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.

Please CLICK HERE to join us on Facebook.

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 16^th. 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