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 

Charity of the Month

The Green Basket Charity for March is Interfaith Community Services. Their mission is to help seniors, disabled individuals and people in crisis achieve stable and independent lives through support from volunteers, faith communities, and the community at large. For more info: www.icstucson.org

Interweave Fund Raiser and Star Night March 17

Where: at MVUU

Dinner: 6 pm - 7 pm

Star Gazing: 7 pm - 8:30 pm

Dinner Menu: Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots

Vegan and vegetarian dishes also provided

Suggested donation: $5.00 per person

Remember: No hungry person will be turned away.  

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  

Film Series on Corporate Power

Sundays, March 4 through April 1, 12:30 pm, UU Church at 4831 E. 22nd St.

March 4 - Tapped - takes a comprehensive look at water rights, bottled water problems, related health issues and the corporate power involved.

March 11 - Why We Fight - is an unflinching look at the anatomy of the American war-making machine.

March 18 - Orwell Rolls in His Grave - shows how a handful of transnational media corporations manage rather than report the news.

March 25 - Inside Job - traces the rise of a rogue industry through research and interviews with major financial insiders, exposing the truth behind the economic crisis of 2008.

April 1 - Thrive - is an unconventional documentary that lifts the veil on what's really going on in our world by following the money upstream to uncover the global consolidation of power in nearly every aspect of our lives.

Join us at the 22nd Street UU Church for any or all of the films and the discussions to follow.

GA/DA Reminders

By Carolyn Saunders, District Board VP and District Coordinator for GA

Important Dates

April 27-28  District Assembly, First Unitarian Church, Las Angeles  For more information, click here.
June 20-24 General Assembly, Phoenix
For more information, click here. 

Registration and Volunteer applications will be available on the website on March 1. Full adult early registration is $320; late registration (after April 30) is $365.

The main GA hotels are the Hyatt and the Renaissance where 1000 rooms have been blocked for UUs at $125 a night. But registration at these hotels must also be done online through the UUA housing office after March 1.

District Executive Ken Brown reminds us that as we get nearer to General Assembly, our own PSWD web site has a section on Migration and Border Issues which keeps getting bigger. This section is a resource for individuals and congregations in the PSWD and across the nation. Most of the material is there because in some way the issue or report may be part of events or education at GA and maybe our own District Assembly.Click here to access it.

Bus to GA

The UU Congregation of Green Valley is arranging to have a chartered bus take interested members of the congregation to Phoenix on Sunday, June 24, to attend the GA Sunday service (open to the public whether registered for the conference or not) and browse the exhibit halls. The cost per person would be $30 or $20 depending on the size of the bus we charter.  

We would like to invite any of your group who are interested to join us. Pick up time would be approximately 7 am and return time approximately 6:30 pm. Please contact Loretta Carmickle (carlor3344@q.com) or Charles Burkholder (cburkholder2@cox.net), co-chairs of the Justice Action Network of the Green Valley congregation for questions and indications of interest.  

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.

Aluminum Cans

Please bring your empty aluminum cans to church and place in the special bin.. Proceeds from cans go to the Camp de Benneville Pines Scholarship Fund. Thank you to Emily Ricketts for sponsoring this worthwhile project.

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.

Interim Minister's Column

Words of Joy

If we could distill our liberal religious tradition down into one word, one likely candidate would be the word "freedom." In this congregation, we offer freedom from creeds and dogma, so that we can be individually free to make up our own minds about religious questions. We also want freedom for ourselves and all people--freedom from poverty and oppression, from fear and discrimination, from a religious tyranny that seeks to impose a particular set of values on everyone. We Unitarian Universalists cherish the freedom to speak out, to express ourselves, to dissent. Fortunately, we enjoy religious freedom in this country, thanks in large part to early visionary Unitarians and Universalists like Thomas Jefferson. John Adams, and Universalist physician Benjamin Rush-a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

But, when annual canvass time comes around, we need to remember that, within our own religious institution, our freedom is not free--it has a price. In order to carry on here at Mountain Vista UU the legacy of individual religious freedom without restraint of creed and dogma that our religious forebears struggled for, we need to support this religious institution with our time, our participation and commitment, and with our dollars. As you think about the friendships, the fellowship and the freedom that this church offers, you may find that you want to support it financially, as fully as you can-that it is a pleasure, and not a burden, to write out that pledge check.

Many of you have already made pledges for the next fiscal year, during our special appeal last fall, and we thank you for your generosity. Others have yet to make this annual commitment. All of us can again consider the value of this community to us--the friendships and connections, the Sunday services and weekly activities, the religious education for children and adults, the values we stand for and represent in the community, and, within our individual means, we can strive to make our financial commitment reflect how important this religious community is to us.

Dag Hammarskjold once said: "Each morning we must hold out the chalice of our being to receive, to carry and to give back." Our lives are about receiving, carrying and giving back. May you receive, carry for a time and then pass on the flame of this unique religious community, by participating and volunteering your time here, and by making as generous a pledge of financial support as you can.

Visioning Workshop March 4

Please save the date, Sunday March 4 after the service, from 12:15 to 3:15, for an interactive experience with MVUU members and friends, as we look together toward the future and create some specific goals in various areas of our congregational life. Our Interim Minister will lead the workshop. A lunch to benefit Religious Education will be available before the workshop.  A sign-up sheet is on the table by Rev. Joy's office.

Monthly Activities 

Bookaholics Unanimous February 29 

Weekly Activities

Book Group on Sundays, 8:30 am 

Based on the popular blog of the same name,

You Are Not So Smart is a celebration of self-delusion. It's like a psychology class, with all the boring parts taken out, and with no homework. You Are Not So Smart collects more than 46 of the lies we tell ourselves everyday,

Anyone interested in writing is invited to join the Writers' Workshop on Wednesday mornings from 10:00 to 12:00. Participants share their writing, critique each others' work, and offer suggestions for such aspects of writing as plot development, organization, tightening, and word choice. Come any time for one session or a series of sessions. If you have writing to be critiqued, please bring at least 5 copies.

For more information, contact Margaret Fleming at 888-7059 or www.margefleming@earthlink.net .  

Games on Thursdays, 1 pm 

Come play games with us every Thursday at 1:00 pm. We have a lively group that meets in the Fireside Room to play games together. It's fun and casual. Games are a great way to improve memory, too. No need to sign up in advance. Just show up ready to enjoy yourself! If you need more info, contact Clare Toth at 887-6240.

Dates Set for OWL   

OWL, Our Whole Lives sexuality education classes, for ages 9-12 will be offered in two overnight sessions:

Friday-Saturday, March 23-24, 5:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Friday-Saturday, March 30-31, 5:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Mandatory Parent Orientation on Sunday, March 11, 11:45 - 1:00 pm
You do not have to be a church member to participate. If you have a child, grandchild or friend who is interested in more info, please have them contact Lara www.larabuggy3@gmail.com   or Sybelle www.UUSybelle@gmail.com  or 471-3557.

Candidating Week April 8-15

Don't miss the services on Sunday, April 8 and Sunday, April 15 to hear the sermons by our candidate for called minister. A congregational meeting will follow the April 15 service. At that time we vote on whether to call this candidate. Make sure to be part of the vote.

The week from April 8-15 will offer many chances to meet the minister in person during events, dinners, and more. Please take advantage of these opportunities. 

For questions, please see any of the Ministerial Search Committee members.

Religious Education News

Upcoming Events

Sunday, March 4, 11:30. R.E. Fundraiser Luncheon in the Fireside Room. Proceeds to benefit the RE Department. If you can help by donating an item, please contact Lara.

Sunday, March 11th, 10:30 AM- Connection Sunday- "Time for Springtime Planting!!!!" Tigers and TAMS will work together in the community garden on the hill. Thank you to Betty Meikle for volunteering to help the students with their garden plot. Parents are welcome to help, too, if they would like.

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

Adult RE    2 NEW COURSES! 

The Building Your Own Theology class will meet on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 3:00, with Rev. Joy, starting March 7th and ending May 2, skipping Candidating Week, April 11, and the following week, April 18. Using aspects of their life journeys, participants will explore questions of meaning and their personal beliefs in a supportive group context.    

Bible Studies for UU Adults will meet on Tuesdays from 2:00 to 3:30, with Margaret Fleming, from March 6 through April 3. The topic will be the Hebrew Prophets.

Come Camping!

Easter Weekend, April 5-8, 2012

Eb Eberlein of KXCI Radio, The Unitarian Universalist Church of Northwest Tucson and Eb's Camp Cookin' invites music lovers to a music weekend at the SAWUURA Camp near Pleasant Valley, Arizona on Easter weekend of April 5-8, 2012. Enjoy fellowship around the campfire as a player or a listener, and relax in the mountains. While playing and listening to music is the focus of the weekend, bird watching, hiking, meditation, star gazing and great conversation will also be enjoyed. In the evenings, the music can move inside to the cozy winter cabin.

The Sierra Anchas Wilderness Unitarian Universalist Religious Association (SAWUURA) is a 109 acre camp nestled on 7 Mile Creek in the heart of the Sierra Anchas Mountains of the Tonto National Forest. About a 4 hour drive from Tucson or Phoenix, this remote and beautiful valley is lush with pine, juniper, oak, walnut, manzanita, and wildlife of all kinds. The stream is usually flowing at the start of April and this winter's precipitation to date seems to promise that again this year.

There is no charge for this weekend. Eb will provide 2 meals for everyone attending; one breakfast and one dinner. The remainder of the meals will be potluck. A cool part of camp is that there is no electricity; a well supplies drinking water and two solar showers.

As the location is remote with about an hour of dirt road driving please contact Eb at 520 622 6966 or AZTrails@comcast.net to confirm directions and details.
If the weather is inclement we'll have a get-together at our home in Tucson on Saturday, April 7th.

Be a Buddy in Action

The Membership Team is very excited about our new Buddy Program and is now asking for members to step forward to be a Buddy to a new person of the congregation. I'm Steve McGeeney, and I'm co-facilitating the New Buddy program with my lovely wife, Tandra Goodwin.  

When you volunteer as a Buddy you get to be a liaison between a new person and our congregation. You get to enthusiastically welcome the new person and introduce her/him around to others. You of course get to communicate the many wonderful aspects of this place. You may also get to discuss Unitarian Universalism. Best of all, you get to know someone new.  

Each Church Member Buddy will:

• Preferably have at least 2 years of membership in the Congregation
• Enjoy social conversation and a desire to meet and greet the new person and give them a sense of feeling at home.
• Be knowledgeable about the numerous social and group activities as well as the many different volunteer opportunities available for members of the congregation.
• Have strong personal boundaries that ensure a responsibility to assist the new person in making connections but not become responsible for the new person. A buddy should not become one to run errands and be a caretaker, for example, but a liaison buddy who assists the new person to connect and understand the many different facets of the congregation.
• Have a solid understanding of the 7 principles of Unitarian Universalism and be willing to share with the new person how these have affected their own life in a basic or profound way.
• Make a one to three month commitment to be a buddy.

The New Person gets:

• A giant head start in learning what we're about and becoming more comfortable here. If you are new and would like a Buddy please contact us. We have some great UUs that would love to assist you in learning more about our church community.

Trip to Northern Arizona

Registration is now open for an exciting trip to Northern Arizona October 13-20 to visit Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, and the Petrified Forest among other interesting sites. This trip is sponsored by and is a fundraiser for the 22nd Street church, UU Church of Tucson. You will travel on a comfortable tour bus and stay at moderate hotels such as Best Western and Holiday Inns.

The trip departs from Tucson on Oct. 13, but home hospitality will be available the evening before the trip and the evening we arrive back in Tucson for people who come from other locations.

We have space for 24, and the cost is $1099 per person for a double room. Single room rates are also available. If you register now, you can cancel until July 1st, but after that we are committed to paying the hotels, etc., so no refunds after that date. Payment must be made in full by August 19.

The itinerary and registration form can be found at http://www.uuctucson.org/index.php/sponsored-tours/ . Or contact Carolyn Saunders, www.c_saunders1@msn.com  or Julia Mehrer, www.perujourney@gainbroadband.com  for more information. 

Thinking about Going to GA 2012?

Are you thinking about going to Justice GA in Phoenix June 20-24, 2012? Even if you are not sure about it, you should join the Yahoo group of Southern Arizona Unitarian Universalists who are (thinking about) going to GA 2012. On this list we discuss planning, ideas for lodging, transportation, news about GA, immigration issues, learning Spanish and more.  

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.
http://www.uua.org/ga/2012/ is UUA's link for GA

Welcome Our Newest New Members

Ray Deeney

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and prior to my arrival in Tucson, spent my adult life in various New Jersey towns. Raised Roman Catholic, I subsequently identified with being Existentialist in philosophy, Buddhist in meditative practice and, for the past 30 years, Unitarian Universalist in congregational affiliation. 

Professionally, I worked at a variety of non-profit social service jobs prior to attending law school in my thirties. Most of my career then involved policy related to people with serious mental illness for the State of New Jersey and teaching law and mental disability courses.

My interests and hobbies these days focus largely on the natural world, most notably hiking, birding, kayaking, etc.   We're thrilled with becoming Tucsonans for most of the year beginning in 2011 and already feel very comfortable at Mountain Vista UU and in southern Arizona.

Michelle Vedus-Deeney

My husband, Ray, and I are new arrivals to Tucson from New Jersey, where we have been active Unitarian Universalists for over 30 years.

I spent my professional life working in the area of mental health, using my graduate degrees both clinically and to impact changes in New Jersey's mental health system. Following "retirement" from government in 2001, I have done consulting and training in the areas of mental health substance abuse and developmental disabilities. Clinically, I lead groups for individuals with HIV and AIDS.

I enjoy physical activities, both in the gym and the glorious desert hills surrounding us. I also enjoy cooking and reading and mostly being with my best friend, Ray.

Board Highlights

Keeping Everyone Up To Date

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.

February 15, 2012 

• We are now $10,586 behind in income compared with last year.
• The few errors reported for annual statements received were resolved.
• The Finance Committee is looking for places to save money.
• March 4 is the Visioning Workshop after services.
• April 8 through 15 will be candidating week.
• An appeal will be made for the Prison Ministry work.
• The report received from Pima County about our property status is being clarified.
• Work on the Strategic Plan is continuing.
• The Congregational Manual (policy and procedures) is being reviewed for congruency and accuracy. 
•  Larry Castriotta was approved as the Management Committee chair.
• The spring pledge drive will begin March 18 and end on June 15.
• The Memorial and Funeral Service Policy was approved.

Sunday Services for March

March 4, 2012

"The Greatest Earth on Show"

Rev. Joy Atkinson, Vince Pawlowski, Rev. Earl Koteen and Ministry for Earth Board members

Join us as we come together to celebrate our green ministry and hear from Vince and Rev. Earl Koteen about UU climate activism, and from other members of the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth Board, who have been meeting in our space this weekend. Come and meet these green activists and learn about the many UU efforts to address environmental justice. Steven Ballesteros is Worship Associate. The choir will sing.

March 11, 2012

"We Shall Overcome: The Story of James Reeb"

Rev. Joy Atkinson

On this date in 1965, the Rev. James Reeb, Unitarian Universalist minister and civil rights activist, was attacked as he marched for racial equality and justice in Selma, Alabama. His death two days later was called "An American Tragedy" by President Lyndon Johnson. David Sattinger is Worship Associate.

March 18, 2012

Canvass Sunday:   "Why the World Needs Unitarian Univeralists"

Rev. Joy Atkinson, Stewardship members and others

This service will explore the value of Unitarian Universalism and this UU community to each of us and to the world at large. Suppose there were no religious community like ours? We need each other and this world needs us! Irene Sattinger is Worship Associate.

March 25
"Friendship"

YRUU Members

Come explore all aspects of friendship with the members of Mountain Vista UUs YRUU group (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists). Friendship is universally important to all people, regardless of age. Before the service contemplate friendships in your life, then think about it more and maybe a little differently, after you leave. Steven Ballesteros is Worship Associate. The choir will sing.

Consider bringing a friend to the service!