Twice each month our Sunday morning plate offerings are given to selected Social Justice oriented organizations.

Included organizations for 2012 are:

September 23: CASA of Santa Barbara

September 2: Interfaith Worker Justice

August 19: Hospice of Santa Barbara

June 17: Our Outreach Offering on June 17^th will be to provide scholarships for our annual retreat at DeBenneville Pines.  At the end of September, our congregation joins other UUs in our area to spend a delightful weekend up in the San Bernadino mountains. DeBenneville pines means hiking, swimming, singing, games, tall trees and fresh air, relaxation and camaraderie!  All ages are welcome. We collect scholarship money so that no one is turned away for financial reasons.  Registration info will be coming soon.

May 13: Religious Institute

January 29: Reservation 101 Scholarships

January 15: Just Communities

Twice each month our Sunday morning plate offerings are given to selected Social Justice oriented organizations.

Included organizations for 2011 are:

December 24: Freedom Warming Centers and KIVA

November 20: FoodBank of Santa Barbara County

November 6: UUA-Association Sunday

October 23: Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics

October 16: Domestic Violence Solutions

September 29: Partners in Education

September 4: Interfaith Workers Justice

August 21: Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry

July 10: Pacific Pride Foundation

June 19: Massaachusetts Tornado Relief Fund

June 5: Camp deBenneville Pines Scholarship Fund

May 22: Heal the Ocean

May 1: Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

April 17: Clean Green Fund: Fund for Santa Barbara

April 10: Direct Relief International: Japan

March 14: Center for Ethical Living & Social Justice Renewal

March 21: Camp deBenneville Pines Water Works

February 7: Hunt for Justice (RE children chose organizations)

January 18: Just Communities

Help Keep Someone Warm.

As our Santa Barbara County weather turns colder, the Freedom Warming Centers open again for the winter.

Centers will be activated based on an  advance forecast that indicates the following weather conditions:

Temperatures below 35 degrees any evening

50% chance of rain any two consecutive days

50% chance of rain with temperature below 40 degrees

If you have questions, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or for information about openings call 805-324-2372.

Monetary donations may be made online or mailed to USSB. Make cheks payable to Freedom Warming Center.

Read more about USSB's involvement and the evolution of the centers:

Warming centers display Christmas spirit
Santa Barbara News Press, December 25, 2011

City Oks Funding for Warming Centers
Santa Barbara News-Press, January 12, 2011

Project helps homeless to get through the winter
Santa Barbara News Press, January 10, 2011

http://www.thedailysound.com/News/102010SANTA-BARBARA-HOMELESS
Daily Sound, December 23, 2010

31st homeless person dies; Santa Barbara County, churches to open warming centers at several locations
Daily Sound, December 1, 2010

Supes give $40K to help stock homeless warming centers
Daily Sound, February 4, 2010

Santa Barbara County tries to tackle homeless concerns
KCLU Radio, February 3, 2010

Homelessness to Top Agenda for County Supervisors
Noozhawk, February 1, 2010

USSB Presses County to Step Up to the Plate
News Press, January 27, 2010

Minister's Letter To SB County Board of Supervisors Regarding Shelter For Homeless
USSB, January 26, 2010

Where the Homeless Are
The Independent, January 20, 2010

by Rev. Aaron McEmrys

On July 29, hundreds of Unitarian Universalists from across the country went to Phoenix, where they joined with justice-workers from dozens of different organizations to peacefully protest the implementation of Arizona’s controversial new immigration law.

I followed the news as it trickled in via Twitter, Facebook and text message while I also followed the story as it was reported by mainstream news organizations.

I watched as many of my friends and colleagues were arrested and jailed for their acts of nonviolent civil disobedience, like forming a human chain in front of the Phoenix jail-house to symbolically prevent immoral use of the jail and the implementation of an unjust law.

Flipping through the updates, I saw a photo of my colleague, Susan Frederick Gray, Minister of our congregation in Phoenix sitting in a holding cell with her hands cuffed behind her back.  My eyes widened as I recognized the woman sitting next to her, Audrey Williams, a member of our USSB family.