Service Leader: Lay Chaplains

Worship Associates: Linda Lampson

Music: Alan Bell

Pianist: Roger Corman

The Basket: Our Own Saturday Breakfast for Our Neighbors

Building the Beloved Community:

Service Leader: Rev Dave Clements

Worship Associate: Jonathan Choe

Music: Gage Purdy & The Choir

Pianist: Roger Corman

Share The Basket: Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration

Worship Leader: Rev Dave Clements

Worship Associate: Cathie Wiese

Music: Gage Purdy

Pianist: Paul Gilger

The Basket is highlighting : Our Own Religious Education

Love Unveiled: The Ever-Evolving Tapestry of Affection

Service Leader: Rev Dave Clements

Worship Associate: Richard J. Senghas

Music: Gage Purdy & The Choir

Pianist: Roger Corman

Share The Basket: Social Advocates for Youth (SAY)

“Embracing New Beginnings: A Message from Your Interim Minister”

Dear Members and Friends of UUCSR,

As we stand at the threshold of a new year, I am filled with gratitude and hope for the journey that lies ahead. It is both an honor and a privilege to serve as your interim minister during this time in the life of your congregation. As your Interim Minister I have a unique role to play. The role involves various responsibilities aimed at supporting you as a congregation and facilitating a smooth transition. Here are some key aspects of my role as your interim minister:

Other responsibilities: Deliver sermons and teachings to inspire and guide the congregation. Foster spiritual growth and understanding during the interim period.

Foster positive relationships between the interim minister, congregational leaders, and the broader community. Provide a grounding presence during times of uncertainty and change.

As your Interim Minister, I have worked together with you to fulfill these roles and will continue to do so in the months ahead. I hope that as we start this new year all of you have a better understanding of my role and what I am trying to do to prepare you for your next minister.

Cheers,

Rev. Dave

While it is true that the UUCSR Board of Trustees is the primary governing entity within UUCSR, ideally it does not govern in isolation. Our democratic structure is composed of board committees and congregational meetings. Democracy appears to be a revolutionary concept and in our greater society, always seems to be under challenge. And democracy, as you know, is about more than just voting.

More than six years ago I was a disgruntled member and I didn’t attend any UUCSR events, including Sunday services. I did not participate because I felt that my voice was small, incapable of being heard. What was I disgruntled about? Mostly I felt out of place, that some effects of bias and unconscious racism impacted me negatively, and that our church leader was not hearing what I was saying. I felt that I wasn’t really welcomed, acknowledged, or heard in the same way that other members were.  Mostly I felt invisible, an afterthought. So I stayed away for 5 years. When I came back, I threw myself into diversity work and that helped, because there were a few more allies who were making the effort to understand what it can feel like to be different, especially to be a person of color, in our UU congregation.

I was tapped to be on the board, and although (admittedly) not really excited about it, I had decided that I wanted to continue to make my own effort to be heard; to participate in a congregation that explicitly states a value of democracy. Democracy requires me to make my voice heard, even knowing that folks may disagree with me.

I have really learned a lot, just living in our current “situation” in the US, where democracy is constantly challenged. It is important to be a part of the solution, and not just to grouse about what makes me ill about the decisions supposedly made on my behalf. I can’t just sit on the sidelines and wait until things happen before I decide to engage or not to engage. So now, I do write the letters to my congress people, I do participate in demonstrations, and I do send out postcards to encourage others to participate in voting. I figure out my energy level, and then I engage as much as I am able. In a democracy, you don’t always get what you want, and that is very hard, especially on moral and ethical issues. But when folks come together to say “no more” or “here is another idea”, in whatever non-violent ways that are appropriate, good things can happen. This is important in our congregation also. I hope that we practice democracy here and see in ourselves the ability to have an impact on our common futures.

There are many viewpoints, perspectives about every decision, every event that has occurred or will occur in the future, here at UUCSR. There isn’t just one right answer to any situation. It can be hard to disagree with friends and none of us feels like engaging in those disagreements all the time. But it is important to listen, to be open to viewpoints that differ, even when it is hard. I think we learned this. To be honest, it is sometimes very hard to be on the board. As a board member, you must take into account various perspectives, and then you have to make a decision that you feel is the best decision. You have to make a decision that you can live with, that conforms with the bylaws and your personal moral and ethical values. And folks will disagree. Perhaps that is a good reason to limit the terms of board members. And it makes a case for more folks taking a turn, for a limited time, to contribute to this congregation as being a member of the board or a board committee. It is part of what makes democracy work in our congregation.

We will have a Congregational Meeting on January 21st. We will elect a few new board members and members of the Endowment committee. The meeting will be in person and on Zoom and hopefully we will have childcare. I will keep you updated. Please, if you can, plan to attend to be a part of our very important UU democracy.

~Leslie

Message from the Treasurer

Pledges are almost $24K under budget to date for Jul – Nov 2023. Pledge payments will likely increase in December per past experience.

Donations and Unrestricted Gifts total approximately $30K for the period and $9,100 over budget. This is encouraging as early this year they were much lower.

Overall Revenue was $12,880 below budget.

Glaser Center’s Rental income FY to date is $20K which is $5,757 over budget. This will be impacted by the lack of rentals during December. GC Chair Linda Balabanian and Aphrodite are still working to recruit new members for the committee and secure more rentals.

Available Cash – Liquid Assets increased YTD and hopefully this will continue. We are OK on available cash to cover expenses.

Expenses are $12,200 below budget as employees’ costs continue to be less than were originally projected. With the colder weather beginning, utility costs are increasing but for now total Expenditures are still $26,800 under budget.

Net Income is $860 under budget and with the monthly expense payment from Saturday Breakfast this brings the Net Income up to $5,400 over budget.

Only one Fundraiser has been completed to date and the 3 or 4 other proposed ones will take place in the Spring. This will assist to increase our Revenue. It is hoped that revenue will also increase especially as the Stewardship team continues their efforts to contact people who have let their pledges go unpaid.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Jan Hess, Treasurer

Hello all,

Happy New Year! RE is returning from its winter break with all of our programs back in full force, including an OWL overnight, some exciting field trips, and a brand new summer camp (registration coming soon)

As you're making your new year's resolutions, I invite you to think of ways you might like to get involved in RE. We have plenty for folks to do, including:

We always love having new faces in RE, and folks who have experience working with kids to help us out! As always, feel free to email me with any questions about upcoming programs, our calendar, or special events. There's a little something for everyone in RE, and we can't wait for you to join us!

In love and gratitude,

Era

This Sunday, the kids of RE are learning about Shintoism! They'll enter into the world of kami, and discover the many ways in which the Shinto faith teaches us to find the spirit in everything.

This Sunday, the kids of RE are celebrating the holiday of Imbolc. Finding themselves among the faerie, our heroes will learn all about the Goddess Brigid and how she is honored during the days of Imbolc as they help the fae with their Imbolc festivities.

Thursday, January 4th, 6:00-7:30 pm

Thursday, January 18th, 6:00-7:30 pm

Thursday, January 11th, 7:00-8:30 pm

Thursday, January 25th, 7:00-8:30 pm

Friday, January 5th, 5:00 pm - Saturday, January 6th, 1:00 pm

Sunday, January 14th, 12:15-1:45 pm

Sunday, January 28th, 12:15-1:45 pm

Sunday, January 7th, 12:00-3:00 pm

Sunday, January 21st, 12:00-3:00 pm

Friday, January 26th, 5:00-8:00 pm

Step 1. We’ve created a version of our draft (click on link above) that includes only non-substantive changes, such as cleaning up outdated language, or clarifying procedures, which we think will not be controversial and which don’t change anything significant about how the congregation operates. We are asking you to read this now and vote on these changes at the congregational meeting on January 21, 2024. Text in red is new text. Text that is struck out is current text that will be deleted. Please note that if you have major concerns about any of the changes, those changes can be taken out of the document and put aside for later discussion, while the rest of the document is voted on.   

Step 2. After the January meeting, we will begin a series of discussions on the more substantial issues. Rather than discuss these all at once, we will break them into digestible “chunks” and invite you to a series of forums where you will have the opportunity to learn about and discuss each major area. The hope is that we will be ready to vote on these at the June 2024 congregational meeting, giving us a brand-new updated set of bylaws as we begin the search for a new settled minister. You can attend all the forums and go through the entire bylaws, or attend the ones of most interest to you – either way, you will have every opportunity to make your voice heard and be as involved as you want to be, prior to voting.        

We look forward to your participation in this important work of the congregation. If you have any questions, please talk to any one of us, or email bylaws@uusantarosa.org

What Do Lay Chaplains Do?

If you attend services, you are aware that there is a Lay Chaplain each Sunday who reads the entries in the Milestones book and is available after the service if someone needs a listening ear.

Additionally, our ministry involves assisting our minister by being in contact with people who are ill, unable to come to church or who have experienced a recent loss. We meet twice monthly to identify the needs in the congregation. We are also available to connect with any congregant who requests it. Please contact one of us directly or all of us at LayChaplains@uusantarosa.org if you or someone you know needs support.

If you are unable to write your entry in the Milestone’s Book, please send what you would like to say to laychaplains@uusantarosa.org by Friday before the Sunday you want it entered and the Lay Chaplain of the day will enter it for you.

Our Lay Chaplains are: Rob Carlisle, Judy Ervice, Bruce Hope, Barb Kezur, Julie Malm, Gretchen Vap

Understanding the difference between “Pledge” and “Legacy Gifts”

All of your donations to UUCSR are very important both for daily operations and for the long term sustainability of our Spiritual Home.

Your annual pledge supports the Congregation’s operations on a regular basis. Think of your pledge as money used to pay our wonderful staff, all the programs such as religious education, music, adult education, plus monthly bills, utilities and so on. Generally, your annual pledge comes from your income that you may receive on a regular basis such as paycheck, salary, investments, pensions, or social security.

A Legacy Gift is different from your annual pledge in that the use is for long term and enduring use. The gift is placed in UUCSR’s Endowment Fund, and invested for growth. This is your Legacy to UUCSR and in general comes from your assets such as financial accounts, stocks, bonds, property, and usually left through your will or trust accounts.

Leaving a legacy gift to UUCSR provides a great opportunity to make a long-lasting contribution to your Congregation whose influence and good works continue to grow year after year. Has UUCSR been an important part of your spiritual identity? If yes, please consider making a contribution or legacy gift to the Endowment. A legacy gift of any size is always significant.

Look forward to our upcoming event in March of 2024 to help celebrate this community.

If you have any questions please contact the Endowment Committee at: endowment@uusantarosa.org

UUCSR’s evening contemplative Taize service takes place the first Thursday of every month from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. The next service will be on Thursday, January 4, 2024. It is held in an intimate candlelit setting in the sanctuary.

The service is based on the chanting and meditation service created by the Taize monastic community in Burgundy, France over 80 years ago. UUCSR’s Taize service includes short readings, the chanting of songs from our UU tradition, silent meditation, and the lighting of candles. The intention of this short contemplative service is to create a place of tranquility that allows you to connect with the Spirit of Life in a deep way.

Everyone is welcome to attend. Taize is meant to be a service for the entire community. We encourage you to bring your friends.

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Judy Withee at jlwpia@sonic.net.

The Chancel flowers on January 7 are in honor of:

Shirley White who celebrated her 92nd birthday on January 2 -- dedicated by her daughter, Jan Prater.  Congratulations Shirley!

For more information on how you can dedicate First Sunday Flowers, contact flowercommittee@uusantarosa.org.

(click on flyer to view -illustrated by Danielle Barlow)

Celebrate Tradition in the Wheel of the Year

Each January the CUUPs members meet and look back at the year just past and forward to the new year. We evaluate what went well and what could change for the better. We consider if our celebrations for the congregation as a whole were well received and if we felt we have the energy and participants to repeat them next year. As with all established groups we have a core set of people with more casual members who ebb and flow around the edges. Our established celebrations; Beltane/May Pole, Lammas Bread offering, Samhain/Ancestor Honoring, and Yule/Winter Solstice have been presented so many times, we have some well established routines for them. We tweak this and that and introduce a few new things, but for the most part they have become a comfortable ‘tradition’ for us and I hope for you, the UU Congregation. Traditions are nice because you know what is expected, and how to produce the results that are hoped for. Traditions are like a playbook that can be passed on to the next person for them to follow. It’s a comfort to know the wheel does not have to be reinvented each time that same celebration rolls around. Of course we can change this, try that, introduce something different and it just seems to freshen up that comfortable tradition we all come to expect. Each January we at CUUPs consider if we should freshen up one of our long standing celebrations or abandon it and try something new. A few years ago we abandoned our more traditional Samhain potluck and celebration and it evolved into the Samhain/Ancestor Remembrance service. When there were two Sunday services on the first Sunday in May we adapted our Beltane/May Pole celebration into a quick paced May Pole Dance to follow the service with the most Families attending. We’ve made these changes because one part of our mission statement is:

We feel the commitment to you, our UU Congregation, to include you in our path of spirituality and to encourage you to see that same love of Mother Earth as a part of your everyday life and to confirm the 7th principal:

As we gather to plan this next year’s events, I would like to extend an invitation for you to join us. As with all groups there are ‘business meetings’ when we plan out the celebrations that are so loved. And then we also have small informal celebrations with just those who show up at the appointed time and place. Sometimes it’s just a zoom celebration. Lately we’ve met in parks for potluck and informal ritual. If you would like to join us, contact us at cuups@uusantarosa.org so you can be placed on our email list.

Blessed Be and walk softly on our Mother,

Lucia Kasulis

From Adult Education

P.D James, Death in Holy Orders (Anglicanism)

Tony Hillerman, Sacred Clowns (Navajo, Hopi)

Craig Johnson, Hell Is Empty (Cheyenne, Crow, Dante)

Uchida Yasuo, The Togakushi Legend Murders (Shinto)

If you would like to be on the course mailing list for the spring, email Carol at cdaeley@austincollege.edu. 

It seems everything has to have a Golden Age, whether or not it was truly golden. For television, it was the 1950s. Some great plays made their way to American screens during that period. And these plays featured some hungry unknown actors like Paul Newman, Andy Griffith, Jack Palance, Rod Steiger, and James Dean. All these plays were performed LIVE. No edits, no second takes. The class will showcase 6-8 of the best examples of TV drama from that era. After each performance, we'll engage in a free-form discussion.

A beloved UUCSR tradition laid low by the pandemic is ready to rise again this spring.

Organizers: Sandy Brewer scbrewer@sonic.net and Cathie Wiese cathie@sonic.net

WHAT are Circle Dinners??? Circle Dinners are informal social gatherings over a pot-luck meal. They are opportunities to enjoy getting to know folks you might never have met otherwise. As participants, we have had some wonderful times visiting other members' homes (large and small---it doesn't matter!) and always look forward to great food and conversation.

HOW do they work??? Members and Friends (interested in membership) of UUCSR let the Circle Dinner organizers know they want to be on the list. We then take all the names and shuffle them into groups of 7 or 8 (singles and couples) which becomes a "Circle Dinner Group" for the 4 months of the Circle Dinner period.

WHEN? In the February Newsletter we will post the Spring Circle Dinner Lists. The groups then contact each other, decide on a date, time and place to gather and who will bring what. The rest takes care of itself! Before the fun is over, the group decides the who, what , where and when for the next month's gathering. You don't need dinner service for 8, a family sized dining room, linen napkins, or even a room with a view! All you need is an enjoyment of meeting new friends, connecting with old friends, and the love of a good meal and conversation. Some groups meet for lunch and some even decide to meet at a restaurant.

WHERE? We will be taking sign ups in THE SOCIAL HALL. Look for the sign up table. Also we will do sign-ups via email. We will need your name and phone number to post on the list so that your Circle can connect!

Watch for more information in the weekly Newsblasts. Sign ups will begin Sunday, January 7th through Sunday, January 21.

In this month's newsletter:

In this month's newsletter:

Katie Trieller: ktrieller@icloud.com 707-329-5083.

To make a suggestion for a non-profit for our Share the Basket, please contact Mary Louise Jaffray; email mljaffray@jaffray.us or 707 695-9348.

Side with Love—a public advocacy campaign that seeks to harness love’s power to stop oppression. Sponsored by the UUA.

An annual month of spiritual nourishment, political grounding, and shared practices of faith and justice. 30 Days of Love will go from Martin Luther King, Jr Day (January 15) through Valentine’s Day (February 14)

Each week, on every Monday, you’ll receive a message via email reflecting on the week’s spiritual and intersectional justice priorities with resources, prayers, videos and grounding practices.

For more info:

Be aware that we continue to have congregants who contract COVID. Please take appropriate precautions, such as masking, based on your personal situation. If you test positive and had any close or prolonged contact with other congregants we encourage you to notify them yourself.