Unitarian Universalist Community of Cambria
Unitarian Universalist Church of Cambria
786 Arlington St. - Cambria, CA 93428 - 805-395-4055
Sunday Service at 10:00am
Unitarian Universalist Church of Cambrian
WELCOME TO OUR COMMUNITY!
The Unitarian Universalist Community of Cambria is a church where people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds can come together in a safe and welcoming environment to share their search for truth and meaning.
Unitarian Universalism is a caring, open-minded religion that encourages you to seek your own spiritual path. Our Faith draws on many religious traditions, welcoming people with different beliefs. We are united by shared values, not by creed or dogma. Our congregations are places where people gather to nurture their spirits and put their faith into action by helping to make our communities (and the world) a better place.
Our Mission Statement
"We strive to build community through love, support spiritual growth, and actively promote social and environmental justice."
Speaker Schedule
To join the Sunday 10:00am Zoom Service
4/27/25
"There Are Also Musicians"
During these deeply worrying times, music can be a welcome escape from the news. But music and the arts are more than an escape; they are essential to our humanity... and to our democracy. Rev. Ken Read-Brown, minister emeritus, First UU Parish in Hingham MA (Old Ship Church)
Ken Read-Brown
5/4/25
"UU Cats and Dogs" by Christopher Buice
CATS AND DOGS?
In the 19th century Thomas Starr King was asked to describe the differences between Unitarianism and Universalism denominations. He replied, “Universalists believe that God is too good to damn them to hell forever. Unitarians believe they are too good to be damned.”
Jan Musarra
To see our Unitarian Universalist Community of Cambria calendar of services and events coming up or on the events calendar picture.
Pledge and Donate!!
Choices! You now have many options to pledge or donate to UUCC.
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Pledge or Donate on - service fee of 2.9% + $.30 per transaction will be deducted from your payment unless you opt to pay it
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Pledge or Donate on Pay Pal-service fee of 1.99% + $.30 per transaction will be deducted from your payment unless you opt to pay it
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Mail a check to UUCC P.O. Box 64, Cambria CA 93428 (please do not send mail to the Arlington address)
Please make sure to indicate what your payment is for, such as Pledge, Donation, 4th Sunday, Scholarship, etc.
THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS OF CAMBRIA AWARD SCHOLARSHIPS
by Mary Anne Anderson, UUCC Scholarship committee member
On Sunday June 4th, eleven outstanding high school students received college scholarships from the Unitarian Universalist Church, chosen by the scholarship committee, under the leadership of Jan Callner/Musarra. The committee worked diligently to choose the recipients, who had all - unknowingly perhaps - exhibited UU qualities in their essays and extra-curricular activities: compassion, environmental concern, and the desire to become “Leaders in a Changing World” - the theme for the service. Each one talked about their college choices, ranging from Cuesta’s Promise program as a stepping off point, to U.C. San Francisco, Duke, U.C Riverside, Boston College, and Cal Poly. They highlighted their interests of study including genetics, teaching, criminal defense lawyer, psychology, and more.
Many proud parents attended as well, eyes wet with pride, meeting and shaking hands with the UU congregation. A few students joined via Zoom, but most of them took front row seats in this delightful ceremony with uplifting music and smiles galore. An outstanding luncheon followed the service.
The scholarship committee, founded by Bobra Tahan, has been in operation for eleven years and has awarded tens of thousands of dollars from donations to deserving students. Several Cambrian families have had two or more of their children win awards.
A very special former winner, Martha Gomez Mora, spoke at the service of the validation of having someone believe in her. Martha started out at Cuesta, transferred to UCLA, and has just received her Master’s Degree from Harvard University.
Martha Mora
The UU congregation congratulates the following winners: Patricia Acosta, Brenda Garcia, Ava Glennon, Caiden Kennedy, Jennyfer Mondragon, Wendy Pena, Roert Saunders, Violet Wills, Mariam Toma, Cyrus Tatham, and Zaul Vasquez.
2023 Congregation members picture
Wayne and Don join Mary and Jan for a beautiful rendition of " The Wood Thrush's Song"
Congregational Workshop
Our UU District representative Jan Christian visited us for a workshop about conversation that help allow us to better communicate our congregational mission among ourselves. We were asked to consider five questions: How are we living out our stated mission? How does being a UU congregation shape our overall identity, our Sunday services, and how we approach our mission? What do we hope is possible for our congregation in Cambria? What are the current challenges to achieving what we hope is possible? It was an informative workshop for us all.
Thanksgiving Basket Collection
Every year, in the UUCC collects food to be distributed to Cambria families the week before Thanksgiving.
This is our 7th year working with Danilda Reyes and LINK Family Resources!
We will be filling 40 baskets this year, up from 30 that we did last year and 20 that we started with. Truly a sign of the times.
We are accepting checks this year if you don't want to shop. Please make checks out to Unitarian Universalist and then add in the memo that it’s for the Thanksgiving baskets.
Our congregation donates a check to help pay for larger items, and everyone helps supply some of the additional food going into the baskets.
We look forward to working with you again this upcoming Thanksgiving.
If you would like to volunteer. Call Catherine Lekich at 805-909-2599 or Rebecca Hendricks 408 307 9616.
This is one of the few congregation-wide activities we do.
We hope you will join the SEJC in making this food drive a success!
Day of the Dead Service
Honoring the Mexican holiday known as the Day of the Dead is an annual tradition at the UUCC. For the Day of the Dead service, we gather to honor and remember family and friends who are no longer with us. This year a potluck was held after the service with attendees bringing a dish from a favorite recipe or a special type of food enjoyed by a deceased loved one. Photographs, mementos and stories were shared during the service to honor the memories of our dearly departed.
Music at the UUCC
The UUCC is very grateful to have amongst our members and friends a number of talented musicians and performing artists who regularly share their musical abilities with us during Sunday services and special events. Our Music Director, Mary Schwalbe, and Jan Callner, our multi-talented pianist, both add mystery, celebration and wonder to our services with their beautiful music selections. We have a part-time choir that is called on to perform on special occasions. All enthusiastic singers are welcome to join. No audition necessary.
THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS OF CAMBRIA AWARD SCHOLORSHIPS
On Sunday June 5th, ten outstanding High School students received college scholarships from the Unitarian Universalist Church, chosen by the scholarship committee, under the leadership of Jan Callner. The committee worked diligently to choose the ten recipients, who had all - unknowingly perhaps - exhibited UU qualities in their essays and extra-curricular activities: compassion, environmental concern, and the desire to “Build a Better World” - the theme for the service. Each one talked about their college choices, ranging from Cuesta’s Promise program as a stepping off point, to U.C. Berkeley and Cal Poly. They highlighted their Interests including medicine, social work, immigration law, teaching, aeronautical engineering, and the inspiring appointment of the first Supreme Court woman of color Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Some of the proud parents attended as well, eyes wet with pride, meeting and shaking hands with the UU congregation. A few students joined in via Zoom, but most of them took front row seats in this delightful ceremony with uplifting music and smiles galore.
The scholarship committee, founded by Bobra Tahan, has been in operation for over the eight years, and has awarded tens of thousands of dollars from donations to deserving students. One Cambria family has had two of their children win awards. A very special former winner, Martha Gomez Morra, started out at Cuesta, transferred to UCLA, and is now on her way to Harvard Graduate school in the Fall.
The UU congregation would like to present the following winners:
COAST UNION
Jannah Al Defaaei
Alexandra Aguilar
Elise Happel
Andy Garcia
Melissa Orbe
Emiliano Peña
Cecilia Romero
LEFFINGWELL
Jean-Alexandre Maddeaux
Lily Smith
by Mary Anne Anderson, UU Scholarship committee member.
Game Night
A good time was had at game night Friday. Nancy, Randy, and Mike made delicious pizzas, and we enjoyed salad by Diane, sweet red oranges from Margaret and yummy cookies from Dolores. Then, by the cracking fire on the tv...via the internet, we enjoyed several games. Thanks to Robert and Dolores and Sue for setting up...we all helped to make an easy, fun evening. Look for more of these evenings to come. Sue
UUCC Donates to YMCA
As a part of our ongoing commitment to support our local schools, the UUCC recently donated $1,500.00 to the YMCA after school program. Judy Butler, Pat Lakin and Janet Cooper are shown with the director of the YMCA presenting the check. The local YMCA program is offered at Santa Lucia Middle School and teaches students how to develop informational or advertising campaigns and how to design and create promotional material, including videos. The students filmed the open house at our church on Arlington St. and created a wonderful video of the event. To see the video
Tie Dye Picture Day
Who doesn't love brightly colored tie dyed shirts? Having fun together is definitely an important part of community building. On this particular Sunday, we all wore our favorite tie-dyed outfits and took this group photograph after service as a memento of one of our more colorful gatherings.
Deepening Your Nature
Connection Workshop
This nature exploration workshop was led by Sue Davis starting at the San Simeon point. The workshop was designed to awaken ones senses to the natural world and form a deeper connection to nature with activities that included: Storytelling, Sit Spot, Deer Ears, Peripheral vision, ephemeral art, tasteful eating and touch connection. This was a 4 hour workshop with a walk along the beach and on to the point trail to experience the sounds and beauty of nature. It was a wonderful day for all who participated.
Guest at Your Table
Every year, our congregation supports the good work of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee through the Guest at Your Table (GAYT) Program.
The GAYT program raises support for and awareness about critical human rights issues. This year the focus is on the theme "Hope, Courage, Action"
As UUSC Congregational Liaison, Robert Wilkinson leads the fundraiser and keeps the congregation informed of UUSC programs and activities.
Thank you to all those members and friends who contribute to the program. To learn more about the UUSC, you can visit their website at www.uusc.org
Craft Day Fundraiser
A fun craft day was had by all creating their own driftwood and seashell mobiles for one of our fundraising projects.
Committee Chairs
Congregational Life:
Music Director: Mary Schwalbe
Nominating and Elections: Rebecca Hendricks, Kathy Persinger, Art Gillingham
Operations: Sue Davis
Religious Education: Diane DeMarco and Andy Feigin
Social & Environmental Justice:
Worship: Randy Schwalbe
The Board of Trustees has a standing meeting every third Monday of the month at 3:30 PM, on ZOOM only. All are welcome to attend as a guest. email Dolores Miera, dolomm2@gmail.com to request a zoom link.
The Worship Committee has a standing meeting every fourth Monday of the month at 5 PM, currently on Zoom. All are welcome. As a guest, contact Randy Schwalbe at ranmaryschwalbe@gmail.com to get the meeting link.
2025 UUCC Board of Trustees
Dolores Miera, President,
Nancy Tholen, Vice-President.
Janet Cooper, Treasurer
Andy Feigin, Secretary
Anita Hubscher, Ted Key, Sue Davis - Members at large.
Contact E-Mails:
General e-mail: uuccambria@gmail.com
Calendar/Admin email (Andy Feigin) - andrewfeigin@mac.com
Newsletter/Webmaster: Laurie Napoli - vnapoli@sbcglobal.net
Unitarian Universalist Church of Cambrian
Operations Committee meets once a month from 6 to 8 PM either in person or on zoom . Please come join the committee to help volunteer your time with the various aspects we focus on: Community Advertising, public relations, Annual Fund Raising, Financial Assistance to the Treasurer and Maintaining the Church facility. We would love to involve more members!! Contact Sue Davis at mdavis5855@gmail.com or call her at 805 927-1570 to get the next date for the meeting.
Like Us on Facebook
Do you “like” our Unitarian Universalist Cambria Community? If so, please “like” us on Facebook. It will help you keep up on events, and let Facebook friends learn a little more about what you’re doing every Sunday morning.
Go to: https://www.facebook.com/uuccambria