PUC's weekly newsletter

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September 22, 2016

Sunday Service 10:30 a.m.
Child care is available starting at 10:00 a.m.
Join us for our delicious brunch after the service.
We welcome guests!

From the Interim Minister:

With the encouragement of the PUC Transition Team and the Worship Committee, I will be making some changes to the standard Order of Service you’ve been using. I do not do this for change’s sake. I do it because I want to help members begin talking with one another—and with me—about Sunday services: What they like? What they’re looking for? And what is it about that which they do like that draws them back to our sanctuary week after week looking for, hoping for, more?

As for specific pieces of the order of service that may have been changed, think of what I’m doing as a series of minor experiments; try this or that change and see how it feels; nothing in a UU congregation is etched in stone—or shouldn’t be. But we are free to try things and see how they feel. Folks are also invited to come to the Worship Committee meetings and share your views. Another way to provide input: buttonhole me after services, make an appointment, or call me up (310-367-5314) and we’ll have a conversation.

Regarding my sermon selections and my writing and speaking style: we all have a certain way of looking at things, a way of organizing our experience, adapting to challenges, and understanding our lives. I’m not referring to one’s operative philosophy so much as his or her framework: how they organize the seemingly inchoate data of life into a working sense of what they’re looking at. For me, considering historical context has always been a natural place to begin. I also like to address “religious” questions: i.e., how can we live for ethical, creative, joyful, and responsible lives? As an interim minister, of course, I have a specific charge: help PUC get ready for, plan, and mount a successful search for a settled minister. Holidays and momentous occasions also require liturgical attention. Over time, settled ministers establish what amounts to a conversation with those sitting in the pews. The concerns and aspirations of congregants become important touchstones in that conversation—a dialogue that grows, over the years, in compassion, insight, and resolve. On both sides and for everyone. My time among you will be shorter, but the back-and-forth between pulpit and pew remains the same: a creative conversation about some of the most important questions in life. May it also be fun, and insight-generating.

See you in church! Stephen

The Magnificent Seventh UU Principle

PUC member John Hocutt will lead us to contemplate the choices we make in our lives through the lens of our being part of the interconnected web of existence.

The Value of Ritual

“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”

So wrote Mahatma Gandhi in his autobiography.

My Experiments with Truth. People forget, in their relative comfort how simple and direct is the relationship most of the world’s people have with God. If as Paul Tillich held, “god” equal one’s “ultimate concern,” then for countless people God can only be food. If for you money and status is your ultimate concern, then that will be your “god,” whatever theology you proclaim. What’s your bottom line? What is your ultimate arbiter of meaning? What truly signifies? That’s your deity. Now, how well do you honor that deity?

Religious Education

Saturday Movie Night and Potluck

Saturday, September 24 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

We're watching a Bolt in the hall on a big screen! Hot dogs and veggie burgers will be grilling. Our popcorn machine is here! Create your own popcorn - decorate a bag, add mix-ins (m&m's, pretzels...).

Bring a salad, main dish, drinks or dessert to share.

RSVP here to let us know who is coming and what you're bringing.

See you Saturday!

Enroll for Fall RE by clicking on this link

Calendar

Saturday September 24th - 4pm Movie Night and Potluck
Sunday September 25th - Children’s Chapel

Alexandra Garcia
Sandra McNeil
Lisa Sites
Brad Shreve

Been coming to PUC for a while and interested in becoming a member? Or maybe you're new and want to find out more. We have a two sessions schedule to find out more about UU, PUC, the people that hang out here, and introduce yourself to us.

October 2nd at 12:15pm New to UU1 in Classroom 1
October 9th at 12:15pm New to UU2 in Classroom 1
November 13th during the Sunday Service, New Member Ingathering

Sunday Hospitality
Volunteers

It takes many hands to
make a Sunday. Special thanks
to all of our volunteers!

Greeters
Linda Jenson
Marvel Burke

Welcome Table
Teri Masters
Amy Fields

Top Chef
Andy Kissner

Usher
William Koelsch

Dear PUC Member or Friend,

As part of PUC’s journey to identify a settled minister, all congregants are invited and encouraged to complete an online survey. (Hard copies are also available in the PUC office if needed.) Your insights and feedback regarding our new minister are critical to PUC’s overall success and future.

The survey is broken down into five main sections: 1) church membership and involvement, 2) spiritual and theological beliefs, 3) worship preferences, 4) church goals and growth, and 5) professional ministry. For each section, there is a variety of question types and at the end of each section is an area for overall comments.

Please make the time to complete this survey candidly and honestly. Your answers will remain strictly confidential; only combined survey results will be shared.

The online survey will be available from September 16 to September 30. It should take about 15-20 minutes to complete. There is a progress bar that indicates how much of the survey you have completed and you can go back and revise your answers before submitting the survey. It is okay to skip questions also.

Please click on the link below to begin the survey.

Congregational profile survey

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact the Ministerial Search Committee at msc@pacificunitarian.org.

The Survey will also be available in the Office on Sunday.

Thank you for your participation and insight.

Sincerely,

The Ministerial Search Committee (Darcy Carroll, Maurice Chevalier, Naresh Deo, Pam Harris, Gary Hart, Janet Kissner, Caitlin Masters)

Minister Search Cottage Party (Focus Group) Added - Sunday, Sept 25, 12:00pm

To date, 50 PUC Members and Friends have participated in one of the Minister Search Cottage parties, providing valuable and insightful input. We’ve added a final one after service on Sunday, Sept 25, 12:00pm-1:30pm at PUC. (There are also a few spots open at tonight’s, Thursday, Sept 22, 7:00pm-8:30pm party at Janet Kissner’s home.) To sign-up, please email Darcy Carroll at MSC@pacificunitarian.org or call Darcy at (310) 922-4866.

Dinners with UUs
It's time for our next dinner! Sign up at the Welcome Table to join six guests dining with Teri and Dee Masters at their home in Torrance on Saturday October 15 @ 6p.m.

As is our custom, these South Bay Chamber Music Society concerts are presented entirely free of charge. The funds needed to bring you this series come from a combination of public and private sources, but mostly from generous donations from you, our patrons.

See you at the concerts!

Women Reading & Responding Book Club
Third Monday of Each Month
11:00 a.m. PUC Library

Hi, everyone,
The women’s reading and responding book club meets every third Monday of the month and discusses a work of literature that has been chosen by the group. We are an eclectic gathering of individuals who love to read and share our thoughts, opinions, and musings. Everyone is welcome and we especially want to reach out to literature lovers everywhere. We read fiction and non-fiction in many genres and have a lot of laughs and great discussions. I am always learning something new from the books and the members. So come join us every third Monday of the month in the PUC library at 11:00 am. We would love to see you there.

September 19th: Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
October 17th: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
November 21st: The Road to Character by David Brooks

Come and check out a discussion even if you haven’t read or finished the book.

Contact Robin Arehart if you have any questions.

Playing in the Sage…

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
– Helen Keller

It took many trusting hearts and hands (screw drivers, paint brushes and shovels) to bring Pacific Sage Preschool into the world. Success is never certain, but a gift will always manage to find the one who needs it. Pacific Sage Preschool is an amazing gift to the children and the community…and the gift just keeps getting bigger!

Please join us as we celebrate our one-year anniversary and honor past Pacific Unitarian Church member Lenore Snodey with cake, tasty bites and something bubbly. Her generous gift made PUC’s beautiful early learning center possible. Plaque dedication will be at 11:00am.

Warmly,
Sylvia
Director
Pacific Sage Preschool

Be a Part of a PUC Tradition

It’s time for the 2016 Los Angeles AIDS Walk and there are two ways you can help. You can help raise funds and join us walking on Sunday, October 23^rd, or you can donate money to this important cause. Why not do both? Our special web address is https://la.aidswalk.net/PUC That link will take you to a page where you can make a donation. If you’d like to join us, all you have to do is click on the red “Join Our Team” button.

If you have questions, please contact Brad Shreve or Maurice Chevalier. Emails and phone numbers are in the church directory.

Joys
&
Concerns

To have your joy or concern appear here, send it to
joysandconcerns@pacificunitarian.org
or call the PUC office. For information on how to do so,
scroll down to the end of The View.

You will always be directed to the right person if you email pastoralcare@pacificunitarian.org .

Who's That?

To contact people named in The View please see the PUC Directory which is available in the Members Section of the PUC website. If you need the password for the Members Section, or if you do not have access to a computer, contact the PUC Office for help accessing it. The phone number and office hours are listed each week at the very bottom of The View.

This Sunday's Flowers

Please sign up for your turn to bring Sunday's Flowers on the Flower Calendar inside the door of the PUC Office

CALENDAR

PUC's calendar of events can be found here.

The PUC Board of Trustees

Mike Buttitta -President
Dee Masters -Vice President
Trish Botsko -Treasurer
Ben Cowan -Secretary

John Einhorn
Randy Ripley
Tara Unverzagt

Ways to Contact Your Trustees

board@pacificunitarian.org
This email is forwarded to the trustees, Lead Minister, Director of Congregational Advancement, Director of Religious Education, and Pacific Sage Preschool Director.

trustees@pacificunitarian.org
This email is forwarded to the trustees & Lead Minister (ex-officio.)

Mike Buttitta, President mikebuttitta@gmail.com
Trish Botsko, Treasurer treasurer@pacificunitarian.org
Phone numbers and individual email addresses for all other Trustees can be found in the Member Directory.

To request a Sunday morning announcement contact Gaberiel Gaynair
pucadmin@pacificunitarian.org

Please send View submissions to newsletter@pacificunitarian.org
by noon on Wednesday.

We are located at
5621 Montemalaga Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Office Hours

Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Monday Closed
Tuesday 8:00 a.m - 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday 9:00 a.m - 3:00 p.m.
Thursday 8:00 a.m - 2:00 p.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m - 2:00 p.m.
Saturday Closed

Click here for Directions

Office: (310) 378-9449 Fax: (310) 378-1508

pucadmin@pacificunitarian.org www.pacificunitarian.org

The September 2016 South Bay Unitarian Fellowship newsletter is available if you click on
http://sbuf.org/newsletters/2016/newsletter1609.htm

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