Sunday Services - 10:00 a.m.

December 3:   “Staying Joyful During the Holidaze!”   
Rev. Tom Owen-Towle
Given the hecticity and oft-dreariness of the season, come and learn how we Unitarian Universalists can sustain a spirit of joyfulness. Ed Davis will be our pianist.

December 10:   “The Year They Cancelled Christmas”   
Rev. Tom Owen-Towle  
I want to relate a story we rarely tell this time of the year. As our trees sparkle with cherished ornaments, children are giddy with delight, and spicy cookies bake in our ovens, it’s difficult to imagine a world with no holiday at all. But it happened. Alex Desiatkin will furnish our music. 

December 17:   “The Story of Hanukkah” 
Rev. Tom Owen-Towle
Under the direction of our Director of Religious Exploration, Connie Henry, our children will enact the sacred story of Hanukkah, a play written by Laura Preble. You won’t want to miss it. I will assist Connie, and Ed Henry will share music.

December 24:   One service at 5:00 p.m.  Our Intergenerational Canldelighting Service. With readings and songs, choral music and candlelighting…we will celebrate Christmas eve as an intergenerational beloved community. Nursery care provided.

December 31:   “The Story of Descansos”  
Carol Rawlins
Two of our high schoolers, Marissa Henry and Julia Shu, will grace us with their musical offerings.

January 7: “The Pursuit of Self-Care”  
Rev. Tom Owen-Towle
There is no finer resolve we can make nor gift we can deliver to the world than taking good care of our single, precious selves.  Carol Straubinger will be our pianist.

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Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship's
Building Dedication Ceremony
Jan. 13, 2007

Please reserve this Saturday your calendar for a very special celebration at Summit.

At 3:45 p.m. that day, the President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, Rev. William G. Sinkford, will join us in an official dedication ceremony of our new home. Come early to get a good seat. There are more than a thousand UU congregations in just the U.S. alone, and for this rock star of our faith to travel from Boston to Santee is a testament to his commitment to up-and-coming congregations like Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

Since his election as UUA president in 2001, Rev. Sinkford has become a prominent national spokesman for rational responses to threats to our security, our civil rights, our environment, and our very souls. Liberal? Actually, what could be more conservative than challenging unnecessary threats to fundamental individual rights in the guise of the USA-Patriot Act, or calling for concrete action to combat global warming? You won’t want to miss the words and the presence of our champion of civil liberties, tolerance, and Unitarian Universalism.

A large and growing team of Summit leaders is making the necessary preparations for a joyous and delicious dedication ceremony to remember always. The choir is busy practicing and children and youth in the RE program will play special roles. This will be an historic and happy moment in the life of our congregation, and we most want you to be a part of it. Joining you, Sinkford, our Summit Singers and children and youth, and a few special guests will be several speakers, including area community and religious leaders, our wise Pacific Southwest District representative Rev. Ken Brown, our beloved first minister Rev. Ned Wight, and our inspirational and indefatigable Interim Minister Rev. Tom Owen-Towle. But most of all, you made our new home and this celebration possible, and SUUF President Rex Graham will honor those among us to whom we are deeply and forever indebted for their generosity of time, effort, spirit, and more. The printed dedication program itself will be a keepsake and a touchstone.

Of course we will be celebrating more than our new home, and in the spirit of moving ever forward there will be a special collection for an in-reach priority and an out-reach project. Most importantly, the ceremony will be our chance to publicly affirm the courageous vitality of our beloved community and our Unitarian Universalist principles and purposes that have guided us in so many personal and institutional ways since our founding more than 18 years ago.

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WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO IN CHILDREN’S R.E.:
November was a month of varied activities, with children learning about Beatrix Potter, Theodore Parker, first aid, making string figure chalices, and preparing a prayer beads bracelets presentation for Summit’s elders. Our high school group has been working its way through “Living in UU Ville.” Using twenty-sided dice and characteristics charts (that include citizenship status, ancestry, economic status, age, occupation, physical/learning/emotional challenges, skills, hobbies and charisma levels), they take on new personas every two weeks. In these roles, they apply UU principles to real life issues and problems of society.

Humpty Dumpty’s been put together again…

The R.E. wing is back in business following the flood repairs. Thanks very much to Lamar Rogers, Wendell Rawlins and John McQuaide for their efforts! Thanks also to our flexible Sunday school teachers who worked with our classes in the office wing while R.E. was inaccessible.

We need photos of Summitarians (all ages) at work and at play for a paper wall quilt in the R.E. wing that will highlight the UU children’s affirmation. The photos will be glued, so won’t be returnable. Please bring them to the marked box on the R.E. piano. Thanks!

. . . and service be our prayer:

• Guest at Your Table: Boxes are available in the lobby if you didn’t get one at the November 19 service. More than 700 UU congregations join the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee in this project, collecting money which will be used to advance human rights in the United States and around the world.
• Auction workers: We greatly appreciate the able assistance provided the night of the service auction by Daniel Bernstein, Mallory Orr, Mallory’s friend Annie, Keegan Myles, Julia Shu and Marissa Henry.
• UU Kids Can: Please continue to bring your recyclable cans and stash them in the new marked container in the R.E. activity area. Thanks!
• MANY THANKS to our November volunteers: Elizabeth Braymen, Ed Henry, Mark Wheeler, Diane Slagle, Teresa Palombo, Susan Goodrich, Mary Braunwarth, Melissa Moore, Roberta Osuyos, Jack Slagle and Deena Tuttle.
  

Connie Henry, D.R.E.  
(619) 460-4794 / conniehenry@cox.net
Welcome to The Bulletin Board!_____________________________________________________________
 

Notices:

• Meditation/prayer: We will have a meditation/prayer session from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. each Sunday morning before the service begins.  And Wednesday Mornings At 8:30

• Hiking Summitarians!  The weather is once again favorable to getting out and about.  For those interested in hiking to the summit of Cowles Mountain, meet in the parking lot at Navajo Rd. and Golfcrest on Wed. mornings at 8:30 a.m.

• Christmas Eve
  Sunday, December 24, 2006
  Intergenerational Candlelighting Service
  Only one service, 5 p.m.

• New Year’s Eve
  Sunday, December 31, 2006
  Regular morning service at 10:00 a.m.

• The Honoring/Memorial Fund: This Fund has been established to accept contributions to celebrate moments in our lives such as weddings and to commemorate deaths of loved ones.  Rod and Barbara Orth started this fund and they are hoping it becomes a tradition. For more info, contact the Summit office at 619-562-0833.

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Social Action Corner: "Service Is Our Prayer"

Our Social Action Sunday kick-off of the Unitarian-Universalist Service Committee’s Guest-At-Your-Table program was a great success. Our kids handed out our complete supply of boxes to supportive Summitarians.

• Helping Others In East County: Sharon Hummel, a Case Manager with the Crisis House Domestic Violence Transitional Housing Program, says “Thank you, Summit!” for the $763 worth of household items delivered to Crisis House from our special collection in October. These items will be used in the apartments of homeless women escaping domestic violence situations in East County. Through its program, Crisis House assists women in preparation for independent living and economic self-sufficiency. (Thanks go to Vic and Jennifer White for purchasing and delivering the household items.)
• Helping Others Beyond Our Borders:  Thank you to those who donated $60 to The Giving Tree in the hall in the office for relief in Darfur. It was sent to Mercy Corps's Emergency Fund which delivered $3,511.20 worth of food, water, medical and other services to the nearly two million Sudanese living in camps in Darfur. One worker said, "In nearly 40 years of traveling the world, I have not witnessed any crisis that so vividly combines the worst of everything - armed conflict; acts of extreme violence; great tides of desperate refugees; hunger and disease combined with an unforgiving desert climate." And now it's the rainy season. Relief workers stand at the ready whenever they can access the camps. Thank you for your continuing service to the people of the world.   Gratefully, The Gardener 
• How can you help Summit’s efforts in social action?
  Goods:  For the sixth consecutive year, Summit is helping to make a difference by participating in the Crisis House’s Christmas Adopt-A-Family program.  Our gifts will assist in lightening the burden of a needy family during this special time, while we all join together in living the spirit of Christmas by sharing our good fortune with others. Our 2006 family includes a single mom with 2 sons, ages 9 and 15, and a daughter, age 14.  To participate, all one has to do is pluck an “ornament” bearing a name and gift from our Adopt-A-Family Christmas tree at the December 3rd or 10th Sunday Service.  Please wrap and label your gift and bring it to the December 17 Service. Gifts can also be dropped off at the office. Please attach your “ornament” from the Christmas tree to your gift so the Social Action Committee can keep track of what gifts have been purchased. Thank you!
  People Power: Please join us for the next Social Action Committee meeting on Sunday, December 17, 8:30 am, in the conference room.

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—ATTENTION—
Editor’s Corner
The Scene at Summit’s January 2007 edition deadline will be:

~Dec. 18 Deadline
~Dec. 21 Mailing

Linda Peck, Editor
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Adult Religious Exploration  (A.R.E.)
Summit Seminars take place on the third Tuesday of the month, 7 to 8:30 pm, in our conference room, 8778 Cottonwood Ave., Santee, CA.  For information call Richard Wilkie, 619-443-3543.

• “Conflict Resolution Across Cultures”   Presenter:  Roberta Osuyos
  Ms. Osuyos has a Masters in Social Work, and is a licensed Clinical Social Worker with a certificate in conflict resolution, California State Dept. of  Mental Health. Date: Tuesday, December 19
• Getting Acquainted Sessions will be held following the Sunday morning worship service, after refreshments and greeting folks.  Join our interim minister, Rev. Tom Owen-Towle, and a lay leader in the conference room from 11:30-12:00, to learn more about the philosophy and
  programs of Summit, as well as introduce yourselves to us. Our next gathering will be December 3.

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Rev. Tom Owen-Towle       Ministerial Musings

Every community needs to claim, then display, its own symbols and signage–Summit’s no exception. SUUF is becoming a spiritually vital and welcoming environs…both outside (thanks to the exquisite job of landscaping spearheaded by our Gardening Committee) and inside (a process overseen by our creative Aesthetics Committee). For example, isn’t the hanging behind our pulpit, co-created by our own members Elly Dotseth and Pat Metzgar, a work of gorgeous design and color? And our Greeting Room will hopefully evolve into a recognized art gallery, housing works of our own artists (starting with Joan Chan) as well as accomplished outsiders.

In whatever beautiful ways Summit will adorn your sacred site in the future, I thought it wise and timely to remind us of the origin of our central symbol: the Flaming Chalice. 

In dealing with refugees escaping the horrors of Nazi Germany from countless war-torn European nations, it was soon apparent that a seal of some type was needed to easily identify the presence of our Unitarian Service Committee, which came into being in 1939 in order to witness to our conviction regarding human dignity in the world.

An Austrian refugee, Hans Deutsch, fled from Paris to Portugal and there joined the staff of the Unitarian Service Committee. As a musician, draftsman, and artist, Deutsch was asked by the USC to design an appropriate emblem for our peace and justice work. Thus was born the Flaming Chalice as a symbol that would marry our twin commitments to beauty and compassion.

The cup is a sacred symbol to many religions, reflecting the virtue of always sharing with others the contents of a universal container. Oil, which feeds the flame within the chalice, has been set aside among the elements of the earth to serve as a healing and binding force. Oil smoothes things out and helps things run. The flame signifies transcendence and the triumph of truth over suspicion and fear.

I’m enormously proud of the history undergirding this sacred symbol in our Unitarian Universalist religion. I’m also pleased with how Summitarians are fervently committing time and resources to making our shared home functional, hospitable, and lovely.

Fellow partisans in our liberal and liberating faith, as you celebrate moments of candle-lighting throughout the December holidays,  I invite you to pay homage to the multiple meanings of the Flaming Chalice, our unifying symbol, which denotes the blaze of freedom, the light of wisdom, the fire of action, and the warmth of community.

May these virtues prevail in our personal, congregational, and global lives today, tomorrow, and into seasons beyond counting.

In faith, hope, and love…Tom

Please contact me with any
questions, concerns or ideas.
 In recent weeks a number of Summit’s members and friends have experienced the loss of a loved one.  We ask that you remember them in your thoughts and prayers.

Alix Hart’s father passed away in October.  Laura Preble lost her father this past month.  Toni and LaMar Rogers lost a dear friend on the east coast in November.

 Our past minister, Rev. Ned Wight’s mother, Alice, passed away Nov. 5.  If you wish to send Ned a card, his new address is in the directory.

 John Duffy, a former member of Summit, died Nov. 14 after a long struggle with cancer.  John, Maria and Tiffany were still close to Summitarians after their move to Escondido.  The memorial service will be held on Sat., Dec. 2, 2:30 pm, at Palomar UU Fellowship, 1600 Buena Vista Dr., Vista.  Rev. Ned will conduct the service.

 In other news, Michelle and Miles Beauchamp appeared on Channel 8 in a feature about adoption last month.

 Laura Preble has released a new book recently, “The Queen Geek Social Club.”  The east county edition of the U-T ran an article about her with her photo.  Congrats Laura!

 Linda Peck would like to thank all those that called and emailed their concern for her injured finger.  Just a smashed finger, no cuts.  She promises not to lose her concentration again while using her sawz-all
!
Please make the following changes to your Aug. 2006 Summit Directory:
UUSC Holiday Cards 
Mac Downing’s phone number should be 858-490-0583.

Pilar Placone-Willey’s work phone number should be 619-685-9564.

Cathy Long’s email address is chatty3cathy@hotmail.com.
New address for:
Angel & Sonya Rodriguez
2516 Ocean Cove Dr.
Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA 92007
Directory Band-aid

 Support UUSC while sharing the spirit of the season.  Your purchase of unique UU holiday cards will help us advance human rights and social justice in the United States and around the world.  To view this year’s cards and to order, go to http://www.uusc.org/holidaycards or call 617-868-6600.

Lay Leader Tools
Resources Online & Close to Home
We value the vital role you play as a leader in your congregation.  Our goal is to support your leadership, and to thank you!  Online, please visit www.uua.org/layleader, where you can find InterConnections Resources offering support.

4th Annual Christmas Sing-Along
 Come one, come all to the Christmas Sing-Along on December 2, 2006.  We will start singing at 7:00 pm.  Hot mulled wine and apple cider will be served.  Bring some light snacks to share.  If you have folding chairs, please bring them.  And don’t forget to bring your instruments!  Where to be?  Janet Dixon’s - 6683 Maury Dr., San Diego, 92119/ 619-465-1160 or spierdixon@mac.com

Bob Moore's History of
Summit UU Fellowship!
Its title is "The View From the Summit" and it’s a very readable trip down Bob Moore’s memory lane. This 100-plus page history of our fellowship is illustrated with photos of our members and friends from way back when, and from more recent days as well. You’ll learn about the very small beginnings of our fellowship, how we first moved into the Lodge, how we hired our first minister. Chapter titles include “Summitarian Characters”, “Traditions, Symbols, and Such,” and “The Reverend Ned.” Order one copy for $13, or two for $25! Visit the book table on Sundays after service, and fill out the pre-order form with your name and the number of copies you’d like. To pre-order, just write your check and deposit in the box provided! (Or you may wait to pay when books become available.) Books will be available in time for our building dedication ceremony in January. Summitarian booklovers, you’re in for a treat!

    From the Caring      Committee…
 Your Summit Caring Committee is responsible for providing transportation for those members who are unable to drive and need help getting to our Sunday service, meetings or medical appointments.  At present, the need is modest, so volunteers should not be overtaxed.
 If you are willing and able to help occasionally, please let us know.  We’ll try very hard to make it convenient for you.  Please contact Rod Orth at 619-583-3405.

Flowers for Sunday Services
 The flowers at our Sunday services always add a soft spirit to the room.  If you would be interested in commemorating a personal special occasion or honoring a loved one by providing a flower arrangement for a particular Sunday, contact Barbara Orth (619-583-3405) or Vivienne Jacobson (619-469-4945).  You and your occasion will be mentioned in that Sunday’s order of service.      Thank you!

 

Resources to Create a More
Accessible Congregation

The UU World magazine is available for free from Identity-based Ministries for anyone who cannot read the regular print magazine.  Call or email us at:
access@uua.org / 617-948-6451
Also, these “talking books” are available on 4-track cassettes:
A Chosen Faith
Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide
Day of Promise
Order info is available in the office (see flyer), email: rpierson@mabcommunity.org, or 617-972-9117.
Information from the
Larger UU Community and the UUA
From the Cluster . . .

To raise UU visibility, S.D. UU’s will be participating in the North Park Toyland Parade on Saturday, Dec. 2, beginning at 11:00 am.  They are wanting to involve all ages of UUs, include a UU marching band; carry the redesigned Cluster banner and hand out “gifts” along the 1-mile route, etc.

The Cluster also plans to enter parades throughout the county. For more info contact Martin Kruming at MKruming@aol.com.

Hear the roar! Feel the mist!
See the mighty Falls! July 15-17, 2007
Come experience the wonder of Niagara Falls while being taken care of like royalty. The UU Church of Niagara is conducting a four day UU Niagara Experience which is a lifetime opportunity to encounter the Falls up close, even safely riding beneath a tethered balloon. Spend four days with us exploring the rich historical and natural wonders around the Falls. For information visit our web site :
http://www.uunex.net/
Email:  info@uunex.net
Telephone:  716-791-4453

Membership News
 Summit continues to be mindful of being a warm, friendly, welcoming congregation. To do this, and, as we adjust to our new environment, it would be helpful if every member wears his/her name tag and attempts to talk to at least two visitors on Sundays.
 Members, please get to know the backgrounds of our latest members who joined Summit on April 2nd and September 17th by reviewing their photographs (taken so ably by Friend, Hal Summers) and biographies prepared by Committee members, (edited by Bob Moore), in the book displayed in our reception hall.
 The three sessions “Getting to Know Summit” were well attended in September by newcomers and several present members so that the sessions needed to be held in the larger space in Children’s R.E. We look forward to welcoming interested persons in joining Summit at our next scheduled New Members’ Ceremony on December 10th. If you are interested, please contact either Elaine Harper or Joan Chan, or, any of the Membership Committee members including Neal Biggart, Susan Goodrich, Patti Robison-Heyer, Roberta Osuyos and Pat Summers.
 We continue to widen our circle and now have 123 members of the Fellowship.
  Elaine Harper and Joan Chan Co-Chairpersons

Attention
Ralphs and Vons
Rebate Supporters!
 If you have not renewed your annual registrations, Summit is not earning contributions from your grocery store purchases.
 Ralphs shoppers can go to Ralphs.com to register. Click on "Community Contribution" and then on "Participants." Summit's Ralphs NPO number is 80942.
 To renew your Vons/eScrip registration, go to eScrip.com and click on "Renew." First-time Vons enrollees can go to eScrip.com and click on "Sign Up." Summit's eScrip I.D. number is 137317890.

Aesthetics Update
 The cabinetry and counter tops for Summit's kitchen were selected November 9th, with Janet Dixon’s requests before she went out of town. The cabinets will be light maple with clean, simple fronts. The counter tops will be the same green as our greeting room wall. The laminated material (also known as Formica) has many gradations and distressed textural markings, but is not real wood. It may take several weeks for the materials to arrive.
 It seems that the Sanctuary is currently at a place where we can stop decorating and begin focusing our efforts on how we would like the Greeting Room to look. We do not as yet have a solid plan as how to we will select art work for individual shows, which is what we would eventually like to see in that space. In the interim, we need some ideas to brighten up the room. Please feel free to write your suggestions in the notebook we have provided in the Office for that purpose. Or, if you prefer, you can call or send email to Suzanne McQuaide, Carolyn Owen-Towle, or Gwen Curry.
 Alix Hart had an appointment with Stuart Breden (of Stuart’s Signs) to pick the type of material and start the order for the exterior signs. We are all hopeful that all will be ready and installed by the dedication.
Making the effort to keep all informed! --Elly Dotseth

Within the Congregation

Lunch Bunch
 All Summitarians who would like more fellowship and food after Sunday services are welcome to meet with the Lunch Bunch. On December 3 we will eat at Mimi’s Cafe, 9812 Mission Gorge Road, Santee, phone 562-2644. December 10 will find us at Summit for the potluck. On the 17th, we'll be at Olive Garden, 9800 Mission Gorge Road, Santee, phone 562-1622. We won’t be dining out on December 24, because Christmas Eve service will be in the evening, not the morning, The last Sunday of the year, on December 31, we'll dine at Applebee’s, 107 Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon, phone 593-3066.
 If you intend to join us, please sign  up on the clip board on the table under the Summit banner before 11:30, so we can phone ahead for reservations. 

Freethinkers
 Freethinkers meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 PM in the RE lobby.
 Dec 5, Tuesday, 7-9. We will watch a video of Richard Dawkins speaking about his controversial book, The Delusion of God.
 Dec 19, Tuesday, 7-9 Freethinkers will attend the Adult RE program to be presented by Roberta Osuyos, “Conflict Resolution Across Cultures.”  Please see “Adult Religious Exploration” on page 10 for more information.
UU Audition Notice

 Seeking UU actors to take part in a Sunday Worship Service performance of “Spoon River Anthology,” to be performed January 21, 2007.  No acting experience necessary!  SRA is a collection of poignant poems/monologues about life and death, love and loss.  Jeff and Lisa Garvey are developing the score and Barb Gates is directing.  We need all ages and types.  Rehearsals will be held to a minimum (around 4 or so) and are during those two weeks prior to the performance.  It’s going to be great FUN.  Again, no acting experience necessary.  Please call Barb to sign on:  619-442-5195

If, to explain your personal theology, you have to use interpretive dance, you might be a UU.
Why are UU congregations so bad at hymn singing?
Because they are always reading a few lines ahead to see if they agree with the words.

Speaking of hymns, can you name a Unitarian hymn?
Sure, Praise Be to Whom It May Concern.”

Bumper Sticker:  If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention!

www.summitarian.org
 Please visit Summit’s website for the latest directory info and what’s going on!
 If you notice a correction or someone is missing in the directory that should be included please contact Diane Slagle at d.slagle@cox.net.
Refreshments Anyone?

 We all enjoy having coffee as we fellowship in the Greeting Room after service.  Janet Dixon is our stalwart coffee maker on most Sundays and has done this for a number of years.  She would like to ask if there is anyone who would like to share this service with her on more than an occasional basis?  If you are looking for a way to support Summit’s endeavors, this could be your chance!  Please call Janet at 619-465-1160 to let her know you can help.