First Time Visitors

Welcome, welcome, welcome!  We look forward to meeting you when you visit Live Oak.  Whether you are brand new to Unitarianism Universalism or moving here from a UU community in another city, or even if you are returning after years away from Live Oak, you are always welcome! Here are some notes that we hope will make your first visit to Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation easier and more comfortable. How do I find Live Oak? Take the 101 freeway to the Fairview exit and turn toward the mountains. Drive XX miles until you come to the stop sign at Cathedral Oaks. Continue straight ahead but look to the right for a complex of white buildings-- the original farmhouse plus the newer sanctuary and other buildings which constitute the Live Oak Campus. A driveway and parking area are just past the buildings.  Click for a map to Live Oak and a map of the Live Oak campus. There is handicapped parking available in the upper parking lot. What might I expect when I arrive?  Find your way to the Visitor Table and you will be greeted and given a bag with information about Unitarianism Universalism and about Live Oak UU Congregation’s programs.  You will also be invited to fill out a visitor information card with your contact information and your choices for future communication (monthly newsletter, weekly email of activities, etc.) Finally, you will be encouraged to make yourself a name tag so others can more easily greet you and get acquainted.  Please don’t hesitate to ask questions, especially of the people who are wearing a “Greeter” ribbon; that’s why they are wearing that tag! What is “church” like?  Ours is a shared ministry so each service includes components that are led by our minister or guest sermon-giver, by our Worship Associates, and by individuals who serve in leadership roles at Live Oak.  Like many other churches, our services include music, a story for the children, a sermon, meditation, and the sharing or joys and sorrows.  What makes our “church” unique, however, is the content.  The UU approach to spirituality is not based on a creed or received revelation, but rather through the search for the gathered wisdom of humankind, may it come from that of other religions, from the arts and sciences, or perhaps from reason and intuition.  The spiritual journey of each of us is unique and there is space for differences. Are there any expectations relative to dress? No. Dress up if you like, come in jeans with holes in the knees, wear your biking outfit. It really doesn’t matter.  On balance, most of us just wear typical southern California casual. Are there any special Live Oak customs that I should be aware of?  There are. Toward the end of the service we always invite our guests to introduce themselves if they are willing and able. This makes it easier for us to more easily welcome you after service so we hope you will want to do this but it is definitely your choice. Sometimes during the service something special happens that we want to recognize with applause.  Usually we show acknowledgement by raising and rotating our hands without interrupting the quiet space of the service but sometimes clapping wins out (especially if the youth of our congregation have contributed in a special way). Also, because there are several members of the congregation who are highly allergic to fragrances, we try not to wear strong perfumes or colognes. At the end of the service we stand and hold hands while singing a closing hymn.  In most churches that’s where things would end, but we usually sit back down in quiet to enjoy a last gift a music from the talented piano musician who is with us for the service.  After the service, we congregate on the patio for coffee and conversation and on some Sundays there are special events following the service.  •    On the first Sunday of the month, we generally hang around a bit longer for “Souper Sunday” when various individuals or groups in the congregation prepare delicious soups. •    And on the 4th Sunday of the month we offer a “Getting to Know UU” program for newcomers who are interested in learning more about Unitarian Universalism.  It is held from 11:15 to 11:45 in the Cottage and child care is provided. We hope you will join us for these after-service activities. Is there a Religious Education Program for children? We call it Religious Exploration, but we definitely have a program for the K-12 children as well as childcare for the pre-kindergarten children.  The children almost always join us in the Sanctuary for the first part of the service, generally leaving after we collect food items to share with the Goleta Headstart Program.  We sing them out of the sanctuary as they leave for their classes and you are, of course, welcome to join your child’s class as he or she acclimates to the new people and surroundings.  If you would like more information about the RE program before coming to Live Oak, please do not hesitate to call or email James Forrest, our Director of Religious Exploration, at 967-7867 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it We also have a “Gurgling Gallery” for families with babies & toddlers who might want to stay with their parents during the service.  It is a small room with rocking chairs that is attached to the sanctuary; it has a large window to see the service and speakers to hear the service, but is a place where the noise of little ones doesn’t matter. You are always welcome to use it.