Calendar

May 6, 1:15-3:15 Telling Our Stories (Hillcrest)
May 15, 6:30-8:30 pm Telling Our Stories (South Bay Campus)
May 19, 9 am SJMT Service Project: Work-a-thon for Peace & Justice
May 20, 3-8:30 pm Farm Worker Reality "Justice Plunge" with UULM (Watsonville)
May 21, 9:30am-2:30pm Immigrant Justice Day 2012: One California (Sacramento)
May 22 & 27 Doctrine of Discovery Class & Discussion
June 3, 1:15-3:15 Telling Our Stories (Hillcrest)
June 9, 8am-2pm SJMT Service Project: Facelift in City Heights
June 20-24 Justice General Assembly, Phoenix, AZ
July 21, 11 am March in the San Diego PRIDE Parade with UUs
July 27, 4:30-7:00 pm SJMT Service Project: Dinner at the Monarch School

Monthly Service Project

Once a month, the SJMT organizes a family-friendly service project in partnership with a local community-based organization.

SJMT Service Project for May: Work-a-thon for Peace & Justice

May 19, 9 am to mid-afternoon (or part of the day),
Stockton Area of San Diego, just South of the 94 (details of location provided upon signing up for the service project)
Volunteer for this family-friendly service project to help build gardens at the King-Chavez Arts & Athletics Academies, attended by 3rd-5th grade students in a low-income neighborhood of San Diego. The garden will provide hands-on educational experiences to connect children with the source of their food. Work to be done includes: leveling ground, digging, removing old plants, building raised beds, planting edibles, and creating a beautiful garden! The work-a-thon will also support the Peace Resources Center and Project YANO, two local non-profits. In addition to providing labor, volunteers are asked to sign up sponsorships from family and friends, although this is not required to participate. For more information and to sign up, please contact Kristen Kuriga: Kristen@firstuusandiego.org or 619-298-9978, x216.

Telling Our Stories: A Spiritual Exploration of Diversity

Find out what it’s like to speak deeply from the heart and listen deeply to others as a spiritual practice. Through sharing personal stories, we discover how diversity lives in each of us, and we deepen our connection to ourselves and one another. In keeping with the overall themes of intercultural diversity and social justice, we respond to a prompt that evokes memories of transformative moments, people, and events in our lives. No “storytelling” experience is necessary; spontaneity, a bit of introspection, and a willingness to explore are essential. This is open to everyone. Participants are invited to bring a meaningful object, which may be used as a “talking piece,” to place on our altar. Prompt arrival is imperative in order to create a safe space. Join us and tell your story! Interested? Contact Kristen Kuriga for more information: Kristen@firstuusandiego.org.

Farm Worker Reality "Justice Plunge" with UU Legislative Ministry

May 20 (Sun), 3-8:30 pm, Watsonville – meet at Gizich Ranch
Starting at Gizich Ranch strawberry fields where Ramiro Lazcano will talk about his life, picking strawberries and supervising other pickers, participants will have an opportunity to pick and purchase berries. Visit BuenaVista Migrant Labor Camp where farmworkers will share a look at their living quarters and give testimonies on their wages, working conditions, the use of pesticides and the challenges their children have in receiving an education. Conclude our day with a farmworker dinner. Understand the conditions of Mexican farmworkers in Northern California and both sides of the border. Learn about farmworkers demographics, how globalization propels immigration, the prospects for passage of AgJOBS and immigration reform. Register on-­line at www.uulmca.org/farmworker. Cost: $30.00 regular/ $15.00 for young adults (18-­35) - fee includes farmworker dinner

Immigrant Justice Day 2012: One California

May 21 (Mon), 9:30am-2:30 pm, State Capitol, Sacramento
Unitarian Universalists will join immigrants, advocates, community members, and policy makers in raising our voices on behalf of all of California's immigrant families. We are pleased to collaborate with the CA Immigrant Policy Center and many other immigrant justice groups for this day of education, witness and advocacy. We will be supporting AB1801 (Ammiano), the TRUST Act – a bill to restore trust and accountability to California's participation in the S-­Comm program, respecting the wish of local communities to opt-­out of the program and implement safeguards to guard against racial profiling. Training is available for those interested in attending (not required). Register on-­line at www.uulmca.org/Immigrant.

Doctrine of Discovery Class & Discussion

May 22 (Tuesday) 6:30-8:30 p.m., Hillcrest Campus, Common Room
May 27 (Sunday), after the service, South Bay Campus
Do you know what the Doctrine of Discovery is? How it relates to our current immigration policies, as well as our historical policies of colonization? At the urging of partner organizations, the Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees has asked member congregations to educate ourselves about the Doctrine of Discovery and vote to repudiate it at our General Assembly in June. Come learn about the doctrine and the effects that it has, hear why the UUA Board has called on us to do this, and provide your input to guide First Church delegates who will vote on this resolution in Phoenix. For more information and to RSVP, contact Kristen Kuriga: Kristen@firstuusandiego.org, 619-298-9978, x216.

Save the Date-Upcoming Social Justice Ministry Team Service Projects

June 9, 8am-2 pm: Facelift with Community Housing Works in City Heights.
Join with hundreds of volunteers to beautify a block in a day in a low-income community in City Heights. July 27, 4:30-7 pm: Meal at the Monarch School. Come together with other church members to provide a meal for youth and their families at the Monarch School, a school for homeless youth. For more information about service projects or how to get involved in the Social Justice Ministry Team, contact Kristen Kuriga: Kristen@firstuusandiego.org, 619-298-9978, x216.

Save the Date

March in the San Diego Pride Parade with Unitarian Universalists from throughout San Diego County on Saturday, July 21 at 11 am. Details about signing up as a marcher or to ride the trolley coming soon!

Generosity Offering for May: ARTS (A Reason to Survive)

For the first two Sundays in the month of May our offering is being received in support of First UU’s Contemporary Worship Music and the UU Musician’s Network. The last two Sundays in May, our offering is being received in support of ARTS (A Reason to Survive). ARTS is a San Diego based nonprofit organization that believes that the visual, performing, and literary arts can literally transform lives. The organization uses all art forms as a vehicle to create positive, long-lasting change in children and youth facing major life challenges – giving them not only a reason to survive – but to also thrive. To find out more about ARTS, you can come to the Social Justice Ministry Team Table on the Hillcrest Campus, the Get Involved table on the South Bay Campus, or you can go to: www.areasontosurvive.org. pciglobal.org and uucpdorm.com

Donations and Volunteers Needed at UPTOWN Faith Community Service Center

Given the rise in poverty in San Diego, UPTOWN Faith Community Service Center has been experiencing a big demand for used clothing and hygiene items, especially soap, shampoo, deodorant, tooth paste and razors, as well as clean, lightly used socks and underwear. Donations can be dropped off at the Social Justice Ministry Team Table on the Hillcrest Campus or by the Get Involved Table on the South Bay Campus. UPTOWN is also in need of volunteers to work a three hour shift, weekly or every other week, at either the Community Service Center, located at 4101-B 30th Street, or at Uptown’s thrift shop, Upscale Resale, located at 3505 5th Avenue. In addition, they are currently in need of help with grant writing and website design. For information about volunteering call Joan Anderson, 619 583 3643.

Weekly Food Drive

Every week there are barrels on the patio to collect non-perishable food that is distributed through Mama's Kitchen and Western Service Workers. We invite you to contribute!