News from Religious Education
Dear UUCV Community,
This month we explore what it means to be a people of trust, and one way we do that is by creating covenant. Every congregation has covenanted to “affirm and promote” our 7 Principles and at the end of that statement, it continues ”As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.” That is a beautiful north star or guide post as we interact with each other, and yet we fall short!
Despite the horror of God deciding to destroy most life with a flood in the story of Noah, there is a beautiful mention of promises I’d like to lift up from the Bible: “And as a sign of my covenant with you I will put a rainbow in the clouds. And every time you see a rainbow it will remind you of our covenant to create and preserve life.”Genesis 9:12-13
So in this rainy season when I’ve already seen several rainbows, I invite you to consider the north stars of your own life and remember what guides you. We are here to support each other, love each other, and bring out the best in each other in community, as we are a people who crave love, connection, and belonging.
May we remember and trust that change is possible, and love each other tenderly as we work to change the world. In the words of Katie Covey, “When trust is broken, we are wounded, and wounds leave scars… Sometimes, our own Unitarian Universalist denomination betrayed the trust of Unitarian Universalist people of color… Right now, by telling stories and understanding racism, we are trying to take steps to create the trust we wish we had.”
Armfuls of love,
Emily Carroll
Director of Religious Education
emily@uuventura.org
Notes from the President’s Desk – Jan., 2019
“Good endings make for good beginnings”
A phrase that I first heard at the UUCV and that I have found to be true. With all of the troubles that 2018 brought, I hope that there was also sunshine in your life and, no matter what your current situation, that you are looking forward to the promise of a fresh start with 2019.
Unlike the Calendar year our Church year runs from July 1 to June 30. That means we are at the mid-year point and due for some reflection in keeping with the season. The UUCV turned 60 last November and I doubt that our founders would recognize our church today given their humble beginnings.
Evidence of those early days can be found in the photos in Berg Hall back in the corner by the piano. The folks who started this congregation didn’t have very much. They didn’t own a building to call their own, they hardly had any money, the minister was the only paid staff. What did they have?
They had each other and a Vision of liberal religion. That still holds true for us today. Clearly, we have exceeded anything that could have been imagined by our founders. When I think about the UUCV (which is often) my thoughts are about the growth of the congregation spiritually, our Social Action ministries, our Religious Education programming, our Worship experiences, and how these activities help us live into our values.
We are a growing, vibrant congregation that is actively engaged in several lay ministries that include aiding the homeless, protecting our environment, human rights, immigration, and economic justice. We show up at City and County meetings, at rallies, vigils, marches, and a host of meetings attended by our partners in the community. These are some of the many ways that Members and Friends of the UUCV walk the talk of our 7 Principles.
Our Children’s Religious Education program is amazing! The energy of the volunteer teachers, the engagement of the kids, and the enthusiasm of the parents reflect the hard work of our DRE Emily Carroll and all who volunteer and help with this ministry.
We are engaged in a new 5-year planning process to discern who we are and where we want to go, creating a new vision and updating our mission with the help of the 5-4-5 Team. This important work involves all of us and turns out best when you include your voice in the processes that are planned to be able to hear your input for our future.
Our financial picture is a source of concern but is seen as manageable with more information to be discussed at our Congregational Conversation on the 27th. The meeting will provide information that will help the Finance Budget Team in the development of our next budget for 2019-20. This will be a big step in charting a course to “right sizing” our congregation.
These are just some of the reasons why we are a healthy congregation. We have much to offer each other, our local community, and the world. That’s a really great place to begin as we start our journey into the possibilities of 2019.
Living in Paradise,
Bryan Buck, UUCV Board President
Ministers Column – Jan
With the New Year I offer this refresher on my schedule, how best to reach me, and other (hopefully) useful info.
My workweek is Saturday through Thursday. Friday is my day off, Saturday is my writing day, and Sunday is, well, Sunday. After church comes my standing date with Barzillai the Cat. I lie on the couch and he lies on me. I scratch his ears; he purrs; I can even nap – a good arrangement.
I’m essentially on call 24 hours and 7 days a week.
It’s daunting, and I want y’all to know I also take advantage of a flexible schedule. If I’ve got a meeting at night, I often won’t come in till noon or later. I work 6 days a week, though if it’s ten hours one day, it may be four the next.
I usually work about 45-50 hours a week. It’s been 60 or more, though that is pretty rare. After a particularly long week, I’ll ease off a bit the next.
I attend some, though not all, church events on Fridays. When I do, I’ll make up for it another day.
The best way to reach me is email: rev.dana.worsnop@uuventura.org, or on my cell phone (which is in the directory). If you need me quickly, texting is best. In general, please don’t call or text on Fridays. And if you email me late-ish on Thursday or a Friday, you make not get a reply until Monday.
I also prefer not to be called or texted before 9am or after 9pm.
I trust you to figure out if your issue is urgent enough to reach out on those days and other hours.
If you have an emergency, do not hesitate. If you cannot decide if you have an urgency or an emergency, also do not hesitate.
I don’t hold specific office hours, though I usually can make appointments within 2-3 days. The best days are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
We hold staff meetings on Tuesdays. Because we work on the orders of service then, it’s best if you can have information in to Jennifer by Monday afternoon.
A final note about Sundays – and this is true for all Sunday staff. Sunday is our biggest day of the week. We know it’s a good time for you to be in touch with us, though we can be tired and scattered. We may not be able to answer your questions or even remember them on Monday. And we just can’t get with everyone. So your patience is much appreciated.
I look forward to our new year ahead – with the whole congregation and our wonderful staff team.
Happiest of New Years.
Love,
Rev. Dana
Minister’s Column – Dec., 2018
December is upon us, and with it the holidays that we love and we dread and we do our best to get into the spirit of. And this year, with December comes the first anniversary of the Thomas Fire and all those memories. Yet so much has happened since then, for me the memories are already fading. It’s all a part of a new normal or, as our soon-to-be twice ex-governor has called it, “the new abnormal.”
Part of this new reality is a deep reminder that we are in this together. After the shootings and the Woolsey Fire, it was so heartening to see how people stepped up to offer help and hospitality. We can’t know what’s next, though we can know that there will be people offering help and comfort, support and celebration as each is called for.
The theme for December is Mystery, which is my favorite part of this season. Lights twinkling in the darkness, the turning of the year, a spirit that can still catch us unawares. Even as these are holidays that can make us feel even more lonely, with them can also come reminders that
We are not alone.
You are not alone.
So I offer you one of my favorite poems for this time of year by Rebecca Parker. May it carry you into and through all that this December brings you.
Perhaps
for a moment
the typewriters will stop clicking,
the wheels stop rolling
the computers desist from computing,
and a hush will fall over the city.
For an instant, in the stillness,
the chiming of the celestial spheres will be heard
as earth hangs poised
in the crystalline darkness,
and then
gracefully
tilts.
Let there be a season
when holiness is heard, and
the splendor of living is revealed.
Stunned to stillness by beauty
we remember who we are and why we are here.
There are inexplicable mysteries.
We are not alone.
In the universe there moves a Wild One
whose gestures alter earth’s axis
toward love.
In the immense darkness
everything spins with joy.
The cosmos enfolds us.
We are caught in a web of stars,
cradled in a swaying embrace,
rocked by the holy night,
babes of the universe.
Let this be the time
we wake to life,
like spring wakes, in the moment
of winter solstice.
Happy Hannukah! Blessed Solstice!
Merry Christmas! Happy and Hopeful Holidays!
With love, Rev. Dana