7:30-9pm Saturday, April 1st, 2023
Theologian and ordained Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber speaks about personal failings, recovery, grace, faith, and really whatever the hell else she wants. A former stand-up comic and a recovering alcoholic, she founded the House for All Sinners & Saints in Denver, created and hosts the popular podcast The Confessional and is the author of three New York Times best-selling memoirs. Registration  is free but required, sign up for your free tickets.

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• The South Bay Food Pantry is the largest and fastest growing mission of First UU Church. Fifty-eight church members from both campuses, and 34 volunteers from the wider community, 92 people whose ages range from ten to mid-eighties keep the Pantry running and support First UU’s mission. 

7:30 pm Sunday March 26th, 2023.
Classics from Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson and Abby Lincoln finished with a sweet dose  of Spanish boleros. 
Mali Irene is a versatile vocal artist composer, scholar and collaborator. Her work breathes on an inspired continuum between opera, jazz, world, and electronic music - always embracing her embodied connection to music of the African diaspora. She has performed with legendary operas throughout the world and is the recipient of the prestigious National Black Arts Festival Horizon Award.

7:30 pm Saturday, March 11th 2023.
Experience barbershop standards and originals in English, Spanish and Portuguese! Formado en 2019, Los Bordershop es el primer cuarteto mexicano de barbershop, y uno de los únicos del mundo que canta en español. No pierdas la oportunidad de ver su debut en los EEUU. Formed in 2019, Los Bordershop is Mexico's premier barbershop quartet, and among the only quartets in the world to sing in Spanish. Don't miss your chance to see their U.S. debut. Also featuring very special musical guests: MotleyQ and So Noted! Share this free concert, download a flyer to send to friends. 
Registration required. Get your free tickets.

Download a flyer for the whole week. 
​​Melanie DeMore is a 3 time Grammy-nominated singer/composer, choral conductor, music director and vocal activist. She facilitates vocal and stick pounding workshops for professional choirs and community groups as well as directing numerous choral organizations. We are thrilled to welcome Melanie DeMore for a whole week of music and YOU are heartily invited to her Song as Worship Workshop, Community Sing Concert AND our Music of the Heart Sunday service - all FREE. Read on for the weeklong schedule.

Join us at 7:30pm on Saturday, March 4th for Melanie DeMore's Community Sing. Melanie is a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and social-activist who will have you singing in your seat in an unforgettable interactive evening of story and song presented by Front Street Productions. For more details contact Robie Evans. You must register to attend this open-seating show. Get your free tickets. 

Our 150th kickoff celebration on January 28th was a big hit. In the morning, members gathered to visit on the lower patio and enjoy the sunshine. Our sound therapist Terry provided healing sound sessions, which were very popular, while others enjoyed the meandering magician and fascinating historical art show by John Keasler, which lined the walls of Bard Hall. 
Soon enough it was time for our short program in the Meeting House with special music and visiting dignitaries. Highlights included a message from council member Chris Ward (a church member) and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who provided a special proclamation. Click photos to view larger, click Read More for more info and photos.​

Chris Chambers started work as our new Social Justice Coordinator in January 2023. Their pronouns are the singular they, their, and theirs and they are 30 years old. Chris became an activist at 16 and has been involved in grassroots organizing ever since. They worked at a food justice project, called Food not Bombs, in Seattle before moving to this area. ​Chris moved to Tijuana in 2011 where they continued to work with Food not Bombs (or Comida No Bombas) with people who've been deported and/or are unhoused. They felt this corner of the world has special geopolitical significance, that would challenge their white privilege while allowing them to continue working in social justice. Chris worked with Angela Fujii, our previous Social Justice Coordinator, at Casa Arcoiris, in Tijuana. Most recently, they've worked with transgender asylum seekers, as a paralegal.

Great news! Youth and Young Adult programs are BACK! Youth aged 12-21 are strongly encouraged to email Lara Anderson at lara@firstuusandiego.org with days and times they are able and willing to connect with one another. Please include your interests and wishes for this space. Keep an eye out for monthly events such as a movie and game night that happened in January.

Young Adults aged 22-35 began gathering in early December. We meet regularly on Mondays from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm. These meetings include space to discuss issues and topics of interest, time for playing games, enjoying food, and planning events. Lara looks forward to meeting each and every one of you. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments, preferences, or concerns.

​February 20, the youth and young adults are gathering to strengthen our writing and poetry skills, play some games and eat some yummy food together. Eva Garcia Mayers is leading us in the writing activities, which is fabulous, because Eva is fabulous.

Michael Odegaard will join us on February 23rd, as our next presenter in the Adult RE Speaker Series, to tell us about his current project to preserve the Kumeyaay Language. This event will be one more step toward establishing an accountable relationship between First UU and the Kumeyaay People. ​Michael serves as a Director of the United Nations Association of San Diego to coordinate implementation of the United Nations 2022-2032 Decade of Indigenous Languages' goals, which includes ecuring legal status for San Diego County's two indigenous languages, Kumeyaay and Luiseno (Chamtēela).

By Sebastian Hochgesang
My name is Sebastian. I'm 10 years old and I go to Martin Elementary.  We have been volunteering at the Diaper Pantry since it first opened. My mom and I started volunteering about a year and a half ago.  In the beginning, it was a little bit hard, but eventually I got used to it.  It was nice to know other people in the community. And my mom and I usually go for a treat after we volunteer. Here are some of the things I help my mom with when we volunteer:
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By Isabella Furth, Pantry Volunteer
For years, I have been fiercely protective of my Saturdays. As it is for many people, my work week is a bustle of work and meetings and activity. Sundays are full of church, music rehearsals, and gearing up for the week to come. But Saturdays! For me, they are the day of rest. There’s time for a swim, a walk, an outing, visiting a friend, doing the crossword, cooking. A time to relax, to think, to slow down and make room for things outside the world of work and consumption and productivity. Saturdays are my Sabbath. For years, when faced with any standing commitment, no matter how important or worthwhile—if it meant giving up Saturdays I would give it a pass. And then in March 2020, Maureen McNair called me, looking for volunteers to work at the food pantry. On Saturdays.
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​January 28, Saturday, Hillcrest Patio, 1 pm - 5 pm.
Please join us as we kickoff our 150th Celebration with a fun, multigenerational festival (art show, food, face painting, magic and circus arts) that is sure to please! We will have a short program in the Meeting House with visiting dignitaries and special music starting at 1:30 pm. For more information, please contact Tony Bianca.
​We expect a large turnout, so please be sure to register for your FREE tickets. 

By Rhea Kuhlman, Pantry Volunteer
In the two and a half years that John and Peggy Holl have been picking up bread donations from Con Pane Bakery at Liberty Station, hauling it to the South Bay Food Pantry in their small car, weighing it, and individually wrapping or bagging each loaf or pastry assortment, they’ve handled about 7,200 pounds of bread, or a little over 3.6 tons.   That’s a lot of tonnage for a couple in their 80s!  Now the Holls are passing the torch to a new generation of volunteers, to satisfy their children, who worry about their night driving on the freeway.

We have two 20 hours per week job openings. Take a look and feel free to send to a friend who might be interested. Job Posting for South Bay Coordinator |  Job Posting for Social Justice Coordinator

By Isabella Furth, Pantry Volunteer
Did you know that the parking lot at the Chula Vista campus/food pantry is in fact a five-dimensional shape-stacking Tetris alley that defies the laws of time and space? It’s a modestly sized strip-mall parking lot, with a single entrance/exit and maybe 75 parking spots total. During our Saturday distributions about a dozen of those spaces are blocked off to allow room for deliveries and our lineup and registration areas. Another handful are reserved for customers at Carmen’s beauty salon and Alfredo’s deli, our wonderful and supportive neighbors.
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Directed by Music Dept. Chair, Derek Cannon and Manny Cepeda respectively, the two ensembles filled our meeting house with popular Afro-Cuban and Brazilian originals and standards including Mambos, Cha-Chas, Bossa Novas, Sambas, Merengues, and Afro-Cuban 6/8. What a show!

By Nina D, South Bay Food Pantry Volunteer
In late 2019, when former FUUSD board member Maureen McNair first engaged us in launching the South Bay Food Pantry, neither my husband Jeff nor I had been involved in such a project before. I anticipated distributing mushy canned green beans and other basic (and unappetizing) canned goods, and wondered how much difference such items could make.
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Performing pieces from their hit show "Motown and More", Darryl F. Walker and The Saxations righteously rocked an audience of about 300 in the Meeting House. It was a great family-friendly evening the packed audience dancing in their seats and singing along. As the fourth performance in our free Community Events series, the Saxations brought in many church members, neighbors, friends and people who had never heard of First UU. We're excited by the growing awareness of our church in the community and hope to continue this success with our next event; the Grossmont College Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble. Save the date for December 13th! More info coming soon.