July’s Ministry Theme is Grace
Join us in-person and online on Sundays at 10:30 am. All are welcome! We as Unitarian Universalists in Santa Monica look forward to being with you.
COVID Update May 2023: The congregation’s Pandemic Policies and Protocols were adopted specifically in response to the pandemic. Given that the state of emergency has been lifted, they are no longer in effect. Masks are optional, but always acceptable and welcome. If you or someone in your household is not feeling well or have tested positive for COVID, please stay home; you can still join us via our Facebook or YouTube live-stream worship.
Parking at the UCLA parking structure at 1311 16th St. is available to people attending Sunday services. The entrance is from 16th St. between Santa Monica Blvd. and Arizona Ave., on the SE corner of Arizona and 16th; ask the attendant for a UUSM parking permit to place on your dashboard. For those with a handicap parking tag, several spaces are also available onsite, via the alley west of 18th St., as well as in the UCLA structure.
Worship Online: We livestream our service from the sanctuary. Join us by clicking the WATCH NOW button above where the video is live every week beginning at 10:20 am, or watch on YouTube or Facebook. You don’t need to have a YouTube or Facebook account, or be logged in, to watch the service. You do have to be logged in to comment and chat with other members of the congregation.
Explore past services on our Sermons page, available 24/7. Tune in anytime to catch up and worship with your community. We encourage you to light a chalice or candle at home, mediate, and sing along.
Sunday Worship: The Path to Community
Sanctuary 1260 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA, United StatesRev. Angeline C. Jackson, preaching
Jyvonne Haskin, Worship Associate
Join us in-person or online to explore the profound potential within each of us to build and sustain meaningful relationships, even amidst our differences and disappointments.
We are honored to welcome the Rev. Angeline C. Jackson to our pulpit. She is a Unitarian Universalist Minister, an accomplished author, a transformational coach, and a sought-after speaker dedicated to empowering individuals on their journey toward personal growth and emotional well-being.
Rev. Jackson introduces herself saying, "My mission is to inspire people to live their lives with passion and purpose through the cultivation of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and compassion. My journey has been one of profound personal transformation, inspiring me to share my insights and strategies to help others navigate the complexities of the human experience with grace and resilience. My writing and speaking engagements reflect my deep commitment to personal growth and societal well-being. With a blend of research-backed methodologies and heartfelt storytelling, I guide my audience toward unlocking their fullest potential. I am dedicated to fostering environments where people can thrive both personally and professionally, ensuring that every life I touch is given the tools to harness their inner strength and navigate the path to a more fulfilling life."
Sunday Worship: Life Rules
Sanctuary 1260 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA, United StatesRev. Dr. Kikanza Nuri-Robins, preaching;
Chela Metzger, Worship Associate.
When a system is destabilized, overcommunication is necessary, and we tend to do the opposite. When there is a conflict in expectations or a clash of values, we tend to rely on rules and policies, rather than leaning into the values that undergird our relationship. When the environment is uncomfortable, we often flee to the margins, or grab our toys and leave for good. Come. Let's talk about it. Let's explore the challenging and the uncomfortable to find the spaces where we can learn and grow. What are the non-negotiable rules that frame your life? Join us for worship in-person and online.
Sunday Worship: The Poetry of Surprise
Sanctuary 1260 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA, United StatesRima Snyder, guest speaker;
Karen Hsu Patterson, Worship Associate.
Surprises are part of everyone's life. Often major life transitions offer a new perspective or an unexpected shift. Poems about surprising moments of joy or sorrow will be shared this morning. Join us for worship in-person and online.
Sunday Worship: Feedback
Sanctuary 1260 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA, United StatesRev. Dr. Kikanza Nuri-Robins, preaching;
Cassie Winters, Worship Associate.
When the sound system isn't working, or the Zoom audio needs adjustment, we get feedback: Annoying, irritating noise that tells us that something must be adjusted. Feedback from people is often subtle and easy to ignore, and sometimes it is missing altogether. This morning we are going to talk about feedback and what it sounds like in a Beloved Community. Join us for worship in-person and online.
July Generous Congregation Recipient: Westside Coalition
Our practice here at UUSM is to dedicate half of our non-pledge Sunday offering to support the life of our church and the other 50% to organizations doing work in the world that advances our Unitarian Universalist principles. This month, half of our Sunday Offering will go to the Westside Coalition.
Founded in 1982 to serve the poor and homeless of Westside of Los Angeles County, this alliance of 75 organizations, public agencies, and faith communities is committed to working collaboratively on issues of housing, hunger and health through service coordination, public education and advocacy. Originally called the Westside Shelter & Hunger Coalition, the group later merged with the Westside Health Coalition. Throughout its history, this organization has proven to be effective in providing collaborative, high-quality programs and services for those in need in our community. It is a non-profit volunteer organization that currently operates under the fiscal sponsorship of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Santa Monica. The coalition has also been instrumental in advocating for low income and homeless people at the local, state, and national levels.
The Westside Coalition helps coordinate all services on the Westside in order to provide a true continuum of service care for the community: initial intake and service referrals; showers, food and clothing; on-going case management; emergency, transitional and permanent housing; medical care; mental health treatment; HIV medical and social services; job training and placement; substance abuse treatment; and more.
Thank you for your generous support of our beloved community and the Westside Coalition. To give $10 right now, text “$10 GCC” (or another amount) to 844-982-0209. (One-time-only credit card registration required.) Or visit uusm.org/donate.
July 2024 Theme: Grace
Our theme this month invites us to consider our world, our communities, and our lives in the light of Grace.
We’re only here for a minute. We’re here for a little window. And to use that time to catch and share shards of light and laughter and grace seems to me the great story. ~ Brian Doyle
Let go of the ways you thought life would unfold: the holding of plans or dreams or expectations – Let it all go. Save your strength to swim with the tide. ~ Diana Faulds
Joan of Arc’s Inquisitors used a question meant to trap her, “Are you in a state of grace?” The clever warrior replied, “If I am in a state of grace, make God keep me there, & if I am not, me He put me there.”
Sometimes go outside and sit in the evening at sunset, when there’s a slight breeze that touches your body, and makes the leaves and trees move gently. You’re not trying to do anything really. You’re simply allowing yourself to be very open from deep within, without holding onto anything whatsoever. Don’t bring something back from the past, from a memory. Don’t plan that something should happen. Don’t hold onto anything in the present. Nothing you perceive needs to be nailed down. Simply let your experience take place, very freely, so that your empty, open heart is suffused with the tenderness of true compassion. ~ Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Carefree Dignity
A trio of excerpts from beloved UU poet May Sarton:
Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.
When grace is given it comes to us as joy, maybe, but it can also be earned, I am convinced, through the rigorous examination of the sources of pain.
God’s Grace, given freely, we do not deserve,
But we can choose at least to see its ghost
On every face. …
Let us be gentle to each other in their brief time
For we shall die in exile far from home,
Where even the flowers can no longer save.
Only the living can be healed by love.
And here’s an article about May Sarton in UU World magazine, in 2012.
Our service in the world continues.
