| Featured |
 Photo. UUs
of the South Bay celebrated their move into a new home during
Sunday Services on February 7 that attracted more than
50 members and guests.
Click on the above photo for more
photos of that Service as well as the Service last Sunday. Photographer
Lolly Brown of UUs of the South Bay was there.
Our 6th Congregation. San Diego County UUs have a history of
starting congregations and UUs of the South Bay now give us six
congregations. Rev. Dr. Arvid Straube, Lead Minister of First
Church in Hillcrest, and others realized the importance of establishing
a campus in the South Bay with its growing population. Other
than a core group of UUs who lived there and attended First Church,
the only South Bay presence was a Fellowship in Coronado (see
inside photo) which had closed earlier.
After considerable planning and preparation, the first South
Bay campus opened at an elementary school in a residential neighborhood
near Eastlake just minutes east of Interstate 805. This year,
they started searching for a new home and found one just east
of Interstate 5 at 970 Broadway in Chula Vista. As UUs held their
first service in the new home, church-goers two doors down in
the small strip mall were conducting their own service in Spanish.
Elka Cartmell-Ladd delivered the sermon on February 7, but some
of the sermons during the month might also be videotaped at First
Church and shown. The sermons on February 21 with Rev.
Kathleen Owens, Associate Minister of First Church, and on 28 with the
UUA's Rev. Stefan Jonasson are both live.
The newest congregation in the San Diego Cluster is designed
to also attract Spanish-speaking visitors. Much of the material
is in Spanish and Spanish-speaking interpreters are available.
Mar Cardenas, who speaks Spanish, is the coordinator for the
South Bay campus who brings a great deal of passion to her work.
After the February 7 service, the congregation showed its affection
with flowers, a signed card expressing their gratitude and two
gas cards.
The new location is very different from the
elementary school. In addition to the Spanish-speaking church
nearby that offers
services on Domingo, Miércoles and Viernes, there's
the Mexican seafood restaurant next door, the Kuku Spa Hot
Bath around
the corner, and an office of the Social Security Administration
near the freeway.
UUs of the South Bay are dynamic, passionate
and dedicated to growing UUism. You'll love the experience
when you visit
them
on Domingo for the 10 a.m. services. “Our real work has
only just begun,” says Mar.
Close Up. If you know an interesting UU in San Diego County,
please e-mail mkruming@aol.com.
Join
the List. If you know someone who would enjoy
reading this newsletter every week, please email Martin Kruming: mkruming@aol.com (or
copy and paste: mkruming@aol.com). |
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Breaking News |
Social
Justice Weekend. Here's a list
of events scheduled for the weekend of February 25-28 when
UUs from throughout San Diego County will be involved in
social justice. For more information about any of the events,
please contact the social justice leaders at your congregations
or mkruming@aol.com. UUs will be Standing (plus Acting, Clapping,
Dancing, Hugging and Singing) On the Side of Love during
this special weekend - and every day for that matter.
Thursday,
February 25. The Social Justice Ministry Team
at First Church will sponsor a Mini Conference on Marriage
Equality from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at First Church (Bard Hall).
Speakers will include Rev. Kathleen Owens, Associate Minister
of First Church; Adam Gerhardstein, Campaign Manager for
the Standing on the Side of Love Campaign in Washington,
D.C.; Jan Garbosky, former president of First Church and
a member of the Board of Trustees of UU Legislative Ministry
California and Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong of California Faith
for Equality. Bonny Russell, former Board member at First
Church, will moderate a group discussion.
Friday,
February 26. Kathy Faller of UU Fellowship of San
Dieguito, Dick Eiden and Dan Stracka of Palomar UU Fellowship,
and Mar Cardenas of UUs of the South Bay will accompany Adam
on a visit to UU projects in Tijuana, including www.corazon.org.
Saturday,
February 27. The 1st Annual Social Justice Conference
will be held at Palomar UU Fellowship from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The agenda will include local, state and national social
justice updates, group discussions, a keynote speech by Adam
and the selection of county-wide social justice issues during
2010/2011. Speakers also will include Rev. Dr. Beth
Johnson of Palomar and Rev.
David Miller and Irv Himelblau, both
of UUFSD; Dick Eiden of Palomar will moderate a group discussion
on finding one's passion for social justice. Julie
Mack of
Palomar and Irv are co-chairing the Conference.
Sunday,
February 28 (morning). Rev. Peter Morales, president
of the Unitarian Universalist Association, will speak at
First Church.
Sunday,
February 28 (morning). Adam will speak at Palomar
UU Fellowship.
Sunday,
February 28 (afternoon). Plans are being finalized
for an Immigration Reform Rally beginning at 2 p.m. Speakers
include Rev. Peter Morales and Enrique
Morones of Border
Angels along with others as well as a guitarist and fiddle
player from UUFSD. Co-sponsors include UURISE (UU Refugee
and Immigant Services and Education) and SUUN (San Diego
County UU Network). Dan Stracka, past president of Palomar
who currently chairs SUUN, founded UURISE, a nonprofit. Watch
for details about the Rally and don't forget to bring a friend(s)
with you.
Generator
Needed. Irv Himelblau, who chairs the Social Action
Committee at UU Fellowship of San Dieguito, is looking for
a generator. If you have one or know someone who does, please
contact Irv at ihimelblau@yahoo.com.
DRUUM
Conference. UUs of color from Seattle to San
Diego are expected to gather March 19-21 at the first
West Coast
DRUUMM conference at Throop UU Church in Pasadena. The event
is open to anyone who identifies as a person of color and
is affiliated with or interested in being affiliated with
a UU church. Friday's opening worship will be followed by
a full day of workshops on Saturday, including ethnic identity
caucusing and exploration of internalized racism. Sunday's
programs are centered around a special worship service. For
information, please contact Marisol Caballeros at (626) 795-8625
or mcaballero@uuneighborhood.org. Additionally, the UU Allies
of Racial Equality, the white allies group, will be meeting
the same weekend at the Long Beach UU Church. For information
on both events, visit www.druumm.onefireplace.org |
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| Datebook |
February
14 - May 30/Pasadena. The Pasadena Museum of California
Art presents an exhibition titled “Millard
Sheets: The Early Years (1926-1944)” in the
Main Galley. Rev. Carolyn Owen-Towle is the
daughter of this famous artist.
Saturday/Februrary
20/Chalice. Memorial service for Delores
Shirley Brantley at 11 a.m.
Thursday/February 25/First Church. Marriage Equality Conference
beginning at 6:30 p.m. Adam Gerhardstein, Campaign Manager
for the UUA's “Standing on the Side of
Love” Campaign
will speak.
Saturday/February
27/Palomar. 1st Annual Social Justice
Conference from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursday/March
4/Point Loma. Garrison Keillor, Host of A
Prairie Home Companion, will appear at Point Loma Nazarene
University at 7 p.m. www.pointloma.edu/keillor.
Saturday/July 17/Hillcrest. Pride Parade.
Saturday-Sunday/July
17-18/Balboa Park. Pride Festival.
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| Cluster
Buzz |
News
Update. Those 30 Yo-Yos that Len Pellettieri of First Church
will carry with him to the children at UU churches in the
Philippines next month were donated by Infinite Illusions.
As Len has found out, all we need to do is ask and you
never know what good things will happen. Thanks, Infinite
Illusions.
Generosity. During 2009 the Social Concerns Brunch at Palomar
UU Fellowship raised $3,072.00 plus $305.00 for the Animal
Blessing Bulb Fundraiser.
Quotable. “This
is a shared ministry—all of us working together to
accomplish our goals and make our dreams come
true.” —Rev. Kathleen Green of Summit UU Fellowship
in Santee.
San
Diego County UU Bulletin Board. If you want
to buy, sell, barter or connect, and it's legal and ethical,
e-mail mkruming@aol.com (or
copy and paste: mkruming@aol.com).
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| Submitting
Newsletter Items |
In
addition to the Feature Story, Breaking
News, Datebook (Event items)
and the Cluster Buzz, the Cluster newsletter
continues to expand. See below. If
you have a good story, let's get it out there.
Bulletin Board. If you want to buy, sell, barter
or connect, and it's legal and ethical, e-mail mkruming@aol.com (or
copy and paste: mkruming@aol.com).
UU
Profiles: We
are offering a series of periodic profiles of UU churches
around the country. If you would like to contribute, please
e-mail mkruming@aol.com (or
copy and paste: mkruming@aol.com) with your story of 150
words or less.
Good Deeds: If
you have a good deed item, please e-mail: mkruming@aol.com (or
copy and paste: mkruming@aol.com).
Reminder, For All Newsletter Items, please
submit to mkruming@aol.com (or
copy and paste: mkruming@aol.com) at
least three weeks in advance. |
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