Service Leader: Rev Dave Clements and Rev Bev Spears

Worship Associates: Judy Withee

Music: Robin Rogers

Pianist: Roger Corman

Share the Basket: Saturday Breakfast for our Neighbors

Service Leader: Rev Dave Clements

Worship Associate: Mark Sowers

Music: Gage Purdy & The Choir

Pianist: Roger Corman

Share the Basket: Catholic Charities provides shelter, counseling and security to nearly 20,000 persons per year experiencing homelessness.

Guest Minister: Dr. Charles Eduardos.

So you've done it - you're officially "woke." You've read the books, attended the lectures, watched the documentaries, signed the petitions... now what? I am "woke" to social injustices in today's world and true history that isn't taught in schools. 'I'm woke!' to taking action against racial and social injustices. Are you ready for the nitty-gritty?

Service Leaders/Guest: Dr. Charles Eduardos

Worship Associate: Linda Lampson

Music: Gage Purdy & Crystal McDougall-Purdy

Pianist: Paul Gilger

Share the Basket: Saturday Breakfast for our Neighbors

Service Leaders: Rev. Dave Clements

Worship Associate: Meike Mandel

Music: Gage Purdy & The Choir

Pianist: Roger Corman

Share the Basket: Sonoma County Acts of Kindness provides basic necessities, resources and advocacy to enrich the well-being of the homeless and financially underprivileged in our community.

The Path of Love

February marks the start of a new month and a new Soul Matters theme. This month it is “The Path of Love”. This month also marks a milestone for me and my time here with all of you. It has been six months since I first was introduced to all of you. When I think back on where we all were and where we are now, I want to celebrate. When I arrived, there was a lot of grief and lack of trust and a wondering if you were going to survive. Over these past six months we have begun to restore trust with each other and trust in our leaders. My sense as your minister is that this congregation is at a place where the desire is to move on and to begin to address the bigger questions about who UUCSR is. How does UUCSR want to be known in the community? How is UUCSR going to live into its values, hopes and dreams and still maintain strong financial sustainability?

Last Saturday at the visioning meeting I witnessed members of this congregation beginning to think about these questions in a serious manner. As we broke you up into four different groups, ideas were captured and presented. These will be shared at the annual meeting and be available online. What I witnessed was members of UUCSR becoming engaged. I am excited about this year and beyond as we will all work together and put together action plans and take steps for the future of UUCSR.

I invite everyone who is a member or a friend to become engaged with the process of discovery and the journey that we will take on as a congregation. My promise to all of you is that I will not fix you or save you, but I will do all that I can do to engage you with each other, with the greater community and with your Unitarian Universalist faith.

Cheers,

Rev. Dave

Dear UU Siblings;

I’m writing this on January 25th and I don’t know what will happen between now and when you receive this newsletter. We will have had a Congregational meeting, and I hope that there will be energy and excitement and great desire to meet our challenges together. But, right now I am focused on the excitement and commitment that our congregation demonstrated at the Taco ‘Bout UUCSR (Taco Night).

The part I’m most excited about is that so many people came together, had fun, AND did some work together. There are expectations that I have for myself, as a member of this congregation, as a board member, and as board president. There is the business side, which includes HR, finances, the care and feeding of our building, safety of our congregation, etc, etc, etc, and also the listening to the desires of the congregation and reporting back to the congregation what progress the board has made towards its goals. And we are responsible for leadership. Leadership styles vary with leaders, and I strive towards collaboration. But leadership always seems to be about taking risks and challenging the status quo, especially during a time of transition. And our mission and input from all of you is what drives our decision-making.

The board can listen in lots of different ways. Board members are RE parents, there is a member of the Older and Bolder group, there are choir members, members of Women’s groups, the Diversity Project, Neighborhood groups, office volunteers, and other groups. We are representative of the congregation and our ears are open. We care about safety, the financial health of the congregation, equity, aesthetics, community, music, having fun together, collaborating, the well-being of our members, staff members, our friends, and our families, among other things. And our interim minister, Rev. Dave, has provided valuable guidance, is a good listener, a hard worker, and also helps us to take off our blinders and examine the possibilities. He is doing what an Interim Minister is here to do; to provide an outside perspective and to provide guidance.

At a time when fewer people in the nation are attending church, where else can you find a place where Christians and Atheists and Buddhists and people of various faiths and practices can sit together and play bridge together and talk politics, sexuality, gender identity, racism, peace, social justice, equity, and the environmental crisis… or to be here for one another to just talk about the shapes of clouds or about the last rock musician who passed away with one another? Where else can you find the people who visibly demonstrate the degree of caring, honesty, and compassion, passion, open-mindedness, and excitement that this particular congregation possesses? There will be people who are looking for us, and people who cannot find us. And if they find us and make this place their spiritual home, it will mean more change, because our congregation is about all of us, new folks and old folks.

So change is hard, and yet sometimes we need to change a few things if we are to survive. I invite you to challenge your own assumptions about what is, what has to be, and what can be.  This is an invitation to get creative. This is also an invitation to become involved or re-involved; even if it is just a little bit, it will help. The world is not really as we think it is, it is a place of possibility, not just probability. Life is unpredictable. We can only control so much. So, let’s take what’s good about where we’ve been, throw out what isn’t working anymore, and come up with creative solutions for our challenges ahead- TOGETHER!

By the time you receive this newsletter, and if you attended the Congregational Meeting, you will have heard the plea to, if at all possible, please raise your monthly giving by $10 to $20 a month. We have an awesome staff and we’d like to keep them. You will have heard a simple calculation that with 265 members, if each member on the average raised their giving by $10 a month, that brings close to $32,000 a year to our general operating fund! If it were $20, that adds up to $64,000! We know that not everyone will be able to do this, but we should be able to spread the burden among all of us. This is OUR congregation, and a little from each adds up and goes a long way towards dealing with our deficit. Thank you, community.

-Leslie

Remember, we depend on your pledges to support our budget - and our hopes and dreams. Our pledges are the manifestation of our commitment to each other. So please try to fulfill your pledges for the current fiscal year in the coming months and consider signing up for a monthly autopay via Realm if possible.

Linda Balabanian, Treasurer

UUCSR Instrumental Group: We are putting together a group of instrumental musicians to provide music during services monthly! This is an open invitation: if you play an instrument and are interested in supporting special music/singing together, please reach out to musicdirector@uusantarosa.org with the subject line “UUCSR Instrumental Group”.

How can you best support the music program at UUCSR in 2023? Consider participating in one of the above projects, joining with the choir on Thursdays, or even becoming a member of the Music Coordinators! The MCs play a significant role in the planning and execution of special music for services and we would love your ideas and help with special music. Please contact Gage with further questions and inquiries - we look forward to making beautiful music together and serving our beloved community for 2023 and beyond! 

Hello all,

After a break in December, RE has had a wonderful return in January, with lots of new and returning families joining us for our many activities! Now in February, we have even more planned for the parents and kids of RE, with UU Parenting, our monthly Family Game Night, a youth overnight, and more coming your way!

There's a lot happening here in RE, and we would love it if you help us spread the word! If you know a family that might enjoy some or all of our many programs, have them contact me at dre@uusantarosa.org, or better yet, bring them along on for a Sunday service!

And, as always, if you want to get involved with RE, we would love to have you. You can contact me at dre@uusantarosa.org to get involved.

In love and gratitude,

Era

This Sunday, the kids of RE will explore what it means to love, whether that's a parent, a friend, or yourself! After playing "I Love My Neighbor," everyone will get the chance to finish the sentence "Love Is..." Finally, the kids will wrap up their day by making Valentine's Day cards, which will be passed out next week to the entire congregation!

This Sunday, the kids of RE will be finishing up their Valentine's Day cards for the members of UUCSR! Kids will start off their morning in the RE wing, crafting as many cards as they can. Then, before service is over, they'll head into the sanctuary to spread the love and hand out their handmade cards.

This Sunday, the kids of RE are learning about restorative justice. They'll hear the story Wally and Freya by Lindsey Pointer, and explore how they can respond to tough situations using love. They'll wrap up their day by making friendship bracelets to be given as a reminder to others that they are loved.

This Sunday marks 11 years since Trayvon Martin was murdered by George Zimmerman, the tragic event that marked the beginning of the "Black Lives Matter" movement. This Sunday, the children of RE will learn the history of the BLM, and how we as UUs have succeeded (and failed) in living up to its message.

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.

Our Lay Chaplains are: Rob Carlisle, Judy Ervice, Bruce Hope, Barb Kezur, Lucia Milburn, Gayle Shirley, Gretchen Vap

SOME HISTORY OF VALENTINE’S DAY or How Pagans kept our Genetic pool diverse and vibrant. By Stacy Sincheff

My grandmother always sent me a Valentine’s card. It made me feel loved and special.

It got me to wonder, where did Valentine’s Day start?

The oldest reference I could find was that the Romans celebrated from February 13th to the 15th the feast of Lupercalia, at least as far back as the 6th century B.C.E. The men would sacrifice a goat and a dog, then they whipped the women with strips from the animal’s hides called Februa. They believed this would make them fertile. There was also a matchmaking lottery in which men would draw names of women from a jar and then be coupled up for the duration of the festival; or longer, if the match was right. Some people still celebrate Lupercalia in private.

Then in the third century, anti Christian emperor Claudius II executed two men on February 14 in different years, both named Valentine. One was executed for helping Roman soldiers marry when they were forbidden to. The second man named Valentine was executed for healing a blind girl. Later a chapel was built over his grave. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day. As the holiday spread, it evolved over the centuries.

Later, Pope Gelasius I muddled things up in the 5th century combining St. Valentine’s Day with Lupercalia to try to expel the Pagan rituals. At this point it was little more than a drunken revel, with the Christians putting clothes back on it. That didn’t stop it from being a day of fertility and love. As it is still celebrated to this day.

Around the same time the Normans celebrated Galatin’s Day. Galatin meant “lover of women”. That was likely confused or combined with St. Valentine’s Day, at some point, in part because they sounded alike.

As the years went on, the holiday grew sweeter. Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized it in their work, so it then gained popularity in Britain and all of Europe, with handmade cards becoming the tokens du jour in the middle ages. In 1913 Hallmark cards of Kansas City, Mo. began producing our modern day Valentines.

Today some people will break the bank buying jewelry, flowers, candy, and such for their beloved. Some will binge on chocolates and celebrate SAD (Singles Awareness Day), while others will find a way to make peace with singlehood in a society that wants everyone to partner up.

Fun note: For Valentine’s Day the Bronx Zoo lets you name a cockroach after your sweetheart!!!

So send a Valentine to someone or some ones you care about. And share the origins of the day with them.

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE 8TH PRINCIPLE TASK FORCE

The 8th Principle Task Force has offered two of three Q & A, Discussion events. These meetings will help us prepare for the vote to adopt the 8th Principle on February 26. The final discussion session will be on February 12, following the service in person and on Zoom. Come with your thoughts/questions/puzzlements and we will have a lively discussion including Zoom comments/questions you may place in the chat.

February 12, following the service, in person and Zoom,

facilitated by Mary Keefe and Jeanie Bates

We want to clarify the information we have received from the UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association). The work of the Article II (of the UUA bylaws) Study Commission involves thorough study of our principles and purposes as currently understood with an eye to potential, meaningful change. The process will move through several phases before a final vote at the GA of 2024. (Google: UUA Article II Study Commission).

From the material found at this site:

“The Commission’s Statement

...though the task we have been charged with is larger than the specifics of the 8th Principle, we understand these ideals to be at the very heart of our work and very much part of the direction we are journeying. We understand the work we are doing to be building on the strengths of the 8th Principle movement. Whatever flowers grow from the process of engaging UUs in this reimagining, the seeds sown by the 8th Principle project will surely bloom brightly.”

Please feel free to contact Jeanie Bates or Tamara Murrell with any questions.

General Assembly (GA) is the annual national gathering of Unitarian Universalists, where we conduct business of the Association, explore the theological underpinnings of our faith, and lean fully into our mission and principles. GA 2023 will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 21–25, 2023. UUCSR is allotted five or six voting delegate positions; delegates may participate in the work of the Association either in-person or online via Zoom. Check out lots of info about GA at https://www.uua.org/ga, and email Nominating Committee chair Ben Ford at bjford64@gmail.com if you are interested in being a delegate to represent us at GA!

 The Adult Education Committee offers a wide variety of courses and programs in such areas as film, science, current social and political issues, skill development, personal growth, and forms of religious understanding. We always welcome suggestions from anyone who would like to present or participate in a program. Our members are Helge Lemke, Steve Sweaney (co-chairs), Nadene Carroll, Carol Daeley, Linda Lambert, Elizabeth Wheless, and Clare Whitfield.

Before she died in 1974, Felicia Bornstein Lubliner wrote about her internment in ghettos and concentration camps (Auschwitz, Gross-Rosen) in Nazi-occupied Poland. Her son Irving will share excerpts from Only Hope: A Survivor's Stories of the Holocaust, shedding light on her experiences and indomitable spirit, as well as his own experience as a child of Holocaust survivors.

 After showing Not Worth Killing, a short and powerful documentary about an unlikely friendship between a nun and a convicted murderer serving life without parole in Alabama, there will be a panel discussion led by the director, Eric Ivey, and the producer, John Mutz. Panel members will include James Alexander, author of Courage in the Face of Cruelty, a book about his 28 years in the California Prison System; Jason Dorfer, President of Second Chance SRJC; and others to be determined.

 John Mutz is a member of UUCSR and a former Station Commander with the LAPD. He is the author of the recently completed book The Restoration of American Policing: 12 Steps to Transformation.

 REPORT FROM DECEMBER 11 DISCUSSION

Our second gathering provided opportunities for thoughtful discussion. This report will summarize the questions asked and responses received and include some of the actions taken as a result of this Community Conversation.

Question #1: How might we use the focus list as a tool, communicating respectfully with each other?

Community responses to #1:

1. When opinions are expressed, use of email doesn’t allow for nuanced discussions.

2. There have been people hurt by unkind language.

3. There is a need for explicit communications policy set and agreed upon, covenanted.

4. Unclear how discussions can occur on the focus list without encountering difficulties.

Actions underway:

To be explored further, though awareness of the issues has been heightened.

Question # 2: What would help us heal from past traumas?

Community responses to #2:

1. We need to not feel alone.

2. A grief group would be helpful.

3. Use our resources: Right Relations Team, Lay Chaplains

4. We need a list on the web and in pamphlet form of our groups, resources.

Actions underway:

A grief/loss group is forming, to be announced soon.

There will be action on the need to have our groups/resources on the web and in print.

We will take steps to help all, particularly new folks, feel welcome here.

Question #3: How shall we honor, appreciate our many volunteers?

Community responses to #3:

1. Use of a segment in our worship service to acknowledge 1 volunteer

2. End of year party

3. Create a culture of appreciation

4. Celebrate National Volunteer Day/Week

Actions underway:

Folks are thinking through effective ways to show appreciation to our volunteers in every aspect of our congregation.

The new fobs are here and many of you have signed up and received your fob.

If you still need to apply for a fob simply email or call the office and we will get you on the list. Contact the office: (administrator@uusantarosa.org) or call (707-568-5381) and give us your full name and reason you need a fob (especially let us know if your reason is Saturday Breakfast).

Once your fob is ready for pick up please watch for disbursement dates and times in the Newsblast. We will ask you to complete a new Fob/Key agreement and confirm any other keys you have.

Your old fob is still active at this time. After we switch to the new fobs, only new fobs will unlock the doors.

Please contact Aphrodite if you have any questions administrator@uusantarosa.org

On February 25th at 5PM, we will be hosting the first annual “Love’s a Gas: a Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser” at UUCSR! We will have a variety of chilis (ranging from meat-full to meatless and everything in between) and we are looking for you to come try some chili, cast your votes, and help pick our winners. There will be prizes from local restaurants and businesses as well as a 50/50 raffle for you to participate in! Tickets are $20 at the door the day of the event - with a ticket you’ll be able to taste chili, enjoy some cornbread, and participate in voting! Drinks will be available throughout the evening. Contact Gage at musicdirector@uusantarosa.org

Save the date for our

UUCSR 2023 Service Auction Extravaganza!

 “Time to Sparkle and Shine!”

Saturday May 20th from 5:30 to 8:30pm

We are excited to announce the return of our beloved UUCSR Service Auction. Get ready for an evening of treasure hunting, bidding, fun and laughter. Once again we will be asking you to get creative. What can you offer to make this auction the best yet? Host a French Feast? Lead a wildflower hike? How about offering a Mystery Dinner or a couple of hours of pulling weeds? Are you the artistic/crafty type? The possibilities are open. To get you started, here is the terrific poem created long ago which appeared on our donation forms. Lots of details will be coming over the next several weeks. Most importantly, though, SAVE THE DATE! and get ready to help make our UUCSR “Sparkle and Shine!”

Save the Date – March 5 Author Event

with Rev. Dave Clements

Our interim minister, Rev. Dave Clements, has written a memoir, When the Elephant Laughed, about his experiences as an interim minister in Cape Town, South Africa. We are excited to announce an author reading and book signing with Rev. Dave on March 5, 2023, following the Sunday service.

With chapters such as “The People: A Lesson in Freedom,” “What I Learned from the Townships,” and “The Power of Music in Story,” the book, published just last fall, is not only a memoir, but also a reflection on the history of South Africa and the expression of Unitarian Universalist values in the larger world.

Weather permitting, the event will be held outside in the Courtyard. Rev. Dave will read from the book, respond to questions, and sign books. Books will be available for sale that day, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to UUCSR, but if you want to buy a copy to read in advance, contact Ellen Skagerberg, or purchase a copy at Copperfield’s Books in Montgomery Village in Santa Rosa.

One effective way to slow Climate Change is to deprive the Fossil Fuel Industry of the funds necessary for them to continue emitting Greenhouse Gases. Many Climate Activists have sold their personal investments in Fossil Fuels as have many institutions such as churches and universities. However, the UUA retains an “egregious amount of shares invested in the fossil fuel industry.” The UU Young Adult Divestment Caucus is proposing a business resolution for the 2023 General Assembly: “ We are calling upon the UUA, through the UUCEF [UU Common Endowment Fund], to divest from the entire fossil fuel industry and redistribute those funds from the UUA’s endowment in the form of reparations to Indigenous, Black, and Brown communities.”

In order to bring this resolution before the 2023 GA, their petition must be signed by 250 congregational members, no more than 10 from a single congregation. Please stop by the Climate Action table following an in-person Sunday service for more information and to sign their petition.

In this month's newsletter:

In this month's newsletter:

Side with Love (a campaign sponsored by the UUA) announces 30 Days of Love, the annual month of spiritual nourishment, political grounding, and shared practices of faith and justice. Will go thru Martin Luther King, Jr Day (January 16) thru Valentine’s Day (February 14).

Sign up HERE

What is the Article II Study Commission?

We are currently in a multi-year process to consider changes to our UUA Principles and Purpose. Our current Principles and Purposes were last substantially revised in 1985.

This process began in 2020 when the UUA Board appointed an Article II Study Commission.

After two and a half years of study and conversations with thousands of Unitarian Universalists, the Article II Study Commission submitted their report and proposal to the UUA Board of Trustees for its January 20th, 2023 meeting.

The UUCSR Board of Trustees encourages everyone to read the Article II Study Commission Report. As information comes available, watch for details on how you can participate in the UUA Article II Forums—learn more about the proposal and talk with others.

Further discussion and link to the complete Article II Study Commission Report:

The following are excerpts from the Article II Study Commission Report:

“Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Bylaws, Principles and

.... Click below to read more:

707-291-2666

Share the Basket offerings from Sundays and direct Donations for the month of December:

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