February 2007 Newsletter

New Summit Web and E-mail Address

We had a snafu in the office regarding our Web site and our domain name. Scoundrels have stolen the old address, so we now have a new one: www.summitarian.org.

We now have DSL for online capabilities in the office, so we have a new e-mail address: summitunitarian@sbcglobal.net.

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Upcoming Sunday Services
10:00 a.m.

February 4: The Bridge Called Respect
Rev. Tom Owen-Towle
I will focus upon how women and men can create greater gender justice and joy in our daily lives. Pat Metzgar will portray Rev. Olympia Brown, and Ed Davis will be our pianist.
February 11: To Love and Be Loved
Rev. Tom Owen-Towle
On Valentine’s Day weekend, I want to explore the deeper dimensions of life’s central vow: loving and being loved. Ed Henry will furnish the music.

Our UU Approach to World Religions
From mid-February to mid-March, Rev. Tom Owen-Towle will preach a four-part series on how we, as Unitarian Universalists, draw strength from various world religions:
February 18: One Truth, Many Paths
Rev. Tom Owen-Towle
On this designated Guest Sunday, Summitarians are encouraged to invite friends with progressive leanings, to attend our vital Fellowship and learn about our religious alternative. Elaine Harper and Richard Wilkie will lead us in spirited music.
February 25: The Enduring Values of Judaism
Rev. Tom Owen-Towle
The Choir will sing on this Sunday.
March 4: Are Unitarian Universalists Christians?
Rev. Tom Owen-Towle
March 11: Buddhism: Be Lamps Unto Yourselves
Rev. Tom Owen-Towle

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO IN CHILDREN’S R.E.:

SUMMIT’S BUILDING DEDICATION: Saturday, January 13, was an unforgettable day, with members and friends of Summit coming together to celebrate Dedication Day. Special thanks to our children who participated in the service: Ernesto Slagle, Ryan Beauchamp, Corinne Chapman and Mallory Orr, and to youth ushers: Daniel Bernstein, Erica Braymen, Alissa Davis, Marissa Henry, Julia Shu, Lee Simpson, Gabe Tuttle and (visiting from Prescott, Arizona) Kevin and Shelby Hagberg.
PARENT GROUP: Summit member, Pat Bryning, who is a parent educator, parent and stepparent, is considering forming either a covenant group or support group for parents. Meeting times being considered are Sunday or Tuesday evening, Saturday morning or Sunday after the service. Please contact her as soon as possible if you are interested: patbryning@cox.net or (619) 456-2195.
TREE HOUSE: We are immensely grateful to Joe Braunwarth for the wonderful like-no-other tree house (complete with tree!) that he has built in the fifth to eighth grade classroom. On a recent Sunday morning, kids drafted a set of five guidelines (posted nearby) for its safe, fair and fun use.
PAPER QUILT: Check out our paper patchwork quilt in the R.E. activity area. It highlights our being “people of open minds, loving hearts and helping hands.” Please join Summit’s children to sign your name on one of the smaller blocks along the bottom and lower sides of the quilt.
SUMMIT NOW HAS A CHILDREN’S CHOIR! Neal Biggart will lead our children in song each Sunday from 9:40 to 9:55 at the piano in the R.E. activity area. All children from five to thirteen years are welcome to join the fun.
YOUTH AT SUMMIT: Our high school group completed the “Living in UU Ville” curriculum as well as a poetry project with a focus on UU poets (including themselves). Saturday, January 20, found them, guided by Mark Wheeler, painting their room with two stunning colors: Caribbean Waters and Cloudy Plum.
WORD OF THE WEEK: In the “This Week in Children’s R.E.” section of Sunday’s order of service will be a “word of the week” that spotlights something happening in R.E., the adult service, or the world at large. Words so far have been boycott (honoring Rosa Parks on January 14) and level (honoring Unitarian Fannie Farmer, the mother of level measurement, on January 21).
AND SERVICE BE OUR PRAYER -- UU Kids Can: Please continue to bring your recyclable cans and plastic drink bottles and stash them in the new (marked) container in the R.E. activity area. Thanks!
Opportunity to teach: Our focus continues to be UU Identity throughout this school year. Please consider working with one of our groups (kindergarten to second grade, third to fifth grade, fifth to eighth grade, and high school). You would be provided with a lesson plan ahead of time, and often the sermons from the adult service are available online.
MANY THANKS to our January volunteers: Elizabeth Braymen, Neal Biggart, Kit Kerr, Erica Braymen, Mary Ellen Shu, Diane Slagle, Chris Steussy, Mark Wheeler, and Michelle Beauchamp.

Connie Henry, D.R.E. conniehenry@cox.net
(619) 460-4794

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Welcome to The Bulletin Board!
For important tidbits we don’t want to miss.

Sunday Morning Meditation
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.
Social Action Corner
Service Is Our Prayer
Helping Others In East County
Summit will be supporting the East County program, Students Together Against Alcohol ‘N Drugs (STAAND), which is designed to develop student leadership in the prevention of drug, tobacco and alcohol use among teens. The funds ($1065) for this support came from half of the collection made during our wonderful dedication service. Thank you to all our members, friends and guests. One of Summit’s covenant groups took on a “service project” to reach out to and provided holiday cheer for residents at Santee’s Edgemoor Hospital. Covenant Group members (Pat Bryning, Janet Dixon, Bob and Dolores Moore, Margo Mariana, Pilar Placone-Willey, Lynne Slaughter, Deena Tuttle and Vic White) all signed 170 holiday cards for residents of Edgemoor Hospital, a San Diego County operated nursing home in Santee. Then, with Lynne’s dog, Dakota, in the lead, Lynne with Vic and Jennifer White delivered the cards to the hospital and visited with many of the nursing home’s residents who don’t have family or friends outside the facility. Thanks to everyone involved.
Helping Others Beyond Our Borders
Guest At Your Table boxes collected over $1000 from Summitarians during the holidays. Impressive! Many thanks to those who donated, especially our children. Kudos also go to Wendell Rawlins, Al Mork, Phil Chan and Ed Davis of the Men’s Covenant group for counting the money. And a thanks to Pacific Trust Bank that generously allowed them to use their coin counting machine. These funds will be used by the UU Service Committee to support their various social justice programs.
How can you help Summit’s efforts in social action?
Goods: The Social Action Committee will again be coordinating hygiene packets for the homeless. Starting February 4th, look in the greeting room for the Giving Tree with heart ornaments, that will list the items needed. Please pick out a heart and purchase the items specifically listed on it. Bring those items with the heart on Sunday, February 18th. Contact Laurel Bernstein if you have any questions.
People Power:
~ Come February 27, at 7 pm, to view the film, "Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival." Since 2003, war crimes and crimes against humanity have continued to be committed by the government and government-aligned nomadic militias known as the Janjawid in Sudan. Please come to this meeting and find out about this crisis, but more importantly, find out what you can do to stop the abuse of human rights in this region. Contact Viraj Ward if you have any questions.
~ Interfaith Shelter Network Volunteers Needed. Summit will again support St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church with dinner and chaperones for shelter guests on Thursday, March 15th and Thursday, March 22nd. This is a good opportunity to share food and time with Crisis House clients who are temporarily homeless. Volunteers are needed to prepare a main dish, a salad or vegetables, and a dessert. Two chaperones will be needed each night. If you would like to volunteer to help with dinner preparation or chaperoning one of those Thursdays (or if you would like more information), please contact Vic White at 619-543-9890 (or VictorWh@aol.com). Thank you.
~ Join the Social Action Committee at its next meeting on Sunday, February 18, 8:30 am, in the conference room. Everyone is welcome.
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. Joan and Phillip Chan, and Rod and Barbara Orth have recently donated to the Fund in honor of the late Henry Blue. For more info, contact the Summit office at 619-562-0833. The Summit Caring Committee oversees the distribution of these funds where they might be needed.
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. Upcoming topics:
~ Feb. 20, 2007, Dr. Miles Beauchamp: “How Do We Communicate as Unitarian Universalists.” Dr. Beauchamp is an Assistant Professor at Alliant International University, and a member of the Core Adjunct Faculty at National University, Dept. of Communications, School of Arts and Sciences.
~Mar. 20, 2007, Dr. Mark Wheeler: “Reason, Truth, and the Unity of Experience.” Dr. Wheeler is an Associate Professor of Philosophy, San Diego State University.
~Apr. 17, 2007, Dr. Edward O. Henry: “What Really Happened in Salem in 1692.” Dr. Henry is a Professor of Anthropology, San Diego State University.
~May 15, 2007, Dr. Joe Braunwarth: “Sex Sells: The Depiction of Women in Advertising.” Dr. Braunwarth is a Professor of Political Science at Grossmont College.
~June 19, 2007, Richard Wilkie and Elaine Harper: “Moral Persuasion in Traditional American Folk Song.”

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Rev. Tom Owen-Towle ~ Ministerial Musings

     Let me put it boldly: by the time my interim-ship is over on July 1st, I hope Summit’s membership (which was actually 90 when I arrived) will be nearing 150, well on the road to being a 200-250 member congregation in your future.
     Now, Summit doesn’t need new members because we’re set on saving souls, but rather because we’re an enterprise committed to serving people, ourselves as well as the larger society in which we dwell. And, to become robust servant leaders, Summit needs to have sufficient resources and abundant energy.
     So, if you’ve been contemplating the leap of membership, now’s the time to do it, so that your newly settled minister (to be voted on March 25th) will greet a full crew of joyous partisans, ripe and ready to live out liberal religion right where we’re planted in East County.
     Now, let’s be honest; joining Summit won’t necessarily make you a more loving human being or cure all your maladies. You won’t receive any special privileges or treatment in this life or the next if your name is in the membership book. Sorry about that.
     However, joining Summit will enable you to enjoy some crucial rights, responsibilities, and risks…on the spiritual path to being a fuller human being. I’ve seen it happen to hundreds of like-souled folks in my 40+ years of UU ministry…including myself.
     First, some rights. In joining Summit, you will garner the right to be a part of a proud, historical tradition of responsibly free thought and practice. You will possess a voice and vote in the determination of what Summit does with its resources, affirmations, and presence in East County. And such rights, given the demeanor and needs of our region, is no small matter. Yes, Summit is a religious minority in East County, but a minority with a major mission: to create a just and merciful world that throws no one out of its heart.
     And talking about rights, don’t forget about r-i-t-e-s. There isn’t one of us who doesn’t need professional and lay support at one time or another during the festive, tragic passages of our lives. In joining Summit, you’ll have those resources at your daily disposal.
     And alongside rights come responsibilities, like paying the bills, setting the policies, being faithful stewards of Summit: the religious clan of our own choosing. I continually find that most of us, down-deep, hanker for a community where we can express our generosity, explore our gifts, create spiritual meaning, and transform the world. In short, nothing short of being response-able creatures during our earthly sojourn truly sustains our existence.
     And risks are secret treasures as well. The most basic risk of membership at Summit means that our lives will likely be changed in significant ways. Members should be warned, that as you open your heart to Summit: your soul will surely deepen, your mind will expand into shapes beyond imagining, and, yes, like the Grinch, your heart will probably grow several sizes larger.
     And who knows, when you throw your lot with fellow Summitarians, you may even feel an irresistible urge to mention our progressive faith to your friends, and, god help you, you may even end up giving UU pamphlets to veritable acquaintances.
     So, my friends, if you’ve been thinking, feeling, or acting like a Summitarian, and, furthermore, are hungering for some engaging rights, responsibilities and risks for the days and nights of your journey…then come on, come on, climb aboard Summit’s seaworthy member-ship.
      In faith, hope, and love…Tom

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Summit Directory Updates:
If any of your contact information has changed since the Summit Directory was printed in August, 2006, please email Linda in the office at:
summitunitarian@sbcglobal.net
Please make the following changes to your Aug. 2006 Summit Directory:

Our rolling stone, Chris Smith (who won’t be gathering moss) has a new “address:”
P.O. Box 943
El Cajon, CA 92022

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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! To pre-order, just write your check, note in the memo line “summit book” and put it in the offering plate or mail it to the Summit office!

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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), e-mail: rpierson@mabcommunity.org, or 617-972-9117.

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CALL FOR FICTION AND POETRY

Desiree Kannel, member of the Unitarian Unversalist Church of Long Beach, seeks submissions for a new literary journal entitled, Under the Structure. The journal will consist of short stories and poetry submitted by members and friends of UU congregations in the PSWD. We will include the finest work we receive, regardless of previous writing or publishing experience. All subjects, styles and themes will be considered. E-mail submissions preferred, but we will accept snail mail. Send your previously unpublished stories, no more than 4,000 words, or poems, no more than five (poems), to dkannel@verizon.net. Please write “journal” in the subject line. If you prefer regular mail, write (e-mail) for directions. Terms: No pay, author retains all rights after first publication; simultaneous submissions accepted, but please note: Submission dead line is May 1, 2007 with an anticipated publication date of Autumn, 2007. All contributors will receive two copies of the journal.

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Within the Congregation

Please remember in your thoughts and prayers, Gloria Gelineau and her family, as her brother in Boston is very ill.

Friend of Summit, Anne McDonald’s husband, Brian, has been suffering from a severely broken leg. Remember them as well.

We want to thank Chris Smith for her donations of a microwave, large print song books for the sanctuary, and a few other things. Chris is down-sizing to her new adventure in mobile living!

And a huge thank you to Carol Rawlins, Barbara Gates, and the Summitarian cast of Spoon River Anthology! I have heard suggestion of a repeat performance in various venues. Stay posted!

Gini Schmitz has been hospitalized at Grossmont with severe leg pain. They are running various tests. Cards and calls would be appreciated.

Summit Women’s Retreat
Most of you may have received an email several weeks ago asking if there was enough interest to quickly put a retreat together for the spring. Well, the timing was too close and many women felt it would be better in the fall. Summit is tentatively penciled in at Quest Haven for October 5,6, and 7, 2007 (a week-end). I’m putting out a “call” to see if we have enough ladies that would like to help organize said retreat. I’ve only attended one retreat and found it … wonderful! But, not having done one before I wouldn’t know where to start, so anyone who is interested in the endeavor, please email me at summitunitarian@sbcglobal.net or call me at home at 619-562-6345. Linda Peck

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.
We would like to thank Mary Dryden for stepping forward! Anyone else?

Lunch Bunch
All Summitarians who would like more fellowship and food after Sunday services are welcome to meet with the Lunch Bunch. On February 4 we will eat at Mimi’s Café, 9812 Mission Gorge Road, Santee, phone 562-2644. February 11 will find us at Applebee’s, 107 Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon, phone 593-3066. On the 18th, we'll be at Olive Garden, 9800 Mission Gorge Road, Santee, phone 562-1622, and on the 25th at Michael’s Grill, 9621 Mission Gorge Road, Santee, phone 258-2110.
If you intend to join us, please print your name on the sign-up sheet during the coffee hour so we can phone ahead for reservations.

Freethinkers
Freethinkers meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month in the Children’s Religious Exploration area 7:00 PM.
Feb. 6 - Salman Rushdie, Islamic literary sentinel, discusses tension between moderate and radical Islam and the need to hold the line on fundamentalism even when it leads to personal risk. He reads from his The Satanic Verses.
Feb. 20 - We will join the A.R.E. seminar, with Dr. Miles Beauchamp, “How do we communicate as Unitarian Universalists?”

From the Caring Committee…
Summit’s 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.

Unitarian Universalism and You
A series on the history, beliefs, and practices of our liberal religious faith will be held on three consecutive Monday evenings, February 19th, 26th and March 5th from 6:30 -8:30 p.m. at Summit UU Fellowship. Our interim minister, Tom Owen-Towle, will lead the sessions, assisted by members of our Membership Committee.
This class welcomes newcomers as well as old-timers, and will furnish good preparation for those wishing to join Summit, in the next New Member’s Ceremony, occurring on Sunday, March 11th.
Please register your interest in participation, by Sunday February 11th, as well as any need for childcare (619-562-0833). Some class materials provided as well as Unitarian Universalist books available on loan.

Ministerial Search Committee
(Toni Rogers (Chair)   Pat Bryning   Wendell Rawlins Mark Wheeler    Gwen Baldwin Ferne Gaarder Pierre Vaughn)
We received a total of eleven applicants. During January we concluded our telephone interviews and narrowed our search to three pre-candidates. It has been a very enlightening and interesting process.   Getting beyond all the “paper pushing” and actually talking with the candidates has been so affirming.   We feel optimistic and hopeful.
Our Committee will be meeting with each of the three pre-candidates during February for more in-depth mutual interviewing. We will also be observing them deliver a sermon in a “neutral pulpit” site outside of the San Diego cluster. Following the pre-candidating weekends, a final candidate will be chosen and presented to Summit during Candidating Week – March 18-25, 2007.
Our heartfelt appreciation for the trust, confidence and support that you’ve given us.   As we approach the finish line, we’ll need it more than ever.   Thank you and stay tuned…

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Summit Fellowship Concert Series Presents:

Chris Klich Jazz Quintet
Featuring Laura Preble
Friday, February 16th, 7:00 pm

Join the Chris Klich Jazz Quintet with Laura Preble for an evening of romantic jazz. This well known local jazz ensemble has played at venues all over the county. Their album,
Blue Skies, was nominated for the best jazz album at the San Diego Music Awards.
Chris Klich is inspired by the Dave Brubeck quartet and other great jazz artists.
Summit Unitarian Unversalist Fellowship
8778 Cottonwood Ave., Santee, CA
Tickets $12
(Children under 12 FREE)

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Our Building Dedication

     It seemed fitting to many of the roughly 300 adults, children and youth attending our Jan. 13 building dedication that the Rev. Bill Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, would talk about miracles. Sinkford put a very believable UU spin on the biblical story of what might have happened when Jesus attempted to feed a hungry multitude, reportedly in the thousands, with only five loaves of bread and two fishes. In a more modern twist, Sinkford described a true story about how a starving group of reviled German soldiers was fed when one gesture of kindness was repeated.
     As the members and friends of Summit occupy our now-officially dedicated space, we might ask, “Now what?”
It would seem foolish to expect more of a miracle than the simple reality of what our congregation has accomplished in the past two years. And yet, only eight days after our dedication service, a group of Summit actors under the direction of Summit member Barbara Gates, presented a distinctly UU interpretation of the Spoon River Anthology.
     The standing ovation after the performance continued the sense of magic at Summit.
     However, there is nothing supernatural about our congregation. We’re creating our good luck with mountains of dedication and preparation behind the scenes.
     Toni Rogers and the Ministerial Search Committee are painstakingly evaluating a surprisingly large list of highly qualified applicants. Joan Chan and Elaine Harper are tending to the care and feeding of new members. Margo Mariana is diversifying our adult RE classes. Debbie Wingard and LaMar Rogers are doing a careful survey and analysis of what we can do with our adjacent building, which used to be a beauty salon. And Connie Henry with Michelle Beauchamp, Joe Braunwarth, and the RE Committee are making the Children’s Religious Exploration program even more inviting. Check out the RE program’s new tree house.
     Summit is blessed with servant leaders, but our newest members will be instrumental in making Summit grow. The generosity of their service will advance our mission in East County, whether they become landscapers or greeters, musicians or office volunteers, or even board members.
     Sinkford expressed astonishment at our choir, under the direction of Andrea Newall. “You actually look like a choir, and you sound like a choir,” he said.
     Whatever form of service, and however much you choose to do, our community is grateful, and whether you believe in miracles, however defined, your personal quest for truth and your service in the spirit of love are always worth singing about at Summit. We’ve got an important assignment for everybody. Whatever magic Summit possesses begins and ends with each person’s involvement in our beloved community.

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Ever Wanted to Show Your Gratitude?
Have you ever had someone help you out and offered them a couple of bucks for their trouble to have them decline? Well, if that happens, consider making a Service Donation to Summit in the helper’s name. Summitarians have been doing this for years but not many of the newcomers have heard about it. You can donate at the service or drop it in the mail to the office.

From the Bookkeeper & Administrator. . .
I know that is a dirty word. But, we would like to ask everyone that contributes to the Capital Campaign to write a separate check for those donations (and still note on the check in the memo line “Capital Campaign”). Summit has established two physically separate accounts for the Capital Campaign money and the General Fund for the regular operations of the church. In the future, please do not combine the Annual Commitment (also note this on the check) with the Capital in the same check. If you have questions, please contact Lisa Garvey at burnsgarvey@cox.net or Linda Peck at the Summit office, 619-562-0833.

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!

First UU Church of San Diego
Women are invited to plan and participate in First Church’s annual Women Together Retreat, Oct. 19- 21, 2007, in Camp de Benneville Pines, Ca. The theme this year is "Touching The Feminine Face of God." We'll be celebrating the Goddess, Creativity, Music and Chocolate- of course.
If you would like to be part of the planning committee, lead a workshop, sing, or just want to know more, Contact Diane Lowrie at 619-231-4883 /Lowrie1@cox.net. Diane is planning a visit to Summit, Sunday, Feb.11, and would love to meet, greet and plan with you. I look forward to making magic and mystery with you!
~D. Lowrie for Women Together

Sometimes people hit upon a place to which they mysteriously feel that they belong. Here is the home they’ve sought… here, at last, they can find some spiritual rest. ~Somerset Maugham

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The Scene at Summit’s March 2007 edition deadline will be:
Feb. 19 Deadline/ Feb. 22 Mailing
Linda Peck, editor