News from UUCNWT

*Brian Pincin, who underwent surgery last week to remove a tumor of the chest (a thymus tumor), and has had recovery issues. Healing wishes to him and his partner, Paul Trambarulo.

Aluminum Cans Needed!

Please bring your empty aluminum cans to church and place in the special bin. The price of aluminum is currently 81 cents a pound. Proceeds from cans go to the Camp de Benneville Pines Scholarship Fund. Thank you to Emily Ricketts for sponsoring this worthwhile project.

Thank You for the Survey Help!

We thank you for volunteering the time to complete the survey for Mountain Vista UU sponsored by the Ministerial Search Committee (MSC). Your comments (from 144 of you) will help the committee to draw a picture of our congregants' needs in choosing a settled minister. It will also provide our community with important information to use in our program planning. Your help is so very much appreciated.

Thanks also to the many who participated in the focus groups to give us additional information. We will be sharing results of both with you all after we complete the analysis phase in the next few weeks.

Special thanks go to the MSC survey team of Evalyn Bennet-Alder, Sybelle van Erven and Betty Meikle, who did the design, construction and implementation. Thank you to the volunteer editors, Margaret Fleming, Vicki Grossack, Gary Kern, and Gwen Goodman, and volunteer pre-testers Lisa Ponder-Gilby, Josh Gormally, Pat Desai and Steven Ballesteros.

The Ministerial Search Committee
Anne Tatum, Chair; Gwen Goodman, Co-Chair; Peter Becskehazy, Evalyn Bennet-Alder, David Greene, Betty Meikle, Pat Reddemann, Sybelle van Erven

Commemorative Concert September 11

Tucson Chamber Artists, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, and UApresents join to present "Remembrance and Renewal: A Concert to Commemorate the Tenth Anniversary of September 11." The concert will feature Mozart's Requiem--performed all over the world on the one year anniversary of the attacks--and a world premiere performance of a new work by Stephen Paulus.

The concert takes place Sunday, September 11, 3:00 pm, at UA's Centennial Hall. For tickets: 621-3341 or uapresents.org.

Order the Coffee with a Conscience

2 coffees Order your coffee by the 20th of the month, and you'll be smelling the aroma by the second Sunday of the following month. Cafe Justo coffee, is again available at MVUU, but will not be sold on Sundays this year.

Cafe Justo--the coffee with a conscience--comes in 1-pound containers and costs $9 for regular and $10 for decaf. You can read about the varieties available on our website at http://uucnwt.org/SocialAction

Why Cafe Justo? To support a co-op of coffee growers and processors in Mexico. You can learn about them at their website: justcoffee.org

How to join the others who order coffee every month? Just email reedeliz@gmail.com to get on her list or call her at 269-3414 by the 20th of the month with your order or to get more information. By ordering through Elizabeth, your postage is paid and MVUU earns almost $1 per pound sold.

Documentary Project

computer disk

A group of our teens is working on a video documentary on the subject of immigration. They may come up to you at some point and request a brief interview. Some of this may be used in the documentary; some may be just practice. We would appreciate your cooperation.

The kids want to post their video(s) on YouTube and other social media. They also want to show it at GA next year. You will be able to see a sample of their work in the near future.

Diary of a Long Distance Gardener

by Alberta Gunther

Here I am, once again in Oregon and the garden is in Tucson. Every time I leave, I plant something first and come home to find nothing has come up. The last time instead of lettuce and radishes I had coyote gourd. This time I left an established garden of lettuce, radishes, carrots, and some spinach. Hopefully they will survive. I quickly planted zucchini, cukes, and beets. I really don't hold out much hope. There also are peas. I managed to successfully protect them from the freeze that took everything else in the yard. If I'm lucky I'll be home before the aphids arrive. They love peas.

Around here everything is dormant. I have seen some shoots coming up in a few yards. They're most likely daffodils, tulips, or other early bulb. The nice thing about Oregon, you can plants your bulbs and forget about them. They not only come up every year but they multiply. The weather so far has been fairly decent although it is around freezing every night. Last month there was a very wet snow fall, about a foot, that pruned trees and did other damage. Mother lost branches from a big fir tree and the heavy snow, along with wind, wiped out her clothes line. She now has a new line.

Not much more to write about so I'll see you all next month. In the meantime, be nice to Don.

Tucson PRIDE

Tucson Pride Parade is Saturday October 8 at 8 pm, in conjunction with 2nd Saturdays.

The Tucson Pride Interfaith Worship Service is Tuesday, October 11, in the evening, at First United Methodist Church near the U of A campus.

Tucson Pride in the Desert Festival is Saturday, October 15, 10 am to 8 pm, at Kino Memorial Stadium (formerly Tucson Electric Park).

The UU Congregation of NW Tucson Interweave group wants to gather all the southern AZ UU's to support and participate in these events! Stay tuned. Roberta Price is the chair of the Interweave group at UUCNWT.

Rummage Sale and Book Sale

Got stuff or books? Get them donated to the church any time between now and the spring. The book sale will be in the fall, with exact day to follow. The Rummage sale will be in March, with exact dates to follow. Call or see Catalina to arrange a mutually convenient drop off time. Catalina, 572-1881.

Save the Date

Service Auction Friday, Nov. 4

5:30 PM. This is the Roaring 20's (and 50's and 100's, because we will take all denominations of money.) So practice the Charleston, put on your fringe and Zoot suits and donate an item and then come that evening and buy. If you need donation ideas see Catalina, Clare, Jan Hatunen, Anne Tatum, Anne or Larry Jagnow, or Joe Bredau.

Doors open at 5:30 pm with wine to purchase and a silent auction. At 7 pm the silent auction ends and the live auction begins. Along with the new day of the week we are trying a new menu of wonderful and art deco deserts, not a meal, but worth the $10 in advance admission price or $12 at the door. Sign up with Clare. Don't be a square, be there.

Tree Dedication September 25

We will be having a Tree Dedication Ceremony on September 25 for the trees that were donated to us by TAWN (Tucson Area Wiccan-Pagan Network). Rev. Joy is preparing a ceremony for this event after the regular church service. Daniel Nail will be here to represent TAWN.

Keith Gentzler

Some of you "old timers" probably remember Keith Gentzler quite well. Keith and his wife, Rie have lived in the Tucson area for more than 13 years. Both are former members of the congregation and still consider themselves friends. Both were also very active in congregation life during their membership. Keith served as Board president for two terms.

For most of his adult life Keith has been writing poetry. Several years ago he decided to attempt to have a collection of short works published by Skinner House Books. After some initial interest by the editor, she changed her mind. Keith decided to self-publish this book, titled A Gentle Rain. It is a collection of 52 meditations, affirmations and blessings. The book provides positive messages to start each week for a year. Ink line sketches by local artist, John Cole, are interspersed with the text. The cover is a photograph by Keith's daughter Kim.

Keith decided to publish two other books of his poetry. One is a collection of his earlier poems from the sixties and seventies when he was a young husband and father. This book is titled A Dark Radiance. The illustrations are original artwork by San Francisco artist, Allen Shain. The cover photograph was taken by Rie.

Keith's third book is a collection of his recent works. Many are about the trials and joys of aging, life in the twenty-first century and about Keith's grandkids. This volume is titled Narrowing. Rie's photographs illustrate a number of the poems, and she also did the cover photo.

Interim Minister's Column

Words of Joy

When to Call the Minister

As we begin a new "church year," I would like to remind you that although we will be continuing to focus on transitional work, I am also here to carry out the normal duties of a parish minister, which includes responding to a variety of needs.

People are often reluctant to 'bother' a minister with their questions, issues and concerns, but I want to assure you that it is no bother! So I here repeat from last year a list of occasions when you might want to call on the minister.

--When you are experiencing a crisis or emergency

--When you are considering joining the congregation, or resigning from it

--When you would like to explore issues in your personal life

--When you would like help in planning a ceremony, such as a child dedication, wedding, memorial service, house blessing, etc.

--When you or someone you know is in the hospital, in a convalescent home or in prison, and could use a visit.

--When you would like to discuss some aspect of congregational life

--When you have an idea for a Sunday service

--When you would like to explore further an idea or subject area that you heard in a sermon

--When you would like to discuss your personal spiritual journey

--When you want us to get better acquainted

--And even, when you heard a great joke that you'd like to pass along!

And, if you can't decide whether or not it is appropriate to call on me, CALL OR EMAIL ME! I wish to be as available to you as I can.

I am looking forward to another busy, productive and enjoyable interim year among you!

Joy

Focus Group September 1

Upcoming Ministerial Search Committee Focus Group, Open to ALL If you have not attended a Focus Group discussion yet, please consider attending. Your voice is important! Thursday, September 1st, at 7 pm, Fireside Room.

Join us and other UUs for camping over Labor Day!

SAWUURA Camp September 2 - 5

There has been a lot of road work done, so the road into the camp is significantly improved. If you haven't already, this is a good time to renew your membership. All campers must also have an updated liability waiver if it isn't on file or is over a year old.

Meals this year will be simple but good and nourishing. Everyone will be chipping in with food preparation and cleanup. The price, including food, for the weekend will be $35 for adults and $20 per child under 16 for the entire weekend. To learn more, check out www.sawuura.org

Send your forms to Jan Hatunen, 2167 W. Ocelot Dr., Tucson AZ 85713

Activities and Events

Sunday Morning Book Group

The group is discussing The Social Animal by David Brooks. Come one, come all. 8:30 am Tom Blackburn

Movie Night Saturday, September 10

"Earth," 7 pmat John and Helen Wilcox's, 5950 N. Fountains Ave., #4103. This is a Disney documentary about what is happening to the earth's species. Roger Ebert calls it "beautiful and worthwhile." Please bring a snack to share. Look for a poster, a review, directions and a signup at Mountain Vista. john.wilcox2008@comcast.net 531-1413.

Bookaholics Unanimous August 31 & September 28

August 31: The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen

September 28: Melissa Bank's The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing is a coming of age story that mixes comedy and tragedy in just the right amounts. The connected stories follow Jane as she ages and maneuvers her way through love, sex, and relationships. It's a funny book that offers a delightful end-of-summer read. Come enjoy our fun discussion at 6:45 pm in the Fireside Room.

Start now on October 26th's choice: Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. November 16th's books are The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses, both by Jeannette Walls. We'll not meet in December.

Contact: Elaine Harris azbooklover@comcast.net 290-1026

Crafting Marathon September 9

You are invited to a 12 hour Crafting Marathon on Friday, September 9^th from noon to midnight at Cheryl Hiller's house in the Dove Mountain home area. Bring crafts that you have always wanted to finish and get it done and bring along some libations of your choice. Catalina will bring the makings for 'rum and coke.' You must RSVP to Catalina or Cheryl and get directions.

In case of the return of prohibition the event will be re-scheduled.

Salads, Salads! September 11

On September 11, after the water communion service we will be serving an array of salads and desserts for lunch. Please stay and visit a while with your UU friends!

Donation of $5 is appreciated, but no hungry person will be turned away. Proceeds will benefit scholarships for Camp de Benneville Pines and GA for our youth.

If you can help by bringing any kind of salad (tossed, bean, pasta, potato, chicken, whatever you like making!) or a dessert, please let Sybelle know at UUSybelle@gmail.com or 471-3557

Finding Heart Kickoff September 18

finding heart Small Groups will kick off the 2011-2012 year with sign-ups on September 18 and 25 after services. Some groups will begin in October and others in January. Start thinking about taking part in a small-group and get to know congregation members and friends better. Share and laugh together and work on a small service project to benefit our congregation or community. If you've been a member in the past and would love to facilitate a group, join the facilitators on Saturday morning September 17 from 10 to noon in the Fireside Room. Want more info?? Pick up a brochure at the back of the sanctuary and contact Elizabeth Reed at 520-269-3414 or reedeliz@gmail.com.

Black Swan Film and Discussion September 24

Watch Black Swan at 1:30 pm, with a Jungian analyst and a film buff leading a discussion afterward.

Theme: "The integration of the shadow (including mother's introjected issues in the daughter) must result in the death of the ego, the old self, the status quo." Daniel Ross.

Cost: $10 for Southern Arizona Friends of Jung and UU Members; $15 for nonmembers

Religious Education News

The Summer RE Program, "Share Your Passion" was a big hit. We had good attendance, and the children seemed to really enjoy the classes. A big thank you to our special presenters: Eb Eberlein, Lara Brennan, Mike Brennan, Marion Erickson, Margaret Fleming, Alberta Gunther, Catalina Hall, Matthew Klass, Emily Ricketts, Paula Trahan, and Peggy Zeramby.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, September 11--Water Communion (Intergenerational Service-- students in sanctuary entire time.)

Sunday, September 11--RE Fundraiser Luncheon, proceeds benefit the RE Department.

Sunday, September 18 --Kick-off of 2011-2012 RE PROGRAM (Students start in service for Story For All Ages.) Please check your email. RE Registration forms will be emailed to families soon.

Sunday, September 18--OWL Orientation for Parents

Tuesday, September 20--OWL Orientation for Parents

Friday, September 23--Saturday, Nov. 19^th - OWL PROGRAM here for youth in grades 7-9. There will be 3 overnights and 4 Sunday afternoon sessions.

OWL (Our Whole Lives, http://www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/ourwhole/ ) sexuality course will be starting soon for 7^th (mature), 8th and 9th graders. You do NOT have to be a member of our congregation to attend. If you haven't received your registration form yet, please let me know. Also, please email me if you know of a friend, relative or neighbor who might be interested in attending. I can email them the info if you get me their email address. For more information, contact Sybelle van Erven, uusybelle@gmail.com

Wish List: Snack Food

The RE Department is running very low on foods to serve as snacks after class. We could use items like crackers, Goldfish, bagged popcorn, pretzels, etc. Items can be placed in the RE Pantry beside the sink in the Fireside Room. All donations are greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions, please email me, or call me anytime on my new number: (520) 406-5121.

Donna

Things Are Poppin' at Mountain Vista UU Garden

At the August meeting MVUU gardeners shared more than usual. Much of the talk was about what to plant now, how to clear out plants that are no longer producing, and how we want to go forward. Ideas were poppin' like late summer corn.

One meeting a month seems like not enough. We talked about doing more together. And, working in the garden is truly much more fun when someone else is here. So, we decided to meet on the 1st Saturday and on the 3rd Saturday of each month. The first Saturday will be more informal with us sharing what is happening in our own garden: sharing successes and failures, questions and answers, maybe even hopes and dreams. We decided we want to spend time just getting to know one another better. The 3rd Saturday will still feature a master gardener from CGT.

We voted to purchase 4 cubic yards of compost from a local company and have it delivered to our garden. We will all share in the cost of a season's organic fertilizer. All gardeners can use the compost to add to the viability of their soil.

On September 3rd, the first Saturday in September, we will meet at 8:00 am and share seeds. Betty (garden coordinator) told Gene Zonge what the MVUU gardeners were planning to do. He must have a spare bedroom in his house filled with seeds, because he said, "Oh, tell them not to go out buy any seeds to share unless they want a specific variety, because I will give you a ton of generic fall garden seeds." But, if anyone has seeds that just cannot possibly be used before germination viability is lost, bring them to the September 3^rd meeting and see if any other gardener wants them.

Several gardeners from Mountain Vista Community Garden are planning to go on "field trips." The first one will be on the first Saturday in October, the 1st,October 1, which is the Tucson Organic Gardeners' (TOG) Fall Festival. The festival is from 10:30 until 3:30 and features many organically started vegetable and herb plants. There are gardening books, seeds (which you may not need by then), soil amendments, garden tools, and lots of great things going on at the festival - entertainment for the kids as well. It isn't necessary to attend the entire day. TOG is dedicated to educating the public of the advantages of organic gardening.

The agenda for Saturday, October 1, is:

8:00 am Meet in the garden

8-10am Play with our plants and nurture their growth

10:00am Carpool to the TOG Fall Festival

Thereafter Carpools can leave the Festival at whatever time they wish

MVUU gardeners are looking for other activities that are fun and informative for urban farmers, If you know of any, please let us know.

The fall promises to be a good season for gardeners. We have just passed our 6 month milestone. MVUU Garden still has some open plots that need someone to care for them so they can start producing. Maybe you need a garden. Because even though half of our plots are being gardened, MVUU is not reaping any harvest. Only our children and youth have a plot. But what a plot that is. That plot currently boasts enough basil to make pesto for the winter, chocolate bell peppers, pumpkins, cantaloupe and monster watermelon vines that have grown all the way to the fence and up a ways! Take a look. You will like it!

Thirteen Sentenced for Acts of Non-violent Civil Disobedience

Rev. Peter Morales

Thirteen protesters were sentenced to time served for their acts of non-violent civil disobedience in Phoenix on July 29, 2010. Rev. Peter Morales, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray of the UU Congregation of Phoenix, Arizona, Mr. Salvador Reza, leader of Puente Arizona, and ten others were sentenced on August 23, 2011 in Phoenix. They had previously been found guilty on charges of failure to obey a peace officer, after physically blocking the driveway entrance to the Madison Street Jail in Phoenix. The purpose of their action was to stop the neighborhood raids the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department planned for that day, despite federal district court judge Susan Bolton's preliminary injunction on parts of SB 1070.

Judge Pro Tem David Seyer sentenced all thirteen defendants with the same sentence. The defendants are not required to pay any fine, nor to perform community service. Judge Seyer stated that he had considered the circumstances of the offense and the character and content of the defendants. After noting the motivations of the defendants and their peaceful behavior, he said that they made a choice. Each of them had willfully failed to comply with the order of a peace officer, so they were responsible to pay the consequences of their actions. He concluded that the time already served and the year elapsed since July 29, 2010 is sufficient punishment.

Several defendants spoke. Mr. Reza stated that the defendants are not guilty of anything for fighting for civil rights, as the trial was political, no less than the trials of the 1960's.

Upon receiving the sentence, Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray affirmed, "The moral measure of a person, and certainly a society--is the degree to which the most vulnerable are treated fairly, with dignity and human rights. As a Unitarian Universalist, I will continue to stand against SB 1070 and similar legislation which separates families, terrorizes communities and criminalizes the most vulnerable in our society."

Beyond Categorical Thinking

Save the Date--October 23, 2011

Imagine a minister whose background is completely different from anything you might have expected. Would our congregation be able to accept such an individual as our own called minister? To help explore our feelings about our institutional culture, the Ministerial Search Committee will organize a Beyond Categorical Thinking workshop for the entire congregation after our Sunday service on October 23^rd. Please put October 23 in your calendar right now! Your Ministerial Search Committee will be updating you on the specifics of this event and how it relates directly to us.

The following information from the UUA website describes the goals of a BCT visit to a congregation:

The Beyond Categorical Thinking (BCT) program works with Unitarian Universalist congregations to promote inclusive thinking and help prevent unfair discrimination in the ministerial search process. During the Beyond Categorical Thinking visit, the congregation will learn more about its institutional culture, examine ways it can be more inclusive in its consideration of ministerial candidates, and surface subtle and often unintentional, unconscious biases members hold that may result in a decision to not select the minister who would be the best fit for their ministerial needs.

Unitarian Universalist ministers who identify as people of color; as Latina/Latino/Hispanic; as bisexual, gay, lesbian, and/or transgender; or as a person with a disability often have a more difficult time in the ministerial search process because of unconscious congregational biases. Even in congregations that have called a minister, interim minister, or intern from one of the aforementioned identity groups, new biases have arisen because the congregation mistakenly assumed that the presence of these ministers means that they have adequately addressed diversity issues and need no further work.

The Beyond Categorical Thinking program creates opportunities for conversations and reflection for the congregation to identify issues related to identity. In the process, congregations explore some of these biases, learn more about the search process, and begin to think about next steps, such as further consultation, education, or training beyond the BCT program.

Year #3 for MVUU's Holiday Giving Projects!

Debbie and Jim Gessaman's proposal for MVUU's Holiday Giving Projects has been accepted by the Social Action and Finance committees. Before we preview our charities, in the next newsletter, we want to address an important concern expressed by several donors in 2010: Charity Navigator's (CN) rating of Alternative Gifts International (AGI).

There are a lot of positives in AGI's Charity Navigator's rating, for instance, an Efficiency rating of 4 Stars, with a score of 39.28 out of a possible 40 for managing donor dollars efficiently in good and down times. AGI spends just $00.01 to raise $1 of donations.
Their Capacity rating (revenue growth) is 1 Star, which gives them an overall score of 2 Stars.
AGI commits that 90% of every dollar (90/10 split) donated gets distributed to the project for which it was designated by the donor. Their program expenses are rated at 93.3%, administrative expenses at 5.5%, and their fundraising expense is 1.1%, reflecting a 4-year average look-back by CN.
AGI chooses their agencies with due diligence, giving voice to many small non-profits that, like AGI, operate on a grassroots level through churches, schools, clubs, and even individuals. Their advertising budget is small because they run by word of mouth; and their effective website now provides materials and forms electronically and also permits giving year-round.

After last year's Holiday Giving Projects were completed, Debbie followed up on an email evaluation from Tony Princ, AGI's new Executive Director. He replied personally with the above information, including several comparisons to more well-known charities like Amnesty International (AI), Heifer International (HI), and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), as follows:

Amnesty International has a 1 Star Efficiency rating and a 1 Star Fundraising rating.
Heifer International has a 2 Star Efficiency rating.
The Nature Conservancy has a 3 Star Efficiency rating.
Both HI and TNC have higher Capacity ratings (revenue growth) but also higher advertising budgets.

Only AGI carries a 4 Star Efficiency rating, with a proven record of distributing 90% of each donor's dollars to their designated projects; and in 2011 they are celebrating 25 years of serving the needy across the world with over $25 million dollars of support raised. As Mr. Princ explains, AGI's 1 Star Capacity rating was deeply affected by the departure of its founder in 2007 and also by the world's economic down-turn, as have the fortunes of many small non-profits.

We ask the MVUU congregation, as members and friends of a "small to medium non-profit," to consider this important information in our efforts to reach out to the needy here in Tucson and around the world. Please mark your calendars to stop by our outdoor table Sundays after church, from November 6 to December 11! We'll preview Alternative Gifts International projects and gift-giving to our local charity, "Youth on Their Own," in the next MVUU Newsletter.

Our Own Local Climate Change Hero

Few people know that we have a local climate change hero in our midst. His name is Vince Pawlowski and if you don't know him you might want to meet him. Vince has been travelling the country as an activist for the better part of a year.

Most recently he has taken part in the fight for Tim De Christopher, also known as "Bidder 70," who bid on 14 parcels of land in an effort to save their ecosystems from certain destruction by coal and oil companies. The federal government made an example of him by finding him guilty of two felony counts of misrepresenting himself. He was given two years in prison. The 29 year old also happens to be a Unitarian and Vince and seven others protested in front of the courthouse where Tim was charged in an effort to bring his case into the public eye. The seven were arrested but not until their statement had been made.

Vince also recently walked over 50 miles with 500 other dedicated activists in an effort to save Blair Mountain from top chop coal mining. Vince's personal goal is to convince people to stop the use of climate changing fossil fuels and begin to use only renewable energies.

Vince will be putting himself into the firing lines once again as he protests the Tar Sands Pipeline in Washington DC. Our thoughts and prayers will be with our eco-warrior as he fights for climate justice on August 28 and 29.

Adult Religious Education

We have some exciting and intriguing adult education offerings this year. For more information, contact the instructors listed below.

Already scheduled (please contact instructors to sign up)

"The Way of Mastery" with Jolie Hoskkin 395-7486 or jhoskkin@msn.com
6 weekly sessions, starting October 12

"Immigration as a Moral Issue" with John & Margaret Fleming and Anne Jagnow 888-7059 or margefleming@earthlink.net
6 weekly sessions, starting November 7

On the horizon, but not yet scheduled

"The God Within Us: Inner Freedom, Love, and Philosophy's Heart," with Bob Wallace

4 weekly sessions bob@robertmwallace.com 617-7979

A course with Rev. Joy Atkinson, possibly a repeat of "The Transcendentalists" or "Building Your Own Theology"

"Bible Studies for UU Adults: the Hebrew Prophets" with Margaret Fleming

6 weekly sessions

Sunday Services for September

Sunday, September 4, 2011

"A UU Poet Celebrates Life"

Keith Gentzler

Some of you may remember Keith Gentzler, a former member of the congregation, who served as president for 2 terms. But did you know that Keith is also a poet? He has recently published three volumes of his poetry. This service will feature Keith reading a selection of his meditations, affirmations, and blessings. He will also read poems about our place in today's world and aging, love, and death. Christiane Heyde is Worship Associate.

Keith's books will be for sale in Goldblatt after the service at the slightly reduced price of $15 per volume. One third of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the church. The author will be there to sign your books if you wish.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Intergenerational Homecoming/Water Communion

"The Stream of Life"

Rev. Joy Atkinson

Join us for our homecoming service featuring the distinctly UU ritual-the Gathering of the Waters. Please bring a small amount of water, collected from or representing your summer activities, to add to the communal bowl. The choir will sing. Romy Fouad is Worship Associate.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

"What You've Been Telling Me about Your Hopes and Fears"

Rev. Joy Atkinson

Last year, many members and friends got together in small "house meetings" to explore current aspects of this congregation and to express some hopes and dreams for its future, and all year long in different venues I heard viewpoints from many active members. As we begin a second interim year together, we will gather to digest some of this information, to explore the distinct "personality" of this congregation, and to interact with one another regarding the health and ongoing life of "Mountain Vista UU." Music by Eb's Band. John Clark is Worship Associate.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

"The Legacy of Heresy: the Story of Michael Servetus"

Rev. Joy Atkinson

As we approach the 500^th anniversary of his birth on September 27^th, we will take a fresh look at the contributions of an important forebear of our free faith: the Spanish nobleman Michael Servetus, whose questioning of accepted church practices and beliefs got him into serious trouble but inspired many who came after him. The choir will sing. David Sattinger is Worship Associate.