First UU Church of San Diego
  • Home
  • Worship
    • Messages
    • Online Worship
    • Participate in a Service
    • Principles & Sources
  • Connections
    • Welcome Newcomers! > >
      • Visiting First UU
      • What is UUism?
      • Become a Member
    • Groups from A-Z > >
      • Affinity Groups
      • Archives
      • Art Guild
      • Christian Study Group
      • Earth Centered Spirituality Circle
      • Looking Glass Theatre
      • Meditation
      • Men's Fellowship
      • Neighborhood Groups
      • UU Seniors
      • Wisdom Circles
    • Member Networking
    • Listening Circles
    • Restorative Process
  • Music
    • Summer Choir
    • Vocal Ensembles
    • Handbell Ensemble
    • Children and Youth Music Program
  • Education
    • Children's RE > >
      • Family Ministry Library
      • Children's RE Registration
    • Adult Faith Formation
    • Family Ministry > >
      • All Church Camp
    • Youth Programs
    • Young Adult & Campus Ministry
    • Our Whole Lives (OWL)
    • SD Co-op Preschool
  • Programs
    • Caring
    • Food Pantry
    • Larger UU Connections > >
      • Denominational Relations
      • Friends of De Benneville Pines
      • Philippines Partner Church
      • Transylvania Partner Church
      • UU Service Committee
    • Leadership Development
    • Social Justice > >
      • Social Justice Executive Team
      • Climate Justice
      • Generosity Offerings
      • Organizing for Justice
      • Palestine-Israel Justice Group
      • Rainbow Action
      • Reproductive Justice
      • Sanctuary
      • SOLACE
      • Uptown Community Service Center
    • Ushering
  • Giving
    • Donations > >
      • Pledging
      • Planned Giving
      • Donate Your Vehicle
      • Donate Flowers
    • Dining for Dollars D4$
    • B&B Program > >
      • B&B Guest Registration
      • B&B Hosting > >
        • B&B Host Application
    • Specialty Sale
    • Shop and Support!
  • News
    • Blog
    • The Window - Weekly Bulletin
    • First Words Magazine
  • About
    • For Members > >
      • Member's Login
      • Board Login
    • Our Ministers
    • Our Staff
    • Calendar
    • Front Street Productions
    • 150th Celebration
    • Facilities > >
      • Campus Maps
      • Ceremonies
      • Hillcrest Campus
      • South Bay Campus
      • Facilities Use Request Form
    • Forms
    • Governance > >
      • Article II
      • 8th Principle
      • Board Candidates
      • Journey Toward Wholeness >
        • Black History Month
      • Reopening Team
      • Strategic Planning > >
        • Funding our Future
        • Visioning The Future
    • Our History
  • Contact
    • Ministers and Staff
    • Website Update Form
    • MAG Contact Form
    • Privacy and Terms

First Words

Our monthly publication - more than just news!

First Words Magazine features in-depth stories and news from around our campuses and our faith. It was created to acquaint newcomers and others with the purposes and principles of Unitarian Universalism through articles on campus events, interviews, and social justice witness, among others. Submissions are due the 20th of the month, and will appear in the next month's issue. Each article should be 500 words or less and will be edited for clarity, brevity, and style. First Words is not issued during the summer. 

Get Involved

View The Current Edition of First Words

​First Words Deadline

20th of each month.
Every First Words story begins with someone putting forth an idea which then percolates at our monthly Marketing Action Group meeting, takes shape through research and interviews and is carefully completed through editing. We welcome and invite your participation in any part of this process. It is only through a diversity of perspectives that First Words can accurately reflect our beloved community. Suggest an article using the form below or get involved at a deeper level by getting in touch. Either way, we look forward to hearing from you! ~ Nancy Fisk and Jan Garbosky, Editors of First Words. 

Ideas, Announcements and Submissions

Do you have a story idea? Have you written an article that you think belongs in First Words? We'd like to hear from you! Send it in and we'll get back to you to follow up. 
    Please keep articles to no more than 500 words and know that we may need to edit it to fit. 
    Please keep your announcement to a maximum of 125 words.
    Max file size: 20MB
Send
Tips for Good Writing 
By First UU Member Anne Krueger.​
  1. Be sure every article includes the 5 Ws of journalism - who, what, when, where and why. If you’re writing about a speaker, explain that person’s credentials and background.
  2. Put your most important information in the first couple of sentences.Use the inverted pyramid. After the first paragraph, every subsequent paragraph amplifies and explains information already written, but in a descending order of importance. This allows the editors to safely cut the last paragraphs if space is tight.
  3. Your article should be written so it can be appreciated by newcomers as well as members of your group. Don’t use insider terms or abbreviations that won’t be understood by a casual reader.
  4. Write simply and plainly. If your material is readable - full of facts and unencumbered by subjectivity - it’s more likely to be read and remembered. And the more information is remembered, the more likely it will motivate people to act.
  5. Use neutral, objective language.Try to avoid using “we” or “us.” Some readers will feel excluded by that language, feeling like the group is an exclusive closed club.
  6. Avoid using “there” or “this.” Instead of saying, “There will be a meeting of the church council,” say “The church council will meet.”
  7. Always look for unnecessary words to remove, or a shorter way to convey your thought. Examples: instead of “Easter Sunday,” say “Easter”; instead of “in the event of,” say “if”; instead of “due to the fact that,” say “because.”
  8. Keep sentences and paragraphs short. Break up sentences if they’re getting too long. Paragraphs should be just two or three sentences. Keep them short to allow white space at the end of a paragraph - it’s easier on a reader’s eye.
  9. Try to use the active voice. The subject should be the actor (The ushers collected the offering) instead of the passive voice. (The offering was collected by the ushers.)

Download past copies

2023
First Words - Summer 2023
First Words - May 2023
First Words April 2023
First Words - March 2023
First Words - February 2023
First Words - January 2023
2022
First Words - December 2022
First Words - November 2022
First Words - October 2022
First Words - September 2022
First Words - Summer 2022
First Words - May 2022
First Words - April 2022
First Words - March 2022
First Words - February 2022
​First Words - January 2022
For older editions please contact the Church office. ​

Who to contact

Kathleen Swift
Rose Littler-Riedel
Membership Development and Communications
(619) 398-4439
rose@firstuusandiego.org


Nancy Fisk
Nancy Fisk
First Words Editor

nfisk1@juno.com


Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
(619) 298-9978  |  Staff Directory
Hillcrest campus 4190 Front Street, San Diego, CA. 92103  |  South Bay campus 970 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA. 91911
  For GPS to our Hillcrest Campus, please use 298 W Arbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92103
For directions, parking and more see our Contact page.
Picture
©2004-2019 First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego. All rights reserved. Admin.
  • Home
  • Worship
    • Messages
    • Online Worship
    • Participate in a Service
    • Principles & Sources
  • Connections
    • Welcome Newcomers! > >
      • Visiting First UU
      • What is UUism?
      • Become a Member
    • Groups from A-Z > >
      • Affinity Groups
      • Archives
      • Art Guild
      • Christian Study Group
      • Earth Centered Spirituality Circle
      • Looking Glass Theatre
      • Meditation
      • Men's Fellowship
      • Neighborhood Groups
      • UU Seniors
      • Wisdom Circles
    • Member Networking
    • Listening Circles
    • Restorative Process
  • Music
    • Summer Choir
    • Vocal Ensembles
    • Handbell Ensemble
    • Children and Youth Music Program
  • Education
    • Children's RE > >
      • Family Ministry Library
      • Children's RE Registration
    • Adult Faith Formation
    • Family Ministry > >
      • All Church Camp
    • Youth Programs
    • Young Adult & Campus Ministry
    • Our Whole Lives (OWL)
    • SD Co-op Preschool
  • Programs
    • Caring
    • Food Pantry
    • Larger UU Connections > >
      • Denominational Relations
      • Friends of De Benneville Pines
      • Philippines Partner Church
      • Transylvania Partner Church
      • UU Service Committee
    • Leadership Development
    • Social Justice > >
      • Social Justice Executive Team
      • Climate Justice
      • Generosity Offerings
      • Organizing for Justice
      • Palestine-Israel Justice Group
      • Rainbow Action
      • Reproductive Justice
      • Sanctuary
      • SOLACE
      • Uptown Community Service Center
    • Ushering
  • Giving
    • Donations > >
      • Pledging
      • Planned Giving
      • Donate Your Vehicle
      • Donate Flowers
    • Dining for Dollars D4$
    • B&B Program > >
      • B&B Guest Registration
      • B&B Hosting > >
        • B&B Host Application
    • Specialty Sale
    • Shop and Support!
  • News
    • Blog
    • The Window - Weekly Bulletin
    • First Words Magazine
  • About
    • For Members > >
      • Member's Login
      • Board Login
    • Our Ministers
    • Our Staff
    • Calendar
    • Front Street Productions
    • 150th Celebration
    • Facilities > >
      • Campus Maps
      • Ceremonies
      • Hillcrest Campus
      • South Bay Campus
      • Facilities Use Request Form
    • Forms
    • Governance > >
      • Article II
      • 8th Principle
      • Board Candidates
      • Journey Toward Wholeness >
        • Black History Month
      • Reopening Team
      • Strategic Planning > >
        • Funding our Future
        • Visioning The Future
    • Our History
  • Contact
    • Ministers and Staff
    • Website Update Form
    • MAG Contact Form
    • Privacy and Terms