From the email announcements sent Thursday, June 25.
Join us online again this Sunday as we co-create beloved community together in the midst of a global pandemic. We are suspending congregational worship gatherings until further notice to protect vulnerable members of our congregation and the larger community.
“Beyond the Water’s Edge”
(Online Worship Service from UUA General Assembly)
Rev. Joan Javier-Duval, Preaching
Rev. Mykal O’Neal Slack, Worship Associate
Join us for the largest annual gathering of Unitarian Universalists gathering for worship. This powerful, communal worship experience, a highlight of our denomination’s General Assembly, will stream at https://www.uua.org/ga/off-site/2020/sunday-worship at 10:00 am PDT. (Note: The link to the UUA stream will also be shared on our UUSM Facebook page on Sunday, though we will not actually be able to stream the video there.) The Rev. Joan Javier-Duval will preach, the Rev. Mykal O’Neal Slack will serve as a worship leader, and Benjie Messer will be the music director for this special national UUA service. The worship service will include a collection for the Tomaquag Museum, an indigenous museum featuring an extensive collection and archive of Southern New England tribal communities. This service will be followed at 12:00 pm by our Annual Meeting Presentation by church leaders on Facebook and YouTube. Details have been emailed and mailed to members of the congregation.
Church Facilities are Closed
Please note that church buildings and offices are now closed for business and services until further notice, and church staff members are working remotely. See above for online Sunday service information.
Children, Youth, and Adult Programming
During this time of social distancing and uncertainty, the Adult Programs Committee is working hard to transition many of our groups and programs for personal and spiritual exploration to an online format, mainly via Zoom (but other platforms are a possibility). We’ll also be providing assistance to those unfamiliar with how to use Zoom – just let us know you’d like help by emailing AdultRE@UUSM.org at least a few days before the program you’d like to take part in.
Click here for instructions for scheduling and attending Zoom meetings at UUSM.
Expanded descriptions of groups and programs for adults are in the monthly Personal and Spiritual Exploration for Adults article.
Expanded descriptions for youth religious exploration can be found in the Children and Youth Religious Exploration article.
Check out the information and links below for UUSM online programs. We look forward to connecting with you!
Upcoming Online Events
ONLINE>> UUA General Assembly, Wednesday, June 24, 2020 – Sunday, June 28, 2020. This year’s General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association will be different. Like so many large events, 2020 GA is being held as an online-only event. GA will be a different experience with fewer opportunities to strike up conversations with strangers that start casual and then go deep. But there are also significant advantages. The cost of travel to the conference site and accommodations are a non-issue, and the registration fee to attend all the ceremonies, worship, and workshops is only $150. Scholarships are available.
ONLINE>> Congregational Annual Meeting, Sunday, June 28, 2020, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Facebook Live @UUSantaMonica. Light a chalice in your own home and hear reports from the board president and the minister, remembering those who have passed this year. The results of the election will be announced and we will “swear in” the new board. It will be a time for looking forward with hope for the future and with gratitude for those who serve our community. YouTube LINK
ONLINE>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Monday, June 29, 2020, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@uusm.org for the Zoom link and directions for using Zoom. We listen to brief readings, sit together quietly for twenty minutes, journal and share with each other what’s on our hearts. You are welcome to join us when it feels right to you. If you come in late or need to leave early, just do so quietly. These are exceptional times, and we trust each person to use the group in a way that fits their need. Taking this time for quiet meditation and sharing in the intimacy of having sat in silence together can help sustain and ground us during these difficult days. We meet every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 12:00 to 1:00 pm, AND every 2nd and 4th Monday evenings, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm.
ONLINE RE>> Pre-School Check-In, Tuesday, June 30, 2020, 11:00 am – 11:30 am, Zoom Meeting. Please contact Teri Lucas at uusmREassist@uusm.org or Cleo Anderson at dre@uusm.org with any questions.
ONLINE>>
Tarot Meditation Workshop with Jonathan Quant, aka “Buddha,” Tuesday, June 30, 2020, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email uusmreassist@uusm.org for the Zoom login. The Tarot is a fascinating, intricate system of interconnecting pictorial symbolism that is meant to catalyze helpful transformations within ourselves and our psyches, affecting not just behaviors, but perhaps even granting serendipitous opportunities. Jonathan Quant has been a practitioner of Tarot meditation for over 20 years and is eager to introduce you to Tarot meditation. Whether you are new to Tarot, or believe you know much… you will certainly gain fresh insights. The workshop will run June 30, July 7, July 14 and July 21.
ONLINE>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Wednesday, July 1, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@uusm.org for the Zoom link and directions.
ONLINE RE>> Middle School Logic Puzzles, Wednesday, July 1, 2020, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please contact Teri Lucas at uusmREassist@uusm.org or Cleo Anderson at dre@uusm.org with any questions.
ONLINE>> Online Coffee & Teahouse Conversation with the Minister, Wednesday, July 1, 2020, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Email minister@uusm.org for the Zoom link.
ONLINE>> CommUUnity Connection Meeting, Wednesday, July 1, 2020, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email CommUUnity@uusm.org to be added to the Zoom call. Come share and connect with your fellow church members. Hosted on Zoom by Wendi Gladstone and Margot Page.
ONLINE RE>> Elementary Check-In, Thursday, July 2, 2020, 11:00 am – 11:45 am, Zoom Meeting.Please contact Teri Lucas at uusmREassist@uusm.org or Cleo Anderson at dre@uusm.org with any questions.
ONLINE>> UU Men’s Group,Thursday, July 2, 2020, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email AdultRE@UUSM.org for information. The Men’s Group offers a special opportunity to the men of the congregation and other like-minded men to join our welcoming group in provocative and stimulating discussion and to get to know others with UU perspectives in a more meaningful way. These topics were gratefully suggested by Jim. The topic for this evening will be considering any other article(s) dealing with the future of the U.S. following the protests.
ONLINE>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Friday, July 3, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@uusm.org for the Zoom link and directions for using Zoom.
ONLINE>> Green Committee Meeting, Sunday, July 5, 2020, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please contact greenchair@uusm.org to get the Zoom link and instructions for logging on. The Green Committee informs others of the simple changes that can be made to decrease their carbon footprint and to implement social action to green our community.
ONLINE>> Adult Programs – “An Enjoyable Dive into Who and What We Are,” Monday, July 6, 2020, 7:30 – 9:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please contact: AdultRE@UUSM.org to get the Zoom link and instructions for logging on. Bill Blake will help participants master specific meditation skills. We endeavor to answer the questions Who am I? (attitudes and beliefs) and What am I? (essence or true nature). This class will include meditations that explore participants’ spiritual goals. It is expected that participants will develop and enjoy a regular meditation practice.
ONLINE RE>> Pre-School Check-In,Tuesday, July 7, 2020, 11:00 am – 11:30 am, Zoom Meeting. Please contact Teri Lucas at uusmREassist@uusm.org or Cleo Anderson at dre@uusm.org with any questions.
ONLINE>>Tarot Meditation Workshop with Jonathan Quant, aka “Buddha,” Tuesday, July 7, 2020, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email uusmreassist@uusm.org for the Zoom login. The Tarot is a fascinating, intricate system of interconnecting pictorial symbolism that is meant to catalyze helpful transformations within ourselves and our psyches, affecting not just behaviors, but perhaps even granting serendipitous opportunities. Jonathan Quant has been a practitioner of Tarot meditation for over 20 years and is eager to introduce you to Tarot meditation. Whether you are new to Tarot, or believe you know much… you will certainly gain fresh insights. Future workshop dates are July 14 and July 21.
ONLINE>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Wednesday, July 8, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@uusm.org for the Zoom link and directions for using Zoom.
ONLINE RE>> Middle School Logic Puzzles, Wednesday, July 8, 2020, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please contact Teri Lucas at uusmREassist@uusm.org or Cleo Anderson at dre@uusm.org with any questions.
ONLINE>> Online Coffee & Teahouse Conversation with the Minister, Wednesday, July 8, 2020, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Email minister@uusm.org for the Zoom link.
ONLINE RE>> Elementary Check-In, Thursday, July 9, 2020, 11:00 am – 11:45 am, Zoom Meeting.Please contact Teri Lucas at uusmREassist@uusm.org or Cleo Anderson at dre@uusm.org with any questions.
ONLINE>> CommUUnity Connection Meeting, Thursday, July 9, 2020, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email CommUUnity@uusm.org for the Zoom link. We will connect with others and share experiences during this time of isolation. Bettye Barclay and Denise Helton will be conducting the meeting.
ONLINE>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Friday, July 10, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@uusm.org for the Zoom link and directions for using Zoom.
Canceled Events
CANCELED>> Discussion and Support Group for Persons with Disabilities, Sunday, June 28, 2020, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, Cottage SE. Come and join us as we share stories, inspirations, and find community with each other. This group offers a forum in which members can feel the benefit of its mutual support.
CANCELED>> AAHS Freethinker Forum, Sunday, June 28, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, Warren Mathews Conference Room. The Freethinker Forum is a monthly interactive meeting sponsored by AAHS: Agnostics, Atheists, Humanists & Secularists of UU Santa Monica. All are welcome to join in a lively discussion where diversity of viewpoints is encouraged and respected. Contact James Witker at aahs@uusm.org for more information.
CANCELED>> Collage Group with Stan Bemis, Saturday, July 11, 2020, 10:00 – 12:00 pm, Cottage NE. The goal of this group is to help foster personal worth and empowerment, entering into that holy place within and having sacred fun. The objectives are to create works of art and create cards for events or celebrations. Stan works to bring joy and peace into people’s lives by creating art. He has taught many who didn’t realize they had creative talent, from all across the world – from California to Palestine/Israel. He welcomes all ages.
