The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Monica board of directors met via Zoom on January 13, 2026. The meeting was called to order by President Vilma Ortiz at 7:06 pm. Other board members attending included Vice President Karl Lisovsky, Treasurer Sue Bickford, Secretary Linda Van Ligten, Past President Eileen McCormack, and Members at Large Larry Weiner, Cassie Winters, Rebecca Avery, Jef Travis, Jila Tayefehnowrooz, and Anne Bridgins. Reverend Jeremiah Kalendae and congregational member Jacinda Virgin also attended.
Opening and Spiritual Grounding
Eileen lit the chalice and read the UU principle 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.” She also read the UU Value of Generosity, and provided an opening reading from Adam Slate:
We Hold That Moment in Our Spirit
When the great mosaic of humanity is treated with respect and dignity,
When no person is threatened by hunger or war,
When we have extended hospitality to the stranger and tended to the sick,
When equity and justice reign everywhere,
Then we shall all be free.
We light this flame to hold that moment in our spirit and in our minds until we can make it real.
Board members provided personal check-ins and answered questions related to our monthly worship theme of Practicing Resistance.
Vilma reminded attendees to be mindful, speak in turns, wait for others to speak before speaking again, and avoid crosstalk.
Committee, Project, and Other Updates
- The Board thanked Policy Task Force Members for their hard work, which is mostly invisible to the congregation. In further discussion, it was noted that Barbara Kernochan, who has served on both the Board and the Policy Task Force, said there’s a need for a Board Liaison to The Policy Task Force, to help the group continue its work. Rebecca Avery agreed to be the Board Liaison.
- The Peace and Social Justice Committee asked the board to endorse CalCare, the campaign to pass legislation that would provide single-payer, universal healthcare for all Californians…and that UUSM join the California United for Single Payer (CUSP), a new coalition of statewide groups supporting CalCare and a 501 (c)4 organization. After some discussion, the board voted unanimously to endorse CalCare, but decided that UUSM would not join CUSP at this time.
- Sue Bickford reported that we received a $5,000 rebate from our solar panel project. After discussing how the balance should be used, board members voted unanimously to create a Green Building Fund for future green capital projects.
- A proposal from the Intersectional Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Commission that UUSM become an Apartheid Free Congregation by signing the Apartheid Free Pledge was reviewed and discussed…but the proposal failed to earn the consensus it would need to pass a board vote.
- Karl Lisovsky reported that Dining for Dollars will launch on Saturday, February 21, with an all-church party, potluck, and silent auction, as well as a kickoff of the online auction. The Board agreed to host a Pancake Breakfast as its D4$ event.
- Board members were encouraged to help the Stewardship team, led by Denise Helton and Gretchen Goetz.
- Cassie said our Ministerial Search Committee is meeting twice a week now, and there is much activity. Updates can be found in the weekly Announcements email.
- At Jef’s request, Jacinda presented a funding request for an Animal Ministry luncheon after a recent documentary film screening. Jacinda said the luncheon was previously approved, with funding to come from the church budget…but the budget did not specifically include funding for the Animal Ministry. Karl moved that the board approve a $600 budget line for the Animal Ministry, which was seconded by Sue and approved unanimously.
- The December board minutes, monthly reports, and January consent agenda were passed unanimously.
- Anne reported that our total current membership is 267. There were no new members to read into the rolls.
Minister’s Report
In the introduction to his report this month, Jeremiah quoted Ursula Wolfe-Rocca, who said, “It can be overwhelming to witness/experience/take in all the injustices of the moment; the good news is that they’re all connected. So if your little corner of work involves pulling at one of the threads, you’re helping to unravel the whole damn cloth.”
He also said “the holidays were a joyous time in our community once again as we marked the Season of Lights, the Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and the New Year. Our Soul Matters theme for this month is Practicing Resistance but I haven’t had a chance to contemplate it given the unexpected events in my own life, the efforts it took to support Trish’s Celebration of Life last week, and being occupied with two ministerial search processes at the same time.”
Jeremiah also thanked the board for its understanding during “this intense time,” and said his remarks this month are fairly brief, but he hopes to have “something more substantive to share, soon.” Also, he noted that, “The next three months we will be deep in the search process, so expect that we will have to adapt to some new routines and occasionally the unexpected as we make progress on multiple fronts. Love will be a guiding star as we move forward together.”
Jeremiah further reported that:
- We’ve gathered as a congregation for five Sunday morning Worship services and one annual holiday service since the board’s last meeting. He offered the service Holy Spirit, which explored church history, theology, and pneumatology. Rev. Kikanza provided our annual Winter Solstice service, It’s Cold and Dark, which was followed by the shared offering of our annual Candlelight Christmas Eve service: The Hope of Christmas. Over the holiday break, Chaplain Michael Eselun once again graced us with one of his services, Ragged Edges, which was followed by Pale Blue Dot by our popular member worship leader James Witker. And finally, on January 11, Jessica offered a multigenerational service for MLK Day/Month: Making a Way Out of No Way. Jeremiah said our sanctuary continues to be comfortably full on Sundays, with lots of fellowship and joy, and we were overflowing once again on Christmas Eve.
- Our Worship Associates did not meet last month, given the holidays, but everything is in good order.
- Our Pastoral Care Team and Pastoral Associates are meeting to strengthen our relational practices, receive pastoral reports, and consider other logistics of caring. Jeremiah more specifically thanked the members of this dedicated team for their outreach and spreading of holiday goodwill and cheer through our annual holiday card mailing.
- Jeremiah continues to offer Pastoral Meetings and Spiritual Counsel, as well as pastoral support to members of the community as requested, to help strengthen trust and healthy relations in our communal practice. He said pastoral need remains high and has included multiple hospital visits and pastoral calls in the last month.
- On Saturday, January 10th, Jeremiah officiated at the Celebration of Life of beloved congregational member and leader Trish Brassard. Although Rev. Kikanza usually officiates at rites of passage, he said an exception was made due to a special request and Trish’s recent tenure as a member of our board. Jeremiah extended special thanks to Carol Ring, Linda Van Ligten, Denise Helton, and the pastoral team for their leadership and support.
- We hosted our annual Winter Holiday Staff Luncheon at Socalo last month. Most of the staff was able to attend, and the event included a staff gift exchange along with the sharing of holiday gifts from the congregation. Jeremiah said everyone was grateful for the congregation’s gifts, the excellent meal, some restful time, and the time to celebrate together.
- Jeremiah thanked everyone who helped spread the holiday hope and joy with the wonderful reception of cookies, drinks, and fellowship following our Christmas Eve Celebration,
- Jeremiah continues to hold weekly, biweekly, and/or monthly Ministry, Administrative, and Governance Meetings with each of our senior staff members, our president, the executive committee, worship chair, our consulting minister, pastoral co-chairs, and/or other congregational leaders as needed or requested.
- In our ongoing Office Restructuring, Jeremiah reported that we still need to fill our new staff support position. He recommended that a Board member assist Alfie with the search.
- The Leadership Development and Nominating Committee is meeting and continuing to working on our organizational development (Charter, Covenant, etc.) before it turns to the leadership development aspect of its new charge.
- Both the Intersectional Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression Commission (IARAO) and the Board Policies Review Team are continuing their ongoing work.
- Jeremiah met with the Ministerial Search Team last month for a mock interview to review questions the team has prepared to ask applicants, provide feedback on the congregational profile, and help team members anticipate the questions that may be asked by the ministerial candidates.
- Jeremiah is now holding Ministerial Search Meetings with both ministers and congregations in discernment. He said these connections are his top priorities at the moment and they do not leave much time for non-essential matters while we are in the thick of the search process. He also said that, yes, it is unusual for a minister to have to coordinate both sides of the process at the same time, but developmental ministries are an exception and he is making adjustments to support the search process this year.
- There was no new information from the Communications Team this month.
- Jeremiah reported that, continuing a conversation from last month, the UU Animal Ministry is requesting that the board provide funding for the vegan catered food at the wonderful film festival it hosted (see above). He recommended that the board support requests like this, given our limited budgetary allocations and the good practice of supporting groups doing innovative work consistent with our mission.
- Jeremiah met with the Santa Monica Area Interfaith Council and Leadership Team for its annual holiday luncheon last month and group members had a wonderful time together.
- Jeremiah continues to meet monthly with the UCLA Medical Center Ethics Committee to discern policy and interventions or non-interventions in complex clinical cases. He said he also occasionally serves in emergency consults when requested and available.
In conclusion, Jeremiah said, “We enter into another complex year in our world and it is good to have a foundation of beloved community to support us through the good times and the bad times. Thank you for all of the support I received while having to tend to my badly injured friends over the holidays. May we still hold fast to hope in the midst of it all. Thank you for the love, wisdom, time, and commitment you share with our congregation. It is deeply appreciated.”
DMRE Report
In her report to the Board in January, DMRE Jessica TenHave-Place wrote that, “This past month was a great period of special celebrations for CYRE. Highlights include a “Holiday Cookie Party” get-together, our well-attended Christmas Eve Service, and the first multigenerational service of 2026 celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.”
She also reported that, “I have continued to work on cultivating new volunteers and partnerships, which we will continue into the new year as we work on getting started with OWL and building up our Sunday morning RE volunteer pool.”
In addition, she said, “We have successfully added a new CYRE class for preschoolers this month, with help from committee members and other volunteers who rose to the task of teaching this class designed for children under 5.”
“While adjustments to routine can be challenging for younger children,” she said, “the volunteers have reported that the younger ones are responding well to learning at a more appropriate developmental level with more one-on-one attention from teachers and more free space to learn together through less complex curriculum and more time for unstructured playtime. We will be aiming to get more volunteers signed up to teach the preschool class this month, so that our current volunteers don’t get overburdened.”
Next, Jessica said, “Our Christmas Eve service was well attended by all ages, including both regular attenders and first time guests who brought youth and children with them. Kids who arrived early helped me set up luminary decorations, and we all hung out before and after the service in the welcoming space we made in the Cottage for decorating Christmas cookies and listening to holiday music. Our regular volunteers were very helpful in attending to this space and welcoming both kids and parents while I was busy with my other duties in the service.”
Also, “The multigenerational Martin Luther King, Jr. service on January 11th was a great way to kick off 2026, with wonderful participation and leadership from the kids and families. I was particularly inspired by the “joys” the kids shared while placing their candles on the altar, which let them voice the things that were most important to them in life as well as what they most appreciate about being a part of UUSM. It’s always a privilege to lead these services, and I got lots of positive and thought-provoking feedback from both members and visitors.”
Looking forward, Jessica said, “The big project ahead for CYRE in 2026 is OWL for 7th-9th grade, and we have a significant goal to meet in the next week in order to get a good start. A few withdrawals from the program means we are back down to having only 5 students signed up, falling short of our goal of at least 8 students enrolled. I have contacted the parents to let them know that we need at least three more students to register to proceed with the program – this was a helpful suggestion from Beth Rendeiro. We have been doing outreach through our local schools, congregations, and youth organizations, but Beth had the smart idea of asking the already committed participants to recruit a few friends to join in – I’m hopeful that this will get us to our minimum threshold for participants. Worse case scenario, if we do have to cancel the program this time around, I will be able to refer the students who have registered to Neighborhood UU in Pasadena, which is also doing OWL for the same age group this year.”
Also, “In terms of more long-term goals, I’d like to do more work promoting OWL by getting out into the community this summer so UUSM is more of a known entity to potential partners – I am currently looking into doing one-time workshops for Planned Parenthood, the Boys and Girls Club, and neighboring congregations to give them a better idea of what OWL is and who we are as a congregation.”
And, finally, said Jessica, “I’m excited to have brought on a new RE volunteer this month, high school student Aden Hernandez. Aden has been attending UUSM with his mom for several months, and reached out to me about doing volunteer service that could go towards his school service hour requirements. Aden will be serving as a “floater” in RE, providing support to the classes that need it most through helping with set-up and clean-up, preparing snacks, and encouraging the younger kids during their activity time. I’m mindful of the need to give extra supervision to a youth volunteer, so Aden will be paired up with me to start out, and is also getting guidance from Kiran, another youth helper who is familiar with our routines. And like all volunteers, Aden has been instructed in our safety policies and will never be left alone with the younger children, but always paired up with a qualified adult when volunteering. He seems like a generous and responsible young man, and I’m excited to see him stepping into the role of giving back to the congregation while also learning and growing himself!”
Treasurer’s Report
Sue reported the good news that our year-to-date pledge income ($224,366, including a one-time contribution of $1,350) is higher than what we budgeted ($173,000) for this point in the fiscal year, and our December pledge income ($40,107) was also higher than our monthly projection ($28,833). She said we are now half way through the year, and have received 60.3% of our 2025-2026 projected pledge receipts.
At the same time, however, Sue reported that our year-to-date overall fundraising ($3,365) is lower than we have budgeted for this time of the year ($15,750). Reasons for the shortfall include payouts for both the craft fair artists and the Art Wall…and that our biggest annual fundraiser, Dining for Dollars, has yet to occur.
Meanwhile, Sue said our year-to-date rental income ($47,180) is also a bit lower than projected ($48,000), while our monthly rental income this month ($11,019) was actually higher than our monthly projection ($8,000).
Finally, overall, Sue reported that our year-to-date income of $363,974 is about 110% of the $330,350 we projected, while our year-to-date expenses of $324,084 are 100.1% of the $323,624 projected. All in all, Sue said, the budget is in good shape, and we expect to end the year with a deficit of approximately $21,000.
(For more in-depth values, see the December 2025 Statement of income and expense.)
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
