News from UUCNWT

	Pledge Reminder The tax year is ending, and we are falling behind in pledge fulfillment. This makes for a great Win-Win possibility. Pay up your pledge and increase your charity deduction at the same time. Maybe even add a little more since some pledgers are experiencing difficulty. If you need an update on your status, contact Dorothy at office@uucnwt.org or 520-579-7094.

Diary of a Mad Gardener

by Alberta Gunther

After the fiasco of coming home to a bumper crop of coyote gourds, I now have a salad coming up in the front flower bed. Should be eating radishes in a couple of weeks and the lettuce and carrots later. On the coldest night of our freeze I did cover the front garden. In addition it is a raised bed so the cold doesn't settle there, I assume. The back garden is not raised. And I didn't cover it. I lost the okra and beans. The beans weren't doing much anyway. I also have about half of a squash. That plant actually has a couple of buds so might get another zucchini.

My mother loves okra so when I went there in September I took some from the garden. I found a small organic farm stand and they got a batch in one day so I cooked her some more. Of course I didn't cook it right. I was just sauteing it and she wanted it rolled in flour and fried crisp.

What I really need to do is clean up the garden. The ash tree has carpeted the back yard with yellow/brown leaves. I could rake them and cover the garden. I could also redo the fence. Knowing me I'll probably procrastinate until the weather turns and then it will be too cold. They say a poor excuse is better than no excuse. I'll let you know next month.

Happy gardening.

Tucson Women's Chorus

Ongoing enrollment for Tucson Women's Chorus Spring Series A cappella multicultural songs. No auditions, sight-reading, experience, or performing necessary. NW group meets on Thursdays at 7 pm, starting Feb. 3, at UUCNWT. Open to girls with a singing adult. $80/adult, girls/free. Scholarships. Pro-rated enrollment throughout the series. FREE first visit. Karleena Ravenwood, Founder/Director, 743-0991.

Gateway Project Update

Some of you have seen the glossy newsletter for the Gateway Project which has been distributed on the past several Sundays. This newsletter has also been mailed out to 55 ministers and Board presidents in the Pacific Southwest District, as well as to 265 people in the immediate neighborhood of our property. This is part of the project's objective to link UU congregations, to recruit new members, and to promote the growth of Unitarian Universalism.

We also have 12 sermons now posted on YouTube, 7 by Rev. Joy, and 5 lay-led services: by Leon & Evalyn Bennet-Alder, Lincoln Statler and Matt Klass, Margaret Fleming, Dori Klass, and Adrian Korpel. To see them, go to http://www.youtube.com and type uugateway1 in the search box that comes up. We have also had equipment donated to the project by Alan and Juliette Haggh, two 37" large-screen monitors that we will install in the Goldblatt Building for R.E and for overflow presentations. Both will be Internet-accessible and connected to computers. The Hagghs also donated cables, connectors, and wall mounts for the monitors.

We still have the opportunity to get $5000 if we can raise matching funds. As a start, John Fleming has a jar in which you can drop the change you accumulate on top of your dresser when you change your pants or clean out your purse. We raised $7.21 last Sunday. So there's a long way to go. We have to do this by May, but it can be done in $500 increments. So we need to raise at least $492.79 more to get the first $500.

Web Access

To access our database website, go to the church website, uucnwt.org, and click on ABOUT. On the next page on the left side choose member information. Enter uucnwt as the user name and then enter the password mychurch.

When you reach the member page, there are two options. The first is the online directory, which is the first thing you see. Choose a letter to find the person you are looking for. If you find any errors in your own information, you cannot change it yourself. Send a correction to the church office at office@uucnwt.org.

Next, you can click on members' calendar and bring up the current month, which will show currently scheduled events on the master scheduling calendar. To check on later months, click on the month list and choose the month you wish to review. If you need more information about a specific event, run your cursor over that event and it will bring up a box that will provide more information.

UU History and Polity

Student Minister Karla Brockie is offering a Unitarian Universalist History and Polity series of classes, guaranteed to be fun for adults and teens. We will cover about 2000 years, using the stories of religious leaders and heretics. It is an interactive course and there will be prizes.... Come and find out what the heck polity is, anyway. I'd love to have someone as an assistant; let me know!

I propose that we meet at church Sunday evenings from 4pm to 6pm starting January 2 and going through February 6, or perhaps a little longer if we can't bear to part. Alternatively, we could meet at Tucson Medical Center Hospice ("Peppi's House" at the north end of TMC campus); I know there are some from mid-town and maybe from the east side too who would like to attend.

Karla Brockie

I will suggest a $3 donation per participant per meeting, to defray the cost of childcare for this class and others; childcare can be provided if you ask ahead of time (if we have children, we'll need to meet at church). Please call or email Karla to sign up, and indicate your preference for meeting place; I'll let you know the final decision. Come one, come all!

January Kal Gal Exhibit: "Omniumgatherum"

The Kaleidoscope Gallery will feature the art of Fran Dorr, who is a member of our Congregation, from January 9 - February 19. She will have a reception after services on January 23. The title of the exhibit is "Omniumgatherum," which according to the dictionary, means "a miscellaneous collection." It is a reflection her eclectic interests and the diversified group of teachers she has studied under.

As she says:

"It sounds hackneyed to say that I'm on a 'journey' as an artist, but I can think of no other way to describe it. My father, who was a prominent watercolor artist and an art director in an advertising agency, told me to "study the masters" and I have made a point of that all my life. However, I have always benefited from art classes, too. Besides my B.S. degree in Home Economics from Western Michigan University, I have taken art classes over the years, including at Rhode Island School of Design in my teens, Bates College (Maine), U.C.L.A, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College (Michigan) and in SaddleBrooke, Arizona. In addition, I have taken classes in doll making and quilting with nationally and internationally known teachers....

"I love to use watercolors, acrylics, pastels and ink in paintings or collage, but I also love to work with fabric and fibers, making dolls and art quilts.

"The beauty and history of Arizona is very energizing to me and a subject of much of my art. However, the impressionist painters, my love of oriental art, especially Japanese, as well as Pre-Columbian and primitive art, also inspires and influences my creative work."

Activities and Events

Holiday Get-together December 17

Let's get together to celebrate the season! On Friday, December 17 from 6:30-8:30 pm young and young at heart are invited to come and have some hot chocolate, coffee, or tea. Please bring some cookies or dessert to share (home-baked or store-bought).

We will have a table for a gift exchange. If you'd like to participate bring a nicely wrapped gift of under $5 to place on the table. Everyone who brings a gift can pick one out. It should be a lot of fun to see what we all get. Re-gifting is encouraged, and so is re-cycling (meaning a good-looking used item). If you are a teen or adult, please bring a gift for a teen or adult. If you are a child (meaning under 12 or so) please bring a gift for a child. Make sure your gift would work for either gender and your package looks appealing. Trading of gifts after unwrapping is of course allowed!

We will have some music for ambiance (bring a CD if you have one) and there will be board and card games. If you have a favorite one, bring it. Especially Twister would be fun (for the younger set and those who think they could get back up).
We hope to see many of you there!
Questions? Ask Sybelle 471-3557 or Lara 247-3272.

Community Garden Project December 18

Let's celebrate a Community Garden by Christmas! Our congregation's gift to our neighborhood can happen by Christmas. Please join us on Saturday morning, December 18 from 9 am to whenever you need to leave. Be a part of this, the final step in readying the Collective Ministry dream for our congregation and our neighborhood gardeners!

Solstice Celebration December 21

Gather outdoors around the burning yule log on Full Moon Winter Solstice, Tuesday, December 21, 5:30-7 p.m. Celebrate this heartwarming ancient ritual of the seasons' renewal. Share in moving music, inspiring stories and glowing light within the dark. At UUCNWT. Kathy Kouzmanoff

Soup and Salad Lunch January 9

The fund raising campaign for Scholarships for our youth to go to Camp de Benneville Pines (our PSWD camp) continues with another lunch. We have heard that our lunches are well received and we really appreciate everyone's donation of food. We have some amazing cooks in our community!

There will be a selection of different soups and a salad bar, rolls and desserts after the service on Sunday, January 9th.
We would appreciate any donations of a pot of soup or an item for the salad bar or dessert. When the time gets closer the youth might approach you to see if you want to donate a food item.
Thanks from the youth who really want to go to camp (and their parents).

Coordinators: Sybelle UUSybelle@gmail.com and Lara larabuggy3@gmail.com (or see us at church).

Bookaholics Unanimous

We will not meet in December. For January, our book is The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein. The story chronicles Bernstein's early years on the Jewish side of that wall in a northern English mill town, just before the outbreak of World War I. Bernstein's story will captivate you and put you right there with him. To continue the tale, read its sequel: The Dream; A Memoir. Our discussion begins at 6:45 pm in the Fireside Room on January 26th. Come keep your chair warm. When you finish these, start on February 23rd's selection: The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. (In this, she's back to the great storytelling of her earlier works.) The good reading just keeps coming. Contact: Elaine Harris azbooklover@comcast.net

290-1026

Deadline Extended

Since our usual deadline for the monthly e-newsletter is the 24^th of the preceding month, and since that is Christmas Eve, we are extending the deadline for the January newsletter until the 26^th. That means that if you have an article to submit, as soon as you finish gathering and disposing of all the torn wrapping paper and crumpled ribbon your family has strewn around the room, and washing up the dishes and putting away the leftovers from your holiday feast, you will need to start working on your article and getting it written and submitted. The Newsletter goes out on the 28^th.

There has been some confusion lately about submissions. People are sending to publications@uucnwt.org and getting a notice that their message has not gone through. And yet I am getting the messages. So the notice is lying to you. To be sure, though, you can also send articles to me at margefleming@earthlink.net . I will let you know when I receive them.

Thanks,
Margaret

Landscape Design Contest

PURPOSE: To design a relaxation garden for the North side of
the Sanctuary, under the eucalyptus trees.

PRIZE: $50.00 (privately donated)

OPEN TO: UUCNWT youth - 12 to 18 years old

LAST DATE FOR DESIGN SUBMISSION: February 14, 2011

RETURN TO: Margaret Fleming

DATE WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED: March 1, 2011

PLANTING PLANNED FOR MARCH/APRIL 2011

Exact date to be announced later. All youth wishing to help with the planting will be treated to a pizza party luncheon.

Using graph paper, on which each block equals 1 foot, plan out the area to include plants and seating areas. Plants can be represented by drawing, glued on colored paper, or photos cut from magazines. Be sure to supply a key to the plants.

Criteria which will be used in judging the design:

Appearance of this area when driving into the parking lot.
Use of low maintenance, native plants and low water consuming plants throughout.
Use of perennials.
Spacing to allow for each plant's future growth.
Use of color and/or texture in the design.
Use of plants which are readily available for modest cost (or even free)

BE CREATIVE THINK GREEN

CREATE A GARDEN WHICH WILL LAST

Preparation

At our next Connection Sunday on January 9, Landscape Architect Josh Gormally, a member of our congregation, will work with the teachers and the older kids to give them some tools and concepts for working on a design for this contest. Even those who don't enter the contest will benefit from the information. Josh is dedicated to eco-friendly landscaping and water saving. The youngest kids will connect with the natural world through another age-appropriate activity.

Community Garden

veggies The Mountain Vista Community Garden is moving along, with our help. The perimeter trench has been dug. The next step is to install an underground barrier to keep out underground varmints. Then we'll have to put up posts and fencing to keep out above-ground varmints.

Thanks to Dick Hughes, John Fleming, Lincoln Statler, Robby Cavalier, and Josh Gormally, who took part in a work party on December 11. More work parties are planned for coming Saturdays. Contact Betty Meikle or John Fleming to volunteer.

Once the garden is in operation, you can have your own plot for $15 a month. This covers automated irrigation. It is estimated that you can raise vegetables worth four times that amount. Additionally, you can learn more about gardening at monthly workshops, interact with other gardeners, get out into the fresh air, and feel connected to the earth.

Where Is the Electric Car Headed?

Tucson is set to become a hotbed of electric vehicle technology with the release of the Nissan Leaf all-electric car, Ford's plug-in hybrid Focus, and the advent of a major public charging infrastructure project. How did we finally get here, and where will the electric car take us? Michael Brian Schiffer is a professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona and author of "Taking Charge: The Electric Automobile in America." On January 23 at 12:30 he will speak on early American electric cars with an eye to the future. http://uanews.org/click/35603/1

There will be a luncheon preceding his talk. Stay tuned for more details. For more information, contact Vince Pawlowski at 887-4101 or uuvince@ultrasw.com

RE News

YRUU: (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists, for students in grades 9-12), meets the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays of the month, 10:30-11:45, in the Goldblatt Building.

OWL: (Our Whole Lives) If we have enough interest, we will be sponsoring a High School OWL class, (grades 10-12), this Spring. If you know of a student who might like to participate, please let Donna know as soon as possible. The student does not have to be a church member to take part. Please let your relatives, friends and neighbors know about this wonderful opportunity.

TAMS: (The Awesome Middle Schoolers) We need your help!!! We need an adult to help facilitate this fun and fabulous class once a month, (Sundays, 10:30-11:30). No experience necessary. Training is provided, and you would be working with a terrific group of kids. If this sounds like a way you would like to help out the church, please see Donna.

RE Committee Meeting: Monday, January 10th, 6:00-7:30 PM in the Goldblatt Building. Everyone is welcome.

Lost and Found: In the Large RE Room, at the end of the ramp, there is a plastic box overflowing with lost and found items. Please take a moment to sift through to see if any of the items belong to your family.

RE Snack Closet: Thank you to everyone who has recently donated items to replenish the RE Snack Closet.

If you have any questions or suggestions for the RE Department, please contact Donna anytime at mklo@earthlink.net or 867-1400.

Adult R.E.

During the spring semester, Adult R.E. will be offering several courses. There is something for everyone. Three of the courses are already scheduled. See below. In addition, Rev. Joy will be offering one on American Transcendentalism beginning in April, exact dates to be announced, and Kathy Kouzmanoff will resume her Growing Your Own Wisdom, dates also to be announced.

Karla Brockie: UU History and Polity

Sundays, January 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, and February 6, at 4 pm

Margaret Fleming: Bible Stories for UU Adults

Fridays, January 14, 21, 28, and Feb. 4, 11, 18, at 10 am

Sybelle van Erven: Voluntary Simplicity

Tuesdays, March 22, 29, and April 5, 12, 19, at 7 pm

Stucco Project

The stuccoing on our sanctuary is almost complete. By the time you read this it may well be finished. Not only will the building look better, but its insulative qualities will be greatly improved

	Books for Music Stop by the book table and pick out something that interests you--meditation, philosophy, religion--you name it. The books are published by UUA's Beacon Press, and all proceeds go to help buy music for the choir. Want to hear the choir sing something new? Well, buy a book! Books will be for sale on December 19.

Services for December

December 19, 2010: Winter Solstice Service

"The Pursuit of Radiance"

Rev. Joy Atkinson

On this Sunday nearest the Winter Solstice, we will acknowledge various traditions that celebrate light in the darkest time. The sermon will explore the metaphor of light as a symbol of the human spirit. Romy Fouad is Worship Associate. LB will lead the choir.

December 24, 2010

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

Join us at 7 pm for a Christmas Eve celebration with singing, readings, music by the choir, a homily by Joy and the warm glow of candlelight.

December 26, 2010

"Why Do We Celebrate Holy Days?"

Galina De Roeck

Is it a basic human need to gather in order to keep alive ancient communal traditions of hope and wisdom --so that we can pass them on to our own children? Galina De Roeck, a former member of our congregation, will share some of her holiday memories, and invites you to share some of yours. Karla Brockie is Worship Associate. Folk singer Ted Warmbrand will lead us in song.