An opportunity to donate to non-profit organizations is this coming Giving Tuesday, November 28. Many Bay Area non-profits need the generosity of donors to support their emergency and ongoing assistance to people in need. Abundant Grace provides ongoing support to the homeless community, ALAS has a food distribution program and provides counseling and tutoring to members of the Latino community, Coastside Hope provides a variety of food distribution services that include home-delivery to seniors and offers immigration assistance and other core service agency programs, Puente provides similar core agency programming on the South Coast, and Faith in Action Bay Area uses donations earmarked for their Belong Fund to pay for hotel rooms for recently arrived immigrants when no shelter beds are available.

Another opportunity to contribute as well is to support our Latino community by attending the ALAS Noche En Mexico this Saturday, December 2, 5 pm at Half Moon Bay High School. Admission is free, and for purchase there are raffle tickets and food. Find more information here: Noche En México | ALAS.

The Touchstones Theme for December is Plurality. On December 3, we warmly welcome back Esther Wallace, M.Div., to the UUCC pulpit with a sermon entitled "A Olive Branch for an Aching World."

We are living through times of deep social divisions, and, increasingly, a time when peace through multi-religious unity may seem far-off. The idea of religiously plural communities may seem impossible, farfetched, or even trite when our religious communities—places of deeply held values and habits—can so easily become sites of conflict. This service invites us to consider the ways we might learn to cherish each other, and asks: how might we come to understand our spiritualities as abundant, pluralistic resources, and how can we create lasting pluralistic communities?

Beautiful music is to be provided by Diedrik and Kaj Edholm and Vera Vanderschalk. And count on some lovely hymns led by Tom Devine.

This live in-person service takes place at Odd Fellows Hall, 526 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, CA, 94019. Mask wearing is no longer mandatory but we encourage this added protection as a courtesy to some of our elders. Odd Fellows Hall is quite spacious for social distancing and includes a new high-circulation air ventilation system. An option to watch from home is also available on the day of the service.

December 3 Order of Service

One-click UUCC Zoom Link

or Meeting ID: 661 775 5196 Password: UUseesea or 416762

or visit uucoastside.org for the day-of Zoom link

Please join us at 11:00 am Pacific, 2pm Eastern

For this year’s winter holiday celebration on the third Sunday, December 17th, we’ve decided to have more of a community bonding holiday event rather than a formal service with the theme of “What Do the Holidays Mean to You?” We’re asking people to provide a holiday-inspired poem, a story, a memory, a song—and/or food!—to share amongst a more intimate gathering of friends. We'll also be playing some recordings from our greatest holiday hits from our past year's all-music fundraisers. And we'll be sharing a potluck of tea sandwiches, eggnog, tea, coffee, and holiday cookies and treats.

The holiday party and potluck will be at Odd Fellows Hall from 11am to 1pm. If you'd like to contribute a song, a poem, a story, or a dance for our holiday event, please email us here. And we'd love any help in planning and setting up for what promises to be a very festive gathering. We are postponing our usual December fundraiser for a local non-profit until next year on the first Sunday in February, February 4th.

Bill Heavlin offered some excellent antidotes on how to counter loneliness during the holidays with a sermon entitled“Hymn for the Lonely in Spirit”. You can watch the sermon-only video on UUCC's YouTube channel here.

This service also included a fundraiser for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (29 minutes into the service). David Marsland appreciated the opportunity to talk about his beloved son, Joshua, whose recent suicide devastated many close to him. UUCC raised approximately $900 dollars on behalf of the AFSP and Team Joshua, over last weekend.

The goal of raising $3,900 for AFSP is still open and we are $1,338 dollars away from topping out. Please consider donating to support Suicide Prevention for Team Joshua.

Our next "Deeper Conversations on the Coast" is scheduled on Saturday, December 30th, 1:30pm, at the back table at Cafe Society, 522 Main St. in Half Moon Bay. Rather than use a conversation starter card deck, we'll take the opportunity to catch up on a year-end review. How has 2023 been for you? What has gone well for you and what needs improvement? How have you grown interpersonally, actively, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? What are you looking forward to in the New Year? Let's share our collective wisdom together as we turn one year wiser in the New Year.

Now that we are meeting in person on First Sundays, we need help in different ways. Can you commit to helping out in any of the following ways?

• Photograph our December 3rd Service
• Bring flowers!
• Greet people as they come in
• Set up chairs before, and/or put them away after, the Service
• Help unload and load video equipment for hybrid service
• Assist with setting up video equipment for hybrid service
• Pass out the orders of service and distribute hymnals
• Clean up of the hall before closing

To tell us how you can help our Beloved Community come together again, please contact us at uucoastside@gmail.com. And thanks to all who have or continue to volunteer!