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  441-0870

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:

Jim Gessaman 

Charity of the Month

The Green Basket Charity of the Month is Equine Voices. Equine Voices is a rescue and sanctuary dedicated to saving Premarin (PMU) mares and foals from slaughter. www.equinevoices.org

The amount raised in September for Dancing in the Streets was $614.65. Thank you for your generosity!

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

Buildings & Grounds

Under the inspired and inspiring leadership of Jim Gessaman, the B & G Committee has accomplished a lot in the last month. The brick building on the north property has its windows firmly boarded up at last, thanks to Jim, Ron Meikle, John Fleming, and Mike Brennan. Jim has painted the eaves of the Goldblatt Building.  

The Ambiance Committee, led by Darcey Spears, has finished painting all the rooms in the sanctuary building.  

Xeriscape plantings at the north and east sides of the building were done by the R.E. kids, under John Fleming's leadership, as part of their monthly Connection Sunday. Our physical plant is looking better all the time.

OPPORTUNITY October 27

A work party is planned for Saturday, October 27. Whether you are under or over 70, come and enjoy yourself doing tree trimming and landscape maintenance with the 70-somethings, a few of whom are now actually 80-somethings.

Sign Placers Wanted

We need volunteers to put out our directional signs on Sunday mornings.  

The fire/ambulance station at the corner of Thornydale and Cromwell has agreed to let us store the signs inside their utility room. So all you have to do is get the two signs and put them out, then return them after the service. 

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

Announcements  

Ambiance Committee News

The Ambiance Committee has completed painting the sanctuary, restrooms and offices! Now, as we move into our winter season, we continue working on updating our space.  

We have made some decisions about how to handle artwork donations. If you are interested in making a donation, contact Anne Leonard, 825-3449 or anne@alartworks.com. We look forward to your contributions and have developed some criteria for their acceptance. We hope to receive items of ready to hang art in good condition that will have some significance for the congregation. Please consider our space and storage limitations as well. The committee will be responsible for decisions regarding acceptance and placement.

We also welcome additional members to the committee. If you would like to participate, contact Darcey Spears. See her on Sundays, or contact her by phone or e-mail: 520-408-7141, darceyspears@gmail.com.

Café Justo

Order your  Café Justo--the Coffee for Social Justice and Ethical Drinking too!

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  

To place your order, contact Elizabeth at 520-269-3414 or reedeliz@gmail.com 

Once you order, you will be contacted each month for your next order.

Greeters Needed      

Here's an opportunity to meet 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

Save the Date: April 26-28   

This year we will experience another new way of meeting as UUs, April 26-28 we will go to San Jose for the first Regional Assembly for the Pacific Western Region. Our PSWD/deBenneville Pines annual meeting will be held as part of this event. So save the date to join with Unitarian Universalists from across the west.

Did You Know?

There is a Global Chant Group, Crones of the Northwest Group, AA group, Wise Women Drummers, and a Tucson Women's Chorus Group that meet regularly in the Fireside Room? The groups rent our facility, but the events are open to anyone. Please check the MVUU calendar for dates and times, or email office@uucnwt.org for more info.

Goldblatt Building

No matter what we believe is our final destination, most of us want to preserve the memory of some of our antecedents, and fellow travelers, particularly those who supported us, agreed with us or exhibited the qualities we value.

From the start of our congregation 25 years ago, there have been periodic outbursts of interest in memorial gardens, plaques, and the naming of rooms and buildings. We named the Goldblatt Building for Bill and Helen Goldblatt, who helped start this congregation and supported us strongly with their time and their resources.

In order to continue recognition of their contribution I believe we should refer to the building as "the Goldblatt Building," and not announce from the pulpit that "refreshments will be served in the building to the right."

Leon Bennet-Alder

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.

Path to Membership Classes to Begin

Our Path to Membership classes will be held for three consecutive Tuesday evenings: October 23, 30, and November 6, from 7 to 9 p.m. There will be plenty of stimulating conversation and good company.

True to the Unitarian Universalist way of doing things, these classes are in large part based on the participants. We hope to learn something about ourselves and each other. Additionally we will touch on Unitarian Universalist history (which really is fascinating), theology, and the concept and practice of covenant.

Please come if you are...

• Curious about the Unitarian Universalist faith, its history, and this congregation
• Considering becoming a Member (there's no obligation)
• A Committed UU, but new to Mountain Vista

October 23 and 30 will be led by Ron Phares. On November 6, leaders will answer your questions and also provide overviews of activities, church operations, stewardship, and membership.

Participating is an enjoyable way to meet other newcomers, form friendships, and learn. All are welcome. To participate, email Jane Paul or just come.

Questions? Contact Jane, Chair of Membership, at

NEW!

Midweek Connections

An ongoing Wednesday Evening Circle Gathering

Hear and be heard, deepening the connections and spiritual life already inherent at MVUU.

Every Wednesday, 6:30-8:00 pm in the MVUU Fireside Room

Pastor Ron Phares will preside; please bring musical instruments, a pillow on which to sit, and a finger food to share with two or three people. Plates and napkins will be provided.

• Pastor Ron will lead the gatherings twice a month;
• Adult RE will lead once a month;
• Bake House group members will lead once a month. Bake House is a recently formed group of six church members and friends, to design ongoing opportunities for personal/transpersonal/spiritual development at MVUU.
• 5th week Wednesdays are for fun and focus on the UU Hymnal, re-visioning traditional words, learning tough songs and singing our favorites. Bring your own bubbly, alcoholic or non-alcoholic.

Meeting Format: centering; 10-minute presentation; individual response, no cross talk; sharing with cross talk; closing

For more information, contact Robert Wallace or Kathy Kouzmanoff

Religious Education News

RE Committee Meeting

Wednesday, November 7th, 5:00 PM

Large RE Room

Open to all, including teens.

Thank you to Bonnie Grant- Baird for donating a large carton of Goldfish crackers to the RE Department.

Current wish list: Canisters of powdered lemonade mix.

If you have any questions, please call Donna, the Director of Religious Ed, at (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 9;30 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 10 copies.

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

Thursdays, 6:45 pm, Tucson Women's Chorus

Thursdays, 7:00 pm, Choir Practice

Saturdays, 6:30 pm, AA Beginners Meeting 

Bi-Monthly Activities

1st and 3rd Mondays, 6:30 pm, Global Chant Group

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

Monthly Activities

Bookaholics Unanimous October 24

The car really, REALLY needs washing. A toddler is coming to visit, and you must child-proof the house. If you don't do laundry soon, you'll be going naked. Stop! None of these is a valid reason to skip reading. Reading can be done in a clean or a dirty car. It can be done just as soon as you child-proof. It can even be done if you're naked. So we'll help the cause by suggesting that you read the following books then turn up at our book discussion gatherings and share the impressions you got from them. Easy. So very very easy, not to mention fun. 

*October 24th: In the Fireside Room at 6:45 p.m., we'll be talking about Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee. This Booker Prize winner has accumulated many more awards and praise from reviewers around the globe. It doesn't take long to read. Start now.  

*November 28th: At the same time and place as October, we'll be discussing Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. This book promises to break your heart and put it back together. That's a big assurance, but readers report it to be so. We'll make sure there's a chair ready for you. 

*On December 19th at 6:00 p.m. we'll gather at The Macaroni Grill at Ina and La Cholla to celebrate the end of our sixth year and look forward to our seventh. This event is open to all interested people, so consider it a good way to begin your membership in this vibrant and fun group. More details later.

In January we'll change our meeting times to the last Monday of each month. Upcoming reads: January 28th: Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James; February 25th: Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo; March 25th: Canada by Richard Ford. Naked or not, we've got you covered.

Contact: Elaine azbooklover@comcast.net 290-102

 C O M I N G . . . 

Annual Service Auction November 16

  Friday, November 16th, 2012, at 5:30 pm, here at the MVUU church, the Asian Fusion will start with food, fun, and the auction.

Now is the time for our MVUU Members and friends to become creative in their donated items for the auction. Here are some suggestions for a start:

• Dinners, meals and outings
• Baked goods like cakes, cookies, breads
• Services like driving to airport or doctor's office,
• Computer help, household tasks, etc.
• Items like theme baskets (food and beverages)
• Gift cards: restaurant dinner, dinner theater, play or performance tickets
• New handmade / handcrafted items
• Garden or home decor: potted plants ready for transplant  

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness has been selected as the 2012-13 UUA Common Read. In this remarkable book, civil rights advocate and litigator Michelle Alexander asserts that crime-fighting policies and systems in the U.S., such as the "war on drugs" and the incarceration system disproportionately and intentionally affect Americans of color. She describes multifaceted, lifelong discrimination and disenfranchisement that affect people who are branded "felon."

The UUA Bookstore is pleased to offer a discount of 10% on purchases of single copies. As always, we offer a discount of 20% on purchases of ten or more copies.

The UUA Common Read invites participants to read and discuss the same book in a given period of time. A Common Read can build community in our congregations and our movement by giving diverse people a shared experience, shared language, and a basis for deep, meaningful conversations. A discussion guide to The New Jim Crow will be available online in October, 2012, to help Unitarian Universalist groups reflect on the book and consider together what steps they are called to take, as people of faith, in response to Alexander's call for awareness and action.

Dream Group Offerings

Tuesdays, 10:30-Noon: Book Discussion Group

* Quantum Mind (2000) The Edge between Physics and Psychology, 628 pages, 43 chapters. Let's study Jungian analyst Dr. Arnold Mindell's attempt to integrate quantum physics and analytical psychology. It may give us some further insight into the currently hot topic of consciousness and quantum science.

* Process Mind (2010) A User's Guide to Connecting with the Mind of God, 303 pages, 17 chapters

Sessions

Late Autumn Session: Quantum Mind, Parts I & II Tues. Nov 6-Dec 11 2012, six weeks 10:30-noon  

Early Spring Session: Quantum Mind, Parts III & IV Tues. Feb 5-March 12, 2013, six weeks 10:30-noon  

Late Spring Session: Process Mind Tues. April 9-May 14 2013, six weeks 10:30-noon

We'll follow this format: Check-in, share what you got out of the reading, with exercises as desired by the group from the book or of our own making, group discussion, and checkout.

Thursdays, 10:30-Noon: Dream Group  

Same weeks as above, but on Thursday dates. (November group starts November 29, for four sessions.)

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. Confidential and respectful of your needs.

Groups meet at Home of Kathy Kouzmanoff, 10950 N La Canada #11202 Oro Valley AZ.No charge. (Donations for MVUU or Southern Arizona Friends of Jung gratefully accepted)

Signup is required and it implies a commitment to attend all or most sessions. Buy your own copy of the book(s) and dream journals. Please let me know ASAP, but by October 31 if you are planning to attend, so I can plan accordingly. I need at least 3 participants & a limit of 8.

Facilitator Kathy Kouzmanoff, M S, (414) 617-7979

Gateway Fellowship

Our UU Fellowship at the La Palma Corrections Center in Eloy is now named the Gateway Fellowship. Interest continues to be strong. We have a group of 11 dedicated volunteers, plus five more who have gone through the orientation and are just waiting for their paperwork to be cleared. And there are four more in the pipeline. Our pastor, Ron Phares, and our president, Betty Meikle, are both volunteers and strong supporters of this effort.

Since this is a California prison, the inmates probably get very few visits from their families and friends. They are always glad to see us and incredibly welcoming. Right now we are working on plans to offer a writing workshop in addition to the monthly visit, and perhaps other educational opportunities as well.

At our visits, we usually open with readings, some of them written by the inmates. Then we may have meditation, music of some kind, and discussion. When Rev. Joy was with us, she gave sermons on several occasions. The Church of the Larger Fellowship provides a monthly newsletter with questions for study, but we have found that the inmates themselves come up with better ones. They are a very intelligent bunch.

We always enjoy these spirited discussions. The religious sensibilities of these inmates somehow seem purer than ours, untainted as they are with such mundane matters as certificates of occupancy, coffee-making schedules, or holes in the parking lot. Persons doing time have time--to read, think, and reflect; to practice Unitarian Universalism.

Thanksgiving Feast

November 22 at 2 pm we will have a feast to celebrate the joy of living. We will offer our thanks for the good things in our life, especially our UU fellowship.

The event will be open to all of you; please invite friends if you wish.If weather is good, it will be held outdoors. If not, it will be in the Goldblatt Building. We will provide one roasted turkey.If the response is large, we may call on you for more turkeys.

In order for it to come together properly please send an email to me indicating:

1. How many people will be in your party?
2. What you are bringing: side dish, salad, dessert, (including vegetarian dishes).
3. Are you willing to work on set up? Clean up?

As we get your responses we will balance out the menu offerings and make adjustments.

Please bring your own beverage, plates and tableware and a gift of several non-perishable food items, or a toiletry care package to be given to those in need.

Please contact Hobie Denny at hobied@gmail.com or 253-857-5171

Fall Garden

or What Did I Do Wrong?

I planted my front salad garden. I've had good luck with it the past couple of years. Nada. Either I mis-timed or the seeds were not in the mood.

I used the last of my lettuce and spinach and carrot seeds. I was going to wait until stuff started coming up before planting the radishes. I have a lot of radish seeds since I harvested them last Spring.

Note: Do not wait for fall to buy seeds.

In the back I planted beets, peas and bush beans. Nada. I have more of those seeds. After running all over, I finally found seeds at the nursery on Orange Grove and La Cholla. I'm going out today (the 13th) and replant everything.

I'll let you know next month if anything grows.

Alberta

Immigration Justice

Immigration justice is complex and multifaceted.

In order to help us better understand and engage it, the UUA and UUSC have supplied print and video resources as well as organizing tools. We also participated in a tremendous range of workshops and presentations during our Justice General Assembly in Phoenix, Ariz.

All of these have helped us deepen our work for immigration justice, as individuals and congregations. And yet sometimes the most powerful thing we can do to strengthen our own justice efforts is to go and see for ourselves.

The UU College of Social Justice [UUCSJ] offers two BorderLinks journeys this year: February 1-4 and May 24-27, 2013. These explorations are grounded in spiritual reflection and our Unitarian Universalist commitment to the long work of justice.     Join us on a BorderLinks journey. Inspire yourself for the work of immigration justice.

GA Proposals

We are now accepting program proposals for the 2013 General Assembly in Louisville, KY!

Building on the experience of Justice GA, the General Assembly Planning Committee, the UUA Board of Trustees and the Administration seek to create a General Assembly in 2013 that moves our Association "From Promise to Commitment."

Promises call us into relationship. The experience of making, breaking and remaking promises is the reality of our lived faith. We will gather in Louisville to examine and renew our covenant to our faith, one another, our congregations and the larger world.

To merit consideration, program proposals submitted for the 2013 GA should explore the kinds of promises our religious communities are called to make as we seek to live out our UU values; how we make them, with whom, and how we hold ourselves and each other accountable.

All submitted proposals will be reviewed by the Program Development Group (PDG). The PDG is a diverse team of UUUA staff and GA Planning Committee members committed to provide excellent General Assembly programs aligned with the vision and mission of the UUA and its member congregations.

All proposals must be submitted by Thursday, November 1, 2012.

For more details, please click here   

Liturgical Theme for October: THE UNKNOWN

October 21, 2012

"Living with Ambiguity: Embracing Mystery and the Unknown"

Tom Lindell

Humans are often in denial about mystery and the unknown because they prefer to deal in a "black and white" reality in which they are comfortable. It is, therefore, ironic that we daily deal with mysteries and things we may never fully understand, because they are not always obvious. Openly dealing with ambiguity, without expectations, is a healthy outlook because one begins to accept that we do not always have answers for everything-nor will we. Perspectives from science can be helpful in this discernment. John Clark is Worship Associate. The choir will sing.

October 28, 2012
"Deus ex Machina"

Ron Phares

God in the machine. If god's in there, what else is? A timely meditation on the meme's of zombies, ghosts, and the presence of the dead. Barbara Gates is Worship Associate. Eb's Band will provide music.

Liturgical Theme for November: Grain