Friends and Partners

Friends and Partners...

Apart from our primary ministries as the church there are a number of ministries/agencies housed here at UniLu, including:

Alcoholics Anonymous

AA is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; it is self-supporting through participant contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, political organization or institution. The primary purpose is to stay sober and to help others do the same. For a schedule of AA group meetings at UniChu (currently Monday night and Thursday evening), please contact the AA hotline at (408) 374-8511.

Amigos de Palo Alto

A Spanish Immersion preschool housed at, but not affiliated with, University Lutheran Church. Amigos offers parents a safe, loving, and trustworthy environment where they may leave their children, both for childcare and to begin learning from bi-lingual instructors how to speak and learn Spanish the same way their native language was learned — naturally! The two preschool sessions are offered: Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 8:30 AM to 11:45 AM and Tuesday and Thursdays from 8:30 AM to 11:45 AM. The After School Program known as Amigos Fun Club is designed for children in Kindergarten, First and Second grades. The program offers story time, arts and crafts, games and homework help if needed. Children will have a chance to socialize in Spanish, regardless if Spanish is the language spoken at home or acquired through our immersion program.

UniLu Jazz Jamming (On Hiatus)

Join a group of musicians (amateurs and professionals) for some jazz on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at 7:00 PM in the UniLu sanctuary. Bring and instrument or two, or just come to listen.

South Bay Sanctuary Covenant

An interfaith, non-partisan organization of churches and individuals in the Bay Area from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. The group is concerned with peace, justice and liberation for the people of Central America and for the refugees who have fled from these areas. SBSC began in 1983 by assisting Central American refugees who had fled to the U.S. to protect their lives. Later they expanded their concern to include crucial problems facing people in Central America, especially El Salvador, that were forcing them to flee to the U.S. They have advocated for better local and national policies to improve conditions for refugees here and in Central America. SBSC has a partner community in El Salvador called Comunidad Octavio Ortiz (COO) in the southeastern region of the country. Historically, this is one of the poorest and most neglected regions, and one of the areas hardest hit by El Salvador's civil war, which ended in 1992 after claiming 75,000 lives. SBSC raises funds throughout the year to support sustainable projects that empower the people in COO and in other communities in the region. SBSC also sponsors a delegation to COO each year where participants get a first-hand experience of life in El Salvador and review projects supported by SBSC. SBSC is supported by four of the original Sanctuary churches which in 1983 publicly announced their protection of Central American refugees who fled here because their lives were in grave danger in their homelands: First Presbyterian Church, Friends Meeting, St. Thomas Aquinas (formerly St. Anne’s Chapel), and our own University Lutheran Church (now UniChu). More information from steering@southbaysanctuary.org.