Notes from the President’s Desk – January, 2018

Out of the Fire Together
What is arguably the most expensive fire in Ventura county history began on December 4, 2017. Just like many others, Gretchen and I were under mandatory evacuation orders. Early in the morning we packed up some of our belongings and headed for the church. We went to the church because unlike the emergency shelter at the Fairgrounds or Nordhoff High School, the UUCV is our spiritual home. We wanted our known community to be our place of refuge. Although we had talked about the possibility of one day needing to evacuate quickly, we were not as prepared as we might have thought. That was also true of our church when it came to an emergency the size of the Thomas Fire. And yet, as a congregation we showed up and stepped up, making a difference in people’s lives.
As the day unfolded Reverend Dana, Beverly Jordan, Emily Carroll, Gary Zinik and myself made phone calls to everyone that we thought might be affected by the fire. Information trickled into us via phone calls, email, texting and Facebook. We received offers of shelter, food, mattresses, and help. We made plans for the church to be able to house people overnight. Rob March, Kitty Merrill, Dennis Charles and Linda Pietrzak, Kent and Sue Brinkmeyer, and others, made contributions that made it possible for our church to be able to be a welcoming place during a major crisis.
The rest of the week we opened our facility for childcare and made hours available for families to spend time together in comfort. We provided emergency meeting space for an AA meeting and for some community college students to receive extra tutoring for an upcoming calculus exam. We suspended the rules for the Safe Sleep program allowing more space to be available for those who sleep in their cars and in need of a place to park for the night. We instructed our security service to leave anyone found sheltering on our property undisturbed.
We are so fortunate to have a culture of dedication and commitment. We are blessed with an amazing staff. What we have participated in and accomplished during this latest emergency is the place where vision is lived. We can talk at length about our vision and our mission. To me the difficult task is to articulate statements about each. But if you were fortunate to spend any time at the UUCV during the fire and its aftermath, then you would have seen the beauty of people in community together, doing what they could to help people in need. That’s a Mission fulfilled, and it was amazing to watch. Thank you everyone for all that you did, and continue to do each day for our church and faith.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we wish each one of you a Happy New Year in 2018! May the year bring you Hope, Peace, and the Joy of knowing a loving community.
Living in Paradise,
Bryan Buck, President