On September 27, 2026, we celebrated eight new members joining UUSM. It is an honor to be chosen as their spiritual home.
Ellen Bradley
Ellen is almost a native Californian….she came to LA, from New York, in 1973 in search of dependable weather to support an outdoor lifestyle. While she may have slowed down a little, she is still an avid hiker. Ellen joined UUSM in search of a sense of community and shared values.
Barb and Alan Carey
Alan is an Organizational Development and Change practitioner and the author of many articles, born and raised in France, an American citizen, and living in the US since 1974. Now retired, Alan volunteers for the American Red Cross, is in charge of the Bordeaux-Los Angeles Sister Cities program, does a lot of coaching and mentoring for start-ups all over the world and helps individuals fulfill their dreams. He loves playing and spending as much time as possible with his grandchildren in Los Angeles and in Panama.
Originally from Lorain, Ohio, Barb is recently retired after 18+ years as the grant writer for the AZ-NM region of the Red Cross. Prior to that, she taught French at various levels, Montessori preschool through university. She is currently training as a volunteer with the Restoring Family Links program at the Red Cross and finding time to do all the fun things that retirement allows—reading, playing piano, sewing (grandkid Halloween costumes currently in progress), and enjoying every opportunity to be with our family in LA and Panama.
Lars Kjeseth (pronounced Larce Chéssuth)
Lars is a full time Mathematics Professor at El Camino College in Torrance, California and works with our friend and fellow member Sue Bickford. He has been teaching at the community college level since 2000, and is highly regarded for his focus on equity and faculty representation. He has been in the choir for even longer than Wyl—about 12 years now.
Nanci Strum
Nanci writes: “I didn’t have a traditional religious upbringing. I was raised in the culture and shadow of the holocaust, fear as an undertone. There was no religious or spiritual support. My parents, uncles and aunts were all holocaust concentration camp survivors.
“In early 2000, I joined the Santa Monica Synagogue. I wanted my son to be raised in the Jewish traditions and to become a Bar Mitzvah. I found Judaism to have meaningful principles, values, and rituals – but also a support of Israel that was totally contrary to my own values.
“I came to UUSM, encouraged by Vilma Ortiz a long-time friend. Knowing my challenges with Jewish institutions, she thought UUSM would resonate with me. She was right! With UUSM’s welcoming community, values, principles, programming, etc., it felt like a fit. After attending UUSM for 8 months, I became a member April 2026, the right decision. I consider myself a Unitarian Universalist with a ‘Jewish Soul.'”
Elizabeth Thorne and Felix Purkl ( pronounced POOR-kuhl )
Felix is originally from Germany and was raised Catholic, while Elizabeth grew up here in LA in a conservative evangelical church.
They are drawn to Unitarian Universalism for its commitment to inclusion, openness, and progressive values. Elizabeth is a corporate attorney who works with startups, and Felix is a software engineer in the automotive industry. They live in Mar Vista and have two children, Otto (7) and Lumi (4), who attend a German immersion charter school. They’re excited to be part of a community where their family can connect, learn, and grow together.
Wyl Tucker
Wyl grew up in New York City and has been a lifetime Unitarian Universalist. He studied at CUNY and at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York and has over 50 years experience in marketing. He lost his fiance at Windows On The World on 9/11.
After 2 years of singing with the choir here at UUSM he is now a member, and considers UUSM “family”.
