for the Central Midwest District and a credentialed religious educator. Previously, she was the director of religious education for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Elkhart, Indiana, for seven years, and the chair of the Central Midwest District's Religious Education Committee. Richards is the author of Come Into the Circle: Worshiping with Children from Skinner House Books, and a new book to be published on March 30, Tending the Flame: the Art of UU Parenting. (A special 10% discount has also been offered on the book when purchased through the UUA Bookstore at http://www.uuabookstore.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=1211 with the use of the discount code FLAME at checkout.)
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Search and search again -Muhammad Iqbal
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, or for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! An At-Home Activity to Reinforce our UU Values – “A Birthday Tribute”: (from How to Bury a Goldfish by Virginia Lang and Louise Nayer) - It is sad to admit that our culture associates aging with loss. After a certain age, birthdays are often greeted with crude jokes about crow’s feet, hair loss, and other declining capacities. We focus more on what we cannot do than what we have become. When we see the beautiful autumnal face of a woman whose life has been richly lived, we know there is much to celebrate and acknowledge on the day of her birth. Here is a ritual intended to honor an older woman or man for all she/he brings to the lives of those who love them. What You Need A blank journal What You Do – If the elder is fortunate enough to live near most of her friends and family, buy a blank journal and paste a recent photo of the honoree on its cover. With the help of an organized family coordinator, circulate the journal among the honoree’s dear friends and family members. Ask each person to write about a quality that she appreciates in the honoree. For example, “Grandfather, you are my model of honesty and compassion. Happy birthday!” You may wish to recall a treasured memory: “You are the most patient grandmother who has ever lived; I would have failed algebra without you!” The sentiments need not be long, just heartfelt and personal. Present the book as a group on the honoree’s birthday. It is sure to be a most treasured gift. When Louise’s godmother turned eighty, she took part in a “card shower” coordinated by her godmother’s daughter. Each person wrote a heartfelt sentiment on a blank card and sent it to the daughter, who created a master scrapbook of all the cards. If distrance is a challenge, this is a good option.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)March 3, 1568: The second religious debate between Unitarian Francis David and Calvinist bishop Peter Melius opened at Gyulafehervar, Transylvania. It lasted 10 days. Tradition has it that after returning home from that debate, Francis David preached standing on the “round rock” at the corner of Torda street in Kolozsvar and converted all who heard him to Unitarianism. The stone is now in the narthex of the First Unitarian Church in Kolozsvar. The series of debates began at the Diet of Torda and ultimately resulted in the conversion of Prince John Sigismund of Transylvania to Unitarianism. March 4, 1864: Thomas Starr King, a Universalist and Unitarian minister and missionary on the West Coast, died at age 39 of diphtheria. When he died, President Lincoln ordered guns to be fired from U.S. forts in recognition of his service to the country. March 6, 1888: The beloved American writer Louisa May Alcott died at age 55 in Boston. Louisa’s father was Bronson Alcott, a founder of the Transcendentalist Club who ran a school in Concord, Massachusetts, and educated Louisa and her sisters at home. She worked as a teacher and a domestic worker and eventually began to write poems and short stories for children. Alcott was an ardent abolitionist and served as a nurse during the Civil War. This experience provided material for Hospital Sketches (1863), which established her literary reputation. She also wrote various stories for children, of which Little Women (1868) is the best known. It was largely autobiographical and a great financial success. Alcott wrote numerous other stories, including Gothic tales published under the pseudonym A. M. Barnard. She devoted her later life to reforms, including temperance and women’s rights. Alcott did not like formal church connections, but her beliefs were Unitarian and she moved among such prominent Unitarians as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Samuel Gridley Howe, and Julia Ward Howe. March 7, 1601: A Socinian conference opened at Rakow, Poland, to discuss the nature of Christ, his relation to God, and whether he should be worshipped. March 7, 1844: The Dissenters’ Chapels Act was introduced in English Parlaiment, aimed at giving Unitarians legal rights to their church property. It was an important step in religious freedom in England. It passed by a vote of 202 to 41 and Queen Victoria gave it the royal seal on July 15, 1844. March 7, 1920: Seven people met with Egbert Ethelred Brown, and African-American Unitarian minister, in Harlem to form the Harlem Community Church of New York City, the first African-American Unitarian congregation in the United States. Maurice Dawkins, an African-American, became the minister of education there in 1948. March 7, 1965: 600 civil rights marchers who set out from Selma, Alabama, on their way to Montgomery to urge passage of the Voting Rights Act, were attacked by local law enforcement officials at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Known as “Bloody Sunday,” this event led Martin Luther King to call on clergy of all faiths to join him in Selma. More than 125 Unitarian Universalist ministers answered the call, including UUCCSM minister Rev. Ernie Pipes. On March 21, 1965, more than 3,000 marchers left Selma for Montgomery and by March 25, 1965, 25,000 marchers entered Montgomery. On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. Three people were killed during the Selma marches – James Reeb, a Unitarian Universalist minister; Jimmy Lee Jackson, an African-American laborer and church deacon; and Viola Liuzzo, a Unitarian Universalist layperson from Detroit. February 18, 2010Calendar of upcoming events:Sunday, 2.21
This Week in RE:Preschool: “Wondering About the Moon” This week our preschool classes will celebrate the wonder and beauty of the night and the moon. Kindergarten-5th Grade: “Tree People Introduction” This week children in our elementary RE program will be visited by UUCCSM member and Tree People employee Lisa Cahill, who will introduce us to Tree People and prepare us for our field trip next week. 6th-7th Grade: This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will wrap up their exploration of Taoism with an integration of their in-class exploration as well as last week’s field trip. 8th Grade: This week the Coming of Age class will explore a variety of spiritual practices, aided by visiting UUCCSM members Judith Martin-Straw and Bill Blake. 9th-12th Grade: YRUU meets at 11:00 in the Northeast room of the cottage. This Sunday, YRUU youth will head full-force into planning for their upcoming YRUU Sunday service, on March 14th.
Volunteer Opportunities:NEW Spring RE Working Groups Being Formed – Volunteers Needed: This Sunday and next members of the RE Committee will be staffing a sign-up table during coffee hour to recruit volunteers to help with three working groups that will be formed this spring. We need folks to help with Easter Planning (on April 4th), Summer Program Planning (planning and coordinating summer program for July-August), and Spring Event Planning (for Everybody’s Birthday Party to be help on April 24th). If you signed up to help with one of these working groups when you filled our your Parent Commitment Form in the fall, you will be contacted soon. For more information or to volunteer, visit the table during coffee hour or contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108.
Announcements:NEW Please support members of the YRUU high school group on their road to the United Nations! Look for upcoming fundraisers (bake sale, raffle, and lunches for sale). We need to raise enough funds to send 7 youth and 2 chaperones to attend the UU-United Nations Office Spring Seminar (April 7-11). We also welcome Angels willing to sponsor youth (donate towards their airfare and registration). This year's seminar will focus on Climate Change and offers our youth an invalulabe learning experience. We're also the ONLY west coast church to ever attend this event! For more information on how you can help contact: Liza Cranis. NEW Turning Point Trip a Success! Last Sunday 12 youngsters and 5 adults went to the Turning Point transitional housing shelter for a tour and to provide bag lunches for the residents. On final count, we put together 67 lunches, with BLTs or cheese sandwiches, chips and fruit. And the RE children also decorated every single bag with a Valentine’s Day theme! Many thanks to those who participated. UUCCSM Family Game Night March 6: Please join us from 5-8 pm on Saturday, March 6, for an all-ages game night, co-sponsored by the RE Committee and the Adult Programs Committee. Dinner will be potluck - bring a dish that will serve at least eight - and bring along your favorite board and card games! We'll provide some kid-friendly games, and some for adults, but we need you to supplement our supply. (No video games, please.) We'll have a number of tables set up for games, so you'll have plenty of choices. All ages are welcome. For more information, contact Catherine@uusm.org or call 310-829-5436 x108. Faith in Action in Elementary RE: On January 24th 28 K-5th graders participated in our field trip to the spcaLA animal shelter in Hawthorne. Our next trip will be to Turning Point on February 14th, and we’ll take a trip to visit Tree People and care for some trees on February 28th. In March we will enter our third trimester of the year with a focus on our Jewish & Christian heritage.
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Peace be to this house -Traditional Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, or for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! An At-Home Activity to Reinforce our UU Values – “Rare and Made-Up Family Holidays”: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox) - It’s a wonderful moment when a child realizes that nobody else on the planet celebrates the same wacky holiday that his or her family invented. Crazy Food Day – The Taylor family of Stratford, Connecticut, started this tradition one year during Christmas vacation: on Crazy Food Day, all the meals are mixed up. They might each lunch or dinner for breakfast, and breakfast for lunch. This day usually gets chosen when school is closed due to snow, or there’s a vacation day with no events planned. Everybody stays in his or her pajamas all day. Kids’ Day – Some kids have lobbied their parents for a children’s equivalent of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The Hains girls of Maryland get to pick a special family activity, and each gets a small gift. Patrice Kyger takes it a step further: Son’s Day is the second Sunday in June, and Daughter’s Day comes on the second Sunday in August. A special outing like a picnic or miniature golf is planned, and the siblings talk about what’s good about having a sister or brother, depending on the day. Family Happiness Party – In Merchantville, New Jersey, Susan Lynch and her daughters know just what to do on days when everyone in the family is down in the dumps. They declare a Family Happiness Party, and get ready to cheer themselves up with such treats as make-your-own-sundaes. Yes Day – Darcie Gore wrote in Family Fun magazine that she got tired of saying “no” to her three girls constantly, and decided to declare the next Saturday “Yes Day.” She started a “Yes Jar,” where her daughters write down things they can’t do immediately, such as “wear my Cinderella dress all day.” On Yes Day each month, the activity requests are read, and then acted on. The first Yes Day began with a breakfast of chocolate milk and donuts, and included such activities as freeze tag, a pillow fight, and the application of toenail polish.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)February 16, 1691: Sir Isaac Newton wrote to John Locke to request that he not publish Newton’s Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture until after Newton’s death. Newton’s treatise attacked the accuracy of two biblical texts about the Trinity (1 John 5:7 and 1 Timothy 3:16). February 17, 1698: The English House of Commons petitioned the king to suppress all literature disputing the Trinity and to punish the authors. The Blasphemy Act in 1648 had made Unitarianism a crime punishable by the denial of civil rights. February 19, 1881: William Adam of Beaconfield, Scotland, died. He was an orthodox Baptist missionary who attempted to convert Rajah Rammohun Roy, the founder of a Unitarian form of Hinduism called Brahmo Samaj. Instead, Adam found himself converted to Unitarianism. February 22, 1805: Sarah Flower Adams was born in Harlow, Essex, England. An actress who achieved a dramatic triumph as Lady Macbeth, she became ill suddenly and had to give up the stage. She was a lifelong Unitarian, deeply devoted to her Unitarian church in South Place, London, and the author of many religious works, including Vivia Perpetua (“Eternal Life”). She also composed hymns, the most famous of which is “Nearer, my God, to Thee.” Adams worked with prisons, fought for greater civil and religious liberty, and established Sunday schools and benevolent societies. She died on August 15, 1848. February 11, 2010Calendar of upcoming events:Sunday, 2/14 This Week in RE:Preschool: “Celebrate Love for Valentine’s Day” This week our preschool classes will explore the many ways people can show their love and affection for others, and will make special Valentine’s cards and necklaces to share with loved ones. Kindergarten-5th Grade: “Turning Point Field Trip” This week children in our elementary RE program are invited to take part in our second Faith in Action field trip, a visit to the Turning Point transitional housing shelter for a tour and to prepare lunches for the residents. Be aware: we will make one full-morning trip, leaving after the story in the first service at 9:20 am, and returning by 11:30 If you would like for your child to participate in the trip, please make sure to come to the first service, or meet us in the cottage at 9:20 for the walk to the shelter, located about four blocks from UUCCSM at 1446 16th street. After returning to the church, children can be picked up right away or will participate in an activity in the cottage until the 11:00 service has concluded. There will be alternate activities offered during each service for children who choose not to participate in the trip. Note: Volunteers are needed to accompany us on the trip, and families will be invited to contribute ingredients for sack lunches. A separate email with information about what is needed will be sent out shortly to K-5th parents. 6th-7th Grade: This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will continue their exploration of Taoism with a field trip to the Taoist temple in Chinatown. Details and permission forms have been emailed to Neighboring Faiths families. 8th Grade: This week the Coming of Age class will explore what it means to be “In Relationship” – with family, friends, loved ones, self, etc. 9th-12th Grade: YRUU meets at 11:00 in the North East room of the cottage. This Sunday, Valentine’s day, is a perfect day for our YRUU youth to discuss love, friendships and relationships. Announcements:NEW Souper Bowl Sunday a Success!: Thank you to all our young people who painted bowls and staffed our “Souper Bowl Sunday” table, and thank you to all of the congregants who donated money or food items in exchange for bowls to take home! Our elementary RE kids raised $180 and gathered 25 food items to benefit the Westside Food Bank, in exchange for every single bowl we had to give! NEW UUCCSM Family Game Night March 6: Please join us from 5-8 pm on Saturday, March 6, for an all-ages game night, co-sponsored by the RE Committee and the Adult Programs Committee. Dinner will be potluck - bring a dish that will serve at least eight - and bring along your favorite board and card games! We'll provide some kid-friendly games, and some for adults, but we need you to supplement our supply. (No video games, please.) We'll have a number of tables set up for games, so you'll have plenty of choices. All ages are welcome. For more information, contact Catherine@uusm.org or call 310-829-5436 x108. Faith in Action in Elementary RE: On January 24th 28 K-5th graders participated in our field trip to the spcaLA animal shelter in Hawthorne. Our next trip will be to Turning Point on February 14th, and we’ll take a trip to visit Tree People and care for some trees on February 28th. In March we will enter our third trimester of the year with a focus on our Jewish & Christian heritage. UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
May words I say be fair and true -Beryl Aschenberg Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, or for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! An At-Home Activity to Reinforce our UU Values – “The Love Eggs-periment”: (from 10-Minute Life Lessons for Kids by Jamie Miller)Materials: Clear drinking glass filled with 1 cup water, 1 fresh egg, ¼ cup salt, tablespoon, permanent marker. What to do: For young children, draw a face on one side of the egg (this is optional for older children). Carefully place the egg in the glass of water and observe that it sinks to the bottom. Tell the children that the egg represents someone who is not receiving love or acceptance from those around him. Sinking to the bottom represents how someone who is ridiculed or made fun of would feel – low, sad, depressed, unappreciated. Remove the egg from the water and set it aside. One tablespoon at a time, add the salt to the water. As you stir in each spoonful, explain that the salt represents different ways to make someone feel loved and accepted. You should try to use examples that are relevant to your child’s life, such as offering to eat lunch with a new child at school, bringing cookies to a new family in the neighborhood, helping someone who has fallen off her bike, sharing a special toy with a friend, etc. After you have added all the salt, replace the egg to show how it is now supported with “love” and “held up” by the encouragement and acceptance of others. This demonstration can be centered around showing love and support within the family, in a school classroom or extracurricular team, or within a religious or community group or organization. This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)February 10, 1652: John Biddle, freed from prison in the Scilly Isles, where he had been exiled for his Unitarian heresy, gathered a group of Unitarians into a society. Although it did not last beyond Biddle’s death on September 22, 1662, it represented the first Unitarian society in England. February 10, 1945: The North Shore Unitarian Church was founded in Long Island, New York. It is now the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, New York. As part of its founding outreach, the congregation contacted an Episcopalian named Caroline Veatch, who provided for the church to receive income from her oil fields in Germany after her death. The church has since turned this income into the largest single source of funding for the Unitarian Universalist Association and its work. February 11, 1802: Lydia Maria Child was born in Medford, Massachusetts. An advocate of women’s independence, she was an ardent writer and activist for racial justice. She joined the church served by her Unitarian minister brother, Convers Francis, in Watertown, Massachusetts. She also enjoyed the worship of the Swedenborgians. Child found success as a popular writer, producing a romantic historical novel and practical household manuals, most notably The Frugal Housewife (1829). Her literary earnings helped her to support her husband’s unsuccessful legal practice. She became vice president of the Women’s Anti-Slavery Convention of New York and edited the National Anti-Slavery Standard. Later she turned to religious issues and published The Progress of Religious Ideas through Successive Ages, which contended that all religions had sacred insights. In 1833 Child wrote An Appeal in Favor of That Class of American Called African. She also espoused women’s suffrage and the cause of Native Americans. Child died on October 20, 1880. February 11, 1963: The celebrated poet Sylvia Plath committed suicide at the age of 30. Plath was a poet, literary critic, novelist, diarist and social activist. A member of the Unitarian church in Wellesley, Massachusetts, she attended conferences at Star Island in New Hampshire as a youth. Her published works include The Bell Jar (1963), The Colossus (1981), and Collected Poems (1981), which received the Pulitzer Prize in 1983. February 12, 1809: Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England. He was descended from Unitarian families on both sides. In his youth he attended the Unitarian church in Shrewsbury, England. Darwin’s early training was for the church, but his interest was in the natural sciences. From 1831 to 1836 Darwin sailed as the official naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle. He published several works on his geological and zoological discoveries, the most important of which was The Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859), with Alfred Russell Wallace. This was an epoch-making work, defended and attacked violently to this day. Its central thesis, that species evolve in response to changes in their habitats, has been called the most important concept in modern society. Charles Darwin died on April 19, 1882. February 12, 1816: Charles Henry Appleton Dall was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He was educated in Boston public and Latin schools and graduated from Harvard University in 1837 and Harvard Divinity School in 1840. He served churches in Baltimore, Maryland; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Needham, Massachusetts; and Toronto, Ontario. In 1841 Dall was ordained an evangelist under the direction of William Greenleaf Eliot in St. Louis, Missouri, but his health began to fail under the arduous pastoral duties. Dall turned to missionary work and became the first foreign missionary of the American Unitarian Association. In February 1855 he sailed for Calcutta, India, where he instituted the first girls’ school for natives, the first school for homeless and friendless children, and the first children’s temperance society. He wrote over 100 pamphlets that were distributed widely in India. Dall’s work in India included preaching, Sunday school instruction, lectures, newspaper articles, leaflets, and small books, as well as founding industrial schools and distributing literature. He also worked with the Unitarians of Khasi Hills in northeast India. Charles Henry Appleton Dall died on January 18, 1886. February 12, 1855: Fannie Barrier Williams was born in Brockport, New York. She was an African-American woman whose parents and grandparents were free people educated in Northern public schools. After teaching briefly in the South and studying music in Boston, she married and moved to Chicago. Her family joined All Souls Church (Unitarian) in Chicago, where Jenkin Lloyd Jones was minister. Williams helped establish the club movement for African-Americans to meet socially, discuss politics, lift their self-esteem, develop their talents, and pool practical information. She was founder of the Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses in Chicago (1891) and co-founder of the Frederick Douglass Center (1905), a predecessor of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Urban League. Fannie Barrier Williams died on March 14, 1944. February 13, 1730: Josiah Wedgewood, the founder of Wedgewood Pottery, was born in Burslem, Staffordshire, England. Along with the simple designs and pure colors of his art, he invented the manufacturing processes for his famous pottery and designed production systems to promote workplace safety and cleanliness. He was a devoted Unitarian, philanthropist, friend of Joseph Priestley, and frequenter of the English royal court, where he was appointed potter to the Queen. He died on January 3, 1795. February 14, 1805: The Board of Overseers of Harvard University confirmed Henry Ware, Sr. to the Hollis Professorship of Divinity at Harvard College, making him the first Unitarian to hold that position. Ware’s election, by a vote of 33 to 23, set off the Unitarian Controversy, which split New England’s established Standing Order of congregational religion. Ware was 40 years old at the time and had been minister in Hingham, Massachusetts, for 17 years. The controversy at Harvard pitted Calvinists against Unitarians over the doctrine of the Trinity. It also involved the Calvinist doctrine of human depravity against the Unitarian doctrine of human goodness. February 15, 1748: Jeremy Bentham was born in London, England. A noted British philosopher and political economist, he published a work on Unitarianism under the name of Gamaliel Smith. Although he studied law, he never practiced it but wrote extensively on the theory of legal reform. Bentham’s most important work was Introduction to Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789). He left a large bequest of money and books to University College. The college was one of the first to open its doors to anyone who could pass the entrance exams and pay the fee, regardless of race or class. It thus became an important center for Unitarians to study, since Unitarians were denied access to Oxford or Cambridge University. February 15, 1820: Susan Brownell Anthony was born in Adams, Massachusetts. Her family was Quaker, but they were also active members of First Unitarian Church in Rochester. Anthony spoke often of the guidance she received from the church’s minister, William Ellery Channing. She was active in the temperance and abolition movements as well as teachers’ organizations. She wanted to include women in the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave African-Americans the right to vote. Anthony published a women’s rights periodical, The Revolution, and organized the National Woman Suffrage Association with Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1869. The two women spent the next 35 years traveling around the United States working to get the vote for women. In 1872, Anthony went to the polls in Rochester, claiming the right to vote as a citizen under the Fourteenth Amendment. She was arrested and fined $100, which she refused to pay. With other feminists, she compiled and edited The History of Woman Suffrage. In February 1906, a month before her death, Anthony gave her final speech at the women’s suffrage convention in Baltimore and stated, “Failure is impossible!” Congress passed the Nineteenth Amendment, giving women the right to vote, 14 years after Susan B. Anthony’s death. She died on March 13, 1906. Feburary 4, 2010Calendar of upcoming events:Sunday, 2/7 This Week in RE:Preschool: “Wondering about Stars” This week our preschool classes will explore the stars and the night sky, in story and through a special craft activity. Kindergarten-5th Grade: “Doggy Treat Bagging/Sale” This week our preschool, K-2nd and 3rd-5th grade classes will join together for a continuation of last week’s special service project: we’ll prepare for our “Souper Bowl Sunday” sale/donation drive. Last week we painted 38 glass bowls, and these will be offered to members of the congregation, following each service, for a donation of $5 or 5 nonperishable food items. Proceeds and food to go to the Westside Food Bank. We’ll also decorate some Valentine’s Day lunch bags in preparation for our visit to Turning Point transitional housing shelter next Sunday. 6th-7th Grade: This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will continue their exploration of Taoism. Next week, 2/14, we’ll have a field trip to the Taoist temple in Chinatown. Details and permission forms will be emailed to Neighboring Faiths families in the next several days. 8th Grade: This week the Coming of Age class will take part in a workshop on “Articulating Y(our) Faith.” 9th-12th Grade: YRUU meets at 11:00 in the North East room of the cottage. This week YRUU youth will discuss plans for the UU-UNO spring seminar, and the upcoming YRUU Sunday service on 3/14/10. Volunteer Opportunities:NEED HELPERS Nursery and Preschool Assistants Needed: Would you enjoy spending an occasional morning playing with and getting to know the youngest members of our community? The preschool and nursery RE classes are in need of people to sign up as assistants. The commitment is once per month between now and June, during either the 9:00 or 11:00 service. Assistants in the nursery engage babies and toddlers in play, and preschool assistants help kids with craft projects and other lesson activities facilitated by the lead teacher. Announcements:NEW Souper Bowl Sunday: Please help support our UUCCSM kids’ effort to raise money and food for the Westside Food Bank by bringing five nonperishable food items, or $5, to donate to the Westside Food Bank. In exchange, you’ll receive a glass bowl painted by one of our youngsters, to take home as a reminder that there are many in our community whose bowls are not full. We’ll have a table out during coffee hour for the exchange. NEW YRUU UU-UNO Spring Seminar Meeting this Sunday, 11:00: Informational meeting, for youth and parents, this Sunday at 12:15 under the shade structure, for any youth interested in attending the upcoming UU-UNO Spring Seminar in New York, April 8-10. Fundraising is now at critical mass and we need to meet to discuss what we can do to raise funds for the registration, airfare and one day lodging. Liza will have information and pictures from previous years. Come ready with fundraising ideas and questions. NEW Elementary RE Field Trip Next Sunday, 2/14! Next week children in our elementary RE program are invited to take part in our second Faith in Action field trip, a visit to the Turning Point transitional housing shelter for a tour and to prepare lunches for the residents. Be aware: we will make one full-morning trip, leaving after the story in the first service at 9:20 am, and returning by noon. If you would like for your child to participate in the trip, please make sure to come to the first service, or meet us in the cottage at 9:20 for the walk to the shelter, located about four blocks from UUCCSM at 1446 16th street. There will be alternate activities offered during each service for children who choose not to participate in the trip. Note: Volunteers are needed to accompany us on the trip, and families will be invited to contribute ingredients for sack lunches. A separate email with information about what is needed will be sent out early next week to K-5th parents. NEW Faith in Action in Elementary RE: On January 24th 28 K-5th graders participated in our field trip to the spcaLA animal shelter in Hawthorne. Our next trip will be to Turning Point on February 14th, and we’ll have an environmentally-focused trip – details still being planned – on February 28th. In March we will enter our third trimester of the year with a focus on our Jewish & Christian heritage. UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:Let us bless and keep one another. -John Morgan Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, or for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! An At-Home Activity to Reinforce our UU Values – “Valentine’s Day”: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox)What’s Sweet About You Poster – This is like giving your kid a giant Valentine card, but much more personal. Make one for each child. If you’re having a special dinner, you could bring the posters out then. Or prop them up against the kitchen chairs, so your kids find them when they come to breakfast or come home from school. Materials: Large sheets of poster board in white, pink or red (one sheet for each poster); red and pink construction paper; scissors; glue; small Valentine candies, such as chocolate hearts wrapped in foil; markers. Instructions: Cut 9 to 12 hearts from the construction paper. The hearts should be about 4 inches high and 3 inches wide. On each heart, write one trait you love about that child’s nature. Make it specific, focusing on positive aspects of their personality. Also, praise behavior you’d like to reinforce, such as putting away toys or progress in potty training. Across the top of the poster, write “What’s Sweet About (Child’s Name).” Glue the hearts to the board, but just put glue on the bottom edges and up the sides of the hearts. Leave the top open, so they work like pockets. Put a piece of Valentine candy in each pocket. The Book of Love – Who wrote the Book of Love? You did. Buy an inexpensive blank book with a heart on the cover, or glue one there. Call it “The Book of (your last name) Love,” and each year, have every member of the family write one loving things about very other member (take dictation for young kids). Red Food Night – At the Straw household in Plano, Texas, all the food for Valentine’s dinner is red. Sue Straw serves beets or red cabbage, mashed potatoes mixed with red food coloring, and either ham (pink) or pasta with red sauce. Red fruit might include grapes, raspberries or strawberries. Even the milk is red. Dessert can be brown, as long as it’s chocolate and shaped like a heart. Valentine Tree – Trees are a great centerpiece of ritual action because they grow and change like families do, symbolize life and hope, and can be easily but beautifully decorated for any occasion. Every year, the Dodge family buys a small tree in a pot, and decorates it with a string of tiny white lights. They buy red craft paper and cut out teddy bears and hearts, poke holes in their tops, and use thin ribbon to tie them onto the tree. The decorations stay on until spring, when the family plants the tree in their yard. If you do this every year, you could designate a special Valentine Grove on your property. Have-a-Heart Awards – Each member of the family gives an award to each other member for a special act of love or kindness. Buy round, fuzzy, ping-pong-ball-sized pom-poms at your local craft store, to which you can glue little eyes and mouths and feet. Cut hearts from a piece of construction paper 4 inches square, and glue the feet to the paper heart. Write on the heart the name of the person getting the award and what they did. Perhaps one child helped a younger sibling learn to tie his shoes. Perhaps Mom or Dad earned an award for coaching Little League last summer. This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)February 3, 1888: Horace Greely was born in Amherst, New Hampshire. At the age of 20, he went to New York City, where he started a small printing office and produced a magazine called the New Yorker, which was published from 1834 to 1841. In 1841 Greely founded the New York Tribune. Greely served in Congress briefly and ran for other offices unsuccessfully. He was an ardent opponent of slavery, though he sought a peaceful solution. After the Civil War, his ardent support of Reconstruction eroded his popularity. He was a stalwart Universalist. Horace Greely died November 29, 1872. February 4, 1821: Elizabeth Blackwell was born in Bristol, England . Best known as America’s first woman physician, she came to the United States with her family in 1832, living in New York City and then Cincinnati. She became a teacher in the south, started reading medical books and decided to become a physician, in spite of social prejudice and ridicule. She received her medical degree (and was first in her class) from the Geneva Medical School in western New York in 1849. She published a book called The Laws of Life; with Special Reference to the Physical Education of Girls (1852) and wrote on physical hygiene for women, which in those times were offensive and taboo. She later founded the New York Dispensary for Poor Women and Children and later the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children. She moved back to England and spent the rest of her life promoting health and hygiene. Elizabeth Blackwell was a member of the First Unitarian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, where her family lived when she was a child. February 4, 1939: The American Unitarian Association sent Martha and Waitstill Sharp to Czechoslovakia to work with refugees from the Nazis. This marked the beginning of the Unitarian Service Committee, which was organized in May 1940 as a standing committee of the association “ to investigate opportunities for humanitarian service both in America and abroad.” The USC became independent of the AUA in 1948. In 1963 it merged with the Universalist Service Committee, which was first organized in 1945, also as a response to the war in Europe. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee focuses on humanitarian aid, development, and human rights in America and throughout the world. February 5, 1900: Aldai Stevenson was born in Los Angeles, California. A graduate of Princeton, he studied law at Harvard and Northwestern law schools and joined a law firm in Chicago, Illinois, in 1927. During World War II, he was a special assistant to the secretary recovery of Europe. She was elected Governor of Illinois in 1948 and ran as the Democratic candidate for the U.S presidency twice (1952 and 1956). Stevenson’s mother was a lifelong Unitarian and his father was a Presbyterian, but the family attended the Unitarian Church. He became a member of the Bloomington church in 1952. Adlai Stevenson died on July 14, 1965. February 7, 1812: Charles Dickens was born in Landport, England. He was reared in great poverty, an experience reflected in his writings, particularly Oliver Twist. Dickens had little formal education but spent his extra time at the British Museum reading. He wrote A Christmas Carol while a member of Little Portland Street Chapel, London. He is well known for numerous other novels, many of which had a profound effect on social changes in early 19th century England. Dickens also wrote factual newspaper and magazine articles with radical reforming intent. He died on June 8, 1870. February 9, 1819: Lydia Estes Pinkham was born in Lynn, Massachusetts. Her family was Quaker but abandoned that religion because they felt it was unwelcoming to the African Americans who came to their Universalist Church. They also joined the Female Anti-Slavery Society, and Pinkham organized the Freeman’s Institute, a debating society that welcomed everyone, regardless of religion, race or politics. She worked as an unpaid visiting nurse and developed a compound to treat every female ailment. Her sons persuaded her to market the compound, which was 18 percent alcohol, and she developed a successful business, Pinkham wrote a book on the: facts of life” and another on the female reproductive system through all its stages. After her death, her publisher continued to print “her answers” to personal letters, and that practice, along with information about the alcohol content of her elixir, led to the formation of the Federal Food and Drug Administration. Lydia Estes Pinkham died on May 17, 1883. December 23, 2009Remember – there is ONE SERVICE ONLY at 10:00 this Sunday. Calendar of upcoming events:Thursday, 12/24 This Week in RE:All-RE Game Day: Volunteer Opportunities:NEED HELPERS Game Day in RE THIS SUNDAY: Announcements:NEW Support Group for Parents of Teens with Special Needs: NEW Pageant Thank You: RE FAMILY SNOW WEEKEND 1/29-31: Craig's Cabin provides more luxurious accommodations for Camp de Benneville program participants. In addition, the cabin is available for rent as a self contained program site. It will sleep up to 25 people in the 9 bedrooms. There are three bathrooms each with showers and one has handicap facilities. There is a meeting room with a fireplace, adjacent to the kitchen/dining area. A TV with VCR allows viewing video cassettes. Info on Craigs Cabin: http://www.debenneville.org/craig.html We need to make a deposit by Jan. 15th, 2010, so PLEASE contact Julie Kinsinger to reserve your spot TODAY!! UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week: Earth who gives to us this food, Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, or for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! An At-Home Activity to Reinforce our UU Values – “New Year’s Celebrations": (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox)
New Year’s Family Blast: Make Resolutions: Cut small strips of paper half an inch wide and about 6 inches long. Take whole walnuts and, using nutcrackers, carefully open the nuts and remove the nutmeat inside. Each person makes three resolutions and writes each one on a paper strip, which is then carefully folded and put into the nut. Glue each nut closed. Using markers, each person writes their name on the nut. This idea comes from the Hilton family of Henderson, Nevada, who glue ribbons into their walnuts and use them to decorate their Christmas tree. They reuse the same nuts every year, and once they started the practice, they began a tradition of reading last year’s resolutions aloud before writing new ones. That way they can review how well they’ve done. Nanette Hilton, the mother of four daughters, says she thinks it’s great for her girls to see that “life is fluid. They see Mommy and Daddy working on goals too… and sometimes failing.” Review the Past Year: Sitting at the kitchen table or the family room sofa, look together at all the family photos you took in the past year, and/or watch the family videos. Then, everybody gets a chance to vote on the best and worst day of the past year. Also, everybody fills out this list: My most embarrassing moment this year was when I _______________________. I should have had my photo on the cover of People magazine because I ________. You guys can be annoying, but you really came through for me when __________. Give annual family awards for “best athlete,” “worst school picture,” etc. Use your imagination for more awards. Toast the New Year: Use plastic wine or champagne glasses but serve sparkling water or cider to the kids. Each person gets to make a toast, saying one thing they hope happens in the new year to himself or herself, the family, or the wider world. End with a shared family toast “To the (Name) Family!” Celebrate with a Burst: It’s an ancient tradition to open the doors (and sometimes windows) to let the New Year and good luck into your home. It’s also a tradition to make lots of noise, so get wooden spoons and bang on pots, pound drums, and ring any bells you have. In Texas, the Minich family loves to make noise by bursting balloons, but the balloons are also full of “treasure,” a good omen for a prosperous year ahead. Beforehand, the parents purchase about 500 balloons and fill them with a piece of candy or a coin, with a few containing dollar bills. The balloons are inflated with an inexpensive, handheld pump, then stuffed into a room that has been mostly emptied of furniture. At midnight, the family and their friends dive in a pop the balloons. This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)December 23, 1851: Mary Augusta Safford was born in Quincy, Illinois. She was the founder and minister of the Unitarian church in Hamilton, Illinois, and minister in four other churches in Illinois and Iowa. After retiring to Florida, Safford organized the Unitarian church in Orlando. She was president of the Iowa Unitarian Association and served as director of the Women’s Unitarian Conference. The affection with which people held her is noted in a joke making the rounds around 1900: “What do the Catholics and the Unitarians have in common?” Answer: “They both worship the virgin Mary.” Safford died on March 25, 1927. December 24, 1745: Benjamin Rush was born near Philadelphia. He was appointed physician general of the middle department of the army during the Revolutionary Way but resigned shortly thereafter over policy and personal differences with George Washington. A signer of the Declaration of Independence, Rush was tireless in his patriotism. In 1784 he became one of the founders of the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery. He was greatly admired for his work in medical reform, education, and humanitarian services, especially during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793, and he held advanced views on mental disorders. Rush also served as treasurer of the U.S. Mint. A devout Universalist, he attended the Universalist Convention of 1790, where he supported progressive reforms such as opposition to capital punishment. He died on April 19, 1813. December 25, 1642: Isaac Newton was born at Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. A genius in mathematics and physics, he invented calculus and worked on optical theory. Newton’s writings show that he was Unitarian in his theology. He was professor at Cambridge University, held various posts with the government, and served as a member of Parliament. Edmund Halley said Newton was “so near the gods that a man cannot nearer go.” Lord Henry Brougham said that “his genius was never exercised but for the discovery of truth, the instruction of mankind, and the illustration of the wisdom of the creator.” A large statue of Newton is erected in Trinity College, Cambridge. He died on March 20, 1727. December 25, 1759: Richard Porson was born in Norfolk, England. He was a famous and productive Unitarian Greek and biblical scholar who held a professorship at Trinity College in Cambridge. He is said to have created the ideal of pure scholarship because although he seldom lectured, his translations popularized the classics. Porson resigned his fellowship at Trinity because he felt he could no longer subscribe to the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England as required. Porson died on September 25, 1808, and is buried in Cambridge at the foot of Sir Isaac Newton’s statue. December 25, 1780: The first Universalist church in America build specifically for that purpose was dedicated in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with a sermon by John Murray. December 25, 1821: Clarissa (Clara) Harlowe Barton was born in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Her birthplace has become a historic site, on the grounds of which is located the Joslin Diabetes Center. She was a lifelong Universalist and founded the free school in Bordentown, New Jersey, a progressive school for disadvantaged urban children. She worked with the wounded in the Civil War and provided supplies for medical personnel. Her organizational ability came to the attention of President Abraham Lincoln, who asked her to search for missing soldiers. In 1882, she formed the American Red Cross, which she led until 1904. Barton spent her last years in retirement with great honor and recognition. She died on April 12, 1912. December 25, 1890: The first Japanese Universalist church was dedicated. December 25, 1924: Rodman Edward Serling was born in Syracuse, New York. He was a prolific writer for television, best known for The Twilight Zone. Serling studied at Antioch College in Ohio, where he and his wife became Unitarians. Throughout his career, he used radio, television, and film as vehicles of social criticism. He won three Emmy Awards for early television programs before turning from serious drama (Requiem for a Heavyweight in 1956 and The Comedian in 1957) to science fiction. He produced The Twilight Zone from 1959 to 1964 and wrote 99 of the 156 episodes. In that series he addressed such social issues as prejudice, loss of identity, capital punishment, and censorship. Serling also wrote for the television series Night Gallery. He and his wife were members of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica, California. Serling also supported the Unitarian Universalist Association and the American Civil Liberties Union. Rod Serling died on June 28, 1975. December 28, 1815: The Massachusetts Peace Society, led by Unitarian minister Noah Worcester, was organized. It was one of the first such societies in the world. Noah Worcester was an indefatigable worker for peace and was often called the “apostle of peace.” December 16, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:Saturday, 12/19
This Week in RE:Winter Holiday Pageant, “The Story of Christmas”: This Sunday we will come together as one church community to take part in our annual Winter Holiday Pageant during our 9:00 and 11:00 Sunday services! People of all ages are invited to attend the service together; there will be no separate RE classes (the nursery will be open for babies and toddlers). As in past years, children in RE will perform as Friendly Beasts, and there will be additional opportunities for YOU to participate, as we’ll cast some of our roles on the spot from the pews as the pageant progresses. Don’t miss it!
Volunteer Opportunities:NEED HELPERS Holiday Game Day in RE 12/27: We’re looking for volunteer leaders for our all-RE game day during the service (at 10:00) on December 27th. Spend a morning getting to know the young people in our RE program! Can you help? Contact me at Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108.
Announcements:NEW RE FAMILY SNOW WEEKEND 1/29-31: Attention ALL RE Families and Friends: Our church has reserved Craigs Cabin at Camp de Benneville Pines for the weekend of Jan 29-31st, 2010. There are 9 rooms available to reserve and the price can't be beat. If we get 9 famlies the price is $112. per family!! We bring in our own food and pay a small additional fee for Sat night food service at the lodge. For those of you who have never been, Camp de Benneville Pines is located at 6800 feet elevation, in the San Bernardino National Forest amidst towering pines, cedars, and oaks. It is owned and operated by the Pacific Southwest District of the Unitarian-Universalist Association. Check out the camp at: http://www.debenneville.org/ Craig's Cabin provides more luxurious accommodations for Camp de Benneville program participants. In addition, the cabin is available for rent as a self contained program site. It will sleep up to 25 people in the 9 bedrooms. There are three bathrooms each with showers and one has handicap facilities. There is a meeting room with a fireplace, adjacent to the kitchen/dining area. A TV with VCR allows viewing video cassettes. Info on Craigs Cabin: http://www.debenneville.org/craig.html We need to make a deposit by Jan. 15th, 2010, so PLEASE contact Julie Kinsinger to reserve your spot TODAY!! NEW Common Ground Donation Drive – A Great Success! Thank you to all church members and friends who contributed items for Common Grouond, and especially to the children and youth who sorted, compiled and counted last Sunday! We far exceeded our goal of 50 hygiene kits, making a total of 78, and received a huge number of additional clothing and other donations including nearly 200 pairs of socks, nearly 100 pairs of underwear, 50 jackets and sweaters, and much more!
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Because of those who came before, -Barbara Pescan Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, or for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! An At-Home Activity to Reinforce our UU Values – “Winter Solstice": (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox) The shortest day of the year, which varies between December 21 and 22, has been celebrated for centuries by many diverse cultures. Traditional celebrations usually include fire, light, and quiet contemplation.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)December 16, 1611: Iwan Tyszkiewicz, a Socinian, was executed in the great marketplace of Warsaw, Poland, for heresy. His tongue was cut out and one hand and one foot cut off before he was beheaded. Tyszkiewicz’s life would have been spared had he renounced his faith. He is considered the first martyr of Unitarianism as an organized movement. December 16, 1953: The North American Youth movements of Unitarianism and Universalism combined to form Liberal Religious Youth. The development of religious education curricula for both denominations began two decades earlier. The youth thus merged eight years before their denominations. December 17, 1824: Thomas Starr King was born in New York City, son of Thomas Farrington King, a Universalist minister whose settlement in Charlestown, Massachusetts, allowed young Starr, as he was known, to be influenced by William Ellery Channing and Hosea Ballou 2d. The early death of his father forced Starr King to leave school and begin working. He soon became his father’s successor to the Universalist Church in Charlestown. However, his eloquence and scholarship caught the attention of Boston’s Unitarians, and he was called to the pulpit of the fashionable Hollis Street Church. After several years, King left this settlement to become a Unitarian missionary on the West Coast. He settled as minister of the First Church in San Francisco and made evangelizing tours up and down the West Coast. A strong abolitionist, King also used these trips to lead the fight to keep California in the Union during the Civil War. His sermons were influential on a variety of social and religious issues and his statue represented California in the U.S. Capitol until it was replaced by vote of the California Legislature with a statue of Ronald Reagan on June 3, 2009. The only state Senator to vote against the removal of Starr King from the U.S. Capitol’s statuary hall was Unitarian Universalist and friend of UUCCSM Debra Bowen. Thomas Starr King died on March 4, 1864. December 19, 1820: The abolitionist Mary Ashton Rice Livermore was born in Boston. As a young woman, she worked as a governess on a plantation in Virginia, where she witnessed the brutality of slavery. In 1845, she married Daniel Livermore, a Universalist minister, and became devoted to the principles of Universalism. Mary Livermore worked to raise money for medicine, food, and supplies for the wounded during the Civil War and helped found the Home for Aged Women and the Hospital for Women and Children in Chicago when the war was over. She founded and served as president of the Illinois Women’s Suffrage Association and formed the American Woman Suffrage Association with Julia Ward Howe and Lucy Stone (both Unitarians). Livermore was also active in the temperance movement. She wrote an engaging autobiography, The Story of My Life, in 1897. Livermore died on May 23, 1905. December 22, 1943: Beatrix Potter, an English Unitarian writer of children’s books, died at age 77. November 25, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:Saturday, 11/28
This Week in RE:Preschool: “A Special Jigsaw Puzzle” This week our preschool class will have a special lesson about things we are thankful for in our lives. Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “The Planter of Trees” This week we’ll explore our seventh UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Violet Promise”: Value our Home, the Earth we Share with All Living Things” – with a story about doing good for those who come after us. 3rd-5th Grade: “UU Pilgrimage” Our 3rd-5th grade classes this week will learn about the exciting lives and exploits of some of our Unitarian and Universalist forebears. 6th-7th Grade: This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will continue their study of Buddhism with a field trip to the Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. The group will leave from the UUCCSM front courtyard at 8:45 am and expect to return at 11:30 am. 8th Grade: This week Coming of Age will discuss the meaning of “thanksgiving”. 9th-12th Grade: YRUU will not be meeting this week. Youth are warmly invited to attend the service with their families. We’ll be back to our regular YRUU schedule next week on Dec. 6th at 11:00.
Announcements:NEW Faith in Action Project - Donation Drive to Benefit Common Ground’s Homeless Teen Program: On December 13th, kids in K-5th grade RE will be putting together “hygiene kits” and organizing other donated items for our November Social Justice Project. Common Ground is a nonprofit organization that provides services to people living with HIV-AIDS, and one arm of their program is a drop-in center for homeless youth in Santa Monica. (To learn more about Common Ground, visit http://www.commongroundwestside.org/homelessyouth.htm.) Please, take a look at the list of items below and bring some things in for our donation drive. Undergarments, socks and personal care items should be new. Other items can be gently used or new. Please bring donations beginning Sunday December 6th to the “Common Ground Donations” table in the courtyard during coffee hour. We will collect on December 6th and on the 13th, when we’ll organize all of the donations during the services in RE. Personal Care items needed for “hygiene kits”:
Sharon Chamberlain, Executive Director of Common Ground, writes: Our homeless youth always have a more difficult time living on the streets during the colder, wetter months. They will greatly appreciate any items- I had a youth tell me last year when we were handing out socks that it is “nice to feel like someone cares”. Please tell your youth thank you! The kids need warm things for the winter. Often socks and clothes get wet and they show up at our place soaked to the bone with no other clothes to change into. They are always in need of the following specifically:
Although the Westside has a cold weather shelter for adults that opens for a few months each year in early December, many of the youth will not access it. Often, this is due to fear. Many of the youth have told me about horrible experiences at various LA shelters. There is no “youth” shelter on the Westside. In the cold months ahead, many of the kids will need other non clothing items to support them on the street including:
I just provided a long list! Sorry for that! This time of year is always so hard. I wonder how we can let any of our young people sleep out on the cold streets for months on end. It is so difficult to have to shut our doors at the end of a night and send those kids back out to the cold and wet. Any help that you can provide is wonderful and much appreciated! NEW Support Group for Parents of Teen with Special Needs: A casual support group for parents of special needs teens will begin Sunday, Dec. 6, from 10 to 11 a.m. Our plan at this point is to meet monthly on the first Sunday of the month. As of now, we’ll meet outside under the shade structure (or nearby if that area’s unavailable). For more information, contact Catherine at Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108. NEW Preschool Staff Transition: Parents of preschoolers, I am sad to announce that our beloved preschool RE teacher, Wendy Wegner, will be leaving us soon. We have loved having her with us for the past two years, but she has let us know that it is time for her to move on. We will miss Wendy very much, and I hope you will take a moment sometime during the next two Sundays (the last that Wendy will be with us) to thank her for her wonderful and loving care of our younglings. On a happier note, we have found a new preschool RE teacher who will be joining us as of this Sunday: Sara Bock. Please help us provide a warm welcome to her as she joins our staff. Sara is very experienced with young children, is warm and welcoming with children and adults, and is excited to be spending her Sunday mornings with our preschoolers. Wendy and Sara will overlap for two Sundays: Nov. 29th & Dec. 6th, to help our preschoolers with the transition and to help Sara become familiar with our program and our kids before taking over as lead teacher as of Dec. 13th. THIS SATURDAY Youth Hangout Nov. 28: Coming of Age and YRUU youth (grades 8-12) are invited to a “hang out” event at the home of Jessie Dietz, on Saturday November 29 form 7-10 pm. Bring a snack or drink to share, as well as music or game you’d like to play. Contact Jessie to RSVP. A signed permission form is required. Family Choir for Holiday Pageant: We need children and adults who would like to learn some music for this year's holiday pageant on Dec. 20th. Starting Nov 22nd we will meet every Sunday in the piano room of the cottage at 10:15 - 10:45 am. Music and mp3's provided. Contact Bronwen Jones. The Return of the Friendly Beasts!: Once again, our pre-K through 5th grade children will sing “The Friendly Beasts” song at our holiday pageant on Sunday, Dec. 20, at both services. Kris Langabeer will begin rehearsing the preschoolers Nov. 8 for about 10 minutes in their classroom after the Children’s Story. Beginning Nov. 15, she’ll rehearse the preschoolers and then move from classroom to classroom rehearsing the older kids. Please mark your calendars: a dress rehearsal for all Beasts will occur Saturday, Dec. 19, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. We’ll need parent/teacher help in supervising/entertaining/feeding kids on Pageant day. Elizabeth Wheat will be coordinating costumes again this year, and we’ll be asking kids to commit to the animal of their choice by November 29th. For more info, see the November church newsletter or contact Kris. Our Whole Lives Parent Information Meeting 12/6/09: Parents of children in kindergarten, 1st, 5th and 6th grades are invited to attend a meeting on Sunday, December 6th from 10:30-11:00 am in the cottage for an overview of the elementary OWL sexuality education classes that will be offered later this year. FMI contact Beth Rendeiro. December 13th from 12:30-3:00 pm is the mandatory parent orientation for all parents wishing to enroll their children in either the K-1st grade or 5th-6th grade OWL class.
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Bless our food, bless our friends – -Author Unknown Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, or for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! An At-Home Activity to Reinforce our UU Values – “Sharing the Bounty of Thanksgiving": (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox)
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)November 25, 1695: Oxford University in England published a decree censuring a sermon by Joseph Bingham as “false, heretical, and impious.” The sermon denounced the Trinity. November 25, 1758: Noah Worcester was born in Hollis, New Hampshire. Descended from a long line of distinguished clergy, he conducted morning and evening family worship from the age of 12. He had little formal schooling and joined the American revolutionary army in 1775, fighting at the battles of Breed’s (Bunker) Hill and Bennington, Vermont. Desperately poor, Worcester studied theology on his own, was ordained a Unitarian minister, and served several churches. He wrote a book on the Trinity, Bible News of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (1810), which was formally condemned by the Hopkinton Association, a ministerial group of which he was a member, and brought him celebrity status. Worcester also edited The Christian Disciple and wrote several theological books. Although he had served in George Washington’s army, he later founded the Massachusetts Peace Society and published a newsletter called Friends of Peace until he was 70 years old. Worcester died on October 31, 1857. November 27, 1809: Frances (Fanny) Anne Kemble was born in London to a theatrical family. A celebrated writer and actress, she married Pierce Butler, a prominent Philadelphian who owned cotton and rice plantations in Georgia and had nearly 1,000 slaves. Kemble was appalled when she saw slavery at first hand and divorced her husband in 1849. Encouraged by her Unitarian associates, especially William Ellery Channing, she gathered with others opposed to slavery, including Lydia Maria Child. She published Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation, 1838-1839, during the Civil War in order to gain sympathy from the British for the cause of abolition. She died on January 15, 1893. November 28, 1909: Lotta Hitschmanova was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She was anti-Nazi and went into exile in Canada when World War II threatened. Her parents were imprisoned in Auschwitz during the war and she never heard from them again. She founded the Unitarian Service Committee of Canada and directed it for 40 years, in order to help the refugee children of Europe. The Unitarian church in Ottawa, Canada, where she was a member for the rest of her life, was an important supporter of Hitschmanova’s work. Known as Dr. Lotta, she was also called “Auntie Codfish,” “Mother of a Thousand Orphans,” and the “Atomic Mosquito.” The government of France made her Chevalier of Public Health in 1950 and Prime Minister Indira Ghandi named her Woman of the Year in 1975. Hitschmanova also received a Medal of St. Paul from Greece (1952) and a Public Service Medal from the government of Korea (1962). She died in July 1990 at the age of 80. November 29, 1832: The famous author Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Her father was Bronson Alcott, a founder of the Transcendentalist Club who ran a school in Concord and educated Louisa and her sisters at home. She worked as a teacher and domestic worker and eventually began to write poems and short stories for children. Alcott was an ardent abolitionist and served as a nurse during the Civil War. This experience provided the material for Hospital Sketches (1863), which established her literary reputation. She also wrote various stories for children, of which Little Women (1868) is the best known. It was largely autobiographical and a great financial success. Alcott wrote a sequel, Little Men (1871), and numerous other stories, including Gothic tales published under the pseudonym A. M. Barnard. She devoted her later life to reforms, including temperance and women’s rights. Alcott did not like formal church connections, but her beliefs were Unitarian and she moved among such prominent Unitarians as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Samuel Gridley Howe, and Julia Ward Howe. She died on March 6, 1888. November 20, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:Sunday, 11/22
This Week in RE:Preschool: “Giving Thanks” This week our preschool class will have a special lesson about things we are thankful for in our lives. Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “The Planter of Trees” (9:00) This week we’ll explore our seventh UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Violet Promise”: Value our Home, the Earth we Share with All Living Things” – with a story about doing good for those who come after us. “It’s Not My Problem” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our sixth UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Indigo Promise”: Insist on Freedom, Justice, and Peace for all People – with a story about a king who didn’t have a problem… until something small got bigger and bigger and bigger! 3rd-5th Grade: “Principle 7” Our 3rd-5th grade classes this week will explore the seventh UU Principle, the Interdependent Web of All Existence of which We are a Part, with a lesson about how we are all connected to the earth. 6th-7th Grade: This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will begin their study of Buddhism with an introduction to the faith’s history and practice. 8th Grade: This week Coming of Age will discuss the meaning of prayer as a spiritual practice. 9th-12th Grade: Meets at 9:00 this week, in the courtyard under the new shade structure. This week YRUU youth will be preparing for the Oxfam Hunger Banquet they’ll be hosting between the services!
Announcements:THIS SUNDAY – SPACE STILL AVAILABLE Hunger Banquet hosted by YRUU youth on Nov. 22nd Between Services: YRUU will be hosting an OXFAM Hunger Banquet on Sunday, November 22nd between services in the shaded area of the patio. Join us for food and information on the state of hunger in the world and what we can do to end it. Reservations and suggested donation will be taken after services this Sunday. Questions? See Liza Cranis . NEW Youth Hangout Nov. 28: Coming of Age and YRUU youth (grades 8-12) are invited to a “hang out” event at the home of Jessie Dietz, on Saturday November 29 form 7-10 pm. Bring a snack or drink to share, as well as music or game you’d like to play. For more information or to RSVP call 310-399-8074. A signed permission form is required. NEW Guest at Your Table begins this Sunday: Every year UUCCSM supports the work of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee by participating in the annual Guest at Your Table program during the holiday season. This year’s GAYT program will begin this Sunday, November 22nd. For more than 30 years, UU communities nationwide have participated in Guest at Your Table. They have come together for this special tradition to give thanks, celebrate UU values, and partner with UUSC to change the world. After our kickoff on Sunday, we invite you to place a Guest at Your Table box where you have your meals and keep it there for several weeks. During that time, share the Stories of Hope — stories drawn from UUSC’s human rights work which we’ll send to you in our weekly UUpdates emails — to imagine a different guest at your table with you each week. And when you have your meals, insert coins or bills into the box to help feed the guest in need who has come to your table. Then bring your box, or write a check to UUSC, on one of the first two Sundays in January, when we’ll be collecting them and sending our congregation’s contribution to UUSC. Family Choir for Holiday Pageant: We need children and adults who would like to learn some music for this year's holiday pageant on Dec. 20th. Starting Nov 22nd we will meet every Sunday in the piano room of the cottage at 10:15 - 10:45 am. Music and mp3's provided. Contact Bronwen Jones. The Return of the Friendly Beasts!: Once again, our pre-K through 5th grade children will sing “The Friendly Beasts” song at our holiday pageant on Sunday, Dec. 20, at both services. Kris Langabeer will begin rehearsing the preschoolers Nov. 8 for about 10 minutes in their classroom after the Children’s Story. Beginning Nov. 15, she’ll rehearse the preschoolers and then move from classroom to classroom rehearsing the older kids. Please mark your calendars: a dress rehearsal for all Beasts will occur Saturday, Dec. 19, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. We’ll need parent/teacher help in supervising/entertaining/feeding kids on Pageant day. Elizabeth Wheat will be coordinating costumes again this year, and we’ll be asking kids to commit to the animal of their choice by November 29th. For more info, see the November church newsletter or contact Kris at klangabeer@gmail.com or 310-396-5905. Our Whole Lives Parent Information Meeting 12/6/09: Parents of children in kindergarten, 1st, 5th and 6th grades are invited to attend a meeting on Sunday, December 6th from 10:30-11:00 am in the cottage for an overview of the elementary OWL sexuality education classes that will be offered later this year. FMI contact Beth Rendeiro. December 13th from 12:30-3:00 pm is the mandatory parent orientation for all parents wishing to enroll their children in either the K-1st grade or 5th-6th grade OWL class.
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week: For the blessings you’ve bestowed upon this home and on this family
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, or for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! An At-Home Activity to Reinforce our UU Values – “Thanksgiving” (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox)
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)November 18, 1787: James Freeman was ordained as a Unitarian minister at King’s Chapel in Boston, by authority of the congregation, after two Anglican bishops refused to ordain him. At the service, he was names “Rector, Minister, Priest, Pastor, and Ruling Elder.” Thus the first Anglican church in America became the first avowedly Unitarian church in America. Through Freeman’s Harvard College associations and civic activities, King’s Chapel grew into full relations with its former Puritan enemies. November 18, 1861: The Unitarian Julia Ward Howe wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” at the specific request of President Abraham Lincoln. Many of the Union forces adopted it as a marching song in the Civil War, but it soon gained nationwide popularity. American troops sang it in the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II. November 18, 2003: The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued its decision in the case of Goodridge v. the Department of Public Health of Massachusetts. The court held that under the Constitution of Massachusetts, it is illegal to deny to people of the same gender the same marriage rights granted to people of different genders. The primary plaintiffs were Hillary and Julie Goodridge. Of the 14 plaintiffs, seven were Unitarian Universalists, including Hillary Goodridge. The Unitarian Universalist Association and the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association of the Masachusetts Bay District filed amicus curiae briefs in the case. November 20, 1850: Charlotte Garrigue Masaryk was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her family belonged to First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn. Masaryk spent some time in Germany studying piano. Friends there told her about Thomas Masaryk, whom she married on March 15, 1878. The couple moved to Prague, Czechoslovakia, where Thomas fought for his country’s independence and Charlotte devoted her time to social problems. Thomas became the first president of Czechoslovakia, elected in 1920 and again in 1927 and 1934. Charlotte died in 1923. At her funeral at First Unitarian Church in Brooklyn, her husband and her son spoke from the pulpit. November 24, 1597: George Enyedi, the third superintendent (bishop) of Unitarian churches in Transylvania, died. In a time of fading religious faith, Enyedi rallied the Unitarians with regular synods and writings. His death, followed by that of King Sigismund II, marked the end of Unitarianism’s major presence in the area. November 24, 1859: Charles Darwin, a Unitarian, published The Origin of the Species, setting forth radical ideas that challenged biblical literalists. November 12, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:Saturday, 11/14
This Week in RE:Preschool: “Helping Others” This week our preschool class will have a special lesson about ways we can help other people. Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “It’s Not My Problem” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our sixth UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Indigo Promise”: Insist on Freedom, Justice, and Peace for all People – with a story about a king who didn’t have a problem… until something small got bigger and bigger and bigger! “Wanda’s Roses” (11:00) This week we’ll explore our fifth UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Blue Promise”: Believe in our Ideals and Act on Them” – with a story about a little girl who made her dream of a rose garden come true. 3rd-5th Grade: “Principle 6” Our 3rd-5th grade classes this week will explore the sixth UU Principle, Justice, Equity and Compassion for All, with a lesson about how we can all take part in working for peace in our world. 6th-7th Grade: This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will wrap up their study of Hinduism in preparation for the next unit of study: Buddhism. 8th Grade: This week Coming of Age will discuss the meaning of good & evil. 9th-12th Grade: Meets at 11:00 this week, in the NE room of the cottage. This week YRUU youth will be creating and discussing their “to do in this lifetime” lists, and hearing from advisor Chris about his Saturday skydiving experience!
Announcements:
THIS SATURDAY Saturday Spotlight & Stewardship Party, Nov. 14 at 6pm: Please come for a special gala event at the church, put on by the Stewardship Committee. It’ll be a fabulous evening – dinner, music and celebration – for all ages. It’s a time to celebrate being part of our wonderful UUCCSM community. Childcare is provided for babies and toddlers; older children and youth are invited to take part in all of the festivities with their families. RSVP to uusmstewardship@gmail.com NEW Hunger Banquet hosted by YRUU youth on Nov. 22nd Between Services: YRUU will be hosting an OXFAM Hunger Banquet on Sunday, November 22nd between services in the shaded area of the patio. Join us for food and information on the state of hunger in the world and what we can do to end it. Reservations and suggested donation will be taken after services this Sunday. Questions? See Liza Cranis. NEW Family Choir for Holiday Pageant: We need children and adults who would like to learn some music for this year's holiday pageant on Dec. 20th. Starting Nov 22nd we will meet every Sunday in the piano room of the cottage at 10:15 - 10:45 am. Music and mp3's provided. Contact Bronwen Jones. The Return of the Friendly Beasts!: Once again, our pre-K through 5th grade children will sing “The Friendly Beasts” song at our holiday pageant on Sunday, Dec. 20, at both services. Kris Langabeer will begin rehearsing the preschoolers Nov. 8 for about 10 minutes in their classroom after the Children’s Story. Beginning Nov. 15, she’ll rehearse the preschoolers and then move from classroom to classroom rehearsing the older kids. Please mark your calendars: a dress rehearsal for all Beasts will occur Saturday, Dec. 19, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. We’ll need parent/teacher help in supervising/entertaining/feeding kids on Pageant day. Elizabeth Wheat will be coordinating costumes again this year, and we’ll be asking kids to commit to the animal of their choice by November 29th. For more info, see the November church newsletter or contact Kris. Our Whole Lives Parent Information Meeting 12/6/09: Parents of children in kindergarten, 1st, 5th and 6th grades are invited to attend a meeting on Sunday, December 6th from 10:15-10:45 am in the cottage for an overview of the elementary OWL sexuality education classes that will be offered later this year. FMI contact Beth Rendeiro.
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week: Waking up this morning, I smile. -Thich Nhat Hanh
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, or for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! An At-Home Activity to Reinforce our UU Values – “Mealtime – Making it Special”: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox)
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)November 11, 1620: Having landed in Massachusetts after their failed attempt to reach the English colony at Virginia, Pilgrim leaders on the ship Mayflower signed a covenant for self-government known as the Mayflower Compact. They established a church in Plymouth, Massachusetts, now Unitarian Universalist. November 11, 1744: Abigail Smith Adams was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts. She was the wife of John Adams, second president of the United States, and mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president. She was the chief figure in the social life of her husband’s administration and one of the most distinguished and influential first ladies in U.S. history. A lively, intelligent woman who enjoyed the challenge of domestic organization and skills, Adams advised her husband on many issues and her letters are a vivid source of social history. She worked for social justice and abolition of slavery. A devoted Unitarian, Adams was noted for a serene religiosity, which sustained her good nature during both adventures and adversities. She died on October 28, 1818. November 11, 1893: Lewis Allen McGee was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The son of a slave, he held several pastorates in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He served as chaplain in the infantry in both World War I and World War II. Late in life, McGee announced that he had become Unitarian and received encouragement and help from the American Unitarian Association and Wallace Robbins, the president of Meadville Theological School, to found the interracial Free Religious Fellowship of Chicago. He later worked with Edwin Wilson at the American Humanist Association headquarters in Yellow Springs, Ohio. McGee died on November 10, 1979. November 13, 1599: John Saieninius, the ruler of Krakow, Poland, converted from Calvinism to Socinianism during debate at Rakow and became a patron of Socinian churches and an important benefactor of the movement. A wealthy Polish nobleman, he established a Unitarian congregation. His son James established a Unitarian seminary and printing office to aid the growth of Unitarianism. Rakow became the center of the Polish Unitarian community, and its members became known as Rakovians. November 15, 1579: Francis David, a Unitarian leader in Transylvania, died in prison for his Unitarian beliefs. Transylvanian Unitarians consider him the founder of their religion. He was first Lutheran, then Calvinist, before George Blandrata converted him to Unitarianism. After his conversion, David began to dispute the nature of Christ and rejected the Trinity. The Calvinists challenged him and a diet was held at Torda in 1568, at which Prince John Sigismund presided over a debate between David and the Calvinist bishop Peter Melius. Sigismund declared David the victor and issued the Edict of Torda, providing tolerance for other religions. Sigismund also converted to Unitarianism and appointed David his advisor. After Sigismund’s death in 1571, his successor preferred Jesuit advisors. David’s standing at court ended, and he was arrested and thrown in prison, where he died. The place of his burial is unknown, and the date is not certain. This is the date assigned by tradition and celebrated by the Transylvanians. The year of his birth is also now known, though generally 1510 or 1520 is assigned. October 1, 2009This Week in RE:Preschool: “Memory Game” This week our preschool class will take part in a special memory game, introducing many of the sights and people of our own UUCCSM community. Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “The Girl Who Loved Animals” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our second UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Orange Promise”: Offer Fair and Kind Treatment to All – with a story about a young girl and a community of animals who learn to play together despite their differences. “Belinda’s Bouquet” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our first UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Red Promise”: Respect All People – with a story about a young girl who learns that all people are valuable, no matter their shape or size. 3rd-5th Grade: “Second Principle” Our 3rd-5th grade classes this week will continue their study of our 7 UU Principles with an exploration of the 2nd Principle: Justice, Equity and Compassion in Human Relations. 6th-7th Grade: This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will be given an overview of the coming year and the faiths we’ll be studying. Our first unit, on Hinduism, will launch next week! 8th Grade: This week Coming of Age will discuss spirituality and will take part in a special “Spiritual Selves” art project. 9th-12th Grade: Meets at 11:00 this week, in the Northeast room of the cottage. The group will discuss the ministerial search process and what they feel our church should be looking for in a new minister.
Announcements:NEW Please Fill Out the Ministerial Survey – the Search Committee needs to hear from you! The Search Committee and interested ministers both want to know as much as possible about our church, its members, its strengths, its needs, its vision for the future. They need to hear from you: members and friends and parents and youth! Surveys must be completed by October 4th. Please take the time to participate. http://tinyurl.com/uusm-searchsurvey Allergy Information: If your child has any food allergies (or allergies to other materials that they would possibly come into contact with in a church school setting) PLEASE make sure that we know about them! We do provide snacks in our RE classes, so it is very important information for us to have. There is a spot on our RE registration form for this information, but if there is allergy information for your child that you did not include on the form, or if you have not yet turned in a registration form, please email me right away with the information. I am creating allergy alert lists for all of our classes this week. RE Registration & Parent Commitment Form for 09-10: Every child and youth who participates in our RE classes needs to have a registration form and parent commitment form filled out and signed each year. The registration form helps us make sure we have current contact information for your family as well as information about your children’s needs, your dreams for their experience in our RE program, and the areas in which you’d like to help support our church’s educational ministry. The parent commitment form asks for parents of children in our RE program to help out as volunteers during the year to ensure that our program is fully supported and of the highest quality we can make it. The forms are inserted in the RE prospectus that has been mailed to all of our continuing families. And we’ll have plenty of blank forms at the RE table in the courtyard before the services on Sunday morning. So there’s no excuse for neglecting to fill them out! Please bring yours on Sunday, or stop by the table to fill them out. It is very helpful for us to have our registrations right away, so we can begin to build our class rosters and update our church records for this year. Parents who have not yet registered their children will receive an email this week with a reminder and a link to an online version of the registration forms.
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
It’s a blessing we were born, and it matters what we do, Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! An At-Home Activity to Reinforce our 2ndUU Principle – “Our Icebergs”: (adapted from Nurturing Spirituality in Children by Peggy Joy Jenkins)
This Week in UU History:September 30, 1755: John Marshall was born in Germantown (now Midland), Virginia. He fought in the Revolution and became a Unitarian and lawyer. He served as a delegate to the Virginia convention to ratify the U.S. Constitution (1788). President John Adams (also a Unitarian) offered him a seat on the Supreme Court in 1798, but Marshall declined. However, he was elected to Congress, became secretary of state under President Adams, and was named chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1801. He issued many important opinions for the court, including Marbury vs. Madison (1803), which gave the Supreme Court the right to invalidate laws. Chief justice Marshall wrote the five-volume Life of George Washington (1804-1807). He died on July 6, 1835. September 30, 1770: John Murray, an émigré from England, preached his first Universalist sermon in America when his boat ran aground at Cranberry Inlet, New Jersey. There he met Thomas Potter, who had been waiting for God to send him a preacher with a message of universal salvation. This occasion is often used to mark the beginning of Universalism in America. October 1, 1852: Eleanor Elizabeth Gordon was born in Hamilton, Illinois. She learned radical Unitarianism from her uncle, William Gordon, and read widely in Unitarian authors. Gordon became an educator and teamed up with Mary Safford. Together they organized the Unitarian church in Hamilton, where Safford served as minister with Gordon as her assistant. The pair also served churched in Humboldt and Sioux City, Iowa. Gordon was ordained in Sioux City in 1889, where she remained as minister until 1896. She served churches in Burlington, Iowa; Fargo, North Dakota; Des Moines, Iowa (with Safford); and Orlando, Florida. Gordon was also field secretary for the State Unitarian Conference of Iowa and edited and wrote for its newspaper, Old & New. She retired from the ministry in 1918 but remained active in church affairs and women’s issues until her death on January 6, 1942. October 2, 1881: The first Unitarian church in Budapest, Hungary was founded. October 3, 1610: The Synod in Rakow, Poland, was asked to investigate the Unitarianism of Christopher Ostorod, who contended with fellow Unitarians over matters of secular power, such as war, wealth, oaths, and the authority of civil magistrates. At the Synod’s order, Ostorod apologized to his brethren for any offense, but the Synod did not require him to retract any of his views. September 24, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:Saturday, 9/26
This Week in RE:Preschool: Kindergarten-2nd Grade: 3rd-5th Grade: 6th-7th Grade: 8th Grade: 9th-12th Grade:
Announcements:THIS SATURDAY RE Family Potluck 9/26: Allergy Information: Keeping Healthy: RE Registration & Parent Commitment Form for 09-10:
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week: For daylight and darkness, -- Gary Kowalski (adapted) Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! An At-Home Activity to Reinforce our 1st UU Principle – “Thoughts Don’t Leave Their Source”: (adapted from Nurturing Spirituality in Children by Peggy Joy Jenkins)
This Week in UU History:September 24, 1825: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She was an important African-American feminist, abolitionist, and writer. Harper was a strong advocate for the Underground Railroad and worked for women’s suffrage, temperance, and education. She taught school at Union Seminary near Columbus, Ohio, and except for the years 1860 to 1864, when she stayed home with her young daughter, she lectured widely and kept a grueling schedule. A member of the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, Harper was also a poet and popular novelist. Her books include Iola Leroy (1892), Minnie’s Sacrifice (1868), Sowing and Reaping, and Trial and Triumph. In her later years, Harper helped found the National Association of Colored Women. She died on February 22, 1911. September 26, 1539: Sebastian Franck was banished from Strasburg, Germany, because of his Unitarian beliefs. A Lutheran who converted to Unitarianism, he wrote popular books on history and religion. Franck eventually settled in Basel, Switzerland. September 28, 1891: Herman Melville, an important American novelist and Unitarian, died at age 72. Melville was born in 1819 in New York City. Although his family heritage was distinguished in cultural and military circles, poverty limited his education and forced him to ease the family’s financial woes as a clerk, common seaman, and country schoolteacher. However, Melville’s family inherited extensive libraries, in which he read widely. He left home at age 17 and served on the whaler Acushnet, deserted in the Pacific, and lived briefly with a cannibal tribe. His works include Typee (1846), Omoo (1847), and Mardi (1849), but he is most famous for his 1851 novel Moby Dick. He also wrote a series of poems about the Civil war. In later life, Melville withdrew from society almost completely, working as a customs agent and writing Billy Budd (1891). He was a member of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City. September 29, 1929: The first service of the Humanist Society, the first independent Humanist congregation, was held at Steinway Hall in New York City on this date. Charles Francis Potter, a Unitarian minister and one of the signers of the Humanist Manifesto, conducted the service and delivered the sermon, “A New Faith for a New Age.” (Catherine’s note: for more information about religious humanism and to read the Humanist Manifesto, visit http://www.americanhumanist.org/Who_We_Are/About_Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_I) September 16, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:Saturday, 9/19
This Week in RE:Preschool: “Our Church” This week our preschool class will explore our very own church building, to learn about what goes on outside of the preschool classroom, and to visit our Forbes Hall building before saying goodbye for its renovation in a few weeks. Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “Promises Lesson” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll share a story about the seven promises we make to one another about how we’ll treat each other in our church community and in the world (the seven UU Principles). “Flaming Chalice Lesson” (11:00) This week we will be introducing children to the meaning of our Flaming Chalice and its relation to our seven promises (the seven UU Principles). 3rd-5th Grade: “Ramadan” Our 3rd-5th grade classes this week will learn about the Islamic observance of Ramadan, replete with special activities and a feast! 6th-7th Grade: This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will be visiting our very own church, attending the service in the sanctuary together! We’ll have a pew up front reserved for class members and teachers to sit together. 8th Grade: This week Coming of Age will discuss what they and their families expect/hope to get out of this year’s program, and will review our 7 UU Principles and how they can be put into action. 9th-12th Grade: Meets at 11:00 only this week, in the Northeast room of the Cottage, and next week will be at 9:00. Announcements:THIS SATURDAY Youth Orientation Potluck, September 19: NEW RE Family Potluck 9/26: NEW Allergy Information: NEW Keeping Healthy: RE Registration & Parent Commitment Form for 09-10: UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! An At-Home Activity to Reinforce our UU Values – “The Inside Gives Form to the Outside”: (adapted from Nurturing Spirituality in Children by Peggy Joy Jenkins) Materials – One or two inflated balloons and three or four balloons that haven’t been blown up. Optional: a balloon for each child. What to Do – “The Invisible Shapes the Visible” is another name for this lesson. Begin by explaining that each balloon represents a person, and that each person is filled with the breath of life, just like the balloons are when they are blown up. Suggest that the children blow up the balloons by filling them with their breaths of life. Help them to see that the air, or life, is in all balloons and all people. “People see only the outside of the balloon or the outside of people, and they sometimes think that’s the important part. What’s really important, however, is what is on the inside, because what’s on the inside creates the outside. It’s the inside that gives form to the balloon. Otherwise, it would be limp and useless, like one of the balloons that is still empty.” Show the children the balloons you haven’t blown up. “We need to know that the insides of others are more important than their outside forms. The air inside us is important because it is what gives us life. Our thoughts and feelings are also important things that are inside of us. In many ways, these things help shape us and our experiences. Can you see that the life, or air, on the inside of the balloon is the important part?" Suggested Affirmation – I remember that what’s inside people is more important than what’s outside. This Week in UU History:September 16, 1661: John Ludwig Wolzongenius died at about age 62 near Breslau, Silesia (now Poland). He was a well-known scientist, mathematician, and Unitarian who wrote a great deal about Christianity. When he knew he was dying, he sent for a Lutheran minister known for mathematical skill and discussed advanced mathematical problems with him. With his reasoning power thus established, Wolzongenius declared that he wished to reconfirm his Unitarian faith. September 17, 1775: General George Washington appointed John Murray, an early leader of Universalism, as chaplain of the Rhode Island Regiment, over the objections of the clergy. September 18, 1887: This date is celebrated in the state of Meghalaya as Unitarian Day, the date on which Hajom Kissor Singh held the first Khasi Hills Unitarian Church service in Jowai, India. One woman and two men joined Singh as the first members of the new church, which adopted a statement of faith in 1888: “We believe (1) in the unity of God; (2) in the Fatherhood and Motherhood of God; (3) in the Brotherhood of Man; (4) in Love, Union, Worship, and Faith; and (5) in Immortality.” The Unitarian movement spread, and more than 30 churches now claim more 10,000 members in the Khasi Hills region. This holiday is celebrated as a time of renewal and re-gathering of the community. Beginning on this day, each family has a night when the whole congregation comes to worship in its house and share dinner. At that time the family and house are blessed. September 19, 1836: The first meeting of the Transcendentalist Club took place in the home of George Ripley in Concord, Massachusetts, with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederick Henry Hedge, and Bronson Alcott attending. September 10, 2009Don’t forget – this Sunday we return to our 2-service schedule, at 9:00 and 11:00, for the first week of our new program year! Calendar of upcoming events:Sunday, 9/13 This Week in RE:9:00 Preschool: “Welcome to Chalice Children” This week our preschool class will take part in an introduction to this year’s Chalice Children curriculum, with some special getting-to-know-you activities and stories. Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “Spirit Play Orientation” This week our K-2nd graders will be introduced to the Spirit Play program. 3rd-5th Grade: “Getting to Know You/Covenants” For our first week in 3rd-5th grade, we’ll have some activities designed to help us get to know one another, and we’ll create our classroom covenant for the year. 6th-7th Grade: This week our Neighboring Faiths classes will be visiting our very own church, attending the service in the sanctuary together! We’ll have a pew up front reserved for class members and teachers to sit together. 8th Grade: An introduction to the Coming of Age program and to one another. 9th-12th Grade: Group-building games and the creation of a covenant for our year together. 11:00 Preschool: “Welcome to Chalice Children” This week our preschool class will take part in an introduction to this year’s Chalice Children curriculum, with some special getting-to-know-you activities and stories. Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “Spirit Play Orientation” This week our K-2nd graders will be introduced to the Spirit Play program. 3rd-5th Grade: “Getting to Know You/Covenants” For our first week in 3rd-5th grade, we’ll have some activities designed to help us get to know one another, and we’ll create our classroom covenant for the year. 6th-8th grades meet at 9:00 only. YRUU for 9th-12th grades alternates services from week to week; this week they will meet at 9:00 only, and next week will be at 11:00. Announcements:Ingathering this Sunday: RE Registration & Parent Commitment Form for 09-10: Youth Orientation Potluck, September 19: UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! Create a Family Credo: (adapted from Parenting with Spirit by Jane Bartlett) A Family Credo – “Credo,” in Latin, means “I believe.” A family credo is a statement about what you together believe to be the purpose of your family life. It is popular now for organizations to develop a mission statement to inspire people and unify them behind a common cause. Creating a family credo is rather like devising your family’s mission statement, and you may prefer to call it a mission or vision statement. Seed-o Your Credo – First and foremost, make the creation of your credo a fun experience. Gather the family together somewhere comfortable, provide snacks, and enthuse about what you are about to do. Keep your meeting short, possibly only five or ten minutes is your children are very young. Provide paper and colored pens and have ready a few useful questions to prompt thought. These are some that are good for older children:
For younger children I suggest:
Have a brainstorming session and get everyone to write down their answers to these questions. If the children are too young to write, do it for them. Alternatively, they could draw a picture and talk about it afterward. Don’t judge the contributions, but show respect and encouragement. Knead-o Your Credo – It takes time to create a family credo and you may have to meet several times to get the right wording. When creating your credo remember that the process, which can be very bonding, is just as important as the finished result. An adult needs to take your first brainstorming material away and distill the contributions. Are there common themes and suggestions? Parents should separately discuss their contributions if they seem to differ widely. Try drafting your first family credo and take it back to the table for comment. This is the difficult part: everyone needs to agree on the final result and feel that it represents their views. Try to keep the working fairly simple so that children can easily say it aloud. As an example, this is one family’s credo: Our family is a place where we: Share love; Respect and listen to each other; Pray together; Send kindness into the world; Have lots of fun! Another example, more suited to older children: The mission of our family is to create a nurturing place of faith, order, truth, love, happiness, and relaxation, and to provide opportunity for each individual to become responsibly independent, and effectively interdependent, in order to serve a worthy purpose in society. Weed-o Your Credo – As a living statement of belief and faith, your credo needs to be revisited and revised over time. Even if in essence it stays the same, you may want to change the wording as your children get older. You may want to change some of the principles expressed in the credo as you progress together as a family. Heed-o Your Credo – Now you have got your credo, don’t put it away and forget it! Put it up on the wall, somewhere prominent. The children may like to decorate it, or write it out themselves. Keep it alive by referring to it if you have family meetings, or use it as a grace before you eat a special meal together. It could be referred to at times of trouble or conflict. Everyone should get to learn the family credo by heart so that it can be carried around internally, a bit like the name tag inside a school uniform: when we are out in the world it tells us who we belong to if ever we need to find the way home. This Week in UU History:September 12, 1660: Jonas Schlichtingius, a lifelong Unitarian who served as a missionary and was imprisoned in Stargard, Germany, for his beliefs, finished his commentaries on the Pauline epistles. His sons and other colleagues published them after Schlichtingius’s death as part of a reference series for Polish Unitarians. September 15, 1847: President William Howard Taft was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He served in a variety of government posts, from assistant prosecuting attorney of Hamilton County, Ohio, to superior court judge. He went to Washington as solicitor general of the United States and then became civil governor of the Philippines, mentoring that nation toward full independence with as little attention to racial differences as he could. He then became secretary of war before being elected president of the United States (1908-1912). When his term was over, Taft went to Yale University, where he taught law until 1921, when he was appointed chief justice of the United States Supreme Court. Taft also served as moderator of the American Unitarian Association and was a member of the First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati. He died on March 8, 1930. September 15, 1853: Women’s rights activist Antoinette Louisa Brown Blackwell was ordained as a Congregationalist minister by her church in South Butler, New York, becoming the first woman pastor in the country. She became a Unitarian in 1854, helped found All Souls Unitarian Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and served as its first minister. She wrote ten books on religion, philosophy and science, and was the mother of six children. She died on November 11, 1921. June 25, 2009RE UUpdates are going on summer hiatus and will return weekly at the beginning of September as we prepare to launch our 2009-2010 RE program year. We have a great summer program planned, outlined below, and I hope we’ll see you and your family soon and often. I will be away during the month of July and will return at the beginning of August, refreshed and reenergized for the year ahead. Have a great summer! This Summer in RE:Preschool: The Senses
Elementary and Up: Share Your Passions
Volunteer Opportunities:NEW Assistants Needed this Summer: Preschool program: “The Senses”; Elementary and up program: “Share Your Passions”
See announcement below for description of each program. Assistant role requires no advance preparation – just show up on your day and help out as needed. To volunteer to help on any of these Sundays, email Catherine@uusm.org or call 310-829-5436 x108. Thank you! Announcements:Outcome of YRUU Futures Meeting: RE Volunteer Gifts: Summer RE Programs:
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! Being There: Rituals for Peak Vacations: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox) Porcupine Award: The Routh family of Iowa spotted a live porcupine while hiking in the Rocky Mountains and declared it the strangest-looking creature they had ever seen outside of a zoo. Thus was born the Porcupine Award, given to the family member who spots the weirdest animal on any trip, or even a long family hike. Mary Routh says it’s great because even the baby of the family sometimes wins. There isn’t an actual certificate given by the Rouths, but your family could create one. Or buy a cheap trophy and pass it from room to room back home, as different people “win”. Every Picture Tells a Story: Think ahead about a loose plot that could be tied to your destination, and take a series of fun photos to tell that story. It could be as simple as creating a scrapbook travelogue starring your toddler daughter’s frayed teddy bear. Photograph him at the pool (not too close to the water), asleep in her bed, viewing the local sights. One family I know has a goofy Christmas gift exchange in which the same wacky object is passed from household to household: whoever gets the thing in a given year inevitably takes it on vacation and photographs the thing somewhere scenic. Arriving in Style: Some families vacation at the same cabin, resort, or campground every year, and love to settle in with a ritual that makes them feel at home and ready to relax. They might head to a nearby stream, take off their shoes and go wading, or stop by the same fried-clam stand for their favorite vacation chow. When we visit my husband’s cousin on a lake in New Hampshire every August, we always watch the sun set while sitting on the dock and sipping a special lemon drink. But you can also start an arrival ritual that works wherever you go. If you arrive after dark, for example, you can give the kids glowing fluorescent sticks and let them run wildly in circles around your cottage or campsite. This Month in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)June 25, 1863: The St. Lawrence Association of Universalists ordained Olympia Brown, making her the first woman in America ordained as a minister with full denominational authority. June 27, 1984: At General Assembly in Columbus, Ohio, the Unitarian Universalist Association passed the historic Gay and Lesbian Services of Union Resolution. This resolution affirmed the conducting of services on union for gay and lesbian couples by Unitarian Universalist ministers, and asked Unitarian Universalist faith communities to support these unions. July 1, 1579: The General Synod of Unitarian Churches in Transylvania published a confession of faith, outlining Unitarian beliefs. July 1, 1858: Unitarian naturalist Charles Darwin presented his paper The Origin of the Species to the Linnaean Society in London. July 3, 1839: The first normal school for training professional teachers opened in Lexington, Massachusetts. It began with three women students and reflected principles of education developed by Unitarian Horace Mann. July 4, 1804: Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts. He was an enormously influential early American writer. His works include Twice Told Tales (1837), The Scarlet Letter (1850), House of the Seven Gables (1851) and Mosses from an Old Manse (1854). Hawthorne’s Puritan heritage haunted much of his work, but part of his dour outlook might be traced to his mother’s almost complete self-seclusion after she was widowed in 1808. Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody, sister of Elizabeth, and belonged to Transcendentalist circles. Hawthorne adored his family, but they were very poor. He worked at a variety of government jobs and served as American consul at Liverpool, England. He lived variously at Brook Farm, the Old Manse, and the Wayside in Concord, Massachusetts. He died on May 19, 1864. July 4, 1826: John Adams, 90, and Thomas Jefferson, 83, the second and third U.S. presidents, respectively, died on the same day. Exactly 50 years earlier, the 13 colonies heard the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, of which Jefferson was the author and Adams a primary editor. Despite intense disagreement during their careers in political office, in later life they reconciled and conducted a famous correspondence, which included discussions of their differing views of Unitarianism. July 4, 1845: The Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau commenced 15 months of residence at the shore of Walden Pond, on land belonging to Ralph Waldo Emerson outside Concord, Massachusetts. He did not break his social ties but continued visiting his family and receiving callers. He supported himself primarily on what he grew or caught, and he slept in a small cabin he built for himself. Walden Pond is today preserved as a recreational area, with a replica of Thoreau’s cabin on display. Thoreau’s resulting publication, Walden (1854), and his ideas about the spiritual relevance of nature continue to have a major impact on Unitarian Universalism to this day. July 5, 1810: Phineas Taylor Barnum was born in Bethel, Connecticuit. He was reared a stern Puritan but became a devoted Universalist. The museum he opened in New York City featured natural history exhibits and curiosities. Barnum is best known for operating “The Greatest Show on Earth,” his circus, but he was also civic-minded and served in the Connecticut legislature from 1867 to 1869 as a Republican. He was also mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Barnum called himself the “prince of Humbugs” but donated funds to build a museum of natural history at Tufts University. He died on April 7, 1891. July 5, 1942: Czech Unitarian minister Norbert Capek, creator of the Flower Ceremony used today in many UU churches, was sent to Dachau, a World War II concentration camp in Germany, for speaking out against the Nazis. July 9, 1850: Millard Fillmore, a member of the Unitarian Church in Buffalo, New York, became president of the United States when Zachary Taylor died. July 11, 1767: John Quincy Adams was born in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts, the son of U.S. president John Adams. After graduating from Harvard College, he became a lawyer and served in a variety of governmental posts, particularly in foreign service. His offices included U.S. senator, minister to Russia, chairman of the U.S. Peace Commission at Ghent in England, and U.S. minister to England. He was also secretary of state under President James Monroe, for whom he authored what became known as the Monroe Doctrine, asserting U.S. primacy over other powers interested in the Americas. He was elected president in 1824 and later served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Down into the Unitarian church of Braintree, he was a founding member of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in Washington D.C., and is buried with his wife and parents in the church in Quincy. He died on February 23, 1848. July 12, 1817: The Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts. The son of a pencil maker, he earned his living at that trade, supplemented by occasional school teaching. Thoreau attended Harvard College despite his family’s low income, with Ralph Waldo Emerson as his primary mentor. Only two of his books were published during his lifetime, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (1849) and Walden (1859). Thoreau wrote the influential essay “On Civil Disobedience” to protest the Mexican-American War and publicly supported the abolition of slavery, coming to the defense of John Brown. He was reared Unitarian and resigned his membership, not because he changed his theology but because he did not want to belong to any organization. He said he would resign from the United States if he knew how. Thoreau died on tuberculosis at the age of 44 and was buried at First Parish in Concord after a eulogy by Emerson. July 14, 1791: Mobs burned the home, church, library and laboratory of Joseph Priestley in Birmingham, England, urged on by the Church of England because of Priestley’s Unitarianism and his support of the French Revolution. Priestley left England and moved to Pennsylvania, where he established Unitarian churches in Philadelphia and Germantown. While still in England, he had discussed the idea of a Unitarian commune on the Susquehanna River with his associates, but in the end he took only his family and resumed a life of science and theology. His Pennsylvania home and laboratory are now open to the public. July 15, 1838: Ralph Waldo Emerson delivered a sermon at Harvard Divinity School to seven graduating students, faculty members, and local ministers. Known as the Divinity School Address, the sermon caused a storm of protest and Emerson was not allowed to speak at Harvard for another generation. Henry Ware Jr. and Andrews Norton rebuked him, but Theodore Parker came to Emerson’s defense. Traditionally minded Unitarians were particularly upset by Emerson’s rejection of miracles as evidence for Christianity. July 21, 1770: John Murray, the founder of organized Universalism in the United States, sailed from England to America on the Hand-in-Hand. He had lived through great sorrows in England, including the death of his father, wife, and child, and become a convinced Universalist, to the disappointment of his family and friends. He wanted a fresh start in the New World, which was still a British Colony. He landed at Cranberry Inlet, New Jersey, and met Thomas Potter, who persuaded him to preach in the chapel Potter had built on his property. Potter said he was been waiting for God to send him such a preacher. July 25, 1834: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an English Unitarian poet who was instrumental in the Romantic movement, died at age 62. July 28, 1703: George de Benneville was born in London, England, to French Huguenot parents. He converted to Universalism early in life and became an itinerant preacher in France, where he was arrested and condemned to death. He was brought before the guillotine but King Louis XV granted him a reprieve at the last moment. After preaching in Germany and Holland and being imprisoned there, de Benneville came to America and became the first preacher of Universalism in the New World. He died in March, 1793, at the age of 90. June 10, 2009RE UUpdates are going on summer hiatus soon; there will be one more email next week which will share details about the summer program through September 6th. We’ll come back to you weekly at the beginning of September. Don’t forget – this Sunday will be the first week of our summer service schedule, one service only at 10:00. Calendar of upcoming events:Sunday, 6/14 This Week in RE:All Classes: This week each RE class will be holding end-of-year celebrations. As we are moving to one service this week, this means that this is a chance for each class to celebrate the year with classmates from both 9:00 and 11:00. Classes will meet in their regular classrooms. Our multi-age summer program will begin next week. Volunteer Opportunities:NEW Only Three Summer Sundays Still Need Leaders – Assistants Also Needed: Preschool program: “The Senses”; Elementary and up program: “Share Your Passions”
See announcement below for description of each program. Assistant role requires no advance preparation – just show up on your day and help out as needed. To volunteer to help on any of these Sundays, email Catherine@uusm.org or call 310-829-5436 x108. Thank you! Spirit Play Story Working Group: Announcements:NEW Outcome of YRUU Futures Meeting: NEW RE Volunteer Gifts: NEW RE Class Thank-you and Congratulations: Summer RE Programs: UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! Summer Vacation Rituals: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox) A balance needs to be found between the overprogrammed school year life of many kids, and a summer of free-form loafing. Family rituals for this time of year often center on summer food, trips to the local pool, and backyard games. Some fun ideas to try: Books and Cones: One reason my son reads to much in the summer is that the local library gives the kids a “summer passport” to list all the books they read (or have read to them). Any child who clocks 12 hours of reading in a summer gets a free sundae at the local ice cream store in the fall. Why not make books a sweet treat now: go to the library every two weeks, and stop for an ice cream cone after every visit. New and Barbecued: Once a week, have a simple backyard barbecue, but invite a family in the neighborhood or from your children’s school that hasn’t been to your home before. Make a pact with your kids that you’ll serve some of their favorite foods like hot dogs and chips, but try one new grilled item each time, like grilled peppers, corn on the cob, or chicken-and-mushroom kabobs. Tour Your Town: One summer weekend each year, pretend your family just arrived as tourists, and see the best your town has to offer. Visit historical sites, eat in the cool new restaurant, take a long bike ride through neighborhoods you’ve never visited. Take photos in from of landmarks, buy t-shirts, and send postcards. Make a Movie: After school ends, have a “story conference” and come up with a wacky plot in which every family members plays at least one character. Design costumes. Over the course of the summer, shoot one scene at a time, in difference locations. For credits, film one of your kids typing the title and list of actors on a computer screen. At summer’s end, invite friends and family to the “premiere”. Next summer: shoot a sequel, or the prequel. This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)June 9, 1861: Dorothea Dix became the first woman to receive an executive appointment from a U.S. President when Abraham Lincoln appointed her as the Union’s superintendent of female nurses during the Civil War. Dix wanted no husband-hunters or flirts, so she initially accepted only women who had reached 30 years of age, had a plain appearance, and agreed to wear only black or brown skirts, without hoops or jewelry. She was sometimes called “Dragon Dix,” but 3,000 women served under her leadership and saved many lives. She argued with military bureaucracy when it was necessary, and over the course of the war she improved military nursing. Dix was a friend of and was heavily influenced by Unitarian minister William Ellery Channing. June 9, 1870: The English author Charles Dickens, a Unitarian, died at age 58. June 10, 1565: The Socinian church, properly called the Minor Reformed Church of Poland, was formed. Socinianism, named after Faustus Socinus, was a strong movement in Poland in the 16th and 17th centuries and had a great influence on Unitarianism in England and Transylvania. The Socinians were noted for their rigid moral standards; their goal was to hold onto the ways of primitive Christianity. Socinians believed in nonresistance, would not take part in war, and would not hold serfs. June 12, 1796: Joseph Priestley founded the first separately organized Unitarian church in America in Philadelphia. Its members were mostly English expatriates. June 12, 1802: Harriet Martineau was born in Norwich, England. A well-known novelist and economist, she wrote several books about industry, wages, and economic and legal issues, as well as a book about her journeys in America. A fervent Unitarian in her early years, she also wrote spiritual articles and devotions. Martineau, who was outspoken on many social issues, broke with her Unitarian theologian brother James over her devotion to the positivist philosophy of Auguste Comte, which held that each branch of knowledge passes through three stages: the theological, the metaphysical, and then the positive, or essential. This meant that theological belief in supreme natural beings would give way to science. She died on June 27, 1896. June 15, 1686: After the Massachusetts Puritan Commonwealth lost a two-year struggle to prevent the King of England from installing a royally appointed governor, King’s Chapel in Boston was established as a house of worship for the new royal appointees. It was the first Anglican Church in New England. The Puritans refused to give any good land for the purpose, so King’s Chapel was built on part of a graveyard, which was seizable public land. The current building of stone replaced an earlier wooden one at the same location. In 1785, the congregation adopted Socinian alterations to the Book of Common Prayer and became the first Unitarian church in the New World. Today it continues to serve a membership of more than 100. June 15, 1865: Hajom Kissor Singh was born in the Khasi Hills of the state of Meghalaya in northeast India, where he lived all his life. At age 15, Singh became a member of the Reformed faith (Calvinist) but found its teachings, especially the threat of Hell, unacceptable. He developed Unitarian beliefs and began spreading them, although he did not know of the Unitarian movement. He learned of Unitarianism through Charles Dall, an American Unitarian minister in Calcutta. Dall sent Singh a copy of works by William Ellery Channing. Inspired by what he learned, Singh founded a Unitarian church in Jowai, India, now the headquarters of the Indian Council of Unitarian Churches. Singh led the Unitarian movement in his state, where there are now more than 30 churches with a total of 10,000 members. Singh also published a hymnal using many American Unitarian hymns translated into Khasi. Many Unitarian statements are still used in India just as Singh wrote them. Hajom Kissor Singh died on November 13, 1923. June 15, 1946: William George Sinkford was born in San Francisco, California. He became an active Unitarian in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was active in several Unitarian groups as an undergraduate at Harvard University, where his roommate was future Unitarian Universalist Association president John Buehrens. Sinkford became the head of the national Liberal Religious Youth and considered the ministry at an early age, encouraged by the UUA’s commitment to racial justice. When the UUA urged reparations from white churches and then withdrew its commitment, Sinkford was disillusioned. He says, “I felt betrayed by my church and felt there would be no place in Unitarian Universalism for me. I left and did not return for a dozen years.” He worked for the UUA in 1994 as Director of Congregational, District, and Extension Services and was elected the first African-American president of the UUA in 2001. June 3, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:Sunday, 6/7 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: RE Volunteer Appreciation Brunch June 7th – Contributions of food needed! Next Sunday, June 7th, we will celebrate all things RE in our intergenerational RE Sunday service. After each service we traditionally offer a light meal (appetizers, bagels, fruit salad, veggies, crackers, cheese, chips, etc.) in honor of our volunteers, donated by parents of children and youth who have benefited from the dedication and talents of our RE teachers and advisors. If everyone contributes something we’ll have plenty to offer – can you help? Please contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 to sign up to bring something. Let’s celebrate our volunteers! This Week in RE:RE Sunday Intergenerational Service!! This Sunday is our annual service in celebration of this year’s RE program and the wonderful volunteers and staff who make it happen. Each RE class will be leading one element of the service, so check below to see what your child’s class will be doing! There will be a set of pews in the front of the sanctuary reserved for the members (& families for younger children) of each class to sit together. Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before the service to meet up with you class’ teachers and do any last minute rehearsing for the service. Preschoolers will be doing the Chalice Lighting, leading the congregation in singing the song they sing in class every week when their chalice is lit (sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”: Little chalice, burning bright Now you share with us your light May we also learn to share With all children everywhere Little chalice, burning bright Now you share with us your light. Kindergarten – 2nd grade at the 9:00 service will be dramatizing one of the stories they learned in class this year: “The Tiger(s) and the Lame Fox(es)”, and at 11:00 will be offering the morning’s meditation, leading the congregation in a body prayer called the “Gandhi Peace Greeting” 3rd-5th grade will offer a presentation about their RE class this year. 6th-7th grade will offer a presentation about their experience in the Neighboring Faiths program this year, and will help out with the morning’s offering. 8th grade has now officially joined the high school group, since their Coming of Age program has culminated, and they get a little break, since their big service was just three weeks ago!! 9th-12th grade will be helping out with various parts of the service. Volunteer Opportunities:Spirit Play Story Working Group: Announcements:Summer RE Programs: RE Wish List:
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week: I am only one
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! End-of-School-Year Rituals: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox)
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)June 3, 1870: Norbert Capek was born in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). After a Roman Catholic childhood and early career as a Baptist minister, he converted to Unitarianism and became one of its leaders. During World War II, he was imprisoned by the Germans in 1942 and murdered at Dachau for speaking out against the Nazis. Capek devised the Flower Communion, now widely used in Unitarian Universalist churches, saying it showed that even in the worst times, we can still share beauty. June 4, 1901: Joseph H. Jordan died of an unknown disease at the age of 59. He was born a black free man in West Norfolk, Virginia, in June of 1842. After trying his hand as a laborer and grocer, he achieved financial success as a carpenter. Jordan was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1880 but he became a Universalist after reading The Plain Guide to Universalism by Thomas Whittemore. He met with Edwin Chapin Sweetser in Philadelphia and studied under him. Jordan began preaching Universalism and the Universalist Ordaining Council voted to ordain him as the first African-American Universalist minister. A small group of Jordan’s followers became the First Universalist Church of Norfolk, which was admitted into fellowship by the Universalist General Convention. Some white Universalists who had no church of their own attended Jordan’s church. Jordan named a son Richard Sweetser Jordan in honor of his Universalist mentor. June 6, 1563: Firty-two ministers who did not believe in the divinity of Christ met at the Synod of Podlachia in Poland. The synod convened under the sponsorship of the Unitarian Prince Nicholas Radzivil, Palatine of Vilna, Lithuania. · June 6, 1832: The famous Unitarian philosopher and political economist Jeremy Bentham died at age 84. Bentham had instructed that his body was to be embalmed, dressed, and placed in a chair. It now resides in a glass cabinet in a corridor of the main building of University College in England. At meetings of the governing body, he is recorded as “present but not voting.” June 7, 1852: Hosea Ballou, a leader of Universalism, died at age 81. June 8, 1867: Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin. He began his practice of architecture in Oak Park, Illinois, and developed a devoted following. He lectured and wrote extensively, published An Autobiography in 1932, and mentored many students. Wright is considered by many to be America’s foremost architect, championing what is known as the Prairie Style. He built 532 homes and other buildings, including Unity Temple (Universalist) in Oak Park, Illinois; the First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wisconsin; the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo; and the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. He believed that people should not have to be rich to live in beautiful homes, and he tried to design artistic, affordable housing that complemented its natural surroundings. Wright was an active member of the First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wisconsin. He died on april 9, 1959. May 5, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:
This Week in RE:Preschool: “We Begin Life in a Wonderful Way” Through a variety of stories, activities and projects, preschoolers will celebrate the wonder of birth and life as human beings. Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “The Monk and the Scorpion” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll explore the third Source of our faith tradition – wisdom from the world’s religions – with a story from the Buddhist tradition. “The Tiger and the Lame Fox” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore the third Source of our faith tradition – wisdom from the world’s religions – with a story from the Sufi tradition. 3rd-5th Grade: “Mother’s Peace Day” This week our classes will learn about famous Unitarian July Ward Howe, who envisioned Mother’s Day as a day to call for peace so that no mothers’ children would have to lose their lives in the pursuit of war. 6th-7th Grade: “Baha’i Introduction” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will begin its study of the Baha’i faith with an introduction to Baha’i’s history and practice. 8th Grade: “Coming of Age” This week Coming of Agers will continue their preparation for the culmination of their program at the COA Sunday service on May 17th. 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will explore the Small Group Ministry model as a format for discussion and reflection together.
Volunteer Opportunities:NEW Spirit Play Story Working Group: Next year in K-2nd grade RE we’ll have three areas of focus for our Spirit Play program: UU Principles/Identity, Faith in Action, and Jewish & Christian Heritage. A Working Group is being formed to choose the stories that will be used in class to explore each of these themes throughout the 2009-2010 church year. This Working Group will convene at the beginning of June, and will complete its work by mid-August. If you’re interested in participating, contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108.
Announcements: THIS WEEK - SUPER CAMP SUNDAY - De Benneville Pines Summer Youth Camps: Flyers and registration information for this year’s Summer Camps at our district’s lovely camp in the mountains are now available online. We will be holding our Super Camp Sunday signup at UUCCSM on Sunday, May 10th after each service in Forbes Hall. Families who sign up for camp that day will receive a $35 discount!
Camp information and registration forms can be found online at http://www.debenneville.org/youth/YouthCampForms/YouthCampFormsPage.html For assistance with registration or questions about the PSWD Summer YoUUth Camps programs, please call the camp office at 909-794-2928 or e-mail caroline@uucamp.org. NEW Keeping Healthy: Many of us, I’m sure, have been anxious over the last couple of weeks as we were inundated with news about the swine flu outbreaks around the world and in the US. I do not feel that the risk is such that we need to take extraordinary measures at this time, but it is ALWAYS a good idea to take precautions to minimize potential exposure to illnesses. In RE classes we will continue providing hand sanitizing wipes in every room and encouraging children to visit the restroom to wash their hands as needed. Washing hands regularly and thoroughly is the best way to safeguard yourself and others from germs, and a handy way to teach children how long to spend washing their hands to make sure they are thoroughly clean is to have them sing the “Happy Birthday” song once through while lathering. http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/wash_hands.html is a great site with further information for kids about hand washing (and other health-related topics). And parents, if your children are showing symptoms of illness, please keep them home for the day rather than risking exposing others who may be more vulnerable to an illness. NEW Coming of Age Sunday May 17th: This year’s COA Sunday is on May 17th, when the 8th grade Coming of Age class members will present their credos in a Sunday worship service of their own design, at 9:00 and at 11:00. This is an important rite of passage each year, not only for the 8th graders and their families, but for our whole church community. It has also proven to be one of the most inspiring worship services at UUCCSM each year. I hope you will make sure to attend this service, to help celebrate the coming of age of Rosy DePaul, Helen Dwyer, Josie Eilertsen, Emma Groezinger, Brett Hart, Moira Johnston, Olivia Legan, Kevin Nakajima, Noah Reyes, Stelle Saldo and Erica Vincenzi. Children and youth in grades 3 and up will attend the service; separate RE classes will be offered for preschool and K-2nd only. NEW Congratulations to our OWL Graduates: This year’s two Our Whole Lives sexuality education classes, Jr. High for 8th & 9th graders and Sr. High for 10th-12th graders, concluded on May 3rd with special graduation ceremonies. This has been our biggest OWL year ever, with 20 participants in Jr. High OWL and 9 in Sr. High. Congratulations to our dedicated OWL teachers, and OWL Coordinator Beth Rendeiro, for pulling off another successful year of top-notch human sexuality education for our youth. I cannot overstate the importance of this element of our RE program, or my appreciation for the many talented volunteers who make it happen. Have you thanked an OWL teacher lately? Sr. High Program Futures Meeting May 31st: Youth currently in grades 8 & up and their parents are urged to attend a special between-services meeting on May 31st from 10:15-10:50 in Room 4 to discuss possible structures for our YRUU (9th-12th grade) program for the 2009-2010 church year. Currently we offer YRUU during each Sunday service, at 9:00 and 11:00. Are the advantages of this structure greater than the disadvantages? Do we want to keep this structure or try something different next year – meeting as one group at 9:00 or 11:00, or between the services, or on Sunday evenings? During construction next year, how can we make the best use of our available space? What will best serve you/your family? What do you think is best for our program overall? We will use the feedback generated at this meeting to make a decision for next year, so please make it a priority to attend. Summer RE Programs: I am excited to share the courses we will be offering this summer for children and youth at UUCCSM. Preschoolers will take part in exploring “The Senses,” with a lesson each Sunday about a difference sense – sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste, as well as humor, intuition, connection to nature and compassion to round out our summer. For those in elementary and up, we will be inviting church members to present one- or two- Sunday sessions on “Sharing Your Passion.” What would you love to share with the young people in our church? What is your passion? Dance, cooking, singing, astronomy, justice work… any of these might make for a fun Sunday for all. Please consider signing up to lead or assist for a Sunday this summer! RE Wish List: I am currently developing a “master wish list” for the RE program, which includes general and lesson-specific RE supply needs for the remainder of the year. While the RE operating budget does have some money for supplies, donations are happily accepted, especially as our program funds have been reduced due to this year’s income shortfall. The list so far includes: For Spirit Play Lesson Baskets:
General Supplies:
Backup snack supply
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
May we be connected to all things loving, -Rikkity Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! Mother’s Day: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox) Breakfast Out of Bed: Judy Elkin finally confessed that she hated getting breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day: all those crumbs in the sheets, plus she would rather eat with her kids than alone. So her family came up with a creative twist: they don’t bring her food, but a menu. She decides whether she wants pancakes or eggs, and while the kids and her husband cook, she lounges in bed drinking coffee and reading. When it’s time to eat, she joins them downstairs, and receives flowers and homemade cards. Role Reversal: For a full day, have the kids mother their mom. They can pick out her clothes, cook her breakfast, kiss her boo-boos, read her a story, and tuck her in bed at the end of the day. She’ll probably also get some lollypops and new toys. Mother Wisdom: If you’re like most mothers, there are probably a handful of sayings and certain types of practical advice for which you are known. Your partner or an older child can get each of the kids to write on sheets of letter-sized paper something they’ve learned from you that’s proved valuable, or something they promise to pay more attention to in the future. The sheets can be stapled together in a sort of book.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)May 5, 1751: Judith Sargent Stevens Murray was born in Glouchester, Massachusetts. With her father, Winthrop Sargent, and her first husband, John Stevens, she became influential in Universalist circles. Following Stevens’ death, she married Universalist minister John Murray. A noted essayist, playwright and poet, she also wrote on women’s issues and became a leader in progressive female education. Murray wrote the first Sunday school book for children, A Universalist Catechism (1762), for the American Universalist movement. When John Murray died in 1815, she finished the autobiography he had begun, which was published in 1816 as The Life of John Murray. She was a woman of creative genius who was at the forefront of Universalism. She died on July 6, 1820. May 5, 1819: William Ellery Channing preached the sermon “Unitarian Christianity,” known as the Baltimore Sermon, for the ordination and installation of Jared Sparks as the first minister of the First Independent Church of Baltimore. In 1912 the name was changed to First Unitarian Church. Only those in the first three pews could hear the sermon, which lasted for an hour and a half, because the acoustics were so bad. The sermon was transcribed into seven languages and circulated in many countries. One of the most influential sermons ever preached in America, the Baltimore Sermon served to unite religious liberals under the name Unitarian, which they had previously avoided. May 6, 1659: Richard Cromwell, the son of Oliver Cromwell and his successor as lord protector of England, was deposed when Charles II ascended the throne, ending the tolerance extended to Unitarians during the Commonwealth (1649-1660). May 6, 1769: William Emerson Jr. was born in Concord, Massachusetts. A descendant of a long line of ministers in the Boston area, he was first ordained and installed in rural Harvard, Massachusetts, but his pulpit eloquence and cultural activism in Boston led to a call to that city’s First Church (Unitarian). Thereafter, he became a Harvard College overseer and chaplain to the Massachusetts Senate. He edited a book of hymns and published many sermons and orations. His son was Ralph Waldo Emerson. After William Emerson’s death, the Boston Athenaeum bought his library, which became the core of its collection. Emerson died on May 11, 1811. May 6, 1829: Phebe Ann Coffin Hanaford was born on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. A Quaker and descendant of the pilot of the Mayflower, she became a teacher and successful author of fiction, children’s books, and biographies. She was introduced to Universalism in Reading, Massachusetts, and joined the Reading Universalist Association of Liberal Ladies for Benevolent and Useful Work in 1866. Her friend Olympia Brown encouraged her to preach, and she became a licensed Universalist preacher. Ordained by the Hingham Universalist Church in Massachusetts on February 19, 1868, Hanaford became the first woman ordained to the Universalist ministry in New England and served a number of Universalist churches, often amidst controversy. She also worked for temperance, women’s suffrage, and the abolition of slavery. Hanaford put together a book of biographies of American women, which was first published as Women of the Century in 1876 and republished in 1882 as Daughters of America. Hanaford lived long enough to vote in the 1918 election in Basom, New York. She died on June 2, 1921. May 6, 1862: Henry David Thoreau, a Transcendentalist writer and naturalist, died at age 44 in Concord, Massachusetts. May 7, 1861: The famous Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore was born in Calcutta. He was from a wealthy Bengali family, studied law in England, and worked for Indian nationalism. Tagore produced 50 dramas, 100 books of verse, 40 volumes of novels, and many books of essays and philosophy. He denounced violence and urged the unity of all people. World famous, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 and was knighted in 1915. Tagore and his family were active in the Brahmo Samaj, a Unitarian form of Hinduism. He died in 1941. May 10, 1818: Paul Revere, an American patriot and Unitarian, died at age 83. April 8, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:Sunday, 4/12
This Week in RE: Easter Celebration Sunday for All Ages:
Announcements:NEW de Benneville Summer Camp Registration Open:
Camp information and registration forms can be found online at http://www.debenneville.org/Connection/WebConnection09Spring.pdf For assistance with registration or questions about the PSWD Summer YoUUth Camps programs, please call the camp office at 909-794-2928 or e-mail caroline@uucamp.org. Nametags for Children/Youth: RE Wish List:
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! Easter: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox) Easter is the most important festival of the Christian church, and celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)April 7, 1780: William Ellery Channing, “the father of American Unitarianism,” was born in Newport, Rhode Island. He entered Harvard at age 15 and was a distinguished scholar throughout his life. On June 1, 1803, he was ordained at and became minister of the Federal Street Church, now the Arlington Street Church, in Boston. Despite an initial reluctance to divide the Standing Order, he took and active role in the Unitarian Controversy in Boston and created a stir with the sermon he preached at the ordination of Jared Sparks. The sermon, “Unitarian Christianity,” is also known as the Baltimore Sermon. Its clear points made it the central rationale for the Unitarian movement. Channing was instrumental in forming the American Unitarian Association, though he declined its presidency. He was a vigorous and influential preacher, who exerted much of his influence on behalf of associational organization and progressive social causes, especially opposition to slavery. His sermons were published widely and his collected works went through many editions. In 1820, Harvard awarded Channing a Doctorate of Divinity degree. A statue of him stands at one entrance to the Boston Public Gardens, facing the Arlington Street Church, which now uses his former pulpit. When the Library of Congress was built in Washington, D. C., his name was placed with “Theology” in the hallway decorations where the various disciplines are named. He died in Bennington, Vermont, on October 2, 1842. April 7, 1794: Unitarian Joseph Pristley sailed for America after his home, church, and laboratory were burned in Birmingham, England, in response to his liberal theology and support for the French Revolution. · April 7, 1891: The showman Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum, a devoted Universalist, died at age 80 in Philadelphia. April 8, 1652: The Rakovian Catechism was burned in London by the common hangman, signifying that its publication was a criminal offense. Translated into English by John Biddle, it espoused Unitarian doctrines that Parliament considered blasphemous and seditious because they contradicted the Church of England. April 9, 1959: The pioneering American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and active Unitarian, died at age 89. April 10, 1866: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incorporated in New York City. Its founder was Henry Bergh, a member of All Souls Church in that city. April 11, 1925: Viola Fauver Gregg Liuzzo was born in California, Pennsylvania. She was a Unitarian committed to education and economic justice. Active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Liuzzo was arrested twice for civil rights activities and pleaded guilty both times. She went to Selma, Alabama, to join the march to Montgomery in support of voting rights for African-Americans after the murder of James Reeb, a Unitarian minister. On March 25, 1965, the day that the marchers arrived in Montgomery, four men forced her car off the road and shot her. She died instantly. President Lyndon Baines Johnson and Martin Luther King, Jr. praised her martyrdom. A plaque in her memory hangs at Unitarian Universalist Association headquarters in Boston. Viola Liuzzo attended the First Unitarian Church of Detroit. April 13, 1743: Thomas Jefferson was born in Shadwell, Virginia. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he established a reputation as a patriot. As delegate to the Continental Congress (1775-1776), he drafted the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson also wrote the Statute for Religious Freedom of Virginia. In 1785 he became the U.S. minister to France. Upon his return to the United States in 1789, he was appointed secretary of state under George Washington, became vice president under John Adams, and served two terms as president of the United States. In retirement he founded the University of Virginia. Jefferson was a convinced Unitarian and wrote extensively in Unitarianism’s defense. He also prepared a Socinian edition of the Bible, known as the Jefferson Bible, which is still in use. April 13, 1895: The first conference of the Khasi Unitarians was held at Jowai, India. Seven villages were represented. April 1, 2009Calendar of upcoming events: Sunday, 4/12 Volunteer Opportunities:Easter Helpers: Would you like to help with our Easter celebration on April 12th, either hiding eggs and providing supervision for our after-service egg hunt, or assisting with the Easter program during RE time? Contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 for more information or to volunteer. Nursery Assistants: We are in need of several volunteers to serve as nursery assistants during either the 9:00 or 11:00 service, once per month. I could use two more volunteers each at 9:00 and 11:00. Can you help? Contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 for more information or to volunteer.
This Week in RE:Preschool: “Cooperation Means Helping Each Other” Through a variety of cooperative games, activities and projects, preschoolers will experience the benefits of cooperation – perhaps the most important component in a Unitarian Universalist classroom or community. Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “Passover” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll explore the fourth Source of our faith tradition – our Jewish and Christian heritage – with the story of the Exodus and the origin of Passover. “The Sower” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore the fourth Source of our faith tradition – our Jewish and Christian heritage – with a classic parable attributed to Jesus. 3rd-5th Grade: “Passover” This week our classes will learn about the Jewish observance of Passover. 6th-7th Grade: “Islam” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will continue their study of Islam. 8th Grade: “Coming of Age” This week Coming of Agers will continue their preparation for the culmination of their program at the COA Sunday service on May 17th. 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will celebrate with a low-key hang-out game day.
Announcements:NEW Neighboring Faiths Program Changes: In the last couple of months, attendance at our 11:00 Neighboring Faiths class (for 6th & 7th graders) has been extremely low. Given the amount of time and dedication our volunteer teachers put into preparing for our classes, we have decided to combine the two Neighboring Faiths classes. For the remainder of this church year (through June), Neighboring Faiths will be offered at the 9:00 service only. Please contact me if your child normally would attend the 11:00 class and I will work with you to determine the best solution for your family for the next two months. Options include switching to 9:00, joining the 3rd-5th grade class (which includes a curriculum that holds up for older children as well as younger), assisting in the preschool or nursery, attending the service, or another plan that best suits your child’s needs. Visioning Outcomes: Thank you to all who attended last Sunday’s RE Town Hall meeting, and to all of you who participated in this year’s RE Visioning Process! At the meeting on Sunday the attendees expressed support for a new program plan for our elementary RE program as well as a new RE volunteer structure that will enable us to fully realize the vision for the future of RE at UUCCSM that has emerged from this process. Lots more information about these changes is coming your way soon. But for now, a teaser:
Nametags for Children/Youth: I was recently asked by a young member of our church why only the adults have nametags. I thought it was a good question! So the church is now offering to make nametags for any RE participants who would like to have them (as authorized by their parents). The tags will be clippy tags with paper inserts with the name printed on them (similar to the “transitional name tags” now being offered repeat visitors). Children and youth are welcome to make the tags more personalized by decorating around their names. Parents, if your child or youth would like a name tag for use when at church, please let me know (Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-436 x108) and I’ll have one made and placed on the name tag board in the foyer. Make sure to indicate your preference – first name only or first and last. RE Wish List: I am currently developing a “master wish list” for the RE program, which includes general and lesson-specific RE supply needs for the remainder of the year. While the RE operating budget does have some money for supplies, donations are happily accepted, especially as our program funds have been reduced due to this year’s income shortfall. The list so far includes:
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! Bedtime: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox) This is a great time to gently reconnect with your kids and prepare them for fear-free dreaming. Having a soothing, cuddly go-to-sleep ritual every night, preferably at close to the same time, vastly reduces bedtime battles.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)March 31, 1818: John Albion Andrew was born in Windham, Maine. He was reared orthodox but became Unitarian at the Church of the Disciples in Boston during the ministry of James Freeman Clarke. A lawyer, Andrew also visited prisons, took on many cases pro bono, and became an advocate of prison reform. He was an outspoken opponent of slavery, and became the governor or Massachusetts in 1860, after raising funds to support abolitionist John Brown’s family. Andrew also helped found the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the first African-American fighting unit. A Transcendentalist, Andrew was active in the Unitarian denomination, often speaking at conferences and annual meetings. He died on October 30, 1867. March 31, 1889: The Universalist General Convention ordained Joseph H. Jordan as the first African-American Universalist minister. The ordination took place at Church of the Messiah (Universalist) in Philadelphia, with Edwin Sweetser preaching. April 2, 1652: The British House of Commons ordered the Rakovian Catechism burned. The Rakovian Catechism, from the Socinians, was translated into English by John Biddle and circulated widely. It espoused Unitarian doctrines and was judged by Parliament to be blasphemous and seditious because it undermined the Church of England. April 3, 1856: St. Lawrence University was founded in Canton, New York, by the New York Universalist Educational Society. Although St. Lawrence has expanded beyond its denominational function, the Society still uses its assets to support education for Unitarian Universalist seminarians in the study of Universalism. Canton Theological School closed in 1965, having awarded 410 bachelor of divinity degrees and issued 67 certificates in the art of religious education. April 4, 1802: Dorothea Lynde Dix was born in Hampden, Maine. At age 12, she went to Boston to live with her grandmother, where she became a teacher. She wrote several school texts, Hymns for Children (1825), Meditations for Private Hours (1828), and American Moral Tales for Young Persons (1832). Although she refused to speak in public, she enlisted prominent spokesmen and wrote documents for them to present. Dix also worked for prison reform and founded the first public hospitals for paupers and the mentally disabled. The U.S. government appointed her supervisor of female nurses during the Civil War. She was instrumental in building 32 hospitals in the United States and Europe. The last five years of Dix’s life were spent as a guest in the New Jersey State Asylum at Trenton, one of the hospitals she had build, and it afforded her a home for her declining years. She had strong Unitarian connections through her friendship with William Ellery Channing, the minister of the Arlington Street Church in Boston. She was also good friends with William Rathbone, a noted Unitarian philanthropist. Dix especially appreciated the Unitarian emphasis on the goodness of God, purity of heart, openness to new knowledge, and responsibility for the welfare of all society. She died on July 17, 1887. March 25, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:Saturday, 3/28 Volunteer Opportunity:NEW Easter Helpers: Would you like to help with our Easter celebration on April 12th, either hiding eggs and providing supervision for our after-service egg hunt, or assisting with the Easter program during RE time? Contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 for more information or to volunteer. Nursery Assistants: We are in need of several volunteers to serve as nursery assistants during either the 9:00 or 11:00 service, once per month. I could use two more volunteers each at 9:00 and 11:00. Can you help? Contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 for more information or to volunteer.
This Week in RE:Preschool: “Spring Brings Changes to Our Earth” This week our preschool classes will explore the changes that happen with springtime (even here in Southern California!) and the feelings of wonder about the beauty of nature. Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “The Sower” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll explore the fourth Source of our faith tradition – our Jewish and Christian heritage – with a classic parable attributed to Jesus. “Jesus the Storyteller” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore the fourth Source of our faith tradition – our Jewish and Christian heritage – with a story about a man named Jesus, who taught important lessons using stories and parables. 3rd-5th Grade: “No Ruz” This week our classes will learn about the Persian New Year celebration of No Ruz. 6th-7th Grade: “Islam Introduction” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will begin their study of Islam with an introduction to the faith and its practice. 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will celebrate their successful service last week with a low-key hang-out game day.
Announcements:NEW Visioning Outcomes: Thank you to all who attended last Sunday’s RE Town Hall meeting, and to all of you who participated in this year’s RE Visioning Process! At the meeting on Sunday the attendees expressed support for a new program plan for our elementary RE program as well as a new RE volunteer structure that will enable us to fully realize the vision for the future of RE at UUCCSM that has emerged from this process. Lots more information about these changes is coming your way soon. But for now, a teaser: “UU Pillars” Theme Rotation for K-2nd & 3rd-5th RE – This consists of a three-year theme cycle for the program, with three trimesters each year.
New Volunteer Structure – This includes a new structure for the RE Committee, which will be made up of six members serving for two-year terms, three members rotating on/off each year. Also, instead of subcommittees that last forever, we will now form Working Groups to accomplish specific tasks, which will dissolve once the task is completed (such as Spirit Play Story Planning, UU Pals, Easter Program Planning, etc.) And another new volunteer opportunity is to serve as a Room Parent for an RE classroom. Each class will have a Room Parent, who is the parent of a child in that class, who will help coordinate occasional social events for the class, publicize upcoming class projects or events, welcome visitors, etc. NEW Nametags for Children/Youth: I was recently asked by a young member of our church why only the adults have nametags. I thought it was a good question! So the church is now offering to make nametags for any RE participants who would like to have them (as authorized by their parents). The tags will be clippy tags with paper inserts with the name printed on them (similar to the “transitional name tags” now being offered repeat visitors). Children and youth are welcome to make the tags more personalized by decorating around their names. Parents, if your child or youth would like a name tag for use when at church, please let me know (Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-436 x108) and I’ll have one made and placed on the name tag board in the foyer. Make sure to indicate your preference – first name only or first and last. NEW Youth Service: Three cheers for our YRUU youth for putting on a fabulous service last Sunday! It was a wonderfully meaningful service, as well as a great lead-in for the RE Town Hall meeting that followed. I was so moved by how articulate and thoughtful all of our youth are. Great job, youth and advisors! RE Wish List: I am currently developing a “master wish list” for the RE program, which includes general and lesson-specific RE supply needs for the remainder of the year. While the RE operating budget does have some money for supplies, donations are happily accepted, especially as our program funds have been reduced due to this year’s income shortfall. The list so far includes: For Spirit Play Lesson Baskets: For 3rd-5th Grade: General Supplies: Backup snack supply:
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! Honoring Special People in the Lives of Families: (from How to Bury a Goldfish by Virginia Lang & Louise Nayer): There is always enough love to go around. Many of us remember special adults from our childhood who were not relatives, but who visited us and gave us special attention. Perhaps they played blocks with us upstairs, read us stories, taught us how to French braid our hair, or babysat from time to time. Families can be quite insular, protective, and sometimes jealous of outside influences, but when a trusted close friend enters a family, wonderful exchanges can happen. The children receive more love, and the parents get needed breaks from the demands of family life. We can honor these special people for all they do for the children and the whole family. We can also remind our families how important they are to the lives of special friends. This ritual is one way to honor these friends and welcome the into the family. –L.N.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)March 24, 1882: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, an American poet and Unitarian, died at age 75 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. March 25, 1525: Laelius Socinus was born in Sienna, Tuscany, Italy. He was expected to study law as many in his family had, but he was seized with the reforming spirit of his day and studied the scriptures instead. He found them so different from the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church that he became a disciple of Michael Servetus and Bernardino Ochino. A Latin scholar, Socinus wanted to study the Bible in Greek as well. His views led him, with his nephew Faustus Socinus, to the formation of Socinianism. In Venice he met with about 40 others who embraced the principles of the Reformation. He left Italy in 1547, fearing for his safety because of his radical religious views. He traveled in France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, where he became acquainted with Sebastian Castellio and encountered constant opposition to his anti-Trinitarian opinions. Although Laelius Socinus left numerous writings, his main influence was through his nephew Faustus. Laelius’ brother Camillus also embraced the principles of the Reformation and carried his views much further than the leading reformers of his day. Laelius Socinus died in his prime at age 37 of May 14, 1562. March 25, 1881: Bela Bartok was born in Nagyszentmiklos, Hungary. He was an outstanding composer, but his greatest passion was for Hungarian peasant songs. Bartok was professor of piano at Budapest Academy, but his anti-Fascist stance during World War II forced him to leave Hungary for the United States, where he died in 1945. Still beloved in Hungary, he is an honorary member of the Hungarian Parliament. Bartok was an ardent Unitarian and his son served as president of the Hungarian Unitarians. March 25, 1965: Viola Fauver Gregg Liuzzo was murdered in Selma, Alabama, at the age of 39. She was in Alabama to participate in the freedom march between Selma and Montgomery, lef by Martin Luther King, Jr., to secure voting rights for African-Americans. March 27, 1813: Nathaniel Currier was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. With James Merritt Ives, he produced highly popular lithographs and prints. They showed typical scenes and events in American family life, decorated with lively young men and women. Both their sons succeeded to the business. Nathaniel Currier, a Unitarian, died on November 20, 1888. March 28, 1841: At the suggestion of Unitarian minister William Ellery Channing, Dorothea Dix made her first visit to a prison, experiencing such a strong revulsion that she devoted the rest of her life to institutional reform for both convicts and persons with mental illness. March 18, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:Saturday, 3/21
Volunteer Opportunity:Nursery Assistants: We are in need of several volunteers to serve as nursery assistants during either the 9:00 or 11:00 service, once per month. I could use two more volunteers each at 9:00 and 11:00. Can you help? Contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 for more information or to volunteer.
This Week in RE:Preschool: “Spring Makes our Earth Beautiful with Color” This week our preschool classes will have a lesson that [] Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “Jesus the Storyteller” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll explore the fourth Source of our faith tradition – our Jewish and Christian heritage – with a story about a man named Jesus, who taught important lessons using stories and parables. “John Murray” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore the second Source of our faith tradition – words and deeds of prophetic women and men – with a story about John Murray, a minister who founded the first Universalist church in North America. 3rd-5th Grade: “St. Patrick’s Day” This week our classes will learn about the history behind the St. Patrick’s Day tradition, and will celebrate with 6th-7th Grade: “YRUU Service” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will attend the YRUU Sunday service in the sanctuary. 8th Grade: “YRUU Service” This week our COA class will attend the YRUU Sunday service in the sanctuary. 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will be leading the Sunday service!
Announcements:RE Town Hall Meeting – THIS SUNDAY March 22, 12:30 pm– Please Attend! The RE Task Force and I heard you loud and clear, through the RE survey as well as the wonderfully attended RE Visioning Meeting in February! Please come to the RE Town Hall meeting to discuss and ratify our proposal for a new RE program structure for our elementary RE classes as well as a new RE volunteer structure that will enable us to carry out the vision for the future of RE at UUCCSM that has emerged from this visioning process. NEW Youth Service this Sunday, March 22: Don’t miss our annual Youth Sunday, this week on March 22nd at 9:00 & 11:00. Our senior high youth are busy putting together a Sunday service of their own design, “Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost.” This annual YRUU (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) service will focus on the spiritual journey we all make to self-discovery. Using the Religious Education model (Preschool, Elementary, Neighboring Faiths, Coming of Age and YRUU), the youth will share their own personal experiences and observations through sermonettes, music and photos. NEW Chalice Sale this Sunday: This week we will again be selling the beautiful chalices painted by our kindergarten-5th graders, as a fundraiser for UUCCSM. The first week of our sale netted $190 beyond expenses. Good job, kids! The children in our RE program know that people of all ages can take part in taking care of our church and making sure that it can keep its programs well supported and vibrant! Please support their contribution to the effort - children in Kindergarten-5th grade painted the chalices on February 22nd. Wouldn't you like to have a hand-painted chalice to light at home? Visit the chalice table in Forbes Hall to see the wonderful variety produced by our young artists! NEW Planting in the Park: Last week’s RE Social Justice field trip was a wonderful success! 25 children and adults from UUCCSM headed up to Zuma Canyon in Malibu on a bus provided by the park service, and spent the morning learning about native plants and animals, planting 100 plants to help revegetation efforts, eating a picnic lunch and going on a short hike. Check out the photos from our adventure at http://www.flickr.com/photos/catherinedre/sets/72157615503946639/. RE Wish List: I am currently developing a “master wish list” for the RE program, which includes general and lesson-specific RE supply needs for the remainder of the year. While the RE operating budget does have some money for supplies, donations are happily accepted, especially as our program funds have been reduced due to this year’s income shortfall. The list so far includes: For Spirit Play Lesson Baskets: For 3rd-5th Grade: General Supplies: Backup snack supply:
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Awakening my feet touch the grass the dewdrops you can see forever -Harriet Kofalk
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! First Day of Spring: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox) - The official beginning of spring, March 20 or 21, is marked by the vernal equinox, when the sun crosses the equator from south to north. Some fresh ways to mark this joyful transition:
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)March 19, 1568: The Act of Religious Freedom and Conscience (Edict of Torda) was issued by Prince John Sigismund of Transylvania, assuring religious freedom in his principality. March 18, 1869: Arthur Neville Chamberlain was born in Birmingham, England. He came from a Unitarian family and his father, Joseph Chamberlain, was a distinguished statesman. Neville maintained a loose connection with the Unitarian church. He served the government as lord mayor of Birmingham, chancellor of the exchequer, and minister for health. In 1937 he became prime minister and pursued a policy of appeasement toward the new German chancellor, Adolph Hitler. This policy came under fire when Hitler launched World War II. Chamberlain’s government fell, and he died within the year. Subsequent thinking has shown him in a more favorable light as England was ill-prepared for war. Chamberlain died on November 9, 1940. March 19, 1652: Richard Coppin, a student at Oxford University in England, stood trial for his belief in universal salvation. He was expelled from the university. March 19, 1899: Margaret Barr was born in Menston in Warfedale, Yorkshire, England. She devoted her life to working with the Unitarians in the Khasi Hills, in the state of Meghalaya in northeast India. Her work stressed education so that poor people could have their own leaders, schoolteachers, midwives, and health care workers. She opened her first school in Shillong in the 1930s. Barr’s main support came from the English, but the Canadian Unitarians and the Unitarian Universalist Association offered help as well. In 1972 the Kong (Sister) Barr Memorial Hospital opened in Kharang, and Khasi Unitarians remember Margaret Barr with affection. She was greatly inspired by Mohandas Ghandi, whom she met many times. She died on August 11, 1973. March 20, 1727: Sir Isaac Newton, a celebrated English mathematician and Unitarian, died at age 84 and was buried in Westminster Abbey, London. March 12, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:Saturday, 3/14
Volunteer Opportunity:NEW Nursery Assistants: We are in need of several volunteers to serve as nursery assistants during either the 9:00 or 11:00 service, once per month. I could use two more volunteers at 9:00 and three at 11:00. Can you help? Contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 for more information or to volunteer.
This Week in RE:Preschool: “We All Belong to the Family of Earth” This week our preschool classes will have a lesson that helps them learn about children and people who live in other parts of the world, experience a sense of commonality with people from other cultures, and understand that people everywhere are part of the human family. Kindergarten-5th Grade: Social Justice Sunday This Sunday children in kindergarten through 5th grade will take part in a “Planting in the Park” fields trip to Zuma Canyon in Malibu. Children who do not participate in the trip will have a “take home garden kit” project here at UUCCSM. 6th-7th Grade: “Mormonism Trip” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will visit a Mormon ward house. Details and permission forms will be sent directly to Neighboring Faiths families. 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will be working on plans for their Youth Sunday service on March 22nd.
Announcements:NEW RE Town Hall Meeting - March 22, 12:30 pm– Please Attend! The RE Task Force and I heard you loud and clear, through the RE survey as well as the wonderfully attended RE Visioning Meeting in February! Please come to the RE Town Hall meeting to discuss and ratify our proposal for a new RE program structure for our elementary RE classes as well as a new RE volunteer structure that will enable us to carry out the vision for the future of RE at UUCCSM that has emerged from this visioning process. UU Pals Party this Saturday! We’ll wrap the program up with our special UU Pals Party on Saturday, March 17, 5-7 pm in Forbes Hall. UU Pals participants are particularly encouraged to attend, but ALL are welcome. Bring the whole family, as well as a dish to share for our potluck dinner. NEW RE Wish List: I am currently developing a “master wish list” for the RE program, which includes general and lesson-specific RE supply needs for the remainder of the year. While the RE operating budget does have some money for supplies, donations are happily accepted, especially as our program funds have been reduced due to this year’s income shortfall. The list so far includes:
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week: We join with the earth and with each other. -U.N. Environmental Sabbath Program
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! A Family Covenant of Children’s Just Desserts: (adapted from Why Not Celebrate by Sara Wenger Shenk) - What can be done to strengthen families so that children will have the inner strength to counter the forces that undermine our best efforts? Here is a sample list of “Children’s Just Desserts” which we could try to infuse into our family life. Perhaps pinning such a list up onto a bulletin board or refrigerator for weekly reference could be one small way of reminding ourselves about what is truly important for our children. Each family could compose its own list together and revise it from time to time. Perhaps an accompanying “Parents’ Just Desserts” list could be generated too!
What would your family’s list include?
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)March 11, 1965: James Reeb, a Unitarian minister, died in Selma, Alabama, after a civil rights march. Two days earlier, segregationists had attacked Reeb and the two ministers he was with, hitting Reeb on the head with a club. He was one of more than 125 Unitarian Universalist ministers who answered Martin Luther King’s call to march in support of voting rights for black Americans. Two other civil rights activists were killed during the Selma protest – Jimmy Lee Jackson, an African-American farm laborer and church deacon, and Viola Liuzzo, a Unitarian Universalist layperson from Detroit. March 13, 1733: Joseph Priestley was born in Fieldhead, Yorkshire, England. He was educated for the Dissenting ministry and became an outstanding theologian. He wrote many books on religion, including the influential History of the Corruptions of Christianity (1782), which Thomas Jefferson credited with his conversion to Unitarianism. Priestley also became a successful preacher, despite a marked and painful stutter. However, he is best known for chemistry, the hobby he took up in his mid-thirties. He took part in a group of accomplished liberal religious thinkers (called the Lunar Society because it met when the full moon promoted safe travel) who also engaged in science. Priestley is credited with a number of discoveries, including oxygen and a method of curing scurvy at sea, which was used by Captain Cook on his voyages. His inventions included anesthesia, carbonated water, and pencil erasers. Supported in these interests by his wife’s brothers, Priestley made his inventions available to the public and received no money for any of them. Priestley’s major ministries were in Leeds and Birmingham in England, and then in Philadelphia. He taught at Warrington Academy, a Unitarian school for training ministers and a predecessor of Harris Manchester College at Oxford. There he conducted many of his scientific experiments and wrote science textbooks. Extremely liberal in his politics, Priestley was forced to leave England for America in 1794 after a mob burned his home and laboratory over his support for the principles of the French Revolution. He received numerous honors during his lifetime. Priestley died on February 6, 1804. [Catherine’s note: Look for Joseph Priestley on our mural in Room 4, and take note of how his dual role as scientist and minister is portrayed!] March 14, 1571: Prince John Sigismund of Transylvania died at age 30 from injuries in a horse-riding accident. He was a champion of Unitarianism and religious toleration in Transylvania. March 5, 2009Daylight Savings Time starts this Sunday – don’t forget to set your clocks AHEAD an hour on Saturday night! Calendar of upcoming events:
Friday, 3/6 – Saturday, 3/7
Volunteer Opportunity:UU Pals Party: We are in need of several volunteers to help set up and decorate for the UU Pals party on March 14th. Can you help? Contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 for more information or to volunteer.
This Week in RE:Preschool: “We Need our Families” This week our preschool classes will have some special stories and crafts that help them explore what why families are important. Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “John Murray” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll explore the second Source of our faith tradition – words and deeds of prophetic women and men – with a story about John Murray, a minister who founded the first Universalist church in North America. “Hide and Seek with God” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore the first Source of our faith tradition – direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder, referred to in Spirit Play as “wonder and awe” – with a story about the many places people find – or don’t find – the spirit of love and mystery that some people call God. 3rd-5th Grade: “Africa Day” This week our classes will explore some of the many religious traditions of Africa. 6th-7th Grade: “Mormonism” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will continue their exploration of Mormonism, with a visit from our very own Valeo Schultz. 8th Grade: COA students will be meeting with Rev. Roberta Haskin following the first service at 10:00. 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will be working on plans for their Youth Sunday service on March 22nd.
Announcements:NEW Chalice Sale this Sunday: The children in our RE program know that people of all ages can take part in taking care of our church and making sure that it can keep its programs well supported and vibrant! Please support their contribution to the effort - beautiful chalices that are being sold as a fundraiser for our church. Children in Kindergarten-5th grade painted the chalices on February 22nd. Wouldn't you like to have a hand-painted chalice to light at home? Visit the chalice table in Forbes Hall to see the wonderful variety produced by our young artists! Please Sign Up Now for the Planting in the Park RE Social Justice Field Trip on March 15th: Our next Kindergarten-5th grade Social Justice project is a big one – we’ll be taking a bus together to Zuma Canyon in Malibu to be “Ecohelpers” – we’ll plant some trees, have a short hike with a park service ranger, and share a bring-your-own bag lunch before heading back to UUCCSM. We will leave for the trip at 9:30 after the children leave the sanctuary following the Story for All Ages, and anticipate returning to UUCCSM at 1:30 pm. Parents are WELCOME (but not required) to join us for the trip so bring the whole family – all ages are invited! Members of the Green Sanctuary Committee are participating as well, and we have also invited members of Calvary Baptist Church to join us, so this will be a wonderful interfaith and intergenerational event. We must have at least 25 participants for the park service to send the bus for us, and if we have more than 60 we’ll need to start arranging carpools for the overflow, so we do need people to sign up ahead of time to participate. There will be an alternate activity during each service at UUCCSM for K-5th children who choose not to take part in the trip. To sign up online go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=vEZJVzVNYU377z3uFTVVWQ_3d_3d. UU Pals continues this Sunday! This week is the LAST Sunday of our UU Pals program, so make sure to leave some special hints in your pal’s bag! We’ll wrap the program up with our special UU Pals Party on Saturday, March 17, 5-7 pm in Forbes Hall. UU Pals participants are particularly encouraged to attend, but ALL are welcome. Bring the whole family, as well as a dish to share for our potluck dinner! RE Visioning Progress: I was delighted to see so many of you at our Visioning meeting last Sunday evening. Thank you so much for participating! I know that we were rushed for time, but I feel that a lot of good work was accomplished at the meeting, and the Visioning Task Force and I will be using the feedback from the meeting and the RE surveys to put together a proposal for next year’s RE program structure that will be presented to the congregation for discussion and ratification at a Town Hall meeting at 12:30 pm on Sunday, March 22nd. Please mark your calendars now!
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week: May all things move and be moved in me -Chinook Psalter Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! A Birthday Tribute: (from How to Bury a Goldfish by Virginia Lang and Louise Nayer) - It is sad to admit that our culture associates aging with loss. After a certain age, birthdays are often greeted with crude jokes about crow’s feet, hair loss, and other declining capacities. We focus more on what we cannot do than what we have become. When we see the beautiful autumnal face of a woman whose life has been richly lived, we know there is much to celebrate and acknowledge on the day of her birth. Here is a ritual intended to honor an older woman or man for all she/he brings to the lives of those who love them.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)March 6, 1888: The beloved American writer Louisa May Alcott died at age 55 in Boston. Louisa’s father was Bronson Alcott, a founder of the Transcendentalist Club who ran a school in Concord, Massachusetts, and educated Louisa and her sisters at home. She worked as a teacher and a domestic worker and eventually began to write poems and short stories for children. Alcott was an ardent abolitionist and served as a nurse during the Civil War. This experience provided material for Hospital Sketches (1863), which established her literary reputation. She also wrote various stories for children, of which Little Women (1868) is the best known. It was largely autobiographical and a great financial success. Alcott wrote numerous other stories, including Gothic tales published under the pseudonym A. M. Barnard. She devoted her later life to reforms, including temperance and women’s rights. Alcott did not like formal church connections, but her beliefs were Unitarian and she moved among such prominent Unitarians as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Samuel Gridley Howe, and Julia Ward Howe. March 7, 1601: A Socinian conference opened at Rakow, Poland, to discuss the nature of Christ, his relation to God, and whether he should be worshipped. March 7, 1844: The Dissenters’ Chapels Act was introduced in English Parlaiment, aimed at giving Unitarians legal rights to their church property. It was an important step in religious freedom in England. It passed by a vote of 202 to 41 and Queen Victoria gave it the royal seal on July 15, 1844. March 7, 1920: Seven people met with Egbert Ethelred Brown, and African-American Unitarian minister, in Harlem to form the Harlem Community Church of New York City, the first African-American Unitarian congregation in the United States. Maurice Dawkins, an African-American, became the minister of education there in 1948. March 7, 1965: 600 civil rights marchers who set out from Selma, Alabama, on their way to Montgomery to urge passage of the Voting Rights Act, were attacked by local law enforcement officials at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Known as “Bloody Sunday,” this event led Martin Luther King to call on clergy of all faiths to join him in Selma. More than 125 Unitarian Universalist ministers answered the call, including UUCCSM minister Rev. Ernie Pipes. On March 21, 1965, more than 3,000 marchers left Selma for Montgomery and by March 25, 1965, 25,000 marchers entered Montgomery. On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. Three people were killed during the Selma marches – James Reeb, a Unitarian Universalist minister; Jimmy Lee Jackson, an African-American laborer and church deacon; and Viola Liuzzo, a Unitarian Universalist layperson from Detroit. February 25, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:
Volunteer Opportunity:· UU Pals Party: We are in need of several volunteers to help set up and decorate for the UU Pals party on March 14th. Can you help? Contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 for more information or to volunteer.
This Week in RE:o Preschool: “All Kinds of Families are for Caring and Sharing” This week our preschool classes will learn that all families are different, and all families have value. o Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “Hide and Seek with God” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll explore the first Source of our faith tradition – direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder, referred to in Spirit Play as “wonder and awe” – with a story about the many places people find – or don’t find – the spirit of love and mystery that some people call God. “Sources General Lesson” (11:00) Now that we’ve explored all seven of our UU principles, we’ll move on to examine the Six Sources of our faith tradition. This week’s lesson is an introduction to the Sources, and we’ll spend the rest of the spring exploring each one through our weekly spirit play stories. o 3rd-5th Grade: “Mardi Gras” This week our classes will explore the observances of Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday, and learn about the way Lent is observed in some Christian traditions. o 6th-7th Grade: “Christianity Integration” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will wrap up their exploration of the many forms of Christianity. Next up is Islam! o 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will be working on plans for their Youth Sunday service on March 22nd.
Announcements:NEW Planting in the Park RE Social Justice Field Trip on March 15th: Our next Kindergarten-5th grade Social Justice project is a big one – we’ll be taking a bus together to Zuma Canyon in Malibu to be “Ecohelpers” – we’ll plant some trees, have a short hike with a park service ranger, and share a bring-your-own bag lunch before heading back to UUCCSM. We will leave for the trip at 9:30 after the children leave the sanctuary following the Story for All Ages, and anticipate returning to UUCCSM at 1:30 pm. Parents are WELCOME (but not required) to join us for the trip so bring the whole family – all ages are invited! Members of the Green Sanctuary Committee are participating as well, and we have also invited members of Calvary Baptist Church to join us, so this will be a wonderful interfaith and intergenerational event. We must have at least 25 participants for the park service to send the bus for us, and if we have more than 60 we’ll need to start arranging carpools for the overflow, so we do need people to sign up ahead of time to participate. There will be an alternate activity during each service at UUCCSM for K-5th children who choose not to take part in the trip. To sign up online go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=vEZJVzVNYU377z3uFTVVWQ_3d_3d. NEW UU Pals Continues! This week will be our second Sunday of the UU Pals program. Please don’t forget to bring a small note or gift to put in your pal’s bag, and make sure to check your bag! If you have any questions about the program or will be away on Sunday and need help making sure your pal’s bag won’t be empty, please contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108. Please don’t disappoint your pal! Conversely, if on any Sunday you do not receive anything in your bag, please let me know right away so I can follow up with your pal. NEW RE Visioning Progress: I was delighted to see so many of you at our Visioning meeting last Sunday evening. Thank you so much for participating! I know that we were rushed for time, but I feel that a lot of good work was accomplished at the meeting, and the Visioning Task Force and I will be using the feedback from the meeting and the RE surveys to put together a proposal for next year’s RE program structure that will be presented to the congregation for discussion and ratification at a Town Hall meeting at 12:30 pm on Sunday, March 22nd. Please mark your calendars now! Tightening the Belt: As many of you know already, our church is experiencing a decrease in income due to the economic hardships facing many of our members. This has necessitated a number of immediate cuts in spending, and our Finance Committee is considering further cuts for the next church year (July 2009-June 2010) in order to address the expected shortfall. I want to make sure that you are aware of the changes that are being made with regard to the RE program, and to also let you know that these changes will mean I need, more than ever, for all of you to step forward to help keep our program going smoothly. The immediate changes are outlined below.
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Waking up this morning, I smile, -Thich Nhat Hanh
The Family Meditation: (from How to Bury a Goldfish by Virginia Lang and Louise Nayer) - Whether we call it meditation, contemplation, or prayer, we can all benefit from focused thought. When many people share this focus, the results can be powerful. Listening through meditation can help children learn to respect their inner lives and develop self-confidence.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)February 27, 1807: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine. He taught modern languages at Bowdoin College in Maine and at Harvard University in Massachusetts. His many famous poems included “Psalm of Life,” “Excelsior,” “The Song of Hiawatha,” “The Wreck of the Hesperus,” “Tales of a Wayside Inn,” and “Evangeline.” A friend of the Transcendentalists of the Concord-Cambridge area, Longfellow was the brother of Samuel Longfellow. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was the most famous American poet of his time, at home and abroad, and was especially loved in England, where he received honorary degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge. His house in Cambridge, once a center of the intellectual life in the Boston area, is now maintained by the National Park service, which gives historical tours and hosts cultural events. Longfellow died on March 24, 1882. February 28, 1579: The Synod of Torda in Transylvania affirmed that Unitarians did not “innovate” but only developed their previous, and legal, teachings. The Synod rejected the charges brought against Francis David and affirmed that seeking religious knowledge and truth was not only allowed but the duty of ministers. February 28, 1901: Linus Carl Pauling was born in Portland, Oregon. He was considered a genius in college and became an expert on x-ray diffraction, analyzing the spacing and orientation of atoms in crystalline materials. He helped integrate chemistry with quantum theory and founded the discipline now known as molecular biology. Pauling became assistant professor of theoretical chemistry at California Institute of Technology in 1927 and full professor in 1931. He published important works in chemistry and quantum mechanics. President Harry Truman awarded him the Medal of Merit for his contribution to the war effort. When the atomic bomb was developed, Pauling became a pacifist. He joined the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles, California. In 1945 he received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, and in 1973 he created the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine. Other honors included the National Medal of Honor from President Gerald Ford (1960) and the International Lenin Peace Prize (1971). Linus Carl Pauling died on August 19, 1994, at the age of 93. February 18, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:
Volunteer Opportunity:· UU Pals Party: We are in need of several volunteers to help set up and decorate for the St. Patrick’s Day-themed UU Pals party on March 14th. Can you help? Contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 for more information or to volunteer.
This Week in RE:o Preschool: “Our Good Wishes Can Come True” This week our preschool classes will have stories and crafts that help develop the power of the imagination, and to begin to connect wishing with doing. o Kindergarten-5th Grade: Social Justice Sunday This Sunday children in kindergarten through 5th grade will take part in a variety of craft projects to be sold in subsequent weeks during coffee hour as a fundraiser for the UUCCSM general operating budget. People of all ages can take part in taking care of our church, and making sure that is can keep its programs well supported and vibrant! We’ll have a chalice-making table as well as several other fun craft options. o 6th-7th Grade: “Quaker Meeting House Visit” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will be visiting the Santa Monica Friends Meeting for a Quaker worship service. Details for the trip and a permission form will be sent directly to participating families. o 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will be working on plans for their Youth Sunday service on March 22nd.
Announcements:· FINAL CHANCE TO SIGN UP FOR UU PALS – ONLINE – MUST SIGN UP BY MIDNIGHT ON THURSDAY!: If your child would like to participate in UU Pals, sign up online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=4MdZllwZes6iCV6fZqps1g_3d_3d. Currently we have several more adults signed up than children, so we could really use a few more kids! This project is a great way for your child to get to know a caring adult in the congregation he/she might not otherwise have met. See below for details about how the project works.
· NEW UU Pals Begins Sunday! If you have signed up for UU Pals, you will receive an email on FRIDAY which will give you your (or your child’s) “secret UU identity” and details for how to participate in the program. · RE Visioning Meeting this Sunday, Feb. 22nd, 5:00-7:30 pm – Please Attend (and RSVP): This spring we will embark on a RE visioning process that will help us determine, as a whole congregation, what our priorities and goals are for the children and youth of our UUCCSM family. If you have not received an Evite from Catherine Farmer Loya for the RE Visioning meeting, please contact her right away at catherinedre@yahoo.com and she will add you to the list. We hope that all of you will make it a priority to attend this important meeting. We’ll provide dinner and childcare, if you’ll show up to help us determine the future direction of UUCCSM’s RE program for children and youth! Please respond to the Evite or contact Catherine Farmer Loya at Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 for more information or to sign up to participate. · NEW Tightening the Belt: As many of you know already, our church is experiencing a decrease in income due to the economic hardships facing many of our members. This has necessitated a number of immediate cuts in spending, and our Finance Committee is considering further cuts for the next church year (July 2009-June 2010) in order to address the expected shortfall. I want to make sure that you are aware of the changes that are being made with regard to the RE program, and to also let you know that these changes will mean I need, more than ever, for all of you to step forward to help keep our program going smoothly. The immediate changes are outlined below.
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):· Reading of the Week: Hail Mother, who art the earth, -Bill Faherty
· Rare and Made-Up Family Holidays: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox) - It’s a wonderful moment when a child realizes that nobody else on the planet celebrates the same wacky holiday that his or her family invented.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)February 16, 1691: Sir Isaac Newton wrote to John Locke to request that he not publish Newton’s Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture until after Newton’s death. Newton’s treatise attacked the accuracy of two biblical texts about the Trinity (1 John 5:7 and 1 Timothy 3:16). February 19, 1881: William Adam of Beaconfield, Scotland, died. He was an orthodox Baptist missionary who attempted to convert Rajah Rammohun Roy, the founder of a Unitarian form of Hinduism called Brahmo Samaj. Instead, Adam found himself converted to Unitarianism. February 22, 1805: Sarah Flower Adams was born in Harlow, Essex, England. An actress who achieved a dramatic triumph as Lady Macbeth, she became ill suddenly and had to give up the stage. She was a lifelong Unitarian, deeply devoted to her Unitarian church in South Place, London, and the author of many religious works, including Vivia Perpetua (“Eternal Life”). She also composed hymns, the most famous of which is “Nearer, my God, to Thee.” Adams worked with prisons, fought for greater civil and religious liberty, and established Sunday schools and benevolent societies. She died on August 15, 1848. February 23, 1848: John Quincy Adams, a lifelong Unitarian and sixth president of the United States, died at age 80 of a stroke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. February 6, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:
Volunteer Opportunity:NEW UU Pals Party: We are in need of several volunteers to help set up and decorate for the St. Patrick’s Day-themed UU Pals party on March 14th. Can you help? Contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 for more information or to volunteer.
This Week in RE:o Preschool: “We Can Be Angry Without Hurting Others” This week our preschool classes will have stories and crafts that help us learn that it’s ok to be angry, but not all right to hurt someone in anger. We’ll share ideas for how to “get the mad out.” o Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “The Great Kapok Tree” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our fifth UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Violet Promise”: Value our home, Earth, that we share with all living beings – with a story about a logger who falls asleep in the forest and is visited in his dreams by all the creatures who depend on the Kapok Tree . “The Hunter and His Dog” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our sixth UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Indigo Promise”: Insist on Freedom, Justice and Peace for All People – with a story about hunter whose dog teaches him a lesson about being kind to others. o 3rd-5th Grade: “Henry Bergh Day” This week our classes will learn about Henry Bergh, a Unitarian who was the founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. o 6th-7th Grade: “First United Methodist Field Trip” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will continue their exploration of protestant Christianity with a field trip to attend a Youth Sunday service at the First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica. Gather in the courtyard at 9:45 am for the trip. Don’t forget to bring your permission slip! o 8th Grade: Today after the 9:00 service COA youth will be interviewing members of UUCCSM about their understanding of Unitarian Universalism and how they stay connected to our church and our faith. o 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will be visited by members of our church who will share how they live our UU principles in their own lives.
Announcements:· UU PALS SIGNUPS BEGIN THIS SUNDAY!: Our annual “Secret Pals” program is coming, in an exciting new format, now called “UU Pals.” Signups will begin on February 8th for adults as well as young people who would like to participate in this year’s program. Rather than the unwieldy lattice-work system of matching pals from past years, we will match one adult with one child or youth, and both will be assigned the name of a famous or historical UU to provide a double-blind so that their identities remain a surprise until the end of the program. Thus, one adult will be “Ralph Waldo Emerson Sr.” and will have a pal who is dubbed “Ralph Waldo Emerson Jr.” This will make matching pals much easier, will introduce an element of UU history into the program, and will preserve the wonderful opportunity of the program for creating connections between people of different generations in our community. Signups will begin on February 8th after each service, when you will fill out an info sheet to be given to your Pal. Signups will continue on February 15th and then from February 22nd -March 8th, make sure to leave clues, or letters, or photo hints (Baby photo? Extreme close-up of your eye? Be creative!), etc. in your Pal’s bag each week. And mark your calendars now for March 14th, 5-7 pm, for our St. Patrick’s Day-themed UU Pals party, when all identities will be revealed! So, whether you’re a kid or a grown-up, don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get to know more about someone new at UUCCSM. For more information, contact Catherine Farmer Loya at the church office. · NEW RE Visioning Meeting – Please Attend (and RSVP): If you have not received an Evite from Catherine Farmer Loya for the RE Visioning meeting, please contact her right away at catherinedre@yahoo.com and she will add you to the list. We hope that all of you will make it a priority to attend this important meeting (and gourmet pizza dinner!) to determine the future direction of our RE programs for children and youth. · RE Visioning Process: This spring we will embark on a RE visioning process that will help us determine, as a whole congregation, what our priorities and goals are for the children and youth of our UUCCSM family. This month, on January 11th and again on the 25th, there will be a short “RE Visioning” survey in the order of service which we hope all members of our church will take the time to fill out. What are the most important elements of our educational ministry to the youngest members of our community? Members of the RE Council will be on hand during coffee hour to take completed surveys and talk with you about your responses. Next, the RE Council and I invite you to join us on the evening of Sunday, February 22nd, at 5:00 pm, for a visioning meeting for RE at UUCCSM. We’ll provide dinner and childcare, and you’ll show up to help us determine the future direction of our program! And then on March 22nd we’ll share the results of our visioning with the whole congregation at a Town Hall meeting following the 11:00 service.
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):· Reading of the Week:
Let the good in me -Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
· Spiritual Parenting Newsletter: Mimi Doe, an author whose books include "Don’t Worry: You’ll Get In!", "Nurturing Your Teenager’s Soul", "Busy but Balanced: Practical and Inspirational Ways to Create a Calmer, Closer Family" and "10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting", offers a wonderful monthly newsletter for parents that includes reflections, resources and ideas for how to nurture children’s spirituality. Visit http://spiritualparenting.com to sign up (and make sure to take a look at the “spiritual resources” section, too!)
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)February 3, 1888: Horace Greely was born in Amherst, New Hampshire. At the age of 20, he went to New York City, where he started a small printing office and produced a magazine called the New Yorker, which was published from 1834 to 1841. In 1841 Greely founded the New York Tribune. Greely served in Congress briefly and ran for other offices unsuccessfully. He was an ardent opponent of slavery, though he sought a peaceful solution. After the Civil War, his ardent support of Reconstruction eroded his popularity. He was a stalwart Universalist. Horace Greely died November 29, 1872. February 4, 1821: Elizabeth Blackwell was born in Bristol, England . Best known as America’s first woman physician, she came to the United States with her family in 1832, living in New York City and then Cincinnati. She became a teacher in the south, started reading medical books and decided to become a physician, in spite of social prejudice and ridicule. She received her medical degree (and was first in her class) from the Geneva Medical School in western New York in 1849. She published a book called The Laws of Life; with Special Reference to the Physical Education of Girls (1852) and wrote on physical hygiene for women, which in those times were offensive and taboo. She later founded the New York Dispensary for Poor Women and Children and later the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children. She moved back to England and spent the rest of her life promoting health and hygiene. Elizabeth Blackwell was a member of the First Unitarian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, where her family lived when she was a child. February 4, 1939: The American Unitarian Association sent Martha and Waitstill Sharp to Czechoslovakia to work with refugees from the Nazis. This marked the beginning of the Unitarian Service Committee, which was organized in May 1940 as a standing committee of the association “ to investigate opportunities for humanitarian service both in America and abroad.” The USC became independent of the AUA in 1948. In 1963 it merged with the Universalist Service Committee, which was first organized in 1945, also as a response to the war in Europe. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee focuses on humanitarian aid, development, and human rights in America and throughout the world. February 5, 1900: Aldai Stevenson was born in Los Angeles, California. A graduate of Princeton, he studied law at Harvard and Northwestern law schools and joined a law firm in Chicago, Illinois, in 1927. During World War II, he was a special assistant to the secretary recovery of Europe. She was elected Governor of Illinois in 1948 and ran as the Democratic candidate for the U.S presidency twice (1952 and 1956). Stevenson’s mother was a lifelong Unitarian and his father was a Presbyterian, but the family attended the Unitarian Church. He became a member of the Bloomington church in 1952. Adlai Stevenson died on July 14, 1965. February 7, 1812: Charles Dickens was born in Landport, England. He was reared in great poverty, an experience reflected in his writings, particularly Oliver Twist. Dickens had little formal education but spent his extra time at the British Museum reading. He wrote A Christmas Carol while a member of Little Portland Street Chapel, London. He is well known for numerous other novels, many of which had a profound effect on social changes in early 19th century England. Dickens also wrote factual newspaper and magazine articles with radical reforming intent. He died on June 8, 1870. February 9, 1819: Lydia Estes Pinkham was born in Lynn, Massachusetts. Her family was Quaker but abandoned that religion because they felt it was unwelcoming to the African Americans who came to their Universalist Church. They also joined the Female Anti-Slavery Society, and Pinkham organized the Freeman’s Institute, a debating society that welcomed everyone, regardless of religion, race or politics. She worked as an unpaid visiting nurse and developed a compound to treat every female ailment. Her sons persuaded her to market the compound, which was 18 percent alcohol, and she developed a successful business, Pinkham wrote a book on the: facts of life” and another on the female reproductive system through all its stages. After her death, her publisher continued to print “her answers” to personal letters, and that practice, along with information about the alcohol content of her elixir, led to the formation of the Federal Food and Drug Administration. Lydia Estes Pinkham died on May 17, 1883. January 30, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:
Volunteer Opportunity:· RE Teachers Needed for Spring Semester (at 11:00 service)! One of our beloved RE families – Liz Peterson and her children Lucy and Ben - moved out of state last month. Not only will we miss them very much, but we also now have a strong need for additional RE teachers in the 3rd-5th grade class at 11:00, a spot formerly filled by Liz. We are looking for one or two teachers to join the teaching team and commit to leading one to two times per month between now and the end of May. The class includes a dynamic, inquisitive bunch of young people, and the curriculum we are using is called “Holidays and Holy Days,” a much-beloved curriculum that explores a different holiday from the world’s religious traditions each week. We’ll provide you with the lesson plans and as much help and support as you need in preparing and gathering supplies. Can you help? Contact Catherine@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x108 for more information or to volunteer.
This Week in RE:o Preschool: “Everyone is Afraid of Something” This week our preschool classes will discuss feelings and learn how to name their feelings. We’ll share a story about someone who learned how to overcome fear, and will have a special puppet craft. o Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “The Hunter and His Dog” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our sixth UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Indigo Promise”: Insist on Freedom, Justice and Peace for All People – with a story about hunter whose dog teaches him a lesson about being kind to others. “All People Need a Vote” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our fifth UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Blue Promise”: Believe in our Ideas and Act on Them. – with a story about a group of children who tried to figure out the most fair way to decide what games to play together . o 3rd-5th Grade: “Chinese Dragon Celebration” This week our classes will learn about the significance of dragons in the Chinese culture, and will continue their celebration of the Chinese New Year with a special dragon parade! o 6th-7th Grade: “Protestant Christianity” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will continue their exploration of protestant Christianity. There will NOT be a field trip this Sunday – we are arranging a trip for next Sunday, Feb. 8th, to a Methodist Church. Details will be sent directly to NF families. o 8th Grade: Coming of Age begins at 9:00 sharp; class members do not attend the first part of the service in the sanctuary. Please head straight up to Room 4 (the mural room). o 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will work on plans for their YRUU Sunday service for March 22nd.
Announcements:· LAST CHANCE TO TAKE THE RE VISIONING SURVEY! If you didn’t fill out the “RE Visioning for Children and Youth” survey in the January 11th or 25th orders of service, please take a few minutes now to click the link below and respond to the survey questions. This is the first step in our RE visioning process, which will determine the future direction of our RE programs for children and youth at UUCCSM, so we need to hear from ALL of you!
· NEW Secret Pals is now UU Pals!: Our annual “Secret Pals” program is coming, in an exciting new format, now called “UU Pals.” Signups will begin on February 8th for adults as well as young people who would like to participate in this year’s program. Rather than the unwieldy lattice-work system of matching pals from past years, we will match one adult with one child or youth, and both will be assigned the name of a famous or historical UU to provide a double-blind so that their identities remain a surprise until the end of the program. Thus, one adult will be “Ralph Waldo Emerson Sr.” and will have a pal who is dubbed “Ralph Waldo Emerson Jr.” This will make matching pals much easier, will introduce an element of UU history into the program, and will preserve the wonderful opportunity of the program for creating connections between people of different generations in our community. Signups will begin on February 8th after each service, when you will fill out an info sheet to be given to your Pal. Signups will continue on February 15th and then from February 22nd -March 8th, make sure to leave clues, or letters, or photo hints (Baby photo? Extreme close-up of your eye? Be creative!), etc. in your Pal’s bag each week. And mark your calendars now for March 14th, 5-7 pm, for our St. Patrick’s Day-themed UU Pals party, when all identities will be revealed! So, whether you’re a kid or a grown-up, don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get to know more about someone new at UUCCSM. For more information, contact Catherine Farmer Loya at the church office. · Our Whole Lives for Sr. High (10th-12th grade)
· Time to Register for Elementary Winter Camp: The Pacific Southwest District’s Elementary Winter Camp is President's Day Weekend next month, Saturday February 14 - Monday February 16. The theme is "Keen on Green" and will focus on learning how we can make our world greener and enjoying camp activities---worship, snow play, crafts, games and making new friends. The camp is for children ages 8 - 12. Children ages 5 - 7 and children not ready to come to camp by themselves are invited to bring their parents. Fliers with registration information are available to download from the camp website at: http://www.debenneville.org/youth/WebFlierElemW09.pdf. · RE Visioning Process: This spring we will embark on a RE visioning process that will help us determine, as a whole congregation, what our priorities and goals are for the children and youth of our UUCCSM family. This month, on January 11th and again on the 25th, there will be a short “RE Visioning” survey in the order of service which we hope all members of our church will take the time to fill out. What are the most important elements of our educational ministry to the youngest members of our community? Members of the RE Council will be on hand during coffee hour to take completed surveys and talk with you about your responses. Next, the RE Council and I invite you to join us on the evening of Sunday, February 22nd, at 5:00 pm, for a visioning meeting for RE at UUCCSM. We’ll provide dinner and childcare, and you’ll show up to help us determine the future direction of our program! And then on March 22nd we’ll share the results of our visioning with the whole congregation at a Town Hall meeting following the 11:00 service.
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):· Reading of the Week:
That I may hear your words, -Melinda Perrin
· A Weekly Family Meeting: (from How to Bury a Goldfish by Virginia Lang and Louise Nayer)
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)January 28, 1568: Prince John Sigismund of Transylvania issued the final Edict of Tolerance, extending the edicts of 1557 and 1563 to cover all sects, Unitarian or Trinitarian. January 29, 1861: Florida Yates Ruffin Ridley was born in Boston, Massachusetts. An African-American, she was educated in Boston. Her parents were distinguished local citizens, but they moved to England to rear their family in a free country. They returned to America at the outbreak of the Civil War to help end slavery. Ridley became the second African-American teacher in the Boston public schools. In 1888 she married Ulysses A. Ridley, who owned a tailoring shop in Boston. They lived in Brookline, Massachusetts, and became members of the Second Unitarian Church. Ridley became interested in African-American history and literature and was a founder of the Society for the Collection of Negro Folklore. She founded the Society of Descendants, Early New England Negros, and served as president from 1931 to 1940. A strong advocate of women’s suffrage, Ridley also helped found women’s clubs and founded and worked with the League of Women for Community Service. She wrote both fiction and nonfiction, especially describing African-American life and race relations in New England. Ridley died on February 25, 1943. February 1, 2003: Laurel Salton Clark was killed with six other astronauts when their spaceship Columbia disintegrated 39 miles above north Texas as it was coming in to land. A native of Ames, Iowa, Clark had wanted to be a veterinarian but instead became a surgeon for NASA. She was a member of the Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church in Racine, Wisconsin. February 2, 1875: Henry Wilder Foote Jr. was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Foote, a Unitarian minister, was chairman of the Unitarian Commission on Hymns and Services, which, in a cooperative effort with the Universalist Commission on Hymns and Services, chaired by L. Griswold Williams, produced Hymns of the Spirit in 1937. This hymnal was an important early milestone on the road to consolidation of the Unitarians and Universalists in 1961, designed as it was to appeal to both denominations. Many of the resources were nonscriptural and included material for humanists. January 20, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:
Volunteer Opportunity:· NEW RE Teachers Needed for Spring Semester (at 11:00 service)! One of our beloved RE families – Liz Peterson and her children Lucy and Ben - moved out of state last month. Not only will we miss them very much, but we also now have a strong need for additional RE teachers in the 3rd-5th grade class at 11:00, a spot formerly filled by Liz. We are looking for one or two teachers to join the teaching team and commit to leading one to two times per month between now and the end of May. The class includes a dynamic, inquisitive bunch of young people, and the curriculum we are using is called “Holidays and Holy Days,” a much-beloved curriculum that explores a different holiday from the world’s religious traditions each week. We’ll provide you with the lesson plans and as much help and support as you need in preparing and gathering supplies. Can you help? Contact for more information or to volunteer.
This Week in RE:o Preschool: “Celebrating a New Year (Chinese New Year)” This week our preschool classes will learn about the Chinese New Year and the symbol of the dragon, and will talk about feelings of fear and courage. o Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “All People Need a Vote” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our fifth UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Blue Promise”: Believe in our Ideas and Act on Them. – with a story about a group of children who tried to figure out the most fair way to decide what games to play together . “The Empty Pot” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our fourth UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Green Promise”: Grow by Exploring what is True and Right in Life – with a story about an emperor who held a flower-growing contest to choose his heir. o 3rd-5th Grade: “Chinese New Year” This week our classes will explore the Chinese New Year celebration, with stories, calligraphy writing, and the creation of a special altar. o 6th-7th Grade: “Integration” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will continue their exploration of protestant Christianity with an integration of last week’s trip to Calvary Baptist Church and an introduction to the First African Methodist Episcopal faith. o 8th Grade: Coming of Age begins at 9:00 sharp; class members do not attend the first part of the service in the sanctuary. Please head straight up to Room 4 (the mural room). o 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will discuss the RE Visioning Survey and lock down the theme for their YRUU Sunday service in March.
Announcements:· NEW Time to Register for Elementary Winter Camp: The Pacific Southwest District’s Elementary Winter Camp is President's Day Weekend next month, Saturday February 14 - Monday February 16. The theme is "Keen on Green" and will focus on learning how we can make our world greener and enjoying camp activities---worship, snow play, crafts, games and making new friends. The camp is for children ages 8 - 12. Children ages 5 - 7 and children not ready to come to camp by themselves are invited to bring their parents. Fliers with registration information are available to download from the camp website at: http://www.debenneville.org/youth/WebFlierElemW09.pdf. · PLEASE TAKE THE RE VISIONING SURVEY! If you didn’t fill out the “RE Visioning for Children and Youth” survey in the January 11th order of service, please take a few minutes now to click the link below and respond to the survey questions. This is the first step in our RE visioning process, which will determine the future direction of our RE programs for children and youth at UUCCSM, so we need to hear from ALL of you!
· RE FAMILY SNOW WEEKEND 1/30-2/1: Attention ALL RE Families and Friends: Our church has reserved Craigs Cabin at Camp de Benneville Pines for the weekend of Jan 30th-Feb1st, 2009. There are still rooms available and the price can't be beat. If we get 9 famlies the price is $112 per family!! We can also bring in our own food or pay for food service which would be a small additional fee at the lodge. For those of you who have never been, Camp de Benneville Pines is located at 6800 feet elevation, in the San Bernardino National Forest amidst towering pines, cedars, and oaks. It is owned and operated by the Pacific Southwest District of the Unitarian-Universalist Association. Check out the camp at: http://www.debenneville.org/ Craig's Cabin provides more luxurious accommodations for Camp de Benneville program participants. In addition, the cabin is available for rent as a self contained program site. It will sleep up to 25 people in the 9 bedrooms. There are three bathrooms each with showers and one has handicap facilities. There is a meeting room with a fireplace, adjacent to the kitchen/dining area. A TV with VCR allows viewing video cassettes. Info on Craigs Cabin: http://www.debenneville.org/craig.html
· Our Whole Lives for Sr. High (10th-12th grade)
· RE Visioning Process: This spring we will embark on a RE visioning process that will help us determine, as a whole congregation, what our priorities and goals are for the children and youth of our UUCCSM family. This month, on January 11th and again on the 25th, there will be a short “RE Visioning” survey in the order of service which we hope all members of our church will take the time to fill out. What are the most important elements of our educational ministry to the youngest members of our community? Members of the RE Council will be on hand during coffee hour to take completed surveys and talk with you about your responses. Next, the RE Council and I invite you to join us on the evening of Sunday, February 22nd, at 5:00 pm, for a visioning meeting for RE at UUCCSM. We’ll provide dinner and childcare, and you’ll show up to help us determine the future direction of our program! And then on March 22nd we’ll share the results of our visioning with the whole congregation at a Town Hall meeting following the 11:00 service.
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):· Reading of the Week: This week’s reading is a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali poet, Brahmo Samaj philosopher (see “This Week in UU History” below for a link discussing the connection between Brahmo Samaj and Unitarianism), visual artist, playwright, novelist, and composer whose works reshaped Bengali literature and music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He became Asia's first Nobel laureate when he won the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature.
-Rabindranath Tagore
· Celebrating the New Year with a Chinese Tradition: (from How to Bury a Goldfish by Virginia Lang and Louise Nayer) (This year’s Chinese New Year observance will begin this coming Monday, on January 26th.)
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)January 20, 1566: Francis David, who later converted Prince John Sigismund of Transylvania to Unitarianism, gave his first Unitarian oration in the main church of Koloscar, Transylvania. January 20, 1839: The Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson preached his last sermon, “The Miracle of Our Being,” in Concord, Massachusetts. January 21, 1825: George Blaurock received the first adult congregational baptism in Zurich, Switzerland, thus establishing congregational Anabaptism, which later merged with Socinianism to enlarge and strengthen the Unitarian movement. January 23, 1830: The first Brahmo Samaj Temple opened in India. Brahmo Samaj is a Unitarian form of Hinduism. (Visit http://dcwi.com/~uuf/Sermons/012305.html for the text of a sermon that explores the relationship between Unitarianism and Brahmo Samaj.) January 25, 1759: Robert Burns was born in Ayershire, Scotland. He is the national poet of Scotland and a beloved figure in Scottish history and literature. His birthday is the annual occasion of Burns Night festivities. Though he had no formal connection with Unitarianism, Burn published several satires of orthodox revivalism, for which he is celebrated by the Unitarians of Scotland as a religious forbear, and there is no doubt of his Unitarian beliefs. Such Unitarians as Joseph Priestley and Theophilius Lindsey influenced him. His heretical views were notorious, as were his irregular romantic alliances. Some of his contemporaries shunned him, but his poetry and songs are now familiar everywhere. He wrote and adapted many Scottish songs, including “Auld Lang Syne” and “John Anderson, My Jo.” Known as “Rob the Ranter,” Burns was concerned about the repressive measures against reformers and founded a debating society. He died on July 21, 1796. January 15, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:
This Week in RE:o Preschool: “Black is Beautiful” This week our preschool classes will explore the beautiful diversity of people in the world, and will learn a little bit about Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. o Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “The Empty Pot” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our fourth UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Green Promise”: Grow by Exploring what is True and Right in Life – with a story about an emperor who held a flower-growing contest to choose his heir. “The Rooster Who Learned to Crow” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our third UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Yellow Promise”: “Yearn to learn throughout life.” – with a story about a rooster who had to look inside himself to find the answer to his question. o 3rd-5th Grade: “Martin Luther King Day” This week our classes will learn about the story of Rosa Parks, and the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. o 6th-7th Grade: “Field Trip to Calvary Baptist Church” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will continue their exploration of protestant Christianity with a special trip to attend worship at Calvary Baptist. Permission forms will be emailed to NF families ahead of time. o 8th Grade: Coming of Age begins at 9:00 sharp; class members do not attend the first part of the service in the sanctuary. Please head straight up to Room 4 (the mural room). o 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will screen an episode of “The Twilight Zone,” followed by a discussion of the episode’s themes led by SJ Guidotti.
Announcements:· NEW PLEASE TAKE THE RE VISIONING SURVEY! If you didn’t fill out the “RE Visioning for Children and Youth” survey in the January 11th order of service, please take a few minutes now to click the link below and respond to the survey questions. This is the first step in our RE visioning process, which will determine the future direction of our RE programs for children and youth at UUCCSM, so we need to hear from ALL of you!
· NEW RE FAMILY SNOW WEEKEND 1/30-2/1: Attention ALL RE Families and Friends: Our church has reserved Craigs Cabin at Camp de Benneville Pines for the weekend of Jan 30th-Feb1st, 2009. There are 9 rooms available to reserve and the price can't be beat. If we get 9 famlies the price is $112. per family!! We can also bring in our own food or pay for food service which would be a small additional fee at the lodge. For those of you who have never been, Camp de Benneville Pines is located at 6800 feet elevation, in the San Bernardino National Forest amidst towering pines, cedars, and oaks. It is owned and operated by the Pacific Southwest District of the Unitarian-Universalist Association. Check out the camp at: http://www.debenneville.org/ Craig's Cabin provides more luxurious accommodations for Camp de Benneville program participants. In addition, the cabin is available for rent as a self contained program site. It will sleep up to 25 people in the 9 bedrooms. There are three bathrooms each with showers and one has handicap facilities. There is a meeting room with a fireplace, adjacent to the kitchen/dining area. A TV with VCR allows viewing video cassettes. Info on Craigs Cabin: http://www.debenneville.org/craig.html
· NEW Our Whole Lives for Sr. High (10th-12th grade)
· Guest at Your Table Boxes: If you have been collecting donation for the UU Service Committee in a Guest at Your Table box during the holiday season, now is the time to bring it in! We will collect the boxes during the services this Sunday. Thank you for supporting the important work of UUSC. · RE Visioning Process: This spring we will embark on a RE visioning process that will help us determine, as a whole congregation, what our priorities and goals are for the children and youth of our UUCCSM family. This month, on January 11th and again on the 25th, there will be a short “RE Visioning” survey in the order of service which we hope all members of our church will take the time to fill out. What are the most important elements of our educational ministry to the youngest members of our community? Members of the RE Council will be on hand during coffee hour to take completed surveys and talk with you about your responses. Next, the RE Council and I invite you to join us on the evening of Sunday, February 22nd, at 5:00 pm, for a visioning meeting for RE at UUCCSM. We’ll provide dinner and childcare, and you’ll show up to help us determine the future direction of our program! And then on March 22nd we’ll share the results of our visioning with the whole congregation at a Town Hall meeting following the 11:00 service. · Unsupervised Children: Parents, please remember that you are responsible for your children at all times when they are not in RE classes. Even though our church is a safe and loving place, it is not a good idea for children to roam the grounds without their parents. Staff and volunteers are not responsible for supervising children when they are not in our RE classes or official childcare. Also, please remember that children through grade 5 must be picked up by their parents at the end of RE time (10:15 or 12:15). This is one part of our church’s safety policy, and is especially important as our RE classes are now held in a separate building from the sanctuary and social hall.
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):· Reading of the Week:
Starting here, what do you want to remember? How sunlight creeps along a shining floor? What scent of old wood hovers, what softened sound from outside fills the air?
Will you ever bring a better gift for the world than the breathing respect that you carry wherever you go right now? Are you waiting for time to show you some better thoughts?
When you turn around, starting here, lift this new glimpse that you found; carry into evening all that you want from this day. This interval you spent reading or hearing this, keep it for life –
What can anyone give you greater than now, starting here, right in this room, when you turn around? -William Stafford
· Great Birthday Celebrations: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox)
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)· January 13, 1568: Following the Diet of Torda on January 6 in Transylvania, at which Unitarian minister Francis David won debates with Calvinist Bishop Peter Melius, Prince John Sigismund converted to Unitarianism on this day and then issued the Edict of Torda, which declared toleration for other religions. · January 13, 1832: Horatio Alger was born in Revere, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard Divinity School and was ordained in 1864 as a Unitarian minister in Brewster, Massachusetts. Later he moved to New York City and devoted himself to literature, drawing on his experiences in social work at the Newsboys’ Lodging House in New York. His books about young boys made him enormously popular and wealthy. Alger was a prolific writer and produced 119 novels as well as collections of poetry and biographies of Abraham Lincoln and James Garfield. He died on July 18, 1899. · January 14, 1875: Albert Schweitzer was born in Kayersberg, Upper Alsace, Germany (now part of France). He trained as a theologian and held doctorates in theology, philosophy, music, and medicine, and he was an authority on Bach and on organ construction. In the early 1930’s, Schweitzer went to French Equatorial Africa (now Gabon) as a medical missionary. He wrote many books, including The Quest of the Historical Jesus (1906), Civilization and Ethics (1923), Out of My Life and Thought (1931), and The Psychiatric Study of Jesus (1948). A Nobel laureate, Schweitzer left Africa only to lecture in Europe and the United States to raise money for his hospital in Lambarene. Schweitzer was a member of the Unitarian Church of Capetown, South Africa, and accepted an honorary membership in the Unitarian Church of the Larger Fellowship. He died on September 4, 1965. · January 19, 1561: At the 19th Synod of Pinczow, Poland, Peter Statorius formally accused Socinian George Blandratta of heresy. Blandrata was forced to sign a confession of faith, disavowing his heresy. He left Poland for Transylvania, where he served as court physician to Prince John Sigismund. There he used his influence over the prince and the court to support Unitarianism. January 6, 2009Calendar of upcoming events:
Sundays, 1/11 & 1/18
This Week in RE:o Preschool: “Both Boys and Girls Can” This week our preschool classes will explore the many exciting careers and hobbies that anyone – boys and girls – can choose for themselves. We’ll talk about what it means to be equal, and have some fun activities and stories about equality for all people. o Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “The Rooster Who Learned to Crow” (9:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our third UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Yellow Promise”: “Yearn to learn throughout life.” – with a story about a rooster who had to look inside himself to find the answer to his question. “The Magic Seed” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our second UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Orange Promise”: Offer Fair and Kind Treatment to All – with a story about a poor man who taught a king and his advisors how to have compassion for others. o 3rd-5th Grade: “Huichol Indian Day” This week our classes will learn about the Huichol people of Mexico , their history and culture, and in honor of one of the most important traditional arts of the Huichol we’ll make special “yarn paintings” to represent our values. o 6th-7th Grade: “Methodism” This week our Neighboring Faiths class will continue their exploration of protestant Christianity, studying the history and practice of the Methodist church. o 8th Grade: Coming of Age begins at 9:00 sharp; class members do not attend the first part of the service in the sanctuary. Please head straight up to Room 4 (the mural room). o 9th-12th Grade: This week YRUU youth will discuss the direction of the spring program and will begin talking about plans for the YRUU Sunday service in March.
Announcements:· NEW Guest at Your Table Boxes: If you have been collecting donation for the UU Service Committee in a Guest at Your Table box during the holiday season, now is the time to bring it in! We will collect the boxes during the services this Sunday, 1/11 and next Sunday 1/18. Thank you for supporting the important work of UUSC. · NEW RE Visioning Process: This spring we will embark on a RE visioning process that will help us determine, as a whole congregation, what our priorities and goals are for the children and youth of our UUCCSM family. This month, on January 11th and again on the 25th, there will be a short “RE Visioning” survey in the order of service which we hope all members of our church will take the time to fill out. What are the most important elements of our educational ministry to the youngest members of our community? Members of the RE Council will be on hand during coffee hour to take completed surveys and talk with you about your responses. Next, the RE Council and I invite you to join us on the evening of Sunday, February 22nd, at 5:00 pm, for a visioning meeting for RE at UUCCSM. We’ll provide dinner and childcare, and you’ll show up to help us determine the future direction of our program! And then on March 22nd we’ll share the results of our visioning with the whole congregation at a Town Hall meeting following the 11:00 service. · Unsupervised Children: Parents, please remember that you are responsible for your children at all times when they are not in RE classes. Even though our church is a safe and loving place, it is not a good idea for children to roam the grounds without their parents. Staff and volunteers are not responsible for supervising children when they are not in our RE classes or official childcare. Also, please remember that children through grade 5 must be picked up by their parents at the end of RE time (10:15 or 12:15). This is one part of our church’s safety policy, and is especially important as our RE classes are now held in a separate building from the sanctuary and social hall.
UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):· Reading of the Week:
The food which we are about to eat -Unitarian Prayer
· Rewarding Good Work: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox) Basically, I agree with Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards, that it’s better (and more effective) to instill a love of learning than to try bribing a kid to succeed. Here are some rituals I think offer positive encouragement.
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)· January 5, 1835: Olympia Brown was born in Prairie Ronde, Michigan. Reared as a Universalist, she graduated from St. Lawrence University Theological School and became the first woman ordained to the ministry by a full denominational authority on June 25, 1863. She served Universalist churches in Vermont, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Illinois, and Iowa. Brow was also co-founder of the New England Women’s Suffrage Association and president of the Federal Suffrage Association. She died on October 23, 1926. · January 6, 1568: The Diet of Torda, called by Prince John Sigismund to settle disputes between the Calvinists and the Unitarians, opened in Transylvania. The minister Francis David represented the Unitarians, and the bishop Peter Melius represented the Calvinists. As a result of the debates, Sigismund converted to Unitarianism and issued the Edict of Torda, which declared official toleration for other religions. It was the first time in Western history that a ruler allowed his subjects to practice a religion different from his own. · January 7, 1800: Millard Fillmore was born in Locke, New York. He was a lawyer who served in the New York State Assembly and the U.S House of Representatives. Elected vice president of the United States in 1848, Fillmore became president on July 9, 1850, when President Zachary Taylor died, and he held that office until 1853. Fillmore signed a series of bills known as the Compromise of 1850, which admitted California into the Union as a free state, restricted the slave trade in the District of Columbia, and provided for the return of fugitive slaves. He authorized the first American mission to establish trade relations with Japan. In 1856 he ran for president as the candidate of the Native American (“Know-Nothing”) Party but was defeated. Fillmore was a member of the Unitarian Church in Buffalo, New York. He died at age 74 on March 8, 1874. · January 12, 1737: John Hancock was born in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts. Raised by a wealthy uncle in Boston, Hancock graduated from Harvard University in 1754 and joined his uncle’s mercantile business, which he inherited in 1764. A leading patriot, he opposed the Stamp Act (1765) and other British commercial policies. In 1769 Hancock was elected to the Massachusetts General Court. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1780, serving as president for the first two years, and he was the first delegate to sign the Declaration of Independence. In 1780 the people of Massachusetts elected Hancock governor. He resigned in 1785, was reelected in 1787, and served again until his death. He presided over the Massachusetts convention to ratify the new Constitution in 1788. Hancock was a member of the Brattle Street Church (Unitarian) in Boston and chair of the church’s building committee in 1773. He died on October 8, 1793. · January 12, 1820: Carolina Seymour Severance, known as Caroline, was born in Canandaigua, New York. She worked all her adult life for social reform and her home was a gathering place for liberal causes. At first she held the conventional view that a woman’s role was as a wife and a mother, but she became increasingly involved with women’s rights and stressed women’s ability to shape public policy. When her family moved to Boston, Massachusetts, Severance took part in the city’s reform movements. When her family moved again, to Los Angeles, California, they founded the city’s first Unitarian congregation, Unity Church. Severance championed Christian socialism, progressivism, and peace. In 1900 she became president of the Los Angeles County Woman Suffrage League. Carolina Seymour Severance died on November 10, 1914, at age 94.
December 11, 2008Calendar of upcoming events:Saturday, 12/20 Volunteer Opportunities:Game Day in RE 12/28: We’re looking for volunteer leaders for our all-RE game day during the 9:00 & 11:00 services on December 28th. Spend a morning getting to know the young people in our RE program! Can you help? Contact Catherine. This Week in RE:Preschool: Kindergarten-2nd Grade: 3rd-5th Grade: “Hanukkah” 6th-7th Grade: “Integrating Orthodox Christianity” 8th Grade: “Big Fish” 9th-12th Grade: Announcements:NEW Pageant Helpers: Would you like to help us put on our pageant on December 21st? I am in need of several more people (at 9 or 11 or both!) to serve as stage manager/prop runners. You’d be supplied with a special script that tells you just when to throw costumes on the volunteers we send out to you, and when to send them on stage to play their parts. If you would like to be part of our team of helpers, contact Catherine to volunteer. Let’s make this a pageant to remember! Friendly Beasts Costume Donations: Parents of Beasts, we have a wonderful problem – we have quite a few more fabulous Friendly Beasts performing in our pageant this year than we expected! This is a challenge because clothing all of our Beasts in our new costumes will exceed our pageant budget. We are attempting to create a supply of high quality Beast costumes that we can use for years to come. Parents, would you be willing to contribute $10 towards your Beast’s costume to help defray the overall cost of the project? See Elizabeth Wheat or Catherine Farmer Loya on Sundays with questions or to pitch in. Thank you! NEW Guest at Your Table – Stories of Hope: Each week through the holiday season I’ll include one of the “Stories of Hope” from the UU Service Committee, highlighting the work that is done with the money raised by congregations participating in Guest at Your Table each year. As you feel they are appropriate, please share these stories with your family as you fill your Guest at Your Table box at mealtimes.
Unsupervised Children: Parents, please remember that you are responsible for your children at all times when they are not in RE classes. Even though our church is a safe and loving place, it is not a good idea for children to roam the grounds without their parents. Staff and volunteers are not responsible for supervising children when they are not in our RE classes or official childcare. Also, please remember that children through grade 5 must be picked up by their parents at the end of RE time (10:15 or 12:15). This is one part of our church’s safety policy, and is especially important as our RE classes are now held in a separate building from the sanctuary and social hall. The Return of the Friendly Beasts!: Once again, our preschool through elementary-aged children will sing “The Friendly Beasts” song at our holiday pageant on Sunday, Dec. 21, at both services. Kris Langabeer will begin rehearsing the preschoolers Nov. 9 for about 10 minutes in their classroom after the Children’s Story. Beginning Nov. 16, she’ll rehearse the preschoolers and then move from classroom to classroom rehearsing the older kids (up to 5th grade). Please mark your calendars: a dress rehearsal for all Beasts will occur Saturday, Dec. 20, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. For more info, see the November church newsletter or contact Kris. UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
May I become at all times, both now and forever -Buddhist prayer
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! The Four Things Children Really Want for Christmas: (from Unplug the Christmas Machine by Jo Robinson & Jean Coppock Staeheli) Many parents find it a challenge to create a simple, value-centered Christmas in the midst of all the commercial pressure. But the task is made much easier when parents keep in mind the four things that children really want for Christmas. While children may be quick to tell their parents that what they want is designer clothes, the latest electronic gear, and brand-name toys, underneath these predictable requests is an unspoken plea for four, more basic requirements:
Exercise: Helping Children Enjoy Christmas 1. Of all the needs of children at Christmas, enjoyable time with their families is most important. Think back to last December. Excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, did you spent more, about the same, or less, happy, relaxed time with your children in December, compared to other months? 2. If your answer to the above question was “less,” look through the following list and check the suggestions on how to spend more time with your children that seem most feasible for you.
3. Which holiday traditions do your children seem to enjoy most? (If you are uncertain, take some time in the next few days to talk with them.) 4. What holiday traditions or family activities do your children have to look forward to after December 25? 5. Choose the statement that most accurately completes this though: Gift giving plays the following role in our family celebration:
6. On a sheet of paper, write each of your children’s names and jot down a few sentences that describe each child’s attitude toward Christmas presents last year. This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)December 9, 1608: The celebrated poet John Milton was born in Cheapside, England. He was a devout Puritan who was influential in Oliver Cromwell’s government (the Protectorate) after the death of King Charles I in 1649. Milton is remembered primarily as the author of Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Aereopagitica. In his lifetime, he attracted notoriety for publishing a call for divorce on the basis of irreconcilable differences to be legalized. Milton’s Treatise on Christian Doctrine, published posthumously, affirmed his Unitarian beliefs. He died on November 8, 1674. December 10, 1741: John Murray, the founder of modern Universalism, was born in Alton, England. Many historians say that Universalism in America began when Murray’s boat from England ran aground at Cranberry Inlet, New Jersey, in 1770. There he met Thomas Potter, who believed God sent Murray to preach Universalism in his family chapel, which he had built in 1760. There is evidence that the Independent Christian Church (Universalist) of Gloucester, Massachusetts, was first gathered in 1774, meeting in people’s homes. In 1793, Murray moved to Boston and stayed there as minister until his death. He was known as an eloquent preacher. During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington appointed Murray chaplain to the Rhode Island Brigade. His second wife, Judith Sargent Stevens Murray, helped him write his autobiography, which has gone through many editions. He died on September 3, 1815, at the age of 74. December 10, 1952: Caroline Veatch signed the legal instrument that granted half the royalties of the North European Oil Corporation to the North Shore Unitarian Society (now known as Shelter Rock) after her death. Successor arrangements by this congregation have made this bequest a major source of funding for the Unitarian Universalist Association. December 12, 1654: The British Parliament declared the Two-fold Catechism by John Biddle to be heretical and blasphemous and ordered its author imprisoned and all copies burned by the common hangman, signifying that its publication was a criminal offense. The cause of Parliament’s objection was that the catechism was entirely Unitarian in theology, which violated the criminal laws of England at that time. December 15, 1588: Peter Gonesius professed his Unitarianism at the Synod of Brzesc in Poland. Said to be to Polish Unitarianism what Francis David was to Transylvanian Unitarianism, Gonesius was the first of the Polish Anabaptist reformers to publicly declare the union of two theologies – the use of adult reason in achieving faith and the monotheistic nature of God. December 4, 2008Calendar of upcoming events:Saturday, 12/6 CORRECTION: Last week I indicated that there would be a single Sunday service on December 28th. That was an error. There will be two services, at 9 & 11, on 12/28. Volunteer Opportunities:Game Day in RE 12/28: We’re looking for volunteer leaders for our all-RE game day during the 9:00 & 11:00 services on December 28th. Spend a morning getting to know the young people in our RE program! Can you help? Contact Catherine.. This Week in RE:Preschool: “Christmas is a Time for Sharing Our Love” Kindergarten-2nd Grade: 3rd-5th Grade: “Putting Love and Joy into the Season” 6th-7th Grade: “Visit to St. Sophia” 8th Grade: “Big Fish” 9th-12th Grade: Announcements:THIS SATURDAY Holiday Cookie Bake: THIS SUNDAY Costume Building Event for “The Friendly Beasts” 12/7: NEW Friendly Beasts Costume Donations: NEW Common Ground Donation Tally: NEW Guest at Your Table – Stories of Hope: Story II: Dalia There are many different countries in the Middle East, many different religions, and many different kinds of leaders, such as kings and presidents. There are also millions of different people, each with their own ideas, opinions, and beliefs. But in some countries in the Middle East, like in other parts of the world, people are not free to say what they want, or write what they want, without getting into serious trouble for it. Dalia lives in the Middle East, in a country called Egypt. She is a woman, a Muslim, a poet, and an activist. Being an activist means standing up for what you believe in, sometimes at great risk. When Dalia was 24 years old, she heard about a writing contest for young people to share their dreams for a better world. The contest was held by a group called Hands Across the Mideast Support Alliance, or HAMSA for short. As one of HAMSA’s partners, UUSC helps to organize the contest each year. Dalia got to work right away. She wrote down her most important thoughts, about what it means to be free in the Middle East. As a woman, Dalia had lots of ideas about this. She had stood up for women’s rights since she was a little girl, starting with talking to her own family. She wrote, “In my world women are as many as raindrops. Yet they have no noteworthy impact on their societies. Despite our number, which is higher, and our abilities, which are larger than men, we – Arab Women – are still treated as second-class citizens.” The judges thought that Dalia’s writing was very good. They liked it so much that they gave her an award. They also invited her to be honored at a celebration dinner. Soon, HAMSA asked Dalia to help them to translate a book into Arabic about how ordinary people in the United States helped to change their country through nonviolence. It took hard work and cooperation by everybody, including UUSC, but the book is now completed. It is being read by thousands of young people in the Middle East. Dalia continues to work hard to show that people have the right to say and write what they think, even if their leaders disagree. She is also showing that women can be leaders too! Being an activist means helping to change the world. Can you join UUSC and Dalia in helping to change the world today? All it takes is a few brave people. Unsupervised Children: The Return of the Friendly Beasts!: UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week: This is a place of compassion and welcoming. -Erika Hewitt, adapted Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! Pre-Christmas: Celebrate the Whole Month: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox) St. Nicholas Day – December 6 is the day many countries celebrate a bishop who became a saint and was said to rescue children and help the poor. Once her kids were old enough, Teresa Schultz-Jones started the tradition that St. Nicholas leaves craft kits for each of them, so they can make gifts for others. Good Deed Paper Chain – Sara Tapley, the mother of six, hangs a multicolored paper chain across the bay window in her dining room, after writing the name of one family member on each link. Every morning, each person has to break a link and do a good deed for the person whose name he/she gets; if someone gets their own name, he/she passes it on. Manger Rituals – The Schroeder family has 16 characters in its nativity set, and all except baby Jesus are wrapped up before the holidays begin. Each night after dinner, the kids take turns picking one wrapped character and setting it into the manger scene. That child then gets to pick which Christmas carol the family sings that night. Baby Jesus doesn’t get put into the manger until Christmas morning, when the family sings “Happy Birthday, Jesus.” Another family sets up its wise men across the room from the nativity scene, and every day of Advent moves them slightly closer. Christmas Box – In the Gardiner family, the two daughters each have a pretty Christmas tin reserved for them, always kept on a certain windowsill during December. Every morning, they run to their tins to see what treat they got that day: it could be candy, a Christmas poem, a puzzle, or tickets to the Nutcracker ballet. This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)December 3, 1755: Gilbert Stuart was born in North Kingston, Rhode Island. He was a Unitarian who studied portraiture in London and Edinburgh and became one of the most famous American artists, painting portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams. He died in Boston on July 9, 1828, at age 72. December 5, 1539: Faustus Socinus was born in Sienna, Italy. He first studied civil law but was pushed toward religion by his uncle, Laelius Socinus. On the death of Laelius in 1562, Faustus took over his uncle’s manuscripts. After serving 12 years with the Grand Duke of Tuscany in Italy, Socinus left for Basel, Switzerland, where he disputed with colleagues about the nature of Christ, arguing that Jesus was not our savior. He was influenced by Francis David, with whom he disagreed over the worship of Christ, which he accepted and David rejected. Socinus went to Krakow, Poland, where he vigorously preached anti-Trinitarian doctrine, but became exasperated with frequent disputations and left the capital, eventually settling with a wealthy Polish nobleman, Christopher Morstinius, who protected him. Socinus joined with a prominent orator, Peter Statorius, to spread the influence of their anti-Trinitarian ideas, which incited the ire of the Catholics. A mob dragged him from his bed half naked, forced him to march through the streets, and plundered his library and furniture. This brutal treatment hastened Socinus’s death from illness. Many groups took the name Socinian after his death. They had been called variously Pinczovians (from the town of Pinczow), Rakovians, (from the town of Rakow), Farnovians (from Stanislaus Farnovius), Budneans (from Simon Budny), and Servetians (from Michael Servetus). Socinus preferred the official title, Minor Reformed Church of Poland. His tombstone carried the inscription, “Luther took off the roof of Babylon: Calvin threw down the walls: Socinus dug up the foundation.” November 26, 2008Calendar of upcoming events:Sunday, 11/30 Volunteer Opportunities:Game Day in RE 12/30: This Week in RE:Preschool: “Winter Brings Changes to Our Earth” Kindergarten-5th Grade: Social Justice Sunday Personal Care items needed for “hygiene kits”: · Travel- or hotel-sized shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash, toothpaste, deodorant, mouthwash, soap Sharon Chamberlain, Executive Director of Common Ground, writes: Our homeless youth always have a more difficult time living on the streets during the colder, wetter months. They will greatly appreciate any items- I had a youth tell me last year when we were handing out socks that it is “nice to feel like someone cares”. Please tell your youth thank you!... The kids need warm things for the winter. Often socks and clothes get wet and they show up at our place soaked to the bone with no other clothes to change into. They are always in need of the following specifically: · Sweatshirts/Hoodies (L, XL, XXL) (In the winter they generally wear as many layers as possible to try to stay warm and dry so they need the bigger sizes of sweatshirts) Although the Westside has a cold weather shelter for adults that opens for a few months each year in early December, many of the youth will not access it. Often, this is due to fear. Many of the youth have told me about horrible experiences at various LA shelters. There is no “youth” shelter on the Westside. In the cold months ahead, many of the kids will need other non clothing items to support them on the street including: · Sleeping bags I just provided a long list! Sorry for that! This time of year is always so hard. I wonder how we can let any of our young people sleep out on the cold streets for months on end. It is so difficult to have to shut our doors at the end of a night and send those kids back out to the cold and wet. Any help that you can provide is wonderful and much appreciated! 6th-7th Grade: “Catholicism Integration” 8th Grade: 9th-12th Grade: Announcements:NEW Costume Building Event for “The Friendly Beasts” 12/7: NEW Unsupervised Children: NEW Guest at Your Table – Stories of Hope: Each week through the holiday season I’ll include one of the “Stories of Hope” from the UU Service Committee, highlighting the work that is done with the money raised by congregations participating in Guest at Your Table each year. As you feel they are appropriate, please share these stories with your family as you fill your Guest at Your Table box at mealtimes. Story I: Serafina Water is one of the most important things in our life. We need it to drink, to wash our hands, to take a bath, and to cook our food. We clean our clothes with it and give it to our pets. But we almost never think about it. We just turn on our faucet, and out it comes. Can you imagine if you weren’t allowed to use water? If someone else decided how much water you could have? What if it wasn’t enough and you ran out? That is how it is for many people around the world. They don’t have enough water to do even the most basic things. In a country called South Africa, the water company controls how much water goes to each house. If a family is poor, they get less water than other families. This happens even though the laws of South Africa say that everyone is equal and that everyone has the right to use water. One woman named Serafina thought that the water company was being unfair. She decided to work with a group of people to make sure that everyone had enough water, no matter how rich or poor they were. Serafina is 71 years old. She is called Makoko, or granny, by all of her neighbors and friends. Everyone thought that if Serafina was ready to stand up for her rights, they should help her! Serafina’s group of friends grew and grew! One of them is UUSC. Together, they went to an important court house, called the supreme court, to tell their story. They told the judge what was happening with their water, that they didn’t have enough to do basic things, like cooking and cleaning. Outside the court house, people sang songs to show that they thought that the water company was wrong and that everyone deserves to have water. Many months went by. Finally, the decision came back. The judge decided that Serafina and her friends were right, and they should get more water. Serafina and her friends were very happy. They knew that they had helped to make things better for millions of people in South Africa. Now, they are teaching everyone, rich and poor, about the right to water. It takes many people to change the world. Your support of UUSC will help UUSC and Serafina continue the struggle for water rights in South Africa and other countries around the world. Holiday Cookie Bake: The Return of the Friendly Beasts!: UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Goddess, bless this food you have given me. Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! Sharing the Bounty of Thanksgiving: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox) Make a Helping Others Jar – Take a used, clean coffee can and cut a slit in the plastic top. To decorate the can, cut white paper the height of the can, wrap this paper around the can, and secure with glue or tape. To decorate, use crayons or markers, or paste magazine photos on the paper. Display the can in the kitchen, and put some money in while discussing a weekly plan of family giving. Talk about how that money could help others and discuss possible charities. Feast for the Animals – Nancy Mendez and her family share their feast with “the birds and beasts.” Before they eat, her children and their cousins take a walk in the nearby woods (with a grown-up), carrying a bucket of seeds and food scraps. On the way back home, the kids fill the bucket with twigs and kindling for the fireplace. Feed the Poor – Some families try to work some part of the Thanksgiving weekend in a soup kitchen, but there are other ways you can help as well. On is to buy a duplicate feast: if you’re having turkey, buy a second bird; if you’re making mashed potatoes, buy a second bag. Pack this feast and deliver it to a local homeless shelter or agency that serves the poor. (Make this arrangement before buying the food.) A Great Charity for Kids – Heifer International has over 50 years experience in donating farm animals to the world’s poor, and has a great website, www.heifer.org. Also, the picture book Beatrice’s Goat, about how a heifer goat changed the life of a real African girl, makes a big impression on kids. This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)November 26, 1809: Frances (Fanny) Anne Kemble was born in London to a theatrical family. A celebrated writer and actress, she married Pierce Butler, a prominent Philadelphian who owned cotton and rice plantations in Georgia and had nearly 1,000 slaves. Kemble was appalled when she saw slavery at first hand and divorced her husband in 1849. Encouraged by her Unitarian associates, especially William Ellery Channing, she gathered with others opposed to slavery, including Lydia Maria Child. She published Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation, 1838-1839, during the Civil War in order to gain sympathy from the British for the cause of abolition. She died on January 15, 1893. November 28, 1909: Lotta Hitschmanova was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She was anti-Nazi and went into exile in Canada when World War II threatened. Her parents were imprisoned in Auschwitz during the war and she never heard from them again. She founded the Unitarian Service Committee of Canada and directed it for 40 years, in order to help the refugee children of Europe. The Unitarian church in Ottawa, Canada, where she was a member for the rest of her life, was an important supporter of Hitschmanova’s work. Known as Dr. Lotta, she was also called “Auntie Codfish,” “Mother of a Thousand Orphans,” and the “Atomic Mosquito.” The government of France made her Chevalier of Public Health in 1950 and Prime Minister Indira Ghandi named her Woman of the Year in 1975. Hitschmanova also received a Medal of St. Paul from Greece (1952) and a Public Service Medal from the government of Korea (1962). She died in July 1990 at the age of 80. November 29, 1832: The famous author Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Her father was Bronson Alcott, a founder of the Transcendentalist Club who ran a school in Concord and educated Louisa and her sisters at home. She worked as a teacher and domestic worker and eventually began to write poems and short stories for children. Alcott was an ardent abolitionist and served as a nurse during the Civil War. This experience provided the material for Hospital Sketches (1863), which established her literary reputation. She also wrote various stories for children, of which Little Women (1868) is the best known. It was largely autobiographical and a great financial success. Alcott wrote a sequel, Little Men (1871), and numerous other stories, including Gothic tales published under the pseudonym A. M. Barnard. She devoted her later life to reforms, including temperance and women’s rights. Alcott did not like formal church connections, but her beliefs were Unitarian and she moved among such prominent Unitarians as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Samuel Gridley Howe, and Julia Ward Howe. She died on March 6, 1888. November 17, 2008Calendar of upcoming events:Sunday, 11/23 This Week in RE:Preschool: “Thanksgiving” Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “Crow Boy” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll explore our first UU principle – in Spirit Play referred to as the “Red Promise”: Respect All People – with a story about a young boy whose classmates learn to appreciate his gifts. o 3rd-5th Grade: “Democratic Process” 6th-7th Grade: “Visit to St. Anne’s Catholic Church” 8th Grade: Coming of Age begins at 9:00 sharp; class members do not attend the first part of the service in the sanctuary. Please head straight up to Room 4 (the mural room). 9th-12th Grade: Announcements:NEW Guest at Your Table begins this Sunday: NEW Holiday Cookie Bake: Donation Drive to Benefit Common Ground’s Homeless Teen Program: Personal Care items needed for “hygiene kits”:
Sharon Chamberlain, Executive Director of Common Ground, writes: Our homeless youth always have a more difficult time living on the streets during the colder, wetter months. They will greatly appreciate any items- I had a youth tell me last year when we were handing out socks that it is “nice to feel like someone cares”. Please tell your youth thank you!... The kids need warm things for the winter. Often socks and clothes get wet and they show up at our place soaked to the bone with no other clothes to change into. They are always in need of the following specifically:
Although the Westside has a cold weather shelter for adults that opens for a few months each year in early December, many of the youth will not access it. Often, this is due to fear. Many of the youth have told me about horrible experiences at various LA shelters. There is no “youth” shelter on the Westside. In the cold months ahead, many of the kids will need other non clothing items to support them on the street including: § Sleeping bags § Blankets § Backpacks o I just provided a long list! Sorry for that! This time of year is always so hard. I wonder how we can let any of our young people sleep out on the cold streets for months on end. It is so difficult to have to shut our doors at the end of a night and send those kids back out to the cold and wet. Any help that you can provide is wonderful and much appreciated! LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP - The Philosophy and Practice of Nonviolent Parenting starts Nov. 23 Take a moment and imagine your child as an adult... This class invites you to navigate this unique journey by learning a philosophy based on:
Childcare will be provided; please indicate need when signing up for the class. Course limited to 12 participants. Sign up at the Adult RE table during coffee hour starting 11/2 or right away by contacting Catherine Farmer Loya.. For more information about the content of the course, contact Kerry Thorne. The Return of the Friendly Beasts!: UU Everyday (resources and ideas for practicing your UU values at home):Reading of the Week:
Each week I’ll share a short meditation or poem that can be shared as a blessing at mealtimes, for a family chalice lighting ritual, a morning meditation, a goodnight prayer… or just a moment of reflection for you as a UU parent. I’m tickled by the idea of all of our UUCCSM families sharing a reflection in common each week as we go about our daily lives. If this proves meaningful for you, I’d love to hear about it! Thanksgiving: (from The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox)
This Week in UU History: (From This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman)November 18, 1787: James Freeman was ordained as a Unitarian minister at King’s Chapel in Boston, by authority of the congregation, after two Anglican bishops refused to ordain him. At the service, he was names “Rector, Minister, Priest, Pastor, and Ruling Elder.” Thus the first Anglican church in America became the first avowedly Unitarian church in America. Through Freeman’s Harvard College associations and civic activities, King’s Chapel grew into full relations with its former Puritan enemies. November 18, 1861: The Unitarian Julia Ward Howe wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” at the specific request of President Abraham Lincoln. Many of the Union forces adopted it as a marching song in the Civil War, but it soon gained nationwide popularity. American troops sang it in the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II. November 18, 2003: The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued its decision in the case of Goodridge v. the Department of Public Health of Massachusetts. The court held that under the Constitution of Massachusetts, it is illegal to deny to people of the same gender the same marriage rights granted to people of different genders. The primary plaintiffs were Hillary and Julie Goodridge. Of the 14 plaintiffs, seven were Unitarian Universalists, including Hillary Goodridge. The Unitarian Universalist Association and the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association of the Masachusetts Bay District filed amicus curiae briefs in the case. November 24, 1597: George Enyedi, the third superintendent (bishop) of Unitarian churches in Transylvania, died. In a time of fading religious faith, Enyedi rallied the Unitarians with regular synods and writings. His death, followed by that of King Sigismund II, marked the end of Unitarianism’s major presence in the area. · November 24, 1859: Charles Darwin, a Unitarian, published The Origin of the Species, setting forth radical ideas that challenged biblical literalists. November 11, 2008Calendar of upcoming events:Sunday, 11/16 This Week in RE:Preschool: “We Must Care for the Earth and its Plants and Animals.” Kindergarten-2nd Grade: “Our Promises” (11:00) This Sunday we’ll share a story that introduces our UU promises – the seven principles. 3rd-5th Grade: “Expression” 6th-7th Grade: “Catholicism” 8th Grade: 9th-12th Grade: Announcements:NEW Donation Drive to Benefit Common Ground’s Homeless Teen Program: Personal Care items needed for “hygiene kits”:
Sharon Chamberlain, Executive Director of Common Ground, writes: Our homeless youth always have a more difficult time living on the streets during the colder, wetter months. They will greatly appreciate any items- I had a youth tell me last year when we were handing out socks that it is “nice to feel like someone cares”. Please tell your youth thank you!... The kids need warm things for the winter. Often socks and clothes get wet and they show up at our place soaked to the bone with no other clothes to change into. They are always in need of the following specifically:
Although the Westside has a cold weather shelter for adults that opens for a few months each year in early December, many of the youth will not access it. Often, this is due to fear. Many of the youth have told me about horrible experiences at various LA shelters. There is no “youth” shelter on the Westside. In the cold months ahead, many of the kids will need other non clothing items to support them on the street including:
I just provided a long list! Sorry for that! This time of year is always so hard. I wonder how we can let any of our young people sleep out on the cold streets for months on end. It is so difficult to have to shut our doors at the end of a night and send those kids back out to the cold and wet. Any help that you can provide is wonderful and much appreciated! The Philosophy and Practice of Nonviolent Parenting starts Nov. 23 Take a moment and imagine your child as a |