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Mission Peak UU – Fremont, CA
The Home of Liberal Religion in the Tri-Cities and Beyond!
October 2, 2019
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Hi Everyone,
My name is Melissa Holmes (pronouns – she, her, hers) and I am on the Board as Treasurer this year. I am also the Chair of the Stewardship Committee, and I am one of the members of the Negotiating Team as part of the Settled Minister search process. I guess all that goes to say that I like numbers and I’m fairly comfortable talking about money.
As Treasurer I’m returning to the Board after a year break; previously I was on the Board for six years, including one year as President. My primary job, other than working with other Board members on the goals and activities of the Congregation, is to make sure that all the money stuff in the Congregation is working. This year the Board created an Assistant Treasurer position which Drew Wilson holds. As the previous Treasurer Drew has lots of knowledge about the inner workings of the Treasurer position and I really appreciate that he stayed on to help with the Treasurer tasks. We make sure that staff gets paid, all the bills are paid, and that reimbursements are paid out to people in the Congregation. We also take care of things like converting stock pledge donations into cash (if you want to pay your pledge using stock or just donate stock to Mission Peak please talk to me or Drew). I also will help to plan the yearly Congregational budget in the spring.
The Stewardship Committee is the committee that works on money and financial planning for the Congregation. We just started talking about the plan for Canvass, our yearly pledge drive in the spring that solicits financial pledges from members and friends for the upcoming church fiscal year. We are looking into how we can have members make Mission Peak part of their Will or Estate Planning process, and we want to solidify the process for new members to make a financial pledge to Mission Peak.
We are looking for people to help with all of this too! If you would like to be on the Stewardship Committee, or would like to help organize Canvass, or if you are willing be an extra helper on special projects that might come up, please let me know! We need help with activities where you get to talk about money for Mission Peak and we have opportunities for people who would prefer not to discuss dollars and cents. If either of these options sounds like you, please talk to me!
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St. Francis of Assisi in the Catholic tradition is the patron saint for ecologists, known for his love of animals and nature. His feast day is October 4 and in the Unitarian Universalist tradition, we honor his intent and dedication to the earth in God’s name. We will have an outdoor service this day and all are welcome to bring their animals, a picture of them or can name them during the service. It is a blessing to have our animal friends in our lives.
Rev. Jo Green will lead the service and assisting will be Worship Associate Mark Rahman. Peak Performers will provide our music
Rev Jo Green will be on vacation out of town from Oct 19-23. Please contact the below officers for any immediate needs.
For Pastoral Care contact Rev. Barbara Meyers, bfkmeyers@gmail.com
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Small Discussion Groups with your Search Team
Your Ministerial Search Team will be holding several small discussion groups in order to find out more of your thoughts about Mission Peak UU Congregation and our search for a new settled minister. We are representing you, and we need to hear your voices! These groups are being held at a variety of times and locations, so we hope you can find one that works for you!
Please see Tiffany Longfield on Sunday, October 6th after the service to sign up. Currently, we have meetings scheduled for 10/13 and 10/20 from 11:30-1:30 PM in Cole Hall after the service, on 10/20 from 3-5 PM at the home of Allysson McDonald and Graham Bell, and on 10/26 from 7-9 PM at the home of Jen King and Melissa Holmes. We will schedule more if needed. If you are not able to reach Tiffany on 10/6, please email, text or call DeAnna Alm (
deannaalm7@gmail.com
, 510-388-0772) and we will find a date that works for you.
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On October 13th at 7 PM in Cole Hall, we will be privileged to host J Mase III who will be visiting in the Bay Area
Join us to listen to Mase share some excerpts from his book
And Then I Got Fired: One Transqueer’s Reflections on Grief, Unemployment and Inappropriate Jokes About Death along with poems he has written and a Question and Answer period with the author. Light refreshments will be available. This event is free and donations will be accepted.
J Mase III is a Black/trans/queer poet & educator based in Seattle by way of Philly. As an educator, Mase has worked with community members in the US, UK, and Canada on the needs of LGBTQIA+ folks in spaces such as K-12 schools, universities, faith communities and restricted care facilities. He is founder of awQward, the first trans and queer people of color talent agency.
His work has been featured on MSNBC, Essence Live, Everyday Feminism, Black Girl Dangerous, the New York Times, Buzzfeed, Blavity, the Root, the Huffington Post, TEDx and more.
J Mase is author of And Then I Got Fired: One Transqueer’s Reflections on Grief, Unemployment & Inappropriate Jokes About Death.
Currently, he is head writer for the theatrical production Black Bois and is co-editor of the #BlackTransPrayerBook.
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Fremont First United Methodist Church and LGBTQ
Our neighbors down the hill will be holding an informational session regarding the latest thinking on interpretation of biblical scripture that is many times used as justification for discrimination against the LGBTQ community. This will be a walkthrough and open discussion, with an eye towards a more inclusive interpretation, led by Pastor Hee Soon on Sunday Oct 13th, Rooms 7&8, directly following church services. We expect the event to last about an 60-90 minutes, and food will be provided.
They have invited interested members of Mission Peak UU to attend.
Questions – Contact Steve Wallcave
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CaYRE NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!!
The children and youth religious education program has been an integral part of the mission and vision of Mission Peak since the beginning. As we continue forward with that mission in the start of our Fall semester we are in dire need for volunteers to help provide continued education to the young people of our congregation. If you can lead or assist in the classroom, are willing to be on our substitute list, or even will to help us sort and organize supplies please contact Shawn Snavley our Interim DRE. We need all hands on deck to help provide safe and loving environment for our young people to grow!
All the Best,
Shawn
Interim Director of Religious Education
510-397-8758
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Mission Peak Wish List
New Computer for the office
Color Printer for the office
Wardrobe Cabinet
Please contact Rev. Jo or Sandra if you can help with these items for the office.
Thank you.
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Black & White Gala – November 2, 2019 – Mark Your Calendar
Our annual Black & White Gala will be Saturday, November 2 from 6:00-10:00pm. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year. It’s a great opportunity for you to dress up (if you’d like) and support Mission Peak by participating in our service auction, buying unique and handmade items at our boutique, and testing your luck by participating in our basket raffle. All while enjoying yummy sweet and savory snacks and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Please put the Black & White Gala on your calendar, invite friends, plan your outfit (our theme this year is Vintage Hollywood), and start thinking of items you can donate to the auction and make for the boutique. It will be a great event and a TON of fun, but we can’t do it without you!! Tickets are now on sale. Tickets are $25 each or you can reserve a table of eight for $200.
It’s also time to start figuring out what you can donate for the event. We need:
- Auction Items: Services only – no physical items. If you want to donate something, but don’t know what…ask Jen King and she’ll help you brainstorm ideas. The best idea is to offer to share what you enjoy doing!If you drive, offer transportation. If you garden, offer to beautify someones garden. If you like to bake, bake goodies for auction day or for a future date. If you like to cook, offer to cook a meal, deliver a meal, or share a meal. If you like picnics, offer to gather all the fixings for a dream picnic for 2. If you are good with hammer and nails, offer to help build or repair something. If you like to do a craft, offer to teach it to someone else or create a unique personalized item for someone.If you love kids, offer to babysit and give parents a much needed night out. If you have an eye for organizing, offer to help organize closets. If you own a truck, offer to haul stuff. If you love animals, offer to pet sit. If you have a talent, offer to share it. If you have a skill, offer to teach it.
- Items for the Boutique:- Homemade items – jewelry, knitted items, pottery, art, baked goods, bookmarks, stained glass, cross stitch, etc.
- Themed Baskets: You can shop and put together a themed basket or donate $$ for someone else to put together a basket. We also need volunteers to sell raffle tickets the night of the event.
- Sweet & Savory Snacks – We need both sweet and savory goodies donated for the buffet for the event. Items do not need to be homemade. Please sign-up to donate if you can.
- Beverages – We need donations of beer, wine, champagne, Martinellis, soda, etc. to serve at the event.
- Volunteers – We need lots and lots of volunteers for the day of the event.Sign-ups will be available every Sunday after services.
- Bidders & Buyers – Please plan to attend this fun event which provides not only finances for our congregation, but fellowship opportunities for the whole year. Please invite friends and family who you’d like to introduce to Mission Peak UU or who you believe would support our mission of inclusiveness and social justice. The more the merrier. Tickets are $25 each (although no one is turned away if the price of a ticket is a hardship). We will be selling tickets every Sunday after services.
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The Fellowship Committee Needs YOU!
Do you enjoy the social events we have at Mission Peak? Would you like to see more events? The Fellowship Committee needs more members. Many hands make light work, and we could use a few more hands. We meet around once a quarter and try to plan or support 2-3 events a quarter. Best of all we have a lot of fun together. If you’re interested in joining our ‘merry band’, please contact Jen King.
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WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!!
We NEED your help! Cole Hall does not magically transform into a special place for our services each Sunday. It requires a small army of volunteers. We’ve had a few ‘retirements’ lately and we have some spots to fill. PLEASE let Jen King know if you can fill in for any of the following:
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HELP!! We have NO ONE TO DO SETUP on the 2nd Sunday of each month and
NO ONE TO DO AESTHETICS for the 3rd Sunday of each month.
We also need people for the following:
Additional Set-up assistance for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Sundays of each month
Additional Greeter for the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month
Powerpoint Clickers & AV Technicians for many Sundays (We will train you! We
promise!)
Additional Take-down assistance for the 2nd Sunday of each month.
You can sign up on an ongoing basis for the Sunday’s indicated above by contacting Jen King, or you can sign up on and ad hoc basis by following this link:
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UU Justice Ministry of California presents
An all-day event connecting Unitarian Universalists, faith leaders, and climate justice activists in California. Programming will include faith-grounding, presentations/workshops from local organizations, regional strategy building, and opportunities for congregations/communities to share their efforts, struggles, and successes in community.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Hosted by the Mt. Diablo UU Church (Walnut Creek, CA)
For more information and to register click here:
SUPPORT OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO BOYCOTT
(UUA 2019 Action of Immediate Witness)
UUA defines Immediate Witness as “the public profession by word or deed of the convictions of an individual or group regarding a particular issue. Actions of Immediate Witness profess convictions grounded in Unitarian Universalism” and “requires immediate action to make an impact.”
For those who are willing and able:
Then UUA is distributing a
Petition in Support of Our First Amendment Right of Free Speech!
…We affirm our commitment to the constitutional right to free speech. We affirm that boycotts and divestment in support of human rights are free speech and are aligned with UU principles upholding democracy in human affairs and the right of conscience…
Copy of the full petition will be available after the worship service on Sunday for all those interested in signing.
You can also print and sign a copy to mail at
Upcoming Training for The Rapid Response Network to Help Protect Our Undocumented Neighbors From ICE
The next trainings in Santa Clara County are on these dates:
Monday, October 7, 7:00pm in a private home in West San Jose, register for address and details
Friday, October 18, 6-8pm, Sunnyvale Community Services, 725 Kifer Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Sunday, October 27, 2-4pm, Stone Church, 1108 Clark Way, San Jose, CA 95125
Please sign up for these trainings by sending email to
carols@sacredheartcs.org
– please give your name and email address and specify which training/s you wish to attend.
Annual Dinner for East Bay Sanctuary Covenant (EBSC) October 19
For September Share-the-Plate, Lisa Hoffman visited us and gave a moving account of EBSC’s work to support refugees in the Bay Area. EBSC runs a walk-in center and provides pro-bono legal services to refugees, with special programs to support LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors. EBSC has been lead plaintiff in several high-profile court cases defending asylum seekers at a federal level.
This month, EBSC is having its annual dinner, with appetizers, buffet, silent auction, and live music by Calle Ocho! Tickets are $50, but nobody will be turned away for lack of ability to pay:
Saturday, October 19
4:30 – 8 PM
St. John’s Presbyterian Church
2727 College Ave
Berkeley, CA
Write a Letter of Encouragement to Angel Benito
We have been contacted with an update on Angel Benito’s case from EBIIC, the East Bay Interfaith Immigration Coalition. They spoke with his mom Maricela today and unfortunately, Angel’s appeal was denied at the Board of Immigration Appeals and his family is now planning on moving the case to the 9th circuit court. Sadly, Angel has now been in detention for 2 years and he is crushed that this will still take more time to be resolved. Maricela shared that Angel is extremely depressed because he hasn’t seen his children during this time and the communication with them has become less. She asked if we could come together as a community once again and send Angel letters of encouragement and support. To read more about Angel’s story and for the instructions on writing him, see the
attached document.
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Turning Love Into Justice:
The Tri-City Interfaith Council (tcicouncil.weebly.com) is a grass-roots organization bringing together people of diverse religious beliefs from Fremont, Newark, and Union City (California). Rev. Jo Green, Rev. Barbara Meyers and Paul K. Davis are members. Join in!
Join the Interfaith council as we stand together for the
Call your Elected Officials!
Calls can make a difference! Contact your representatives to alert them to your views!
Congressperson Eric Swalwell 510-247-1388 or go to
house.gov
Senator Kamala Harris
(202) 224 – 3553
Senator Diane Feinstein (202) 224-3841
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Congressman Ro Khanna is hosting a 150th anniversary celebration of Mahatma Gandhi on Thursday, October 3, 2019 from 7 to 7:30 p.m. in Cupertino. The details are in the jpg below.
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Encourage Governor Newsom to SUPPORT Affordable Housing
The Legislature wrapped up their business for the year in the early morning hours on Saturday, and there are now more than a dozen Eden-supported affordable housing bills on Governor Newsom’s desk!
The governor has until October 13 to sign legislation, and Eden hopes he’ll support all of these much-needed bills-which will increase funding for affordable housing, accelerate local permitting for new affordable developments, offer new density “bonuses” to 100% affordable projects, and expand the inventory of surplus public land available for affordable development.
Please help California’s low-income families by sending a message of support to Governor Newsom.
COPY AND PASTE THIS SUGGESTED MESSAGE INTO THE GOVERNOR’S CONTACT FORM
HERE
I urge the governor to sign this year’s package of affordable housing legislation. With millions of Californians desperate for more affordable housing, these critical bills will increase funding for affordable development, accelerate local permitting for new affordable projects, allow denser affordable development near transit, and open more surplus public land to affordable housing.
Affordable housing is the foundation of a successful life: It allows families to care for each other, find jobs and go to work, and to live with dignity. I believe this year’s legislation will make important progress toward expanding access to affordable housing for the low-income Californians who need it most. I urge you to sign this critical legislation.
Thank you for being a housing advocate.
Sincerely,
Daniela Ogden
Vice President of Communications, Advocacy and Fund Development
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Pioneers Leadership Academy
Presents
Interview Skills Workshop for the Youth
The Springboard for Success
Is it better to learn the interview skills
before the interview, or after?
While many people go on interviews after interviews without realizing why they did not get a job, it is prudent to learn the interview skills before the interview. This will increase chance of success at getting the job while reducing the stress of job hunting, wasting energy, time and money. Pioneers Leadership Academy is the
springboard for success. We are pleased to offer this unique program so our youth can maximize their effectiveness and their chance of success while they save time, energy, and money.
The workshop is intended for the youth between 12 to 18 years old and will be offered in Fremont on every Friday starting October 11, 2019 to November 15, 2019 from 6 to 8 PM.
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Mystery Theater Tickets on sale at First Unitarian, San Jose
Please make plans now to attend the 10th annual Musical Mystery Comedy Show from the First Unitarian Titanic Players called, “A Show Within a Show”. These shows are always a lot of fun! The Comedy/Musical raises money to support the Santa Clara County Community organization PACT. There will be performances, on Sat Oct 5 & 12 at 7 PM with dinner for $25 and 2 Sunday matinees on Oct 6 & 13 at 2:30 for $15. Shows are in the Social Hall of First Unitarian Church, San Jose at 160 N 3rd St, San Jose.
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From Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity
Join us on Thursday, October 3rd from 10am-12pm at 630 Sansome St., SF to stand in solidarity with our beloved Cambodian community. There are two community members who will be checking in with ICE and it has been confirmed that they will be detained. We want our presence to serve as a reminder to ICE that no matter how much they try to continue tearing families apart, we will continue fighting against it. Please follow this
link for more details.
Finally, we still need a couple of people to accompany those checking in. Please contact me directly if you’re able to support or have any other questions.
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Mission Peak UU | 2950 Washington Blvd Fremont CA | 510.252.1477 | missionpeakuu.org
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