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

We send healing thoughts to:

* Pete Adams, whose father passed away recently.

Super Bowl Party Thrown for a Loss

Stewardship has canceled plans for the Super Bowl party because of the low interest. For those of you who did sign up, please enjoy the game at home or at friends' homes.

The Annual MLK Jr. Freedom Song Singalong

Songs that inspired and were inspired by the young people who made the American Civil Rights Movement move.

Monday January 16, 4-6 pm

Temple EmanuEl

225 N Country Club

Free to all.

Anyone of any age is welcome, no song books or instruments needed, Stay as long or short as you like. Donations accepted but not expected.

For more info: Ted <its@theriver.com> or 623-1688.

ITZABOUTIME

Development Plan

The Mountain Vista UU development plan is completed and will be submitted to the appropriate county and state agencies as early as January 6.  

Completing the development plan was the first step in our effort to receive a certificate of occupancy. Now, the county must review the plan. The initial review will take approximately four weeks, and will probably result in a request for more information. After receiving such information, the county will make another review, taking anywhere from two to four weeks.

40 Years of UU Sexuality Education

A recent UU World article relates the history of UU sexuality education from 1971 to the present. Unitarian Universalists have always been at the forefront of sexuality education, creating a tradition of honest, comprehensive, health-promoting talk about sexuality for all ages. The Our Whole Lives curriculum is one of the most acclaimed comprehensive sexuality education curricula available, and it is used by schools, teen pregnancy prevention programs, and sexual health organizations.

This sexuality education work was made possible through UUA general campaigns and the generosity of our congregations and individual donors.

Calling for Male OWL Facilitator

OWL (Our Whole Lives) is a fun and rewarding opportunity to help the youth in our church learn about sexuality and relationships. We currently do not have any males certified as facilitators. There is an upcoming training in Phoenix January 27-29. We can pay for your training. If you would like more details, please see Donna before January 13.

Diary of a Sometimes Gardener

by Alberta Gunther

Here we are again. The garden is actually looking good. I did wonder how I had managed to get so many radishes growing in the lettuce and spinach. I must have been really distracted. Then I realized that in back, where I had not planted radishes, I had them growing all over the garden. I had just thought they were weeds. Finally the light dawneth, duh, and there was the answer. After harvesting seed, I had thrown the dead plants in the compost. I must have missed a lot of seed. After adding to the garden, they decided to grow.

Firewood for Sale

Help SAWUURA raise funds to protect the 100 acres owned by UUs of Arizona:

Please ask friends and neighbors if they need firewood. Trailer load is $150 for ¾ cord and can be divided into ¼ cord deliveries.To arrange a purchase, please call SAWUURA Board Member Eb at 520-622-6966 or email eb@dakotacom.net

SAWUURA is the Sierra Ancho Wilderness Unitarian Universalist Religious Association. The SAWUURA-owned camp is located five miles south of Young, Arizona at an altitude of 5500 feet. SAWUURA is a
beautiful 109 acres of wilderness nestled in the heart of the Sierra Ancha Wilderness and surrounded by thousands of acres of national forest. For more information, visit www.SAWUURA.org

Lending Library

After the service, please feel free to check out books from the lending library in the Fireside Room. The lending library is open to everyone. It's easy! Select the book you want to borrow, sign the card inside the book, place the card in the plastic bin and that's it. Return the book when you are finished, and replace the card in the book. There's a wide selection of topics to explore. Children's books will be coming soon.

Home Hospitality Needed

As part of our spring planning for the General Assembly, the UU Ministry for Earth Board of Directors will meet at MVUU this March 1-4, 2012. Your help will be greatly appreciated. In particular, we will be looking for homestays for the other six members. What has worked best in the past are nearby places with room for more than one spare bed, as most of the board will not have cars. In most cases, the board members make a donation to the church in lieu of paying for hotels.

Please contact Vincent Pawlowski by email at uuvince@ultrasw.com or phone at 520-887-4101 or 520-400-7517 with your offer, or for more information.

Looking to Celebrate Valentine's Day?

The Hagels and Pauls are hosting a Valentine's Day Dinner as a fundraiser for MVUU.   The dinner for 16 will be on Tuesday evening, February 14, at Jane and Conrad Paul's home.  

Appetizers

Caesar Salad

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Rice

Green Beans

Dessert

Cost is $60 per couple. Book early, as there is a limit of 16 spaces.   Couples will be asked to bring either an appetizer, Ceasar salad, green beans, rice or a specified dessert, plus a bottle of wine or drink of their choice.

Book early! Please be prepared to pay soon after reserving your seats.

This will be a special evening of great food and fun. Contact Paulette Hagel at dphagel@gmail.com.   First come, first served.

Activities and Events

Bookaholics Unanimous      

January 25th:The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
February 29th: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
March 28th : The Pickup by Nadine Gordimer     Contact: Elaine azbooklover@comcast.net, 290-1026

4th Sunday Green Luncheon and Speaker January 22

"Borderlands, the Wall, and Wildlife"

Dan Millis of the Sierra Club Borderlands effort will speak at MVUU on Sunday January 22, 2012 at 12:30 pm. This talk is one of the series of "Green Speaker" talks offered each month at MVUU and is preceded by an optional lunch.

Millis, as a part of the Sierra Club Borderlands organization, works to protect natural and historic resources for future generations. The grassroots efforts began with the release of a border film, "Wild Versus Wall," in 2008, and since then the organization has extended its efforts across the U.S. to fight militarization of borderlands along the Mexican and even the Canadian borders.

The Sierra Club is concerned about the wall built along our Borderlands to block human border crossers because of the wildlife migration corridors it blocks as well and the flooding caused where it has been built across watercourses. Meanwhile, construction of border patrol roads and bases, low-level helicopter flights, and off-road vehicle use also cause environmental damage.

During this talk, you will learn more about how several dozen federal protection laws were tossed aside to allow rushed construction of hundreds of miles of barriers. In addition, information about U.S. lands, homes, wildlife refuges and historic monuments that are ending up underneath, or even on the south side of, newly-constructed border walls will be discussed. To learn more about the Sierra Club Borderlands project come hear Mr. Millis and also check out this website: www.sierraclub.org/borderlands

An optional lunch is available at 11:45 am with a suggested donation of $5. For more information, contact Vince Pawlowski 887-4101 or uuvince@ultrasw.com

State of the Congregation January 29

MVUU's Annual State of the Congregation Presentation on Jan. 29 at 12:15 PM after Sunday's Service. A light lunch will be available between the Sunday Service and the Presentation (donations of $5/person suggested). Come hear the latest information about MVUU from our Board President, our Treasurer, and some Committee heads. You won't want to miss it.

What Is the Search Committee up to?

We're interviewing! We have reviewed the packets of the 4 ministers who are interested in our ¾ position. They all seem like good candidates, so in order to know more about them we are now interviewing them through Skype.

We are also calling references given to us by the ministers and will follow those with calls to others we develop through talking with the original ones.

We are in the midst of planning pre-candidating weekends. Scheduled for the end of this month and the month of February, those are weekends during which we invite some or all of the ministers we would like to know better (one person per weekend of course!). We will show the ministers around Tucson and there will be a lot of talking. We need to get to know them as well as we can and likewise they need to get to know our congregation well enough to know that they would be a good match with us.

A very important part of a pre-candidating weekend is the "neutral pulpit". We have arranged with other Arizona congregations for our pre-candidates to lead one of their Sunday services, including giving the sermon. The MSC members will be going with the pre-candidate to see him or her "in action". This will give us a very good indication whether the person might be a good match for our congregation.

This time is challenging for the committee. It is very time consuming to do this work. It requires lots of reading, discussing, evaluating. We ask you to be with us in thoughts and prayers for us to make the best decisions for Mountain Vista UU!

So, if you miss us in the coming weeks, we are busy observing ministers in a "neutral pulpit". The fact that we will not be at church on Sundays does not mean you cannot ask us questions, share concerns, and stay in touch. Emails to search@UUCNWT.org will be received by the entire committee. And feel free to email or call individual Search committee members!

Religious Education News

Connection Sunday Speaker

On January 8, Connection Sunday, the Tigers and TAMS were enlightened and entertained by Carleen Denovchek of Heifer, International, an organization that helps people in third world countries grow cattle, farm, and pass on what they have learned. So if a family gets a heifer, they learn how to raise it, and when it has its first female calf, they give the calf to a neighbor and help the neighbor learn to care for it.

Carleen showed the kids how to make butter by giving each one a tiny jar of heavy cream that they shook hard until the butter came. A highlight of the session was seeing a couple of the kids actually eating crickets, an insect that is food in some countries. Only Desi and Robyn were brave enough to try them.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, January 15--YRUU Sleepover (ages 9^th -12^th grades) Goldblatt Building. 11:30 AM Sunday until 7:30 AM Monday. Following the sleepover, a group of the YRUU students and facilitators will head down to the U of A Mall, where they will be proudly displaying their new banner in the MLK March. E-mail Sybelle at uusybelle@gmail.com for more info and to RSVP.

Monday, January 16--Martin Luther King March. All RE students and their parents are invited to meet at the U of A Mall at 8 am. Sybelle will be arranging a meeting spot, so you can call her when you arrive, (520) 471-3557, to find the MVUU group. The march ends at the MLK festival at Reid Park.

OWL class for 4^th-6^th graders. The RE Department is happy to announce that an OWL class for kids in grades 4-6 will be offered this spring. Sybelle and Lara will be facilitators. Dates will be announced soon.

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--The RE Department is in need of small Dixie cups. All donations are greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions, please call Donna any time. (520) 406-5121.

Adult RE Class: "The God within Us" Mondays in February

Bob Wallace, a friend of the Mountain Vista UU Congregation, will offer a course entitled "The God Within Us: Inner Freedom, Love, and Philosophy's Heart" on Monday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 during February.  

Bob describes himself as a trained philosopher who has been bowled over by love. He will share his experience of becoming aware of this soul, this common heart within us, which is the kernel of truth in the traditional notion of God. The course is based on his book manuscript, which draws on Plato, Rumi, Hegel, Emerson, and his personal experience. This is material that he has taught at the First Unitarian Society in Milwaukee and at various colleges. There will be a charge of $10 for the class, to cover the cost of reproduction. February 6, 13, 20, and 27.

Please sign up ahead of time, so Bob will know how many copies to make. Contact him at www.bob@robertmwallace.com or sign up at church. 

Still Time to Sign up for Your Finding Heart Group!

Finding Heart groups--our version of small group ministries--are starting now. These small groups of 10 to 12 persons meet weekly for six weeks or more, depending on what works best for the members. It is a way to get to know people better and share more deeply. See Bill Casey after services to sign up for group that suits you best. For more information, pick up a brochure at the back of the sanctuary or contact Elizabeth Reed at 520-269-3414 or reedeliz@gmail.com.

Wednesdays 10 am -noon: Exploring the Sources of Our Personal Power

Discussion centers on tapping into your inner strengths.

Begins January 25

Meets at facilitator's home-Meg Kidwell

Thursday 10 am - noon: Reflections on Sunday's Sermon

Members will discuss the previous Sunday's sermon--or another "meaty" sermon of their choice-sharing how it "spoke" to them.

Begins January 26

Meets in Small RE Room with facilitators Debbie Gessaman and Elizabeth Reed

Thursdays 1-3 pm: Games Improve Your Memory-Let's Play

Learn about ways to improve memory through a variety of games.

Continues from the fall-come any Thursday.

Meets in the Fireside Room with facilitator Clare Toth

Thursdays 7-9 pm: Myth Busting-and Other Topics

Beginning with the concepts from Christiane Heyde's sermon about the myths we learned in childhood, the group will continue with other topics of interest.

Begins January 19.

Meets at facilitator's--Cheryl Hiller 

Non-random Acts of Kindness and Beauty

Sidewalks swept each week prior to service, water lines repaired (4 separate incidents this year alone), toilets kept flushing, AC and Heating units replaced and repaired, pot holes filled, a building stuccoed, a brand new logo designed, water collection and garden, a proposal for a certificate of occupancy (CofO) submitted to the county, a community garden, the barn cleaned and organized, fences mended, rubbish removed, cleaning, organizing, a stove and oven replaced, new circuit breakers and outlets installed, additional handicap parking signs on the way, door handles that work, roaches held at bay, yuccas threatening pedestrians moved.

These and numerous other Acts of Kindness and Beauty are carried out in a Non-random fashion-- given shape by the Building and Grounds Committee through monthly meetings: Second Monday of the month at 7 pm; all are welcome.

Thank you to all who make this happen at a bargain price by volunteering time and labor and treasure. These include-- Tom Blackburn, Robert Brewer, Ron Brumshagen, Eb Eberlein, John Fleming, Margaret Fleming, Jim Gessaman, Josh Gormally, Catalina Hall, Larry Jagnow, Keith MacLoughlin, Betty Meikle, Ron Meikle, Olegario Morales, Clinton Ponder-Gilby, Donna Pratt, Vince Pawlowski, Darcey Spears, Anne Tatum, David Wichner.

Tom Bunch

Chair of Building and Grounds Committee

Welcome Our Newest New Members

 Paulette Hagel

I was born in South England. I married and had three children, two daughters and a son, before emigrating to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1957. Shortly after arriving in Canada, I had a third daughter.

When my first marriage broke up, I was left in a desperate situation, as I did not have much work experience. My education level was low, yet I had the responsibility of taking care of my four children. This necessitated upgrading my basic education and going on to University. Graduating with a Bachelor's of Education, with English as my major, opened doors to a meaningful and varied career, including teaching, community work, and eventually going into private business.

In 1984, I married my present husband, David, in the Edmonton Alberta Unitarian Church, where we both are members still, as well as here in Tucson. Being involved in UU activities is a very important part of our lives.

After our children became independent, we moved to Vancouver Island, BC, and lived there for ten years. Salmon Arm, BC, became what we felt was going to be our last move; however, things happened in our lives that changed our thinking, and we moved back to Edmonton to be closer to our children and five grandchildren.   We both feel very positive about this move, as well as the time we spend in Tucson as snowbirds. Both of us love being part of the Tucson MVUU Congregation.

David Hagel

My birth place was in a small farming community northeast of Calgary, Alberta. I am the seventh of nine children. My parents were hard-working people who farmed with horses for many years. They had to make do with the bare necessities of life, and so did their children. That is where I learned to repair things and be inventive.

After completing my high-schooling in that small community, I went to work as a mechanic, first working on farm equipment and then moving to Edmonton to work in a large truck shop.   Being very interested and involved in union activities led me to become an elected, full-time representative with the Machinists Union. This demanded a lot of travel, with very little time for anything other than work.

Being married and jointly raising three children (two sons and one daughter) was a responsibility I took seriously.   Tragically, my eldest son was killed in a plane crash in 1992. He was 28 years old and was working in the aircraft industry. Shortly after my marriage broke up, I became the primary caregiver of my children until they became independent. They were very responsible teenagers.

Paulette and I met in 1983, and she moved in with me and the children. There were very few serious problems with the children having a new person on the scene. Six months later, we were married in the Edmonton Unitarian Church. (Prior to Paulette coming into my life, when I became aware of Unitarian Universalism, I was a practicing Catholic.)

I am so happy with being a UU that I will continue working, both physically and emotionally, to make it an obvious choice for anyone who will listen.

Volunteer of the Month

Emily Ricketts

Emily has been a member of our congregation from the beginning, and served as president during one of those early years. Since then she has been involved with many activities in the areas of denominational affairs, religious education, and social action. For years Emily has been our congregational representative to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, whose activities include Guest at Your Table during the winter holidays and a service, usually with the minister, during the spring. Emily has also sold UUSC note cards for years, although she didn't do it this last year since they can now be ordered on line. Emily has been our denominational representative for so long that most of us probably take it for granted that she will continue forever. She is our primary network outreach person, always making connections--with UUA, with PSWD, with other local congregations, and with us all.

Emily was a representative on a national UUA Religious Education committee some years ago. In our own congregation she has served on the RE Committee several different times, taught RE classes, and been a facilitator for Coming of Age three times over the years. She is currently one of the teachers for the Tigers, who are the youngest kids. Since the death of Jeff Knowles, she has managed the collecting of aluminum cans for our fund to send kids to camp. She does this in memory of Jeff.

In the area of Social Action, Emily has been incredibly active. In the past, she was instrumental in starting us on our Journey toward Wholeness, a program to increase awareness of and transcend racism. She is currently Interim Chair of the Social Action Committee, and she is the facilitator for the monthly dinners we have provided for the Primavera Foundation for the last 20 years. She has also served on the Kaleidoscope Gallery committee.

Emily herself is like a kaleidoscope. Every time you look at her from a different angle, you see another facet of her many talents.

Board Highlights--Keeping Everyone up to Date

Mountain Vista UU BOARD OF TRUSTEES Meeting December 20, 2011

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

General
.. Our income is now $15,000 behind compared with last year. Statements have been sent to members in arrears on their pledges. We will not to pay our Fair Share to UUA, but will discuss Our Fair Share contribution at January's board meeting.
.. The average RE Sunday attendance in November was 13.
.. Under "Standing on the Side of Love" some members are working on a prison project as well as on the Navajo Elder project and the Immigration work.
.. Property Status: The Preliminary Title Report is being completed by Stuart & Co. We also need a Septic Certification for our two septic fields.

Approvals
.. New Minister's salary package for MSC negotiating team formally approved.
.. Committee Chair Term Limits approved.
.. Winning logo presented by Darcy Spears (Ambiance Committee) approved.
.. Leon Bennet-Alder approved as member of the nominating committee.

Future Activities
.. A Visioning Workshop and a Committee Fair are in the planning stages.
.. A version of "Dinners for Eight" is being planned.
.. Policy Review Task force formed by Larry Jagnow with Roger Broussard, Elizabeth Reed, Jim Gessaman, and Lisa Ponder-Gilby will begin work.
.. Strategic planning-a Board Goal-will begin in the new year led by Larry Jagnow.
.. "State of the Congregation" meeting will be held after services on January 29.
.. Pledge Drive-2nd Phase will be conducted in March.

Sunday Services for January

January 22, 2012

"The God within Us"

Robert Wallace

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "That which shows God in me, fortifies me.... That unity, that common heart within man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty; the eternal One." Bob Wallace will share his experience of becoming aware of this soul, this common heart within us, which is the kernel of truth in the traditional notion of God.

Bob is a friend of our congregation and describes himself as a trained philosopher who has been bowled over by love. He has published academic work in philosophy and an essay on ecstasy.

January 29, 2012
"The State of the Congregation"

Rev. Joy Atkinson

Our interim minister will offer some perceptions on where Mountain Vista UU is and may be going at this mid-point in our second transitional year.