There is a lot going on at UUCPA.  Here is a brief listing of upcoming events.  For a more comprehensive list, please visit the calendar.

Upcoming Events for Children & Youth
Upcoming Adult Classes
Upcoming Music
Upcoming Newcomer/Visitor Events
Upcoming Group Meetings
Upcoming Justice Projects/Events
Upcoming Special Events
Upcoming Holiday Events
Upcoming Non-UUCPA Events

Upcoming Events for Children & Youth

Parents’ Night Out

03/23/2024, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Room 4/5 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Take a break and let UUCPA do the childcare. We will be watching a movie and eating pizza while you are out on the town. Friends welcome!

If your high schooler would like to volunteer to help, please email revcat@uucpa.org.


Sunday School for children and youth preK through grade 8

03/24/2024, 10:15 am - 11:30 am UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Because we believe in learning by doing, a most important part of our religious education is participation, with all ages, in the first part of regular worship services. Then during Sunday school, young people learn and play with people their own age. Feel free to ask Sunday school teachers what they did this week. If you would like to review curriculum materials that are not online, please call Cat Boyle.

Reminders are sent via the weekly Sunday School Reminder email and monthly CYRE newsletter. Sign up to get them: https://www.uucpa.org/learning/children-and-youth/newsletter/.  If you didn’t get it, please email cyrecommittee@uucpa.org to request the link for your child’s class.  

 

 


Senior High Youth Group – SHYG

03/24/2024, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Senior High Youth Group (grades 9-12) or SHYG — Teenagers in high school are welcome to join SHYG for fun and community-building, learning, worship, leadership development, and social action. SHYG meets most Sunday evenings at church., from Sept. through May.  Please join to get the latest schedule.

Join the SHYG Slack channel to get meeting info. Contact Rev. Cat revcat@uucpa.org to request membership.


No Sunday School (childcare is available)

03/31/2024, 10:15 am - 11:30 am UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Because we believe in learning by doing, a most important part of our religious education is participation, with all ages, in the first part of regular worship services. Then during Sunday school, young people learn and play with people their own age. Feel free to ask Sunday school teachers what they did this week. If you would like to review curriculum materials that are not online, please call Cat Boyle.

Reminders are sent via the weekly Sunday School Reminder email and monthly CYRE newsletter. Sign up to get them: https://www.uucpa.org/learning/children-and-youth/newsletter/.  If you didn’t get it, please email cyrecommittee@uucpa.org to request the link for your child’s class.  

 

 


Senior High Youth Group – SHYG

03/31/2024, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Senior High Youth Group (grades 9-12) or SHYG — Teenagers in high school are welcome to join SHYG for fun and community-building, learning, worship, leadership development, and social action. SHYG meets most Sunday evenings at church., from Sept. through May.  Please join to get the latest schedule.

Join the SHYG Slack channel to get meeting info. Contact Rev. Cat revcat@uucpa.org to request membership.


Intergenerational worship: Easter (No Sunday School)

04/07/2024, 10:15 am - 11:30 am UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Because we believe in learning by doing, a most important part of our religious education is participation, with all ages, in the first part of regular worship services. Then during Sunday school, young people learn and play with people their own age. Feel free to ask Sunday school teachers what they did this week. If you would like to review curriculum materials that are not online, please call Cat Boyle.

Reminders are sent via the weekly Sunday School Reminder email and monthly CYRE newsletter. Sign up to get them: https://www.uucpa.org/learning/children-and-youth/newsletter/.  If you didn’t get it, please email cyrecommittee@uucpa.org to request the link for your child’s class.  

 

 


Adult OWLAdult OWL

04/07/2024, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Room 10 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

ALJ is proud to present Adult OWL starting this fall with Eric Bier and Lynn Grant, both trained OWL facilitators.
The program seeks to help participants achieve greater understanding of themselves and others as whole persons in the context of their sexual being. The values of the program include Self-Worth, Sexual Health, Responsibility, and Justice and Inclusivity. Workshops will include a variety of activities and discussion on topics such as Sexuality and Values, Communication, Spirituality, the Sexual Self and Other, Sexual Diversity, Kink, and many others. The curriculum is sex-positive, inclusive, and upholds the concept that healthy sexuality is a fundamental part of the human experience.
Adult OWL will meet Sunday mornings 11:30-12:30 approximately 2x/month Oct-Apr, currently scheduled on these dates (note some dates in January and April may be subject to change):
  • Sunday, October 15, 11:30-12:30
  • Sunday, October 29
  • Sunday, November 12
  • Sunday, December 3
  • Sunday, December 17
  • Sunday, January 7
  • Sunday, January 28
  • Sunday, February 4
  • Sunday, February 25
  • Sunday, March 3
  • Sunday, March 17
  • Sunday April 7
To join the class, email aljclasses@uucpa.org.
We hope you take part in this rich and life-affirming program.

Senior High Youth Group – SHYG

04/07/2024, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Senior High Youth Group (grades 9-12) or SHYG — Teenagers in high school are welcome to join SHYG for fun and community-building, learning, worship, leadership development, and social action. SHYG meets most Sunday evenings at church., from Sept. through May.  Please join to get the latest schedule.

Join the SHYG Slack channel to get meeting info. Contact Rev. Cat revcat@uucpa.org to request membership.


Sunday School for children and youth preK through grade 8

04/14/2024, 10:15 am - 11:30 am UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Because we believe in learning by doing, a most important part of our religious education is participation, with all ages, in the first part of regular worship services. Then during Sunday school, young people learn and play with people their own age. Feel free to ask Sunday school teachers what they did this week. If you would like to review curriculum materials that are not online, please call Cat Boyle.

Reminders are sent via the weekly Sunday School Reminder email and monthly CYRE newsletter. Sign up to get them: https://www.uucpa.org/learning/children-and-youth/newsletter/.  If you didn’t get it, please email cyrecommittee@uucpa.org to request the link for your child’s class.  

 

 


Senior High Youth Group – SHYG

04/14/2024, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Senior High Youth Group (grades 9-12) or SHYG — Teenagers in high school are welcome to join SHYG for fun and community-building, learning, worship, leadership development, and social action. SHYG meets most Sunday evenings at church., from Sept. through May.  Please join to get the latest schedule.

Join the SHYG Slack channel to get meeting info. Contact Rev. Cat revcat@uucpa.org to request membership.


Upcoming Adult Classes

Turning Loneliness Around

03/22/2024, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

You’ve probably read about the epidemic of loneliness, the increase in social isolation, and the health effects of unwanted solitude (as opposed to alone time that one chooses and enjoys). Join Amy and members of the UUCPA Caring Network in an hour-long session on what actually helps if you or the people you encounter are lonely.

You are welcome to attend either online or in person (room will be posted here shortly).

Zoom link

Meeting ID: 250 109 6676
Passcode: ministry

More Zoom details follow.

Photo by Warren on Unsplash

 


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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbPBsmJVxH

 

Adult OWLAdult OWL

04/07/2024, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Room 10 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

ALJ is proud to present Adult OWL starting this fall with Eric Bier and Lynn Grant, both trained OWL facilitators.
The program seeks to help participants achieve greater understanding of themselves and others as whole persons in the context of their sexual being. The values of the program include Self-Worth, Sexual Health, Responsibility, and Justice and Inclusivity. Workshops will include a variety of activities and discussion on topics such as Sexuality and Values, Communication, Spirituality, the Sexual Self and Other, Sexual Diversity, Kink, and many others. The curriculum is sex-positive, inclusive, and upholds the concept that healthy sexuality is a fundamental part of the human experience.
Adult OWL will meet Sunday mornings 11:30-12:30 approximately 2x/month Oct-Apr, currently scheduled on these dates (note some dates in January and April may be subject to change):
  • Sunday, October 15, 11:30-12:30
  • Sunday, October 29
  • Sunday, November 12
  • Sunday, December 3
  • Sunday, December 17
  • Sunday, January 7
  • Sunday, January 28
  • Sunday, February 4
  • Sunday, February 25
  • Sunday, March 3
  • Sunday, March 17
  • Sunday April 7
To join the class, email aljclasses@uucpa.org.
We hope you take part in this rich and life-affirming program.

ALJ Class: Getting to Know PRIDEnet: Accelerating LGBTQIA+ Health Research

04/28/2024, 11:45 am - 1:15 pm Fireside Room (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Getting to Know PRIDEnet: Accelerating LGBTQIA+ Health Research
Sunday, April 28, 2024, 11:45 AM–1:15 PM; Fireside Room (Hybrid)

This presentation will share more about PRIDEnet, a network of individuals and organizations dedicated to catalyzing LGBTQIA+ health research. We will introduce attendees to PRIDEnet’s history, our collaborating partners, and our work engaging LGBTQIA+ people around health research and infusing community input into the research process. This presentation will include insights into the two major research endeavors that PRIDEnet provides community engagement for, The PRIDE Study and the All of Us Research Program.

About the Presenter: Astrid Herrera (she/they) is Clinical Research Coordinator at PRIDEnet, based out of Stanford Medicine. Astrid works alongside other PRIDEnet clinical research coordinators to conduct enrollment and retention for the All of Us Research Program and provides participant and research dissemination support on The PRIDE Study.

Fourth Sunday Brunch Food will be available after service. Suggested contribution $2.

Childcare is available.

Upcoming Music

By Your Side Singers (3rd Wednesdays)

03/20/2024, 7:30 pm - 8:45 pm Room 4/5 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

You are welcome to sing with the By Your Side Singers, the 1st Wed of the month June – Aug, the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays during the rest of the year.


Choir rehearsal

03/21/2024, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Main Hall (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Sing with the choir!


Sacred Harp Shape Note Singing

03/24/2024, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm McFadden Patio (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Join the democratic and inclusive American song tradition of Sacred Harp music, one of the oldest ongoing music traditions in the United States. Rolling Stone magazine talks about “the soaring magnificence of Sacred Harp.” National Public Radio calls it “full-body singing,” and radio station KALW says it’s a “communal experience.” Come find out for yourself. Beginners are always welcome, and loaner books are available.

Dates:               2nd & 4th Sunday every month

Time:                 1-3 pm

Location:         McFadden Courtyard

Facilitator:       Palo Alto Sacred Harp singers

Contact:           Lorraine Kostka (sacredharp@uucpa.org)

Registration:   Not required

Sacred-Harp Singing


Choir rehearsal

03/28/2024, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Main Hall (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Sing with the choir!


Harmonic Circle

03/31/2024, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Room 4-5 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

We meet on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of each month at UUCPA, usually from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. We meet on the McFadden patio in the warmer months, in rooms 4-5 when it is cold or windy.
Generally we sit in a circle and sing together. We go around the circle and take turns leading songs. We have a binder of lead sheets for over 200 songs. Most of the selections are folks songs, but we also sing rock n roll, popular, jazz, and other genres. Participants are invited to bring musical instruments as well. Participants have been known to bring a guitar, banjo, harmonica, clarinet, tambourine, and electronic keyboard for example. Our songbook is also online for those who would like to practice between meetings.
Come and join us!

Upcoming Newcomer/Visitor Events

Newcomers’ Tea with Amy

03/24/2024, 11:45 am - 12:30 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Tea is back!


Harmonic Circle

03/31/2024, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Room 4-5 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

We meet on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of each month at UUCPA, usually from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. We meet on the McFadden patio in the warmer months, in rooms 4-5 when it is cold or windy.
Generally we sit in a circle and sing together. We go around the circle and take turns leading songs. We have a binder of lead sheets for over 200 songs. Most of the selections are folks songs, but we also sing rock n roll, popular, jazz, and other genres. Participants are invited to bring musical instruments as well. Participants have been known to bring a guitar, banjo, harmonica, clarinet, tambourine, and electronic keyboard for example. Our songbook is also online for those who would like to practice between meetings.
Come and join us!

Harmonic Circle

06/30/2024, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Room 4-5 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

We meet on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of each month at UUCPA, usually from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. We meet on the McFadden patio in the warmer months, in rooms 4-5 when it is cold or windy.
Generally we sit in a circle and sing together. We go around the circle and take turns leading songs. We have a binder of lead sheets for over 200 songs. Most of the selections are folks songs, but we also sing rock n roll, popular, jazz, and other genres. Participants are invited to bring musical instruments as well. Participants have been known to bring a guitar, banjo, harmonica, clarinet, tambourine, and electronic keyboard for example. Our songbook is also online for those who would like to practice between meetings.
Come and join us!

Harmonic Circle

09/29/2024, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Room 4-5 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

We meet on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of each month at UUCPA, usually from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. We meet on the McFadden patio in the warmer months, in rooms 4-5 when it is cold or windy.
Generally we sit in a circle and sing together. We go around the circle and take turns leading songs. We have a binder of lead sheets for over 200 songs. Most of the selections are folks songs, but we also sing rock n roll, popular, jazz, and other genres. Participants are invited to bring musical instruments as well. Participants have been known to bring a guitar, banjo, harmonica, clarinet, tambourine, and electronic keyboard for example. Our songbook is also online for those who would like to practice between meetings.
Come and join us!

Harmonic Circle

12/29/2024, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Room 4-5 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

We meet on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of each month at UUCPA, usually from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. We meet on the McFadden patio in the warmer months, in rooms 4-5 when it is cold or windy.
Generally we sit in a circle and sing together. We go around the circle and take turns leading songs. We have a binder of lead sheets for over 200 songs. Most of the selections are folks songs, but we also sing rock n roll, popular, jazz, and other genres. Participants are invited to bring musical instruments as well. Participants have been known to bring a guitar, banjo, harmonica, clarinet, tambourine, and electronic keyboard for example. Our songbook is also online for those who would like to practice between meetings.
Come and join us!

Upcoming Group Meetings/Gatherings

Sacred Text Reading Group (Wed.)

Make pain go away - Chödrön

03/20/2024, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

A twice-weekly online sacred text reading group. We meet on Saturdays, 4-5, and on Wednesdays, 12-1. All are wide open and you are welcome! Please note that the Zoom room now requires a password, so please drop an e-mail to sacred-text-reading+owner@uucpa.org to express interest.

What do we mean by a sacred text? Any text that helps us to:

  • connect to something of supreme importance to us
  • feel more connected to other beings or to the universe
  • feel more intensely alive
  • align our lives with our values,
  • perceive or feel more deeply
  • be more fully and authentically ourselves.

As Unitarian Universalists, we find these kinds of meanings everywhere, so the text itself might be from a so-called secular source, or from a religious canon, or something in-between.

The participants over the years have found that the approach we take, and the respectful, affectionate community of inquirers in which we read and converse, are as important as the text. Our practice usually follows one of these versions of Lectio Divina. The aims of the sessions are educational (learning something about the texts and traditions), spiritual/moral (discovering what the texts ask of us), and community-building (getting to know each other better).

The facilitator will post a version of the text in the chat for all to see. Everyone is welcome, as are your suggestions of future texts. Group members also take turns facilitating, if they want to try that role.

On Wednesday, March 20, 2024, our text will be
We are not striving to make pain go away or to become a better person. In fact, we are giving up control all together and letting concepts and ideals fall apart. This starts with realizing that whatever occurs is neither the beginning nor the end. It is just the same kind of normal human experience that’s been happening to everyday people from the beginning of time. –Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart

For check-in / getting-acquainted time, and for those who are new and want a brief orientation to the practice, the room will be open ten minutes before and ten minutes after the session.

How to join: First, e-mail sacred-text-reading+owner@uucpa.org, since you will need a password. Then:

  • Join this class from your Web browser: https://zoom.us/j/96865808923
  • Join this class using the Zoom app: Meeting ID: 968 6580 8923
  • Join this class by phone: +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 968 6580 8923
  • Join this class by one-tap on mobile phones: +16699006833,,96865808923#  (San Jose)
  • Phoning in, but not in the Bay Area?  Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abL8clvIYT

This is the Zoom link for Wednesdays. For the Zoom link for Saturday, go to Calendar and click on a Saturday session.

Sci-Fi / Fantasy Discussion GroupSci-Fi / Fantasy Discussion Group

Piranesi -- novel by Susannah Clarke

03/20/2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

In March we’ll discuss the novel Piranesi,  by Susannah Clarke.

From Amazon:
“Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.”

At the end of the meeting, we will choose a book for our May meeting.

The Sci-Fi and Fantasy Discussion Group was meeting via Zoom before it was cool! Lovers of science fiction and fantasy, at UUCPA and beyond, have been getting together online to talk about books, movies, and television episodes chosen by the group, every other month since early 2019. Past books include The Broken Earth Trilogy (N. K. Jemisin), The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert Heinlein), Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler), The Left Hand of Darkness (Ursula K. Le Guin), Red Moon (Kim Stanley Robinson); past television and movies include Arrival, Blink (Doctor Who), Serenity and The Train Job (Firefly), and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

The meeting method: via Zoom, 7-8:30 p.m.

  • Dates: Third Wednesdays, except for December and summer
  • Time: 7-8:30 pm
  • Location: Online
  • Facilitator: Jane Chronis (scifi+owner@uucpa.org)
  • Registration: Not required

Join the meeting via Zoom:

  • This link OR
  • Meeting ID: 957 4631 3990
  • Passcode: 688198
  • One tap mobile
    • +16694449171,,95746313990#,,,,*688198# US
    • +16699006833,,95746313990#,,,,*688198# US (San Jose)

Find other upcoming dates on the web page.

Saturday MeditationSaturday Meditation

03/23/2024, 9:00 am - 10:30 am (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

The Saturday morning meditation group welcomes all to join us on Zoom for meditation and conversation. Meditation time begins promptly at 9:10 and lasts for 40 minutes, including several short readings. Next, we share tea and conversation, talking about what is important to us in the moment – perhaps our response to the readings or something that is going on in our lives.

  • Dates: Every Saturday
  • Time: 9:10 – 10:00 am
  • Location: Online
  • Facilitator: Leadership is shared and rotates weekly
  • Contact: The Zoom link is available from Susan Owicki – email susanowicki@uucpa.org by 9:00 pm on Friday.

Come Meditate with Us!

Sacred Text Reading Group (Saturday)Sacred Text Reading Group (Saturday)

Sacred meanings - Gross

03/23/2024, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

A twice-weekly online sacred text reading group. We meet on Saturdays, 4-5, and on Wednesdays, 12-1. All are wide open and you are welcome! Please note that the Zoom room now requires a password, so please drop an e-mail to sacred-text-reading+owner@uucpa.org to express interest.

 

What do we mean by a sacred text? Any text that helps us to:

  • connect to something of supreme importance to us
  • feel more connected to other beings or to the universe
  • feel more intensely alive
  • align our lives with our values,
  • perceive or feel more deeply
  • be more fully and authentically ourselves.

As Unitarian Universalists, we find these kinds of meanings everywhere, so the text itself might be from a so-called secular source, or from a religious canon, or something in-between.

The participants over the years have found that the approach we take, and the respectful, affectionate community of inquirers in which we read and converse, are as important as the text. Our practice usually follows one of these versions of Lectio Divina. The aims of the sessions are educational (learning something about the texts and traditions), spiritual/moral (discovering what the texts ask of us), and community-building (getting to know each other better).

The facilitator will post a version of the text in the chat for all to see. Everyone is welcome, as are your suggestions of future texts. Group members also take turns facilitating, if they want to try that role.

On Saturday, March 23, 2024, our text will be…

For many Westerners, “truth” is highly valued but is also limited to what is empirical. But demanding that sacred narratives be literally “true” is a losing proposition. When people focus too much on the empirical truth or falsity of the story, its sacred meanings, which should be the main point of the story, are lost.
— Rita M. Gross

To have check-in time, or if you are new and would like a brief orientation, arrive ten minutes early. And all are welcome to stay ten minutes after as well, for more getting-acquainted time.

How to join: First, e-mail sacred-text-reading+owner@uucpa.org, since you will need a password. Then:

  • Join this class from your Web browser:https://zoom.us/j/91019857324
  • Join this class using the Zoom app: Meeting ID: 910 1985 7324
  • Join this class by phone: 669 900 9128 US (San Jose), Meeting ID: 910 1985 7324
  • Join this class by on-tap on mobile phones: +16699009128,,91019857324# US (San Jose)
  • Phoning in, but not in the bay area?  Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abL8clvIYT

For the Wednesday Zoom link, go to the Calendar and click on a Wednesday session.

Gardening @ UUCPAGardening @ UUCPA

03/25/2024, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Every Monday our garden volunteers maintain our beautiful and educational native garden, whether it’s planting, pruning, weeding or other tasks. Bring your own gloves and weeding tools if you have them.

Please email garden@uucpa.org if you have any questions.

Sacred Text Reading Group (Wed.)

There’s a holiness - Robinson

03/27/2024, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

A twice-weekly online sacred text reading group. We meet on Saturdays, 4-5, and on Wednesdays, 12-1. All are wide open and you are welcome! Please note that the Zoom room now requires a password, so please drop an e-mail to sacred-text-reading+owner@uucpa.org to express interest.

What do we mean by a sacred text? Any text that helps us to:

  • connect to something of supreme importance to us
  • feel more connected to other beings or to the universe
  • feel more intensely alive
  • align our lives with our values,
  • perceive or feel more deeply
  • be more fully and authentically ourselves.

As Unitarian Universalists, we find these kinds of meanings everywhere, so the text itself might be from a so-called secular source, or from a religious canon, or something in-between.

The participants over the years have found that the approach we take, and the respectful, affectionate community of inquirers in which we read and converse, are as important as the text. Our practice usually follows one of these versions of Lectio Divina. The aims of the sessions are educational (learning something about the texts and traditions), spiritual/moral (discovering what the texts ask of us), and community-building (getting to know each other better).

The facilitator will post a version of the text in the chat for all to see. Everyone is welcome, as are your suggestions of future texts. Group members also take turns facilitating, if they want to try that role.

On Wednesday, March 27, 2024, our text will be
There’s a holiness in the fact that people are living in the world in a way that makes them feel that the world is addressed to them. –Marilynne Robinson

For check-in / getting-acquainted time, and for those who are new and want a brief orientation to the practice, the room will be open ten minutes before and ten minutes after the session.

How to join: First, e-mail sacred-text-reading+owner@uucpa.org, since you will need a password. Then:

  • Join this class from your Web browser: https://zoom.us/j/96865808923
  • Join this class using the Zoom app: Meeting ID: 968 6580 8923
  • Join this class by phone: +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 968 6580 8923
  • Join this class by one-tap on mobile phones: +16699006833,,96865808923#  (San Jose)
  • Phoning in, but not in the Bay Area?  Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abL8clvIYT

This is the Zoom link for Wednesdays. For the Zoom link for Saturday, go to Calendar and click on a Saturday session.

Saturday MeditationSaturday Meditation

03/30/2024, 9:00 am - 10:30 am (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

The Saturday morning meditation group welcomes all to join us on Zoom for meditation and conversation. Meditation time begins promptly at 9:10 and lasts for 40 minutes, including several short readings. Next, we share tea and conversation, talking about what is important to us in the moment – perhaps our response to the readings or something that is going on in our lives.

  • Dates: Every Saturday
  • Time: 9:10 – 10:00 am
  • Location: Online
  • Facilitator: Leadership is shared and rotates weekly
  • Contact: The Zoom link is available from Susan Owicki – email susanowicki@uucpa.org by 9:00 pm on Friday.

Come Meditate with Us!

Sacred Text Reading Group (Saturday)Sacred Text Reading Group (Saturday)

03/30/2024, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

A twice-weekly online sacred text reading group. We meet on Saturdays, 4-5, and on Wednesdays, 12-1. All are wide open and you are welcome! Please note that the Zoom room now requires a password, so please drop an e-mail to sacred-text-reading+owner@uucpa.org to express interest.

 

What do we mean by a sacred text? Any text that helps us to:

  • connect to something of supreme importance to us
  • feel more connected to other beings or to the universe
  • feel more intensely alive
  • align our lives with our values,
  • perceive or feel more deeply
  • be more fully and authentically ourselves.

As Unitarian Universalists, we find these kinds of meanings everywhere, so the text itself might be from a so-called secular source, or from a religious canon, or something in-between.

The participants over the years have found that the approach we take, and the respectful, affectionate community of inquirers in which we read and converse, are as important as the text. Our practice usually follows one of these versions of Lectio Divina. The aims of the sessions are educational (learning something about the texts and traditions), spiritual/moral (discovering what the texts ask of us), and community-building (getting to know each other better).

The facilitator will post a version of the text in the chat for all to see. Everyone is welcome, as are your suggestions of future texts. Group members also take turns facilitating, if they want to try that role.

 

To have check-in time, or if you are new and would like a brief orientation, arrive ten minutes early. And all are welcome to stay ten minutes after as well, for more getting-acquainted time.

How to join: First, e-mail sacred-text-reading+owner@uucpa.org, since you will need a password. Then:

  • Join this class from your Web browser:https://zoom.us/j/91019857324
  • Join this class using the Zoom app: Meeting ID: 910 1985 7324
  • Join this class by phone: 669 900 9128 US (San Jose), Meeting ID: 910 1985 7324
  • Join this class by on-tap on mobile phones: +16699009128,,91019857324# US (San Jose)
  • Phoning in, but not in the bay area?  Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abL8clvIYT

For the Wednesday Zoom link, go to the Calendar and click on a Wednesday session.

Gardening @ UUCPAGardening @ UUCPA

04/01/2024, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Every Monday our garden volunteers maintain our beautiful and educational native garden, whether it’s planting, pruning, weeding or other tasks. Bring your own gloves and weeding tools if you have them.

Please email garden@uucpa.org if you have any questions.

Brown Bag BooksBrown Bag Books

04/02/2024, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

The Brown Bag Books group meets year-round, except in July and August. Many attendees bring their lunches, and everyone brings a sense of humor. Monthly sessions are always lively and enjoyable.

Books chosen by the group for discussion are usually listed in the Order of Service and the Weekly Update, as well as on the UUCPA website.

  • Contact:           Hannah Slocum (brown-bag-books+owner@uucpa.org)
  • Facilitator:       Various participants
  • Registration:   Not required

Upcoming Justice Projects/Events

Pilgrimage to the Border – House Build

04/04/2024 - 04/07/2024, All Day (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

This immersive justice-making opportunity, “Building Homes, Creating Community,” is created by the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of California (UUJMCA). Please go here for details.

Build October 2015
Build October 2015, photo credit Casas de Luz


Upcoming Special Events

AUTHENTIC SELVES, a traveling photo-text exhibitAUTHENTIC SELVES, a traveling photo-text exhibit

03/31/2024, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto proudly welcomes AUTHENTIC SELVES, a traveling photo-text exhibit from Family Diversity Projects. The exhibit will be open to the public from 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. on three Sundays: March 31, April 7, and April 14, 2024.

Groundbreaking in its depictions of joy and community, AUTHENTIC SELVES celebrates trans and nonbinary people and their families in stunning photographs and their own words.

So often trans and nonbinary people’s stories are told only through the lens of their struggles and challenges, including their political battles for legal rights, but trans and nonbinary people live rich and fulfilling lives full of joy and community too.

Authentic Selves is a sweeping compilation of life stories and portraits of trans and nonbinary people, as well as their partners, parents, children, siblings, and chosen family members.

Admission is FREE. Voluntary donations will support Family Diversity Projects—learn more about Family Diversity Projects here.

We welcome you to visit this joyful exhibition.


AUTHENTIC SELVES, a traveling photo-text exhibitAUTHENTIC SELVES, a traveling photo-text exhibit

04/07/2024, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto proudly welcomes AUTHENTIC SELVES, a traveling photo-text exhibit from Family Diversity Projects. The exhibit will be open to the public from 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. on three Sundays: March 31, April 7, and April 14, 2024.

Groundbreaking in its depictions of joy and community, AUTHENTIC SELVES celebrates trans and nonbinary people and their families in stunning photographs and their own words.

So often trans and nonbinary people’s stories are told only through the lens of their struggles and challenges, including their political battles for legal rights, but trans and nonbinary people live rich and fulfilling lives full of joy and community too.

Authentic Selves is a sweeping compilation of life stories and portraits of trans and nonbinary people, as well as their partners, parents, children, siblings, and chosen family members.

Admission is FREE. Voluntary donations will support Family Diversity Projects—learn more about Family Diversity Projects here.

We welcome you to visit this joyful exhibition.


UUCPA Budget Town Hall Meeting

04/07/2024, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Fireside Room (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Please join members of the Board of Trustees and the Finance Committee for a Budget Town Hall meeting.

During this meeting, the Finance Committee will share the UUCPA’s proposed 2024-2025 Budget. The Finance Committee and members of the Board will be available to answer detailed questions regarding the proposed Budget in anticipation of its formal submittal for approval before the entire congregation at the April 21st Annual Meeting.

Please join us for this very important meeting!  We look forward to your questions and comments

The meeting will be held both in person and online.  Online details to be shared closer to the date.

Growing Natives Garden Tour

04/13/2024, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

AUTHENTIC SELVES, a traveling photo-text exhibitAUTHENTIC SELVES, a traveling photo-text exhibit

04/14/2024, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto proudly welcomes AUTHENTIC SELVES, a traveling photo-text exhibit from Family Diversity Projects. The exhibit will be open to the public from 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. on three Sundays: March 31, April 7, and April 14, 2024.

Groundbreaking in its depictions of joy and community, AUTHENTIC SELVES celebrates trans and nonbinary people and their families in stunning photographs and their own words.

So often trans and nonbinary people’s stories are told only through the lens of their struggles and challenges, including their political battles for legal rights, but trans and nonbinary people live rich and fulfilling lives full of joy and community too.

Authentic Selves is a sweeping compilation of life stories and portraits of trans and nonbinary people, as well as their partners, parents, children, siblings, and chosen family members.

Admission is FREE. Voluntary donations will support Family Diversity Projects—learn more about Family Diversity Projects here.

We welcome you to visit this joyful exhibition.


2024 Annual Meeting

04/21/2024, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

The Annual Meeting of the Congregation is on Sunday, April 21, 2024, done in hybrid.

You must be a member who has been affirmed by the Board of Trustees 30 days before the meeting and must have made a contribution of record during the past 12 calendar months to be eligible to vote.

If you are unable to make it in-person or on Zoom, you may vote by absentee ballot for nominees only or name a proxy. Members eligible to vote will receive a Zoom link within the week of the meeting.

Nominees

For the Board of Trustees:

  • tba

For the Nominations Committee:

  • tba

For 2024 UUA General Assembly Delegates:

  • tba

Upcoming Holiday Events

Nothing scheduled at this time.

Upcoming Non-UUCPA Events

Pilgrimage to the Border – House Build

04/04/2024 - 04/07/2024, All Day (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

This immersive justice-making opportunity, “Building Homes, Creating Community,” is created by the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of California (UUJMCA). Please go here for details.

Build October 2015
Build October 2015, photo credit Casas de Luz


UUA Pacific Western Regional AssemblyUUA Pacific Western Regional Assembly

04/19/2024 - 04/20/2024, 6:00 pm - 5:00 pm First Universalist Church of Denver, CO (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

Connect with other UUs in the Pacific Western Region.  Our 4th Regional Assembly will be held in Denver on April 19 and 20, at the beautiful First Universalist Church.  You can attend either in person or online. The keynote address will feature a conversation between our UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt and the new President of the United Church of Christ, Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson.   There will be inspirational worship, workshops, and a craft room.  There will be a reception on Friday evening.  We will also host a continental breakfast and catered lunch on Saturday. This is a family-friendly event, with childcare.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Courtyard Marriot Hotel Cherry Creek.  Sign up for no-host dinner groups on Saturday evening to continue the conversations. We hope to connect with you at RA! Register Today at: https://www.uua.org/pacific-western/calendar/pwr-uua/pwr-threads-connect-stories-inspire


UPLIFT Trans/Nonbinary+ Pastoral Small Group

05/10/2024, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)

What is the Nonbinary Trans Flag and Meaning Behind Its Colors?

This is a closed event specifically for trans/nonbinary+ people. Anyone who is trans, nonbinary, metagender, multigender, genderfluid, agender, demigender, genderqueer, and otherwise not wholly or entirely cis is welcome to attend.

You do not have to be UU to attend, as long as you are comfortable with this space having a UU flavor/focus.

This pastoral small group is for ages 18 and older. Note: anyone who is a legal adult but is enrolled in high school and/or their congregation’s youth group is asked to attend the youth space.

UPLIFT is a program of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Please sign up here to let them know if you’re interested in learning about the pastoral small group for adults, which meets on the second Friday of each month at 5 pm Pacific. If you can’t make it to the next one, please still fill out this form to share your ideas and so they can stay in touch about future meetings!