SOUTH BAY UNITARIAN FELLOWSHIP

MEETINGS: 11:00 a.m. SUNDAYS at 2603 Mathews Avenue, Redondo Beach, CA

http://sbuf.org   sbuf@yahoo.com

SBUF  Telephone Information:  (310) 374-1451

President:  Penny Hendricks     Newsletter:  Penny Hendricks      Programs:  Penny Hendricks

 

July-August 2009  Newsletter

“It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part.  If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”                         James Madison (1788)

                                         SUNDAY PROGRAMS

July 5 – THE TROUBLE WITH FREEDOM    The first amendment states:  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.  Come to discuss how this first amendment is sometimes abused.  Penny Hendricks will moderate.

 

July 12 – FANTASTIC ADVENTURE IN ASIA!  Peter Landecker returned from a once-in-lifetime super adventure (this spring), starting in Malaysia followed by living 15 days on a Scuba boat transiting and diving from Thailand to Indonesia.  He saw some very interesting underwater sites followed by an 7 day jungle adventure trek in North Sumatra.  He saw many orangutans, rode an elephant alone and bareback, and saw other interesting critters. He also climbed up an active volcano, as well as stayed by the side of large Lake Toba which was formed by a huge eruption and caused the Millennium Ice Age about 75,000 years ago.  They do things very differently over there. Peter will relate his strenuous adventures as well show pictures he took to document this trip.  Please checkout http://www.lafn.org/~bf684/Asia2009PL.htm for sample trip photos. Les Berg will moderate.

 

July 19 – THE LIFE AND ART OF DAVIS MILLER    (There will not be a meeting in Mathews Cottage) Our own Davis Miller, who just celebrated his 92nd birthday, will give an art talk at Pacific Unitarian Church at 2:00 p.m.  Plan to come to the church at 1:30.  Dave will reflect on his more than seventy years of art making and art teaching and walk us through a retrospective show of his works. The show itself runs from July 5 through July 26 on the Art Wall at the church.  If you need a ride or can offer a ride, call Thom Kilpatrick for arrangements. See the addendum at the end of this Newsletter!

 

July 26 -  FAVORITE POEMS    Please come to share your favorite poems and hear from others.  Lorna McClellan will moderate this program

 

August 2 BLUEGRASS DUO   The performers are two of the five members of the Mason Mountaineers. Glen Mason plays guitar and mandolin, and Dave Sharp plays banjo. Glen has been around a looooong time. (He won't say how long and no one dares to ask.) He just calls himself "mature." Dave is a youngster in his 50s. John Simpson will lead and moderate today. To hear them play, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt-V37r4ZL8. See below about a performance of the entire group on August 15.

          

August 9 -  Children Who Have Died    It is a special tragedy, especially to parents, when children die. When loved ones pass, many who had know them are affected deeply.  Beth Perkins will moderate.

 

August 16 – THE PEACE CORPS AT MID-LIFE      Our speaker today is Nancy Gregory.  Her love for travel started when she served in the Peace Corps at age 53, and she will tell us a little about that experience today.  In 1997, Nancy qualified for service in the Peace Corps.  She traveled to Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia in June of that year and stayed for the next three years.  The Peace Corps commitment is usually for 27 months; Nancy asked for a one year extension and that request was granted so she spent 3 years as a Sustainable Economic Development Volunteer in the village of Jerkazar and the capital city of Bishkek.  It was one of the most significant times in her life.  Penny Hendricks will moderate.

 

August 23Thom Kilpatrick will lead a program today. When his father suffered a stroke working the fields at their organic family farm, Mas Masumoto saw with new eyes nature, prosperity and hardship; fathers, children and  succession; life, death and renewal. We sample and discuss Mas’s new book, The Wisdom of the Last Farmer.
   

August 29 – Annual Dinner!! on Saturday at Coco's at 18120 Hawthorne Boulevard (near 181st Street). This special event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m.  Please contact Claire to RSVP as well as for the latest information, including menu options. This special gathering will take the place of the fellowship meeting on Sunday, August 30.

       

                                                VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE

Opener

Date             

Refreshments

 

Closer

John S.

July 5

Les Berg

 

Beth P.

Bob J.

July 12

Beth Perkins

 

John S.

-----------

July 19

------------

 

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Beth/Les

July 26

Thom Kilpatrick

 

Claire A.

John S.

August 2

Eric La Scala

 

Beth P.

Bob J.

August 9

Dave Miller

 

John S.

Beth/Les

August 16

John Simpson

 

Thom K.

       *****ATTENTION: For Openers and Refreshment persons:  ***** 

OPENERS arrive at 10:30 a.m., unlock doors, cabinet, put out sign, start water, put on tablecloth, set up cups, coffee, etc. for the refreshments.  Please display the fellowship candle on the circular table.

REFRESHMENTS need to arrive by 11:00 a.m.  Please arrange a trade if you cannot attend or clean up on the day assigned.  When you bring refreshments, it is your turn to be responsible for the clean up of the entire refreshment table including the coffee water and supplies.  If you need help, just ask.  By the way, thank you very much!!! 

 

***************CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS*************

 

July 12 -- The SBUF Board will meet at 12:30 p.m. after fellowship at Mathews Cottage.

 

July 12 – The Concert Singers http://www.theconcertsingers.com/ will perform.  Diamonds Are Forever:  Celebrating 60 years of Broadway and Jazz Choral Music.  Sunday at 4 p.m.  Bob Johnson will be singing.

 

July 19 Davis Miller’s ART TALK at Pacific Unitarian Church begins at 2 p.m. See the addendum at the end of this Newsletter for more information!

 

July 19, August 2, and August 30 --  Evening concerts at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church at 26825 Rolling Hills Estates Road, Rolling Hills Estates.   Sunday, from 5-7 p.m.  Come early and picnic on the grass.  Church telephone (310) 377-2825.  

 

August 15 -- The 5 Mason Mountaineers will perform live at Suzy's Bar and Grill, 1141 Aviation Boulevard, Hermosa Beach from 4 to 7 p.m. This locale is near Big Lots and Prospect Avenue.

 

August 16 -- The SBUF Board will meet at 12:30 p.m. after fellowship at Mathews Cottage.  

 

August 29 – Annual Dinner!! on Saturday at Coco's at 18120 Hawthorne Boulevard (near 181st Street). This special event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m.  Please contact Claire to RSVP as well as for the latest information, including menu options.

                                                                                                                                               ***************Communications Corner***************************

From your President:

         Last Sunday, June 28th was a great example of our fellowship at its best.  Everyone pitched in to help.  We enjoyed a small brunch in Mathews Cottage and held the required General Membership Meeting.  Thank you to all who participated.  We also got a special bonus---Meron Castain is now a new member.  Hurray!!!

         My thanks to all for your support and good feelings.

         With love-----

 

June 28 – SBUF BOARD OF DIRECTORS  were elected at the General Meeting:

         Peter Landecker, John Simpson, Les Berg, Beth Perkins, Claire Aukerman, Thom Kilpatrick and Penny Hendricks

 

Ted and Marilyn Doty moved. Bob Block was ill and is recovering. Please contact Peter for more information.

 

WE ARE GLAD YOU ASKED!!!

How do I become a member of the South Bay Unitarian Fellowship??  Membership is open to all persons 15 years of age or older who sign a membership card expressing agreement with the purpose of the Fellowship.  Members become eligible to vote and hold office three months after signing membership cards.  Members are expected to participate in SBUF activities and to provide a helping hand and financial support when needed.  

 

SBUF PROGRAMS   If there is a particular topic you would like to see presented on a Sunday morning, or an organization you want to know more about, or a good book you would like to share, or any other ideas for Sunday morning programs, please call Penny Hendricks. Your input is valuable!  Thank you for your help.

If you would like e-mail reminders when a new SBUF newsletter is placed on the web, please send a request to sbuf@yahoo.com

This page was last updated on August 8, 2009.

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Addendum about Davis Miller Art Talk on July 19

The biggest and bloodiest single battle that American forces experienced in World War Two was the Battle of the Bulge. More than 19,000 American troops were killed, most of them in just three days of combat.

During that battle, Davis Miller narrowly escaped death at the hands of the German army's crack Panzer Division. Had he perished, thousands of viewers would not have enjoyed his more than seven decades of fine paintings. Hundreds of art students would not have learned painting and drawing from this skilled and caring instructor.

Here at the Art Wall on Sunday July 19, at 2:00 p.m., you will be able to walk with Davis Miller through a retrospective tour of his work and participate in a Conversation on Art with the artist. There is no charge, and all are welcome.

A Maine native, Mr. Miller studied at the New England school of art in Boston and is a graduate of the Portland School of Fine Arts. After World War Two, he moved to Manhattan Beach, California, where he lives today with his wife Gloria, also an accomplished artist.

Over the decades, his work was on view at many museums and galleries throughout California, including the Palos Verdes Community Art Gallery, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor (now merged into the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco). He was an art juror for many Southern California art clubs, and his art demonstrations have been in great demand.

Mr. Miller earned first- and second-place awards from the Joslyn Center for the Arts in Torrance, California (1990); first prize at the Palos Verdes Annual Membership Exhibition; and Best of Show from the Pacific Art Guild (1991).

But Davis Miller is as widely known and appreciated as an art teacher as he is as a painter. For many years he taught art at the South Bay Adult School, and in his own classes. For him, making art and teaching art are inseparable. “How can I not pass on what I've come to know over time?” he asks. “It's not just about teaching rules. I like helping people to loosen up and begin to see in ways they haven't seen before.”

At 92, Mr. Miller is still making fine art and still teaches a weekly painting class. “I still have a thing or two to learn,” he says, “and a thing or two to pass on.”

This showing of Mr. Miller's work continues through July 26. For exhibit hours, call the PUC office (310) 378-9449.

 

This page last updated August 19, 2009.