Sky Island UU Church  

Weekly Connections

uucsea.admin@gmail.com 

 

Office and Service Location:   

4533A N. Commerce Dr. 

Sierra Vista, AZ  85635

  Sunday Services:  10:30AM

Office open:  Mon. & Fri. 11AM-3PM
ph. 520-378-0197

  

Minister: Rev. Christiane Heyde

Christiane can be reached by phone 520-393-9960   

or email  csheyde@msn.com  

  Sunday through Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 
 

      

  
 Week starting 05/17/15


 
   
This Congregation affirms and promotes the full participation of persons in all our activities and endeavors without regard to race, color, gender, physical or mental challenge, affectional or sexual orientation, class or national origin.  
Click HERE for Important Links and Recurring Information for May.   

The Member/Friend Directory is on the WEB site
right hand side under "Sky Island UU Church Links"
March directory posted 03/04/15

Board minutes for March & April 20

Draft Minutes for Congregational Meeting Minutes 04/26/15

Policies & Procedures 2014-15 newly posted

Congregational Meeting Minutes 04/13/14

2015-2016 Approved Budget 
 
Church emails 
Please send any emails regarding the newsletter, calendar or the web site to the church email,  uucsea.admin@gmail.com 
Sunday Service May 24 @ 10:30AM:
Planting for the Future
The spring has long been a time when we humans look to planting for our needs.  The same might be true for our congregations. A good time to plant for the future.

Sermon:  Rev. Ken Brown
Facilitator:  Rita Aronna

2nd collection will be for the UUSC/UUA Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund.  Please make checks out to Sky Island UUC with "2nd collection" or "Nepal" notation.

Sunday Service May 31 @ 10:30AM: Oneness
Kathryn Kirkdorfer is a long time resident of Hereford and a friend of our Sky Island UU congregation.  She is a psychotherapist with a counseling practice in Sierra Vista.  She has been active with our local PFLAG chapter as well as Sky Island's Global Chant programs.
Her sermon is titled "Oneness."  She will explore the interconnectedness and unity among us.

Message:  Kathryn Kirkdorfer
Facilitator: Merrie Longbottom

Calendar

Every Sunday: Services @ 10:30AM    + Freethinkers of SV @ 2:30-4PM

Every Tuesday:  Dharma Buddhists @ 7PM
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Saturday May 23 @ 6PM:  Executive closed board meeting

Sunday May 24 @ noon:  unofficial congregational meeting with Rev. Ken Brown

Wednesday May 27 @ 9AM:  board meeting

Thursday May 28 @ noon:  UU Quilters

Friday May 29 @ 10AM:  Committee on Ministry for Lisa McDaniel-Hutchings

Saturday May 30 @ 4PM:  Kadampa Buddhist meditation class

All events held at 4533A Commerce Drive unless otherwise noted.  Board and committee meetings are open to the congregation unless noted otherwise.

Christiane's Contemplations
Spending 4 days in Boston at the new UUA head quarters was intense, inspiring, and exhausting.  I am grateful that the UUA puts on this annual seminar for ministers who are completing their 1st year in preliminary fellowship.  It was rewarding to connect with over 40 other ministers, many of whom I had not encountered before.  The seminar was led by Nancy Edmundson, whom many of you met when she facilitated focus groups at Sky Island UU in March.  Rev. Ken Brown will process the report based on those groups with us this Sunday after church. 
Visiting the new UUA head quarters was also inspiring.  After over 100 years at the same address on historic Beacon Hill, the head quarters moved to an up and coming industrial area, where many businesses are now settling.  It allowed the UUA to liquefy the assets they held in the pricey real estate holdings, set some aside for the future, and use the proceeds of the sale to renovate an old factory building to suit their needs and values.
The building received top green building awards, based on the many conscientious design choices.  I also got to admire the beautiful architectural and design choices. 
Rather than the small offices with accessibility problems at Beacon Hill, we enjoyed open spaces which allowed for large group gatherings and meals together.  The open layout meant that I saw many of their staff and our UUA president Peter Morales regularly.  It was inspiring to see an example of putting need and usefulness ahead of tradition, and having it well thought out and successful in its execution.
At the same time, it was a non-stop week, and I am grateful to be back in Arizona, and I look forward to seeing all of you on Sunday. 
With Love and Gratitude,
Rev. Christiane Heyde
UUA, State and District News

UUSC in Nepal
The 2nd collection on May 24 will be for the Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund.
UUSC has partnered with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to launch the Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund.   Click HERE to donate.  We're assembling a crisis response team to conduct an initial assessment of the greatest threats survivors face. As always, our focus will be on those groups most likely to fall through the cracks of traditional rescue and relief efforts.  In the coming days, we will keep you updated on our work and the impact your gift is making. In the meantime, please keep the survivors in your thoughts.
Our deepest thanks,
Bill Schulz,  President and CEO
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

Camp de Benneville Pines
Check out the information table for info on various camp events or go to their website
Contacts:  Simplified instructions
For submitting announcements for "Connections", the deadline is Wednesday at 5PM.  For those without email, please place a typed copy in the folder in the wall file holder in the office marked "Terry Z".  For the above, for directory changes or calendar entries, or for issues with podcasts, the Sky Island UUC web site or the office computers, please contact

Sky Island UU Church Information

Children's Religious Education for May 24
For the children's religious education, the children will read a story book called " God in Between" by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso.  Rooted in the 2nd Principle - each person should be treated fairly and kindly- and 4th Principle - each person  must be free to search for what is true and right - the children will explore how to find the holy in relationships and in helping each other.

May 24 Meeting with Dr. Ken Brown
Rev. Brown is from our Pacific Southwest District (PSWD).  He will facilitate an unofficial congregational meeting to discuss the assessment by Nancy Edmundson at noon in the sanctuary.  
He has served as the District Executive for this Pacific Southwest UU district, and is now working as regional support staff for the Western Region.  He is visiting our congregation and will lead a meeting after church, to assist us with upcoming changes.

From the Stewardship Committee
The budget that the congregation adopted for the upcoming fiscal year figured almost $100K in pledged income to cover the proposed expenses. To date, we have received about $82K in pledges. The Stewardship Committee is encouraging members and friends who have not yet pledged to do so in the near future. The board will have to decide soon on how to deal with the budget and at this time, we could probably only afford a new minister at half-time or perhaps with fuller employment but only for part of the year. 

Greeters, Welcomers, Lunch Hosts Needed 
We need more Greeters.  It's an easy job.  All you have to do is show up early, stand at one of the doors, greet people, offer each an order of service and a name tag.  This is a great way to meet new people.
We need Welcomers.  This is a new job and the job description has yet to be written.  So if you volunteer, you will get to have some input into what you'll be doing.   Basically we need people who will take over once a new person is greeted.  You will show them around; introduce them to members of the congregation; take them to the sanctuary; follow up with them after the service.
We need at least 3 people to act as hosts for Sunday lunch so at least 1 person is present each Sunday to invite newcomers to lunch.  The only requirements are the commitment and time to eat lunch on Sundays.
If you are interested in any of these positions, contact Rev. Christiane Heyde or Terry Z for more info and scheduling. 

Singers Awake! 
All you need is the desire to come together with some other UUs and have some fun singing.  Simply email the church at  uucsea.admin@gmail.com with "Want to sing" in the subject line. Please add any comments, ideas or suggestions. It's high time Sky Island UUC woke up the sleeping singers; carpe diem and send in your name now!  Don't even think about it.  Just do it. 
If you don't have email, please write a note with your name and contact info and put it in the offering basket on Sunday.    
 
Arivaca Town Hall Meeting
The citizens of Arivaca invite you to participate in a town hall meeting on May 27th at 10:00 AM. The meeting will be at the Arivaca Border Patrol Checkpoint on Arivaca Road to discuss the removal of the checkpoint. Representative Grijalva has been invited to attend.   

Circulo de Amigas
CDA is a non profit organization working to alleviate poverty in Jinotega Nicaragua, one girl at a time.  There is a donation box on the Information table in Fellowship Hall.
Richard Kruger and Rikki Martin expect to be visiting Nicaragua and the Circulo de Amigas in Jinotega soon.  If you are sponsoring a student through the CDA and would like them to visit with your student, please send them an email with the name and address.  riki2060@gmail.com.  

Attention Contributors to the Sky Island UUC Anthology: Deadline for Submissions is May 31 
Please send (asap) digital copies of your poems or short stories (20 pieces or less) to Chris Braswell at braswellcommunications@gmail.com
or hand them to Pamela Lee.  For those of you still writing, the deadline is May 31. 

Farewell Potluck for Jena & Christiane June 14 @ 11:30AM Sue Mitchell will have the sign up sheet and there will be another on the information table. 
 
Caring Corner

Terry and Jeannie Reeves left Tuesday for Iowa because her father had a heart attack.  They'll be gone several weeks.
Information on Cochise County Reentry Coalition (CCRC)
The CCRC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Rev. Kathy Boston, who accompanied Tom Reardon to our service.  The CCRC meets every fourth Thursday at 3 PM in the Mona Bishop Room at the Sierra Vista Public Library.  Learn more about the CCRC on Facebook www.facebook.com/cochisecountyreentrycoalition   

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