Register for "Immigration as a Moral Issue" Class at UUCT

A six-session adult education class on "Immigration as a Moral Issue," based on the UUA curriculum for this Study/Action Issue (SAI), will begin at the UU Church of Tucson on E. 22nd St. just east of Swan Rd., on February 24. It will run every Thursday night from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Holland Sanctuary at the UU Church of Tucson. To register or get more information, e-mail Leila Pine at sabinosanctuary@gmail.com or call her at 299-6281 as soon as possible, and tell her which congregation you are from, your name, e-mail address and phone number. Space is limited and registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

The course fee is $10, which must be paid at the first class. There will be two daytime field trips for class participants, one to witness "Operation Streamline" hearings at the Federal Courthouse and one tour of No More Deaths' migrant and deportee aid sites in Nogales, Sonora (Mexico). You will need a current passport for the Nogales trip.

Two Cancellations Effective Immediately

Oneness Deeksha Group and Ceramics Class

The Future of the Kaleidoscope Gallery

From the time the congregation moved into its present building some interested members have seen to it that exhibits of art have been on its walls. At one time it morphed into a group calling itself the Kaleidoscope Gallery. It is not a church committee. Over the years it has had some success in showing art and made some money for the church. However, recently there has been very little support for its work either in time or sales.

At its last meeting, held January 26 the Kal Gal committee, after careful discussion, decided to disband at the end of this year. It is not truly a viable gallery because it lacks a good location, gallery hours, and support to sustain it. Nor is it a church committee having any function dealing with the decor or ambiance of the buildings. On the positive side it provides artwork which adds to the ambiance of the room. It also provides opportunities for members and our youth to show their works. However, these activities can be done through an organization established by the congregation.

The gallery will continue showing through the end of the year. This will give time for the congregation to consider how it may want to handle church decor and art in the future.

Anyone with new ideas for some alternative route to supporting art shows and is willing to work on it, or has questions, contact Anne Leonard, 825-3449. I (Anne Leonard) would like to thank the other present and past members of Kal Gal still in our congregation for their contributions. They are: Emily Ricketts, Fran Dorr, Anne Jagnow, Frances Pearson, Bob Grigsby and Diane Szollosi.

Anne Leonard

anne@alartworks.com

FREE HP Printer!

Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4L printer (15 years old) is available from Jim and Debbie Gessaman for the cost ($80) of a new part, the paper feed wheel. (We'll even provide the name of our printer repairman!) All else is in good running order, and it has served us very well for a home printer, printing four pages per minute. A new toner cartridge, which lasts around nine months, was installed in November 2010. If interested, call 572-6713 or email gessaman@ biology.usu.edu. Note: A new HP printer goes for $150, so an $80 repair is not bad!

TIHAN

TIHAN Volunteer Orientation will be March 26 from 9 am to 1 pm. TIHAN (Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network) is a compassionate interfaith response to HIV/AIDS: It's what your faith can do the other six days fo the week! RSVP 2999-6647 or

www.tihan.org. Other questions? Contact Pat Desai 577-9642.

Poz Cafe

The photo shows the volunteers at the POZ Cafe last September--a TIHAN monthly lunch event.

Awakening the Muse, Nourishing the Spirit

Camp de Benneville Pines is proud to announce the theme and key note speaker for the annual UU Women's Retreat on May 13-15, 2011. Awakening the Muse, Nourishing the Spirit promises to be an inspiring weekend for women from throughout the PSWD. With over half the beds already sold, we are expecting this event to sell out early. So if you need a bottom bunk, don't delay in registering. A $75 non-refundable deposit is required to hold a space.

"The muse is that which inspires and invokes our creative self, the expression of which connects us to our spirit." Rev. Erika Hewitt from the Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Goleta, California, will explore what forms can the muse take? How do we cultivate a deeper relationship with the Source of inspiration and creativity? How does nourishing the spirit go beyond simple self-care and enter the realm of spirituality? How might we live from a place of greater centeredness, spiritual depth, compassion and interconnectedness? Rev. Erika will also offer a Saturday afternoon workshop titled "Yoga as Spiritual Practice".

Hiking, relaxing, drumming, music making, crafting, dancing, singing, recreating are just some of the activities that will be offered during the weekend. Self care with yoga, massage, facials, specialized workshops and hot tubbing will also be available.

Please join your sisters at the 2011 Unitarian Universalist Women's Retreat. Rediscover your essential spirit as you engage your mind, body and soul through art, inspiration play and renewal.

To download a flier to share with a friend or to register for this event: www.uucamp.org, and click on COME TO CAMP, click on WOMEN'S RETREAT. Should you wish to reach the camp directly about this event, email Melissa Blackwell, Camper Liaison Coordinator, at registrar@uucamp.org, or call 909-794-1252.

Grand Opening of Community Garden

Mountain Vista Community Garden celebrated its Grand Opening Saturday, February 12, with a Pancake Breakfast.

dedication

After most people had eaten, Rev. Joy led a simple and moving dedication ceremony. George Brookbank, who founded Community Gardens of Tucson, was in attendance, as was Gene Zonge, the current president of CGT and director of this garden. The breakfast was arranged by Betty Meikle and served by a dedicated crew of volunteers.

RE News

TIGERS: (pre-school -4th grade) A big, warm Thank You to the wonderful 2nd Semester teachers,Peter Becskehazy, Margaret Fleming, Gwen Goodman and Anne Tatum for their tireless and kind dedication in the classroom. Thank you to Alberta Gunther for her behind-the-scenes classroom support.

TAMS: (The Awesome Middle Schoolers) A HUGE Thank you to Lara Brennan, Romy Fouad, Jim Gessaman, Clinton Ponder-Gilby and Morgan Riddle!!!! We put out the word that we needed teachers for the 2nd semester, and these wonderful people answered our call for help. The semester kicked-off on January 16th, and will continue through May. Teachers will be using a brand new curriculum guide from the UUA, "Heeding the Call: Qualities of a Justice Maker".

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. Many,many thanks to the sweet and dedicated facilitators: Dori Klass, Niki Davis and Sanjay Desai.

Substitute Teachers: We occasionally need substitute teachers in our RE classes. It is a fun and valuable way to contribute your time and knowledge to the children of our congregation. No experience is necessary. If you would like to be added to the Substitute Roster, please see Donna. A special thank you to Steven Ballesteros who recently substituted in the TAMS class.

Story For All Ages: On the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month, the RE Students will start off in the sanctuary and be present for the first part of the service, including a Story for All Ages. Following the story, students will file out and convene in their classrooms in the Goldblatt Building.

Connection Sundays: The 2nd Sunday of each month is Connection Sunday. The RE Students will have a chance to connect with the congregation, the community and nature through a variety of activities, field trips and guest speakers.

Upcoming events:

March 13: Festival of Books at the U of A (field trip)

April 10: Tucson Wildlife Center (guest speaker)

May 8: Withers Sheep, Llama and Goat Ranch (field trip)

RE Landscaping Project: The RE Students have submitted their final landscape designs for the area adjacent to the west side of the sanctuary. Landscape Designer Josh Gormally will be incorporating the students' ideas into a Master Plan. On February 20th, a check will be presented to the RE Students during the service for their collaborative efforts. (A big thank you to our anonymous donor!) Planting will begin in the Spring. Coming soon: A wish-list of plants.

OWL: (Our Whole Lives-a series of sexuality education curricula). An OWL facilitator training will be held in San Diego on March 11-13th. Scholarships are available. If you are interested, and would like more info, please see Donna.

RE Committee Meeting: Wednesday, March 9th, 600-7:30 PM in the Goldblatt Building. Everyone is welcome.

Wish List: We need snacks (Goldfish, Wheat Thins, Ritz, Pretzels,etc). All donations greatly appreciated!

Thank you: A big thanks to Elaine Harris for donating a box of diapers, a potty chair and a variety of snacks to the nursery.

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

Italian Buffet Luncheon

On Sunday, February 20, following the service, a luncheon will be served of Italian dishes, salad and dessert. There will be several choices of foods, including some vegetarian and gluten free.

Please join your UU friends, while eating good food, prepared and served by the Camp de Benneville Scholarship Fun(d)raising people! A donation of $5 is much appreciated, but no hungry people will be turned away.

If you can and want to help with a donation of an Italian dish, Parmesan cheese, salad fixing, or dessert that would be great!! Please email Lara at

larabuggy3@gmail.com or Sybelle at UUSybelle@gmail.com to offer to help or for questions, or see one of us at church.

Activities and Events

Bookaholics Unanimous February 23

February's book, The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, is one of those likely to keep you up late, trying to finish "just one more page." Her characters ring true, and her fiction and history are woven seamlessly. (Surely, he was really there with Trotsky!) Enjoy the gift Kingsolver has given us, then settle in with us as we share our opinions and emotions at 6:45 pm on Wednesday, February 23rd, in the Fireside Room.

You'll also want to meet with us following our read of Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It's March's book and we'll gather on March 30th--same time, same place as above (and as always.) Get an early start on our upcoming books; they're different from some of our recent choices. April 27th: Where Men Win Glory; The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer; May 25th: The Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse and Alison Anderson. Keep the brain cells exercised so you can be an centenarian bookaholic.

Contact: Elaine Harris azbooklover@comcast.net

290-1026

Green Speaker Series February 27

A History of Southwestern Drought over the Past 1200 Years from Tree Rings

Dr. Connie Woodhouse will be our speaker on Sunday, February 27 at 12:30 pm in the sanctuary for the green lecture series. There will be a luncheon at 11:45.

Southwestern tree rings are an excellent source of information on past droughts. This talk will focus on tree-ring based reconstructions of streamflow for the upper and lower Colorado River basin and patterns of drought over the past 1200 years. These reconstructions indicate a high degree of variability in drought conditions in the past, including a particularly notable period of widespread and persistent drought during the medieval period. The extended records of hydrology and drought can be useful for assessing recent droughts in the context of long-term natural climate variability. While the climate of the past will not be replicated in the future, the reconstructions are being found useful for water resource planning and management in a variety of ways.

The speakers arranged by Vince Pawlowski for the Green Ministries Speaker Series are all leaders in their fields and have a great deal to say about how we can live greener. The talks have introduced many visitors to our facilities and our "treat earth gently" philosophy. It is a major way for us to reach out to the larger community with meaningful ideas and programs. Without the congregation's support of the lunches, our other major outreach program, MVUU Community Garden, would not have been possible.

Right Relations Revised

The Right Relations Task Force (Debbie Gessaman, Betty Meikle, Karla Brockie, David Greene, Rev. Joy; and Dale Golis, absent due to illness) reconvened on Wednesday evening, February 9, 2011, to create a Second Draft of the MVUU Covenant of Right Relations. This shortened version focuses on how we want to be together as individuals in our beloved community.

Our intent is that this be a living document, to be used in all the various working ministries of our congregation. In this spirit, we ask the following:

---Use this Covenant for the next two months in Board meetings, council and committee meetings, youth activities, anywhere some or many of us gather to do the work of this church.

---Because we want your input, please send any feedback or comments to Debbie Gessaman at gessaman@biology.usu.edu. She will forward suggestions to all Task Force members.

---Rev. Joy will deliver a sermon on Sunday, April 3, 2011, dealing with gossip, good communications, and covenanting.

---We would like to present this Draft Covenant to the Board of Trustees at its mid-April meeting.

---We would then hope for a vote of approval by the Congregation at the State of the Congregation Meeting in May 2011.

The Task Force feels that we're closer than ever before to have a Covenant of Right Relations that will work for us as a community. Let's all follow through to have this happen!

[Second Draft of] UUCNWT/MVUU Covenant of Right Relations

With love as our guide, we covenant to:

v welcome the stranger

v encourage and support one another

v honor our diversity

v ask questions with an open mind and heart

v listen deeply and seek understanding

v speak directly and compassionately

when we have differences

v and trust one another and remain in community

while differences are resolved

Diary of a Mad Gardener

by Alberta Gunther

Sorry about last month. I intended to write a column but then the "Shooting" drove everything else out of my mind. Which is easy as there isn't much mind to start with.

The big freeze! Actually we had about three but this last one was a lulu. Along with wrapping outside pipes, I covered every thing I could and we survived. My front flower bed has lettuce, radishes (do I have radishes) carrots, and spinach. The carrots aren't ready yet but look good. Only a few of the spinach seeds came up and it has a long way to go yet. If anyone would like a few radishes for lunch, just come by. Some of them have been the ground so long that I've seen smaller beets. But they still taste good.

In the back, the earlier freezes took the beans, okra, and summer squash. Now the only thing is peas. Previous attempts have not been successful so I planted a lot hoping that some would make it. If the aphids don't get them, I'll have peas, peas, peas.

The rest of the yard didn't fare so well. Almost everything that froze should come back. There is an extraordinary amount of pruning to do. The lemon tree really looks bad. The leaves are wilted, and of the tons (an exaggeration but it seems like that much) lemons that fell off, over half were no good. I assume that with pruning and TLC the tree will survive but I suspect there will be nada lemons next year. I've read that lemon peels worked into the soil will deter aphids, so I ground up a bunch in the blender and added them around the peas. The rest are going into the compost. If nothing else, it should improve the smell of said compost.

More next month. Eat well.

Live Simply--Voluntarily

Do you want to say "No" to needless distractions that keep you from caring for yourself, nurturing your relationships, and supporting our environment? If so, join with others with similar desires on Thursday March 22 at 7 pm in the Small RE room. That is the first of five meetings full of discussion, information, support, and sharing about the challenges we face when we try to live simply amidst today's societal pressures.

The required text for the Voluntary Simplicity Class costs $20 and is available from the Northwest Earth Institute at a $6 shipping fee. (see http://www.nwei.org/discussion_courses/course-offerings/voluntary-simplicity). However, if 12 people sign up by February 20 and prepay for the book, the group order will save each person $5 in shipping costs. After February 20, the class will be opened to the public. I will have a sign-up sheet at church (it is bright yellow), so find it or me or call or email me. Sybelle van Erven at 471-3557 or UUsybelle@gmail.com.

Citrus Gleaning

Once again it is time to get organized and offer our surplus citrus to help those in need in our local community. For the third consecutive year, our congregation is partnering with the Iskashitaa Refugee Harvesting Network. Iskashitaa is an inter-generational group of refugees from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East who work with local Tucson volunteers to harvest approximately 75,000 lbs. of fruits and vegetables each year from backyards and local farms. These nutritious foods are then redistributed to refugee families from many countries and other Tucson organizations that assist families in need.

Citrus harvesting is one of our Mountain Vista Congregation's continuing Green Sanctuary Projects. Two members of our congregation, Jim Gessaman and Keith MacLoughlin, have already enthusiastically volunteered to pick and transport fruit, but we need you too. Please let us know if you can help in any of the following ways:

· You have surplus citrus that you can bring to the Goldblatt Building at the church.
· You (or your friend or neighbor) have citrus trees with fruit that you/they would be happy to donate if someone will come and pick it.
· You would like to volunteer to help to pick or transport fruit to the Iskashitaa collection center.

Contact: Meg Kidwell at mgkaz@comcast.net or (520) 490-3199.

Voting Results from the Mountain Vista UU State of the Congregation Meeting

Sunday, January 30, 2011, 12:15 p.m.

Members checked in and received printed copies of the Ballot for a Congregational Vote on Karla Brockie's request to be ordained as a UU minister in and by our Congregation. Conrad welcomed everyone at 12:20 p.m., reviewed the Agenda, and announced the attendance of 75 people (73 members), which more than adequately filled the required 25% of membership needed to constitute a quorum.

Welcoming Statement: Conrad introduced Karla Brockie, who explained the process of ordination as a UU minister as follows:

· She has fully completed her seminary work and has received a "conditional acceptance" from the UU Fellowship Committee, which requested that she teach a UU history and polity class this January at MVUU.

· As Unitarian Universalists, responsibility for ordaining ministers rests in individual congregations that sponsor candidates. If the MVUU Congregation accepts her, the ordination service will be scheduled for this spring.

· She has been working for three years as a Chaplain for Hospice here in Tucson. As she explained, she will not, and cannot, be our settled minister because she has been "in relationship" with this church as a member since 1998.

Ballot to Vote on Karla's Request: Following discussion,members voted and turned in their ballots (10 absentee ballots and 63 attendee ballots). By the end of the meeting, the request had been approved: 70 yes, 2 no, 1 abstain. Yea, Karla!!

Sunday Services

February 20, 2011

"Margaret Fuller, Crusader for the Rights of All People"

Barbara Gates

Crusader for the rights of all people, Transcendentalist friend of Emerson and Thoreau, Margaret Fuller met a tragic, untimely death just a little over two hundred years ago. Today we remember her as one of Unitarian Universalism's most extraordinary thinkers and doers, a woman who said "I never lived what one might call a common, natural day" and "very early, I knew the only object in life was to grow." Margaret Fleming is Worship Associate. LB will direct the choir.

February 27, 2011

"Confessions of a Mystical, Humanistically-Inclined Agnostic Theist
with Pagan Tendencies and a Love For Jesus"

Rev. Joy Atkinson

The title of this sermon is inspired by the diversity of beliefs one finds within a UU congregation-sometimes within one individual Unitarian Universalist! Joy will explore her personal theology, and invites you to do the same. Christiane Heyde is Worship Associate.