Join us each Sunday ONLINE as we celebrate and worship as a community.
We as Unitarian Universalists look forward to being with you virtually and in spirit on Sunday morning. We continue to develop our new spiritual practice of co-creating beloved community together in the midst of a global pandemic. We’re finding ways to spiritually prepare and fortify ourselves and to support others in uncertain times. If you need help getting to the online services, please contact board member Eileen McCormack for assistance.
Join our online Sunday service broadcast on the church’s Facebook page @UUSantaMonica on Sunday mornings and join the conversation on Facebook. You can also watch it live here on the UUSM Newsletter site on the main page (news.uusm.org). You don’t need to have a Facebook account or be logged in to watch on Facebook or here. The video will also be available on our YouTube channel shortly after the end of the service, so tune in anytime to catch up and worship with your community.
Sunday, June 6, 2021
“Call to Imagination”
Liz Murphy, preaching
Robbert Schalekamp, Worship Associate
ONE SERVICE AT 10:00 am online
For so many of us, the practice of imagination is left behind after childhood. But what if we reincorporated the magic of imagination into our daily lives? What might we imagine anew for ourselves? What might we dream up for our world? How might doing the work of imagination in community be a pathway to justice and love? This Sunday, we will revisit the practice of imagination as a form of “play,” our worship theme for June.
Liz Murphy (she/her) recently completed her intern ministry at Throop Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena, CA. She will be ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister this August, and is looking forward to what ministry will hold in the future. Liz graduated from the Claremont School of Theology with a Master of Divinity in 2020, and we’re delighted to welcome her back to our pulpit. Originally from Pittsburgh, she lives in Los Angeles with her wife, Hilary.
Sunday, June 13, 2021
“Queer Pride!”
Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae, preaching
Kikanza Nuri-Robins, Worship Associate
ONE SERVICE AT 10:00 am online
Unitarian Universalists have been leaders in the movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, and queer liberation for nearly seven decades. Join us this Sunday as we celebrate our trailblazing herstory and Queer Pride in 2021!
Sunday, June 20, 2021
“Our Brightly Burning Flame”
Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae, preaching
JoAn Peters, Worship Associate
ONE SERVICE AT 10:00 am online
Join us as we reflect on a year of liberal ministry during a global pandemic, celebrate our many members who gave of themselves to our Beloved Community, and prepare for the unique challenges and exciting opportunities of the new church year!
Sunday, June 27, 2021
“UUA General Assembly Worship”
ONE SERVICE AT 10:00 am online
Please come for the largest annual gathering of UUs joining in worship. Last year more than 10,000 screens tuned in for the Sunday Morning Worship at GA! Recognizing the importance of shared ministry and the many innovative approaches to worship created by congregations during the pandemic, UUA President the Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick Gray selected the First Universalist Church of Minneapolis to serve as worship leaders for this year’s GA Sunday Morning Service: Rev. Jen Crow; Rev. Arif Mamdani; Julica Hermann de la Fuente; Karen Hutt; Lauren Wyeth; Dr. Randy Buikema; Franco Holder; Aimee K. Bryant.
First Universalist has been a model of shared ministry and what it means to put the work of dismantling white supremacy and building anti-racist, anti-oppressive practices at the center of their ministry. They have been on the front lines in support of the Movement for Black Lives in Minneapolis, bringing spiritual care and moral leadership in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by police and the important uprisings for justice that followed. Children and families are a vital part of their ministry, and they have been using creative approaches to engage all ages in worship during the pandemic. Their leadership exemplifies some of the best practices for the creativity, spiritual depth, and moral leadership that is possible when we embrace the work of shared ministry rooted in love and justice.
Video of the public events from General Assembly (GA) 2021 of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) will be live-streamed June 23-27, with no registration required. Folks can watch General Sessions, the Candidates Forum and Info Session, the Service of Living Tradition, the Synergy Bridging Worship, and the Sunday Morning Worship. An online chat is available during live events, to further connections between members of our UU extended family. GA registration is also still open.
Generous Congregation Recipients: TransLatin@ Coalition and MICAH
We come together for more than ourselves. In honor of Pride we will share 50% the offering June 6, 13, and 20 with the TransLatin@ Coalition. The Coalition is a national, Los Angeles-based nonprofit advocacy group that works on behalf of transgender Latina women who are immigrants to the United States. It established and runs the Center for Violence Prevention and Transgender Wellness and works with policymakers and organizations to advance advocacy and resource support for transgender Latinas. Its staff consists of leaders from across the country who have specific experience in meeting the needs of transgender Latinas intersecting with public health, education, and social justice, with representation in over 11 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and Mexico City, with over seven organized chapters.
The General Assembly worship service on June 27 includes a collection to benefit MICAH: Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope. MICAH does community organizing in several key areas, including civic engagement, environment, criminal justice and prison reform, education, jobs and economic development, and transportation. They have a long history of visionary Black leadership, true multi-faith collaboration, and synergistic partnership with frontline communities and organizations. Several Milwaukee-area UU congregations have long-time, deep relationships with MICAH, and have actively participated in MICAH’s organizing and campaigns.
Thank you for your generous support of this beloved community, the TransLatin@ Coalition, and MICAH. 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/make-a-donation.
Our Church Bell’s 40th Anniversary
For many years an old Southern Pacific steam engine bell could be seen in the bell tower at 18th and Arizona, but it never gave a beautiful sound. While on a sojourn in France, Dr. Raymond and Betty Goodman, arranged for their gift to the church of a glorious bell, tuned to a musical G, cast especially for us. The Goodmans also selected a text that appears in the surface of the casting, “It Tolls for Thee.” Our bell was dedicated on June 21, 1981, by the Rev. Ernie Pipes. Since then, many hands have grasped, pulled, and let go of its golden bell pull. For four decades now we have been called to worship by this bell, and our spirits have been raised by its beautiful tone.
