Activities

Advocates for Social Justice

Commitment to social justice is one of our deeply held principles. The Advocates for Social Justice connects the concerns of our congregation to the larger community, and educates our members about important issues — locally, nationally and globally. We coordinate the overall justice-making activities of the congregation, using the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Principles as our guide to action. Please see our Social Justice page to learn much more about what we do, and how you can get involved in one of the many activities we sponsor including providing weekly breakfasts for needy people.

All Congregation Retreat

The All-Congregation Retreat is usually held the first weekend in August at Camp Gualala in Annapolis, CA. Members and friends of the congregation are welcome to attend. The retreat includes workshops, a campfire, songs, crafts, talent show, swimming, Sunday worship among the redwoods, and just relaxing in this beautiful tranquil setting.

Book Clubs

Book lovers can choose from either of our popular book discussion groups. Newcomers are always welcome!

The afternoon book club meets at 1:00pm on the 4th Tuesday of the month, hosted each month by a different member at their home. We select a book at the end of the meeting, and discuss it at the following month's gathering. Please contact Susan Simons, or the office, for more information.

The evening book club meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month, hosted and led each month by a different member at the church building. At our June meeting we suggest books for future discussion. Please contact Linda Lampson, or the office, for more information.

Bridge Groups

The bridge groups are comprised of friendly people at varied skill levels who meet for the fun and challenges of the game of bridge. We meet in three different groups each month:

• First Thursday Evening - 7pm
• Third Saturday Evening - 7pm
• Fourth Tuesday Evening - 7pm

A volunteer host makes some phone calls and brings some bridge snacks; from there it is cut, deal & good luck! Please contact Ed Pine, or the office, for more information.

Choir

Under the direction of Nancy Hayashibara, the choir helps provide music ministry for Sunday services. The choir performs in at least two services a month. Rehearsals are on Thursday nights from 7-8:30pm, and all fun-loving people who want to sing are welcome! Nancy keeps a Music and Practice calendar on her web site for the choir and other musically involved folk. To learn more about the choir or to discuss other musical opportunities, chat with her during Coffee Hour after any Sunday service or contact her here. Come to a rehearsal Thursday evening during the season, and we'll all make music together.

Circle Dinners

The goal of Circle Dinners is to help members and friends of the Congregation get to know other members and friends better. You may participate fully as a group member or occasionally as a substitute. Small groups of six to eight people meet together in each others’ homes for a potluck dinner three times in a period of four months. After the first round, the names are scrambled to form new groups. These groups are published in the newsletter at the beginning of each four-month period.

Family Community Night

Every month families gather to share a meal and develop a tighter community. Sometimes parents and children break into separate groups for programming, other times all stay together for games and fun. Family Community Night happens on the second Friday of the month at 6:30pm. Contact Director of Religious Education, Deborah to find out about what is happening this month.

Fiber Arts

UU Fiber Arts offers the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from each other, while sharing in quiet fellowship and the peace of creating with our hands.

We are a multi­generational, multi­gender, multi­crafts group. You're welcome to bring a project you are starting or finishing. Or if you're new to knitting, crochet, or needlepoint, just bring along inexpensive beginner's materials and we'll teach you how to get started. Contact Heather Lawton (707) 843-9936 for more information.

Meditation

Meditation groups are available at various times on Sundays and weekdays. Meditation is a very personal activity as we each search within ourselves for insight, growth and right relationship with others.

All contribute to the content of the sessions, which tend to lean toward Vipassana (awareness meditation) in form. One is free to practice or explore any or all traditions, Eastern or Western, at their own speed. We are a friendly circle that is very Unitarian Universalist in nature.

Beginners and accomplished meditators are welcome. A starter might choose, for instance, to focus on the breath and then, after the mind becomes more quiet, shift the attention carefully to what is happening in the body or mind.

New Orleans Partner Church

The congregation maintains a formal partnership with the First Unitarian Universalist Church in New Orleans to aid in Katrina-related recovery work. Please see our Social Justice page for more details about our commitment to our partner church and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. We welcome your involvement!

Saturday Breakfast Crew

The volunteer crew prepares and serves breakfast to over 200 needy folks in the community every Saturday morning. Sponsored by the Advocates for Social Justice, this program is a large and visible community effort. If you have a few hours to spare for the Saturday Breakfast, please sign up at the Advocates' table any Sunday morning. Volunteers are always needed and much appreciated! For more information about how our congregation works to support and serve the homeless, please see our Social Justice page.

Together In Exploration (TIE) Small Group Ministry

TIE Groups provide islands of community to those who might otherwise feel lost in the glorious rush and complexity of life within our congregation. Groups of 8 to 10 members each meet twice-monthly, along with a trained facilitator and a facilitator-in-training. Each group develops their own covenant of behavior in order to deepen friendships and share stories and insights from their life journeys.

New groups are formed each year. Sign-ups are in August and September for groups that meet twice a month from September through June. We ask for a commitment of one year when you initially sign up, understanding that due to a change in life circumstances some individuals may need to drop out.

TIE Facilitators Resource Pages

Under The Hill

Under the Hill gives those "young in mind and spirit" an opportunity to gather and share common interests. Our group's gatherings are designed to meet the social needs of members 25-45 years old, with adults of all ages warmly invited to join in. Some events include the whole family, while others are just for the grown-ups. We have lunch together after worship on the 4th Sunday of each month, plus do one other event per month. It might be a potluck dinner, party games, attending a play, going for a hike, lazing on the beach, or something else altogether! We're informal, fun, easy-going, and growing strong. Come join us for an event. Contact Marie Stubblebine, or catch us online.

UUCSR Writers

Whatever your creative endeavor: memoirs, letters, history, biography, the Great American novel, short story, poetry, essays, dissertation, Master's thesis, song lyrics, report, term paper, cook book, web pages, blogging, etc., our focus is to provide an atmosphere where serious writers improve and hone their writing skills. The UUCSR Writers is open to the novice, the more experienced, and the published author. Membership at UUCSR is not required. We meet once a month at UUCSR on the First Monday of the month from 4:00-6:00pm.

Projects

• Community Outreach
• Literati — Quarterly Publication
• Write a Novel in 30 days — Summer Workshop
• Sonoma County Book Festival — September community event in which UUCSR participates

UUCSR Online Writers

Can't attend monthly meetings? Live in another City, State or Country? Request an Invitation to join our "Online Writers" Blog. You can learn more about our group, and current "Works-in-Progress", at the UUCSR Writers Blog.

Women Together

Women Together is an excellent way to meet other women in the congregation. We sponsor many activities, the most notable of which is the women's retreat held each spring. This is a friendly gathering dedicated to being together, having fun, and relaxing. There are workshops available Saturday morning and afternoon, and a chapel service on Sunday morning. All interested women are encouraged to attend.

Elder Tales are periodic casual events when we honor our elders. One of our older members shares her life story and the lessons she has learned.

We also get together for:

• Holiday Party in December
• End of Summer outdoor party
• Potluck luncheons
• Poetry and prose readings
• Special events of interest to women

More Activities…

Additional recurring activities include the Teen Group, Women's Groups, and Men's Groups. Annual activities include the Service Auction, Christmas Party, Cake Auction, Solstice Dance, and others.

See Also

• Discussion Lists
• Photo Gallery