From the email announcements sent Thursday, June 18.
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, June 21. 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 or at uusm.org. The services will remain available on our UU Santa Monica Facebook page and on our YouTube channel. They are also archived on the uusm.org website and here on the newsletter site. If you need help getting online, please contact board member Eileen McCormack for assistance.
“Our Bright Flame”
(Online Worship Service)
Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae, Preaching
Kikanza Nuri-Robins, Worship Associate
We’ve managed to thrive as a community as we lived into our liberal religious mission in the world this church year. This morning we will celebrate the many accomplishments of the past nine months as we prepare for a period of slowing down, rest, and restoration in July and August. Come celebrate this church year and explore what our bright future holds.
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>> FIA: Peace and Social Justice, Sunday, June 21, 2020, 11:45 am – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email justice@uusm.org for the Zoom information. 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.
ONLINE>> Nature Journaling with Dorothy Steinicke, Sunday, June 21, 2020, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please contact Teri Lucas at uusmreassist@uusm.org for the Zoom link information. A lifelong lover of the outdoors, Dorothy has more than twenty years experience leading hikes for children and adults and introducing people to different aspects of nature in Topanga Canyon, Ballona Wetlands, and Dockweiler Beach. During the workshop, Dorothy will facilitate a brief discussion of how important natural places have been to us. We will engage in exercises using writing and drawing to observe natural items. Dorothy will address the anxiety many people feel about drawing. We will take time to work individually and then share, not necessarily what we have done, but what insights we’ve gained from making our observations. The workshop has been designed for people who do not currently have access to the outdoors.
ONLINE>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Monday, June 22, 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 23, 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>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Tuesday, June 23, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@uusm.org for the Zoom link and directions for using Zoom.
ONLINE>> UUA General Assembly, Wednesday, June 24, 2020 – 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 RE>> Middle School Logic Puzzles, Wednesday, June 24, 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, June 24, 2020, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Email minister@uusm.org for the Zoom link.
ONLINE RE>> Elementary Check-In, Thursday, June 25, 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>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Thursday, June 25, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@uusm.org for the Zoom link and directions for using Zoom.
ONLINE>> CommUUnity Connection Meeting, Thursday, June 25, 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>> 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.
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.
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>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Tuesday, June 30, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom Meeting. Please email Meditation@uusm.org for the Zoom link and directions.
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 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>> Open Meditation Wellsprings, Thursday, July 2, 2020, 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, 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.
Canceled Events
CANCELED>> Ukulele Strum and Sing A-Long, Saturday, June 20, 2020, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Forbes Hall. Please contact Kim Kalmanson for questions.
CANCELED>> Children and Youth RE Committee Meeting, Sunday, June 21, 2020, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, Cottage NW.
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.
