Social Action Circle Update, Jerry Buchanan

We're right in the middle of the holiday season. I know you were all wondering what season we're in the middle of, so now you know. Actually as members of UUCVH, you are aware of this season long before most everyone else. Our annual gifts to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) put us in the mood very early.

By the time you read this, the gifts will have been taken to the social workers that we have worked with for years. I somehow think I'm cheating. I get to see the joy and hear the oohs and aahs from the social workers. Of course, they realize all the gifts come from you and others, but all the praise and thanks go to me.

With the help of you and the others, 49 children will be getting a little Christmas this year. I seldom find out anything about the kids, but I got some insight into the lives of a few of them, this year. There were two sisters, aged nine and eleven, just added to the caseworker's load in mid-November. They live in squalor behind a mechanic's garage in Pasadena. The social worker said she was aghast at the living conditions, and she has seen a lot. The mother wasn't home when the worker went to check on the apartment. The younger girl pleaded, "Please make Mommy take parenting classes!"

Another woman, aged 20, was just added. This is much older than the average person on their rolls, but she is pregnant. She got an extra-special something from one of our Santas.

One fun fact this year is the names of three brothers in their mid-teens on the list. Their names are Mykyll, Zyryll, and Czydryk. That's pronounced Michael, Zirell, and Cedric.

You might wonder how we got 49 gifts out of our small congregation. A few of us took one request to heart and solicited help from the workplace, other organizations, and friends. Almost half of the gifts came from this source. Thank you for spreading the word!

Some information that bears repeating is how the "Circle" works. Any member or friend of the church is welcome to join the Social Action Circle. We need the input and ideas from all of you. We meet on the third Sunday after church whenever there is something to discuss. We are sometimes in the middle of a project that doesn't need any follow-up, or we're between projects. We try to keep from overwhelming our members with requests to support charitable causes, so we take a time-out a few times a year.

But when we need ideas and input, everyone's suggestions are needed. That's where you come in. And we hope that you will come in.

One final thank-you goes out to two of our most recent friends, Jean and Ralph Morrison. They were gracious enough to join us at Ascencia to serve dinner for the homeless on November 31. One discouraging thing about the experience was that, since it was Halloween, the shelter, which is usually bustling with the sounds of children and everyone else, was eery in its silence. We hope all the food we prepared didn't go to waste. Remind me in five or six years when we next serve on Halloween night.