Dear Men of our UU Church:

As some of you may not yet know, it has been a long tradition in our church (but neglected for the last few years) to make a Mothers Day Brunch for the ladies of our congregation.

So… we are looking for as many volunteers as possible to pull this off on Sunday, May 13.  It is easy to do.  We have the recipes.

Here's what we need:

• SOMEONE TO HELP ORGANIZE AND PULL THIS TOGETHER
• Cooks
• Servers
• Set-up-the-tables & chairs volunteers
• Take-down-the-chairs & tables volunteers
• Clean up in the kitchen volunteers

WE HAVE A BUDGET TO COVER THE EXPENSES.

We invite  all ladies to have brunch free, but ask for donations from the men and children. Can we step up to the plate for our ladies, please?  It's our chance to show them we care. Please respond to Rodger Mills at (818) 508-4363 or RVJmills@sbcglobal.net.

Come to Spring Work Camp!

Get out in the great outdoors and give yourself a little workout! Each year, the Camp hosts two work weekends, and the invitation is open to those ages 11 and older. Skilled and unskilled labor is welcome. Rake leaves, paint buildings, clean rain gutters, split wood, dust out the cobwebs…….ready the camp for winter or spiff up the place for summer. We have room for 60 energetic souls.

Delicious food and comfortable accommodations are provided to you in exchange for the sweat of your brow! De Benneville Pines was built by the loving hands of volunteers….and the tradition lives on with those who choose to help take care of her.

Thank you for lending your hearts and hands.

To Participate, You Must Register On-Line in Advance!

As with any camp, premium lodging goes to those who request it first. Fall Work Weekend Sold Out, So Register Early!

   We would be interested in starting a monthly or bimonthly spiritual/theological discussion group which will meet on Sunday after the coffee hour for as long as people want to talk. This would be open to people of all ages, religious backgrounds, beliefs, and experience levels. It would be an open, honest, non-judgemental, and passionate forum where different ideas, thoughts and questions can be discussed and compared. Rather than a set list of topics, this meeting should be a place where conversation flows naturally. In this forum people are invited to learn, and teach, and listen.
—Jordan Weeks and Anna Moore

   Sound interesting? Join us for a disorganized organizational meeting around the “Round Table” in the Fellowship Hall next Sunday!
—Rev. Mike Young

Please join us for a special FRED to welcome Rev. Darrel Richey.  You will all have a chance to talk with him, enjoy each other and share a wonderful meal together.  This is a special week for our Church- please join us to help make it a success.

Social hour begins at 6:00 followed by blessing of the meal and dinner at 6:30.

Please RSVP for this event as we are expecting a larger crowd then usual and want to make sure we can accomodate everyone.

Adults: $5
Children: $3
Family max.: $20
Other: $ pay what you can! No one is ever ever turned away for lack of funds. Ever.

Questions? Contact Wendy Hawker at wendy.hawker@gmail.com, or Jeanne McConnell at jmcconnell@nickstoutllc.com.

The week of Sunday, April 22 to Sunday, April 29 is an important one. This is when the proposed new settled minister will be with us. The Congregation will then vote on the new ministerial candidate at a meeting on April 29th. Help us create the future of our church. There will be plenty of opportunities to mee with him.

Click here (PDF) for the full schedule for the week, or go to the calendar on the website.

   Vipassana comes from the Buddhist tradition and means, "to see things as they are." Anapana Meditation is the first step in a Vipassana Meditation practice, and will be taught to children by longtime UU Studio City member Phyllis Moss and her team of trained Vipassana practitioners.
   This is a gentle, non-sectarian approach to meditation that stills the mind and follows the breath. Such a wonderful tool for growing kids to have!
   This program is free of charge to students.
   We will have an informational meeting for interested families on Sunday, March 11 at 11:30am in the Big Room. Please contact Phyllis Moss if you have any questions: phyllis.moss@gmail.com.

On March 4th, our service will feature Bedtime Purim Story, a fun play by Ron Solomon about the origin of the traditional festive Jewish holiday.  Everyone – young, old, big, small, shy or bold – is welcome to join in the spirit of the day and take a role in the show. To do so, please see Tony Soltis.

   Spring is coming and we are doing some spring cleaning, sprucing, and planting.  Please join us for an ALL CHURCH WORK PARTY on SATURDAY, FEB. 25 from 9am- 12pm.  We'll have refreshments and fun.  See you then!
Buildings and Grounds Committee

Dear Church Community,
   It's that time again! Time to gather together for juice and cookies, fellowship and friendship, and time to roll up your sleeve to donate a pint!
   Remember how much fun we had last summer? Ok, so maybe there were some time glitch issues . . . The bloodmobile folks were overwhelmed by our fantastic response and apologized again and again for the long waits during our last go-around. THIS time it will be different! We have reserved the entire Fellowship Hall for the entire day. There'll be extra staff. The whole operation promises to run smoother than a buttered baby.
   We donated a stunning four and a half GALLONS of blood last time, I'll bet you good gold that we can better that number this time.
   Please rsvp to me, Wendy Hawker at wendy.hawker@gmail.com to get your reservation time. Do it now because later will be too late! Can't give blood? Maybe you can bake or serve a batch of cookies to the pint-less ones?! Everyone is joyfully invited to participate in the gift of life.

It's not too late to register! Families with elementary age campers (or just the campers themselves) are invited for a weekend of treasure hunting in the snow. We'll work on an actual pictorial treasure hunt while discovering what fantastic gifts we all carry, regardless of age or ability.
Join us for tons of snow play, hot cocoa by the fire, games, crafts and community worship. Campers grades 3-6 may attend without parents and will be supervised by trained cabin counselors. For registration information go to
http://www.debenneville.org/ and click on Elementary/Family Camp

Hey Moms, Dads, and Grands! Would you like to have a romantic evening out, without your kids? Bring them to the Valentine’s Kids Party at church! The UUniteens will provide pizza, games, and a movie, and you get four blissful hours all to yourself!

What:    Valentine’s Party!
When:    Tuesday, February 14
Time:    6-10 pm
Where:    UUCSC, in the Fellowship Hall
Price:    $10 per child, or $20 per family
(proceeds go to the UUniteen General Assembly Fund)

RSVP:    Clay and Erica Steakley, 310-490-7404 or erica.steakley@gmail.com

Please have your child bring a sleeping bag or blanket and pillow.
 

UUCSC is fortunate to have Karen Hart and her wonderful Renaissance band of seven musicians perform at our church on Saturday, February 11th.
   Karen is the winner of the West Coast Songwriters’ Song of the Year, “Mirabelle,” a multiple award winner, composer, and performer. She chronicles the adventures, setbacks and triumphs of an endearing woman along her life’s journey, from teenage years to marriage, to raising a family and ultimately into her golden years.  
   Karen’s honors include Music Connection Magazine’s Top 100 performers that Have Moved Us, 2009 Best of the Best (Los Angeles Women in Music), 2009  West Song Coast Songwriters Writers Vantage spotlight for exemplary songwriting, award for lyric writing 2008 Song of the Year, 2006 Barry Manilow/Concord Records.  She has been honored with 3 world premières of her music at the Dorothy Pavilion. Her songs for motion pictures have been singled out by Variety, People Magazine and the LA Times. You can hear a sample of Karen’s music at www.karenhartmusic.com.
   Save the date, Saturday, February 11. Tickets are $10 which includes complimentary refreshments. Reception is at 6:30, show starts at 7:00pm. No one is turned away for lack of funds. For further information contact the church office at 818-769-5911.  Tickets will go on sale around January 15th.

Download Flier (PDF) »

“Celebrating Congregational Milestones”
Wednesday, February 1st, 7:30 pm, at UUCSC
   Five congregations gather on this special evening to hear music and homilies, to rest in silence, to reflect together upon their milestones and then to share refreshments and fellowship.
   We have so much to celebrate: anniversaries; revitalized programs for children, youth and adults; activism; generosity; creativity; a new UU holiday; compassion; etc. Sharing these joys with one another strengthens them and and us, serving as a reminder of those who walk beside us - perhaps even inspiring new ideas that will further shape this beautiful and highly relevant liberal religious landscape!  Speak to Rev. Mike Young for details.
 

New Moon Rite, Organizational Meeting, and Potluck
Suggestion donation: $2
*All are welcome*

Location: Home of Lena Hausselman
Please RSVP to laamos@earthlink.net for location

We will be discussing/planning the holiday of Imbolc and performing a New Moon Ritual with a tribute to The Chinese New Year, The Year of the Dragon. Dragon Magic: How you can use its attributes in your practical works/rituals.

Welcome your guest
By welcoming a Guest at Your Table, you are helping nurture a spirit of gratitude and the UU values of justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. Guest at Your Table fosters understanding and awareness of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee’s human-rights work and our shared belief in social justice.

Participate together
Place your Guest at Your Table box where you share your meals and keep it there for several weeks. When enjoying meals with family and friends, read a story or two from Stories of Hope, which can be downloaded here: http://www.uusc.org/files/2011-2012_Stories-of-Hope-Booklet.pdf. These stories will connect you to real people who are involved in the daily struggle for human rights. Telling the stories of their hopes and dreams is a meaningful way to bring these special guests into your home.

Share your blessings
At mealtimes, insert coins or bills into your Guest box, as if sharing with your guests. On February 19, bring your box with you to the service. If your final gift totals $100 or more, it will be eligible to be matched dollar for dollar through a grant from the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, N.Y.

To see who your gifts will be helping, please go online to:
http://www.uusc.org/guest/donations

Led by Rev. Mike Young
Sun., Jan. 22 at 11:30am After the service
   One of the best ways to understand our peculiar religious tradition is by looking at how we got this way.  We'll take a lighthearted romp through the history and conflicts that shaped us and the values that have grown out of them.
   Whether you're a long time UU looking for a refresher or a newbie considering joining us, you'll enjoy the history and theology of our living tradition.

    For the last several years we have been celebrating IllUUminations—a Unitarian Universalist holiday built around honoring our religious tradition.
    This year the IllUUminations celebration will  begin with an All-Church Potluck and Party on Saturday evening, January 21st. The doors will open at 6pm for a social hour. The Chalice Blessing Ceremony will begin at 6:45, and dinner will follow. Remember to bring your family chalice to the blessing ceremony. This potluck dinner historically honors recipes from all of our backgrounds. Please feel free to write a brief explanation of how you decided to bring this dish to the celebration. Appetizers, bread, champagne, sparkling cider, sparkling water and lemonade will be provided. There will be a children’s activity during the social hour.  On Sunday, January 22, the annual IllUUminations service will be celebrated.
   For questions please contact the church office at 818-769-5911 or info@uustudiocity.org.

Attention all Crafters! The Boutique Workshop wants you! For over 40 years, this group has gotten together weekly to quilt, paint gourds, sew ornaments, flower craft, and get to know each other. Have you always wanted to try your hand at a little sewing? Does a pile of fabric inspire your creativity? Do you just like working with your hands? Join the Boutique Workshop for a Brainstorming Session on Friday January 6 at 1pm and share your ideas. We've got a closet full of supplies and a pile of project books. Join us in creating fun and fellowship. See you in January.

   The UUniteens and the UU Family Group are co-hosting a Holiday Carnival. We will have games, face painting, food and cold and warm drinks. All are welcome; all activities and refreshments carry a modest cost as this is a fundraiser for the UUniteens to go to General Assembly next year.

Bring your wallets and your fun and join us.

   As always, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.  If you need free tickets in order to participate, please contact Nanci Armstrong-Temple fraggle94@gmail.com or Erica Steakley erica.steakley@gmail.com.

   It’s time for the Balisoks’ annual Christmas party. 16 years old and up only, and please bring a green reindeer gift (a Green Reindeer is a mythical beast - or a fun/silly gift, likely something you’ve received in the past and want to move along, wrapped in holiday paper for the lively gift exchange). Please also bring an hors-d’oeuvres,  dessert or a beverage to share. The church will provide coffee and Wassail.
   Russ & Dorothy ask that folks remove their shoes in their home, so please bring cozy socks or slippers to put on at the door. There will be a contest for the most creative, silliest, festive holiday socks/slippers too! Call the office for details: 818-769-5911.
 

Get out your menorahs! Start spinning your dreidels!

Join us on Friday December 16 at 7:30 right here in the Fellowship Hall as we celebrate Shabbat and learn about Chanukah as we party down.

There will be dreidel contests for adults and children!
Prizes!!
Food and drink!!

This will be a potluck: we need sodas, latkas, sour cream, apple sauce, what else?

Please RSVP at cwyckoff@sbcglobal.net so we can keep costs down and let us know what you can bring.

Gd bless and Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Craig

P.S. The first night of Chanukah is actually on the 20th but what a time to learn.

Join us for Gian Carlo Menotti's classic Christmas operetta. Featuring Leslie Schipa and Faith Jorden with special guests Reece Lyons, Patrick MacKellan, Robert Norman, and Lamont Hendrix. Directed by Beth Meurer.

Doors open at 7:15, show starts at 8. There will be a reception following the performance.

Suggested Donation: $15 or two for $25. Children 10 and under Free.

View Flier »

Our “Holiday Affaire / Puttin’ On The Ritz” event on Saturday, Dec. 3rd, is getting close.  So here are a few notes about the event:
1. Please pay for your tickets as soon as possible
2. Turn in any donations you have procured right away. (We don’t want to duplicate anyone’s requests to local businesses.)
3. Forward the flyer to ALL your friends, neighbors, co-workers, & family and post them at your office or neighborhood businesses.

All following Sundays we will have a table after the service where you can purchase additional tickets, turn in donations, ask questions, and volunteer.
THANK YOU ALL!
Beth Meurer, Event Chair
bethmeurer@sbcglobal.net

The Women's Book Discussion Group will read and discuss Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue. We will meet at the home of Linda White on Thursday, Dec. 1st at 7:30pm.