Sunday Services:  9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.

Religious Education program at 9:30 a.m.  

Nursery Care at both services

Thursday, November 28, 9:30 a.m.

Thanksgiving Day Service:

Circle Worship for Centering in Gratitude

Rev. Roger Jones and Musical Volunteers

A few hours before we chow down, this brief service highlights the reason for the holiday.  We'll gather in a circle in the UUSS meeting room and share silence, songs and words of giving thanks for the blessings of life.  All ages welcome-no nursery staff today.  If you can help with the service, contact Roger.  Read below about Thanksgiving Dinner needs and arrangements.

December 1

Heartbreak, Hope, and Healing:

Reflections for World AIDS Day

Rev. Roger Jones and Kevin Sitter, Lay Leader

Linda Dawson, piano

Since HIV/AIDS first emerged as a killer over 30 years ago, we've seen advances in drug treatment, but continued devastation in poor countries around the globe.  The pandemic has brought suffering and loss, but also great acts of mercy, hope, and courage.  This week is Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights to celebrate faith, freedom, and courage.  Today is also the first Sunday of Advent, 

the day for the candle of hope.

Linda Dawson accompanies our songs and offers her own arrangements today.  We thank her also for donating copies of her CD for sale in the UUSS Beacon Bookstore.

December 8

The Spirituality of Expectation--What Are You Waiting For?

Rev. Roger Jones, preaching

Traffic Alert!:  California International Marathon 12/8/13: Fair Oaks Boulevard will be blocked, so it's hard to get to UUSS from the south.  See www.uuss.org or the 

December 1 Blue Sheet Announcements for alternate routes.

So much happens in December, so much to look forward to-or so much to get through.  Can you wait?  What if waiting itself might be an authentic spiritual experience?   Also:  This is a Soup Sunday!

December 15

The Silence and the Darkness-Seeking and Avoiding

Rev. Roger Jones, preaching, with Rev. Lucy Bunch

The approach of Solstice makes this the darkest time of year.  While we may resist the darkness in favor of activity and all the noise of December.  Yet darkness may offer its own kind of grace.

Monday, December 16, 5:30 PM

Blue Christmas Vespers

With Rev. Roger Jones

Authentic spirituality includes all our experiences, not only the happy ones.  The Blue Christmas service honors that the holidays are not all jolly for all of us all the time.  We carry burdens of loss and longing in our hearts, and we must be honest about the sadness-perhaps even dread-the season can stir up.  Join us for a circle worship with candles, readings, and silence.  Right before Monday Yoga!

December 22 - All ages services at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m.

The No-Rehearsal Nativity Pageant for Everyone!

Rev. Roger Jones, Rev. Lucy Bunch and Miranda Massa

Music by UUSS Choir, with Barbara Lazar, keyboard and Cris Hancock, brass

Join us for Handel's "Hallelujah" chorus sung by all at the closing.

No Religious Education today, but child care is available in the Room 11 Nursery.  Contact Roger or Miranda if you can play a part or help out.

Tuesday, December 24 at 7:00 p.m.

Christmas Eve Candle Light

With Rev. Roger Jones, Rev. Lucy Bunch and UUSS Musicians

Friends, shepherds, angels, magi, other out-of-town guests, returning students, members, kids, new babies and first-time UUSS visitors come together on this Holy Night for familiar carols, traditional readings and prayers for peace and good will. This service for all ages concludes with "Silent Night" by candlelight!  

Let us know if you can help!

December 29

Everything Happens for a Reason

Rev. Lucy Bunch

Or does it?  This is becoming a commonly heard phrase in our culture.  What do people really mean when they say this?  As we approach the end of the calendar year we will contemplate the importance of faith and grace and how we create meaning for ourselves and others.

January 5

Learning How to Pray

Rev. Lucy Bunch with Rev. Roger Jones

Special Music by Nicholas Dold, Piano

Prayer can be a tricky matter for UUs.  Some of us have a regular prayer practice, for others it is not a useful form of spiritual practice.  During her time as a hospital chaplain, Rev. Lucy faced the challenge of praying on behalf of someone else.  She will share stories from her experience and tell us how she 

discovered the power of prayer.

Piano soloist Nicholas Dold returns!  He played for UUSS at our August 25 Ingathering.  Now in the Bay Area, he has degrees from the Indiana University School of Music.  He has held staff positions with the UU Church of Bloomington, the I.U. Summer Opera Workshop, I.U. Summer Piano Academy and Roundabout Opera for Kids.  He is on the accompanying faculty of the Duxbury Music Festival.

Join us at the UUSS Christmas Tree Trimming Party on Saturday, December 7.  Bring a dessert to share. Doors open at 6 p.m. and we start enjoying the goodies at 6:30 p.m. This is a favorite activity for families, singles, kids, elders, youth and young adults.  Bring your friends, too. 

There will be lots of opportunities to make ornaments for the tree (or to take home), from beads, pipe cleaners, paper, stickers, buttons, "popcorn," or the favorite, gingerbread houses to take home. We'll also enjoy music of the season, have a sing-a-long, and have a special visitor from the North Pole.

If you'd like to volunteer to help, please contact Ginny Johnson at [email protected] or 916-649-0575.

Join Rev. Roger and Rev. Lucy for a visit, a few snacks and a cuppa.  Check out our offices (Lucy's is new and Roger's makeover is a marvel).  We look forward to chatting with you and hope you will take this time to get to know other adults, youth and children from the congregation.

Come Wednesday, December 18, any time between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. in the Fahs classrooms and your ministers' offices.

Thanksgiving and the next day are UUSS holidays, so on November 28 and 29, no staff will be on duty.  Rev. Roger will be here on Thanksgiving and Friday.  The office will be closed Saturday also.  There will be a short Thanksgiving morning service on November 28 and, of course, the afternoon meal.  Please submit your Blue Sheet Announcements by 1:00 p.m., November 25. 

Other UUSS holidays are Christmas and New Year's Days.  The Office will be closed on Christmas Eve day also, but the service takes place at 7:00 p.m.  Check the Blue Sheet for updated staff information as the weeks pass.  

Jackson Construction, selected after a competitive process, was confirmed by the Board of Trustees as General Contractor for the project to renovate our campus.  This company will now start working with our architect on developing the documents needed for county building permits.  Also, UUSS personnel are reviewing the pre-construction services agreement with Jackson Construction, so a detailed cost estimate can be developed.

Establishing this cost estimate lets us focus on what we can and want to pay for with this project.  Until now, we have worked with design documents and general ideas of what the new social hall and grounds will look like.  The contractor will provide specific details and costs that will ultimately influence and determine the actual changes we will make to UUSS.  Reviewing these costs, along with our budget, will help us make important decisions in the coming months.

Speaking of specifics, at the November 3 meeting of the IMP committee, the interior design consultant for this project-Valerie Hoffman of the Lionakis Beaumont Design Group-presented her recommendations for a finished floor plan.  The color palette will include neutral colors for surfaces and floor patterns with concrete, carpeting and wood.  A lively discussion on this plan included topics such as lighting, banners, organ and piano placement and chair rails.

Another milestone is the decision to lease rooms at the Sierra-Arden United Church of Christ for our Sunday services during the construction phase of this project-our "home away from home."  Located at 890 Morse Avenue, the UCC is nearby and its staff has been incredibly accommodating.  The contract with Sierra-Arden UCC is being developed, with more details to be provided next month-particularly on the parking!

We said last month that our goal was to hold a congregational conversation on the third Sunday of each month, but a scheduling conflict requires us to move this to the fourth Sunday in November.  We hope many of you find the discussions helpful and we encourage your participation and comments.  This project affects all of us and generations to come, so everyone's ideas matter.

I recently met with architect Jeff Gold, an acoustics consultant, and two of our audio wizards, Tim Anderson and Megan Brooks.  They discussed microphone types and locations, and we explored the versatility of the options.  Of course, financial prudence will affect our choices, but it was exciting to hear about the future uses of our refurbished space.

The architect and a design consultant have met with our Implementing the Master Plan (IMP) construction project team plus Aesthetics and other volunteers to review color and design options for the renovated Main Hall. 

It may sound as if this area is my bailiwick, but my main role is to answer a few questions now and then, and cheer everyone for this exciting work.  The minister supporting the IMP team and our architect is Lucy Bunch; Stanton Vedell will ramp up as staff liaison to Judy Moran and John McMillan, our building leaders. 

Nevertheless, I'm excited about the possibilities and the promise of our renewed and expanded Main Hall.  I can't wait!  I feel like a kid waiting for Santa Claus.  

Yet much waiting remains to be done--and much work, as well.  I'm hoping to learn how to be comfortable with the discomfort that such anticipation brings. 

Of course, this is what December is all about: waiting for Solstice when the light starts returning; honoring Hanukkah when the Maccabees waited in faith for the oil in their lamps to keep the flame going; and observing Advent when the Christian tradition looks forward to the coming of love and hope in the form of a baby in a manger.

December will be over soon!  Let's use the anticipatory experiences of this month as practice--for the waiting and working and anticipating that, in the months ahead, will become a large part of our life together as a congregation.            

Let's enjoy the journey of waiting and working together. 

The joy continues,

Roger

PS-Hope to see you at Tree Trimming Party Dec. 7, Blue Christmas Vespers Dec. 16, or the Ministers' Open House Dec. 18. 

Where's Roger in December?

I am happy to make an appointment with you!  Office hours are weekday afternoons.  My usual day off is Tuesday, and study/writing day is Friday, so I avoid e-mail on those days.  Feel free to call my home.  Elaine and other members of our office staff have a lot of answers but they can reach me in an emergency.

I'll be here on Thanksgiving and, of course, on Christmas Eve, as well as every week in between.  I may be gone Dec. 25-

We've had many deaths and other separations among the lives and families of this congregation. Holiday times can be stressful or sad, so give me a call to check in.   

The Holidays are upon us-and for me that means choral singing, rehearsing and performing.  December is a busy month for my choral group with six concerts and three rehearsals in a two-week window.

A few years ago, one of the singers circulated a document that explained how to do all you need to get done for Christmas and still have time for choral singing.  She listed all the tasks one would do for a full- fledged Christmas-from sending cards, to decorating the house, buying gifts and stuffing the goose-and presented a time table for what to accomplish each day to make it all happen.  It was completely overwhelming!  I recall looking at the list and thinking, 'Here's another option -- don't do all those things!' 

I hope you are all able to right-size your holidays this year, finding joy in what you do, rather than obligation.  And I especially hope that you can avoid being drawn into the over-commercialization. 

My joy at the holidays is to sing beautiful music to audiences longing for peace and beauty.  And this year, I have the added joy of being with you on Christmas Eve, sharing the spirit of the holiday with my new church community. 

Whatever holiday you celebrate and however you celebrate it, I hope that love and joy come to you and to all those you love. 

Blessed Be.

 "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35  

Paul is quoting Jesus when speaking to the Ephesian Elders.   

We hear this quoted a lot during the holiday season, as if it is about shopping and gift giving; but Paul was speaking about working, supporting oneself and aiding the poor.

Research shows that expressing gratitude and giving to others is key to our psychological well-being and health.  It makes us feel less envious, helps us maintain close social bonds, live within our means and be generous with others.  Gratitude encourages giving, and giving encourages more gratitude.  Both mutually create each other -- sort of two for the price of one!

Many of you have lost parents, a spouse, other family and friends and recently. 

Our member Jeane Davidson passed away in November after a long decline from COPD.  As longtime members, she and her husband Jack sang in the choir and took part in many activities. Jack has dementia and still lives at Atria El Camino.  We extend our condolences to Jack and to Jeane's three adult children, especially Linda Hoganson, our former office assistant.  Linda told me the family is not planning a memorial service.  Our choir will dedicate a song to Jeane in the near future.  We remember her beautiful smile, sparkling eyes, and kindness.  In my first year at UUSS she attended a New Testament study class with passionate engagement and vivid stories from her life.

We also extend condolences to board president Linda Clear on the death of her sister Judi's husband, Jerry McCubbin.  Both have been longtime UU volunteers and served at the denominational level.  Jerry's memorial took place at First Unitarian Church of Portland.  A lifelong Oregonian, he started his career by teaching high school chemistry.  He later taught psychology at Lewis and Clark College, then taught and counseled at Portland Community College for 20 years.  Jerry has three grown children; Judi has two. 

Our longtime friend Robert Hamilton died in September at age 92, leaving behind two grown sons and many friends, including college students who lived in an apartment he built at his Sacramento home.  I will officiate at the service for him Saturday afternoon, January 18, likely at 2:00 p.m. with his friend Rabbi Shula Calmann.  More information in the January Unigram. 

I will preside over a brief ceremony for interment of the ashes of Dr. William Hellmuth at the National Cemetery in Dixon, CA, Tuesday, November 26, 2:30 PM.  His children and his wife, Jean, will be there.  It will include the reading of a Congressional proclamation about Bill from the office of the Hon. Dr. Ami Bera.

Holidays and the low-light season can intensify mourning, even if we lost a loved one long ago.  Please be in touch if you might like support from our Listening Ministry volunteers or from a minister.  Please take care. Blessed be.

Thanks to all who brought ground coffee or gave money to replenish our hospitality supplies--46 pounds of coffee, gobs of tea, and $288 in donations.  "Wake Up and Smell the Coffee Sunday" was a true fun-raiser.  Would you like to add to the bounty?  Bring a can or pound of medium-grind, unflavored coffee or note "coffee fund" in the memo line of your check donation. 

Thanks and farewell to Kurt and Kirsten Sanders!  They and their son Kian (recently seen as Harry Potter) move back to Iowa next month.  Not only will we miss you all in Religious Education, but we will miss your service in the coffee kitchen.

Thank you to Family Promise volunteers who hosted our 14 family guests during their stay at UUSS the week of October 20 to 27.  You and the congregation helped make them feel comfortable and enjoy their visit to the UUSS Honeycomb church.  Those who recall the father and his six-year-old daughter will be glad to know they graduated and now have their own one-bedroom home.

Your help is again needed when we next host Family Promise families the week of January 5, and again March 16 with a shorter period in between due to the UUSS move during our renovation.  Please visit the Family Promise Table in the foyer before and after Sunday services beginning December 1 so we can arrange volunteers in January.  For more information about how you can participate, see the June Unigram.  Contact the Family Promise team for more information: [email protected], [email protected] and Nancy Oprsal.

Happy Thanksgiving!  I am not sure when this edition of the Unigram comes out so thought I had better cover my bases.  If it has already passed, then I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.

Because it is the Holiday Season, this is a good time to think about all that we are grateful for in our lives.  I know that I am grateful for all of you, your support, your participation and your caring for each other.  We have such a kind and loving community-- so much generosity and great spirit. Much hard work has been done and will continue to be done in the coming months. One of the generous things that this congregation does is give away half of each Sunday's offering to organizations that we believe do good work in the Sacramento area. 

This year, the following organizations will receive half of your Sunday donations, as voted on at the Congregational Meeting in October.

January            Wind Youth Services

February         Family Promise of Sacramento

March               UU Legislative Ministry, California

April                  St. John's Shelter for Women and Children

May                   American River History Association 

                                (Runs Effie Yeaw Nature Center)

June                  Sacramento Senior Safe House

July                    Sacramento Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

August              WALK Sacramento

September      Mustard Seed School

October            Children's Receiving Home

November       Loaves and Fishes

December        Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services

In October, our congregation's offering to the Sacramento Food Bank was $1,462.67.

As I write this, I am preparing to leave for Portland, Oregon, to wish a final farewell to my beloved brother-in-law Jerry McCubbin.  It is a sad time for my family but one of the things that keeps me going is this Community.  Thank you for all your kind words.

I wish you a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Next year will be a challenging one for us, but it means there are bright things on the horizon that we can all look forward to.

Namast�,

Linda Clear, President

Board of Trustees

December's chosen book is Selected Stories by Nobel Prize-winning author Alice Munro. Because of the holidays, the group will meet at a different time: Tuesday, December 17, at 7 p.m.  For more information on this group, call (916) 649-9697.

In this month of holidays, many of us will be getting together with lots of different people to celebrate the season.  At some of the gatherings, you may be with people you don't feel very connected to, and that's OK.  But as you sit down to your holiday table, you may be with people with whom you wish you felt closer and more connected.

Through interactive exercises at our monthly workshop, we will explore relationships, possibly identify someone with whom we would like to increase the intimacy of our relationships, and then see how that might happen.

This workshop is part of our "Deepening Our Conversations and Connections" series and will be held Sunday, December 1 from 12:45 to 2:15 p.m. in room 7/8.  It is led by Lance Ryen and Judy Bell.  We welcome you to join us.

David and Barbara Tralle with the Center for Music Medicine will provide a musical, multi-media presentation entitled "The Power of Music" for our Winter Solstice gathering on December 21.

This will be an inspirational look at how music can be used in everyone's life to promote and maintain better health, reduce stress and anxiety and help us live a happier, more balanced life.  You will be treated to the keyboard music of David Tralle, whose contemplative musical style is used in a variety of healing professions and who promises to provide a deep meditative experience for all.  Barbara Tralle brings poetic and well-spoken information on the topic of music as a healing tool.

Be prepared to experience the power of music for yourself through this interactive and enjoyable evening of song, music and fun.   

The labyrinth walk, scheduled for 5:00 p.m., will feature meditation music by David Tralle. Join us for our potluck meal at 6:00 p.m., then enjoy "The Power of Music" beginning at 7:00 p.m.   

For more information contact Laurie Jones at [email protected] or (916) 342 3226.

The UNO is holding a Holiday Party, International Potluck Luncheon on Monday, December 16, at 3 p.m. A joint meeting with the Sacramento Chapter of the United Nations Association, UNA-USA.  The UUSS Congregation is invited to join us. Please bring a dish from your favorite country or country of origin and enjoy some international entertainment. 

The Philippines: At our last UNO committee meeting, we agreed to support UNICEF as a UNO project. The devastating storm that swept across the Philippines gives us an opportunity to help raise funds for the work of UNICEF in the Philippines by donating for the UNICEF Philippines Relief Fund.  UNICEF will receive 100 percent of all our tax-free donations.  Checks can be made directly to UNICEF Philippines Relief Fund.  Look for our table in the patio on Sunday mornings.  On the first morning, November 17, you donated over $400!

This devastating storm, the worst on record, is further evidence of the effects of Climate Change, especially on the oceans.  Our UNO committee will follow up our UN Sunday Climate Change presentation by organizing a Climate Action Team to update the congregation, especially as to the results of the current UN International Conference on Climate Change in Poland.

We invite all to join our UUSS-UNO Committee to "be a force for healing in the world," a world greatly in need of peace.  To help, please contact me at [email protected]  or (916) 481-6122.

The project of visiting immigrant detainees has had a setback as the Sacramento Sheriff's office has relocated them from the downtown jail to the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center (RCCC) in Elk Grove.  This has caused a change of visitation times and process, still being worked out. 

In the meantime, the Faithful Friends committee is launching an effort that may be simpler for UU members to participate in. With Holiday Cards of Compassion and Connection, any member can send a card and a brief message of remembrance to isolated detainees. Currently 140 are being held in Sacramento. 

Watch for notice of a sign-up table or meeting where you can learn more about this simple gesture that will mean so much to recipients.  

An Introduction to Ministry Circles will take place from 6:45 to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 9, at UUSS.  We especially encourage new members to attend, but anyone curious about Ministry Circles is welcome to attend the Introduction.  Attendance at the January 9 Introduction is open to all, but is required for those planning on the weekly series. 

One week later, January 16, a five-week Newcomers' Ministry Circle for a maximum of 12 people will take place at the home of co-leader Tiffany Urness in the Foothill Farms/ARC area (details provided on January 9).  There is no charge, but a commitment to attendance at a minimum of four of the next five sessions. is crucial.

Known in some congregations as Small Group Ministry or Covenant Groups, Ministry Circles offer members and pledging friends a way to deepen connections and pursue spiritual exploration in a caring, supportive group.  Tiffany's 2012 Newcomers' Circle generated friendships, spiritual depth and a sense of belonging in the church.  This opportunity is rare, as she and her spouse spend half the year in Paris!

Circle dates are January 16, 23 and 30, and February 6 and 13. 

For questions, e-mail Tiffany or Rev. Roger, or call the office.

It has been decided! Our Home Away From Home! In May of 2014, church services and Religious Education (including our Room 11 Nursery) will be held at Sierra Arden United Church of Christ (UCC), just one short mile away from UUSS.  I visited this campus in September and felt really good about the classroom space and how it would comfortably accommodate us.  The naturally-lit RE rooms are furnished and are all in one wing with conjoining doors.  A fenced playground area leads directly from the rooms.  I gathered that the feel of UCC is comparable to the RE space at UUSS.  As we start to look ahead to the New Year, the changes and growth that we will experience will not only bring us together in a temporary environment but shall prove to be exciting! Get ready!  

Spirit Play, our RE program for 1^st through 5^th graders, has had a wonderful fall season.  What happens at Spirit Play?  The children attend the first ten minutes or so of the Sunday service, then are sung to room 7/8.  Once there, they check in and settle into a circle.  The Storyteller tells a story from one of many religious, historic, scientific or cultural traditions that inspire UUs.  Each story is told using small props and visual aids.

The group reflects on themes and issues the story raises using open-ended questions posed by the Storyteller.  The children are invited to engage in what is known in Montessori education as "work."  Our work collection includes small crafts and building activities that children do, either individually or in small groups.  All this time, the second adult in the room, the Doorkeeper, helps children stay focused and is present should any emergency arise.

We may do an alternative activity with the group at times, such as yoga or gardening.  Attendance has been strong this year-an average of 14 children each Sunday.  On November 10, we had 20 children at Spirit Play!  Much like the adult community at UUSS, this group is friendly, thoughtful, unpredictable and energetic.

Thanks to the small group of volunteers which has kept Spirit Play going.  Not only does Spirit Play enrich the lives of the children, it gives parents precious time to re-charge at the service.  We need more volunteers to help keep Spirit Play going through the winter and spring.  Extensive training is not required-we have dozens of scripts for stories to tell along with the props, or you can add your own story if you are inspired.  We can provide you with a short individual training session or, given enough interest, organize group training.

I can tell you from personal experience that when I first started volunteering, I worried that I didn't have adequate skills or charisma with children.  I quickly learned that the children are happy to come together as a group and to know that two adults are willing to spend an hour with them--learning, discussing and playing.

Please consider volunteering for Spirit Play.  We have a meeting on Religious Education on December 1, at 10:45 a.m. (child care provided), or you can tell RE Coordinator Miranda you are interested in volunteering.  Please also feel free to talk to me before or after the service if I can answer any questions.

Remember, the deadline for you to submit Unigram items is the 15^th of the month preceding the month of publication and your event.  The most effective articles will pick out one or two items to highlight.  Any announcements should contain a date, a time, and a contact person, including an e-mail or phone number.