Starting August 3:  Service at 10:15 a.m. at 890 Morse Ave.

June 29

Breaking the Silence:  A Caregiver's Voice

Ms. Frances Kakugawa, speaking, Lay Leader Deirdre Downes

And Guest Pianist Nicholas Dold

Discussion/lecture follows at 11:30

Ms. Kakugawa is a poet, writer and teacher.  She's the author of books for adults and for children about the experience of caring for loved ones with a long-term illness, about the Hawaiian town of her childhood which was buried under a lava flow, and about the challenges of the teacher-student relationship.  For five years, she was the main caregiver for her mother with Alzheimer's disease.

Don't miss this rare appearance by a celebrated speaker.

 Nicholas Dold returns after his first year working at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and before he heads east for the Duxbury Music Festival where he is on the accompanist faculty.  He has generously donated back our honorarium for today to the UUSS Building Fund to support our renovation project.  Thanks, Nicholas!

July 6

Eulogy or R�sum�:  How Do You Want to Be Remembered?

Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Guest Preacher

With Lay Leader Mary Howard and Guest Pianist Barbara Lazar

When famous people die, the urge is to memorialize them with all the noteworthy things on their r�sum�.  But is that the way we really want to be remembered?  When Steve Jobs' sister eulogized her brother at his memorial service, she didn't say a thing about iPhones or Apple.  She talked about the man who wanted love to inform all his relationships with his family, friends and the world.  So, come our memorial service, what is it we really want remembered about us?

 David Sammons has been Interim Senior Minister in San Francisco (where Roger preached in December for this pulpit exchange).  He was Interim Senior Minister in Golden, CO, after Rev. Peter Morales was elected President of the UUA.  Earlier, Dave served the Mt. Diablo UU Church for 23 years, leading them through capital campaigns and into a big, lovely new sanctuary and sunny social hall.

He has mentored many student ministers and served on the faculty of Starr King School for the Ministry after retiring from Mt. Diablo.  He has chaired the boards at Pacific School of Religion, the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County and Planned Parenthood. He has been an officer of the UU Ministers Association and served the UUA in many capacities.  He and his wife, Jan Sammons, a teacher, have five adult children and five grandchildren.

July 13

It's the End of the World As We Know It (Again):

The Millennial Generation and American Religious Life

Guest Preacher Rev. Annie Gonzalez,

Unitarian Universalist Association, Office of Campus and Young Adult Ministries

With Lay Leader Mike Erwin, Rev. Lucy Bunch and Pianist Barbara Lazar

Discussion follows from 11:30 to 12:20.

"Millennials" are a hot topic these days.  Depending on whom you ask, those of us born between 1980 and 2000 are narcissistic and entitled, glued to our technology; or we're inclusive and engaged, moving society into better days.

One thing is for certain.  Young adults don't go to church very much, and they shy away from institutions in general.  Does this mean certain demise for our religious institutions?

Perhaps we can look back at how other generations have changed America's cultural landscape.  We can learn how institutions adapt to new eras and new generations, time and time again.

Rev. Gonzalez serves our denomination's young adult and campus ministries office.  She grew up as a UU in Central Illinois, attended Union Theological Seminary and did her internship at the UU Church in Davis.  Soon her new position will take her to Boston to live, so don't miss this passionate and promising new leader for our liberal faith.

July 20

Practice, Patience, and Sabbath Rest

Guest Preacher Jim Lewis, Starr King School for the Ministry

With Rev. Lucy Bunch, Lay Leader Lonon Smith, and Pianist Barbara Lazar

We all need more down time.  This Sunday we will share tales of coming to quieter places, hopes of finding more connection, and the search for a deeper and more balanced wholeness.

 Jim Lewis is the Director of Religions Education at UUs of Petaluma and seminarian at Starr King.

July 27

Looking Forward and Letting Go:

A "Moving" Service followed by Ground Breaking Ceremony

All Ages Service with Rev. Roger Jones and Rev. Lucy Bunch

With Lay Leader Taylor Lewis and Pianist Barbara Lazar

Don't miss this historic occasion when we celebrate all the ministries launched, lives touched and comfort given in this hexagonal home for the past 53 years.  This is our last Sunday service before we move to 890 Morse Avenue (Sierra Arden United Church of Christ) for a year of renovation and expansion of the Main Hall here at home base.

Our Groundbreaking Ceremony immediately follows the 10:00 a.m. service.

Any of us who have moved appreciate how hard it can be to decide what to keep and what to let go.  All of our committees and groups are doing just that.  Family Promise has cleaned out their storage area and sent several truckloads off to be donated to other groups.  The kitchen crew is hard at work sorting and sifting all the various items that have accumulated over the years.  The Religious Service Committee is sorting through yards of altar cloths, deciding which we should take to our rental space, which to store, and which to offer to new homes for new uses.  If you have ever looked behind our stage, you have a sense of how many items Theater One will have to pack and move.  Of course we want to keep as much as we can, but the storage shed can only hold so much. 

Our main building will be fenced off for most of 11 months, and everything in it must be moved out: the furniture, refrigerators, stove, pictures, books, pencils and paper. And the banners, which will be safely stored until they can be reinstalled next year.  When we return, it will be marvelous, but it won't be the same.  No more accordion doors, no more tiny bathrooms, windows where windows weren't before.  At our last service on July 27, we will have a chance to say goodbye to the building that has served us so well and to break ground for the beautiful expansion/renovation yet to come.

For our time away please know this:  all of our groups and committees will be accommodated in the RE building-there is space for all.  Our office staff will be on site in rooms 9 and 10.  We will simply be bi-churched for 11 months--Monday through Saturday at our regular site and Sunday at our home away from home.

It should be quite an adventure.

  Where's Lucy in July?

I will be here all month during my usual office hours of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.  Please call or e-mail if you want to come by so I can be sure to be available for you. 

Calling All Story Tellers 

Do you like telling stories?  Would you like to share your gift with the congregation?  Please contact Rev. Lucy ([email protected]) to find out more.

Another church year is ending and we look down the road to starting the next church year in a new space.  I am a little concerned that on that first Sunday in August my car will automatically turn down Sierra Boulevard on auto-pilot, and I will have to make a course correction to the Sierra Arden United Church of Christ (SAUCC) on Morse Avenue.  I know it will feel strange walking into that new place for the first time.  But as soon as I see all of the familiar faces, I will immediately relax and will enjoy a new and interesting experience.

The ministers and the Board of Trustees have had many discussions to make sure that everyone stays engaged, interested and committed.  It will be easier for some than others, and I know it will be a challenge.  We are already looking at the calendar for next year to come up with Adult Enrichment, fund raisers and activities that will keep us connected to one another.  Field trips to Sierra Boulevard to see the progress on our project will help, and planning some events that we can hold on our property is also being considered.  But I know in my heart we will continue to stay connected

-even being away from home.

The board will also experience some big changes for the next church year.  Four of our Board members will be leaving: Meg Burnett, Gordon Gerwig, Eric Ross and Glory Wicklund; and we will welcome four new members:  Denis Edgren, Shirley Hines, Carol Jacobs and Terry Preston. I know they will bring fresh ideas to our leadership team and I look forward to working with each of them.

July will be an especially busy month at the church as we get ready to move out.  There will be lots of opportunities to volunteer with the packing, cleaning, painting, discarding and generally doing a really big purge.  It will also be a little nostalgic as we go through items that I am sure will bring back some fond and not so fond memories.  I hope as many of you as possible will participate in this experience.

Please share any ideas you have with the Board about this transition and temporary relocation.  SAUCC will be the home for all of us for this brief period, and by working together, I know we will make the best of this and build memories for years to come.

Tech-phobic?  No worries-it's like following a recipe, very easy to learn and do.  Megan is available to train you and provide ongoing support.  This is a great way to support the congregation.  Contact Megan Brooks by e-mail or see her on Sunday, or call the UUSS Office and leave your name and number.  Thanks!  

I was at a festival in San Jose under the warm sun and surrounded by the cool bay breeze. Music, art, food and culture created the purpose for the gathering. I recall walking by an area occupied with grass mats and countless baskets of natural materials. Festival goers were invited to help create a nature mandala on the green grass. Over the course of the day, the mandala grew in size, blossomed with beauty and brought people together, unifying the purpose for mandala making. The mandala has long been a symbol of various cultures and religions. The overall shape and intricate designs represent a source of meditation, a symbol of self and a sacred space allowing an inward focus. Mandalas can assist with artistic expression, healing and getting in touch with feelings. Designing and building mandalas give us a chance to represent anything we are thinking or emotions we are experiencing. I invite you to see Religious Education's finished nature mandala after the service on Sunday, July 13, in the play yard near the Fahs Room.

The last Sunday in July will also be the last Sunday we occupy our sanctuary space on Sierra Boulevard.  There will be a groundbreaking ceremony and everyone is invited. Religious Education children and youth will participate in a Wall of Handprints. Colorful painted hands will adorn a wall from the sanctuary and will perhaps be saved to be placed in the new building as a symbol to youth and children. If you would like to help remove the wall board once the hands are dry, please contact Miranda (e-mail [email protected]).

August 3:  At the Home  Away from Home

This will be our first Sunday at Our Home Away From Home with Religious Education and Worship beginning at 10:15 a.m. There will be an RE Table to sign in just as we are used to. I will be present with Nursery staff, Annie and Beka, to help show people where the RE rooms are located. RE rooms are joined together with doors and occupy one wing--much like the space we currently have at UUSS. If you have any questions about the move, I am here to help!

• Information about Our Whole Lives for 4^th and 5^th grades is now available at http://uuss.org/Groups/RE/Our_Whole_Lives.php.
• Spirit Play Orientation with Rev. Roger is tentatively planned for Sunday, August 24.
• Spirit Play Training with creator Nita Penfold is tentatively planned for Saturday, October 4.
• Planning meeting for Junior and Senior High Youth, their families and Youth Advisors will take place at the end of summer. Please contact Miranda or Roger if you would like to help. 
• RE calendar details and other information can be found at http://uuss.org/Groups/RE/index.php.

Sunday, July 6

9:45-11:45      Child care available - age 5 and under

10:00-11:15    RE ArtWorks

11:30-12:45    Kids' Freedom Club Meeting

July 7-12

PCD Middle School Summer Camp (MiSC)

PCD High School (WUUKY) in Mendocino Woodlands

Sunday, July 13

9:45-11:45      Child care available - age 5 and under

10:00-11:15    RE ArtWorks

Sunday, July 20

9:45-11:45       Child care available - age 5 and under

10:00-11:15     RE ArtWorks

Sunday, July 27, last day at 2425 Sierra Boulevard

9:45-11:45      Child care available - age 5 and under

10:00-11:15     RE ArtWorks

11:00                  Groundbreaking Ceremony

Sunday, August 3, first day at 890 Morse Avenue

10:00-11:30     Child care available - age 5 and under

10:15-11:30     RE ArtWorks and Worship

Next meeting of UUSS Kids' Freedom Club is after church on June 29.

Every fourth Monday, a group of UUSS volunteers go out to Loaves & Fishes on North C Street at 7:30 a.m. to help prepare the food to be served later to the indigent clients who show up for a daily nutritious meal.  Pictured here, front to back, on the left:  Larry Shaw, Lynne Greaves, and Dick Taylor; on the right are Jeff Voeller and Ray, one of the non-UUSS regulars.  (Photo supplied by Lynne Greaves)

Feel like cutting up with them?  Contact Dick Taylor at:  [email protected] or (916) 274-4925.

Please bring your pledge payments up to date for the church budget year, which closes June 30.  Committee Members:  please submit your reimbursement requests and receipts so that income and expenses for budget year 2013-14 can be recorded and the fiscal year closed out as of June 30.  Thank You!

I Survived "All-Ages Church Camp" - and Ate Very Well

By Rev. Roger Jones

Thank you to our many coordinators and cooks for this year's UUSS All-Ages Camp (formerly Family Camp) at the Sons of Norway Recreation Center, or Camp Norge.  Carl Gardner, Christopher Jensen, Taylor Lewis and Denise Wieland organized sign-ups and payments for the weekend, greeted campers as we arrived and did much more. 

Among several other activity leaders, Patty Taylor taught weaving, Petra Stanton led games, and Dave Baily's rocket-making and launching was a blast for many kids.  A pack of men made Sunday breakfast.  Some folks coordinated Saturday's potluck dinner.  Many folks remained for Sunday clean-up, but some were left with more than their share of work.  We can do better next year, and we always learn fresh lessons after a trip there.  Three UUSS folks are now members of Sons of Norway District 6 and more are encouraged to join.  This gives us a better shot at getting exclusive use of the camp and having the pool opened for us.  You need not be a Viking or any other kind of Norwegian to join.  If you have a balance due to UUSS for this year's camp, Michele can receive your check in the office.

Save the date!  We've paid the deposit for these dates next year:  June 12 to 14, 2015 (not Father's Day).  However, we are short of the $1,220 deposit needed to save our preferred UUSS dates for 2016.  Let the leaders or me know if you have questions!

Our last Sunday service at 2425 Sierra Boulevard for about a year is July 27.

Our first Sunday at 890 Morse Avenue (at Northrop Avenue) is August 3, at 10:15 a.m.  Come early to find a place to park across the street at the education center.  Better yet, gather at UUSS at 9:10 for a 9:30 a.m. processional to our temporary home.

We share every weekly offering with the greater community.  For May, we sent $1,800 to Effie Yeaw Nature Center (through American River Natural History Association).  Thank you!

In July we support the area SPCA, which works "to reduce pet overpopulation through affordable spay/neuter services, promote the humane treatment of animals through education and outreach, and assist pet owners ... to keep pets and their families together for life."  Learn more at http://www.sspca.org/about/mission-history.  Ginger and Roy's plot hound Luke, a former shelter dog, and I join in saying: "Woof!"

UUSS' Theater One greatly appreciates the success we achieved this last season.  Thank you for your support!  Our total profit from the fall and spring plays came to over $4,000.  Recently, many UUSS members expressed their enthusiasm for our spring show, Enchanted April.  The Sacramento theater community is getting to know us as well, as we continue to bring in excellent community theater actors and expand our network.

Our group is in need of a volunteer from the congregation to manage our publicity in order to continue to grow.  Most of us are motivated to act, direct or do tech work.  However, we need an additional skill set to get the word out to the public.  Please contact our Chair, Laurie Jones, at [email protected], if you would like to join us for another fun year of theater production.  We have exciting plans to do some small theater-in-the round performances while the rebuilding is occurring.  We could use your organizational expertise!

After last month's farewell to JoLane Blaylock, we have revised her former position.  We have reduced the position to 15 to 18 hours a week and named it Membership and Communication Coordinator.  We have named our Facilities Coordinator, Stanton Vedell, to the new position in a three-month "acting coordinator" role. If all goes well, we'll combine his two jobs under one title. 

Stanton and we are excited to have him on site nearly twice as much as he is now and working with receptionist Elaine Cooper on room reservations and communications.  Stanton's schedule varies, so watch the Blue Sheet.  Also, he's here two Sundays a month.

Our resourceful Receptionist Elaine Cooper now serves the Office Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  The office is now closed on Saturdays.

Our main custodian Miguel "Angel" Neri now works evenings for us, meaning he's around when renters and UUSS groups use the building.  We thank him for three years of service while juggling studies at CSUS and other commitments. 

We give our deep thanks to custodians Miguel Neri, Sr., and Aaron Molina, who will be working at jobs elsewhere-but not here-after July, while the Main Hall is renovated.  In addition to these staff members, we appreciate the work of our dedicated bookkeeper, maintenance tech, RE coordinator and child care providers-and the Renaissance woman who serves as our Assistant Minister! 

Thanks to all members and pledging friends whose generous giving makes possible all of the good work of those who serve UUSS.