Dear Friends:

I want to thank everyone reading this update who have contributed in any fashion to our PSWD Fire Relief efforts. It is truly a season to be thankful for our connections to Unitarian Universalists across the continent. To date we have raised over $63,400 for our PSWD Fire Relief Fund and have dispersed $28,000 to some two dozen families. We know our work will continue for months and years dealing not only with the destruction but the trauma that has affected so many lives. 

So thank you to those serving on our Fire Relief Panel and to the UU Trauma Ministry, both groups will be working with us into the future dealing with the ongoing needs caused by this crisis. I also want to thank the ministers and lay people who have been willing to reach out to those in need and who I am sure will continue to do so.

Sometime this spring we will be working with the San Diego cluster to sponsor a training on trauma relief. There is much our pastoral care ministries can learn in understanding how to deal with the ongoing needs. At the recent District Staff meetings Tera and I attended we learned about the UUA headquarters Crisis Team and how they are building connections to each District in order to be ready in the future. With the impacts of the climate change we are experiencing I am sure that the natural disasters will continue, but we also need to be ready for other crisis that seem to be human driven.

Please be in touch with Tera Little or myself if you have questions about our ongoing efforts.

Your District Staff wishes you all a peaceful and caring holiday season.

Ken

If you wish to help you can send your check to:
Pacific Southwest District
Fire Relief Fund
2052 Norma Street
Oxnard, CA 93036.

We have also developed a partnership with the UUA who will accept credit card donations on behalf of the PSWD Fire Fund at http://tinyurl.com/ytfz3f

Again, thank you for your generous support,
 
Ken Brown
District Executive
Pacific Southwest District

RESOURCES:

For resources on dealing with the fire and aftermath go to the UU Trauma Response Ministry website at: http://www.traumaministry.org/education.htm

Two Points

  • Just because people from your congregation are not directly impacted by the fires if they are watching TV for extended times they may need help because they may be traumatized

  • Just because folks have not been evacuated it does not mean they do not need help -- elderly or those with medical conditions should not be outside breathing the acrid air that covers most of southern California, call them and see if they need help in getting groceries or prescriptions

A prayer/meditation, "In These Days of Fire," by Revs. John and Sarah Gibb Millspaugh of Mission Viejo, CA may be found at http://www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/meditationsprayers/submissions/55984.shtml


REQUESTS:

For those who have called wanting to help -- it would be immensely useful if you could get a volunteer in your congregation to come up with either a database or a list of what your congregants might offer, i.e. clothes, blankets, food, help with clean-up, etc.



Oct 28 -- Chalice

 
The Rev. Margo McKenna leads worship at Chalice UU Congregation the Sunday after the fires. The building was packed even though 90% of the congregation had been evacuated.Sign down on corner near Chalice UU Congregation.


Members & friends of Chalice swap stories and enjoy a potluck after the service on Sunday, October 28