January 16, 2025
Dear friends in Christ,
We are in a liminal state right now as West Hollywood UCC is slowly returning to normal, but the wildfires in Los Angeles are still actively burning. The Sunset Fire that threatened the church last week has been extinguished and our Church Council has been monitoring the air quality levels for the past several days. The air quality has been consistently safe, so the church has been aired out and our Council allowed the building be reopened, so Giselle and I returned this past week.
This Sunday, January 19, 2025 we are planning on worshiping in person, barring any additional disasters. Our Council is encouraging people to wear masks as they desire for their own comfort and safety.
We will also have Bible Study on Monday evening at 6 PM and plan to return to our regularly-scheduled activities.
Bear in mind, however, that the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires in Los Angeles are still actively burning. The Altadena fire has left devastation that will take years of rebuilding to overcome.
In the past week I have met twice with Rev. Rachael Pryor, the Conference Minister of our Southern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ, Rev. Katie Howe of our National UCC Disaster Ministries, and with many of the other clergy in the Los Angeles area, including Rev. Paul Tellström of Altadena United Church of Christ.
We have repeatedly learned that the number of people simply wanting to check in, ask for updates, and offering to help is overwhelming and making it difficult for those affected to deal with their own safety and mental health. One minister received over 400 text messages and Facebook messages in a single day that all required a response. When people didn’t get a timely response, many texted back asking why the delay, which brought the total to 600+ messages. For someone who is in an emergency shelter, grieving, suffering from smoke inhalation, and has lost everything, this creates a stressful, impossible situation. Please be patient and know that your help and offers of support and concern will be needed and appreciated but many folks can’t help you coordinate that right now.
I have let the minister of Altadena UCC know that we at WeHo UCC are here for them in whatever way we can be of support or service, but that he doesn’t have to respond until and unless he thinks of something we can help with. He thanked us, and now we will patiently and graciously wait until called.
Also, most of the work and help will be needed weeks or months from now, long after the crisis has faded from the news. West Hollywood UCC is committed to the long-term recovery efforts and I will let you know how we can help in the upcoming months.
The UCC Disaster Ministries has put out a national appeal for recovery funds, and those will be managed by our SCNV conference, who is working directly with affected churches, evacuees, and reputable organizations to get them what they need. Click here if you want to donate to that fund which will stay local and be administrated by local UCC churches in LA County who are on the ground helping with the recovery efforts.
Right now what people need most is fairly-priced, temporary (1-3 years) housing. We are already seeing landlords raise their rents in anticipation of evacuees having no other choice. Bear in mind that if someone has lost their home or place of business, there may be no going back, and they will be relocating permanently, or perhaps for years if they are waiting to rebuild. If you know of a fairly-priced housing option for evacuees, let me know so we can get it to people who need it. You can always call or text me at 323-793-9059.
Last week the air quality near/in the church was not at levels safe enough to gather in person, so we were not able to assemble sack lunches. Food for our homeless neighbors is an acute need, so if you are free, please plan on helping assemble sack lunches after worship (12:30 PM) this Sunday, January 16th. If you would like to contribute to the lunches, we can always use non-perishable, easy-to open (pop-top), nutritious food. Cans of chili, protein-rich soups, beef ravioli, tuna fish, fruits, vegetables, granola bars, and bottles of water are all in constant demand and can be dropped off at the church generally during regular business hours. Please call or text me at 323-793-9059 first to make sure someone is there to let you in before you arrive to drop off donations. Our youth also go shopping for the lunches every month and you can contribute to the grocery fund here.
SAVE THE DATE: Our annual WeHo UCC Congregational Meeting will be held Sunday, February 2, 2025 immediately following worship. It will be hybrid, so those who can’t attend in person can Zoom in. We will be presenting the 2025 budget, electing new Council members (vote), calling Pastor Tracy as a settled, permanent pastor (vote), and setting our goals for 2025. Please mark your calendars and watch for more information, agenda, details, and zoom link from Rev. Lisa Bove.
I will look forward to seeing you all this Sunday.
Many blessings,
Pastor Tracy
How You Can Help Right Now
Volunteer: We are encouraging people to sign up at laworks.com if they want to volunteer.
Donate Locally – Supplies for the Homeless: We are working closely with CIRCLE, a boots-on-the-ground team serving the homeless population in our area. I spoke with one of their district leads, Melody, who said that right now they need Blankets, Coats, Socks, Hygiene/Toiletries, Cleansing Wipes, and Sleeping Bags. You can bring these items to the church and we will get them to CIRCLE who are uniquely poised to distribute them quickly and efficiently.
Donate Locally – Funds for Crisis Response: We anticipate getting a lot more calls for immediate crises, which we generally respond to with our Pastor’s Discretionary Fund. I will be collaborating with church leadership to use these funds to respond to crises in our immediate area as we get requests. You have heard me talk about how the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund is spent just about every Sunday during the Mission Moment. Yesterday, the CIRCLE team said they needed protective bed pads for one of their shelters for an incontinent individual and they needed cough drops because they were less than one block from the Sunset Fire, and they do much of their work outside and on foot. I used money from the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund to purchase cough drops and incontinence products for them.
Donate Locally – Sack Lunch Program: As many local churches and buildings have burned down, we are still learning how many services for the homeless have been lost or temporarily shut down. We anticipate an increase in requests for sack lunches. This Sunday (if we are able to safely gather) we planned to ASSEMBLE SACK LUNCHES and could use everyone’s help. We can also use pre-cooked, easy-to-open, nutritious meats, fruits, vegetables, and snacks. Foods such as pop-top cans of chili, beef ravioli, tuna, granola bars, canned fruits and vegetables, and bottled water are always in demand. The youth use these funds exclusively to buy food for the lunches every month, and you can donate to the Sack Lunch Program here. Our next Sack Lunch Assembly date will be Sunday, 1/19/2025 at 12:30 PM.
The UCC Disaster Ministries has put out a national appeal for recovery funds, and those will be managed by our SCNV conference, who is working directly with affected churches, evacuees, and reputable organizations to get them what they need. Click here if you want to donate to that fund which will stay local and be administrated by local UCC churches in LA County who are on the ground helping with the recovery efforts.
Right now what people need most is fairly-priced, temporary (1-3 years) housing. We are already seeing landlords raise their rents in anticipation of evacuees having no other choice. Bear in mind that if someone has lost their home or place of business, there may be no going back, and they will be relocating permanently, or perhaps for years if they are waiting to rebuild. If you know of a fairly-priced housing option for evacuees, let me know so we can get it to people who need it. You can always call or text me at 323-793-9059.
Earlier Updates
January 10, 2025
Dear friends in Christ,
I hope this note finds you all safe. The purpose of this message is to give you solid, up-to-date information.
Is everybody OK?
Over the past three days, church leadership and I have been checking in with all of our members and friends and neighbors. Several were in evacuation warning zones, several evacuated to relatives houses out of an abundance of caution, and many were exposed to smoke and soot. There have been reports of coughing and finding cars covered in soot, bushes blown over, etc. However, as of this morning everyone is safe and accounted for, and no one’s home has been lost or damaged.
Is the church OK?
Yesterday I went to check on the church building. It is intact and there is no fire damage. Winds blew a couple of our vinyl signs off of their zip-ties, and there’s a bit of a grungy brown color to things, and I saw a lot of downed palm fronds in the streets and some of our potted plants were blown over. But we still have power and water. The inside of the Sanctuary and the Fellowship Hall do smell smokey and sooty. But that is to be expected as the air outside has been smokey and sooty for days. Once the air outside clears, I believe that simply opening all the doors and windows for a few hours should be enough to clear out the smell. We are waiting on the fire authorities to let us know when the air is safe enough to be outside without a mask to begin airing out the buildings.
Is the church open?
Right now, out of an abundance of caution, we are advising our staff and tenants to stay home until we can air out the church with fresh air.
Do not call the church main number, no one will be there to answer it.
If you want to reach us, you can email office@wehoucc.org, pastor@wehoucc.org, or call or text the pastor’s cell at 323-793-9059
How can I help?
I spoke with our Conference Minister for Southern California and Southern Nevada, Rev. Rachael Pryor last night. Right now we are in a bit of a holding pattern for two reasons: some of the fires are still burning and all the evacuees are staying with relatives or in hotels. However, in about three weeks (if, hopefully, the fires are all out) everyone will start relocating and then the rebuilding will begin and there will be an overwhelming number of opportunities to help. If you want to help right now, I offer you four options:
Volunteer: We are encouraging people to sign up at laworks.com if they want to volunteer.
Donate Locally – Supplies for the Homeless: We are working closely with CIRCLE, a boots-on-the-ground team serving the homeless population in our area. I spoke with one of their district leads, Melody, who said that right now they need Blankets, Coats, Socks, Hygiene/Toiletries, Cleansing Wipes, and Sleeping Bags. You can bring these items to the church and we will get them to CIRCLE who are uniquely poised to distribute them quickly and efficiently.
Donate Locally – Funds for Crisis Response: We anticipate getting a lot more calls for immediate crises, which we generally respond to with our Pastor’s Discretionary Fund. I will be collaborating with church leadership to use these funds to respond to crises in our immediate area as we get requests. You have heard me talk about how the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund is spent just about every Sunday during the Mission Moment. Yesterday, the CIRCLE team said they needed protective bed pads for one of their shelters for an incontinent individual and they needed cough drops because they were less than one block from the Sunset Fire, and they do much of their work outside and on foot. I used money from the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund to purchase cough drops and incontinence products for them.
Donate Locally – Sack Lunch Program: As many local churches and buildings have burned down, we are still learning how many services for the homeless have been lost or temporarily shut down. We anticipate an increase in requests for sack lunches. This Sunday (if we are able to safely gather) we planned to ASSEMBLE SACK LUNCHES and could use everyone’s help. We can also use pre-cooked, easy-to-open, nutritious meats, fruits, vegetables, and snacks. Foods such as pop-top cans of chili, beef ravioli, tuna, granola bars, canned fruits and vegetables, and bottled water are always in demand. The youth use these funds exclusively to buy food for the lunches every month, and you can donate to the Sack Lunch Program here.
I am already seeing many organizations and churches collecting funds for fire relief. But I have no idea how they intend to use it. Please be careful sending funds to unknown organizations out of town that are promising to simply send it back to LA at some point.
What about the other churches like Altadena UCC that were lost and the evacuees?
This evening (Friday) I will be attending a gathering of all the Los Angeles UCC clergy to offer support to each other and to coordinate a disaster response and also begin planning for future crisis response. I will see the minister of Altadena UCC and pass along our prayers and support. By tomorrow morning, I will have more information to share with all of you on how we can respond in a collaborative, effective way. Please pray for the gathering that it may be fruitful.
Are we having worship at the church this Sunday 1/12/2025?
Church leadership and I are waiting for an all-clear on the air in West Hollywood. Once the fire experts say that it is safe for everyone to be outside, we will open up the church to let it air out and then resume worship services. We anticipate the air being clear by Saturday so that we will have plenty of time to air out the buildings before worship, HOWEVER out of an abundance of caution we are waiting until we get an actual all-clear from local authorities. Please stay tuned and watch for updates via email or on our Facebook page. Worship on Sunday may feel a little different as we address the fires, pray for those affected, and assemble sack lunches. Please be patient and gracious with us as many of our worship leaders have been evacuating, preparing to evacuate, or engaging in crisis response for the past several days.
If the air has not cleared by Sunday morning, we will gather via Zoom and links will be emailed and posted on Facebook.
I urge you all to stay safe, follow the instructions of your local fire authorities, and pray for the safety of all those in LA County, especially our firefighters and first responders. We are a strong community that has weathered many crises in the past and come through them stronger and more connected. We stay calm, we help one another, and we notice those in danger of falling through the cracks. We are the safety net and we are the hands and feet of Jesus. Look out for those who are more vulnerable: the homeless, elderly, small children, and the frail. Help where you can, and check in with us as needs arise and your situations evolve. We are all here to help one another.
Many blessings,
Pastor Tracy