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 charity for May is No More Deaths.

Please remember to make checks out to MVUU and put the name of the charity in the memo line.  

From Our Treasurer

1. You can use checks in the woven basket but please make them out to UUCNWT or Mountain Vista UU, not to the actual charity. You can add the name of the charity in the memo line. Thanks for your generous support of the charities in our community.

2. Note: for those who currently donate stock for their pledges the account number at Scottrade has been changed to *** 80490999. We have a sample letter for those who wish to do this for the first time. Just contact the office. ***(The number listed in last week's e-minder was NOT correct. Sorry for any inconvenience.)

Coffee Orders

The last order before summer will be in May for a mid-May delivery. I will resume taking orders in August for a September delivery.

If someone wants to do this while we are gone (May 15 - Aug. 15) let me know. It's pretty easy.

Elizabeth Reed

Greeters Needed      

Here's an opportunity to meet a new people. We currently need volunteers to serve as regular or substitute greeters. Don't worry that our standards might be too high. About three minutes of intense training is all that's needed for you to join the ranks of the GREETERS.

If you're interested please contact Gene McCormick at genemick@comcast.net

Music Workshop May 5

I am scheduled to run a workshop on Saturday May 5 at The Folk Festival. It will be 4 PM in the Casa Cordova Courtyard. The theme will be to celebrate Woody Guthrie's 100th Birthday. I hope to see and sing with you then.

Tucson Women's Chorus Spring Concert May 5

7:00-8:15 pm at St. Mark's Presbyterian, 3809 E. 3rd St. (nearest major intersection is Speedway & Alvernon).All are invited.

Kitchen Clean-up 
Someone is in the kitchen with.......? YOU!!!!!

If you use the kitchen, it is YOUR responsibility to leave it clean and orderly.

1) Please clean and replace all dishes, cups, and pots and pans.
2) Please put all the garbage out.
3) Please run and unload the dishwasher even if you have to come back later! (No, you do not have to run it unless it is full.)
4) Please wipe down surfaces, and vacuum, if needed.  

THANK YOU! 

GA Reminders

June 20-24 General Assembly, Phoenix   

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.

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.

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. 

2012 UU Living Legacy Civil Rights Pilgrimage

The next UU Living Legacy Civil Rights Pilgrimage is scheduled for October 6-13, 2012, and registration is now open. This unique bus trip is much more than a Civil Rights history tour through Alabama and Mississippi. We will be visiting historic sites and meeting veterans of the Civil Rights Movement, and but will also be spending time together and with guests exploring what racism, white privilege, and barriers to equality look like today in Southern towns we visit---and in our own hometowns.

Beyond experiencing first-hand the civil rights legacy, our goal is to develop commitment, vision and mechanisms within our group to work on issues of race, injustice and inequality that still bedevil our congregations and our society. The Living Legacy Pilgrimage is hosted and organized by the Reverend Gordon Gibson and Judy Gibson; the Reverend Hope Johnson; the Reverend James Hobart; Janice Marie Johnson; Annette Marquis; and Donna Sequeira, and co-sponsored by the Southeast District of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

For more information and to register, please visit www.uulivinglegacy.org. Don't miss your chance to be on the bus! Register early - costs are discounted for those who register before May 15.

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.

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.

For information and registration, click here. 

Interim Minister's Column

Words of Joy

            My eyes already touch the sunny hill,

            going far ahead of the road I have begun.

            So are we grasped by what we cannot grasp;

            it has its inner light, even from a distance-

and changes us, even if we do not reach it,

into something else,

which hardly sensing it, we already are.

A gesture waves us on, answering our own wave-

but what we feel is the wind in our faces.

 Rainer Maria Rilke

As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus has said, "All is change, and only change itself is changeless." This is a lesson we learn more deeply as we age, as we feel the winds of change rush past us ever faster in our lives, sweeping away some things that were familiar and beloved, taking up in its dusty gale new and strange and sometimes wondrous things that come to be part of our lives for a time. Singer David Bowie sings, "Turn and face the strange changes," but we know that it isn't always easy to face them head-on as they are happening. Sometimes it is only as we look back that we can see how far we have come, and then integrate the many changes we experience into the ongoing adventure of our lives.

This congregation is changing in many ways. The sense of having turned a corner here is palpable. And the signs are present: progress and development is occurring on many fronts--committees, the sanctuary, some movement toward attaining a certificate of occupancy, a more successful pledge drive result this year than in the last few. Soon, you will welcome a new settled minister, and enter a new era in your congregational life. And I will soon be moving on, either to another interim position, or perhaps into a time of "sabbatical" between interim ministries--this has yet to be determined, but I will know soon, and will let you know. I can feel the winds of change brush my face as I begin to collect boxes for my move.

My last service among you will be on Sunday, July 1^st. At that time I will say a fond farewell within the service, but I know that some of you have already left or will be leaving soon for your summer locations or on extended vacations. So I have already been saying goodbye little by little to members of this congregation. Goodbyes are the hardest part of interim ministry, yet it is necessary, for interim ministry to work, that there be a definite end-point always in sight. As I look out over the sunny hill ahead, I can see the end of this phase in my life and in yours. What lies beyond, only time will tell.

Visit from No More Deaths April 29 

On April 29 the TAMS class with be having a visit from Regan Wendell and John Heid of No More Deaths. They will describe the group's mission and activities and answer questions. Any adults who are interested are welcome to join the kids or to come by afterward and ask questions.

Kids, be sure to plan to attend that day. We want to have a good turnout for these visitors.

YRUU Car Wash May 5

Our yoUUth will be doing a car wash at the Black Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, May 5, from 10-2 pm.
For $10 you will get your car washed *and* get a lunch. There will also be other things going on, like craft sales, chair massages, etc.

We would really appreciate it if you came out to support YRUU and the Black Chamber! The address is 1443 East Broadway (west of Campbell).

"Share Your Passion" Summer Program

 We need volunteers for our upcoming summer R.E. program. Each Sunday, beginning in June, we will be welcoming a special guest from the congregation to share with the students something they are passionate about. Last summer's topics included drumming, jewelry-making, Feng Shui, birding, mountain-climbing, being a prison guard, scrapbooking, and travel stories. Do you have a passion you would like to add to this summer's list, ot perhaps you would like to expand on one of the above topics.

This is a fun and easy way to help out RE. The kids have a good time, and the adults and kids get to know each other better. Please talk to Donna or Margaret if you have a passion you'd like to share. 

For more information, please call Donna any time at 406-5121 or e-mail her at mklo@earthlink.net.

A Muslim Boy Meets the West--May 19

Imran Ahmad will speak at Mountain Vista UU at 3 pm on Saturday, May 19, 2012, and share his personal journey, growing up Muslim in London. His talk promises to be insightful, engaging, and entertaining, and will be followed by a question and answer session. His memoir, The Perfect Gentleman: A Muslim Boy Meets the West, will be available for purchase, and Mr. Ahmad will sign it on request. The book was chosen by Sue Townsend of The Guardian as her book of the year and is listed in the May 2012 issue of Oprah Magazine as No 1 in "Top 10 Titles to Pick Up Now."

Imran Ahmad swears he's not really a gentleman-rather a social rebel who opens windows on stuffy older British trains-but, he was lucky enough to attend Hampton Grammar School, followed by Stirling University in Scotland, where he learned about chemistry, Islam and women. Imran is on the Board of British Muslims for Secular Democracy, a diverse organization that opposes the imposition of theological values on any individual, group or gender.

For more info, contact Betty Meikle at 520-743-0064 or b_meikle@yahoo.com

Weekly Activities

Book Group on Sundays, 8:30 am 

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 7 copies.

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

Drop In Dream Group on Thursdays  

Every Thursday until May 8 from 10:30 am - noon

Enhance your dreams through basic techniques and group feedback. Good to bring dreams you have written down as a story, or fragment of the story, in present tense, with as much detail as possible. Sign up is appreciated, but not necessary. Bring your own snacks. Hot water and coffee available.

At home of Kathy Kouzmanoff 10950 N La Canada #11202 Oro Valley AZ (414) 617-7979. Apartment 11-202, in the Golf Villas Complex, 10950 N La Canada, Oro Valley AZ 85737, on La Canada, between Lambert and Naranja, on east or mountain side of La Canada.

Games Suspended

Clare Toth's Games Group will not meet again until October. If you want to be in on the fall fun, call Clare  887-6240.

Monthly Activities

Movie Night    April 29

We'll meet at 6:45pm in the Fireside Room. Hope you can join us. 

May 2nd: Stones From the River by Ursula Hegi
May 30th: A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
Our June and July selections aren't finalized yet, so you may wish to read ahead for the August 29th book: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.  Contact: Elaine azbooklover@comcast.net 290-1026   

Movie Night May 19

"A Dangerous Method" 6:30pm at Kathy Kouzmanoff's and Bob Wallace's home, 10950 N. La Canada, #11202. This film is about the founders of psychoanalysis, Freud and Jung, and the woman who began as their patient and who became their colleague. Please bring a snack to share. We are limited to 10 persons by space considerations. Look for a poster, review, directions and a signup at Mountain Vista in Goldblatt. john.wilcox2008@comcast.net 531-1413

Congregational Meeting May 20 

The Mountain Vista UU Congregational Meeting will be held Sunday, May 20, 2012, in the sanctuary at 12:00 noon, following our church service and a light lunch.

The following five (5) matters will be considered and voted on by the Congregation:

1. Election of Board. The following slate has been nominated for the Fiscal Year 2012-13 which runs from 7/1/12 to 6/30/13.

President   

Betty Meikle
1st Vice President, Chair of Congregational Life Council
Sybelle van Erven
2nd Vice President, Chair of Administrative Council

Jan Anderson
Secretary  

Elizabeth Reed
Treasurer  

Ron Meikle (acting until permanent treasurer is identified)
Trustee at large 

Pat Reddemann
Trustee at large 

Jim Gessaman

2. Election of Nominating Committee for 2012-2013   

Debbie Gessaman  

Leon Bennet-Alder  

Conrad Paul  

3. Election of Endowment Committee for 2012-2013

Anne Tatum  

David Hatunen  

Clare Toth  

Pat Desai  

Gary Kern   

4. Approval of change to Article V, Board of Trustees, Section 1.

Under the proposed bylaw, all officers would serve 2-year, staggered terms, rather than 1-year terms. Term limits provide for a rotation of responsibilities that support the congregation, help to avoid burn out, and ensure that fresh ideas are introduced in the management and business of the congregation. Staggered terms ensure overlap of officers for continuity and institutional memory.
The new bylaw would read as follows:

ARTICLE V. Board of Trustees, Section 1.
At each Annual Meeting there shall be elected from the voting membership of the congregation a Board of Trustees: A President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and two (2) additional trustees. Each officer shall hold office for two (2) years, perform the duties pertaining to such offices, and be eligible for election for no more than three (3) times. The president, 1st Vice President, and Treasurer will be elected in odd years. The Secretary and 2nd Vice President will be elected in even years. Each remaining trustee shall serve for staggered terms of two (2) years, to be elected annually. Each shall take office on July 1 and serve until the end of the fiscal year. The Minister shall serve as an ex-officio, non-voting, member of the board.

Attending GA on a Budget

Planning to attend General Assembly in Phoenix this June but concerned about the cost? Here are some ways to attend some or all of GA on a budget:

Go for One or Two Days Only
Registration is $320 for adults attending full time ($365 after April 30th) But you can register by the day--$130 per day ($145 after April 30th).

Go by Chartered Bus for a Day
An option from the UUs in Green Valley:?The UU Congregation of Green Valley is arranging to have a chartered bus take people 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 (also open to the public that day). The cost per person would be $30 or $20 depending on the size of the bus. Pick up time would be approximately 7 am and return time approximately 6:30 pm. 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.

Stay at a Local Hotel and Drive to the Convention Center
The two official GA hotels (Hyatt and Renaissance near the Convention Center) cost $125 per day, and parking is extra. You can find a local motel to drive to the convention center from. Parking at the Convention Center is $12 per day.

Stay at Arizona State University Residential Facility, 120 East Taylor Street, $260 for fixed 5 night stay Arrival Wednesday 6/20, Departure Monday 6/25. All double rooms; roommate matching is not provided. You can stay in a double as one person and not utilize the second bed, but the price remains the same. No cooking, laundry, pets, alcohol, or smoking. All rooms have two single beds with bedding provided. Cleaning, towel, and linen services are not available during the five-night stay. Free wireless Internet. All ASU reservations must be made or reservations cancelled by May 10, 2012. UUA will charge your credit card for the full fixed room rate amount of $260 for your room reservation on or around May 11th. UUA needs to prepay for the dorms in order to secure them. No refunds will be provided after May 10. 2012.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Keyboard Auction 

Q. Were the donors contacted?  

A. Because Juliannah James donated the grand piano, Dorothy talked to her in early April to give her advance notice of the Committee's decision. She was completely supportive. Incidentally, she is moving to California this month to live with her brother.

The donors of the upright piano no longer attend. The organ was a bequest from Ruth Knittel's estate.

Q. Was the Board of Directors contacted?

A. Because our plan involved the selling of MVUU property, the Committee presented their proposal to replace all three instruments. The Board approved this proposal.

Q. What brought about this decision?

A. Several factors came together to prompt the Music Committee to assess the instruments:

1. Religious Education needed the space taken by the Upright piano. It had been moved there from the Fireside Room to make room for the new coffee carts and it was in their way.

2. The Ambiance Committee has been working on a floor plan for the Sanctuary and felt that additional seating would give us more room to breathe and improve the overall feel of the sanctuary. Reducing the footprint used by instruments frees up space for chairs.

3. Moving the grand piano damages the plywood floor. The sound of splintering wood is noticeable. Thus it was determined that the piano should not be moved. This causes problems when the room needs to be rearranged for renters.

Q. Why choose an electronic keyboard over a real piano?

A.   1. The sound quality of the electronic keyboards is remarkable. The electronic sound is not as good as $50,000 acoustic piano but it is a better sound than what we have now.

2. The electronic is many instruments in one. It replicates the sound of organs, period instruments, grand pianos, a harpsichord, and much more. Thus the choir can provide more variety of music authentically.

3. Because electronic is many instruments in one, we can free up floor space for seating by removing the organ and the grand piano. It's important to have more seating available. If every chair is filled, this sends a message to Visitors that we are already full and don't need new members.

4. No maintenance is required. The grand piano should be tuned several times a year because it reacts to the constant temperature changes in the sanctuary. This is unlike a home setting where temperatures are held consistently.   This will save us money.

Upcoming Sunday Services 

April 29, 2012

"I Am Awake: The Gifts of the Buddha"

Rev. Joy Atkinson

It has been the tradition at MUU for the last several years to acknowledge Hana Matsuri, the Japanese holiday celebrating the Buddha's birthday. This year, we will acknowledge another holiday, celebrated widely in other parts of the Buddhist world--Wesak-the Buddha's Awakening. We will combine these holidays and conduct a tea ceremony. You are invited to bring flowers for the altar.

 May 6, 2012: Music Service

"From Mozart to Motown, Bach to Blues"

The Choir, with LB Brown and Bjorn Rowberg, Rev. Joy Atkinson

This service will consist mostly of music, presented by the choir and sung by the congregation. A homily will explore the experience of music as a means of transcendence. Margaret Fleming is Worship Associate.

May 13, 2012: Mother's Day

"A Mother Looks at Ministry"

Rev. Joy Atkinson

As this congregation moves toward welcoming a new settled minister in August, the interim minister will offer some thoughts on ministry and ministers. Irene Sattinger is Worship Associate.

May 20, 2012

"A Theology of Adoption"

Christiane Heyde

We happen to have many adopted children (and adults) in our congregation. What does this mean? Why does it matter? Are there any relevant thoughts about adoption which affect the rest of this community and our covenant? This Sunday, Christiane will look at adoption from a unique and challenging view point, combining psychology, theology, history, and personal experience. Please join us for this thought-provoking sermon. The choice of sermon topic is a result of last fall's service auction, where Gwen Goodman bid on a sermon topic and asked Christiane to present thoughts on adoption. We thank Gwen for her donation and for prompting the creation of this sermon. Sher Hakes is Worship Associate. The choir will sing.

May 27, 2012

"Welcome the Stranger"

Rev Joy Atkinson

As many of us prepare to participate in this year's Justice General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association in Phoenix next month, the service will focus on some of the issues surrounding immigration. We will also remember, on this Memorial Day weekend, those who have served, and those who lost their lives in border crossings. John Clark is Worship Associate.