Friends,
I write to share some of the really cool things that have been happening in the church in some cases in spite of Covid-19 and in others because of it.
Before your read on about Many Cool Things, please respond to a new Community Needs Assessment Survey. We will be on line for a while yet. We want to know the kinds of online offerings you would be interested in to nurture your souls and keep us connect in the weeks and months ahead.
This is a moment that I am happy to belong an Association of Congregations that have pledged mutual support to one another. Below* you will find an explanation that we are not an officially a ‘denomination,’ but rather an association of congregations pledging mutual support. Ultimately, We are all in this together.
Here are Several Cool Things going on at UU Ventura aided by being a part of the UUA:
** For worship on Sunday, June 28 at 10 am, we will be joining the service from our virtual UUA General Assembly – Rooted, Inspired & Ready. This is a chance to worship literally with thousands of UUs from around the world. We’ll probably join the service from our own Zoom link. Keep eyes peeled for more info in the next week.
** Moving In Project – We received a $5000 grant from the UUA Disaster Relief Fund
The Disaster Relief Fund was created in 2017 after Hurricane Harvey to help congregations and congregants who experience loss due to disaster. A key component of the grants is so churches can make contributions to local partners, deepening our relationships. In this Covid Time, the grants go to churches “responding to the crisis with systemic, collaborative approaches, partnering with local organizations to provide assistance … to people who are at significant risk to health and livelihood because of Covid-19.”
Here is our grant application in part: Since the pandemic has been upon us, we have been working with partners in the community to support programs housing our homeless neighbors in local motels. Because they are in one place, it’s been easier for case managers to place them in housing. Members of a long-standing church committee – Lift Up Your Voice to End Homelessness – started a program called Moving In which accepts donations of furniture, kitchen essentials and bedding, and then moves them into the apartments of the newly housed. It is a community collaboration including the local synagogue, other churches, the police department, city staff, and a local farmer with a truck. Our grant request is to cover the cost of two storage unit for a year.
In just over two months Moving In has moved in 14 people into 8 households.
** Spirit Level Grant for $9000
The Spirit Level Foundation offers grants for “the health and growth of UU congregations in Southern California.” I actually got a call encouraging us to apply for a grant set up especially for these Covid Times. It’s unusual to get a call saying, “We have some money we’d like to give you. Just ask.” We did and received something over $9000. An association of congregations, indeed!
And it didn’t stop there.
** UU the Vote
Spirit Level also offers matching funds to support UU the Vote efforts. We are already participating, under the leadership of Debbie Norris and Jimmy Vasquez. Now, if we can raise $2600, Spirit Level will triple our gifts for $7800. We are almost half-way there. The funds will cover expenses and pay for administrative work. Look for an on-line donation link.
UU the Vote is a voter registration drive. All are invited to join letter-writing Parties on Zoom every Thursday at 2pm. The goal is to write 15,000 “get out the vote” letters to traditionally underrepresented registered voters. Thus far, 2055 letters have been prepared by 30 congregants. Recently, Chalice UU Fellowship of Conejo Valley partnered with us. We’ll keep going into October. More mutual support between and among our congregations!
More Cool Stuff We’re Doing
** The Mask Project has been enthusiastically supported by a whole team who sewed and delivered something more than 300 masks to the congregation. And they couldn’t stop. They have now made and given 130 ‘mask mates’ to Ojai Hospital, 26 masks to the Oxnard Homeless Shelter and Staff, 46 masks to Step Up Ventura, and are soon to deliver another 110 masks to Family to Family at their lunch event.
And all that doesn’t include the 275 masks that were recently mailed to the Navajo Nation.
** Summer RE Curriculum: The Freedom Fighters
Inspired to action by the new Civil Rights Movement we are experiencing, Emily Carroll created a curriculum using the anime cartoon Avatar to help our kids explore justice, respect, kindness, integrity and the 7UU principles.
Times are very challenging and we are still doing Very Cool Stuff.
With love,
Rev. Dana
* We are organized under Congregational Polity which means that we are an association of self-governing congregations. The Unitarian Universalist Association is actually all of us. The staff of the UUA – including the president we all elect – are there to offer resources, leadership, and guidance. The UUA cannot tell us what to do, though it is made up of people devoted to our tradition who know whereof they speak most of the time.