Caught in a Bad Romance: America & Guns 
Sunday, October 22

“Gun’s don’t kill people, it’s the bullets that do!” “Gun control means using both hands!”  In this service we look at the role and impact of Gun’s on our lives, and what is spiritually and physically at stake in a complex modern world with our Bad Romance.

Reverend Steve Wilson

Althea Masterson
Amy Fields
Diane Durham
Stacy Upton
Karen Merickel

More Welcoming to All

What more can PUC do to be welcoming to all, including people of color, LGBT and people who are disabled? What unintended barriers are we putting up? How can we keep the dialogue alive so we can continually become more intentionally inclusive?

Please join Rev. Steve and folks who attended the Multicultural Transformation workshop at PUC in September in a brunch-time discussion this Sunday and next.

Also, join Long Beach UUs in an upcoming Saturday workshop on inclusivity with renowned racial justice activist Chris Crass. For information/carpooling, contact Vivien Hao prvivien@gmail.com.  

https://www.uuclb.org/events/social-justice-forum-chris-crass-racial-justice/

Vivien Hao

Fair Trade Coffee &Chocolate
Sunday, October 22
After the service at the Social Justice Table

The Social Justice team will be sponsoring a table on the patio every 4th Sunday before and after the service offering Fair Trade products and information as well as information on upcoming activities.  Do stop by Sunday, October 22 for a chat or to purchase Fair Trade products!

Honey Harvesting
November 5

Honey harvesting demonstration by our beekeeper, Alden Salazar of our own PUC honey.  It will be after church/lunch. Children of all ages welcome.

MEN’S GROUP PRELIMINARY GATHERING
Sunday, November 5
Noon
PUC Library

We are seeking input and participation in a new PUC Men’s Group.  The best way for us to heal our wounds and befriend our fears is to spend time sharing aches and aspirations, telling our real stories, face-to-face, brother to brother, as peers in a supportive and open space.

Please join Godfrey, Ben, and Gary at this initial discussion to discuss our focus, process, organization and interest in this fellowship.

Reverend Steve is coordinating a blood drive at Torrance Memorial Hospital on Wed November, 8.  We will be scheduling people this and every Sunday up to that time for half hour blocks on that day.  There is a saying: unless you are giving blood, please give it your all. Please consider sharing literally a portion of you for the well-being of the community. 

Social Justice Film: 13th 
This Week: Friday, October 20
7:00 pm 
PUC Library 

Ava Duvernay's film, 13th, investigates the roots of America's mass incarceration problem. Named after the 13th constitutional amendment, which abolished slavery except as “punishment for crime, ” the doc uses archival footage and expert commentary to make the case that slavery hasn’t disappeared from the U.S. — it has evolved into our modern system of mass incarceration, one in which many prisons are run by for-profit companies and prisoners can be paid a pittance to work for corporations. The film charts the explosive growth in America’s prison population; in 1970, there were about 200,000 prisoners; today, the prison population is more than 2 million. Although the U.S. has just 5% of the world’s population, it has about 25% of the world’s prisoners, and about one in three prisoners are black men. More than 60% of the people in U.S prisons are people of color.

Singles Group - Dinner and a Movie
Monday, October 23
PUC Library

This past Monday, October 9^, the first PUC Singles Gathering took place.  A solid 11 people attended this relatively undefined first gathering.  Going around the circle, it became clear, that more than a traditional chalice group or “support” group, most of the gathered felt like we could most be of use to one another by creating times to be with one another.  So, at least for the time being, this group will be an evolving and open group that hosts outings and “things to do.”. In this loose group, if the term group even applies, supporting and listening will mostly take place within an evolving series of events.  Seem interesting to you.  Our next Singles Group event will convene at 6pm on Monday Oct 23^rd in the Library for a take-out dinner, chat, and viewing of the movie “Our Souls at Night.”  Vivian Hao will order food, and we will watch this recent release starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford.  Seem interesting.  Come.

Love Resits Workshop
Saturday, October 21
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Thousand Oaks UU Church

This day long regional UU Social Justice Workshop called is conducted by Reverend Kathleen McTigue of the UUSC and UU College of Social Justice.  The event, free to all attendees, is designed to help congregations discern and focus their social justice work. This sounds like it will be an amazing opportunity for us to deepen and focus our social justice commitments just as we are here at PUC crafting them into a new shape. 

Hopefully many of us in the Social Justice Committee will be attending with Reverend Steve.

Environmental Priorities Network's Fall Forum
Saturday, November 4
9:00 am to 1:30 pm
St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church
Rolling Hills Estates

Eco Justice, Solar, Electric Cars anyone? 
One of the closest allies of the Environmental Action/Green Sanctuary portion of our social Justice Committee is a group called Environmental Priorities Network. In fact, we via Ray and Carolyn had something to do with EPN’s conception as an institution. We are co-sponsoring with EPN and the Presbyterian Church a Forum titled OUR SOLAR POWERED FUTURE IS HERE And How You Can Take Part.  Please consider coming.  The Forum will be held on at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church, Rolling Hills Estates 9 am to 1:30 pm.  Please save the date.  

 Spiritual Memoir Writing Group 
Tuesday, November 7 at 7:00 pm
and/or
Wednesday, November 15 at 10:00 am

The Spiritual Memoir Writing Group returns. The assignment will as it always will be be a roughly 1-2 page and/or (2-4 minute reading time piece on a monthly theme.   This second session theme is very simple but tough.  Give us your best story; share your most interesting moment; bring us the most amazing, most “Moth-worthy” story you got.  If you need more prompting, try this.  You arrive at the pearly gates, and St. Peter asks you what was the most interesting thing that happened to you in your life.   All we need is you, and your willingness to mostly share your stories.  Each month attendees will be assigned a writing assignment based on their history.  Fancy grammarian’s need not apply.

Upcoming Day of the Dead/All Saints/Halloween Service
Starting on October 15 we will begin collecting photos of ancestors for our memorial table and those lost to us for our All Saints Day/Day of the Dead memorial alter or remembrance table.  If you are afraid of forgetting to bring in a picture or remembrance from a beloved ancestor on the 29th, just give it to Steve or Claire.  He or she will hold it for you.

October RE Schedule

October 21: Game night at PUC, 6pm-8pm

October 22: RE Classes

October 29: Intergenerational Halloween service

Religious Education
Registration is open for 2017-2018

Why register? Families who have attended at least 3 times are encouraged to register their children, whether or not they are members. This allows the RE program to know more about children and youth to provide a safe and fun environment.

Register here

Read over our Safety Policy and Family Covenant 

Download the October-December Calendar

Playing in the Sage

“ Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

---Arthur C. Clarke

The curriculum at Pacific Sage is emergent, which is a fancy way of saying “we make it up, as we go along”. Not starting out with a set learning agenda such as themes, letters or numbers of the day, week or month, and following the interests of the little and big friends opens the door to creativity, spontaneity and surprises. It also frees the big friends from adopting the perspective that the ABC’s and 123’s are the purpose of learning. Those academic nuts and bolts are the “tools” we use on our way to find out.

Our student teacher recently shared an activity with the friends that explored combining a liquid (vinegar) with a solid (baking soda) to create a third element…a gas (carbon dioxide). Watching the children’s surprise at the chemical reaction and listening to their conversation as they tried to develop reasons for why it was happening was funny and profound. The bubbling meant they were fighting (the white powder didn’t want to be wet) or the fizzing was talking. The exchanges were enthusiastic and spirited. Finally, one child said simply, “It’s magic!” Friends nodded in agreement then they spent a long time watching the reaction happen over and over again. Each time was as amazing as the first. Would knowing the scientific reason why add to or take away from the experience?

There are so many wonderful things that happen in the world and instead of trying to demystify and understand why, we should just try saying “it’s magic” and enjoy the experience…again and again.

Warmly,
Sylvia
Director, Pacific Sage Preschool