Report from District Assembly
It’s Monday morning, April 28th, as I write this, and I am just back from a wonderfully inspiring and energizing annual gathering of UUs from the 57 congregations in Arizona, southern California, and the Las Vegas area that make up our Pacific Southwest District. Representing our Studio City congregation, I was joined there by six others: Lisa Malkiewicz and daughter Haley, Wendy Hawker, Margery Pope, Michael Hart, and Susan Hunt.
There is always so much going on at one of these events, with up to a dozen simultaneous workshops, that no one person can take it all in. So, you’ll have to ask each of us who were there about our separate experiences to get a full picture. But the overall impression that I bring back with me is that our UU movement is alive and well in this corner of the country and that we have much to learn from one another in taking advantage of UU assemblies like this and not allowing ourselves to remain isolated in our separate congregations.
Adult RE Forums
Our adult forums have been attracting 8 to 12 people on weekday evenings over the past four months. As topics have evolved out of my choices and participants’ suggestions, they have begun to fall into two broad categories: 1) spiritual and theological journeys; and 2) social justice topics. With this bimodal interest, I am starting to think of them as two separate series that I will call “Faith Dialogues” and “Public Issues” forums.
For the moment I see these forums continuing on a dovetailed schedule, with each one meeting every three or four weeks and with topics suggested by those participating in each series (some people will probably want to participate in both series). And the option exists for additional series to be started up as new interests are identified and announced. I welcome any suggestions you may have for specific topics or for larger ideas that could expand the possibilities and vision for our adult religious exploration and growth.
Expansion raises the question of forum leadership. So far I’ve acted as convener for each forum and have moderated (with a gentle hand, I hope) the course of each discussion. But as the range and variety of our topics expands, additional leadership would be welcome to help broaden the perspective, to implement a vision of shared ministry, and to free up
my time for attention to other concerns in our congregational life. If you would be interested in assuming or being trained for such leadership, please contact me. And in the meantime, please see page 4 in this issue of our newsletter for notices of a Faith Dialogue Forum on “God” this Wednesday (April 30), and a Public Issues Forum on “Capitalism” coming up next Wednesday (May 7). All forums take place in our “Big Room,” through the Narthex, up the stairs, and around to the right down the hallway.
FRED is Coming!
Inspired by a suggestion from Wendy Hawker, and jointly planned by her, Lisa Malkiewicz, Brenna Gibson Redpath, and me, with lots of help from several others, our first FRED will be at the church on Thursday evening, May 15, starting at 5:30 and going on into mid-evening with enough flexibility that people can choose their own activities and leave at whatever time fits their schedules. (More information here).
This is most definitely an intergenerational evening. There will be dinner, of course, with child-friendly and vegetarian menu options, followed by a variety of activities to choose from, including intergenerational games, or options for children and adults separately. There will be singing, feasting, conversation, fun, and fellowship for all. Dinner will be provided, so that you can come directly from your workplace if you wish, with no need to prepare or bring any food. And why do we call it “FRED”? Come and find out!