In the Spirit

Address: 1259 Victoria St., Costa MesaTelephone: (949)

646-4652Denomination: A member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist

Assn.Year Church Established: 1953

Service Times: Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Religious education for preschool

through high school meets concurrently.

Pastor: Karen StoyanoffChurch Staff: Betty Skwarek, director of religious

education; Ryan Heller, choir director; Sarah Jones, office manager.

Size of Congregation: 200 adults

Makeup of Congregation: A broad range of ages, professions and cultural

backgrounds are represented. Members reside primarily in Costa Mesa,

Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, but some come from throughout Orange

and Los Angeles counties.

Child Care: Nursery care is provided for most activities, unless the

event includes children. Older children attend religious education

activities.

Type of Worship: Services are a time for members to come together to

celebrate life. The celebration integrates music and the spoken word,

including readings from spiritual texts and/or other literature and a

message.

Type of Sermon: Most messages are focused on issues of how to live in

community.

Recent Topics: Last Sunday, Stoyanoff spoke on “How Do We Know What We

Know: Metaphorical Theology.” She explored various ways by which we

understand the great mystery of finding meaning in life. She examined the

use of story, myth and metaphor in our attempts to understand the

unknown. She looked at how these stories enrich our lives and help us

understand great questions such as “What is the meaning of life?” “What

is good and what is evil?” and “Is there a God?”

Upcoming Topics: The Sunday service will center on the obligation to

participate in the democratic process by voting and speaking out on

issues that relate to Unitarian Universalist principles. Unitarian

Universalists have a principle that states, “We affirm and support the

rights of conscience and the use of the democratic process in our

congregations and in society at large.” On March 12, the service will

feature a speaker from the Orangewood Children’s Home, and on March 19,

Stoyanoff will speak on “Responsible Consumption,” a national initiative

for Unitarian Universalists.

Welcome Wagon: Newcomers are greeted before the Sunday-morning service

and are encouraged to join others during the coffee hour that follows.

Members enthusiastically participate in this time of community. Members

warmly welcome anyone to join them “without regard to race, color, sex,

disability, affectional or sexual orientation, age, or national origin

and without requiring adherence to any particular interpretation of

religion or to any particular religious belief or creed.”

Outreach Programs: The congregation has a Social Justice Outreach

Committee. Two of its major projects are the AIDS Team Ministry Project

and Circulo de Amigas. The AIDS team provides microwaveable meals to

homebound people with AIDS who live in Orange County. Meals are cooked,

packaged, frozen and delivered weekly by members of the congregation.

Circulo de Amigas sends direct support to people in Nicaragua and also

provides assistance to at-risk children in Orange County schools. Last

Christmas, the congregation also “adopted” and provided food and gifts

for 21 families through the outreach of S.O.S. in Costa Mesa.

Dress: Casual

Church Design: Large and contemporary, with a beautiful location and view

overlooking Huntington Beach from the Costa Mesa bluffs.

Mission Statement: The purpose of the Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist

Church is to create and nurture a place in Orange County that welcomes

all persons into a diverse, empowering and caring spiritual community

that exemplifies and promotes our Unitarian Universalist values. We do

this by: offering programs for worship, religious education and

fellowship for all ages; providing opportunities for spiritual,

intellectual and leadership growth; by supporting and participating in

the wider Unitarian Universalist community. We covenant to act among

ourselves and in the larger community in a way that affirms Unitarian

Universalist principles.

Interesting Note: The church just completed a weekend workshop, “Creating

a Jubilee World,” which focused on anti-racism. The church is planning

further work to promote anti-racism within the community in the coming

months. The church conducts a weekly 9 a.m. Sunday seminar/discussion

group that considers various social issues. It is open to anyone who is

interested. Topics are chosen by the participants. For more information

on any of these events, call the church office.-- Compiled by Michele M.

Marr