The prompt is "worship"

The prompt is "WORSHIP: church, synagogue, cathedral, wayside chapel, mosque."

I pretty much left all that behind me at about age 20 after a childhood of repressive Christian fundamentalism, and I definitely don't "worship," but when I do feel moved to gather with like-minded people, I pick a specific date to visit the Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Society, affectionately known among Valleyites as "The Onion." It's not technically in Van Nuys (it's in nearby North Hills), but it is my location of choice for anything remotely approaching ritual or spiritual practice.

The organization recognizes that its members are theologically, philosophically, and spiritually diverse, and offers a variety of Sunday services to accommodate. On the first and third Sundays, it's the "traditional" Unitarian Universalist service. But on the second Sunday, they offer a "contemplative" experience of reflection and introspection that may include meditation, music, yoga, or drumming, and on the fourth Sunday the space is dedicated to the Humanist Forum, focused on living with more wisdom, connection, and compassion, and turned outward towards action. And throughout the year on their high holidays, the space is shared with the "Craft of the Wise," for pagan/earth-centered rituals (and potlucks).

I don't attend frequently, but the experience of music or drumming under that high, domed roof is not to be missed.

The building was commissioned by the Society in 1960 and designed by Frank Ehrenthal, himself a Universalist and also a student of Richard Neutra, a prominent Southern California architect and associate of Frank Lloyd Wright and Rudolf Schindler. The building was completed in 1964, and is constructed from glued, laminated timber that curves from the foundation to a small flat point at the top of the roof. The outdoor façade was originally covered with wood shingles, but now is sheathed in composition between its thin, green metal ribs.

I didn't do a great job of drawing the ceiling, but you can get the idea of just how amazing it is to lie on a yoga mat and look up at it while experiencing those acoustics.

Uniball pen and watercolor. Information from the church website and from Wikipedia.