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Vol. 35 No. 7
January 2005

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Month of Sundays

Services 9:00 & 11:00

Forum 1:15

January 2 Dialog Sermon - Doug Kraft

The first service of the year will be an opportunity for you to get me to speak about whatever questions you'd like me to address. I will place a Sermon Question Box in the sanctuary for a few weeks. If you have a question you'd like me to address, put it on a card and place it in the box. Sunday morning, I'll improvise around the topics you've given me. I'll also take questions from the congregation during the service. All questions are fair.

January 9 A Love For-Giving - Chris Craethnenn

Explore the spiritual roots of forgiveness. Where do I end and others begin? What effects do the intentions and actions of ourselves and others have on the world in which we live?

January 16 Finding Fairness - Lyn Cox

We want everything to be fair between friends, but sometimes everything is NOT fair.  What can we do next?  In celebration of Dr. King's birthday, we will explore reconciliation in this intergenerational worship.

January 16 Forum The Present US/UN Conflict - How it will affect us in Sacramento? - Ann Fagen Ginger

Ann Fagen Ginger is the founder and Director of the Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Union (MCLI), a Berkeley-
based center for human rights and peace law.

January 23 Loving What Is: God as Reality - Doug Kraft

Take any traditional statement about God and substitute the word "reality" for the word "God." For example, "Reality is all powerful." "Life is easier if you accept reality." "Reality is everywhere." "You can't escape reality." This morning I'd like to suggest an understanding of God that embraces both theists and atheists. Wish me luck!

January 30 The Final Form of Love - Lyn Cox

Forgiveness is an essential tool if we are to promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

The Search for Tomorrow's UUSS Board of Trustees

The vocation of every man and woman is to serve other people. Tolstoy (1828-1910)

The Nominating Committee is beginning the process of identifying individuals who would be good candidates for the Board of Trustees and the Nominating Committee for the 2005-06 church year.

This election will be special for UUSS in a number of ways:

1. Seven positions on the UUSS Board will be open in June 2005.
2. Individuals will be elected to terms as modified by the recent changes approved by the congregation.
3. Voting will be conducted as modified by the recent changes approved by the congregation.

UUSS democracy depends on annual spring elections for positions on the Board of Trustees as stewards for our ongoing organization. Our UUSS Constitution provides two routes to candidacy: Nomination by Petition and Nomination by the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is using various methods of outreach to find interested individuals. Possibly, you may come across the Committee members as they go about their work. We seek to put together a slate of candidates who are representative of UUSS: long term and new members, young and not-so-young, plus all the other special characteristics that make up our congregation.

However, we may miss great potential candidates, and we’re seeking the assistance of all UUSS members. Help us identify members for our slate of candidates. And this isn’t the time to be self-effacing; please consider putting your own name forward if you have an interest! If you are interested in becoming a member of the board or wish to recommend another member for consideration, please contact any member of the Nominating Committee: Maxine Cornwell, Cathy George, Lisa Karkoski, Fran Kennedy, Nancy Lust, Joan Osborn, Ron Selge.

Written correspondence may be directed to the Nominating Committee’s mailbox in the UUSS office or via email to

January World Cafe

"There is nothing more powerful for sharing knowledge and creating innovative solutions than people engaged in conversation in relation to what they care about. Pull up a chair! Sit down and talk. Listen and build on what you know. You might be surprised at what emerges!"—The World Cafe; Conversations that Matter.

Coming up Saturday, January 29, 1:00-2:30, is our third all-congregation World Cafe Conversation. The theme is "Sharing our Abundance, Meeting Our Needs." This is part of the UUSS Long Range Planning process. As in previous Cafe Conversations, we will be talking in small groups, and moving around to cross-pollinate ideas and insights. New members, friends, interested youth, and long-time members of UUSS: we welcome the diversity of perspectives and life experiences that you will bring to the Cafe. We will be asking questions about what sustains and strengthens us as a religious community. Contact Tiffany Urness for more information at 971-0744. Child care will be available, but please call prior to January 21 to make arrangements.

Men's Monday Night Support Group 

Our group now has openings for up to three new members.  We meet first and third Monday nights in members' homes for mutual support.  If you are looking for such a group, we offer broad shoulders, open ears and complete confidentiality.  Phone Frank Winans at 725-4323 for more details and the next meeting place.

At The Moment . . .

During the 2005-2006 church year I will be away on sabbatical for five months: November and December of 2005 and February through April of 2006.

Sabbaticals offer in-depth professional development time, not readily available at other times. They are intended to benefit both the minister and congregation.

I am deeply aware that our culture focuses on self-gratification and consumption. Americans in general have a myopic view of people and the larger world. Many of us understand this intellectually but may find it hard to sense it on a deeper level. An effective religious leader is aided by being able to step outside the typical world view.

So, I will use my sabbatical to try to extend myself in these directions through travel outside Western culture and through lengthy meditation.

In mid-November 2005, I'll join a pilgrimage of a dozen people visiting sites of the Buddha's life in northern India. We'll be off the beaten path into areas that novice travelers are unlikely to find. The group will be led by a man who spent over ten years living in India as a sadu (holy man) and who knows the culture from the inside. I hope to have more access to people and perspectives than I could find by myself or on a commercial tour.

I'll be back at church for the month of January 2006.

In February 2005, I'll enter a two-month retreat. For years I have wanted to do an extended meditation. I do several weeklong retreats each year and find them a source of renewal and inspiration that form my sermons and congregational community building. They put me in touch with a spiritual source that shapes and inspires much of what I have to offer. I expect that meditating for a few months without interruption will carry me outside much of my normal mental habits and into something deeper and more universal. I hope it will in some small ways make me a wiser person.

Having me away offers creative opportunities for the church. So far, the Board has set up a Sabbatical Committee to help, the Religious Services Committee is gearing up to bring in some special services, and Lyn will be with you. Let me, Lyn, the Board or the Religious Services
Committee know about anything special you'd like to do during the time I'm away.

I just hope you don't get along too well without me!

Finding Doug...

My office hours will remain sporadic as I continue to heal from my concussion. If you would like to reach me about anything, please give me a call (483-9283 x 201) or .

President's Letter

When asked what important issues our congregation needed to address in the next six years, attracting young members and improving the physical plant got the highest votes. A total of 24 issues were mentioned, including educating the congregation on our problems and needs, better recognition of volunteers and working on a strategic plan and capital fund drive. We were attending the Financial Assessment Workshop given by Larry Wheeler, a UUA consultant, in November.

We applauded ourselves for stabilizing our membership after some down years, increasing our pledge totals, becoming a "Fair Share" congregation again and calling Doug as our minister. As Larry put it, "It feels like you are ready to move forward to further strengthen the congregation."

And we are. Those of us who attended Larry's workshop came away relieved, overwhelmed and invigorated. I, for one, was relieved that issues related to money were out on the table and open for discussion. Being able to talk openly about significant milestones in our history also was refreshing. Rev. John Young's departure and the beginnings of UUSS were two such milestones. It's difficult to think about the future without acknowledging the past. We spent the entire morning doing both of those.

We expected Larry to have suggestions on raising our level of giving, but were a little overwhelmed at the number and extent of his ideas. Establishing a permanent, year-round Canvass Committee was high on his list. That is in the works as I write. Raising our levels of giving is essential if we're to prosper in the future. As Doug mentioned in his sermon last month, our congregation has the lowest average pledge of 50 similarly-sized UU congregations in the nation. Congregations typically need on average 2.5 to 3.5% of people's gross income. If we're going to accomplish that, many pledge units need to be significantly above the average since we recognize that everyone has his or her own capacity for giving.

Larry had so many ideas for our Canvass that we initially decided to hire him to organize it this year. However, in reviewing the schedule, we realized that it was unrealistic since we were starting late in the year. So this year, Tiffany Urness and her team will carry the ball and we're planning to get Larry on board next year.

Finally, most of us left the workshop excited about the prospects for UUSS. The dreams I mentioned earlier can come true if we are generous with our time and money. Rich and I will be looking at the giving guide and doing our best to significantly increase our level of giving. I encourage you to pick up a copy of Larry's report and the "Fair Share" giving guide that are available in the office and on the kiosk. Take some time to read Larry's suggestions and ask yourself how you might help. Let's work together to see that UUSS grows and prospers.

-Mary Howard

Get on Board:
Notes from the November 2004 Board Meeting

The Board appointed Stephanie Turner chair and David McMorris and Eric Ross members of the Personnel Committee.

Diane Ramsey joins Ralph Scowden as liaison to the Program Council.

The December Board meeting was changed from Thursday, December 16 to December 23.

It was agreed to charge $5 instead of $4 for lunch in recognition that the caterers cook, set up the serving table, and clean up for the lunch, far more than the original agreement. The only work church members have to do is act as cashier.

As of October 31, 2004, pledge income is down even with the payment of advanced pledges. The Harvestfest brought in approximately $13,000.

Financial consultant Larry Wheeler's assessment report is available on the kiosk and in the office. Some of the highlights include: 1) that UUSS' giving is low in comparison to many other churches' (we could expect approximately 1,300 UUs in the Sacramento area), 2) face-to-face canvassing is the most successful, and 3) the development (or refinement) of Vision and Mission statements is critical to our financial success. Larry suggested our Long Range Plan (for five to ten years) include three scenarios: growth through starting another church(es), growth in our present physical set-up, and growth with a larger physical plant. After exploring the possibility of hiring a consultant to help with the canvass, it was agreed to wait until next year.

Progress has been made on the proposed staffing developed a couple of years ago. We met Phase I goals, including replacing the Director of Religious Education (DRE) with an Assistant Minister, reinstating the RE support person (with Chris this year), and increasing the Music Director to 1/3 time. However, if Phase II and III are to be accomplished, more funds are needed. Further, Doug is significantly underpaid compared to his counterparts. Some other staff are also underpaid.

Tracking Long Range Goals:

1. Intergenerational Activities: Future events include Sunday's service and the tree trimming party. The adult guest stars at recent RE classes were a success. The children's choir was wonderful!
2. Support of Staff: We sent cards to many staff members.
3. Diversity: UUSS will have a presence at the next LAMBDA freedom fair. Members continue to work on cultural events with emphasis on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues.
4. The Clarence Darrow event was great!
5. Financial Health The board thanked Pete for arranging for Larry Wheeler's visit.
6. Environmental There was discussion about energy-saving equipment.

The Personnel Committee is working with Clay to re-write the Business Administrator's job description, which will be used as part of the evaluation of his performance. The Committee's other priorities will be to review and update the Employee handbook, to collect and update staff's job descriptions, and look at staff compensation.

Treasurer's Report

As of the end of October our cash flow was good. Our total income was down by about $7,000—but fortunately, our expenses were almost $13,000 below what we had anticipated. We were pleased by the response to our plea for special funds to meet the $12,000 Interim Minister's stipend: that sum is now fully subscribed. Notices were sent to 37 members who have not yet begun making payments on their pledges. (Please be sure to mark payments on pledges "Interim Minister Fund.") For more details on our financial picture, please note the monthly reports we post on the kiosk at the back of the sanctuary or contact me. Pete Larson, Treasurer

Lyn's Column

January is often seen as a clean slate.  People make New Year's Resolutions, we begin new projects, we join fitness centers.  Here at UUSS, we're taking the opportunity to focus on forgiveness.  Forgiveness isn't something that always comes easily to me.  Somehow, studying wise sayings about forgiveness and medical data about the effects of resentment doesn't lead my heart to open.  I need my cats for that.

Splat the Cat has clear ideas about the way the world should be.  Food goes in her dish at 7:00 a.m.  Human servants should be available at all times for scratches behind the ears, but should allow Her Highness to rest until called for.  Under no circumstances should her favorite nap cushions be moved or occupied by that other cat. Unfortunately, we human servants seem to think we have other things to do.  When we fail to meet Splat's expectations, she complains. After communicating her feelings, however, the incident is forgotten.  If our acknowledgement of her complaint is followed by food and positive attention, so much the better.  I imagine she would learn to take care of herself if we showed a constant disregard for her authority, but in the case of everyday mistakes, she lets bygones be bygones.

I think Splat has an advantage on the forgiveness front: she just doesn't remember specific mistakes with the same clarity that a human being does.  My cats show me the advantages of living in the moment rather than dwelling on the past or fretting over the future.

The lessons I've learned from my cats help when I'm trying to make things right with another human. I listen to the person I have hurt as they describe the effects of my mistake. I admit I was wrong.  I find out how I can make amends, and then I do that.  If it's possible to heal the relationship, a shared positive experience and a shared meal can be a good follow-up to (but not a replacement for) reconciliation. 

In Religious Education this month, we'll practice apologies and peacemaking skills.  We'll also talk about how friendships are not always put back together in the same shape after they are broken and healed.  Adult worship will be rich with material on forgiveness. 

I look forward to exploring this deeply religious topic as an intergenerational community. 

Finding Lyn

I'm generally in the office in the middle of the day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Please contact me if you would like to talk about Religious Education, membership, or anything else that's on your mind.  E-mail or call (916) 483-9283 ext. 203 to reach me.

Religious Education Calendar

January 2 Science Sunday: Children and youth will explore a hands-on science activity as one all-ages group.

January 9 Community Service Sunday: Pet Treats - Children and youth will make pet treats for the Sacramento SPCA.

January 16 Intergenerational Worship: Finding Fairness

        High School Youth meet at 12:30.

January 23 Curriculum Sunday: Apologies - Children and youth will gather in age-focused groups to learn about re-shaping relationships after conflict.

January 30 Curriculum Sunday: Peacemaking - Children and youth will gather in age-focused groups to practice conflict resolution skills.

The Intern-Al Plane . . .

Christopher Craethnenn, Intern Minister

Having lived most of my winters in the snowy oppressive cold of Boston, I am deeply appreciative of the mildness of this California winter. I still need to bring out the sweaters, even sometimes a hat. It does get cold-er, but never delves into that bone-chilling sub-zero realm I remember so shiveringly from my youth.

Rather, here we have the mystic fog which blankets the valley. I love this fog. Just the other week I was headed to our Unitarian Universalist Fellowship out in Tuolomne County. I left early in the morning and was greeted by a fog so thick I couldn't see 15 feet in front of my car. I crept through it slowly.

There was no one else on the road, and so I was surrounded, blanketed in grey/white, just barely lit by the sun rising somewhere far away from the thickness surrounding me.

I was in this milky solitude for almost an hour when I luckily saw a stop sign, and made a tentative turn. Slowly the fog began to dissipate.

One stop, one turn, one move, and I began to see where I was.

In the coming New Year many of us have sought to take turns, to make changes in our lives which may move us out of whatever fog we may be in. Many of us have sighted stop signs in our lives, have caught glimpses of insight, only to continue along the same path.

Every New Year there are piles of promises, of resolutions and aspirations which get carved into the shifting sands, some to last, and some to be swept away in the changing breezes.

For any and all seeking to change for the better this year, know that the collective prayers of this church are with you. Know that the gathered community of UUSS is there for you as a resource of love and support.

Church is one of those few things that is almost unabashedly good for you. One of the few wells of sweet pure water left in this world.

Come and drink from this resource.

Come and know the strength of gathered community.

Come, change, and be changed.

See you in church,

Chris

What's it all About?

As Unitarian Universalists, we have the freedom and the responsibility to discern for ourselves the answers to theological questions.  Rev. Lyn will be leading an Adult Enrichment series designed to help a small group of people do just that.  The series, called Credo, is a small group experience.  Participants are invited to articulate their beliefs about the existence (or not) of god, the gifts and limits of being human, coping with death and loss, and other important questions.  Credo will meet six consecutive Wednesday evenings, January 5 through February 9.  Sign up through the Adult Enrichment Committee or by calling the church office at (916) 483-9283.

Public Forum

January 16, 2005, 1:15 p.m. - UUSS Auditorium

"The Present US/UN Conflict How it will affect us in Sacramento" The guest speaker is Ann Fagen Ginger, Founder and Director of the Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Union (MCLI), a Berkeley-based center for human rights and peace law.

Founded in 1965, the Institute answers queries of clients and lawyers and trains interns to prepare reports on U.S. compliance with human rights treaties for submission to U.N. committees.

Ms. Ginger is a lawyer, teacher, activist and the author of 24 books. Ms. Ginger is editor of a book titled, "Challenging U.S. Human Rights Violations Since 9/11" to be published in March 2005 by Prometheus Books. The book will lay out new paths to action for concerned people to take against a particular violation, from suing to filing a complaint with the Office of Inspector General, to reporting to the three UN human rights reporting committees.

Ms. Ginger learned early to use the law and history to work for peace and human rights, coming from an Irish Catholic, English Quaker, Russian-Jewish, Midwestern newspaper family. She is now teaching Peace Law and Human Rights at San Francisco State University and long served on the Peace and Justice Commission that administers the Nuclear Free Zone Ordinance in Berkeley.

Ms. Ginger won a civil liberties case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1959. After her testimony as an expert witness on international law that applies in the U.S., a jury acquitted nuclear weapons protesters in Utah.

Special Friends: An Intergenerational Mystery

Have you ever wanted to be Susan B. Anthony or Ralph Waldo Emerson?  Have you ever wanted to make a church friend from another generation?  Are you looking for a little mystery?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, be sure to sign up for the annual Special Friends Festival.  Participants are assigned code names from Unitarian Universalist history.  They exchange notes with mystery partners for a month, then discover the identity of their mystery partners at the Special Friends party on February 13.    

Special Friends is the most lauded activity in our intergenerational community-building toolbox.  Kids change the lives of adults and vice-versa.  Do not miss this opportunity to learn about cool Unitarian Universalists, past and present.

To participate in the Special Friends Festival, sign up by January 9 by filling out a form at the Religious Education table or by contacting Rev. Lyn (916-483-9283 ext. 203, or lyn@uuss.org).  Special Friends will begin exchanging notes on January 16 and will continue until the party on February 13.

Women's Alliance Welcomes Volunteer Teacher from Mustard Seed School

Lois French, who teaches at the Mustard Seed School for homeless children, along with other volunteers, will address members and friends of Women's Alliance on Thursday January 13^th. Many of the volunteers are retired teachers. They organize lessons, hoping children will appear, however they usually stay for short periods. The teachers try to maintain stability and give the children a sense of security and love. The school, which is located at Loaves & Fishes, can always use donations of books, paper, art supplies, and equipment.

The meeting will begin at 10:15 a.m. for coffee and snacks, with announcements at 10:30 and the program at 11:00. There is a meeting fee of $2.00. Participants are urged to bring a sack lunch; beverages and desserts will be provided. Guests are always welcome!

Poem Spirits

All are invited to the January Poem Spirits evening featuring Laura Ann Walton. Start the New Year by hearing this imaginative and spiritual poet and artist. Laura Ann's work reflects a life that mixes intense creativity with a profound concern for social justice issues. She has spent much of her life working with women in poverty, believing that they are as entitled to creative outlets as to bread and shelter. This fine-tuned sensitivity expresses itself in poems and collages that limn unforgettable images of nature and of human surrender to nature.

Co-host Tom Goff will present a brief talk on a well-known poet this month's will be a surprise. Meet in Rooms 7/8 @UUSS, Sunday, January 2, 2005 at 6:00 pm. Snacks and open mic. Read a favorite poem by you or someone else. For information contact Nora Staklis, Tom Goff or JoAnn Anglin*.

Unitarian Universalist of the Month: Can you Guess?

Every month during the school year, we publish clues about a mystery Unitarian Universalist.  Read these clues and see if you can guess this month's UU. 

• She was born in 1876, the child of Christian missionaries in China.
• She studied at the University of Chicago and Columbia University Teachers College in order to become an effective religious educator.
• From 1937 to 1965, she edited religious education materials for Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists. She was ordained as a minister in 1959.
• She died in 1978.
• She once wrote: "We cannot give our children a growing and creative religious life. A fine religion is a personal achievement."

Can you guess who she is?  The answer will be revealed during a worship service in January.

December's famous Unitarian Universalist was Charles Dickens.  Congratulations to all the correct guessers!

Family Promise

Family Promise interfaith program for the homeless will really start this spring!  We received some funding from the California Endowment!  Hurray!  We are still looking for donations, but our Day Center at 321 North 12th Street is being refurbished.  UUSS will be the first church to house the program at night.  We will need at least two people to stay overnight with the guests.  We will need people to bring in dinners, breakfasts and sack lunches each day of the special week that we take care of them.  We will need sheets, blankets, pillows, pillow cases, and towels to use while they are at UUSS.  These can be used items in good condition.  If you would like to volunteer for any of these jobs, please sign up at the Social Responsibility table in the lobby behind the auditorium. Thank you!

Women's Ritual

A joint wo/men's ritual group is in the planning stages. We could have discussion themes or not (such as relationships, gender roles, communication). We could follow the Women's Ritual Group format or not. This format is potluck, personal check-in (uninterrupted, with talking stick), business discussion, ritual. The leadership would rotate.

If you are interested in helping format this group, please come to the first meeting on the following proposed schedule. The first meeting is tentatively set at 5:00 p.m. on January 17 with pot luck. A proposal has been made for us to meet on the third Sunday evening of the months where we do not have a public ritual.

If interested, please call Laurie Jones.*