Under the Umbrella

Inspired by our UU principles, we are a vibrant, intentionally diverse congregation that models and promotes both locally and globally: love, spiritual growth, service, right relations, and sustainable living.

Contacting Our New Minister

Reverend Ellie's email: RevEllie@uufsd.org.

To make an appointment: https://calendly.com/revellie/30min.

OFFICE HOURS

PLEASE NOTE!

The UUFSD Office will be closed beginning at 4:00pm on Friday, December 23rd for the Holidays and will open again on Tuesday, January 3rd.

Due to this we will NOT have a weekly newsletter on Friday, December 30th.

Have a wonderful holiday!

FROM THE BOARD

UUFSD Forum with Rev. Ellie and the UUFSD Board

Sunday, January 8th, 11:45am in the Amphitheatre

Please join us for this important forum!

SOCIAL ACTION

Interfaith Shelter Network In Person Again!

Our Fellowship will participate in the Interfaith Shelter Network Program in person this year after two years off due to Covid-19. We will partner with St. James Catholic Church in Solana Beach, as we have for years, in providing shelter and food to individuals and families without homes.

The guests will spend the nights at St. James for two weeks. UUFSD volunteers will provide overnight hosts and meals for the second week which runs from January 29 until February 5.

This year Barbara Walker will create a Sign-Up Genius to allow us to sign up online to bring food or to stay overnight as a host. Guests will be vaccinated and tested for Covid before staying. They are involved in case management. The program has been very successful in helping individuals to transition to more permanent housing and jobs.

If you would like the Sign Up Genius invitation to be sent to you, please let Barbara know at barbarawalker1@yahoo.com or Mary Anne Trause at trause@comcast.net.

FELLOWSHIP LIFE

Christmas Day Dinner

THIS Sunday, December 25th

1:00pm in Founders Hall

The Tree is decorated, the weather is cooler and the lights are strung. Santa has come. The candles are lit, presents will be exchanged, Boxing Day is the day after Christmas, and New Year’s Day is just around the corner.

It is time to celebrate the day with friends, family and good food. Also, Southern Style Egg Nog is waiting on the Patio.

There will be turkey, dressing, ham and sweet potatoes. Plus an array of other foods from vegan to ethnic.

No need to sit at home, make small talk with the family, cook and clean. Come to the Fellowship, be with family, friends, old and new. We will eat and talk and celebrate each other.

Starts at 1:00pm, bring your favorite dish, bread, dessert or drink and let us be together.

Contact Louise Garrett at lovenlou@gmail.com with any questions.

2nd Monday Book Club

January 9, 2023, 6:30-8:15pm, Founders Hall West

The UUFSD Book Club is starting 2023 with the discussion of the modern novel Little Fires Everywhere (2017) by Celeste Ng.

We will meet at 6:30pm on Monday, January 9th at UUFSD.

Send comments and questions to bookclub@uufsd.org or call/text Cathy Leach-Phillips at 650 224-1974.

About the novel:

The planned community of Shaker Heights, Ohio is the setting where two very different families meet. "Witnessing these two families as they commingle and clash is utterly engrossing" (Eleanor Henderson, NY Times Book Review)

How do questions of race stack up against the comfort of privilege, and what role does that play in parenting? And do the faults of our past determine what we deserve in the future? (from review by author Jodi Picoult)

January Circle Dinners Moved to January 28th

Due to the conflicting date with the Peter Mayer concert, the January Circle Dinners have been moved one week, to January 28. Sign ups to attend a dinner will begin after the service on January 8.

Right now, we are looking for a few people willing to host a dinner that evening.

We are also looking for 1 or 2 people to help with organizing the dinners by manning the circle dinner table after service on one or two Sundays each month, and coordinating with hosts some months.

For more information, or to volunteer as a host or coordinator, please contact Nancy Hebert at nancy.e.hebert@gmail.com.

Design Review

The Design Review Committee team is in search of additional members!

Our function and responsibility is to maintain the esthetic integrity of our campus. This includes reviews and approval of proposed improvements to the buildings or site, and other physical changes or additions to our site. There are currently two members on the committee, Irving Himelblau and Jon Luft.

It is important that the Design Review have a broader representation, as we consider a series of site improvements. We meet on an as needed basis.

For more information or to join our efforts, contact Irv Himelblau at Designreview@uufsd.org

UT Article Featuring Our Very Own AV Speclalist, Joe Cantrell!

Joe Cantrell was featured in a Union Tribune article this month highlighting his group's concert at Bread and Salt titled "Music Machine". Click below to read a review of their amazing performance.

Be A Candle of Care

Pastoral Care is a core component of our beloved community as it strengthens the meaning and experience of community. Every caring action is a compassionate action. We can all participate in caring for our community through a variety of compassionate actions. Here are some ways you can be a “Candle of Care”:

Offering to bring food to someone in need

Send a “caring card”

Visit someone who is experiencing a challenging time

Make a phone call to express your care

Offer transportation to Sunday services or for essential appointments (e.g. medical)

Give a hug (when appropriate)

If you would like to participate in UUFSD’s Candle of Care program please contact pastoralcare@uufsd.org

Book Closet Volunteers Needed!

Come one, come all! The Library Committee needs you!

We are looking particularly for members to staff the book closet before or after services on Sundays on a periodic basis. It's a chance to chat with our members and recommend some great reads! We also need folks to help us sort through donations on the first Thursday of every month at 9:30 am.

All of our used book proceeds go to support UUFSD; most recently we were able to refinish the library floor!

Contact Robin Sales at uu@irobin.org

Help support music at UUFSD

Donate to the new Endowment Music Program Fund

To everyone who loves music at UUFSD! A new Music Program sub-fund of our Endowment is now open, to offer support for our music programming in perpetuity. Gifts to the new Music Program Fund will go directly into the new restricted sub-fund, where income generated will be available to the Board for enhancing all kinds of music activities. Gifts of any size and type are welcome, including bequests, memorial donations, while-living gifts, and casual cash donations.

Whether it’s a smaller donation of $100 or a larger donation or bequest, feel free to contact the Planned Giving Committee at plannedgiving@UUFSD.org, or simply drop your gift in the office with identifying details.

Plato: “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe.”

Good News and Other Items of Interest

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”

– Aristotle 

• Car makes record-breaking 621-Mile Trip on single charge powered by the Sun
• This Perfectly Spherical Dog With 100K Instagram Followers Reminds Us that Cute Comes in All Shapes and Sizes
• Otherworldly Scenes Show Plants Breathing in Close-Up Detail: A Long Sought Discovery

Note: those who use the Le Port School parking lot on Sundays: the gate code is 152