SUNDAY SERVICES

10:30 am

Children & Youth

Religious Education

10:30 am

Minister

Ron Phares    

rdphares@gmail.com 

579-7094

  
Director of

Religious Education 
Donna Pratt  406-5121

mklo@earthlink.net   

Choir Director

L. H. Brown

579-7094

lbrownvh@yahoo.com 

Congregational

Administrator

Donna Pratt  579-7094,   406-5121, (cell) 441-0870  

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 

Sign Placers Wanted

Here is an easy way to help the congregation. We need volunteers to put out our directional signs on Sunday mornings. Some of us who have been putting them out are mobility-challenged with arthritis, back problems, and so on. So all you younger folks (younger than 70, that is), please step up and take your turn.

The fire/ambulance station at the corner of Thornydale and Cromwell has agreed to let us store the signs inside their utility room, just to the left of their back door. So all you have to do is go in--there's no door-it's an open entry--take the two signs and put one on the median strip and one on the sidewalk in front of the station. There's a sandbag for each one to keep it in place. Then, after the service, you retrieve the signs and store them away until the next week. That's all there is to it.

If you can do this once a month, or more often, please contact John or Margaret Fleming at 888-7059 or elfuturo@earthlink.net   

Thanks for your help.

It's Back! Café Justo

It's time again to order yourself a few pounds of Café Justo--the Coffee for Social Justice and Ethical Drinking too!

For a September 2nd delivery, just email or call Elizabeth Reed and help kick off this year's Social Action/Justice project that supports a small co-op of Mexican coffee growers and roasters. Through your support and that of many other congregations, these folks are now earning a livable wage from Café Justo. This coffee is fair traded plus shade and organically grown. To learn more about Café Justo and view what's available, go to http://justcoffee.org and "meet" the coop members.

You may order regular, decaffeinated or a mixture; beans or ground. The coffee comes in dated, sealed 1-pound bags. Regular costs $9; decaffeinated and 50/50 blends cost $10. Mountain Vista UU does earn almost $1 per pound sold.

Want more info or to place your order? Contact Elizabeth at 520-269-3414 or reedeliz@gmail.com 

by August 25th for a September 2 delivery. Once you order, you will be contacted each month for your next order.

Announcements  

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

MVUU Connect

This is a fun and easy way to stay connected to your UU Friends! Click here to access 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 or church practices or policies.

Free Books 

While reorganizing the RE rooms, we found that we have more books than we have room to store. Books in the light-colored bookcase in the large R.E. room are free for the taking. We wanted to give congregation members the first chance to take them, after which they will be donated to a library. 

Arizona: A Broken Economy, a Broken Education System

What's your take on education in Arizona?

Saturday, September 8, 10 am

St. Odilia's Catholic Church, 7570 N Paseo del Norte

Guest panelists

Secretary of State Ken
  Bennett
Education: Dr. Albert
  Siqueiros  

Business: David Crowe  

For more info: pimacountyinterfaith.org

Prison Orientation September 14 

We have scheduled an orientation on September 14 at 1:00 for those who wish to become prison volunteers. Chaplain Brunk from the La Palma Correctional Facility will conduct it for us here in our sanctuary. If you would like to be part of this inspiring fellowship, or if you have any questions, please contact Margaret Fleming , (margefleming@earthlink.net 888-7059) or Paula Trahan (742-6657, socalgirl@comcast.net)

14th Annual Yoga and Wellness Retreat  

at Camp de Benneville Pines, Angelus Oaks, CA
Friday, Sept. 7th - Sunday, Sept. 9th, 2012

Chamber Concerts September 29 & 30

Tucson Chamber Artists, Southern Arizona's professional chamber choir and orchestra, presents How Sweet the Sound: American Folk Songs and Spirituals, Saturday, September 29, 7:30pm at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Oro Valley; and Sunday, September 30, 3:00pm at Vista de la Montana Methodist Church in Catalina/Saddlebrooke. Works include favorite African-American spirituals, old American hymns and music of Aaron Copland and Stephen Foster. Tickets are available at 401-2651 or www.TucsonChamberArtists.org.

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. 

The Real Work

It may be that when we no longer know what to do

we have come to our real work,

and that when we no longer know which way to go

we have come to our real journey.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

The impeded stream is the one that sings.

"The Real Work" by Wendell Berry, from Standing by Words, 1983.

(Used by permission of Counterpoint.) Contributed by Debbie Gessaman

Monthly Themes

The Worship Associates, meeting with Ron, have decided to have monthly themes for the services--very general ones that can be interpreted in a number of ways. The themes for the next three months will be:

September:       WELCOME

October:           THE UNKNOWN/MYSTERY

November:        GRAIN

Farewell and Welcome

Please join me in congratulating Bjorn Rowberg on his recent appointment as Music Director for The Church of the Painted Hills, Tucson. This is a big step for Bjorn and, while all of us at MVUU will miss him very much, we wish him the best in his new position.

Also please join me in welcoming Rouzbeh Tebyanian, our new choral pianist. Rouzbeh was born in Iran and started playing the piano at the age of five. Unable to continue his musical and academic studies in Iran, he came to the United States with his family as a refugee in 2001. He attended high school in Tucson, Arizona where he graduated as a junior, and went to the University of Arizona as a scholarship student. He was a featured performer in the Steinway Peace Piano concert tour, was a prizewinner in the 2008 Tucson Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and in 2009 the winner of the highly competitive President's Concerto Competition at the University of Arizona. Tebyanian studied with Dr. Paula Fan at the University of Arizona.

LB

Charity of the Month   

August is TIHAN month

Our woven basket collections on Sundays will be for Tucson Interfaith HIV-AIDS Network (TIHAN). The money will be used on Sept. 20 for a POZ ("Positive") Café lunch for the clients and their families.

Also we are doing a toiletries collection for the same clients. Please bring to the congregation toilet paper, paper towels, dish detergent, laundry detergent, shampoo, etc. These items cannot be bought with food stamps and the TIHAN clients often run out.

Remember AIDS is still a deadly disease; the infection rate is not declining; treatments often have many side effects. Victims of AIDS continue to be stigmatized by their families, jobs, churches, and the public. TIHAN is a safe and supportive home for some very desperate people.

See Pat Desai (577-9642, csdesai@comcast.net) for details.

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

Religious Education News

The "Share Your Passion" Summer RE Program continues. Thank you to all the members and friends who have agreed to help out this summer. The Tigers and TAMS will meet together in the Large RE Room.

Aug 19th            Birding with Jim Gessaman

August 26th       Safety Sunday

 ********************************************* 

R E Swim Party August 18--ALL WELCOME 

WHEN: Saturday, August 18th

TIME: 4-7 pm 

WHERE: Tucson Racquet Club

ADDRESS: 4001 N. Country Club

WHO: Students, parents, siblings, teachers, RE Committee Members, and any other MVUU members who just like to hang out with RE Kids!  

We will have a ramada at the pool. Pizza and dessert will be provided.  

RSVP: We need to give a head count to the pool beforehand. Please RSVP to office@uucnwt.org ASAP.

************************************************** 

If you have any questions, please call Donna anytime, (520) 441-0870 or email her at cdpratt1@live.com

Weekly Activities

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 9 copies.

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

Conversation about Stewardship on Wednesdays, 7 pm

The MVUU Community Growth; Stewardship, Leadership, & Membership group is discussing Community, The Structure of Belonging by Peter Block. Anyone interested is welcome, whether you have read the book or not. For more information, please contact Tom Bunch at www.sparky9132000@yahoo.com   

Grief Support Group 1st and 3rd Thursdays 4:30-6:00 pm

For Members of the GLBTQ Community, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, 4831 E 22nd Street, Tucson. This is an informal and relaxed group for anyone grieving a loss of any kind, no matter how long ago it was. We are sponsored by TMC Hospice. Before attending, please call Karla Brockie 269-9573.        

Monthly Activities

Bookaholics Unanimous August 29  

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. For this hot desert month, you'll get to read about climbing a cold mountain--how about that for clever scheduling? For September 26th: In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson.   

 Choir Potluck August 23   

The MVUU Choir will kick off its 2012-2013 season with a Friends and Family Dessert Potluck on

August 23 at 7pm in the Sanctuary

.

We invite anyone in the congregation to attend, especially those who might be interested in singing with us this year or in the future. An open rehearsal will follow the social event. We'd love to see you there!

All-Church, Family and Friends Picnic for Leon Bennet-Alder

Saturday, August 25, 5:00 PM

5339 E. Ft. Lowell Road

Barbecue Chicken, Veggie Burgers, Salads and S'mores

RSVP: 401-2698, 408-7141

2012 Labor Day Weekend Family Camp
August 31 - September 3, Friday Night - Monday Morning  

Join us for a weekend of family fun. Head to the hills for a relaxing weekend out of the heat & under the stars. 

• Bird and bug watch
• Hike and explore the creek.
• Play games or relax in a hammock
• Read or write
• Be in the talent show
• Sing around the campfire
• Cook s'mores
• Clap the sun down
• Smell forest fresh air
• Stargaze or look for cloud shapes
• Worship in the Sacred Grove of the Ancients
• Help with a service project
• Lead your own event.
• Bring a shirt, scarf or cloth to tie dye

Food will be provided and expertly prepared with all of our help.
The menu will be a mouth watering, healthy assortment.
Plan to arrive Friday night or Saturday morning, set up your tent or stay in one of the RUSTIC Summer Cabins. It will be chilly at night, so be prepared. The road has been greatly improved, but it is steep & rocky in some places. Your car should have high clearance, like a Subaru. Pets are not invited for group events.  

Fees are $30 per adult and $20 per child.
Register by Sunday, August 26th at www.SAWUURA.org or by contacting Jan Hatunen at jhatunen@cox.net or at 520-245-4377 or by mail at 2167 W Ocelot, Tucson AZ 85713. 

For more information, go to www.SAWUURA.org.

Funds Raised for PRIDE

The Interweave Fundraiser Luncheon on Sunday August 5, 2012 was to help raise funds to have our Congregation present at Pride in the Desert on October 13, 2012. The Social Action Committee kindly "loaned" the Interweave Committee the $175.00 to represent our Congregation at Pride this year. The luncheon was to help repay those funds. I want to thank Emily Ricketts for suggesting that Social Action make this loan.

The luncheon was a great success--we raised the funds necessary and a little bit more for the Interweave budget to get ahead.

I want to give Lara Brennan a very big THANK YOU for creating the announcement and helping to set up and clean up. And thanks to Emily Ricketts and Keith MacLoughlin for also helping with the cleanup, and anybody else that I may have missed.

Roberta Price

PRIDE in the Desert October 13

The 35th Annual Pride in the Desert Festival will take place at Armory Park and on 13th Street. We are bringing the event LOCAL. Not only are we moving downtown, but we are filling our stage with only local entertainers. Come see them shine all in one place!

Parade at 11:00 am  

The Parade Route and Time has been set! Come join everyone on 6th Avenue between 18th Street and 12th Street for Pride on Parade at 11:00am.   

Riverpark Inn is the Official Pride Weekend Hotel! When booking your room ask for the Tucson Pride Rate. Be a VIP for the Weekend! One pass will include all 3 official PRIDE events!

Under the newly formed partnership with Fluxx Production there will be a pool party and sing-along movie event to kick off the PRIDE weekend in Tucson. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

Hotel Congress After Party

Hotel Congress will be the place to be after lights turn off at Armory Park. Fluxx Production will hosting the official Pride After Party at Hotel Congress. Look for details as the plans get finalized!

With your support of Tucson Pride, Inc. more than $50,000 has been given back to our Tucson community.Thank you for your continued support of our fundraisers! Thank you to all our sponsors for supporting Tucson Pride, Inc. in our 35th year of celebrating PRIDE.

Our Growing Fellowship

On August 10, a delegation from our congregation met with the UU fellowship at La Palma Correctional Center for a writing workshop which the group had requested. There were a couple of non-UUs present also, who had expressed an interest in writing. During the two hours, we went over submissions by 9 participants: essays, poems, stories, haiku. There is a lot of talent in the group. 

The writing workshop was a one-time event, but we are hoping that maybe we can continue it at a different time. Next month the fellowship will go back to a more service-like format.

During July this fellowship was our congregation's charity of the month, and we collected over $400, which will go to buy UU hymnals, books, CDs, and other materials that the group has requested.

UU Animal Ministry Outreach

UUAM celebrates the goal of a more compassionate world! Please join us.

• With lovingkindness, we advocate greater moral consideration of animals.
• With humility, we are rethinking our treatment of other species.
• With gratitude, we cherish our multispecies planet.
• With joy, we practice compassion.
• Still, at times, this prophetic task challenges the spirit-
• And when we walk together, the way becomes easier and more joyful.

How Can I Be in Touch with UUAM?

Join the listserv community and say hello! http://lists.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/ufeta More information is at our website: http://www.uuam.org/

What is the Reverence for Life Program?

UUAM created this program in 2010 to provide steps for greater Unitarian Universalist engagement about how we relate to other animals. Several UU congregations piloted the program beginning in 2011, and now the RFL program is available for everyone. Learn more here:http://www.uuam.org/reverence.php

Announcing two free webinars starting in September 2012

"Transforming Belief into Practice" is a 1-session webinar designed for UUs interested in beginning, supporting, or growing animal ministries in their congregations. "Compassionately Creating the Beloving Transpecies Community" is an 8-session course covering communication skills, spiritual practices, ethics, animal behavior and communication, and more! Learn more here: http://www.uuam.org/reverenceclasses.php

Stewardship Conversations

As I begin my role as Stewardship chairperson, I thought it might be useful to share my personal MVUU Stewardship notions and history in a question and answer format.

Tom, for you personally what does Stewardship mean?

Stewardship is the gifts I bring to the MVUU community that help sustain it. These include my presence (showing up), a smile, my participation in committees, and my monetary contributions.

About that monetary contribution, what do you consider reasonable and how did you arrive at that?

I looked at what UUA recommends as a sustaining level and then I looked at the percentage of meaning that MVUU adds to my life (experiences, tears, smiles, hugs, meetings, music, connections, opportunities for exercising and enhancing my non-monetary gifts, challenges to my thinking...). I find I am getting even more than the suggested levels of giving (which is where I am now). This is a bargain for me. The more I give the better it gets; specifically for me and my story.

Have you always given to MVUU the level suggested by UUA?

Well yes, as far as smiles, presence, and committee involvement. No, if you are asking about the monetary contribution. When I first joined I knew the proposed levels were perfectly reasonable but my existing story (kids, family, self image, budget...) did not include that level of giving. This created a temporary (5 year) disconnect between "reasonable" and me. I started at one level and then closed the gap between my giving and the proposed amount by about 20% each year. Finally after 5 years I am there.

Is there still some disconnect between what you are giving and what you are getting?

I'm a work in progress.

I'm not so great with numbers and percentages. If I give you a number can you do the math for me? Can you figure out a stepwise path for me?

That's one of the things we are here for. Stay tuned for others.

UUA Suggested Giving Levels

Gross Adjusted

Income                  Sustaining   

$10,000                 2.0% ($200/year, $4/week)
$20,000                 2.5% ($500/year, $10/week)
$30,000                 3.0% ($900/year, $17/week)
$50,000                 3.5% ($1,750/year, $34/week)
$75,000                 4.0% ($3,000/year, $58/week)
$100,000               4.5% ($4,500/year, $87/week)
$150,000               5.0% ($8,250/year, $159/week)
$200,000               6.5% ($13,000/year, $250/week)

Please address comments on this article or contribute your own Stewardship story to any member of the Stewardship committee, or its chairperson Tom Bunch. Email Tom at sparky9132000@yahoo.com   

Volunteers of the Month

The Brennan Family

Do you need to put on a luncheon for fund-raising? Or a party for a congregation member? Or a reception for a wedding or memorial service? Lara Brennan is the one to contact. She is a master of the art of planning and cooking for such events. And she has done it many times over the last few years. She also makes coffee frequently and cleans up the kitchen when needed. In addition to all these culinary endeavors, she has been an OWL facilitator, a YRUU facilitator, a member of the R.E. Committee--and now is the incoming Chair of the Committee.

And it isn't just Lara. Her husband Mike is always willing to help when he can, driving, putting up shelves, painting. He just spent a day helping our new minister's family move into their house. He's a musician, as well, playing drums and guitar.  

Lara and Mike's kids also volunteer. Ashlen and Ali, the two oldest, have both been teaching assistants in R.E. during the last year, and Ali and Shaylor, the two girls, are always in evidence when their mother is cooking. They help set up the tables, serve the food, collect the money, and clean up. Ali is now a member of the R.E. Committee. 

Recently, Ali got the idea that our large R.E. room needed to be painted, so she presented her idea to the committee, and when it was approved, she, Lara, and Jan Hatunen did the painting. In order to do it, they also had to move furniture and clean up a lot of clutter. Mike helped with that. It was a massive job, but they finished it in one long day. The room looks beautiful. Come and see it if you haven't already.

Upcoming Sunday Services 

 August 19, 2012
Sermon Series: Spirit of Life
Part 1, "Roots Hold Me Close"

Ron Phares

Where are we? The desert. Tucson. A body. All are compelling answers. Place is meaningful both literally and symbolically. As we embark on the ministerial adventure together, we will explore these meanings and their implications regarding our identity as "one strong body."  

Ron Phares

With ambition, resolve and strength, we are free to pursue our future as embodied, spiritual adventurers.