Dear Members and Friends of First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego!  As the end of my time with you as Minister in Residence (June 30) draws near, let me simply say that it has been a pleasure to serve as one of your ministers during this year of transition. I love the spirit of your church, your talented and hardworking staff, your caring and committed Board and lay leaders, and the curiosity and warmth of the members I’ve met from both campuses.  Though I met only about 1/3 of the members, and only experienced three months with you, I can still say with joyful authority that though you’ve been having some painful struggles, your congregation has great strength at its core!

Your love for one another in multigenerational community, your deep desire to be of service to your wider community, your growing attention to the need for restorative healing within the church that is beginning to loosen the knots of pain and mistrust, and your ongoing committed work to grow in awareness of the white racism and other biases that hold you back – these will serve you well as you move into the future.  And you have an excellent Lead Developmental Minister heading your way this summer!  I’ll keep you in my heart and prayers as you and Rev. Justine Sullivan come to know one another and begin living into your mission.

There are a thousand compliments I could give your staff and lay leaders, but I really want to be brief… You have dozens of amazing, hard-working folks among you who have helped FUUSD carry on through the ongoing pandemic and through this year-of-many-ministers.  So allow me to explicitly recognize just three people.  First, Marcia Biller, who isn’t just a strong leader, she’s also generously allowed all your Ministers in Residence to stay in her “granny flat.”  Her hospitality and kindness have been a wonderful gift. Second – Rev. Julie Forest, whose vision for a very unusual year of ministry, great love for our faith and FUUSD, and strong Board leadership carried the day!  And finally, my dear colleague the Rev. Dr. Omega Burckhardt!  She’s a marvel of a minister with so many gifts and skills as a leader! It’s been a joy to work alongside her.

Though I’m looking forward to reuniting with my partner Tom Ness and returning home to Wisconsin, I’ll miss you!  I hope you’ll come to church on 6-19 or 6-26 and say goodbye. 
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Blessings to you all,
Rev. Suzelle Lynch, Minister in Residence

By Rhea Kuhlman, South Bay Food Pantry Volunteer

Church member Adrienne Kaplan wanted to do something for people who don’t have a lot of the material advantages that she and her husband Matt are fortunate to have, so she volunteered to help out at the Food Pantry.  Every Friday morning for the past year, Adrienne has picked up food from a Food for Less market in Chula Vista that would otherwise have been disposed of.  It’s food that may be nearing its “Best By” date but is still perfectly good, or food that is judged to be surplus for a variety of other reasons. On a good day, she reports, she gets lots of frozen meat and chicken, foods which are sometimes in short supply and highly sought after by pantry clients. She often retrieves bread or frozen dinners. At the store, she carefully checks the temperature of any meat or dairy products to be sure they’ve been stored safely, and then checks the temps again as she weighs the food she received that day and stores it safely at the Pantry.  This record keeping is important to comply with state law.  There’s a lot of food available, and some days, she says, food is stacked up to the ceiling in her four-door sedan.
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by Nina Douglass, South Bay Food Pantry Volunteer

A very active and committed South Bay Food Pantry volunteer was surprised to be asked recently how much she is paid for her pantry work.  All who work at the pantry are volunteers!  No one receives monetary compensation for their hours of work, nor reimbursement for the use of their vehicle or gas expenses for trips to retrieve food (though reimbursement for such expenses would be provided to anyone who requested it.)
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74 events and services have been created and the auction commences today and bidding will continue through June 30, 2022. Help for bidding will be available on the patio after worship services every Sunday through June - come and see Robie Evans or Dan Paul at the tech table after service!
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