Please join us this Sunday as we welcome our special guest, classical guitarist John Bourgouin. John is another of the many talented musicians who live and play right here in Ojai. He is sure to make this Sunday's service a special treat.

The Equine Sanctuary was recently blessed with the gift of a "sacred service day" from the Symphony of Life Spiritual Center. Rev. Karen Wylie was so generous to set up this special day of community service for our rescued therapy horses here at The Equine Sanctuary in Ojai.

The wonderful church volunteers painted the barn, helped with grounds care and created such a loving and caring environment. We are so deeply grateful for the gracious outreach and feel so fortunate to be part of the Symphony of Life.

Alexis Ells, Executive Director

The Equine Sanctuary

The Symphony of Life will be participating this year in Meiners Oaks Solstice Festival which will be held on Sunday, June 26, 2011, from 11:00 to 5:00 PM on El Roblar Drive between the cross streets of Lomita and Poli. Look for our LOVE BOOTH where we will be handing out hugs and kisses (of the Hershey variety)! We will be having our own Love-In of sorts. It is going to be lots of fun not only for the recipients of all those hugs and kisses, but also for those of us handing them out. If you would like to participate in all that hugging and kissing, contact the project organizer Bonnie Weed at (805) 640-1458.

That's the theme of our Symphony of Life float this year.....yes, we are, for the first time, entering the Ojai Fourth of July parade! We are very excited about that, and we need the loan of some props folks! Anything you have around the house that represents another culture that you would be willing to let us use to decorate our float (hats, blankets, shawls, any unbreakable artifacts, etc.) would be appreciated.

If you want to help in the planning of this exciting event, contact Candace Hull (805) 646-0227 or come to the planning meetings which are being held every Monday afternoon until the event, 4:00 PM, 410 Bryant Street, Suite K. Bring your ideas and creativity. We are going to have live music; we'll be riding on the float, walking or dancing alongside of it. You are welcome to wear the clothing of your heritage (or any heritage representing the melting pot of America). We will be decorating the float Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the weekend prior to Monday, July 4th. You will be welcome to participate in any way you choose. Join the fun!

The Jami Lula outdoor concert is coming up on Sunday, July 24th here in Ojai. Graciously, Jami has offered to do a benefit for the Symphony of Life. He'll be singing at our spiritual center in the morning of the 24th, and then later in the day, performing an outdoor summer concert at the Ojai Retreat on Besant Road. We are planning a refreshment/appetizer reception in the Waterfall Garden at the retreat from 5:00 to 6:00 PM. It will include a no host bar and a silent auction, and then Jami will perform in concert on the Shangri-la Terrace from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

Our fabulous silent auction features a 7-day, three-bedroom condo stay in Hawaii, and includes artwork, restaurant packages and many other exciting items. This promises to be a beautiful event. Tickets are available right now at www.solsc.org, $20 in advance; $25 at the door. You won't want to miss this beautiful summer evening of fun!

We are so proud of our own Liam Castagna who won special recognition for his artwork. The prizewinning pastel is titled "Cliffs by the Beach." It won 1st place in Ojai, 1st place in the District (Ventura, Santa Barbara and Kern Counties), and 2nd place in the state competition for all of California. It was in the age group of 4th, 5th and 6th graders. Liam is in 5th grade.

Liam started doing art at age 4 and began art lessons at age 7 at Janice's Art Studio here in Ojai.  He now studies privately with Lori Corradi, an accomplished local pastel artist.  He plans to continue doing landscapes in pastels and wants to also do still life art.  This summer he will travel to Alaska and Florida as well as going to art classes for part of his summer.  He says he plans to become a scientist or engineer while continuing his art work.  Liam is a regular attendee of our Youth Adventures Program, and we are so proud of him!

Rev. Marilyn Miller and Practitioner Todd Chandler were our teachers for the children this past Sunday. Our youth program supports parents in raising joyful, happy children who are self-confident, spiritually aware, global citizens. Each Sunday, our children 3-11 years old enjoy prayer, story telling, visual arts projects and/or music and movement. Our program is enriching and appropriate for young people regardless of their religious backgrounds. As part of our Sunday program, children get to explore the roots, purpose and meaning of special holidays throughout the year.

We welcome individuals who enjoy children and are willing to give of their time once monthly or quarterly. Please call Rev. Marilyn Miller, (805) 640-0498, if you are interested in assisting with the children.

We'll be discussing our book of the month, The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, at our meeting tonight, Friday, June 10, 6:00 PM. At that time, we will choose the book that we'll be reading for the month of June. All are welcome to join in at any time. The meetings are a potluck so bring food to share. We are meeting this week at the home of Bob and Tiese Quinn, 701 Foothill Road, Ojai 93023. Contact Peggie Williamson, (805) 640-2450, for more information.

Here is a picture of our hard-working Board of Directors minus President Rick Ricksen who is taking the picture, and Rev. Will Castagna and Robert MacNeal, members of the Advisory Board, who were hard at work somewhere else. I am in deep gratitude for this extremely effective, energetic and dedicated team of individuals!

Please go to www.solsc.org to visit our community website.

Visit SOLSC Facebook 

GRAPEVINE