Ministry Groups

Covenant Group
  • Public Group
  • Covenant Groups represent another small-group ministry in our congregational life at Live Oak UU Congregation. The aim of Covenant Groups is to serve our community's need for small-group ministry that facilitates meaningful connections between Live Oak UUC members and friends, enabling opportunity for ongoing spiritual growth, deeper self-knowledge, and broader awareness of how others pursue questions of faith and doubt. We have four thriving Covenant Groups, who use the UUA's curriculum, Soul Matters, centered on a theme each month. Some groups meet on Zoom, and others meet in person. If you are interested in joining a Covenant Group,  contact our administrator: (805) 967-7867  administrator@liveoakgoleta.org. Links:   
Earth Centered Spirituality
  • Public Group
  • Live Oak’s Earth-Centered Group was created to nurture and share Earth-centered spiritual perspectives, foster knowledge of Pagan practices, create rituals for growth and healing, and be a place for kindred spirits to connect, learn from each other, and have fun
Facilities
  • Private Group
  • The Facilities Team is dedicated to keeping Live Oak UUC safe, functional, and inviting while offering members opportunities to build community. Teams members focus on buildings and grounds' upkeep - from tree trimming and gardening to monitoring utilities, and facilitating audio-visual and technology upgrades and maintenance.    
Good Relations Ministry
  • Private Group
  • Members: David Echols, Elizabeth Nevers, Jeanne Northsinger, Hana Princip Board Liaison: Kendra Wise Guiding Document: Covenant of Good Relations
Legacy Circle
  • Public Group
  • Legacy Circle, Planned Giving, Remember Live Oak, Stewardship, Trust, Will
  • The Legacy Circle includes Live Oak members and friends who have elected to remember Live Oak in their will or trust. Those who have joined the Legacy Circle help ensure that Live Oak is here for years to come. Visit our Legacy Circle page by clicking this link. For more information, contact Peter Haslund (805) 895-3268 | pohaslund@gmail.com or Melanie Jacobson (805) 967-7867 | administrator@liveoakgoleta.org.
Live Oak Choir
  • Public Group
  • Live Oak Singers meet Saturdays at 10:00 am in the Sanctuary. Kevin Fox, Live Oak's Music Director, rehearses the choir, and we welcome new members with open arms. And, yes, you can sing. Don't let anyone say otherwise. Join us as we make a "joyful noise" and beautiful music together. The first art, singing, is not only fun but stress-relieving and good for mental health, science tells us. Some even go further to say it helps decrease snoring. Want to test it? Come sing with us.
    Mission: Our Music Director and choir coordinate with the Worship Ministry to plan and perform music that enriches Live Oak services, deepens our spiritual practices, and awakens our hearts. The choir offers an opportunity for Live Oak members to be in community with other singers, thereby strengthening interpersonal connections within the congregation.

      Kevin Fox, Music Director

Membership
  • Private Group
  • The Membership Ministry is committed welcoming visitors at our Sunday services and to the outreach and engagement of Live Oak members, old and new. We meet once monthly on Zoom, but we get together at times to work in person on projects that carry out our mission. We organize, train and support the Welcome Team for Sunday Services; keep a record of attendance at Sunday Services; prepare the annual report to the UUA regarding membership at LOUUC; update our congregational brochures, collating them in welcome bags for visitors; outreach to present members to encourage participation in congregational activities, as well as to the greater community. Our aim is to increase awareness and visibility in order to attract visitors and new members to our community. If you would like to participate as a Sunday-Service Greeter, please let us know. You can sign up for one or more Sundays (in each three-month signup period) and hand out Orders of Service with a welcoming smile! It is an easy way to serve the Community, welcome others, and get to know people.
Pastoral Care Ministry
Religious Exploration Council
  • Private Group
  • Our Mission: The Religious Exploration Council aims to help learners of all ages explore their relationship with earth, wonder, and mystery, and to embrace Unitarian-Universalist values, including the affirmation of the worth and dignity of all beings, the importance of questioning, and our capacity to make a difference in the world. If you would like to provide childcare or assistance on Sunday mornings, please sign up here!
Social Justice
  • Public Group
  • The Social Justice Ministry supports the Live Oak UU Congregation's mission to "actively live our values of diversity, compassion and justice to humanity and the earth." We live and promote our UU Principles to seek justice, equity and compassion in human relations, to respect the interdependent web of all existence, and to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community that seeks to dismantle racism.
Worship Ministry
  • Private Group
  • Live Oak’s Worship Ministry seeks to create and support worship life that engages the mind, touches the heart and invites people to a new depth of spiritual development. The committee recognizes the multiplicity of theologies and religious backgrounds that exist within the congregation, and seeks to bring guests to the pulpit that inspire and challenge us in diverse ways. We welcome feedback from the congregation.
    We are excited by new ideas and the chance to work with new people.
    Worship Associates: Drew Carter, Kristin Ingalls, Megan Moyer, Jeanne Northsinger,
    Sue Reinhart, Jim Wells, and Kendra Wise.

    Our Worship Ministry members meet monthly, plan engaging services that touch the heart and open the mind, and serve as Worship Associates, facilitating Sunday services in collaboration with the minister and speakers.