The UUCF CommUUnicator The Newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Fullerton 1600 North Acacia Avenue, Fullerton 92831-1207 July 2016

Rev. Dr. Stephen Furrer (interim)/Rev. Jason Cook

“You cannot cross the sea by merely staring at the water” …Rabindranath Tagore July 3 - The 2016 Election: What the Heck is Going On? (A Historical Perspective)—Paul Swendson Many people have been surprised by the success of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in this year's election. Paul Swendson will discuss some of the historical changes and developments that have helped these insurgent campaigns be so successful. So come prepared for the world's fastest overview of American history, with all roads leading to the Donald and the Bern. BIOGRAPHY: In addition to being a community college history instructor, Paul Swendson periodically blogs about history, politics, religion, and whatever else might be on his mind. Two years ago, about one hundred of these essays were compiled into a book titled, “Accessible American History: Connecting the Past to the Present.” As a member of UUCF, he has served as a service associate, occasional guest speaker, auctioneer, and member of the Ministerial Search Committee. Following the service we will have our annual July 4 th hamburger/hot dog lunch – thank you, Al Danzig, for organizing this once again. $5.00 gets you a full lunch. July 10 - A Requiem to Egypt's Lost Spring —Dr. Sherif Khalifa The Egyptian Spring gave expression to the great frustration of the people but suffered a defeat. Dr. Khalifa will discuss the dynamics that led to this initial failure and the processes that were set in motion for its ultimate success. He will also discuss ways that the rest of the world can help. BIOGRAPHY: Sherif Khalifa, associate professor of economics at Cal State Fullerton, is a former Egyptian diplomat and the author of “Egypt’s Lost Spring,” published in 2015 by Praeger. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Johns Hopkins University. July 17 - Does the Political and Cultural Center Stand a Chance after the Election or Will Divisiveness Intensify? —Dr. Benjamin J. Hubbard We are in an ugly, contentious election season and the “culture wars” over LGBTQ rights, abortion, climate change and gun control are even hotter. Can the nation find any common ground for the sake of alleviating society’s chronic problems? Suggestions for reclaiming the center will be discussed. BIOGRAPHY: Benjamin J. Hubbard is professor emeritus of comparative religion at Cal State Fullerton where he has taught for the past 31 years. His co-authored book, “A Battlefield of Values—America’s Left, Right, and Endangered Center” was published in January.

July 24 - Let the Mystery Be—Dr. Phil Zuckerman, Guest Speaker There are many things in life that we can find answers to. There are others in which the answer is hard to find, or is debatable. And finally, there are some things that may simply be eternal mysteries. We need to accept them, and focus on what we can know, not what we can't. BIOGRAPHY: Phil Zuckerman is a professor of sociology and secular studies at Pitzer College. He is the author of several books, including “Living the Secular Life” and “Society without God”. July 31 - Homelessness in our City —Officer Daniel Heying Officer Heying will discuss the causes and conditions of homelessness in our city. The have-nots, the will-nots and the can-nots can all be helped without enabling! BIOGRAPHY: Officer Daniel Heying, Fullerton Police Department, is one of four fulltime Homeless Liaisons that try to establish cooperative relationships with the homeless and help find long term solutions to end homelessness through community partnerships. He has been in law enforcement for 18 years where he has also served as a field training officer and a SWAT operator. Officer Heying has been married for 20 years and has two 16-year-old twin boys in high school.

A UU kind of play — “Disgraced” through July 17 at the Mark Taper Forum This play won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2013. Incredibly and painfully timely, the primary characters are a male lawyer of Pakistani heritage, his artist wife and their dinner guests, an art curator and his wife, an ambitious African-American lawyer at Amir’s office. A brilliant exploration of no matter how much we examine our “tribal” origins and sometimes reject them; can we ever not be “influenced” by our roots? The LA Times concludes its review, ““Disgraced” will undoubtedly rile audience members with fixed ideological beliefs, but a playwright isn’t in the business of satisfying political agendas. Akhtar enjoins us to reflect more deeply on our assumptions about one another. His riveting play thrusts us into an escalating global debate. But instead of telling us what to think, he questions how we are thinking, and like any first-rate dramatist, he ends up humanizing the way we see the world.”

Third International Women’s Convocation February 16-19, 2017, Asilomar, CA “First time in California, this is an exciting opportunity for UU women in California to attend the International Women’s Convocation. I attended the first convocation in Houston: it was an enlightening and life embracing conference.” – Randi Hetrick Early Bird Registration is open through June! Discounts for ministers and young adult women are available, as are optional tours before and/or following the Convo. For more information or to register, CLICK HERE.

WALKING THE WALK 2016 Justice Summit - Orange County plus UU Congregations Our annual leadership summit at the Jesuit Center of the Sierra near Applegate, just east of Sacramento, will run from Saturday, July 16th, through Tuesday, July 19th. This is an exciting opportunity for all UUs interested in social justice issues to meet with other UUs from around the state, develop the knowledge and skills to strengthen your congregation's social justice program and grow as social justice leaders. The extended program length also allows time for reflection and rejuvenation. Some congregations are providing full or partial scholarships for a limited number of parishioners. In addition, discounts are available for UUJMCA members, clergy, seminarians, young adults and congregational groups of five or more. Scholarship information is available on the website. If you are interested in participating with a scholarship, contact the church office.

To serve human need . . .. Social Action Annual Report When I look back at the accomplishments of our Social Action Committee over FY15/16, I can say there really is something for us to be proud of! Together we have worked to make the world a little better for those less fortunate than ourselves. UUCF has gone through some big transitions and changes over this year, including working with and then saying farewell to our interim minister Rev. Steve Furrer, and starting to plan for our full-time permanent minister, Rev. Jason Cook. One thing that has not changed, however, is the generosity and goodwill of our congregation! Over this past year we have had special collections and fund raisers to support a number of charities, including UUSC special collection for Syrian refugees, the Crop Walk in April, and more locally, Orange County Congregation Community Organization (OCCCO), Career Wise, Pathways of Hope, the Nettleship/UUCF Scholarship at Fullerton College and the Titan Dreamers’ Resource Center at CSUF. Through the generous spirit of our congregation we have raised nearly $11,000 for these organizations. Throughout the years UUCF’s Social Action Committee has had a strong focus on helping individuals who are homeless in our community. As in previous years, we have had a group of weekly volunteers at the Armory from November through March, and we have delivered your donations of clothing and toiletries. Sophie Ventura-Creuss was our wonderful volunteer coordinator at the Armory again this year. Many thanks Sophie!! The Social Action Committee is supportive of the proposed year-round homeless shelter, and members of the committee have attended public forums and County Supervisor meetings in favor of the shelter. As in previous years we helped homeless individuals through CareerWise, founded by UUCF congregant Kathey Schuster, by providing funding for its hotline and numerous volunteers from our congregation. Our participation in the Crop Walk was one of the best ever, and UUCF was the highest online fundraiser for the Crop Walk this year, raising nearly $5,000! This event raises money for feeding hungry people worldwide, and 25% of the profits went to Pathways of Hope. Many thanks to Hilary Key for her continued enthusiasm and effort for this annual Fullerton event! Not only have we worked to feed those who are hungry in the

Crop Walk, but also every Sunday the children have collected food items that are delivered to the Pathways of Hope distribution center (a.k.a. “The Hub”). Many thanks to all who participate in this tradition! This year we stood on side of love with immigrant families in many ways. Each month we have volunteered at the Crittenton Unaccompanied Minor Program, which provides shelter, education, and medical care for children who are undocumented—many from Honduras and Guatemala, and as young as eight years. We supported Dreamers at CSUF with a fund-raiser last February. Throughout the year, members of our congregation have participated with CIVIC, providing visitation to individuals who are undocumented and in detention waiting their case resolution, and we have volunteered at Citizenship Fairs sponsored by OCCORD. Finally, we have collaborated with OCCCO on immigration issues and held a fundraiser for that organization in June. All remaining funds from the SAC budget at the end of FY15/16 went to support this worthy organization. During the holiday season UUCF was not only busy celebrating, but also helping others in our larger community. Our congregation sponsored 25 foster children through Crittenton Services with specially selected gifts for each child. Many thanks to Paula Spiro for helping to coordinate this project! Also at Crittenton we helped to sponsor one of the cottages (group homes) for their Christmas party, decorating ornaments with the boys and helping them to decorate their tree. To honor the memory of the Sandy Hook mass shooting, a group attended a rally against gun violence in Irvine. Finally, we had our annual special collection for Pathways of Hope on Christmas Eve. As a congregation we celebrated our fourth year of “30 Days of Standing on the Side of Love” (Martin Luther King Jr. Day to Valentine’s Day) with weekly activities. This year our theme was “Racial Justice.” We began our “30 days” with a special collection for Syrian refugees. A small group of Social Action Committee members attended a rally on Martin Luther King Day in Santa Ana. Our congregation had a guest speaker who has stood for racial justice since the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, Joseph Jackson Jr., a member of the ”Tougaloo Nine” who walked into a “whites only” library in Mississippi in 1961 and refused to “go back to their library.” We collaborated with Adult Religious Education to read and discuss Bryan Stevenson’s book Just Mercy, as well as to view and discuss the film White Like Me, produced by Tim Wise. To end the 30 days, we hosted a chili luncheon fundraiser for the Titan Dreamer Resource Center. I hope the “30 Days of SSL” will be an ongoing tradition at UUCF! For our second year we participated in the Commit-2-Respond campaign that focused on climate change and the environment, starting March 27 and ending April 24. Again we collaborated with Adult RE to show a series of films on climate change and the environment each Sunday following the service. The films seen included Do the Math (on climate change), Gasland (on fracking), and The Story of Stuff (on how industry affects the global environment). For the next year, one goal for our Social Action Committee is to collaborate with our new minister, Jason Cook, making social action and justice issues a more integral part of our congregational life, and for Social Action to work on projects together with other local organizations. In the fall and the election season, we will work to provide

information to our congregation on ballot measures and initiatives. Among our top priorities will be to support the initiation of the year-round shelter for people who are homeless, in whatever way can be useful to the operators of the shelter and through offering our best talents from UUCF. Once again, as I look back over the year of Social Action activities, it makes me proud to part of a congregation that “walks the talk.” At times it seems like we are small and cannot make a difference, but when we all walk the talk together, tiny step by tiny step, they all add up and we can do wonderful things like fund a hotline that serves homeless people in our neighborhood or help to support promising college students to achieve their dreams. And as individuals participating in these actions, we are personally rewarded, often feeling that we have received much more than we give through truly living our principles. Thank you for walking with Social Action this year - - let’s see where we go next year!

Debbie Langenbacher, Social Action Committee co-chair

Unitarian Universalists helped start Thanksgiving. Now they have second thoughts June 23 2016, Washington Post (reprint) President Obama pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey during the 68th annual presentation of the turkey in the Rose Garden of the White House on Nov. 25, 2015. (Reuters/Carlos Barria) Most Americans see Thanksgiving as a celebration of their national roots — and few are so tied to the holiday as Unitarian Universalists. Many of the churches established by the Pilgrims and other early colonists in New England eventually became Unitarian Universalist churches. Sarah Josepha Hale*, the woman whose 17-year campaign finally convinced Abraham Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday, was reportedly involved in Unitarian communities herself. Yet despite those deep roots, Unitarian Universalists aren’t feeling so sure nowadays about America’s national day of turkey and stuffing. On the agenda at this week’s national General Assembly for this liberal, inclusive faith: “Thanksgiving Day Reconsidered.” “Thanksgiving is a holiday that many families celebrate without awareness of the pain that causes our First Nation neighbors we live among. In Massachusetts, Thanksgiving Day is marked in the Wampanoag community. It’s focused on the genocide that occurred. It’s a day of mourning,” said Laura Wagner, one of the proponents of the rethink-Thanksgiving resolution that Unitarian Universalists will vote on this week at

their meeting in Columbus, Ohio. “It’s not about boycotting Thanksgiving, but raising that awareness to stop the perpetuation of the story, the myth that’s told around Thanksgiving, that the colonists were welcomed and they celebrated this lovely meal together.” The resolution doesn’t ask anyone to give up his or her turkey dinner. Instead, it calls for a national education program for all Unitarian Universalist churches and camps about the real history of early America, particularly about Native Americans. “Do I think it’s going to end Thanksgiving dinners that families celebrate? No. But having this conversation — where do you go from there? That could be a wonderful opportunity for a family who’s aware of this call to action,” said Wagner, who is the executive director of a Unitarian Universalist social justice organization in Massachusetts, UU Mass Action. Wagner suggested that churches might make activism alongside their local Native American communities a part of their Thanksgiving season. Perhaps they could jointly stand up for environmental protection efforts to preserve Native American lands, she said. Mary Lu Love, president of the district of the Unitarian Universalist Association that proposed the resolution, suggested that congregations research where the land for their own churches came from. That, she said, is “part of the history that’s never told.” Love’s district, the Ballou-Channing District, includes Plymouth Rock. “The idea of the proposal is that the UUA prepare materials to support congregations to present the Thanksgiving Day story in a way that’s more respectful of the indigenous people — and also respect the fact that the Pilgrims are some of the people we recognize as predecessors of the UU,” Love said. Wagner and Love said that they have been working directly with Native American organizations in crafting the resolution. Sign up *The establishment of Thanksgiving as a national holiday was just one of Hale’s accomplishments. Other achievements on this remarkable lady’s resume: writing the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” editing the massively popular magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book for 40 years, promoting women’s education and supporting Vassar College in its early years, fundraising for the Bunker Hill Monument and the restoration of Mount Vernon, writing an early commercially successful anti-slavery Julie Zauzmer is a novel. Hale started writing to support herself and her five religion reporter. children after her husband died in 1822. She wore black to mourn Follow @JulieZauzmer him for the rest of her life, another 57 years. Want more stories about faith? Follow Acts of Faith on Twitter or sign up for the Acts of Faith newsletter.

HELP REV. FULGENCE CONTINUE HIS MINISTRY! BY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP OF CORVALLIS

Update on Rev. Fulgence - In November of 2015, Rev. Fulgence was kidnapped, then later arrested and interrogated. UUs from around the world came together to work tirelessly to see him freed–and it worked! In Fulgence’s words “they told me there was ‘too much hearing from Unitarian Universalists'”. Knowing that another arrest was imminent, Fulgence fled Burundi in the middle of the night, without so much as a change of clothes. Using a travel visa from a previous trip, he was able to make it to Canadian soil. There, he got refugee status, joining the growing group of refugees in Canadian UU congregations. What will our donation fund, exactly? Rev. Fulgence wants to continue to serve in his new culture–but North American credentialing works differently than Burundian credentialing does. Rev. Fulgence is already a Minister–with years of theological training as well as experience, but he needs to learn more about how North American congregations work, and pick up skills for this culture and language. It’s been determined that the best way for this to happen is through a modified internship–something the Saskatoon congregation is enthusiastic about partnering with him to make happen. As a small congregation without even full time Ministry, the congregation is aware they’ll need support from across the continent to fund this internship fully. We are inspired by this man’s commitment to our movement, and his brilliance as a Minister. This year, we want to see him continue his education, bring his wife and son to Canada, and be able to support them. Please, join with Unitarian Universalists from around the world in helping Rev. Fulgence’s Ministry continue to grow, thrive, and serve our movement.

Here is the link to the campaign page. http://www.faithify.org/projects/revfulgence

Need a fun beach read? How about a couple of really intense post- apocalyptic novels? “Station Eleven” - Emily St. John Mandel “A novel that miraculously reads like equal parts page-turner and poem. One of her great feats is that the story feels spun rather than plotted, with seamless shifts in time and characters. ... "Because survival is insufficient," reads a line taken from Star Trek spray-painted on the Traveling Symphony's lead wagon. The genius of Mandel's fourth novel ... is that she lives up to those words. This is not a story of crisis and survival. It's one of art and family and memory and community and the awful courage it takes to look upon the world with fresh and hopeful eyes. "- Karen Valby, Entertainment Weekly This book has won many awards and was a best seller in 2014.

“When She Woke” - Hillary Jordan’s second novel “tells the story of a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of a not-too-distant future, where the line between church and state has been eradicated and convicted felons are no longer imprisoned and rehabilitated but chromed—their skin color is genetically altered to match the class of their crimes—and then released back into the population to survive as best they can. Hannah is a Red; her crime is murder. In seeking a path to safety in an alien and hostile world, Hannah unknowingly embarks on a path of self-discovery that forces her to question the values she once held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes faith.” Amazon review, if you are a teen or college student who recently read “The Scarlet Letter” this is how the story might have been told in the near future.

BO ARD OF TRUSTEES Thank you Roland Jones for serving on the board. We welcome Claudia Bowles Jody Biloon—President, Cathy Boon, Donnette Guiltinan, Sherlan Neblett, Roslyn Joyce, Barbara Cutts, Shane Finch, Barbara Nelson and Claudia Bowles Church Information: Phone: (714) 871-7150; Email: [email protected] Website: www.uufullerton.org. Rita is the church administrator. The deadline for the next issue of the CommUUnicator is NOON, July 19, 2016. Please submit all items to Randi Hetrick and put newsletter in the subject line – articles need to be in a Word document format. You may also request events be placed on Facebook or on the web page. Send submissions to [email protected]. The ComUUnicator is published monthly.