Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura • 5654 Ralston Street • Ventura, CA • 805/644-3898• www.uuventura.org

We, the members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, united by our liberal religious tradition, seek truths, and meaning, and commit to right action. We will nurture our congregation and carry our principles forth to better ourselves, our community, and our planet. To these purposes, we pledge our hearts and hands, our minds and means.

“Like” the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura on Facebook. It’s one more way to stay connected.

October 2020 • Number 10

Sunday ServicesMusic: 9:45am • Service: 10am https://uuma.zoom.us/j/96003638223

Meeting ID: 960 0363 8223 Or join by phone: +1 669 900 6833

The Spirit of DemocracyWorshiping Together with UUs in Our Local Cluster

As Covid Time stretches before us, and Election Day draws near, it grows more clear how very much we need each other.

Four congregations in our local cluster - San Luis Obispo, Live Oak in Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Ventura – are launching an exciting new worship series, joining with one another to collaborate for services during the month

of October. Our theme? The Spirit of Democracy. We will share a common worship experience while exploring “the use of the democratic process,” which Unitarian Universalists affirm in our 5th Principle.Each minister and worship team will take turns leading a Sunday service, while the others join in for supporting roles. We will not just be visitors in each other’s spaces, but rather partners in our Unitarian Universalist faith, worshiping together via Zoom or YouTube.After services, each congregation will gather in their own Zoom rooms for Coffee/Social Hour.

Oct. 4 - Democracy as Our Spiritual Practice, Rev. Tamara Casanova Suzuki, Live Oak UU Congregation,

Goleta As Unitarian Universalists we are called to live our faith out loud. To survive and even thrive in this time of challenges and opportunities, we must ground ourselves fully in the theology and values of our UU faith.

Oct. 11 – Expanding the Franchise, Rev. Julia Hamilton, Santa Barbara, featuring live music with Emma’s

Revolution!“Enfranchisement” is a fancy way of saying that someone has been extended a right or privilege, especially the right to vote. It’s been a hard-fought battle to expand that right, and today voter enfranchisement is again under attack. What can we do?

Oct. 18 - The Best-Worst Form of Government,  Rev. Dana Worsnop, Ventura

Winston Churchill once noted democracy is the ‘worst form of Government’ … except for all the others. We will reflect on whether that still holds true.

Oct. 25 – American Pie: The Day Democracy Died (Again), Rev. Rod Richards, San Luis Obispo

We’ve never gotten it totally right, and we’ve repeatedly been sure it was all over. Maybe that can give us hope amid the struggle.This series will bring hundreds of UUs together from across our central coast communities in a whole new way!Join us to renew and inspire our collective spirits as we navigate an election season like no other.

October 2020 2 On Common Ground • UU Church of Ventura

“Like” the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura on Facebook. It’s one more way to stay connected.

Worship Notes Greetings UUCV Congregants!

We are the UUCV Re-Opening Team, and we’re writing to introduce ourselves and give you a quick update

about what we’ve been doing. Team members are Priscilla Akin, Kent Brinkmeyer, Bryan Buck, Melissa Ruiz, Cassie Tondro, and Jim Waldron. We’ve been meeting for the past several months to come up with a plan on how to re-open the church.First, we want to say that we dearly miss seeing all of you at Sunday services and other UUCV functions. We recognize that the closing of the church is a huge loss for many of us, and our hearts go out to you. While our primary mission is to come up with a plan for re-opening the church, we’re also thinking about how to sustain the community during this difficult time.Our plan is to re-open the church in phases, dependent on orders from the State of California. Ventura County remains on the state’s “watch list,” and churches are not currently allowed to hold indoor services. We are allowed to meet out-side as long as we wear masks and practice social distancing.We have recently implemented Phase One of our plan. In August, we developed a church outdoor use policy during the COVID-19 pandemic that was approved by the Board which allows small groups of no more than ten people to meet in the church parking lot. These meetings need to be scheduled in advance with Jennifer Luce, the church administrator. There’s no access to anything inside of the church, including the bathrooms or the kitchen, and participants need to bring their own chairs.Phase Two of our plan is to possibly hold occasional services in the parking lot, maybe on a weekday evening. Sunday services will continue to be held online using Zoom and YouTube.From there our plan includes increasing the size of the groups that meet in the parking lot, indoor services for a limited number of people, and finally full indoor services. The timing of these phases depends on what happens with the pandemic, and there may be times when we will need to revert to an earlier phase of the plan.Other things we’re considering are the weather as we head into winter, sanitizing the church when events are eventually held inside, and a sound system for services held outside.We welcome your thoughts and ideas! You can send them to Bryan at bryanabuck@hotmail.com.We hope you’re all doing well and hanging in there. Know that we’re thinking of you and sending you love.

In Faith, Priscilla, Kent, Bryan, Melissa, Cassie and Jim

Oct. 4 - Democracy as Our Spiritual Practice, Rev. Tamara

Casanova Suzuki of Goleta.

Oct. 11 – Expanding the Franchise, Rev. Julia

Hamilton of Santa Barbara, featuring live music with

Emma’s Revolution!

Oct. 18 - The Best-Worst Form of Government, Rev. Dana

Worsnop of Ventura.

Oct. 25 – American Pie: The Day Democracy Died

(Again), Rev. Rod Richards of San Luis Obispo.

The Spirit of Democracy

Worshiping Together with UUs in Our Local Cluster

Sundays in October at 10am via �oom.

Meeting D: 960 0363 8223 OR Join by �hone: +1 669 900 6833

As Covid Time stretches before us, and Election Day draws near, it grows more clear how

very much we need each other.

Four congregations in our local UU cluster are launching a worship series in October. Our

theme? The Spirit of Democracy.

Each minister and worship team will take turns leading a Sunday service, while the others

join in for supporting roles. After services, each congregation will gather in their own Zoom

rooms for Coffee/Social Hour.

October 2020 3 On Common Ground • UU Church of Ventura

October Notes from the President’s Desk

On Common Ground is a monthly publication of the Unitarian Universalist

Church of Ventura

5654 Ralston Street, Ventura, CA 93003 http://www.uuventura.org

Minister - Rev. Dana Worsnop Office HOurs: by AppOintment • 503/312-0401 Email: rev.dana.worsnop@uuventura.org

Membership Coordinator Jimmy Vasquez 805/644-3898 Email: Jimmy@uuventura.org

Congregational Administrator - Jennifer Luce Monday - Thursday: 9am - 3pm fridAy 9am - 12pm Phone: 805/644-3898, ext 100 administrator@uuventura.org.

Church Office Phone: 805/644-3898 • FAX: 805/644-3926 Email: administrator@uuventura.org

Music Director - Carolyn Bjerke Email: carolyn@uuventura.org

On Common Ground Editors: Shelah Wilgus ...................805/701-6348 Tessa Weeks .......................805/647-4247

Newsletter Submittals

We value your contributions and appreciate email submittals.

Send email submissions for On Common Ground to

newsletter@uuventura.org Next Newsletter DeadlineOc tob er 18 at No on Next issue is November 2020

Be Well, Yukio Okano UUCV Board President

We are living in unprecedented times. UUCV must deal with an historic conflu-ence of troubles, from the pandemic to economic devastation to climate change

to racial strife. There are no simple solutions to deal with this tsunami of problems. Rev. Dana recently encouraged us to consider what is “essential” and “sustainable” in these times. In pondering this question, I returned to some basic ideas about why people seek out religious institutions. People are hungry for connection and meaning. I believe these are the primary reasons we all are part of the UUCV community.At a minimum, fostering congregational connection and supporting a personal search for meaning are the essential tasks for UUCV. And I believe they are sustainable as well.What does this mean? To me, “connection” means being part of a community of people with shared values who care about each other. The seven principles of Uni-tarian Universalism wonderfully express our shared values. We may differ in many ways about how we think about and practice spirituality, but the seven UU principles represent essential values. It is priceless to be part of a community that values per-sonal dignity, justice, acceptance, truth, democracy, world peace, and respect for our interdependence. The mission of the church speaks to our search for meaning. Our congregational mis-sion statement includes an invitation to connections and diversity, the nurturance of free journeys of spiritual growth, and creation of a more just and loving community in harmony with nature. The search for meaning is an ongoing process that requires each of us to remain open to new ideas and the potential for personal growth.I came across a book by Susan Beaumont with the intriguing title “How to lead when you don’t know where you are going.” The author talks about when the old way of doing things no longer works but the way forward is not yet clear. She labels this in-between period of uncertainly “liminal seasons”. When the usual way of doing things crumbles without a clear new order, great anxiety and disorientation are generated. We become vulnerable to quick solutions. But, as Beaumont points out, “during liminal times, people often attach themselves to tricksters.” Some solutions promise much but are empty and only lead to chaos. We need only to think about our politics.Beaumont writes that liminal seasons can be dangerous but also offer the potential to transform us. There is an opportunity to be experimental, creative, innovative. If we can embrace the unsettling quality of not knowing, Beaumont says a new path forward can emerge from focusing on our core values and clarifying our purpose. She says we should ask ourselves four basic questions: • “Who are we?” • “Who are we here to serve?” • “What do we stand for?” • “What are we called upon to do or become next?”Moving forward well will require patience and reframing our challenges. Some aspects of challenges like not being able to meet in person may be addressed by tech-nical solutions (like Zoom, streaming on YouTube). But can we retain a sense of com-munity through Zoom alone? Adaptive solutions may require changes in habits and how we think about things. Can we make a conscious effort to reach out to others? Can we accept not knowing when things will return to normal or if they will ever be the same? Can folks who are not tech-savvy be open to learning to use Wi-Fi and streaming services? Can we train ourselves to reach out more with telephone calls and FaceTime? Can those of us who feel comfortable going out help with shopping for others? Can we have faith and patience that good solutions will eventually emerge? The answers to these questions will determine how well we get through to the other side of these pandemic times.

Board of Trustees 2019 - 20

President - Yukio OkanoVice President - Lisa Connolly

Secretary - Silvia HutchinsTreasurer - Gary Norris

Trustees at Large Ron Dallas

Xenia Youmg Kent Brinkmeyer

October 2020 4 On Common Ground • UU Church of Ventura

Social Action and More“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” Seneca

Lift Up Your Voice (LUYV)

October OfferingsDonating is Easy

Donating is easy and can be done any time during the week. The offering

recipient for each Sunday is listed in UUCV This Week, which is emailed to you each Thursday, with a link you can click on to donate. You can also set up at that same link an amount to donate on a weekly basis. Alternatively, you can mail a check payable to UUCV to the church at 5654 Ralston, Ventura 93003 and indicate the recipient (or cause) in the memo line. Donations that arrive online Wednesday through Saturday are entered for the upcoming Sunday. Donations that arrive online by Tuesday are entered for the previous Sunday. If you have questions, contact committee chair Sue Brink-meyer at suebrinkmeyer@earthlink.net.

For the past eleven years, this church has welcomed people who were

experiencing homelessness to sleep in their cars in our parking lot as part of the Safe Sleep Program run by the Salvation Army and the City of Ventura. We rented a porta potty to support our guests, hired security guards to keep them and the church safe, and, at Christmas each year, gave them the opportunity to stay in a motel and have a few hot meals at a nearby restaurant. Numerous church volunteers over the years, led first by Harold Cartlidge and later co-led by Neal Ortenberg and Darryl Marquez, managed the program with love and tre-mendous dedication; they made sure our Safe Sleep guests felt both welcome and safe and that the impact of the program on the property and on the congregation was minimized as much as possible.Over the years, working with their case managers at the Salvation Army, many of our Safe Sleepers found their way out of homelessness. We were always proud that our church was part of the program’s very beginnings and remained one of only two sites in the city where people who were homeless could sleep safely

Moving-in Program

Many of you donated to our several Lift Up Your Voice (LUYV) efforts

and we thank you. One of the programs, Park Outreach, is on hold during the Pandemic. Our volunteers are older or immune compromised. At the same time, we started a new pro-gram, Moving-in. The program works with case workers to outfit people moving from a shelter or the street into an apartment. We collect & store furniture supplies in a rented u-store garages. We also pay for gas for the volunteers who move the furniture and offer their truck. LUYV is going to reallocate funds from Park Outreach to our other operational funds, e.g. Moving-in, Family to Family, the Motel fund, etc. We will leave funds in the Park fund to restart the program when we can. We want to disclose this reallocation to our wonderful donors.

October 4: Camp de Benneville Pines is our Unitarian Universalist retreat center located in Southern California and supported by member congregations in the Pacific Southwest. Funding would help underwrite Camping Ministries program and also provide supplemental scholarships so no youth is turned away from lack of funds.October 11: Ventura Homeless Preven-ton The mission of the Ventura Homeless Prevention Fund is to stop families and individuals from falling into homeless-ness because of a one-time significant event such as an accident or illness. All Ventura residents are eligible for VHPF assistance. In 2019 VHP kept 102 people (61 adults and 41 children) from losing their homes through eviction. We have

helped a total of 1,326 people since 2007. VHPF was recognized by the United States Interagency Council on Homeless-ness (USICH) as #1 of eight innovative programs nationwide achieving results in preventing or ending homelessness .October 18: Planned Parenthood Cali-fornia Central Coast is a safety-net pro-vider of sexual and reproductive health care. We own and operate five health centers in San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Thousand Oaks and nearly 32,000 patients rely on our health services annually. October 25: UUCV Inreach/Outreach helps those in our own congregation or someone in the wider community who is in need of assistance.

in their cars without being ticketed or harassed by police. Recent court rul-ings have made it much more difficult to ticket people for doing things they cannot avoid like sleeping, unless there are enough beds available in shelters for them. During the current pandemic, disaster relief funds have provided motel rooms to the most vulnerable people expe-riencing homelessness. Perhaps these changes, perhaps others, have meant that participation in the Safe Sleep program, which once had up to fifteen cars in our lot for much of the month, has dwindled to the point that for the past several months our church lot has had one or two or maybe no Safe Sleepers on most nights. As a result, the Lift Up Your Voice to End Homelessness Committee, with concurrence from Rev. Dana and the Board, has notified the Salvation Army and the city that our church will put its participation in the Safe Sleep program on hold, effective November 1. We have sent word that we stand ready to discuss renewing our participation in the pro-gram if demand increases substantially.

We who are part of Lift Up Your Voice are grateful to the congregation for support-ing this program for so many years and to the many dedicated volunteers who gave so much of their time to this important program for its first eleven years.

October 2020 5 On Common Ground • UU Church of Ventura

UU Things To Do • Adult Programs

Adult Programs is bursting with opportunities for connection, reflection and growth. Check the newsletter and Adult Programs Board for info about additional classes. For information on ongoing programs, pick up an Adult Programs

brochure at the AP Bulletin Board in Berg Hall. Programs are open to all unless otherwise indicated.

Fun Book Club • October 18Sunday •11:45am

We meet in a zoom group on the 3rd Sunday at 11:30ish.

All are welcome. Oct – Crazy Loco Love by Victor Villasenor. Mex/Amer writer’s auto-biographical coming of ageNov - Love Medicine by Louise Erdric. Intertwined short stories by Native Amer writer. Dec – Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman. Thriller in Bora BoraContact: Kappy Paulson 805/647-1600 kmp160@sbcglobal.net.

Women's Voices: Discussion and Support Group

1st & 3rd Tuesday • 1pm • Zoom Zoom# 9338359114

password 936222

W omen’s Voices is a group for all women (an open group). The meet-

ing is both a support group and a film group. The movies, which are primarily documentaries, highlight the lives of women who struggle to overcome the considerable obstacle of gender discrimi-nation or sometimes just a sweet movie that represents a woman’s life journey. Contact: Suzanne Olsen, 805/701-1024, suzth2@charter.net.

UU Thursday Book GroupThursday • 10 -11:30am

We are living during interesting times. The books we select usu-

ally offer some insight to better under-stand this inexplicable world. We are currently reading Prisoners of Geography, Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics (describes the impact geography can have on international affairs) by Tim Marshall. All are wel-come to join us at any time as we dis-cuss these fascinating topics.Contacts: Kate Higgins Kate@citypost-media.com

Drop In Men’s Discussion Group Tuesday • 9:30-11AM

We discuss political and social issues and current events. All men

welcome. Contact: Bill Peltola 805/320-6175 or 805/486-1348.

The Watercolor GroupWednesday • 1-2:30pm

The Watercolor group is meeting via Zoom

every Wednesday at 1pm. The meeting is open to everyone. If you want to be on the list,

Contact Veronica Bear veronicabear2000@yahoo.com.

Interested in Writing??

Want to write? Would you like to share your feedback collab-

oratively? ...if your answer is yes, please email George Naugles at G@Balance-2thrive.com.

Monday Evening Meditation Continues Via Zoom With the Friendship

Sangha of The Heart

Meditation, every Monday 7 - 8:30PM Our Zoom Zendo is open every Monday at 6:45 PM for you to greet each other and settle in. Our Mindfulness and Meditation Practice begins at 7:00 PM and includes Sitting meditation, Walk-ing mediation, Dharma reading or talk, Dharma sharing, Dāna practice of gen-erosity, and singing our closing song I Have Arrived. SIGN-UP at our website, www.FriendshipSangha.org.

Intro to Meditation 2nd Monday (October 12), 6:15 - 6:45PM

If you are new to meditation or new to our Sangha you many want to join us early at 6:15pm via Zoom on the 2nd Monday of this Month for a half hour introduction to our mediation practice. If you wish to join the Intro, send an email before the 2nd Monday to Friend-shipSangha@gmail.com and put Intro to Meditation in the subject line to let us know you will be arriving early to the Zoom Zendo so we will be there for you. And if you have not already done so website, www.FriendshipSangha.org.SIGN-UP at our website, www.Friend-shipSangha.org. When you sign up you will receive an email Monday mornings with the info you need to enter our Zoom Zendo (the internet link or phone number) along with details about that Monday's practice.For more information about us go to www.FriendshipSangha.org For questions call Neal Ortenberg at 805/368-9835 or email Friendship-Sangha@gmail.com.

October 2020 6 On Common Ground • UU Church of Ventura

UU Things To Do • Adult Programs

Friday Movie Discussion

Night on Zoom7-9pm

UU HikersOctober 6 • (1st Tuesday)

8am at trailhead

• Stream movies at home for Friday night discussions. • Some streaming services are free. • Most require a rental fee. • Some require a paid subscription after a free trial. • You can cancel after watching the film. • Check ReadGood for other streaming options.

Zoom #481-463-043•(The same every Friday night)Streaming services: PV (Prime Video), Vudu, UT (YouTube), iT (iTunes), MS (Microsoft), FNow (Fandango Now), IMDbTV, ReelGood

October 2 · The Intern, 2015, PG-13.A 70-year-old retiree (Robert de Niro) takes a job as an intern for a young, super successful e-commerce entre-preneur (Anne Hathaway). Actually, De Niro was hired by an associate of Hathaway, who only warm up to De Niro slowly. Director Nancy Meyers. Vudu, iT, UT, MS, NetFlix disc.

October 9 · Before You Say “I Do”, 2009, Not Rated.In this romantic comedy, a young man’s proposal of marriage is rede ted because his girlfriend has such bad memories of her first marriage. Discovering he is capable of time travel, he goes back 10 years to prevent her first marriage from taking place. Director Paul Fox. Hallmark, 7 days free trial, $5.99/mo.

October 16 · The Birdcage, 1996, R.A gay male couple (Robin Williams & Nathan Lane) are owners of a Miami drag club. When one of the men’s sons surprises them with his engagement to the daughter of a stuffy U.S. Senator, they try to pass as a normal family. Co- starring Gene Hackman. Director Mike Nichols. PV, UT, Vudu, iT, MS, Netflix disc.

October 23 · Hamilton, 2020, PG-13Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical about Alexander Hamilton was filmed in 2016 at the Richard Rogers Theatre on Broad-way with the original cast. Director Lin-Manuel Miranda Disney Plus, 30-day free trial, $6.99/mo. BEFORE OCT. 25

October 30 · Brooklyn, 20156, PG-13.A courageous and hard-working young Irish woman (Saoirse Ronan) immigrates to New York, finds success in her work, and falls in love with a young Italian man. Then events take her back to Ireland for a visit, and she finds her loyalties divided between the two nations. Director Jon Cowley. PV, Vudu, UT, iT, MS, NetFlix disc.

October 6 we will hike the loop following the beach and the top of Rincon Bluff from Rincon Park to the tar seep at

Carpinteria State Beach. The hike is about 4 miles round trip with 100’ elevation gain. Enjoy the quiet beach and the views from the bluff. Be sure you are on Mike’s email list to receive additional information a week before the hike. Contact Mike Sixbey 805/205 4032 or Joyce Sattler 805/320 4437. We will not carpool and will keep at least 6’ between hikers and carry masks. RSVP is appreciated.

Open Mic Night Saturday

October 24 • 6:30pm

We have lots of musical talent in our church family but did you know that we have standup comics,

poets and storytellers? Some of these talented people participate in our Sunday services and make a beautiful contribution to worship. At Open Mic they can let loose with performances that can be funny, serious, personal, or political—in other words—wide open!

Our next Zoom Open Mic will be on Saturday, October 24 at 6:30pm. Singers, instrumentalists, poets, story-tellers, comics and more are welcome to perform in front of a friendly and encouraging audience. So grab a seat, a snack and your favorite beverage and enjoy the evening. There will be an announcement and a link in Thursday’s UUCV This Week. For more info email Kent Brinkmeyer, kentbrinkmeyer@gmail.com

LGBTQ CONNECTION a new group

Julie Moore and Susan Franzblau are starting a new group, first by Zoom, and then when we can take off our masks, in

person. We have designed it as a support/discussion group. We were thinking about LGBTQ news, trivia games, discussions around the new sexualities and gender options, everyday life, books and films, and other things we might explore.We want this to be a safe Gay space, so this group is for LGBT and Q (for Queer and questioning folks).We would like to meet by Zoom on Monday October 12 from 6:30-8:30pm just to plan the time and day we can all meet per-manently. We hope to see you then If you have any questions or concerns or know of someone you would like to add to this list, call Julie (805/861-9998) (moore.julia1@aol.com) or Susan (805/276-6359) (susan.franzblau@gmail.com).

October 2020 7 On Common Ground • UU Church of Ventura

Get connected with UUCV on FacebookAnother way to keep in touch with UUCV goings-on is to like our Facebook page. Look for “Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura” and like the page to get inspiration and information throughout the week. Another page, the “Unitarian Uni-versalist Facebook of Ventura” is a community page, with no formal affiliation to UUCV, where you may find information

about non-church-sponsored events as well as general conversation and comment.

Committee News

Buildings and Grounds by Linda Pietrzak

What a great Work Party! There were people there!! Granted many were getting ready for the Blessing Ritual. Building

and Grounds helped sweep the front of the church so the chalk art-ists had plenty of room for their art work. Laurie Lemson spruced up the Butterfly Garden so there was a beautiful backdrop for the Blessing Ritual. It looked lovely. Sherry Anderson, Wil Devine, Ruth Owens, Merle Oberg, Yukio Okano, Mike Sixbey, and Bryan Buck raked pine needles. There were SO-O-O many pine needles. Sherry watered the Olive Tree Garden and planted some native plants and succulents in the Outdoor Sanctuary.

The Mendelsohn Family, Mark, Krista, Garrick, and Dannika as well as Sherry weeded and trimmed plants in the Outdoor Sanctuary. You can sure tell a difference in the property when it is given some attention.

Mike Sixbey trimmed a tree in the Outdoor Sanctuary that was too close to the building as well as some bushes that hopefully will discourage some uninvited visitors. Linda Pietrzak painted the Whale’s Tail Bench. Hopefully it will not get graffitied. Ruth cut up a lot of boxes to fit in the recycle containers. Then she separated the recyclable/e-waste trash that was in the garage.

We are grateful for all the work everyone put in. It was wonderful to see so many people at the church.

Looking For Your Auction Items Time to Submit

The UUCV Service Auction is happen-ing 23 Oct through 8 Nov and the

theme is HALLOWEEN! This is the largest annual fundraiser for our church and we’re excited to get started. We understand that this is a difficult time, and we’re relying on the generosity of the church members to make this auction a success.This year, due to COVID-19, we are making some changes to the auction. The auction will be done all on line but there will be some special “auction nights” via zoom to show off your costumes and share in the fun while bid-ding for great items. But to make this happen, we need you to put on your think-ing caps and submit your auction items! Unfortunately, we cannot accept any in-person events. But that doesn’t mean we won’t have fun and unique items to sell. Perhaps you could offer an exciting Zoom event or offer to deliver food. Do you have a unique service to offer (teach a musical instrument, prepare taxes, do home repairs, clean windows)? Also, we are accepting art, crafts, and PHYSICAL GOODS! Yes, you read that right! We are accepting physical goods again this year. We would love to get some of the amazing art and crafts that our many members create. We are also accepting items that are in great shape and worth at least $30. We ask that you provide several photos of what you would like to donate as well as a description. Because of the current situation, you will have to keep the items at your home and deliver them to the winner after the auction. Nothing can be stored at church.You might be asking “What can I donate”? Well the sky is the limit! Perhaps you have an amazing cookie recipe and are willing to make a couple batches of frozen cookie dough. Are you a crafter who can sew personalized masks? You could host a Zoom game night or offer a curated beer flight to be deliv-ered to someone’s house. The only limit is your imagination!Please begin submitting your items/ideas by filling out our google form HERE.Or you can submit your ideas to Katie Turner (Hutchins.kate@gmail.com) or Jen Luce (administra-tor@uuventura.org). Include Auction item title, description, how many are you offering, item value and any photos.

We are excited to see what everyone comes up with!Katie Turner, Ruth Owens, and the UUCV Auction Team

October 2020 8 On Common Ground • UU Church of Ventura

UUCV Outdoor Use General Policy(approved by Board of Trustees on 07/16/2020)

The purpose of this Outdoor Use General Policy statement is to clarify the use of the UUCV property outside the building, including the parking lot, the Outdoor Sanctuary, the Walking Path and the Whale’s Tail.

Membership CommitteeGudrun Eastham, Chair

A unique

Leadership Committee NewsFocus on Kathleen Wheeler by Gary Zinik

Kathleen was born in Baltimore. Her parents divorced when she was an infant. A few years later her mother, an Episco-

palian, married her new father, an atheist, in the UU Church. When Kathleen was 11 her father had a two-year assignment on the Island of Antigua in the British West Indies. She was the only white student in an all-black Anglican school, where she received traditional a Christian religious education. At age 13, her family moved to Ventura and occasionally attended UU services at the old Terry House. In high school Kathleen participated in LRY (Liberal Religious Youth). During college she spent a year studying in India and became interested in eastern religion, which began her “spiritual quest.” On her last day in Bombay, she and her roommate had a powerful mutual epiphany. She said, “It was the first time I really understood the meaning of the statement ‘God is Love.’” It was formative in her faith journey. She adopted an “agnostic” philosophy—“There is no divine separate from us,” she says—but spirituality remained central in her life. After returning to the U.S., Kathleen dove into her academic studies and became interested in the Women’s Movement. For 9 years she ran a business in Sacramento focused on career development for women. She earned a PhD. in organizational psychology and then entered the corporate world, where she specialized in human development and organizational culture change. “Most of my work amounted to getting people to talk

with each other.” Kathleen’s career took her to San Diego, where she met and married her husband Doug. At age 48, they traveled to China to adopt their daughter. She frequently visited her parents in Ventura, and occasionally attended the UU Church. After Kathleen’s parents passed away, she moved back to Ventura and joined UUCV in 2018, where she found “warm, like-minded people.” She says, “I’m basically a non-believer but also yearn for a spiritual path based on ethical living and Judeo-Christian values. I don’t need a god to do that. I need to keep learning.” Kathleen serves on the Adult Programs Coordinating Team, where she has initiated several programs herself (a speaker on environmental justice from UCSB, a Retirement Transition support group, a workshop on Respectful Conflict), as well as helping many others implement theirs. She participates in the Humanist Group, Covenant Group, Environmental Action Team, and classes such as the Artist Way, to name a few, and she recently became a Worship Associate. She says, “Our big challenge now is keeping connected and engaging members’ minds, hearts, and spirits. Our country faces an intersectionality of crises—the pandemic, systemic racism, economic inequality, and climate change. The church gets that, which could be a huge platform for community outreach. UUCV combines values with action. I love this church and the people in it, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.”

1. The property around the UUCV building is intended for use by UUCV church members or individuals attending an official activity of the church, needing to be on the church grounds for church-related business, or doing work authorized by the church.

2. From 7pm to 7am, the UUCV back parking lot is open to individuals officially enrolled in the Safe Sleep Program. These people are allowed to park their vehi-cles in the area of the parking lot designated for Safe Sleep. They may sleep in their vehicles overnight.

3. As a church that seeks to be a welcoming presence in the community, UUCV also authorizes members and visitors to use the Walking Path, sit on the Whale’s

Tail, sit in their vehicle for short term respite, drink from the water fountain, and draw water from a des-ignated water faucet.

4. Individuals who use the UUCV property for unau-thorized activities will be considered to be trespassing. Unauthorized activities include, but are not limited to, entering locked areas such as the Outdoor Sanctuary and trash enclosure, use of the porta-potty reserved for Safe Sleep participants, sleeping on the church prop-erty when not a Safe Sleep participant, engaging in ille-gal activities such as drug use, damaging church prop-erty, leaving trash on the grounds, disturbing church staff or members, and loitering on church property.

October 2020 9 On Common Ground • UU Church of Ventura

October 2020Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

        1 Vegetarian Day

10am - Book CluB

5pm - Worship assoCiates meeting

5am - happy hour With the Board

210am - re short &

sWeet

7am - movie night

38am - uu

hikers

10am - re short & sWeet

410am - Worship

serviCe

11am - inreaCh/ outreaCh vote

11:45am - Women’s group

51pm - Women’s

group

66:30pm - Women’s group

6:30pm - men’s group ii

711am - Women’s group

iv1pm - artist Chat

5:30pm - pastoral assoCiates mtg

7pm - men’s group

810am - Book CluB

11am - Women’s group vi

6pm - luyv meeting

910am - re short &

sWeet

7pm - movie night

1010am - re

short & sWeet

1110am - Worship

serviCe

11:30am - humanist group

1211am -

Women’s group

6:30pm - lgBtQ ConneCtion

131pm - ConneCting Comm.

meeting

3pm - generosity team mtg.

4pm - Women’s group vii4:30pm - Caregivers

support group

6:30pm - FinanCe Committee mtg.

7pm - men’s group iv

1412:00pm- lunCh With

the minister

1pm - artist Chat

2pm - Women’s group

6:30pm - B & g meeting

15 Global Handwashing Day

10am - Book CluB

5:30pm - environmental JustiCe

6pm - Board oF trustees

6:30pm - Climate huB

8:30pm - re parenting group

16 10am - re short &

sWeet

4:30pm - puB theology

7pm - movie night

179am - all

ChurCh B&g Work party

10am - re short & sWeet

1810am - Worship

serviCe

11:30am - Fun Book CluB

11:45am - Women’s group

12pm - Writer’s group

NOON NEWSLETTER

DEADLINE

191pm - Women’s

group

1pm - puBliCity meeting

2011am - Women’s voiCes

6:30pm - Women’s group

6:30pm - men’s group ii

2111am - Women’s group

iv1pm - artist Chat

2pm - Women’s group

7:pm - men’s group

2210am - Book CluB

11am - Women’s group vi

23annUaL

SerViCe aUCtiOn BeginS!

10am - re short & sWeet

7pm - movie night

249am -

Women’s mini-retreat

10am - re short & sWeet

2510am - Worship

serviCe

11:30am - humanist group

11:30am - saFety team meeting

2611am -

Women’s group v

6pm - soCial aCtion meeting

274pm - Women’s group

5:30pm - Cov. grp FaCil. mtg.

7pm - men’s group

2812pm - lunCh With the

minister

1:pm - artist Chat

2pm - Women’s group

2910am - Book CluB

3010am - re short &

sWeet

7pm - movie night

3110am - re

short & sWeet