In addition to the usual reports, the October 14 meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Monica board of directors featured extensive updates from both our Ministerial Search Committee and the Animal Ministry.
Call to Order and Spiritual Grounding
President Vilma Ortiz called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm via Zoom. Other attendees included Vice President Karl Lisovsky, Treasurer Sue Bickford, Secretary Linda Van Ligten, Past President Eileen McCormack, and Board Members at Large, Larry Weiner, Cassie Winters, Jef Travis, Jila Tayefehnowrooz, and Anne Bridgins. Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae and congregation member Trish Brassard also attended. Board member Rebecca Avery was absent.
Linda lit the chalice and read the UU Value of Transformation: “We adapt to the changing world. We covenant to collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Openness to change is fundamental to our Unitarian and Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.”
Linda also provided an opening reading by Craig Rowland:
“I breathe in the warmth of this light, its glow filling the spaces where fear and doubt reside.
I breathe out the tension I carry. I release what no longer serves me.
I breathe in the strength of our community, a sanctuary of diverse voices and shared purpose.
I breathe out the urge to go it alone. I embrace the power of togetherness.
I breathe in the courage to speak truth, even when it trembles on my lips.
I breathe out the silence that holds me back. I make space for honesty and justice.
I breathe in the hope of transformation, knowing we are here to build and to heal.
I breathe out despair, trusting that change is born in small acts of love.
As we light this chalice, may each breath remind us of the sacred rhythm of life, the pulse of creation, and the power we hold to shape the world around us.”
Board members provided a personal check-in and responded to a question related to our monthly worship theme of Cultivating Compassion – either “Has compassion ever helped you find your way home?” or “What do you need to do to stay tender and compassionate in the face of our consistently cruel political culture that wants you to go numb?”
Vilma reviewed our Covenant and reminded attendees to speak in turn, avoid crosstalk, and be mindful of the queue for speaking.
Committee Updates
The Policies Committee has updated our Safety Policies and is working on implementation. We will need to create a Committee Task Force with participants from the Ushers, Greeters, RE, Hospitality, Worship Associates, Sexton, IT, and partners from the church down the street. This work will continue at the next Board meeting.
After two part-time office staff departures this summer, plans for Office Restructuring include creating one new part-time general office and communications assistant position. Administrator Alfie Wilkerson is working with the Personnel Committee to create a job description. Combining the two former positions into one will save money, though there will also be a projected increase in the Administrator’s pay.
Planning for an upcoming Board Retreat continues, with Vilma still looking for a location.
The Ministerial Transition Team is starting to plan celebrations for Jeremiah’s departure. Linda and Anne volunteered to help, and Cassie will ask for more volunteers from the congregation.
On behalf of the Ministerial Search Committee, Cassie provided reports from the past two months. In her report for September, she noted that:
- The Ministerial Search Committee held a casual, in-person meeting at Beth Rendeiro’s house at the beginning of summer. Since then, she said, the group has held several Zoom meetings, two of them as a part of an orientation with the UUA Transitions advisor.
- The Committee has distributed the various suggested UUA Search Committee member roles, and two members, Beth Rendeiro and Susan Hendricks, have led the Break Barriers, Build Beliefs (B4) Beyond Categorical Thinking work, helping the committee fill out the required application for a B4 congregational workshop and setting up the October 11th workshop logistics.
- The October 12th service tied into the October 11th B4 Workshop, and Rev. Jeremiah switched Sundays with Rev. Kikanza to help facilitate that integration.
- Other fall activities will include a congregational survey and a new congregational profile. Small group work also starts this fall.
- Conversations about setting up a Negotiating Team have begun. The team will include a board member, a Search Committee member, and another member of the congregation. Norm will be the Search Committee member.
For the month of October, Cassie reported that:
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- The Committee’s Break Barriers-Build Beliefs (B4) subgroup administered a survey and managed the October B4 Zoom Workshop offered to the congregation by the UUA. More than 40 people participated in the workshop, and more than 70 completed the survey, which Reverend Patrice Curtis said was an exceptional turnout.
- Ministerial Search Conversations (both face-to-face and via Zoom) began on October 12th and will continue through November 12th, with some of the meetings held as part of various other committee meetings.
- A Negotiating Team has been formed for the search, including Eileen McCormack representing the Board and Kim Miller representing the congregation (Kim has also joined the Personnel Committee). They are now gathering the needed official documents to share as required by the UUA.
- The Search Committee has created a poster-sized timeline for the congregation to gauge where we are in the process, and the committee will share a more detailed timeline with the Board.
- The Committee has also set up a table after Sunday services to field questions and aid congregants with surveys.
Cassie also asked Board members if they would prefer to have the committee come to next month’s Board meeting for their Ministerial Search Conversation or if they’d prefer to individually attend one of the other Conversation meetings already scheduled. Finally, Cassie reported that the Board is also beginning to recruit volunteers for a committee to plan celebrations for Jeremiah’s time with us.
For the Animal Ministry, Jef reported that:
- The Green Committee is on board and has prompted us to create an “Affordable Plant-Based Food Options Near UUSM” list, which is linked to from the Animal Ministry tab on the Social Justice page of the church website. (Jef said the Animal Ministry is also hoping to put the link in a more visible place on the Green Living tab and in the Members Portal.)
- There have been two recent vegan food demonstrations (one in August and one in September).
- The Committee has placed articles in news section of the website with information for the Study/Action issue, and the approval to further educate people on Default Veg or Greener By Default being better approaches for our congregational events (e.g. choose veg first, and when prompted about other options, they can be included for the minimum number of people who think it’s a must).
Moving forward, Jef said the committee hopes to use some of the funds raised from its Animal Film Afternoon to get an outside person to do a better food demo than our Animal Ministry members can provide, since we have had very low attendance at the two events held so far.
Also, in January, he said the Animal Ministry will partner with the Green Living team for an environmentally-driven documentary screening. The group hopes to serve catered plant-based food to draw more people in to learn more about why Default Veg or plant-based is so important for our congregation (since potlucks don’t usually attract as many attendees as free food). Even though two committees are partnering on this, though, Jef said neither has raised enough money yet to cover the cost of catering, so the group would like to ask the Board to consider partially or fully funding the food for 75 people if the organizers can get that many to stay for the event after the January 11 Sunday service.
Next, in the spring, the Animal Ministry plans to organize a “meet your food” Saturday field trip to connect church members with farm animals at a sanctuary in the Sun Valley area. Committee members hope families with kids might want to attend as well, and they can organize carpools.
In addition, Jef said, Animal Ministry members want to talk more with Jessica about how we might be able to talk to both younger and older youth about what “protecting Earth and all beings from exploitation” means to them, and to start a dialogue that students can keep in mind as they grow.
And, finally, of course, Jef said Animal Ministry will have more samples and plant-based food available at the UUSM Earth Day Fair and potluck in April.
Standing Monthly Reports
Board members noted the minutes from the last meeting, and this month’s Standing Reports. There were no corrections or questions, and the items were approved unanimously via a consent agenda vote.
Membership
Linda reported that current membership is 266. New members Roy Patience and Matt Conrad were read into the roll.
Minister’s Report
In the introduction to his written report to the Board this month, Jeremiah said we are now “dwelling in my favorite month of the year, when the sunlight begins to shift, the breeze returns, and our minds turn to the realm of the liminal and our beloveds of days past.”
“It is also a hopeful and exciting month for our community,” he wrote, “as the congregation is now in full swing with a frenzy of activities, events, and opportunities to get involved and be of service to our spiritual home and the wider community!”
For example, “We built a Sukkah in the courtyard once again this year with the Santa Monica Synagogue to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Many are sharing stories of the delightful afternoons and evenings they’ve had at Dining for Dollars feasts and events in recent weeks. Our Ministerial Search Team is busy surveying the congregation and helping us to ‘Break Barriers, Build Beliefs’ as we conduct an anti-racist, counter-oppressive, and inclusive national search with a special zoom workshop. Our Board and many committees are busy with the day-to-day operations of the congregation and our children and youth religious education program is thriving – and still in need of volunteers! At the end of this month and the beginning of next month, we will have our traditional services to remember our ancestors and those souls memorialized in our Garden of Eternity. There is much to do, much to remember, and much to celebrate in these beautiful October days.”
Jeremiah further reported that:
- We’ve gathered for five Sunday Worship services since our last meeting. Falling Leaves was offered by Rev. Kikanza, exploring how we cope with loss and practice the art of pastoral care. Jeremiah presented High Holy Days as one of our annual holiday services, reflecting on Rosh Hashanah as the Day the World was Conceived. Our Calling, also provided by Jeremiah, explored the Hindu concept of Dharma or one’s righteous life duty. Our annual Blessings of the Animals service was once again a delight, exploring our UU Value of Interdependence and our commitments to animal welfare and rights (Thank you, Cassie!). And finally, Cultivating Compassion was our monthly theme-based service, which Rev. Kikanza stepped in to share at the last minute, since Jeremiah was ill and not able to deliver the material he had prepared (he said that sermon will be offered on another Sunday, insha’allah).
- Our Worship Associates team met to build community, review upcoming service plans, Worship Associate scheduling, and other matters relating to the worship life of the congregation. The WA Team continues to be strong, with excellent members who bring a variety of gifts to our Sunday mornings.
- We continue to use Soul Matters Theme-Based Ministry in worship services, publications, groups, and congregational committee meetings. The model is intended to provide spiritual deepening and community building through common reflection and exploration of themes of spiritual significance. Jeremiah said his contributions include a monthly column and integration of the themes with worship service planning.
- The Pastoral Care Team and Pastoral Executive Team met and, in addition to its community building and spiritual deepening practices, reviewed pastoral care needs in the community, received updates from our Pastoral Associates, and explored the topic of ministerial transitions and how to support the community through a period that can include anxiety of the unknown, grief, and navigating change.
- Jeremiah continues to offer Pastoral Meetings and Spiritual Counseling to members of the community as requested (and the need remains high), which helps strengthen trust and healthy relations in our communal practice.
- Jeremiah has resumed weekly, biweekly, and/or monthly Ministry, Administrative, and Governance Meetings with each of our senior staff members, our president, executive committee, worship chair, consulting minister, pastoral co-chairs, and/or other congregational leaders as needed or requested.
- We wished our beloved Choral Section Leader Kion farewell as he moved on to new opportunities (though he does plan to return as a guest musician). A new section leader search was successfully conducted by Saunder, and he will share more news soon.
- Jeremiah has been working with Alfie to develop a realistic and sustainable Office Restructuring plan that combines the two former office assistant roles into one, with Aflie taking on some additional support tasks. Alfie has been developing a job description and ad for the new part-time Communications and Office Assistant, and has been discussing with Jeremiah the changes and significant financial savings of this new configuration. There will also be some new expenses with the restructuring, said Jeremiah, but far more savings.
- We gathered with the Santa Monica Synagogue on Sunday, October 5th for our second annual multigenerational and interfaith Sukkah building and decorating celebration in honor of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. A great time was had by all as some attendees handled the construction and others worked on arts and crafts activities.
- Jeremiah provided some consultation to the Ministerial Search Committee’s Negotiating Team, at its request, on ministerial contracts and best practices to support the ministerial search.
- Jeremiah and Eileen have been following up on some temporary breakdowns in Right Relations in a committee in recent months, and they’re working towards getting everyone back on the same page and mending the relationships. Jeremiah says he is hopeful this will result in better relations among committee members moving forward.
- Our Ministerial Search Team is making excellent progress and (as mentioned above) hosted a Breaking Barriers, Building Beliefs (B4) Workshop with Rev. Patrice Curtis this past month. This will be followed by a service Jeremiah has put together to speak to this important work of addressing biases and conducting an inclusive and informed national search.
- The Intersectional Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression (IARAO) Commission and the Board Policies Review Team are both continuing their work, though there is nothing new to report this month.
- Jeremiah said he is having preliminary discussions on reconstituting the Committee on Ministry, which was temporarily suspended due to many ongoing needs and limited bandwidth last year. This discussions include ways we might evolve the committee to better suit our current and future needs.
- The UU Animal Ministry (UUAM) is implementing the Study/Action issue the Board approved in June. Jeremiah is also coordinating with the group to offer a D4$ event with plant-based foods.
- Jeremiah co-chaired the most recent meeting of the Santa Monica Area Interfaith Council in the absence of its President. Attendees reflected on ancestors who inspired us in the work of spirituality and social justice. Karl Lisovsky also attended, and offered the faith sharing, and Jeremiah said he was grateful to have another UUSM leader present. The SMAIC Leadership Team also met this month, and Jeremiah is helping the group plan a Trans 101 workshop at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in November…as well as the annual MLK Interfaith Breakfast in the new year.
- Finally, Jeremiah continues to meet monthly with the UCLA Medical Center Ethics Committee to discern policy and help with complex clinical cases. He also occasionally serves in emergency consults when requested and available.
In conclusion, Jeremiah said, “Our congregation is in a strong and vibrant place as we launch our national search. This is evidenced by our comfortably full sanctuary on Sunday mornings, the multitude of congregational programs and events, staff and membership morale, our rewarding connections to the larger community, and the many, many active committees and groups of the congregation. All of this would not be possible without you and your service to this beloved religious home. Thank you for your leadership, service, and ministry on behalf of our community.”
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Sue Bickford reported that our year-to-date pledge income ($128,042) is higher than budgeted ($94,000), and our pledge income this month was also higher than our monthly projection. In addition, Sue said our fundraising this month is also higher than projected ($3,897, due to our beautiful art wall), but overall lower than we budgeted for this point in the year ($7,875)…though we do have our Craft Fair coming up next month. Finally, our year-to-date rental income is lower by a small amount than projected ($23,402 of the budgeted $24,000), but this month was also higher than our monthly projection.
Overall, Sue reported, our year-to-date income of $170,850 is 92.3% of what we projected, while year-to-date expenses of $106, 502 are 94.3% of what we projected. So we expect to end the year with a deficit of approximately $40K. For more in depth figures, see the September 2025 Statement of Income and Expense.
Director of Multi-Generational Religious Education Report
In her written report to the Board this month, DMRE Jessica TenHave-Place said September was “a time of trying out some new things in CYRE — we have had some good experiences and successes, and also discovered where we will need to make adjustments and do further work.”
Volunteer coordination, she said, “is the biggest area of improvement needed, especially as we approach doing OWL for 7th-9th grade in the new year. I’m grateful for the information gained from this first month of trying new lesson formats in CYRE, and for the feedback gathered from parents and volunteers.”
Jessica also said her “absence from church for a few Sundays while I work remotely to handle family obligations has been a good way to gauge the needs of volunteers, and of our whole planning infrastructure. It’s helped me see that our volunteers need more structure and instructions, with a clearer set of explicit standards. They all do a great job at the most important thing — caring for and supporting the children — but other logistical details tend to fall through the cracks.”
In addition, “While our CYRE committee created a covenant at the beginning of my time at UUSM, we have not created a separate covenant for CYRE volunteers, many of which are not a part of the committee. I think that creating a covenant together will help create more buy-in around standards that I have tried to set, but which have been followed pretty inconsistently — signing up to volunteer in advance through our online volunteer form, committing to a minimum number of volunteer slots per unit, completing clean-up duties, etc. I also need to take up more assertive leadership in volunteer coordination — I am very mindful of our volunteers generously giving of limited time energy available to them in their busy lives, and so I have been more lax with enforcing uniform standards. But I’m realizing now that clearer guidance and standards created through community agreement would be helpful for everyone.”
In other areas, Jessica wrote, “We have continued to struggle with having a consistent High School RE class. Maddie Van Beek, a newer member who jumped in to take the lead on facilitating the class, has been wonderful. As a kind and friendly young adult, she has good rapport with the teens, and even went the extra mile by attending the Esperanza volunteer trip to Mexico with teens from our church and Neighborhood UU. But we are facing the same issues with scheduling events that a critical mass of our students are available to attend. Maddie is very helpful with coming up with new ideas, and willing to help with things outside of Sunday mornings, so we will work together to keep trying out new time slots and events that will both work for our current batch of students and appealing to any newcomers.
“We have also talked about doing more outreach to younger adults in the 20s-30s age range, since cultivating younger volunteers would also help grow our programs for teens. An idea I floated with Maddie and Mia, another young adult in our congregation, is a monthly space for processing our grief about the world. This is something that I think could fill a need for people of all ages, but that could be particularly appealing to young adults who are unlikely to show up for anything that feels “traditionally churchy,” but still need an intentionally spiritual way to express grief and pain, which is not something our lives provide a lot of space for. This could be a way to do outreach to young adults, who in our generations are less likely to have children and more likely to be overworked, with less energy and time for a weekly Sunday morning commitment.”
Looking ahead, Jessica wrote that, “An exciting development in our plans for OWL in the new year is that our congregation has been approved to do a field test of the new edition of the curriculum for 7th-9th grade! Beth Rendeiro spotted this opportunity — she has been involved along with our committee co-chair Shanna Shaked in our initial planning for OWL. The new curriculum we will get to try out includes material on timely issues facing teens, like how to responsibly use social media and AI, as well as updates to the previously included material that incorporate new data.
“The new version encompasses 16 sessions, cutting down from 25 in the previous edition, which will definitely be helpful to fitting all of the material into our calendar. In exchange for getting to use this new edition, we will provide information on our demographics and complete feedback surveys to help make improvements before it is released to the general public. I’m excited to get OWL started in January — we already have eight students who have indicated interest, and I’m confident that we can meet our goal of a minimum of 12 students in the program with some additional outreach.”
And finally, Jessica wrote, “I want to express gratitude to Rev. Jeremiah and the board leadership for being understanding about my work/life balance this month — the ability to work remotely while dealing with important family concerns has been incredibly helpful, and I know I will be able to return fully in a much better state of mind. The time away has also given me space to work out ways to make my workload more realistic and sustainable — through no one’s pressure but my own, I spent a lot of the summer trying to squeeze 40+ hours of work into a 30 hour work week, which created a lot of overwhelm going into the fall. It’s been very helpful to re-evaluate what I can sustainably accomplish within my current job description, and to realize I have the support of a staff and board that view me compassionately as a fellow human being who has life demands outside of work. Thank you so much for providing this healthy working environment — I look forward to being back in person soon, and appreciate this wonderful and supportive community.”
Announcements and Adjournment
Sue announced that the Finance Committee has been reactivated.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m.
