SUNDAY SERVICES

10:30 am

Children & Youth

Religious Education

10:30 am

Minister

Rev. Joy Atkinson

revjoy@aol.com 

262-8480

Office Hours:

10 am - 3 pm, T, W, Th  
Director of

Religious Education 
Donna Pratt  406-5121

mklo@earthlink.net   

Choir Director

Lyle Brown

579-7094

lbrownvh@yahoo.com 

Congregational

Administrator

Donna Pratt  579-7094,   406-5121

office@uucnwt.org  

Office Hours:

8 am - 1 pm  MWF

Newsletter Editors  John and Margaret Fleming
888-7059

margefleming@earthlink.net 

Deadlines: 12th & 24th

Board of Trustees

President:

1st Vice President:

Treasurer:

Jim Gessaman 

Circle of Life

* Romy Fouad's mother died last week, and she is in Switzerland with her family. 

* Marion Erickson is recovering from her surgery.

* Elaine Harris has a broken arm that is healing.

* Ann Ellsworth is recovering from surgery.

* Jean Kratsch is back among us, almost fully recovered from her back surgery.

Urgent Help Needed

Warm Up Occupy Tucson!

The Occupy Tucson folks are still spending cold nights in the park. In addition to needing blankets and sleeping bags, they are in need of warm weather clothes, hats, gloves, and socks.

Please bring the items to church on the next few Sundays. There will be a tub in Goldblatt for them. Members of Judy Carlson's Finding Heart group will deliver them to many grateful, brave souls now spending their nights in flimsy tents. These will be donations; not to be returned. Questions? Ask Cheryl Hiller at cphiller@msn.com or Barbara Gates at bgates@udel.edu.

Inquirers Meeting December 4

Newcomers and/or folks who have expressed an interest in learning more about the Mountain Vista church and Unitarian Universalism you are invited to attend an "Inquirers Meeting" on Sunday, December 4. It will be in the small RE room in the Goldblatt building beginning at 12 noon. Learn more about our church community and UU beliefs. Reverend Joy will lead the discussion and there will be light refreshments and the chance to meet other inquirers.

We would appreciate an RSVP by return e-mail anne@alartworks.com, or phone Anne Leonard at 520-825-3449. We hope to see you there.

KalGal

The Kaleidoscope Gallery will be presenting its final exhibit until December 3. The featured artist is Bethanne Simpson, a fine watercolorist. She is a signature member of the Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild who has shown her work in Michigan, California and Arizona.  

"My love of watercolor as a medium started early in my study of art. The flow of the water as well as the mark of the brush continues to intrigue me. My career as an illustrator cemented my love of form." While on exhibit, the artwork may be viewed after services at 11:30 am on Sundays and by appointment.

To purchase one of the paintings contact Anne Leonard at 520-825-3449, or anne@alartworks.com . Paintings are priced by size-see chart on the wall. If you want to check a price yourself there is a measuring tape in the small left hand drawer of the greeters' table. Please return it after use.

Musical Events

The professional choir of Tucson Chamber Artists, including our own very talented L.B. Brown, presents its immensely popular Christmas Lessons and Carols Concerts by Candlelight Saturday, December 17, 7:30 pm, and Sunday, December 18, 2:00 pm, at St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church. In addition to traditional texts and choral pieces, the audience joins in on favorite carols. For tickets: 401-2651 or www.TucsonChamberArtists.org.

Please show your support for MVUU's very own ballerinas, Desi Hatunen and Karina Eberlein, by attending their Nutcracker Ballet Recital on Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 3:00 pm at 17 W. Congress Street. Tickets start at $13 and can be ordered at the box office at 547-3040.

2011 Arizona School Tax Credit

For the last three years the Congregation has joined together and made tax credit contributions to two Flowing Wells elementary schools, Davis and Laguna. These contributions have exceeded a total of$15,000. The money is used to support activities that would otherwise require payment of a fee. Many of the families of these children cannot afford these fees and the tax credit contributions permit participation by kids who otherwise could not do so.

Davis uses some of the money to take kids to the Grand Canyon including rafting the river. Other uses include music, tree planting and many others. Your contribution is a credit, not a deduction, against your Arizona income tax liability dollar for dollar. Single filers can contribute up to $200 with joint filers limited to $400.

This represents a joint opportunity for community action by members of the Congregation. Please add your support. Steve Weatherspoon will be collecting checks on Sundays until December 18th. He will submit the checks, with appropriate forms, to the school district and it will send you the form needed for your taxes. Thank you.

Grocery Gift Cards

Survey Summary Available On-Line

The Executive Summary of the Mountain Vista UU Survey is available to all on the congregation website (uucnwt.org). We on the Ministerial Search Committee encourage you to read it to learn about the makeup of our congregation and our priorities in seeking a new minister. Those who do not use computers can order a printed copy by calling Anne Tatum, MSC Chair, 742-4007.

To All Quilters and Stitchers:

LB has spoken to me about an idea the choir has to enhance its appearance--colored stoles.. He thinks one side could be plain, perhaps green or beige, and the other patterned, perhaps strip quilted in various fabrics around a basic color theme.

If you are interested, please let me know, and we'll figure a time to get together. We need about 28 stoles, but if we all worked on a kind of assembly line, we could probably get them done in one session. The choir needs them for an event at the end of January, so that gives us some time

I think we'd have to buy the plain fabric, and there is a budget for that, but I have bags and boxes and drawers full of scraps, so we could use those for the other side. LB says the stoles don't have to be identical--just coordinated.

I'm going to ask Joy what style she thinks is best. She is the one of us with the most experience wearing stoles. When we find out who is interested in participating, we can share more ideas.

Margaret Fleming 888-7059 or margefleming@earthlink.net

Name Tags Need Names

We currently have a huge surplus of name tags with no names on them. You don't have to be a member of our congregation to wear one of these beautifully crafted tags. Whether you're a member, friend, visitor, or have an old blurry tag, just ask one of the greeters for a form, fill it out, and turn it in to a greeter. Then in a week or two you should find your new tag hanging on the wall.

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.

Immigration Seminar Hears Silverman

The "Immigration as a Moral Issue" seminar at its meeting Monday, November 21, heard a talk by Professor Andrew Silverman of the U of A Law School. He has worked extensively with immigration law issues and is very knowledgeable about the complexities involved. He is also an excellent speaker and explained in detail all the many requirements and regulations for legal immigration. One statistic worth mentioning is that the average wait time for most legal immigrants is 18.5 years.

A Salute to OWL

Thanks to Margaret Fleming for urging me to become a member of the OWL (Our Whole Lives) Team. Thanks to Sybelle for being a dedicated and knowledgeable captain of our team, and thanks to Lara for being a dependable and enthusiastic team teacher and for preparing nine very tasty meals for the youth and team for 3 weekend teaching experiences.

Using games, skits, model building, videos, mini-lectures, and discussions to teach our 7 youth (five girls and two boys) about sexuality over the past 2 months of OWL has given me a broader understanding of and appreciation for my Mountain Vista family and has enriched my life.

I would encourage other men in our church family to consider becoming an OWL team member in the future; the experience is indeed rewarding.

Jim Gessaman

Words of Joy

Three Kings, Three Gifts

They are called kings or wise men, and Matthew in the New Testament calls them Magoi--Magi, which means magicians, soothsayers, astrologers. It's not clear from the New Testament how many wise men came from the east to pay homage to the newborn Jesus. As stated in Matthew, the Magi followed the star they saw to Jesus, and there they knelt before the babe and presented him with three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Scholars believe that the three gifts are what accounts for later legends that there were only three of them, each bearing one of the gifts. Still later tradition makes these Magi into kings, and gives them each a name and a country of origin. Casper, King of Tarsus, who brought the gold, Melchior, the Arab King, who brought incense and Balthazar, the African King from Ethiopia, who brought the myrrh. This legend universalizes the story, bringing in figures who represent different races of people, all coming to adore this child.

But what about those three gifts--gold, incense and myrrh? They seem strange gifts for a baby. Of course, as the writers of the New Testament believed, this was no ordinary baby. This was the long-awaited Messiah. So the three gifts were not just those three items, they were symbolic of what this child was to become. Gold, considered the purest and most valuable material, symbolized and prophesied that Jesus would be a king, a leader worthy of the highest praise. Incense was used in the worship of divinities. It was thought to be the bearer of prayers, which would drift upward to the god on a sweet cloud of smoke. And myrrh is a balm, a healing resin which is used to soothe pain. The myrrh symbolized and prophesied the suffering that Jesus was to endure, as well as the healing of our broken world that he tried in his short life to perform.

Scholars differ on how much of this story is historical. Many take it as mythical and symbolic, as do most of us Unitarian Universalists. But let's suppose for a moment that some Magi from out of town did bring these gifts to Jesus. If Jesus the infant could have spoken of these three luxurious gifts, what might he have said? Perhaps, he might use these physical gifts as a springboard to speak of the even greater preciousness of non-material gifts--gifts of the spirit. Like Paul of Tarsus, who never knew Jesus but whose life was shaped by his teachings, Jesus might have pointed to such gifts as faith, hope and love. Love is like the Magi's gold--precious, rare, durable and of highest value. Hope is like incense, sweet and uplifting, helping us the overcome the cynicism we all prone to in this lovely but imperfect world. Faith-in the goodness of humanity, in ourselves and in that which is greater than ourselves, is the healing balm that can ease the pain of doubt and despair, and give us the courage to help heal and soothe others.

This holiday season, as we unwrap bright colored boxes, or delight in watching our children or grandchildren do so, may we remember, amid these physical tokens of affection, the gifts of the spirit that Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and other great religious leaders, spoke of and dedicated their lives to. May these be among the presents you find in your home and in your heart.   HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ONE AND ALL!

Activities and Events

Immigration Seminar November 28 

The Bookaholics Unanimous Group will be meeting Wednesday, November 30th at 6:30 pm in the Fireside Room. The group will discuss two short but powerful memoirs by Jeannette Walls: "The Glass Castle" and "Half Broke Horses." The group will not meet in December. For more info, contact: Elaine at azbooklover@comcast.net 290-1026

First Friday Hike December 2

Our next hike will be on Friday, December 2. We will meet at 10AM at the trail head parking lot on Linda Vista Blvd, just east of Oracle Rd. Wear weather appropriate clothing; bring water, a walking stick and a lunch. The hike is about two miles long with a lot of stair steps. For more information email hobied@gmail.com or call 253-857-5171

Movie Outing December 4

"The Descendants," Sunday, December 4, 4:45 pm, at El Con 20, 3601 E. Broadway. Roger Ebert gives four stars to this film where George Clooney in Hawaii has legal, family and emotional troubles. Supper after at Claim Jumper, 3761 E Broadway. Look for a poster, review and directions at Mountain Vista. Please sign up to be notified of any changes.

john.wilcox2008@comcast.net 531-1413

Board Highlights  Keeping Everyone Up To Date  

Mountain Vista UU Board of Trustees Meeting November 16 

NOTE: These Highlights are from the draft minutes. Final minutes in their entirety will be posted outside the Office
after approval and will include any reports submitted.

Update on Property Status: Cypress Development was selected to prepare our development plan for submission to the county. This was one of three county-recommended companies from whom we received bids.

Update on Pledge/Budget/Search: The Board and MSC were advised of the new total pledged amount and the amount of income now expected. The Board will vote (on a date that meets needs of the MSC) via email how to instruct the MSC to go forward on the ministerial search, based on the pledged amounts received from the congregants, the possible budget and salaries that amount enables, and their fiduciary responsibility.

Changes in Web Support and Management Committee: Roger Broussard was approved as Chair of the Management Committee and overseer of the website, with Darcey Spears to assist him.

Book Sale at the Barn December 10-11

Saturday, December 10th, 8 AM- Noon
Sunday, December 11th, 10 AM- 1 PM

Helpers are needed!!!! Please contact Catalina if you can help with this event, 572-1881 or catalinahall_9@msn.com

Luncheon December 11th

December 11, after the Sunday Service, please join us for a good time, while eating delicious soups, chilis and desserts in the Fireside Room.

We are raising money for scholarships for our youth to go to Justice GA in Phoenix next June and for them to go to our PSWD Camp de Benneville in the Summer. Donations for this delicious lunch will be $5, but no hungry person will be turned away. Good fellowship guaranteed!!

When your hunger is satisfied you can stroll over to the barn to look for good deals on books for your reading pleasure, or to give as Christmas gifts.

If you are able to bring a soup, chili, bread, or dessert, please contact Lara at larabuggy3@gmail.com or Sybelle at UUSybelle@gmail.com 

Religious Education News   

Monday, December 5: RE Committee Meeting, 5:00 pm, Fireside Room. All are welcome.

Sunday, December 11: Winterfest Service. Students will be presenting a play during the service, so please plan to attend. There will be a fundraiser luncheon following the service.

RE Classes: 10:30 on Sundays. Students report to the sanctuary for a Story for All Ages on the 1^st and 3^rd Sunday each month. Once dismissed, Tigers (K-5^th graders) will meet in the small RE room. TAMS (6^th-8^th graders) will meet in the large RE room.

Wish List: We are in need of canisters of powdered lemonade mix.

Thank you: The RE Department would like to thank Jessica Babcock for donating snacks for the children.

If you have any questions, please call Donna any time. 405-5121. 

Only 2 Sundays Left to Contribute to Alternative Gifts International!

Our collection of gift cards for our local charity, Youth On Their Own (YOTO), will be completed on Sunday, November 27. We'll publish a tally of the results in an upcoming newsletter.

Already this month, many folks have visited our Alternative Holiday Gift Projects table after Sunday services. We're proud to say that the two years that we've sponsored Alternative Gifts International (AGI)-a very special, non-profit organization-donations from the MVUU Congregation have generously supported and even increased to reach out to others in need!

This year, however, we have so far not had an overwhelming response to this international charity, so we'd like to clarify some procedures for choosing your favorite projects and donating to them.

The Procedure for AGI:   At our table, pick up a lavender sheet (a summary of the 35 projects [33 international and 2 domestic] you can donate to) and a blue sheet ("My Shopping List for the World"). After you've chosen your favorite projects, mark the donated amount on the Shopping List and the number of Holiday greeting cards you'd like to receive; attach a check (made out to UUCNWT) or cash, then turn in everything at our table. Once we receive your order, we will photocopy a detailed insert for your Holiday greeting card that describes the project you have donated to in the name of the card's recipient. See the website alternativegifts.org/projects for a full description of all 35 projects.

Jim and Debbie will be at the AGI table Sunday, November 27-December 11 and will be happy to assist you in your choices and donations.

Give generously and your heart will always be full.
Yes, the world is speaking its message of
PEACE and GOOD WILL TO ALL.

On November 18, the Arizona Immigration Ministry (AZIM) held a statewide web conference. It was chaired by Sandy Weir, Director of AZIM. John Fleming was technical consultant.

Participants at 11 different sites were connected, some on their computers, some on telephones. One person was in her car. Sites represented were Phoenix, Glendale, Chandler, Tucson, Benson, Sierra Vista, and wherever the car of the mobile participant was at the time.  

Everything went well; there were no major problems with the technology; everyone had a chance to be heard, and the agenda was covered in the scheduled time.

After a brief opening ceremony, Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray reviewed the schedule for the Justice GA, which is now in the planning process. Each of the congregations represented then gave a brief report on what they were doing to get ready for it, or what they were doing in the area of immigration generally. Then the floor was open for questions and comments.  

The meeting closed with plans for the next one, to be held December 16 at 12:00 noon. John said that he would be in Portland then, but through the benefits of technology, he would be able to manage the logistics on his laptop as easily as if he were in Tucson.  

A conference like this was one of the original objectives of the Gateway Project, linking congregations through technology. It was gratifying to see it operate so effectively. We are still in the process of raising funds to match the challenge grant that is in place until December 31. Our plan is to use some of the money to help our young people get to GA and show the documentary project they have been working on. 

News from the Ministerial Search Committee

This is a critical time for the work of your Ministerial Search Committee. We have spent six months collecting and analyzing information, after you voted for us to search for a new minister for Mountain Vista UU. We have now prepared a Congregational Record, and the survey results are available to you on our website. Ministers who might be interested in serving us are now reading our record.

In the next few days, we will receive the names of those ministers, read THEIR records, and then decide who among them could possibly fit your expectations (from the focus groups and the survey). We will send those ministers a password to access a complete packet of all our congregation's business, from the Policies and Procedures Manual to extensive discussions of our programs and services, plus the survey details. You will also be able to access this packet. Final touches are now being put on that.

Meanwhile, the Ministerial Search Committee asks you to help, by completing the early pledge form for next year 2012-13, so we will be assured of your support for our new minister next year. If you have already done so, thank you! We can all get to our goal of a new minister together!

Staying Connected

GA Yahoo Group

For anyone who is interested in finding out more about General Assembly, June 20-24, 2012 in Phoenix, a Yahoo group was set up. This group is specifically for any UUs in Southern AZ to exchange information, ideas for fundraising, housing options, ride sharing, discussions of programming, asking questions, etc. It is not too early to start planning now. If you are thinking about going, even if you are not sure, join the group to stay in the loop.

Find the group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GA2012_for_Southern_AZ/and ask to join. Or send an email to Sybelle at UUSybelle@gmail.com to be added.

After the UUA GA Planning Committee's meeting in Boston later this month Carolyn Saunders from UUCT (who is on that committee) will come and speak to us about what is being planned.

MVUU Connect  

This is a fun and easy way to stay connected to your UU Friends! MVUUConnect@yahoogroups.com is our Electronic Community Bulletin Board. Use it to share short messages. Post any notices of interest to our community that would not be official MVUU announcements, newsletter articles, or posted on our website. This group is not intended for discussions on religious questions, church practices or policies.  

If you have not received your invitation, and would like one, please let Donna know in the office, 579-7094, or email her at office@uucnwt.org

Spanish, Anyone?

As per the UUA/GA website:
A responsive resolution was adopted calling on members of congregations and religious professionals to learn Spanish as part of their commitment to a multicultural Unitarian Universalism. The resolution was introduced by the Rev. Orlanda Brugnola.

Based on the GA resolution above (and my own desire to be able to communicate with those we aim to understand and assist), I would really like to learn (more) Spanish. I am still hoping for someone who would, for the greater good, be willing (and eager) to help some UUs learn the basics of communication of that language.

Here's what I was hoping for: someone who is a native speaker, or at least very fluent, who would come to our church once a week for 2-3 hours of conversational Spanish for a normal hourly rate for that person. What I mean is, not a rate per participant, but a rate that that person would find reasonable to earn for an evening. For example $50 for an evening would be nice to earn (well, it would be for me). Then, if only 2 people came, they'd have to pay $25 per person for the evening. But if 10 people came they would each pay $5 per person. It could be limited to a number of participants per group, so that everyone really has a chance to learn. 

I just would really, really love for those of us who want to go to GA, or who want to otherwise be able to do more with No More Deaths or legal clinics for undocumented immigrants etc. to be able to communicate.

New Program of the Membership Team--Be a Buddy

The Membership Team is now asking for members to step forward to be a Buddy to a new person in the congregation. When you volunteer as a Buddy, you serve as a liaison between a new person and our congregation-introducing the new person to Unitarian Universalism and to others in the congregation, and communicating about the many programs we have.

It is hoped that each Buddy will have at least 2 years of membership in the congregation and will commit to one to three months of service as a Buddy. The Buddies will assist people in making connections and learning about the congregation, but they are not expected to provide pastoral care.

Help give newcomers a head start--become a Buddy!

To learn more about the Buddy program, contact Steve McGeeney and Tandra Goodwin: steveandtandra@q.com, 247-0241 or 572-4741

Church Keys Needed

If you have a copy of the church key and no longer need it regularly, please return it to the office.

If you and your spouse both have keys, and can possibly share the key, please turn one in!

The keys say Do Not Duplicate, and we no longer have a Master Key. We have no more keys to give out to renters, and unless keys are turned in soon, we will have to have a locksmith make new keys from the lock cylinder (costly process!).

Please turn in your unused key!

Services for December

December 4, 2011

"Freedom's Flames"

Rev. Joy Atkinson

The service will celebrate Hanukkah, a holiday whose theme is religious freedom, and the sermon will tell the story of a historical Unitarian struggle for religious freedom-the story of Faustus Socinus and the Polish Bretheren. David Sattinger is Worship Associate.

December 11, 2011
"Winterfest"

This is our annual Winterfest celebration, an intergenerational service, with music, drama, and participation by children and adults. The choir will sing. Margaret Fleming is Worship Associate.

December 18, 2011 

On this Sunday before Christmas Eve, the sermon will explore some of the recent scholarship concerning Jesus, whose birth so many will celebrate on Saturday evening. Who was this remarkable figure, beneath the legends? How much of what is attributed to him did he really say? The choir will sing. Romy Fouad is Worship Associate.  

December 24, 2011

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 7 pm

Rev. Joy Atkinson

Once again we will gather to celebrate Christmas with carols, stories and readings, and the warm glow of candlelight in this dark time of the year. The choir will sing. Steven Ballesteros and Christiane Heyde are Worship Associates. 

December 25, 2011: Christmas Day

"Twelve Other Gifts"

Rev. Joy Atkinson

Join us as we celebrate the twelve days of Christmas. The service will include a homily, carols, stories and readings appropriate to the season.Barbara Gates is Worship Associate.