From the email announcements sent Thursday, April 9.
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. You can watch our special live-streamed service on the church’s Facebook page at 10 am on Sunday morning, April 12. Our services are now reaching hundreds of people and are inviting us to be interactive in worship in new ways. In addition to sharing joys, sorrows, and milestones, you may want to light a chalice and sing along with our worship leaders in your home sanctuary. You do not need a Facebook account to watch the service live. Just visit the Facebook website or watch the livestream here at news.uusm.org. The services will remain available on our UU Santa Monica Facebook page and on our YouTube channel. They are also archived here on the newsletter site. If you need help getting online, please contact board member Eileen McCormack for assistance.
“Easter Celebration” (Online Worship Service)
Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae, preaching • Rev. Kikanza Nuri-Robins, Worship Associate
The radical Jesus of the liberal spirit preached a message of spiritual freedom, non-violence, economic justice, healthcare, and women’s rights as he challenged the dominant powers of his time. Beneath the revolutionary social activism that led to his death was a path of spiritual renewal beyond the simplistic “death and resurrection” stories. Join us this Sunday as we explore that spiritual path and reimagine an Easter worthy of the great spiritual teacher.
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.
Scheduling Meetings
Although our current in-person meetings and events have been canceled/postponed, we are working on offering online gatherings and other ways of maintaining our community spirit. Please stay tuned as we work out the details.
In the meantime, if you need to schedule a church business group or committee meeting via Zoom, please contact Cyndee Hayes at assistant@uusm.org 310-829-5436 ext. 102.
Please provide the following details at least three days prior to the meeting. If you would like the meeting to be posted in the Weekly Email Announcements, please email Sibylla Nash at OOS@uusm.org by Wednesday evenings.
- Title of meeting
- Meeting’s host information
- Start time and end time
- Participants’ email addresses for an Invite.
Individuals can attend the meeting by phone if they do not have an email address.
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). The plan is to get much of our regular programming up and running within the next ten days. 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. Look for more information and links for programs on Zoom soon. We look forward to connecting with you!
Upcoming Events
CANCELED>> R/E – Collage Group with Stan Bemis,Saturday, April 11, 2020, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Cottage NE.
CANCELED>> Adult Programs – Body-Mind Tune-up with Bruno, Saturday, April 11, 2020, 11:45 am – 12:45 pm, Offsite. Contact Bruno Lacombe.
CANCELED>> Passover Seder, Saturday, April 11, 2020.
ONLINE>> Lessons of Loss with Leon Henderson, Sunday, April 12, 2020, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email AdultRE@UUSM.org for information. The Lessons of Loss is a Life-Span Curriculum developed by Unitarian Universalist Carol Galginaitis. We shall explore participants’ experiences to losses large and small including those associated with death. Reflecting on experiences, we shall also explore the consequences of both sharing and ignoring feelings of loss as well as relevant, related Unitarian Universalist theses from theologians and laypeople alike.
ONLINE>> Open Meditation Wellsprings,Monday, April 13, 2020, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@UUSM.org for the zoom link and directions for using zoom.
ONLINE>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Tuesday, April 14, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@UUSM.org for the zoom link and directions for using zoom.
ONLINE>> Board Meeting,Tuesday, April 14, 2020 – 6:45pm – 9:30pm, Zoom Meeting. Please contact Jackie Weber at president@uusm.org for the Zoom link. All are welcome.
ONLINE>> Check-in with the Minister at our Online Coffee & Teahouse Conversation, Wednesday, April 15, 2020, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Email minister@uusm.org for the Zoom link. It will be sent out on Tuesdays and posted in our Facebook Group.
ONLINE>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Thursday, April 16, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@UUSM.org for the zoom link and directions for using zoom.
ONLINE>> UU Men’s Group,Thursday, April 16, 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. This evening’s topics will be: What movies have you watched more than two times and why, and what is something creative you did when you were younger that you no longer do? Why don’t you do it now?
CANCELED>> Ukulele Strum and Sing-Along, Saturday, April 18, 2020, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Forbes Hall. Please contact Kim Kalmanson for questions.
CANCELED>> Adult Programs – Body-Mind Tune-Up with Bruno, Saturday, April 18, 2020, 11:45 am – 12:45 pm, Offsite. Contact Bruno Lacombe.
CANCELED>> International Folk Dancing with Instructors, Saturday, April 18, 2020, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, Forbes Hall.
CANCELED>> D&D – Living in UUville, Sunday, April 19, 2020, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, Cottage NW. Contact Cleo Anderson for more information at DRE@uusm.org.
CANCELED>> Faith Forward – Inquirers Group, Sunday, April 19, 2020, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm, Forbes Classroom 1. Session 7: Opportunities for Personal & Spiritual Growth presented by Beverly Shoenberger, Chairperson, and Cheryl Sims, Heart to Heart Groups, Chairperson. You can find the full schedule here.
CANCELED>> Children & Youth RE Committee Meeting, Sunday, April 19, 2020, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, Cottage NW. The Children and Youth Religious Exploration Committee will meet for its monthly meeting. Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend.
CANCELED>> FIA: Peace & Social Justice, Sunday, April 19, 2020, 11:45 am – 1:00 pm, Warren Mathews Conference Room. The Peace & Social Justice Committee (PSJ) focuses on many activities in the areas of labor and economic issues; racism, police brutality, and mass incarceration; immigration and immigrant detention; and peace and alternatives to war.
CANCELED>> OWL Meeting,Sunday, April 19, 2020, 11:45 am – 1:30 pm, Forbes Classroom 4, Mural Room. Please contact Beth Rendeiro for additional information.
ONLINE>> Adult Programs – “An Enjoyable Dive into Who and What We Are,” Monday, April 20, 2020, 7:30 pm – 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.
CANCELED>> Facility Meeting,Tuesday, April 21, 2020, 8:30 am – 10:00 am, Forbes Classroom 1. For more information contact John Zinner or Brad Hutchinson.
ONLINE>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Tuesday, April 21, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@UUSM.org for the Zoom link and directions.
ONLINE>> Science Non-Fiction Book Group, Tuesday, April 21, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please contact Rebecca Crawford at sci-nonfiction@uusm.org for the Zoom link. We will discuss “The Rocks Don’t Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah’s Flood,” by David Montgomery. Looking at rock formations has informed theology. Theology informed early geologists. Every culture seems to have a flood story. The author became interested in the topic when in Tibet. The local flood myth could be explained by reading the rocks. Using the lore of an indigenous people can inform science, and vice-versa. All are welcome.
ONLINE>> Open Meditation Wellsprings,Thursday, April 23, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@UUSM.org for the Zoom link and directions for using zoom.
CANCELED>> Adult Programs – Body-Mind Tune-Up with Bruno, Saturday, April 25, 2020, 11:45 am – 12:45 pm, Offsite. Contact Bruno Lacombe.
