Hillcrest: bring your food donations to the Hillcrest parking lot every Saturday from 8am-9am. Deliver bags and boxes to the bed of Dana Tomlinson’s dark grey Ford pick-up truck with camper shell. 
​South Bay: deliver donations directly to the food pantry from 9:30am - 10 am. Get directions to either location. 
Peanut butter is our most frequently requested food! We cannot buy it in bulk, so your individual donations of 1 or 2 jars makes a difference! Our other frequently requested items are:

• Pasta sauce
• Pasta noodles
• Canned, diced tomatoes
• Canned tuna

Please don't buy fresh produce to donate. We can purchase fresh produce from a wholesaler at great rates! We would love for you to glean fresh fruits and vegetables from your neighborhood gardens. Your pantry funds go the furthest when you spend them on our most requested canned, boxed, and bagged pantry goods. Donations of funds are also tremendously appreciated! To donate online, see our Food Pantry page. Thank you for your continued support of the South Bay Food Pantry!

​It’s time for preparation and submission of your Ministry Team / Affiliate Group / Committee reports for our 2020 Annual Report. Click here for your report instructions and template. Refer to our 2019 Annual Report here, and submit your reports and pictures no later than Friday, May 15 to Rose Riedel at rose@firstuusandiego.org.  

For people who worshiped at our Hillcrest campus on 12/22/19, we apologize that the names of the read poems were not included in the order of service. Here they are in the order they were read in the service:
Rhiannon Smith read “Starlings in Winter” by Mary Oliver
Rev. Kathleen included these in her sermon:
"What Can I Say?" by Mary Oliver
"Eagle Poem" by Joy Harjo
"Anacostia River" by El’Jay Johnson
"Yes! No!" by Mary Oliver
​
​Thank you.

For people who worshiped at our Hillcrest campus on 12/15/19, we apologize that the authors’ names of the read poems were not included in the order of service. Here they are in the order they were read in the service.
“A Ritual to Read to Each Other” by William E. Stafford
“For Calling the Spirit Back from Wandering the Earth in its Human Feet” Joy Harjo
“Between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice, Today” by Emily Jungmin Yoon
 “Shaking Hands” by Padraig O Tuama
Thank you.

Brian Krohne
Brian is a computer programmer with roots in California and Tennessee. Before coming to San Diego, Brian attended UU congregations in South Carolina and Atlanta. Brian is the father of a one-year old daughter Esther, who is often seen wandering around the patio after services offering fist bumps. Brian, Esther, and Becca have lived in San Diego since 2015.

Welcome new Board members!
​Vice President/President Elect FY18-19 / Past President FY20-21: Rhiannon Smith.
Treasurer (1-year term): Sue Marberry.
Trustees (3-year term): Kathleen MacLeod, Angela Garcia-Sims, James Long.

The Planned Giving committee and First Church are deeply grateful for this outpouring of support that will help build our Endowments for years to come. 28 new members joined Sustainers of the Flame in 2018. Through the UUA's WNOV campaign, $73,000 of funds will be coming to First Church in 2019!

Summer Worship Attendance Report.
This summer we experimented with having one worship service at 10:00 a.m. and then an engagement activity at 11:30 at our Hillcrest campus. Our South Bay campus continued its regularly scheduled worship service at 9:30 a.m. and then also had an engagement activity starting around 11:00 a.m. Regarding the experience at Hillcrest - it was great to see such a full Meeting House on Sunday mornings. There was certainly a lot of excitement and a sense of energy on the campus. People enjoyed seeing one another in the summer when they normally wouldn’t during the rest of the year because of our two services. Many people expressed appreciation for the one service. These were some of the benefits of going to one service this summer.

Dear Members and Friends,
I want to share with you that Abby Koch, our Executive Administrator and Office Manager is leaving her position with us to take up a position at another institution to become the Pool Manager for two pools in the San Diego area. Abby has been an important part of the staff for ten years and we will miss her a great deal. However, she will still be a member of First UU Church and looks forward to engaging in programs and events as a church member. Abby’s last day in the office will be July 30, 2015. The Ministers and Executive team are re-imagining the responsibilities of this position and will post a job description later this week with the hopes of hiring someone that Abby can train before July 30th.

Staff Transitions are happening here at First and I want to ensure you as members and friends are kept informed about our process and what's happening. Kristen Kuriga is taking a sabbatical from her position as Social Justice Ministry Team Coordinator to complete her Clinical Pastoral Experience (CPE) through the summer and fall months. She will remain the part-time South Bay Ministry Team Coordinator, supporting worship services, lay leaders and outreach efforts. ​Alice King, our Young Adult and Campus Ministry Coordinator will be leaving her position after General Assembly. Her last day with us at First Church will be Sunday, June 21st. Rev. Jennifer and I will be meeting with our Young Adult groups and creating a process for the continuation of this important ministry and our campus outreach. More information regarding this process and the timing of this position will be posted here in the future.