President's Message, Ann Miller-Rillo

STANDING ON THE SIDE OF LOVE

America's immigration system isn't simply broken. It's immoral.

̶  Daniel Stracka

We are a nation of immigrants. Europeans began settling in the Americas for many reasons—adventure, opportunity, religion.

I was interested to learn that for many coming here is not an illegal act. Rather it is a civil violation. More than half of the undocumented population arrived here with a visa. Yet we, as a nation, react as though all undocumented immigrants are criminals. As a nation, we therefore divert our resources trying to solve the wrong problem.

Our immigration system isn't simply broken, it is also immoral. Families are separated from 2 to 20 years because of arbitrary ceilings. Mexicans come here to work because NAFTA has put farmers in their own country out of business. They cannot compete with the highly government-subsidized farmers in the U.S. Mexican farmers are driven north to find work, which our broken immigration laws readily allow through lack of enforcement.

Is that moral? Most Americans know that the system is broken. Why should UUs be concerned and/or engaged? The Rev. Peter Morales, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, said that "As a religious people who affirm human compassion, advocate for human rights, and seek justice, we must never make the mistake of confusing a legal right with a moral right." History is replete with this confusion. We need laws that are both legal and moral.

Humane, comprehensive immigration reform has six key elements:

1. Legalization (not amnesty)
2. Employment verification (reliable and protected from abuse)
3. Enforcement (focused on genuine security risks)
4. Family (reduce the backlogs artificially created by Congress)
5. Future flow (a system to determine future employment and labor needs based on 21st century realities)
6. A system of naturalization and citizenship (with an integration plan and English as a Second Language programs)

This is an excerpt from an article written by Daniel Stracka in the winter 2010 edition of UUWORLD, the magazine of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. I urge you to read the full article. You can access it on line at http://uuworld.org/ideas/articles/172730.shtml if you do not have the paper edition.

We focus on love during the month of February. We celebrate St. Valentine who was incarcerated by a Roman emperor. We eat chocolate, send cards, and look for romance in his name.

We must also Stand on the Side of Love in the month of February…and all year long.

Ann Miller Rillo

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Friends,

Last year at this time I made a prediction for the year 2011: Spiritual growth and fulfillment for our congregation.

As I look back, I believe we have achieved just that under the guidance of our excellent minister, the Reverend Dr. Betty Stapleford. We are blessed with new members and a rededication of existing members. Attendance at Sunday services has increased. I see us as a lively and connected group of parishioners.

Of great importance is the fact that we now have quite a few new Chalice Lighters. We have more than the 20% required to apply for a Chalice Lighter Grant. Tom Stapleford has very kindly agreed to write a grant on behalf of our congregation. Thank you, Tom. In order to write that grant proposal he will need to know just how we plan to spend any grant money we receive. Even though actually receiving a grant may be some time off, it is important for us as a congregation to consider how best a Chalice Lighter Grant might be spent. As a congregation we will make those decisions.

The list of what I think is most obvious is short:  The Sanctuary, the Fellowship Hall, and the kitchen.

Those are my personal major concerns. What are yours? And how would you prioritize your list or my list? Send me an e-mail. Or call me on the phone. Or collar me in the Fellowship Hall.

We are blessed with an accomplished pianist, Dan Brodsley. His wife, Rosemarie Pfinder, brings us new delights with her richly elegant vocal solos. Thank you both. You enrich our services with your talents.

As always, I want to thank our various committees and individuals who put in time and effort to keep our little ship afloat. Without your efforts we would surely founder.

Thanks to you who sent in your Guest at Your Table envelopes. That money supports UUA outreach.

And thanks to each of you who fill our Blue Basket throughout the year. Your donations are vital to the Burbank Temporary Aid Center (BTAC). As you may know, we have been supporting BTAC since its inception. The phrase "Think globally—act locally" resonates with me. It is important that we take care of our neighbors.

My best wishes to you for the year 2012.

In solidarity,

Ann Miller Rillo 

President's Perspective, Ann Miller Rillo

This is a success story. But success did not come easily. This is about Forest Hunt and the bumpy road to an Eagle Scout award. Forest was in our R.E. program when he was a youngster. He is now in his final semester of High School. And he is an active Boy Scout.

In September, Forest approached the Board of Trustees with his proposal to do a "Good Deed" to earn an Eagle Scout award.

His original proposal was to construct a pergola just outside the middle doors between the Sanctuary and the Fellowship Hall. He presented detailed architectural plans including drawings to scale, materials to be used, dimensions of the pergola and a time frame for the construction process. Board members were delighted with the prospect of the pergola which would enhance our property and readily said "yes" to his plan.

Here the story darkens. Forest learned just how frustrating it can be to deal with bureaucracy. In order to be issued a building permit, Glendale City Hall had untold numbers of hoops to jump through.

And jump he did. I don't know how many hours on how many days he spent presenting his plan to how many clerks and officials at City Hall only to learn that the answer was NO. He would not be granted a building permit because the pergola would block the use of the entrance/exit of the middle doors creating a hazard.

Days and weeks had been eaten up with the red tape at City Hall. Forest was now in a real time crunch. His project must be completed by his 18th birthday, November 29th. He had to let the Board know that his project could not be done. This was sad news.

And now it seemed that, with so little time left before November 29th, he might not be able to complete his Eagle award.

To my delight, Forest called to discuss a new plan. A plan which did not hang on the hinges of City Hall rules and regulations—a book drive.

Forest and his fellow Scouts scoured their neighborhoods and were able to collect masses of books.

On Saturday, November 12th, just at the agreed time, 2:30, I opened the door to the Fellowship Hall and watched streams of Boy Scouts carrying boxes and boxes of books.

Forest quickly designated stations for various book categories which were to be donated to his High School, and a station for books to be donated to Goodwill.

He called his helpers together, explained the program, and they all pitched in.By 5:30, the books were boxed and packed into the waiting cars.

Throughout, Forest demonstrated good leadership. He had had an excellent work plan, a grasp of what needed to be done, and a plan to make it happen.

Congratulations, Forest!

President's Perspective, Ann Miller Rillo

November. Shorter days. Longer nights. Sweater weather. Changes in the night sky.

Some of us are making plans for Thursday, November 24th . . . Thinking back on Thanksgivings in the past, I will never forget the year the bird was still frozen. My husband cut it up with his saber saw, I put it in the oven, and we all went for a long walk. And then there was the year, just the two of us, when we ate hot dogs and red Jello . . . and laughed. Last year, the creamed onions were a disaster. My Aunt Barbara always cooked a turkey, drove to Pasadena for the community feast for street people. She said it nourished her.

I'll let you know later if this year is “memorable” or just a really nice gathering.

A few days ago I got an email from Kate Wallace at UUSC. Her message was to remind me about the annual Guest at Your Table collection. I know that Jeanne Akerley, our office manager, has already sent in our order for the envelopes . . . I think the envelopes are new this year.

Here are a few ideas Kate included in her email. Some might strike a chord with you. Some may not be feasible for our congregation.

• The Kittitas Valley UU Congregation in Ellensburgh, WA, held a Thanksgiving dinner for those with no family in the area and during the event accepted contributions toward Guest at Your Table.
• Children at Mountain Light UU in Elligay, GA, created a thankfulness art project with 100 things that members are thankful for. They unveiled it at the Guest at Your Table opening service to contrast their blessings with those who benefit from UUSC's work.
• UUSC Volunteer Regional Coordinator, Tracey Howe-Koch of Missouri, keeps a Guest at Your Table box by her washing machine to collect spare change she finds in the laundry, and then contributes that amount annually.
• Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern of the UU Church of Palo Alto created a "hope calendar" (similar to an advent calendar) for participants to read daily suggested questions, conversation starters, and activities based on Stories of Hope as they put money in their Guest at Your Table box.

I call your attention to #3. I used that plan a year or so ago when I wanted to save a particular amount of money. It worked! I shall re-instate it for the Guest at Your Table drive.

However you decide to put money aside for Guest at Your Table, you can be certain in your mind and in your heart that the money you donate will be used to continue UUSC's human rights work.

Many thanks to Bruce Kates for his time and effort securing pianists every week. These musicians are in fact auditioning for our position as pianist at UUCVH.

I send you my heartfelt wishes for a healthy and rewarding month.

Ann Miller Rillo

President's Perspective, Ann Miller Rillo

Once again, we've passed through the Autumnal Equinox and are now looking forward to the fourth quarter of the year 2011.

We must thank Howard Richman and the fourth quarter Services Committee for their plans to fill the pulpit on those Sundays when our minister, Reverend Dr. Betty Stapleford will not be here. If you have not served on a Services Committee recently, I urge you to do so. The quality of our services depends upon each of us.

NOTICES:

UUCVH is slated to host the Valley Vespers Service this month. Save this date: Wednesday, October 26th at 7:30 p.m. Each minister in our cluster will present a short sermon, and of course, there will be hymns. It will be inspirational to hear their messages. Refreshments will be served in the Fellowship Hall. If you are inclined to bake cookies or make your special dip, please get in touch wilh Celia Eiben, our Hospitality Coordinator. The social hour is always a wonderful opportunity to connect with our sister congregations, see old friends and make new friends as well.

I want to give a special Thank You to the "Home & Gardens Floral Society." Week after week, Charlotte Holley and Edith Young bring beauty and grace into our sanctuary with their inspirational floral arrangements. Thank you both.

Another special thanks goes to Celia Eiben. Celia gets the coffee started every Sunday morning... mmmm the aroma of fresh coffee. She puts the goodies on the table, and then she puts it all away. I know some of you help with the clean-up... thanks to each of you as well.

&

Thank you, Membership Committee.

Thank you, Social Action Circle.

Thank you, Sound Engineers.

Thank you, Paula Hallowell. Building & maintainence / Movie night / Aesthetics.

Thank you, Finance Committee... $$$ matters.

Thanks to our newly formed By-laws Committee: Florence Chase, Linda Hunt, and Edith Young.

Thank you, Office Manager. You keep us ship-shape.

Thank you, Manon, the banner is lovely.

Thanks to the knitters.

Thank you Board members & Trustees, your dedication to keeping our little ship afloat is commendable.

In other words, it takes all of us to make our congregation as wonderful as it is!!!

We have a very exciting development coming soon. Three special Board meetings were held with Forest H. to consider his proposal for his Boy Scout Eagle Award. The Board gave final conditional approval for Forest to build an open arbor just outside the double doors in the hallway connecting the Sanctuary to the Fellowship Hall. The arbor will be 11' x 16' and between 9' and 10' tall. He proposes to do the work on the first weekend in October. Thank you, Forest.

And finally: Are you a Chalice Lighter? Yes? thank you. If not, why not???

My best to you for a wonderfully fulfilling UUCVH month. I send my love,

Ann Miller Rillo

President's Perspective, Ann Miller Rillo

Dear Friends,

Our new sound system is wonderful! We thank Paula Hallowell for the time and energy she spent pinpointing our sound needs and finding the right people to do the installation.

Now, I would like to see our congregation move forward on the many improvements needed in our Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, and kitchen. To fulfill our hopes and dreams regarding our building we need an infusion of funds. Here is one possible avenue to gain funds:

When 20% of our members become Chalice Lighters we will apply for a grant. Many, perhaps all, of the UU churches in our Cluster, except UUCVH, have received grants from Chalice Lighters.

Why didn't UUCVH get a grant? We did not get a grant because our congregation did not meet the 20% quota of Chalice Lighter members... we are not eligible to apply until 20% of our membership become Chalice Lighters.

More about Chalice Lighters

Chalice Lighters of the Pacific Southwest District is designed to provide grants to Unitarian Universalist churches for the purpose of facility improvement, training programs, and other specific uses. I focus on facility improvement here because I see this as an important issue for UUCVH. Since 1977, Chalice Lighters have awarded grants to 23 congregations in the Pacific Southwest District including the UU churches in our cluster and to Neighborhood Church in Pasadena.

I know that some of you are Chalice Lighters. I am a Chalice Lighter. I hope you will join us. This is what a member must do:

*Fill out the membership form (Forms are located in the Fellowship Hall and online here.) and mail it off to the address printed on the form.

*Three times a year, the PSWD will send a letter requesting a donation of at least $20.00. Of course you may send more—whatever is comfortable for your budget.

Please consider this information. Please act on it. Your Chalice Lighter membership may be the one which will make us eligible for a grant.

We are a remarkable church... because each of you is a remarkable person.

I send my best wishes.

Ann Miller Rillo

It is with great regret we say good-bye to our remarkable pianist, Jason McNally. He has been given a position as Music Director and organist in a large church in Long Beach.

His music has enriched our services. We will miss him... and we wish him well on his new assignment.

AMR