February Board Highlights

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Monica Board of Directors held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 11, via Zoom. 

Board members present included Vice President Vilma Ortiz, Treasurer Rebecca Crawford, Secretary Linda van Ligten, Past President Barbara Kernochan, and Members-at-Large Larry Weiner, Norm Richey, Audrey Erbes, Shanna Shaked, Cassie Winters, and Trish Brassard. Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae and congregational member Dr. Susan Hendricks (chair of the Intersectional Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Commission) also attended.  President Eileen McCormack was absent.

Call to Order and Spiritual Grounding

Vilma called the meeting to order at: 7:00 p.m. Jeremiah read the UU Value of Equity: “We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion. We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities.”

Jeremiah also presented an opening reading by Nelson Mandela:

“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”

Board members also provided a personal check-in, and answered a question based on this month’s worship theme of Inclusion – either “When were you first ‘saved’ by someone who widened a circle to let you in? And if you could talk to them today, what would you say to them?”…or “How is the pain and struggle of those less fortunate than you included in your life?”

Membership and Standing Monthly Reports

Our current membership is 258. New members Vernon “Bud” Rowe and Elizabeth “Betsy” Rowe were read into the rolls.  

The Standing Monthly Reports were noted, and a consent agenda motion to accept the reports and approve the January board meeting minutes passed unanimously.

Intersectional Anti-Racism Anti-Oppression Commission (IARAO)

Commission chair Dr. Susan Hendricks reviewed the history of IARAO at UUSM (see past news stories “What is the IARAO Commission at UUSM?” and “Apply to Join UUSM’s Intersectional Anti-Racist Anti-Oppression Commission (IARAO)“) and invited those curious about intersectionality, anti-racism, or anti-oppression to dive into the concepts through their own essential and self-reflective exploration, rather than relying solely on the commission for direction.

Dr. Susan also reflected on the commission’s ongoing work in our community through the lenses of Beloved Conversations, the 8th Principle, and Widening the Circle of Concern. She said the IARAO Commission, which includes two UUSM board members and our DMRE Jessica TenHave-Place, is currently exploring Widening the Circle of Concern more deeply by completing the UUA’s facilitator training for Mosaic, a curriculum specifically developed for this effort. 

Dr. Susan said the work of Beloved Conversations is ongoing in our community and that we, as a congregation, do not need to wait for the IARAO Commission to guide us in engaging the work of the program’s first phase, Within…and that we should also be patient for the next opportunity for our congregation to continue with Meadville Lombard Theological School’s Among and Beyond phases of the curriculum. She said this kind of transformative work requires a long-term commitment to inner reflection as a path to growth and change as a community, so we need to “breathe, pause, and reflect” because an urgency mindset is often associated with white supremacy culture.

Finally, Dr. Susan connected the work of IARAO to our Faith in Action (FIA) Commission, noting that the two are complementary aspects of the work to which we’re all committed. She said this self-reflective work is, in itself, “Faith in Action” and requires ongoing self-reflection as an essential part of the process.

Board members expressed gratitude for the commission’s ongoing efforts, to Dr. Susan for so thoughtfully sharing its important work, and to the commission members and others who have engaged in and continue to inspire and strengthen our collective commitment.

Minister’s Report

In the introduction to his report, Jeremiah noted that:

“Our Universalist spiritual forbearers had a vision of divine love that was so prophetic, so radical, and so inclusive that it challenged every human construct of exclusivity. They believed that in the ultimate end, even if not realized in life, all souls would be reconciled and saved by the overwhelming compassion, mercy, and love that shines at the heart of existence. That belief meant that people should likewise progress towards such a universal embrace to truly affirm the inherent dignity of every person.”

This month’s theme of Living Love Through the Path of Inclusion, said Jeremiah…

“…connects with the revolutionary theology of our spiritual ancestors and our contemporary living of a liberal faith with Love at the center. While some misguided souls are attacking our society’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion – fundamental tenets upon which this country was founded – it is now more important than ever that we side with our UU Values and those who are being actively excluded by some members of our society. This includes transgender and gender non-conforming people, queer people, refugees and immigrants, disabled people, BIPOC people, poor people, and others among us who are being targeted. This isn’t a time to be timid but to be out loud and proud of who we are as Unitarian Universalists and of our radical and ever growing embrace of diversity in all of its beauty and splendor!”

Jeremiah further reported that:

• We have gathered for four Sunday worship services since our last Board Meeting. Jessica offered the excellent Martin Luther King Jr. Multigenerational Celebration service, which considered the life and teachings of leaders of non-violent resistance and even included our children and youth marching through the congregation with placards displaying our newly articulated UU Values. Jeremiah provided Liberating Love, which explained our radical inclusion of people being targeted in our society and explored strategies for resilience as we embody our UU Values. Unitarian Universalist Inspirations explored how we can further fortify our liberal faith with the wisdom, practices, and histories of our Inspirations and discussed the evolution from our UU Sources to the new UU Inspirations. And finally, Taking Refuge, Making Refuge considered the Buddhist practice of taking refuge in the Three Jewels as a model for UUs to also find refuge in our own Three Jewels (Love, Values, and Beloved Community). Jeremiah also addressed the assault on our constitutional system of governance ,attacks on religious leaders and communities, and the faulty theology misguiding dominant ideologies. He said our sanctuary “continues to be comfortably full and spirits are generally good despite the considerable distress, fear, and anxiety in the world right now.”

• Our Worship Team met and discussed current and future services and welcomed and celebrated our four new Worship Associates, following a very successful recruitment campaign over the last couple of months.

• Our Pastoral Care Team and Pastoral Executive Team met this past month to receive reports from our Pastoral Associates and strengthen our resilience in these times. The PAs also continued to follow up with members affected by the wildfires, and Jeremiah provided the team with a didactic workshop on “Pastoral Care in Times of Disaster.”

• Jeremiah continues to offer Pastoral Meetings and Spiritual Counseling to members of the community as requested, to help strengthen trust and healthy relations in our communal practice.

• Jeremiah continues to hold meet weekly, biweekly, and/or monthly Ministry, Administrative, and Governance Meetings with our senior staff, president, the executive committee, worship chair, our consulting minister, pastoral co-chairs, UUA congregational life staff, and other congregational leaders as requested.

• In the realm of Personnel and Administrative Planning, the search for our next Congregational Administrator is well underway. The Congregational Administrator Interviewing Committee has been meeting and laying the groundwork for applicant interviews, while Nurit has been conducting the initial interviews, and the Committee has been following up with second interviews. 

• Also regarding Nurit Gordon’s upcoming retirement, we organized dates and activities for Celebrating our Congregational Administrator and her 15 years with the congregation. Everyone had an opportunity to celebrate and thank Nurit following the service on March 2nd, and the board will have another opportunity to do the same.

• The Leadership Development and Nominating Committee has been meeting almost weekly to prepare for the canvass of the congregation before nominating a Ministerial Search Committee. The group is off to an excellent start and we hope to begin the canvass soon.

• The Intersectional Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression (IARAO) Commission has been exploring the possibility of a guaranteed income program with an interested church member, Jeremiah has been providing consultation over the last month, and Jessica met with the Commission last month to explore our use of the UUA’s Mosaic antiracism religious education curriculum (see Dr. Susan’s report above). Jeremiah serves primarily as a consultant and ex-officio member of the commission, providing feedback as requested.

• Jeremiah continues to review and provide feedback to the amazing work of the very capable Board Policies Review Team. His role is primarily as a consultant and ex-officio member of the commission, providing feedback as requested.

• We had our second Communications Team meeting last month, though it was somewhat abridged because of the wildfires. The group reviewed the information and resources developed by our Interim Chair, Pam Teplitz, and we are all incredibly grateful for her dedicated leadership in this work.

• We set up a Wildfire Relief Fund (thank you to all those who donated) and we now have the means to support those who may need financial assistance in our community, either now or down the road.

• Students at Santa Monica High School walked out of their classes on February 6th to protest the reactionary policies targeting immigrants and LGBTQIA people. The group marched to City Hall, and after being invited to provide religious accompaniment, a few of our members were able to attend.  The event was organized with four other local high schools and received significant media coverage.

• An interfaith workshop on Sanctuary and Rapid Response Training and providing a safe haven for immigrants, was offered by CLUE and other partners for Sanctuary Congregations clergy and leaders on Sunday, February 16 at St. Paul’s Commons in Echo Park, and online. Jeremiah encouraged members from UUSM to attend.

• The Santa Monica Area Interfaith Council & Leadership Team offered its annual MLK Day service at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, featuring remarks from First AME Santa Monica’s Pastor Carolyn Bell. The theme this year was celebrating the contributions of Black women’s leadership in the civil rights movement. Jeremiah continues to meet monthly with the leadership team and the entire council.

• Jeremiah continues continue to meet monthly with the UCLA  Medical Center Ethics Committee, to help shape health care practice affecting the larger community and to engage in ethical learning and clinical discernment.

In conclusion, Jeremiah said he will continue to “lift up as I often do the importance of cultivating and sustaining leadership that is non-anxious, self-differentiated, and counter-oppressive leaders in this all too anxious, chaotic, and oppressive time in our larger world.” He also urged board members to review resources developed by the Congregational Life staff at the UUA’s Pacific Western Region, which were shared with board members via email by Linda and Norm. Jeremiah said the materials are “mostly a refresher,” but “can help us cultivate resilience as a community in these difficult times.”

Treasurer’s Report

Rebecca reported that based on January, 2025, activity, “pledge receipts are pretty much in line with expected, including the December bump.” She also said we still have about $7K toward the $11K of extra monies we added to the budget by increasing Jessica’s hours, and we have received the Spirit Level Foundation matching funds.

Meanwhile, Rebecca said Nurit has created two versions of a first draft of the budget for 2025-26 — one showing the proposed budget with no salary increases, and one showing a 5% increase to correspond with the 5% change in our GEO index. (For comparison, the Social Security increase for 2025 is 2.5%.) Rebecca also pointed out that next year’s budget does not contain lines for the Spirit Level Foundation grant and matching funds, which means $30K will need to be made up in additional pledges. And increasing the DMRE hours adds about $11K. So while there will be some salary savings in having a new (inexperienced) administrator, she said, the church will still need to add about $41K to our current pledges of $362K…and if we give a 5% salary increase to all employees (except the administrator), the pledge increase for the upcoming campaign would need to be $60K.

Rebecca reported that expenses right now are generally predictable, with nothing out of the ordinary happening so far at this point in the year. And, finally, she said, the stock market went down a little last month, so our endowment is now about $411,000.

Director of Multigenerational Religious Education Report

In her written report submitted to the board this month, DMRE Jessica TenHave-Place said January 2025 was a tumultuous month for everyone in Los Angeles, as “we faced the destruction of massive wildfires, as well as anxieties around concerns for vulnerable people in our community following the conservative victories in the 2024 election.”

“This month,” she said, “illustrated the importance of remaining flexible in our Children and Youth Religious Education (CYRE) ministry, as some plans took a temporary backseat in order to prioritize community care. While many people at UUSM are feeling fatigued by what feels like a continual onslaught of bad news in the wider world, there is also great energy around making sure our community is a place for both spiritual respite and meaningful social justice action.”

During the initial outbreak of of the fires, Jessica said, “I participated with other staff and volunteers in making pastoral care calls to CYRE families living near the affected areas to make sure everyone was safe and their needs were provided for. Thankfully, the families I reached out to were all safe and well, and several were eager to offer help to anyone else who might be in need. On our first Sunday back in RE after the fires started, I shelved my planned lesson in favor of just having a quiet morning doing watercolors together and talking about how we were all feeling. This felt healing for me, as well as for the small group of kids and parents who were present. It was a great example of how some of the most significant ministry moments aren’t reflected in big numbers or flashy events, but in being able to simply hold space for each other and being present during heavy emotional times.”

Jessica said, however, that “while the fires required postponing our Youth RE kick-off by one week, we had a great initial meeting on January 19, with two more meetings since then. So far we are a small group, with a total of five middle and high schoolers participating, but this core group brings a great amount of creativity and enthusiasm. We kicked off with a church-wide scavenger hunt, followed up with our first lesson in the Building Bridges curriculum on world religions, and spent our latest meeting creating art and discussing recent student-led protests. Our students have a big interest in standing in solidarity with immigrants, so we are exploring possible service trips to the border, and plan to attend the CLUE Justice march for immigrant rights on March 1st along with other UUSM members.”

Also, she said, “A standout event this month was our multigenerational service in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I thought it was a great outlet for the social-political anxieties many of us were feeling, and served as an encouraging reminder of the champions of social justice that came before us, and the spiritual resources available to us as we continue the march towards freedom. The younger members were engaged through making protest signs that we used in a litany of resistance, marching through the sanctuary in song, and leading worship as chalice lighters and readers. I was so proud of their participation, and of the many adults who offered thought-provoking reflections on the service. It’s a privilege to be part of a congregation that can respond to ideas that are potentially challenging to the status quo with such open-hearted, open-minded engagement. These multigenerational services continue to be my favorite moments with our community, and I’m so thankful for how they bring us all together.”

“This month I also completed the facilitator training for the Mosaic Antiracism Lifespan curriculum provided by the UUA,” said Jessica, “and met with both the Intersectional Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Commission and the CYRE committee to discuss plans to recruit more facilitators and explore using this curriculum at UUSM, with both children and adults.”

“Along with Our Whole Lives (OWL), Mosaic gives us an opportunity to provide education to people in our congregation and wider community that may no longer be provided in schools and workplaces. While we haven’t yet discussed what implementation of this curriculum would look like in detail, Mosaic provides a great outreach opportunity at a time when people have an increased interest in promoting antiracism education.”

Finally, Jessica said, “Looking forward to what the rest of 2025 may bring for us is daunting, and there is a temptation to overload my plate with any and everything that might be a helpful resource for people in these challenging times. I’m thankful for Rev. Jeremiah’s leadership and their concern for the staff’s individual and collective wellness and the importance of creating sustainable forms of ministry. We are fortunate that the values and structure of our community already prepare us well for challenges that may lie ahead. I will continue to be guided by my commitment to creating spaces for young people to be fully themselves and engage spirituality with a spirit of curiosity and compassion. I’m grateful to be working with a congregation that is so supportive of that work.”

Board Liaisons

Cassie said she will follow up with chairs of our various committees, and then the Board will determine which of them need a Board Liaison.

Policy Updates

Policy Updates were postponed until the next Board meeting. All Board members were requested to provide feedback to the Board Policies Task Force on the policies for Vice President, Investment Committee Chair, Personnel Committee Charter, Kitchen, Animals and any other policies that may be presented for review.

Stewardship

Denise Helton has agreed to lead this committee, and she has created a Stewardship 101 book.

FIA/Adult RE Update

Larry reported that the Building Your Own Theology workshop, with Dr. Kikanza Nuri-Robins, was due to start on February 19.

Nurit’s Retirement

The Board will have an appreciation luncheon for Nurit on March 13th. (See Jeremiah’s report, above, for notes on the congregational celebration for Nurit.)

The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.

 

Draft minutes used to create this report were provided by Linda van Ligten, Board Secretary. Documents distributed and reviewed at the meeting can be found here.