Connecting Minister's Column
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Minister's Notes
January and "the new years"
New Year’s, Norouz, Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur, the Spring Festival/Chinese New Year, Samhain are just a few of the “new years” throughout a year. Any new year reminds us to look at who we are, treasure the good, and hope for the blossoming of who we want to be. During this time we both grieve those we miss and hope for what we love. We dedicate ourselves to life and re-commit to our dreams. We send good wishes of health, happiness and care to one another. Most importantly we reflect on and search for meaning that can be carried through time. Therefore, New Year’s is my kind of holiday! This coming New Year, January 2012, I am reflecting on life in ministry, the people I have been in religious dialogue with over the years and the hope for building lasting relationships with this uniquely wonderful community. As I reflect I am filled with gratitude and joy for every aspect of life and particularly for starting 2012 here in Long Beach. What a wonderful time of year. Looking forward there are many activities in the congregation that are bubbling like the fizz of a sparkling beverage. The creative hands arts group, Buddhist group, the film series, a variety of books discussion groups, interest groups such as the dream group and the mindful eating, the knitting hats for the homeless group and the guest chef volunteers are just a few of the ongoing events. One group that recently emerged is the young adult group and they are growing strong. They will be meeting January 8th and 22nd at 10am. Please encourage our young adults to check it out. This group has been long time in the making is a celebration of the whole community. Another exciting event to be hosted here at UUCLB is a district workshop entitled “Shift Happens” on January 21st. This workshop will provide an opportunity for you to explore the frameworks by which we view our lives and how our stories can be used to build a diverse community. Our board has sponsored the congregation’s participation which means anyone may attend, at no personal cost. I encourage you to read more about it in the following pages (in the Advance available at the membership table or emailed to you) and to make the time to participate! It is a great way to get to know ourselves, each other, and other Unitarian Universalists in our district. On the administrative side we are also fizzing with activity. We have begun to put together our search team for a permanent Lifespan Religious Education Director (LRED). The team is comprised of people nominated from the Religious Education Committee, Personnel Committee, the Committee on Ministry, and Congregational Minister/ Staff Supervisor. The members are Chris Crowley, Maureen Gonzales-Burris, Pat Marr, Steve Fuller, Phyllis Daniel and myself. In this new year the team will begin to work on a timeline, job description, and eventual hiring of our LRED. If you have any questions about the process please let me know. All these things and so much more are keeping the congregation bubbling. I love to see the creative engagement in all areas. As we enter the conventional year 2012 together I wish us all not only a happy new year, but a year filled with continued excitement and of course gentle love. Happy New Year! Reverend Mitra Rahnema
December, 2011—You know you are in Southern California when, in December, you hear the clicking of flip-flops from people walking down the street! Even though the weather chills we do not wonder how we are going to make it through the cold. Rather we put on a sweater, and for some, those flip-flops, and we head outside. Days come and go and we can take pleasure in a balanced seasonal shift. Having balance is precious. When we have balance we can be open in heart and mind, enjoy the little things in life, and be present to an ever-changing world. Therefore in this seasonal shift I am thinking about balance. It can be difficult during the holiday season. December is a time of celebration, complex family relationships, and often a long task list that includes decorations, gifts, and event planning. It can feel like a rush to keep up and it can be hard to keep balance. We might forget the things we value such as love before consumerism, or recycled before new, or joy before stress. Therefore, we must remind ourselves and one another to nurture our sense of balance. We can nurture balance by finding moments in life that are yours and letting yourself get a little silly. It can be picking something you don't need to do and not doing it or pulling the car randomly over for a thirty second silent meditation, or starting a family conversation that encourages laughter such as sharing favorite jokes. Having a sense of balance does not have to be a major retreat from society or a dramatic shift. For me this December, I will have a smirk of personal joy every time I hear the click of a flip-flop walking in the neighborhood. Whenever I do I will be reminded of the balance of the season, and of life, and I will think about opening my heart and mind to joy. I hope you do too. With love, Reverend Mitra Rahnema Every time we gather in community I am reminded how privileged I am to be serving the congregation in ministry. At each gathering I learn a little more about your lives, questions, belief, hope, and character and I am amazed by who you are. This community is full with fantastic people who love, try, hope, and get involved! I am deeply humbled in your presence. In October we came together for the “start-up” workshop lead by the Rev. Dr. Ken Brown, Pacific Southwest District Executive and we discussed our hopes for the congregation in the next five years. It was one of those powerful and invigorating experiences together. The ideas that we shared were compiled into four specific hopes for the community. They were:
It was wonderful to hear these ideas first hand from this thoughtful talented engaged community. I hold them in my mind as we move forward, take stock of who we are, and become more organized in our structure. Thank you for your presence in this congregational conversation. As November nears I am looking for more ways to be with the community. There are two events I want to highlight, each with very different purposes yet both are opportunities be together. The first is a forum about General Assembly 2012 this June in Phoenix, AZ. The forum will be on November 13th at 12:30, after the service, and is hosted by the Justice GA Task Force. I will speak about this GA, how it came to be known as “Justice GA” and what to expect if you decide to attend. We want to bring 75 people to GA in June as well as have people commit support here at home. This forum is a chance to learn more about it and be in conversation with other people who will be attending. The second event is the Autumn Gold Service Auction on November 19th at 6pm. Church auctions are a wonderfully fun and practical way to support the community while building relationships. I am looking forward to being with the congregation during this year’s festivities. You can read more about the auction on this web site. I hope to see you there. Overall, I am filled with joy when I think of all the opportunities we will have in the future to be together. I am honored by your presence and look forward to connecting throughout this first year! With gratitude and love, Reverend Mitra Rahnema Dear UUCLB Members and Friends, October is here and the congregation is bubbling with the activity of fall. It is exciting to be amongst you. Recently, in a church committee meeting, the word integrity was lifted up. It resonated in my heart. Integrity brings to my mind an image of a woven blanket strong and dedicated to the warmth and love it can offer. A blanket of integrity created by many individual stitches. Some stitches are exactly as we want while others might be too loose, too tight, or something else than we hoped for. In life, integrity is about our thoughts, words, and deeds unifying for a higher purpose. In community, individuals, committees, and events are the stitches. In any given moment, we too can be exactly as we hoped for and in other moments we are something else. Fortunately, the stitches combine to become a blanket just as moments and effort combined creates a life. If we are intentional it creates a community filled with integrity. We, members and friends, whether you are someone who rarely comes to church or you come every day of the week, are the integrity of this community. In our thought, words, and deeds, we are the stitches of the whole. We are an inclusive, dedicated, vibrant community where our hearts are deepened, our minds are explored, and our faith is welcomed. And together, we create integrity. One of the stitches of our collective integrity is to build a loving and vibrant relationship with each other; congregation and settled minister. This October 7th is an opportunity to do just that. From 7-9 pm, everyone is invited to participate in what is called a "start-up" workshop facilitated by our Unitarian Universalist Pacific Southwest District Executive Rev. Dr. Ken Brown. The workshop is a chance to talk about our visions and hopes as we, the congregation and myself, settle the ministry. It is a stitch in a lasting ministry of integrity. I hope you will come. All members and friends are welcome to weave this start-up as we build a relationship and ministry with integrity. You can find out more about it in the With love,
Hello UUCLB Members and Friends, It is a thrill to be in Long Beach! For the past several months I have been packing, moving, cleaning, unpacking, and organizing a home and office. As I do I have to re-build a visceral knowledge of things like who, what, where, when, why and how. I find myself wandering buildings, rooms, hallways to take it all in; integrating place and being. During this process of integration I tend to notice small things such as the fresh smell of salty sea air, the rhythms of traffic, the shape and color of passing dogs, and the kiss of a warm sun on my back. These things add texture to the world during the task of learning who, what, where, when, why, and how in this place. During the settling time I’m anticipating getting to know you and your ways of adding texture to the community. I think about and want to know who you are, how you spend your time, what you love, and where you find meaning. I want to hear from you about what makes you come alive and what makes your heart say YES! This fall is an opportunity to say yes! Yes we can have a strong shared ministry, yes we can have clarity, yes we can trust one another, yes we cando it all in love! The Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach has so much promise. Your promise is built on a long history, deeply dedicated members, many and varied resources, beautiful grounds, and a unique and vibrant spirit! This is your foundation, from which we will build a sturdy and zesty community. I am excited to begin this ministry with you. We begin with the basics; unpacking, cleaning, and organizing. As we do let us all open our hearts, build a visceral knowledge of each other, and integrate our hopes and visions. Let us begin with a yes! In love,
Past thoughts from our interim ministers:
Refreshed and Revitalized July, 2011 — In 1966, the summer I turned 16, my father and I drove out West from Ohio. We ended up putting almost 10,000 miles on the car. It was a good way to learn—really learn—how to drive. And my dad was a good teacher with memorable anecdotes and several helpful, practical tips. But ten thousand miles is still ten thousand miles; by the time we made it to Southern California we were seriously getting on each other’s nerves. Dad pretty much let me set the course when it came to what scenic places we’d take in. My selections were mostly National Parks and the like, but I wanted to at least set my toe into Mexico—which we did. We were zooming down the San Diego Freeway en route there when Dad suddenly proposed taking a detour to the beach and going for a swim. I remember trying to dissuade him by reminding him that we had swum together in Florida. No, he said, that’s not the Pacific and it’s just not the same. Soon we were parking, putting on swimwear, and diving into the surf. Nearby young people were gathered around fire circles, singing and playing music. Others were walking along a pier. Waterfowl were squawking. The sun set. We gathered our towels, changed, and continued our way south.
Within two years my dad was dead. That unscripted evening swim somewhere near here (I’m not sure which beach it actually was) remains the single dearest memory I have of us together. It has guided and sustained me many times; metaphors about help finding one’s sea legs, learning to float, and enduring high seas all apply. Through various choppy intervals and in the face of dangerous undercurrents I’ve conjure it up and been strengthened by its memory: swimming together in the surf with my dad the summer of my 16th year. Arriving here in Long Beach four and a half decades later I am amazed at how distant that earlier memory seems—almost a different life. And yet, oddly, I have been reminded almost daily, throughout my year here, of that earlier serendipitous swim. And it has nurtured me. As have all of you. It has been a refreshing, fun experience for me; invigorating and strengthening to my body, healing to my spirit. Best wishes on your journey thenceforth. I know you will prosper and that you will become the religious home for many people who, like me, will be refreshed and revitalized by discovering this wonderful community. Namaste,
Endings and Beginnings June, 2011 — With the arrival of June my term of service here at UUCLB is drawing to an end; by mid July I'll be on my way to my next assignment: Interim Minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco. The San Francisco church is a somewhat bigger stage than I've played on heretofore. It's not much bigger numerically than Santa Monica, but it's a historic pulpit-the first Unitarian church west of St. Louis-and watched over, in a way, by denominational lights. It's also where I was an intern back in 1975 -'76: so it means coming full circle in a variety of ways. Meanwhile, how has our work here fared? Interim ministry requires attending to the normal responsibilities of congregational ministry, including worship and pastoral care, while additionally focusing the congregation's attention on five particular tasks:
How well have we accomplished these tasks?
With respect to the first two tasks, honoring our congregation's history (including recognizing our shared griefs and our more nuanced and conflicted feelings about certain aspects of our history), I think we have done a lot. Reverend Forsey put together a revealing timeline, the Search Committee compiled a short narrative history of the church for its packet, and this winter we had a special service honoring the manifold contributions of our Minister Emerita, Reverend Marguerite Lovett, whose photographic portrait now hangs in a place of honor in Wylder Hall. I've also done what I could to write sermons that help UUCLB's members understand our congregation's and our movement's larger context and unique challenges throughout its ninety-eight years in Long Beach.
There have been some significant changes in how the staff and lay leaders interact. As Marguerite's predecessor was widely perceived as domineering, it happened that when she first arrived she stepped back from a strong ministerial presence on committees or in the day to day administration of the church. Other staff followed suit, which had the positive result of strong lay involvement and capacity. But the downside became a lack of day to day ministerial and other staff presence at 5450 East Atherton Street. With such a lovely facility it has been my pleasure to begin reversing the trend, coming into the church for regular office hours and spending time interacting with church and other staff members on the premises. I've also worked out with the Board and with Lola and Acting LRE Cheryl Kessler workable agreements regarding the division of responsibilities-most of which we deal with collaboratively.
I have been helped in my work by virtue of my regular conversations with PSWD District Executive Ken Brown and with staff members at the Transition Department at 25 Beacon Street in Boston. And I've been amazed at the extraordinarily talented members-many of them long term members-who are well connected denominationally. I was a little worried about this before my arrival, but it's turned out to be a 100% positive attribute of life here at UUCLB, in my opinion anyway.
Last weekend I attended the Pacific Southwest District Assembly: we had a full delegation of active, thoroughly engaged delegates; I was proud of us! This church is about as well-connected to denominational networks as any I have served and it shows. Plus you have new leaders coming up ready to follow the lead of those who have shown the way. Kudos!
Concerning the final goal, we had a successful canvass with a nearly 10% raise in pledges, the Search Committee has presented and the congregation has called a highly regarded promising Minister, Reverend Mitra Rahnema, and the congregational leadership is preparing for two retreats to help plan for an exciting future.
I think you have succeeded brilliantly! And I think your future is promising indeed. I'm proud to have been your Interim Minister this year and to have been part of the wonderful energy you have here-which has been very healthy for me to be a part of, and sends me off to San Francisco renewed and revitalized.
Thank you, all, very much.
Yours in faith, Stephen
Spring—Seeking the Miraculous under the Bed, in the Dusty Corners May, 2011 — May is spring at its most striking, dramatic, and beautiful. As a youth back in Ohio, I always had three measures by which I marked the first signs, actual beginning, and final fact of spring. The first sign was Opening Day of the baseball season when we'd all get the afternoon off from school and, transistor radios pressed to our ears, would excitedly listen to the hometown nine with our fingers crossed, dreaming of the pennant. But the true beginning, announced every May first by my mother, was the laborious annual ritual of Spring Cleaning. She would look at me mercilessly, arms akimbo, and solemnly explain that there was lots to be done, and, further, that "we'd better start with your room!" "Aw, Mom," I'd lamely protest, ‘It's not spring yet."
"Nor will it be until this mess is gone. So if you're thinking of going off and playing ball with your friends you'd better roll up your sleeves and get to work right now." Alas, there were to be no Saturday morning cartoons, sandlot games, or YMCA tomfoolery until a year's worth of accumulated debris was gone from underneath my bed, the windowsills, and the corners of my closet. "The spirit of warm weather is hiding under that junk somewhere", Mom would go on, "and it's up to us to set her free." Later, when the work had been sullenly completed and my grandmother's garden down the street had once again come to blossom in all its bright, haphazard glory (the final fact), Mom would smile and remind me that I'd helped bring it about. I didn't know it then (and perhaps she didn't either) but my mom rested on ancient tradition when she set me to finding the Lost Spirit of Spring and returning Her to Her rightful throne. Throughout the ancient Greek and Near Eastern world, as elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, this recurring story (as found in the myths of Tammuz, Adonis, Attis, Baal, Osiris, and others) was everywhere annually reenacted as the central drama of the season. The basic plotline in all of these mythic narratives is universal: the blight caused by the turning away of the sun-god from the then disappearing mother-goddess, and the various attempts of the people to bring them back together so that earthly warmth and fertility might be restored. "...and it's up to us to set her free...." In light of modern scientific knowledge these ancient myths often appear a bit infantile. But maybe they're not so childish after all. For indeed, there does seem to be a real connection between our efforts to look for warmth and creativity in the world and our subsequent ability to see it when and where it emerges; between our willingness to seek the miraculous-under the bed, in the corners of a closet, or down the street-and our openness to recognize it in the beautiful, blossoming rebirth happening (always) AT EVERY HAND. Thanks, Mom.... In vernal veritas, Stephen
Healthy Church—What is Does it Look Like?
March, 2011 — Richard Gilbert, Minister Emeritus of the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, NY, has written extensively about Unitarian Universalist church life. Dick has designed an image of a healthy church. It looks like this:
There are four components and that each aspect connects to each other aspect; i.e., each of the four dimensions touches the other three. Actually each of these four components rests on a fifth component: infrastructure. Infrastructure includes the building, the staff, enough financial resources, and a smoothly running organizational structure. UUCLB has this fifth component covered; your physical plant, your finances, your staff and your organizational structure are all good: a firm foundation. Not all congregations can attest to that; the leaders here at UUCLB are to be commended for the sound condition of your infrastructure.
Atop this foundation, the four other components—Worship and the Celebration of Life, Religious Education, Caring Community, and Ethical Reflection & Moral Action—are all connected. Worship and Celebration is in the center of Dick Gilbert’s image because Sunday morning services are the heart of congregational life: being part of what’s happening here requires attending Sunday services as regularly as possible. It is in Wylder Hall where we celebrate the rites and ceremonies, and hold up the virtues and shared ideals that make us a cohesive community, where we welcome new people and solemnly bid farewell to those who have died.
Religious Education is more than Sunday school alone; it’s what we teach. What we teach our children, surely, but also what we teach visitors and newcomers of every age, as well as what members of longstanding are likely to learn if they come along on an outing to de Benneville Pines or to District or General Assembly: our Seven Principles, our polity, our pride in courageous UU forebears, and more.
Any church worth its name has got to make room for Ethical Reflection and Moral Action: that’s what makes a community of faith different from non-religious organizations like Rotary, the Green Party, or the ASPCA. Pausing to consider how best to proceed with our values, integrity, and dignity intact: that’s what churches, synagogues, and mosques are set up to do. Within a Unitarian Universalist context, ethical reflection and moral action is often a nuanced calculation—but it’s also a passionate one and one that has led many to a deeper faith and a renewed passion for life.
Good churches, whatever their theology and whatever their political leanings, are always Caring Communities: Yours in Faith,
Learning to Live with Less
February, 2011 — Life in Southern California is life with a limited amount of fresh water. Despite the heavy rains a week before Christmas, meteorologists are predicting dry weather through the rest of the season. Trace rainfall reminds us of how precious a resource water is and how vulnerable we are when it dries up. Scholars generally agree that the Southwest’s once flourishing Anasazi civilization collapsed in the face of a 500 year draught, one that subsided at about the time of the European conquest. We have been living in a period of abundant water ever since, made even less apparent by the world-class water delivery systems that turned California into America’s most popular state. Viewed from outer space, the blue of the earth’s oceans marks ours “the water planet.” Poets have long sung praises to the waters of life. We have a natural affinity to water, as if we instinctively realize that without it life cannot exist. We enjoy its taste, its look running over rocks, the sounds of crashing waves or a babbling brook. We love swimming, boating, and soaking. None of a living cell’s intricate chemistry can function without water. About 4/5 of all animal bodies—human beings included—are water. Water is essential to digestion, blood circulation, metabolism, brain and muscle activity.
Life originated in the ocean and even now water is required to sustain it. No life can exist without water. A few species can get by with very little water, but none can survive for long without it. For people, that period is about three days—much less time than we can get by without food. So it’s not surprising that human settlements, including those of prehistoric and nomadic people, have been located near a source of fresh water.
Learning to live with less, and becoming faithful stewards of what we have, is the essence of ecology. These virtues are also at the heart of religion. Let us keep in mind the limitations of life, that we may live joyously and fruitfully within them.
Stephen
The New Year—how can we be more loving, wholesome, fair, honest, kind?
January takes its name from Janus, the Roman god of the doorway, who derived from ancient animism. Two-faced, he became the god of beginnings; hence, January. Janus looks backward to the year past and forward to that ahead. In the hope that the coming year is a good one we and our forebears have for generations made New Year’s resolutions: how can we be more loving, wholesome, fair, honest, kind? How can we more responsibly provide for our loved ones? More integrally impact our community, our nation, our planet? How can we be healthier? More genuine? More successful?
As we make personal resolutions so, sometimes, we make collective ones. How can UUCLB become more welcoming—to gays and lesbians, to more non-Europeans, and to a broader spectrum of the community? How can we be more loving and supportive to those of us already here? Better natured and fun loving? Can we be more widely known within the greater Long Beach area as a voice of progressive religion? (Do we even want to be?) Are we a faith of activists? Or are we, rather, a faith that affirms and encourages activism for those whose religious values are so inspired, but that also encourages other forms of spiritual practice.
As the most recent national election made clear, America’s progressive tradition is threatened. Our Unitarian Universalist faith has a historic connection and commitment to our country’s democratic institutions. Most of us—most people probably—have a tendency to reduce these institutions, in our minds, to civics book diagrams. And to reduce our democratic activity, in terms of commitment, to voting and making contributions. Democracy, however, is more than that. It’s bigger than that; it’s an organic, living passion for self-determination. And a willingness to share that passion.
The exact same insights that inspired our 17th and 18th century forebears to establish free churches like ours later informed our national mission, a mission most fully enshrined (it’s always seemed to me) in the Declaration of Independence. Later still—1787—many of those same insights became the foundation of our Constitution. But if liberal ‘city on a hill’ hope for a “more perfect union” is one engine driving America, commercial quest for profit has been another. From the beginning, American history has been driven by both: idealism and commerce. Historically, Unitarian Universalists have tended to embrace the spirit of both. When forced, however, to choose one over the other (as during the years immediately preceding and including the American Revolution and the Civil War) we’ve also tended to go with our idealism.
Of Janus, it is said that his temple in the Roman Forum faced both east and west; it was open in time of war and closed in time of peace. Needless to say, it would be open today. However one feels about the current global situation and our government’s determined, all-but-unilateral hand in shaping it, we can all agree, it seems to me, on a few things. First, we can agree that the democratic process is a good thing. And that maintaining it, sometimes, requires more than only voting and contributing funds. Democracy is never something that once established is secure. Democracy is always up for grabs. It’s always up to the current generation to insist on it. And make it happen. I believe the growing importance of the upcoming (2012) national election calls each of us, however we incline politically, to consider the critical issues confronting our country, to mobilize our personal connection to Unitarian Universalism’s tradition of religio-political idealism, and to participate.
We can also agree that democracy begins at home. We need to make strides to ensure that—throughout the coming year—our congregation is a place of care and kindness to everyone, whatever their particular political views. People don’t attend church because they’re looking for right-minded defenders—at least not in our tradition. They attend because they’re looking for a community of full hearted and open-minded would-be friends. Friends with whom we like to agree, but whom we like— better yet love—whether we agree with them or not.
Finally, we can agree that passion is a good thing. Tempered by our reason, our wholesome tradition, and our care for one another. Let 2011 be a wonderful year for each of you! And for our congregation!
Happy New Year, Stephen
Christmas–Symbol of hope in dark times The celebration of Christmas has grown far beyond Christendom. Despite our country’s separation of church and state, it is among our oldest national holidays. Yet for many people its religious dimensions have been obscured, if not forsaken altogether. The Christmas story, as described in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, is about the birth of Jesus: his humble delivery in a stable, watched over by animals, shepherds, and wise men; his mother’s unfailing love; the threat to his life from a maniacal local overlord. Everyone in our country, Nevertheless, some Unitarian Universalists, not recognizing its mythic nature, reject the Christmas story. Usually it’s because they’re troubled by one central aspect: the so-called “virgin birth.” Rejecting the idea of any such supernatural possibility, these folks end up rejecting the Christmas story altogether. Which is unfortunate, it seems to me. Unfortunate, first of all, because it’s such a beautiful symbol of hope in dark times. Second, because it’sso widely embraced, even among non-believers, those who reject the story completely often find themselves resenting the whole Christmas season. Admittedly, the commercialization of Christmas is distasteful. But its aesthetic and family traditions can be fun and restorative. With respect to the virgin birth, remember: this is a myth. We need not—should not—accept it literally. If one thinks of Jesus as a symbol of unqualified love and goodness, it’s possible to understand the virgin birth also as symbol—for purity of heart. To this way of thinking, the virgin birth occurs whenever a purely loving, unselfish thought or feeling ushers forth from one’s heart. In any case, and however one chooses to celebrate and understand the holiday itself, I wish all of you here in our congregational family a wonderful Christmas season. And a bountiful, loving new year! Yours in faith, Unitarian & Universalism– November, 2010 — Unitarians and Universalists have always been heretics. Not because they’re rebellious, but because they want to choose their faith. Indeed, the word “heresy” derives from the Greek word for “choice” and during the first three hundred years of the Christian church, believers freely chose among a variety of views about who or what Jesus was. One view, which later became known as unitarian, believed that while Jesus was less than God, he was sent by God on a divine mission. They were unitarian (believing in the unity or oneness of God) as opposed to trin-itarian (who believed God manifested in three “persons”). Another religious choice in those years was in universal salvation: the belief that if, indeed, Jesus was the perfect expression of the divine (which they fully believed), then without doubt his life and teachings reveal a deity whose nature is flat-out incompatible with the idea of eternal torment. Thus universalists believed that all people would be or already were saved. Christianity lost its element of choice in 325 C.E. when the Nicene Creed established the Trinity as dogma. For centuries afterward those who professed unitarian or universalist views were persecuted. Yours in faith,
Invitation to Become a Worship Associate October, 2010 — One of the goals I have decided upon this coming year is revitalizing the Worship Associates program. UUCLB had a strong group of Worship Associates. It was former Ministerial Intern Denis Paul (who served here in 2007-2008 and now serving with the Faithful Fool Street Ministry in San Francisco) who nudged and cajoled the Worship Committee into starting the program, and before long there were several UUCLB members involved each Sunday, helping conduct services. I have worked with worship associates elsewhere and believe they’re very helpful when it comes to the design and execution of first rate worship. If you have questions about becoming a Worship Associate, please call our Worship Committee Chair, Kate Taylor or me at the church, extension 112. Yours in faith, Returning From Down Under September, 2010—Greetings! It is my great joy—and honor—to take up a new ministry with you this year. I am a sixth generation Unitarian Universalist, one of four children who grew up in the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland. I've served UU congregations from Hawaii to Maine, including lengthy pastorates in Santa Fe and suburban Pittsburgh and four interims, most recently in Santa Monica in 2009-1010. And I'm really excited about coming to serve in Long Beach! I have had a busy summer, visiting my recently married 30-year old daughter, Meredith, at her and her husband Dan's home in Brisbane, Australia. It was my first trip abroad in nearly a quarter century and my first visit to Meredith since her nuptials--all very exciting. And all very fulfilling, too. She is thriving as a graduate student and young householder, and she's very happy. Her husband is a great guy, so all is well. Following my return stateside I flew up to the Pacific NW, visited friends, and picked up my 17' camper (which stayed there last winter) which I then drove s-l-o-w-l-y south along highway 101. Now I am spending a lot of energy trying to land a suitable nearby apartment or small house so that I can live in your lovely community while having the pleasure of serving you. Yours in faith, Stephen
Hearing a Different Voice Love, Covenant of Right Relations March, 2010—When I think about the best course for UUCLB to take while navigating change, which is always difficult -- even when it is change for the good of the whole church, I am reminded of the fact that we all take in information that holds meaning and stays with us in various ways. I hope that we can approach issues before the congregation from perspectives that have potential for broadening the conversations that will carry UUCLB into the future. Some members will be satisfied with discussions and presentations, while others will benefit more from experiencing what is being discussed, and others will relate to stories and metaphors or reading texts that may seem indirectly related to the issue at hand, but carry a depth of meaning that offers the reader new insights and perhaps a shift in understanding. Film, music and other art forms also belong in this category.
Nothing is Permanent February, 2010—I know that change is constant and that acceptance of change is a much better option than pretending it doesn't exist, or fighting the inevitable. However, I draw the line when it comes to change that is destructive, unnecessary and thoughtless. For example, I rented the studio apartment I am living in here in Long Beach for two reasons. One reason is that I can walk to work. The other was a huge olive tree that completely filled the three large windows in the main room. The tree made the apartment feel like a tree house. I loved it, and the birds it attracted. Then one morning I woke up at 7:45 to the loud sound of saws. Three men were in the tree, sawing off limbs like there was no tomorrow. I dressed and rushed outside. The men seemed pleased that I had a real problem with what they were doing, and happily continued on. When they left there was not much beyond the butchered trunk and what remained of some larger limbs still standing. No leafs. Now my view is of garage roofs, a stucco hotel and the apartments across the lawn from mine. All ugly. I know that this is trivial in comparison to the real problems so many people on this planet are dealing with — life or death kinds of problems. I sat on my sofa for a long time trying to figure out how to respond to this small problem that felt so big to me. Was it the way the tree now repulsed my aesthetic sensibilities? Was it the behavior of the three macho men? Was it feeling that, as a renter, I have no say in much of anything that goes on in the place where I live? Perhaps a little of all these things, along with a reminder that change will not always be easy, nor what I want. Even though I managed to think it through, this event was unsettling. Change is certainly on the minds of members and friends of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach, and surely it is unsettling to anyone who has worked to make the church what it is today. There is a history to every inch of UUCLB, from the rose garden to the "structure" to Wylder Hall, to memories of those who have died, to talking about the future, to the beautiful setting — to everything. Every change, no matter how small, matters. Fortunately, the positive possibilities far outweigh the potential for negative change. You will find a settled minister who can lead you with vision and wisdom. The pledges from your first Capital Campaign appeal are coming in so that you will be able to begin with your plans. New members continue to sign the membership book. During these two years of transition, things will feel unsettled at times, but every change being made is with the good of the whole church in mind. My olive tree demanded a response from me that called me back to remembering what is really important. In the meantime, I went to Target and bought some great curtains. Love to you all,
Future of the Whole Church January, 2010—Four months gone already! We have made some good progress. The Board of Trustees has been hard at work on many fronts, all focused on plans that will be beneficial to the future of the whole church.
Laughing Out Loud November, 2009— I put myself through seminary mostly by going to events like The Renaissance Fair and selling my ceramics, something I had been doing for over ten years. I shared a studio in Berkeley with a woman who has the same sort of quirky sense of humor as I do. We both had been cranking out stoneware pots for years, but both of us were getting very bored with always knowing how our creations were going to look when we unloaded the kiln. Celadon, Ted's Red, Oatmeal, cobalt blue . . . they were just too predictable. We made our own glazes, so we were able to try for new colors, and sometimes they looked good enough to add to our repertoire. Still, it was all uninspired as far as we were concerned, and thus boring. But it was how we made our living. Homecoming -September 2009 Moving to Long Beach is like a homecoming to me. There are real beaches here. The sea air fires up my thoughts like no dry, hot, inland location could. People are friendly. Getting my utilities turned on did not require half-hour waits for the next customer representative. I was connected to human operators, not robots. My apartment is very small, but it has a giant olive tree that spans the three front windows. I can walk to work, and to Trader Joe's too. The church building is lovely, the minister's office is inviting and the ceiling of the sanctuary reminds me of a ship. Nave is the Latin word for "ship." The nave is where the congregation sits, as passengers on the ship. In ecclesiastical art the ship is sailing toward heaven, but my guess is that in a Unitarian Universalist church we might have a different take on that. Rev. Alicia |
