Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae
The Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae (he, she, they / non-binary) serves as our Developmental Minister. He is responsible for worship, spiritual leadership, pastoral care, congregational programs, social justice activism, and guiding our congregation through a period of transformative developmental ministry.
Before arriving in Santa Monica, Rev. Jeremiah ministered with Unitarian Universalist congregations and liberal religious communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has served as a congregational minister, community minister, chaplain resident, and seminary instructor.
As a Sufi dervish of the Chishtī Order, he was given the Muslim name Lal Shahbaz Qalandar by his late sheikh and heart-friend Dr. Ibrahim Abdurrahman Farajajé.
His spiritual practice is deeply informed by having also received diksha into the Hindu dharma, and making community with Jewish, Earth-centered, Buddhist, and Humanist friends.
He holds a Master of Divinity degree in theology, philosophy, and ministry from Starr King School for the Ministry, a Master of Social Work degree from Case Western Reserve University, and a Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, from Baldwin Wallace University.
Rev. Jeremiah completed a Chaplain Residency at the Cleveland Clinic, a Killam Fellowship at the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland, and an Intern Ministry with All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa. In his free time, he enjoys being in nature and, especially, near the ocean, daily namaz/prayer, vinyasa yoga, muraqaba/meditation, anti-racist and counter-oppressive social justice activism, eco-halal vegetarian and vegan cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Rev. Dr. Kikanza Nuri-Robins, Consulting Minister
The Rev. Dr. Kikanza Nuri-Robins (she/her/hers) helps people close the gap between what they say they are and what they do.
Kikanza Nuri-Robins, MDiv, EdD, is an organization development consultant. Her clients include schools, nonprofits, government, and faith-based organizations. She has been an advocate for justice, equity, and inclusion for over 40 years, serving mission-driven organizations across the country.
Her focus is on sustaining healthy organization cultures by improving communication, developing effective leaders, and aligning values with daily practice. She started her career thinking she would change the world. Now she knows that she is most effective making a difference, wherever in the world she finds herself, one conversation at a time.
Rev. Kikanza is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association and a minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA). She preaches, assists congregations in transition, and consults with clergy of many faith traditions.
She is the author of many articles and six books, including: Cultural Proficiency and Fish Out of Water. She lives in Los Angeles where she serves on the Bio-Ethics Committee of the UCLA Medical Center and the boards of several social-service organizations. She spends her discretionary time in her studio playing with color and textiles.
Saunder Choi
Music Director
About Saunder
Saunder has composed and conducted a variety of instrumental, vocal, and choral works to jazz charts and popular music arrangements. His compositions have been performed in a wide variety of concert halls including Lincoln Center, the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, and the world-famous Teatro Colon Opera House in Buenos Aires. He currently serves as a teaching artist for the Los Angeles Master Chorale Voices Within and the Oratorio Project and the Pacific Chorale Academy.
Nurit Gordon
Church Administrator
About Nurit
Nurit has years of experience in non-profit institutions. She manages the administrative and daily life of the church, including the facility, finances, personnel matters, and anything else that arise and need care and solutions while supervising the Facility staff and the Admin assistant and working with volunteers.
Tom Ahern
Sunday & Rental Sexton
About Tom
As the Sunday and Rental Sexton, Tom keeps the church building and grounds clean and orderly for the Sunday services and assists the minister with all of Sunday's worship supplies and items needed for the pulpit and recording the sermon for the website.
Esther Chase
Office Coordinator
About Esther
Esther is a marketing professional, entrepreneur, and water activist. Contact her at (310) 829-5436, ext. 100, for matters relating to the order of service, weekly e-mail announcements, rentals, events, and pledges.
Jyvonne Haskin
Alto Section Leader
About Jyvonne
Jyvonne Haskin stays busy! She’s Co-Executive Director for Selah Gospel Choir, a Founding Partner of GreyLoc Entertainment and sings broadly within LA’s choir community. As a session singer and live performer, Jyvonne has sang with Lady Gaga, Janelle Monáe, U2, Michael Bolton, Arcade Fire, and Roger Daltrey.
Kion Heidari
Tenor Section Leader
About Kion
Kion Heidari is a singer, composer, folk instrumentalist, and voice actor from San Diego, CA. A graduate of California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in composition, Kion has created music for independent films, the stage, video games, and concerts. Kion has performed in new productions such as The Conference of the Birds and with ensembles like Tonality and C3LA.
Ryan Humphrey
Pianist
About Ryan
Ryan started playing piano for UU services at a young age. In grad school, he helped found the women’s choir at the UU Congregation of Columbia. Prior to joining UUSM’s staff, he served for five years at First Unitarian Church of LA, first as accompanist and later as Director of Music.
David Erik Peterson
Bass Section Leader
About David
David Erik Peterson is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and American Guild of Musical Artists. He holds music degrees from SFSU and WVU. He moved back to LA after a decade in the SF Bay Area where he sang bass with the SF Symphony Chorus and Cappella SF, played percussion with Gamelan X, and was the Music Director for Piccola Carolers.
Chloe Vaught
Soprano Section Leader
About Chloe
Native Angeleno, Chloe received her BA in Vocal Performance from UCLA. She frequently records for independent films, background vocals sessions, and enjoys contributing to others’ passion projects. As a soloist, she possesses versatility and loves to sing early music, contemporary classical, jazz, and more.
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