On January 25, 2022, the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Commission, staffed by Commissioners Paul Bocanegra and Johanna Rasmessen, unanimously passed a resolution opposing trying youths as adults in San Mateo County. Although the San Mateo County District attorney, Steve Wagstaffe, has agreed to look at each youth offender case individually, he still is reserving the right to charge minors under 18 as adults. Becca Kieler from UUFRC is inviting community members, elected officials, community leaders, and organizations to join the effort to end the practice of trying youths as adults in San Mateo County. You can help by reading the resolution and signing the petition here. If you would like more information on the juvenile justice in San Mateo County, please email Becca Kieler here.
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UUCC First Sunday In-Person Service, November 6th |
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The Touchstones Theme for November is Remembrance. On November 6, 11am, Ron Ahnen, PhD, explores the emotional and spiritual connections we maintain with our loved ones and ancestors who have passed on and whose legacy we are. His sermon is entitled “Embracing Grief and Joy in Remembrance.” In this service, Ron encourages embracing not just the joyful memories, but the pain and sorrow of grief we endure when parting with them as we navigate the meaning of their lives for us, and our on-going relationships with them. As always, beautiful music is provided by our music director, Tom Devine, and the UUCC Choir.
Please bring a picture or memento of someone you know who has died in the last year, or someone whom you would like to remember in a special way in our remembrance ritual.
Ron Ahnen is a part-time student at Starr King School for the Ministry pursuing a Masters in Divinity degree, with a strong interest in UU history and especially the development of religious natural humanism. He is also a Professor of Politics at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA, where he teaches courses on, among others, Human Rights, Just War Theory, and the Politics of Imprisonment. In a few years, Ron is looking forward to retiring from college teaching to take up pastoral work in a UU Congregational setting.
This live in-person service takes place at Odd Fellows Hall, 526 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, CA, 94019. Out of an abundance of caution, we require mask wearing for churchgoers throughout the service—with the exception of those actively speaking at the front of the room. Odd Fellows Hall has quite new high-circulation air ventilation system. And since May, with our mask protocols in place, no one attending our in-person services at Odd Fellows Hall has caught COVID. If you are a first-time visitor, we ask for proof of vaccinations. The link to join us over Zoom is below.
Please join us at 11:00 am Pacific, 2pm Eastern
Gathering for service and music begin at 10:50 am
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Bill Heavlin speaks at UUSM, November 13th |
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In case you missed Bill's Heavlin's October 2nd service... On November 13, 10:30am, Bill returns to approaches this topic, this time at UU San Mateo. His sermon that day is entitled "Plato's Cave and Changes Unbidden.” In this wry and meandering meditation, he recaps Plato's famous allegory of the cave, and its history in Western thought. Bill also reflects on particular unbidden changes in his own life, with stories interweaving his mother, working career, and an on-going search for meaning.
UU San Mateo is located at 300 East Santa Inez Avenue, San Mateo. UUSM also provides an online option to view their 10:30am services. Please visit their website at uusanmateo.org for more information.
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UUCC Water Ritual, Odd Fellows Hall
Third Sunday, November 20th, 11am
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UUCC holds its first Water Ceremony ritual in a service entitled "Trusting the Wisdom of Water: Lessons for Nurturing, Inspiring and Growing in Community" on November 20th, lovingly curated by LindaGrace Frost.
This will be an interactive service.
Everyone is asked to bring a small amount of water from their home or water that has been collected from a special place. Be thinking about the gifts you bring to your community.
Chairs will be set in a circle and The M'EarthTones will provide special music along with lovely selections by Tom Devine.
LindaGrace Frost embodies a lifelong curiosity about healing and community rituals of ancient and indigenous peoples. She majored
in Kinesiology and Physical Education with emphasis on ethnic and ritual dance forms, and double-minored in Physical and Cultural Anthropology and Speech/Drama. Apart from her participation in the UU Coastside Community, LindaGrace sings with other local church choirs, with The M’EarthTones, and with The Threshold Choir. She considers herself a Hindu, Buddhist, Unitarian Universalist, and has been initiated in the Dagara tradition by Sobonfu Somé.
This service will be presented in-person at Odd Fellows Hall on November 20th at 11am. Because of the highly participatory nature of this service, it will not be broadcast over Zoom.
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UUCC Tea by the Sea Letter Writing Party a Success! |
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UUCC's first letter writing party was a wonderful success on October 23rd. Fourteen people were on hand to write letters to encourage infrequent voters in Nevada to get to the polls on November 8th. Thanks to Joanne Rokosky for organizing this letter writing campaign on behalf of UU The Vote! (Thanks also to Bill Heavlin for furnishing the snacks.)
Joanne Rokosky mailed our 110 letters on October 29th, along with the 150 letters she personally wrote herself. Much appreciation goes to Dan, Tricia, Gary, Diana, Phil, Nancy, Aurolyn, David, MaryAnn, Laurel, Tom D, Tom H, Bill, and Noreen for contributing to the day's success.
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Abundant Grace Chosen as
UUCC Holiday Fundraiser Recipient 2022
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Abundant Grace has been chosen as this year's UUCC's holiday fundraiser recipient for our all-music program on December 18th, 11am, at Odd Fellows Hall. We will celebrate the holidays with musical contributions by Rabbi Moshe, Shauna Pickett-Gordon, LindaGrace Frost, Tom Devine, and more. The tenor of the service will be celebratory, including poetry readings and sing-alongs. Eric DeBode, the Executive Director, will be on hand to describe many of Abundant Grace's successful programs like the Full Circle Food Justice Program, Farm Apprenticeship, Construction Crew, Coastside Clean Team, and the Workforce Development Center Community Services. |
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Volunteers Needed for Free Community Breakfasts at Coastside Lutheran Church |
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The free community breakfast at Coastside Lutheran in partnership with Abundant Grace will be resuming on Nov. 30th. Every Wednesday and Thursday mornings, hot, nutritious and delicious breakfasts will be served from 7-9am to anyone in need of food or fellowship.
Volunteers are needed. Volunteers work between 6-10am for full or partial shifts, usually once a week as part of either the Wednesday or the Thursday team. Coastside Lutheran is offering a second volunteer orientation meeting on November 29th at 11am at the church. This second date accommodates the UU Coastside Community by Pastor Sue since the first date conflicts with our November 20th service. For more information, contact Pastor Sue at pastorsue@coastsidelutheran.org.
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Volunteer Jobs Needed for In-Person Services |
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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 November 6th Service
- 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
- Bring flowers!
- Pass out the orders of service and distribute hymnals
- Assist with hand-held cameras for hybrid service
- 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!
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Compassionate Caring Committee: |
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The UUCC Compassionate Caring Committee volunteers are often able to support our members during life events such as post-operative, illness, or being homebound. Do you need food delivery or an errand run? Are you feeling loneliness, loss, or grief that a call might help?
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We Appreciate Your Support: |
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For supporting UUCC financially, we have two options: |
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If you prefer to donate by check, please make your check payable to UU San Mateo, and write UUCC on the memo line. Please mail your check to:
Nancy Palmer
506 Willow Avenue
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019-1648
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UUCC Planning Committee Meeting Highlights |
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Below are some key decisions from UUCC's Planning Committee Meetings for October 2022:
- Appreciation of two wonderful services in October: Bill Heavlin's sermon on "Plato's Cave and Other Waking Moments" and Rev. Clovice Lewis' sermon on "Finding Joy."
- Decision to pass the basket only during musical interludes.
- Discussed two UUCC Tea by the Seas for September 25th and October 23rd, both successful
- Detailed UUCC's participation in Multi-Faith Partner's participation at the CoastPride booth for Make It Main Street on October 6th
- Shared notes of meetings Planning Committee members attended in October, including the UUA Small Congregations in the Pacific Northwest, , and the Coastside Collaborative Meeting sponsored by ALAS.
- Discussed final results of the in-person survey with 20 responses with the following decisions made in bold blue with corresponding summary points in reduced font size.
Odd Fellows Hall will remain our new venue.
15 (83.3%) Very happy with the venue
2 (11.1%) Fine but have some concerns
1 (5.6%) Not happy with the new venue
We will host two service in November and December in-person at Odd Fellows Hall.
14 (77.8%) - Prefer attending in-person services on 1st Sundays
4 (22.2%) - Prefer watching in-person services from home
0 - Prefer the Zoom-only format like with 3rd Sunday services
We will reduce the printed order of services to half.
10 (52.6%) - Neutral about the Order of Service. Sometimes I read it, sometimes I don’t.
6 (31.6%) - Really important, I like to follow along with the words of readings and hymns
3 (15.8%) - Object to the waste of paper and would prefer only online Order of Services.
We will continue to monitor the COVID rates in San Mateo County and continue with asking proof of vaccination at the door.
8 (42.1%) - Super important to ask for proof of vaccination at the door
6 (31.6%) - As long as we stay masked, it doesn’t matter to me
5 (26.3%) - Really ready to let this step go, what with current levels low.
We will continue to delay the reintroduction of Coffee Hour for the next few services but hope to serve refreshments at the December 18th holiday fundraiser. The monthly UUCC Tea by the Seas can also serve as a way to socialize.
9 (50%) - A little unsure and may or may not participate in Coffee Hour
6 (33.3%) - I am really ready for coffee hour to return in the kitchen
3 (16.7%) - Don’t think we are ready to go back to Coffee Hours unmasked indoors at this time.
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Unitarian Universalist Coastside Community
Half Moon Bay, California
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Bill Heavlin, UUCC Planning Committee
Dave Rokosky, UUCC Planning Committee
Noreen Cooper Heavlin, UUCC Planning Committee
Tom Devine, UUCC Music Director
Bruce Rafnel, UUCC Technical Director
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