Greetings!
Except for
Sunday services, the Church and
Center will be closed between Christmas and
New Year's Day. During this time, some special
maintenance will get done -- for example, the
south Sanctuary door (from the chancel to the
courtyard) will be removed for dry rot repair
and refinishing. In the event of an
emergency, please call the church office at
776-4580 and listen to the recording for more
information.
Best wishes to you for a very happy holiday!
Human Christianity
Sunday at 11 in the Church Sanctuary
sermon by Joel Gilbertson-White
Sometimes the accusation gets leveled that
Unitarian theology denies the divinity of
Jesus, and our answer is that we affirm his
divinity as much as we affirm the divinity of
everyone else.
So, as humans, how do we recognize our divine
side, and grow further into it? What does it
mean to be a Christian humanist? Or even a
Christian atheist? If Christ is that which
saves us, how do we as humans collectively
work toward salvation in harmony with those
who believe in a different nature of Christ
as entirely separate from ourselves, and also
in harmony with those who don't celebrate
Christianity at all?
Join us as we explore a bit of our Unitarian
Universalist Christian history and find
possibilities for its future as well.
Joining me on the Chancel will be Senior
Minister Rev. Greg Stewart, Community
Minister Rev. Denis Paul, and Worship
Associate Otto O'Connor. Joining our
music team for this service will be classical
guitarist Eric Hamilton and David
Jones on piano.
Why not invite a friend to this Sunday's
service and share our community of liberal
faith with them?
— Joel
Children Explore Asian Goddesses
Sunday School in the Chapel at 11:15
Betty Skwarek
Director of Lifespan Faith Development
Children Faith Exploration participants will
be very fortunate to have Lori Lai
share her knowledge about Asian goddesses in
the Chapel when the children gather following
their time in the Sanctuary.
Lori will be focusing on a few goddesses from
various
cultures including the Amaterasu
Omikami, the Japanese sun goddess
(pictured at left), and Pele,
the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes.
Early Childhood care for ages 0 to 5 will
begin at 10:45, an hour later than usual, in
the Religious Education rooms.
A Holiday Message
from Peter Morales
President of the Unitarian Universalist
Association of Congregations (UUA)
What are your fondest memories of the holiday
season? My favorite childhood memories
involve Christmas pageants, a series of large
and boisterous intergenerational family
gatherings, and, of course, my Tía Amelia's
wonderful tamales.
Later, as a young adult, my most precious
memories involve my own children. I recall,
while traveling in Spain, creating a
makeshift Christmas tree in a hotel room from
a fallen branch and decorating it with curled
orange peel.
Now, as an "older adult," I cherish the
holiday reunions with family and friends. As
a parish minister, I loved seeing the faces
of young adults light up as they encountered
old friends at holiday services.
The Folk Orchestra Sings in the Holidays
The Folk Orchestra led the community musical
celebration of the holidays at last week's
Forum. Thanks to Sonnie Willis for
pictures of the people, fun, and
food!
There is no Forum this week. The
breakfast discussion series will resume
January 3.
This Will Make You Feel Even Better
from the Editor
Are you having a fantastic holiday with
friends and family? Or, are you feeling
Scrooge-like in the midst of other people's
happy holiday? Or, are you simply blah in a
sea of culturally mandated excitement?
It doesn't matter.
We know how to improve your mood. It's simple:
give to something that matters. Give to the
First Unitarian Universalist Society of San
Francisco.
We preempted the recommended end-of-year
"Give to Save on Your Taxes" messages.
Forget the tax benefit. We give because
helping this community matters.
Join us in giving an extra donation to the
Society because you want to make a difference
in San Francisco and beyond.
We can only afford a small donation this
year. But, giving that small amount will
still make us happier. Join us with your
small, medium,
large, or huge gift. Celebrate! Wash away
whatever commercialism has seeped into your
soul by a simple act of giving.
Oh yeah. Give online today and
you'll get credit for a charitable donation
on your 2009 taxes.
On "An American Jesus"
During last Sunday's service on An American
Jesus, Worship Associate Christine
Patch-Lindsay explained her relationship
with Jesus. The Jesus in her adult dreams
is not the same Jesus of the Roman Catholic
Church
of her childhood.
Welcome New Members
The Congregation welcomed its newest members
during the Worship Service last week.
The photograph to the left by John
Steele shows
some of the people called to the chancel for
the ceremony.
Photographers Sonnie Willis and John
Steele provide slide shows with more memories
of the day.
