Recently the OCUUC Board decided to ask themselves and the church about “what does the church mean to me?” Each board member has been coming up with their own vision statement about the church and what it means to them. It’s been wonderful to hear these visions statements and we are going to be sharing…
Costa Mesa, California
Reverend Sian Wiltshire, Minister
By all means reach out and say hello! I can be reached by email, revsian@ocuuc.org, or by church phone at 714-556-2882, x302. Mondays are my day off, but I’m generally at the church during normal business hours T-Th and happy to meet with people at a time that is convenient to both of us during other times of the week. ~Rev. Sian
I love that our worship theme for November is “Faith.” Because we are about to take a leap of faith! Last Spring, your president, Don Martin, and I held a series of townhall meetings to discuss what to do about our space for worship. You see, we are between a rock and a hard place.…
On my first Sunday back in the pulpit preaching, afterwards a kind congregant came up to me and said “We missed you!” I grinned back, “Thanks!.” Tom L., one of our long time congregants, saw my grin, leaned toward me and whispered, “Doesn’t that feel nice?” Oh yah it does! It’s nice to be missed.…
So in one month, I’ll be going on sabbatical. I’m looking forward, as I’m sure you can imagine, to days of sleeping in and rejuvenating. But I’m also looking forward to exploring ideas, arts and knowledge that I never have time for during my current busy days. In June I’ll be heading to my normal…
Salvation is not a word I like, I have to admit. I generally don’t mind Christian theological concepts, but this one makes me twitch. It’s the worship theme this month and so I’m squirming a bit. Salvation, from a liberal theological standpoint, is often described as “wholeness.” But I think that’s a bit of a…
What will you do with your one wild and precious life? ~ Mary Oliver Our congregation is in the middle of dreaming big dreams! What will we do with this one wild and precious church? What a fun question to ponder. There is such wonderful energy on Sunday mornings – our “pews” are packed with…
As many of you are aware, your President, Don Martin, and I have started a series of conversations to look at our future, in particular the future of our church campus. Not only are we busting at the seams on Sunday morning, but we also don’t want to rest on our laurels. We’ve accomplished a…
As many of you know, I’ll be going on a short sabbatical this coming summer, June through August. I thought I’d give you an update. First know that the Committee on Ministry is working with me to make sure the church functions smoothly while I’m gone. We’ve started planning the services for the summer and…
December always reminds me of Jesus because of Christmas, but it doesn’t remind me of Peace (our theme of worship this month). Peace always seems such an elusive thing this time of year what with hectic schedules and family gatherings. And now it feels even more so since the election. It’s hard not to get…
November always invokes for me the theme of gratitude with Thanksgiving in the midst of it. And I love that we have a national holiday dedicated to this spiritual practice. Take a moment, if you can, to think about all the ways you are grateful… Go ahead. I’ll wait. Sometimes it seems a bit trite…