In This Issue

Embracing the Gift of Renewal: A message of Love and INclusion for the LGBTQ+ Community

June 2nd

Renewal is a beautiful and transformative process. It is a chance to let go of past hurts and misconceptions, to embrace growth and understanding, and to move forward with a renewed sense of purpose and identity. For many LGBTQ+ individuals, the journey of renewal is deeply intertwined with their own personal journey of self-discovery and acceptance.

Congregational Meeting after the service (See More Info HERE)

If you are planning to attend the Congregational Meeting via Zoom, and there are two members on Zoom in your household, please plan to attend using two different electronic devices (phone and computer, or two computers) to ensure that each member in your household can vote. Thank you.

Service Leader: Rev Dave Clements

Worship Associates: Eric Fischer

Music: Gage Purdy & The Choir

Pianist: Roger Corman

The Basket: Our Own Saturday Breakfast for Our Neighbors

Interfaith Pride service at UUCSR

June 2nd- 7pm

UUCSR Santa Rosa 547 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa. Join NBOP's Religious Leaders Caucus (NBOP)-affiliated faith communities as we lift up the rights of LGBTQAI+ people, and join our voices to call for meaningful social change! Expect music, prayer, joy, and solidarity.

Travel as Pilgrimage

June 9th

As you pack your bags to head out for adventures this summer what is on your mind? Are you planning an escape, an adventure, or maybe a pilgrimage? Are there ways to deepen your experience? Will you feel a spirit of renewal when you return? I'll share some of my experiences and explain how I've used the wisdom of Phil Cousineau to enhance my travel.

Service Leaders: Linda Lampson

Worship Associates: Susan Thalloug

Music: Roger Corman

Pianist: Roger Corman

Share The Basket: World Central Kitchen

Renewal: Embracing the Spirit Within

June 16th

Renewal is not merely a superficial change; it is a deep and profound process of rebirth and revitalization. It is about shedding the old to make way for the new, letting go of what no longer serves us to make space for what uplifts and inspires us.

Service Leader: Rev Dave Clements

Worship Associates: Judy Withee

Music: Alan Bell

Pianist: Paul Gilger

The Basket: Our Own Religious Education Program

Weaving Our Lives

June 23rd 10am

Join us for the largest gathering of UU's . The service will be livestreamed starting at 10:00am. The speaker will be the Reverend Molly Haush Gordon who is the UU Minister of the Columbia Missouri Congregation. She brings her experience in justice work by being a UU and working in a red state. Her topic is Weaving Our Lives.

Come and enjoy us at 10:00am! 

Service Leader: Rev Dave Clements

The rest of the components of the service is in the livestream!

A Nerds' Guide to Spirituality (Multigenerational Service)

June 30th

Faith is often how we make sense of a complicated world, as it is through texts, rituals, and community that we create stories that help us to understand our place in the universe. But what about when we engage with these pillars of spirituality not through a Sunday morning service, but while sitting at a table, rolling dice and pretending to be a wizard with your friends? This Sunday, come nerd out with us as we explore the spiritual practice of play.

Service Leader: DRE Era Capone & Rob Carlisle

Worship Associates: Jonathan Choe

Music: Something wonderful as always (still in the works)

Pianist: Roger Corman

Share The Basket: The Living Room

From the Minister's Desk

Reverend Dave Clements

EMBRACING JOY AND CELEBRATION

As we welcome the warmth of June into our lives let us invite the gift of celebration into our midst. It's a time when nature flourishes, bursting forth in vibrant hues, mirroring the joy which resides in each of us.

This month we come together to celebrate Pride by marching as a congregation in Santa Rosa’s Pride parade. Last year we enjoyed that moment and felt the love and support of the whole LGBTQ community. We also celebrate with our Annual Fundraiser that evening. What an opportunity to march in the morning and then come and celebrate that evening and support UUCSR by bidding on parties and events at our annual Service Auction.

Then on Sunday after our pride service you get to celebrate again as you exercise your vote and vote for the UUCSR search team. I realize that that is a lot of celebrating in one weekend but hopefully you will go out and take advantage of these opportunities.

In this time of celebration let us remember to extend our hearts and minds to those who might be experiencing challenges or hardships. I have seen how this community is a sanctuary where all are welcome and it is in those times of need when we all can grow together.

May this month be filled with moments of laughter, connection and shared joy. Together let us create a space where celebration is not just an event but a way of being - a testament to the beauty of living and being a part of this UUCSR community.

Cheers,

Rev. Dave

President's Message

Leslie Norinsky

It has been my honor to serve as your Board President for the last 2-1/2 years. I look forward to our future with optimism. Pledging our time and money are so important to keep the life blood of this Congregation flowing. Before I joined the Board, I think I was pretty naïve about how this whole thing works. Now I know more than I ever wanted to know!  

I promised someone on the kitchen crew that I would put in a plug for cookie and snack donations since so many of those wonderful people donate the delicious biscuits (a UK-ism) out of their own kitchens and purses. I am grateful for how they care for us. I must admit that I have been enjoying the cookies and I haven’t donated to the cookie stash for a long while. Now I will start to do so. Hope you will join me. Cookies are important! Conversations with cookies and coffee are much more delicious than without!

Thank you for being a member of this community, for speaking your mind, for listening to one another, for caring, for kindness, for intelligence, for generosity, especially when it is hard or has been hard. In lots of ways, we are emerging from a dark tunnel. It feels like light and summer is coming- at least in this community. The state of the world is a different story altogether.

I don’t know about fixing the entire world, but we can make small changes. Small changes radiate out into the world in ways we cannot measure. We really don’t know what influence we have. That has been one thing that I have learned, and with this knowledge I continue to hold on to hope for a more peaceful and just world.

So, in summary: Thank you! And I look forward to a great cookie selection in the months and years to come!

-Leslie

Message from Our Music Director

Gage Purdy

Beloved Community,

As we wrap up our congregational year and step into the warm embrace of summer, we reflect on the beautiful journey we've shared since Ingathering 2023. This past year, our choir and instrumentalists have brought joy, unity, and inspiration to our services, showcasing the incredible talent within our community.

Summer offers us a time to relax, rejuvenate, and prepare for the exciting musical adventures ahead. While our regular rehearsals might take a brief hiatus, the spirit of music continues to thrive. We encourage everyone to explore new musical horizons, whether it's attending summer concerts, experimenting with new instruments, or simply enjoying the melodies of nature.

The music at UUCSR always needs more support during the summer: if you're interested in supporting a service by coordinating music, playing an instrument, or singing, please reach out to me at "gage.purdy@uusantarosa.org" or talk to one of our music coordinators (Sally Jones, Alan Bell, John Ray, or Crystal McDougall-Purdy) to get involved! 

Looking ahead, we are planning some special summer gatherings and informal musical meet-ups to keep our community connected and engaged, including:

-a half-day choir retreat,

-a town hall meeting to discuss the results of the Congregational Music Survey,

-a revitalization and invitation to join together in forming a house band for services and other UU functions.

Stay tuned for announcements on these fun events where we can continue to celebrate our love for music in a relaxed and festive atmosphere.

Message from the Treasurer

Jan Hess

 APRIL 2024 – 1st Month 4th Quarter

REVENUE

Pledges - $348K - $14K under budget (Reminder to finish paying 2023/24 pledges by end of June, and increase 2024/25 if possible, thank you)

Donations/Gifts - $28.5K over budget (Mostly Donations/Memorials)

Rental Income - $34.6K, $5.5 over budget (Busy month for rentals. In future we will give net figures after expenses.)

Fundraising - still low at $18.8K below budget (Auction hopefully will pull this up)

TOTAL INCOME: $473.4k, over budget by $13.8K (Not all categories shown, but they are included in the total)

EXPENSE

Employee Expenses - $328.7, at $24K below budget (This is composed mostly of wages and related costs) 

Expenditures - $124.7K, for $13.9K below budget (Building & Maintenance Costs less than expected)

TOTAL EXPENSE: $$456.4K, $34.9 below budget

NET INCOME

$29.5k which includes $12.5K from Saturday Breakfast

-Jan Hess, Treasurer

P.S. 2024/25 Budget information will be included in Congregational Packet and discussed at the meeting June 2nd. Please come!

Religious Education

Era Capone

Hello all,

Summer Break is upon us! As kids get out of school, RE is switching gears to accommodate everyone's summer plans. RE curriculum will be more focused on games, activities, and crafts, with a lesser emphasis on curriculum and several other programs will be switching up how they're run. If you'd like to learn more, you can sign up for the RE Newsletter at the link below.

For those of you looking to get involved in RE, we would love to have you join us! If you're interested in volunteering, leading an activity, or just want to learn more about our programs, please email me at dre@uusantarosa.org. There's a little something for everyone in RE, and we can't wait for you to join us!

In love and gratitude,

Era

dre@uusantarosa.org

Service Auction

UUCSR’s Roaring 20th

Help UUCSR celebrate 20 years at our downtown home!

Saturday, June 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. Happy hour at 4:30

Costumes of the period encouraged!

Child care available.

• Tickets will be sold at the door on a sliding scale of $10 to $40 or brownpapertickets.com/event/6305213. Admission includes a free drink.

• Auction: Go to the online site to see expanded ADDITIONS! Instructions to get to Better World bidding in link below. Online open UNTIL June 1st at 7pm. Our in-person donations are only listed at Better World for viewing not bidding but if you cannot make the party, have your proxy make the bids for you. You do not have to be present to win

Just over a week away!

Food! Drink! Music! Entertainment! Join us!

SEE THE BUTTONS BELOW FOR

AUCTION IDEAS; SIGN UPS; TO PURCHASE TICKETS; ONLINE BIDDING!

Taize at UUCSR

Taize services will continue during the summer with the exception of July when the first Thursday falls on the 4th of July holiday. 

So mark your calendars for June 6th and August 1st from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. 

The poem "Komera" by Julia Fehrenbacher is an example of a reading from a recent service. 

From CUUPs

By Loretta Smith

CUUPs Summer Solstice Celebration

Saturday, June 22, 2024

11am to 6 pm

Casual potluck picnic at Oakmont Park

Contact cuups@uusantarosa.org for directions or more information

Sky watchers have been in for a treat lately with a solar eclipse and the Northern Lights. Another annual skyward event is coming up soon — the summer solstice. On June 20, in the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice marks the official start of astronomical summer and brings the longest day of the year. It is an important transition point in the earth’s seasonal cycles.  

We may not realize how much light influences the natural world.  The increasing light is a signal to the birds to find a mate and start reproducing offspring. The growing light tells the plants to grow, flower and make fruits and seeds. This is the time of year of peak growth. After the summer solstice the light slowly starts to decrease day by day signaling to nature that the season is changing, time to wrap up growing and reproducing in the next few months before darkness and cold return.

Besides summer solstice, other names for this longest day are Midsummer or Litha (LEE-tha).  

This is the perfect time to step outside and feel reverence for the power and the beauty of the sun’s life giving energy. By celebrating we connect more deeply with these natural cycles. We cultivate a deeper bond with ourselves and the natural world, and the ever turning Wheel of the Year.

So CUUPs invites you to join us to celebrate the summer solstice. Come celebrate the light, warmth and abundance. Come honor the sun’s power and embrace the beauty of nature.

See you all Saturday, June 22!

Blessed be.

DWSC -Celebrating Juneteenth

As one way to celebrate Juneteenth and live into our 8th Principle, the DWSC Committee encourages you -- on June 19th and throughout the year – to support Black-owned businesses; show up, shop and dine at, and help promote them.  From Yoga classes, to wine, good food, personal care, and so much more, check out this wonderfully rich listing of Black owned businesses in Sonoma County. Click HERE for link.

Another way to celebrate?  Donate to the 2024 Sonoma County MLK/Juneteenth Festival.  This is the 54th year of the Festival, a communitywide event open to all on June 15th, 10am – 6pm, at Martin Luther King Park in Santa Rosa. To donate, and for more information about the Festival and the Juneteenth Holiday, go to: Click HERE

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, and has been celebrated in Black communities since 1866. 

It was on June 19, 1865 that the Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil war had ended and officially freeing the 250,000 Blacks who continued to be enslaved in Texas at that time. This came 2½ years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. Texas became the last state to finally enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and, thanks to the perseverance of African American Texans, it became the first to make Juneteenth a state holiday in 1980. 

On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, officially making June 19th a federal holiday and giving national recognition to a day commemorating emancipation.

Juneteenth commemorates an epochal time in the history of the United States.

There are many ways to honor and celebrate Juneteenth, to remember Black freedom pride, strength, joy, resilience, and hope.  

“Juneteenth may mark just one moment in the struggle for emancipation, but the holiday gives us an occasion to reflect on the profound contributions of enslaved Black Americans to the cause of human freedom. It gives us another way to recognize the central place of slavery and its demise in our national story.” — Jamelle Bouie

“Today on Juneteenth, the day we celebrate the end of slavery, the day we memorialize those who offered us hope for the future and the day when we renew our commitment to the struggle for freedom.” — Angela Davis

-Submitted by the Dismantling White Supremacy Culture at UUSCR Committee (DWSC).

First Sunday Flowers Dedication

The Chancel flowers on June 2 are dedicated

In celebration of Juneteenth, a national holiday on June 19th, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

AND

By Tamara Murrell, in celebration of Liz Larew’s 69th Birthday, on June 20th; she’s finishing out her 6th decade, as always, with style and fierce beauty.

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

Soul Matters

Soul Matter's June theme is: Renewal

(Click on the photo for more information)

Soul Matters is a deeper spiritual version of Small Group Ministries where we meet monthly or twice monthly in small groups to dive into our own spirituality and get to know each other in a more personal sharing.

Contact Katie for information

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

Share The Basket Donations



Share the Basket offerings from Sundays and direct Donations for the month of April 2024

Shelterwood Collective: $332.1

Community Action Partnership (CAP): $442.94

UUCSR Religious Education: $267.00

Saturday Breakfast for Our Neighbors Share: $284.44

Saturday Breakfast Direct Donation: $635.00

*Please note that Share the Basket Donation checks need to be made out to UUCSR in order for us to process them and send the intended donor their share. We are not able to process checks made out to the individual organizations. Thank you.

~ ~ ~

Please consider joining the Share committee. It is a very rewarding position.

Your Share the Offering Project members,

Elaine Wellin, Mary Louise Jaffray, Jan Prater, Judy Wismer

From The Lay Chaplains

Those who attend services in person may enter a personal joy or sorrow in the Milestones book which is found just outside the sanctuary door on Sunday mornings.

After several Sundays of accepting emailed Milestones entries by 10 am and having difficulty writing in entries while others are also trying to write in the book, we have decided to move the deadline to Saturday evenings at 7 pm. That will allow the Lay Chaplain of the day to come early and enter the milestone in the book before others begin to write in it. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we figure this out- email your Milestone to laychaplains@uusantarosa.org

As always, anyone can use the email to send milestones at any time or to contact a Lay Chaplain for support.

Please limit milestones to personal joys and sorrows. If you have an announcement please contact the office during the week.

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

Adult Education:

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 Steve Sweaney (chair), Nadene Carroll, Carol Daeley, Linda Lambert, and Clare Whitfield.

1001 Opening Nights

Alan Bell

Last Session Tuesday June 4

3-4:30 PM, Founders Room

The TV play The Comedian, with Mickey Rooney, will be shown for the last session of this class.

Alan Bell is a Congregation member with 20 years of experience in television, mostly as a public TV producer, and 15 years as a professor of communications.  

Three Pillars of Yoga

Sarah Torma

June 15

9-11AM, Founders Room

Rebalance, energize, and restore. Join Sarah Torma in a mini-retreat designed for all levels where we will explore the three pillars of Hatha Yoga: asanas (poses), meditation, pranayama (breath exercises) and yoga nidra.

Attendance is limited, attendees must register in advance, and there will be a $20 fee. Contact Sarah at sjwilmaeth@gmail.com or (707) 291-0291 to register.

Sarah, a lifelong educator and UU member, received her training in Indonesia from a Balinese master. She holds a Mindful Teacher Certification from Mindful Schools.

Community Bulletin Board

We, members and friends of UUCSR, have many communication channels for information regarding UUCSR connected activities, concerns. What we don't have is a regular source of information about activities, events outside of UUCSR. This became clear to me as I attempted to inform our UUCSR community about the Gaza/Palestine weekly protests held in Santa Rosa.

This became a problem to solve. Following many conversations a solution has been found. We can attach a community bulletin board to the weekly NewsBlast, keeping it separate from UUCSR information. We will have a disclosure statement so that there is no question that the events listed are in no way connected with UUCSR.

WHAT WE NEED IS A VOLUNTEER WHO WOULD TAKE THIS ON.

If this sounds interesting I would be happy to talk in more detail with you.

Please respond to me, Jeanie Bates jeaniebmft@gmail.com

Can You Use A QCD to Pay Your Pledge?

Did you know that you may be able to pay your pledge by a direct distribution from your tax deferred retirement account and not pay income tax on that withdrawal? This is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). Many of us have reached the age when we must take required minimum distributions from these accounts but even if you haven't, you may still be able to have the retirement account institution send a distribution directly to UUCSR on your behalf and doing so will not trigger income tax. 



For many of us, the current tax laws may not provide a benefit to itemizing deductions on our tax return, so this method may provide you with a reduction in tax you may not otherwise be able to get. So rather than taking a distribution from your IRA yourself, triggering income tax, and then writing a personal check to UUCSR, consider making a QCD from your retirement account and you will not owe income tax on the distribution. Contact your tax advisor or retirement account representative for more information.

Please contact the administrator when they are sending this type of payment so we can be sure to get it applied correctly.

UUA

Keep up to date with our Unitarian Universalist Association:

• UUA Newsletter
• General Assembly

NBOP:

• Save the Date! Saturday June 8th 4-9pm: Celebrate community power at our all-ages annual festival with all-you-can-eat tacos, performances, a raffle, and cumbia dance party at beautiful Penngrove Park. All proceeds to benefit North Bay Organizing Project. For more info and tickets: www.northbayop.org/culturaycambio

Glaser Center

If you have a non-profit group or a religious event and need a space to rent, please remember the Glaser Center!

Please contact the rental coordinator, Leslie at: leslie.jacobson@uusantarosa.org