SUNDAY SERVICES

10:30 am

Children & Youth

Religious Education

10:30 am

Minister

Ron Phares    

rdphares@gmail.com 

579-7094

Office Hours:

M,T,Th -- 1:30 to 4:30   

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 

Circle of Life

Our thoughts and prayers go out to:

Jean Kratsch and Roy Powley, who are both battling cancer again.  

Doreen Randall and Harry Randall have both passed on. Services will be in Spring in Northern California. Donna has their daughter's address for anyone interested in attending.

Readers, Take Note

It really is there.

Certain software programs often cut off the end of the newsletter, which is not displayed unless the user clicks a button at the bottom of the first posting that says,

"SHOW ENTIRE MESSAGE"

This month there are a number of full-width articles at the end, including the President's Column. So be sure to read them all.

Charity of the Month

The Green Basket Charity for  

December is the  Pima Council on Aging.

Guest at Your Table

The UUSC traditional holiday fundraiser Guest at Your Table will have envelopes, boxes, and informational materials available at the Social Action & Justice Corner, west side of the Goldblatt Building. Pick yours up on Sunday.

Greeter Breakfast December 1

Chamber Concert December 8

Tucson Chamber Artists, including our own choir director, LB, presents its immensely popular Christmas Lessons and Carols by Candlelight concert on Saturday, December 8, 7:30pm, and Sunday, December 9, 3:00pm, at St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church.  

Fusing elements of "A St. Olaf Christmas" and "Nine Lessons and Carols" at King's College, TCA presents choral chestnuts and new musical jewels, including the world premiere of new music by famed local composer Gerald Near. For discounted advance tickets: 401.2651 or www.TucsonChamberArtists.com.

Announcements  

Time and Talent Team

Please visit the new info booth!

Please visit Stewardship's Time and Talent Team on Sunday. The table will be filled with information for persons wishing to learn about MVUU and all we have available to offer. The table will be by the entrance to the Goldblatt Building.  

Sermons Indexed

John Clark has been working for a long time on our archive of old sermons. The printed copies have outgrown our storage space, so John has scanned every page of every sermon since we were first organized as a congregation in 1988, as well as a few from even before that, and converted them to .pdf files so they can be stored electronically.  

Moreover, with his well-known penchant for sorting and classifying, he has indexed them all according to speaker, subject, and date. Thank you, John, for this Herculean accomplishment.

The files are all on our website now under Sermons. Check them out; they are fascinating reading.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Minister' Column

Stop. In a moment I'll ask you to turn away from whatever medium you are currently looking at to read this letter. But first, a suggestion. As you look away, please turn off or silence all media in your immediate vicinity. Take care of that and then, set this letter aside and breathe 20 breaths. I'll wait.

Back? How was that? Did you notice anything? Maybe you were daydreaming. That's fine. Let's do it again though. This time, pay attention to your experience. Notice your world, the quality of light, the amount and fluctuation of noise. Observe and try not to let the observations remind you of your to do lists. Just observe. Okay? 20 breaths. Begin.

Ahh. Yes? Or perhaps, ah ha! Observation all by itself can still the mind. I suppose this is because we re-acquire a sense of our context and remember that we are relational beings. All too often we exist without consciousness of our relationships to all the facets of being with which we are in constant and irrevocable partnership.  

One of my favorite thinkers is a Jewish mystic philosopher by the name of Martin Buber. Now, I must admit to never finishing any of the books of his that I ever started. However, I also feel that all one needs to read are the first 10 or so pages of his I and Thou. Therein Buber lays out his anthropology - his understanding of humankind. His understanding is based on how we relate, which he observes is in one of two ways: I-Thou or I-It. The way relate determines our reality, determines our selves. One makes of reality a fully fleshed subject, I-Thou. Whereas I-It makes of reality an object. One is three dimensional. One is flat. One attends to the subtle means of communication. The other communicate superficially. One understands its contingency and grace and power. The other understands only the ability to manipulate.

I conduct this hurried and biased review of Buber's thesis in order to add to it (even as I type that I am beset by guilt at imposing upon this careful thinker's conclusions). I would add a third mode of being: ignorance. I-Thou attends to relationship. I-It realizes it is in relationship and does not attend to it. I think most of us spend most of our time not even realizing we are in relationship. I think most of us - well, at any rate, I think I spend most of my time in ignorance, particularly the time I spend alone or with people I don't know or in places that are routine.  

This struck me with the force of tragedy most recently. I had walked to work (what a joy!) and was waiting for Katie and the girls to pick me up on their way home from the grocery store. It was dusk and I was tired of my office and so had moved outside. My brain was hurried, yet I can not recall what it was so hurried about. And it was only because I was out there waiting for awhile that what happened next happened at all. What happened next was this: the color of the sky and the brushing of the breeze were too beautiful to ignore. They shocked me out of my self-centered mental ramblings. They shocked me into the world, into relationship. They shocked me into me. For a moment, I experienced a deep peace. I marveled at how rare such experiences had become. That's where the tragedy comes in. But the breeze and the dusky red sky and shadowed mountains all harmonized in such a way that the tragedy made it all all the sweeter.  

I tell you this story on the heels of the breathing exercise above because it is very important to keep in mind as we ramp up to the heart of the holidays. 'Tis the season to run around in great hurried frantics. Some of it has to be done, no question. We are all conducting productions of Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or Solstice and the show must go on! Perhaps we can use this hustle-bustle to our advantage. Perhaps we can let it remind us that from time to time, right in the midst of all the action, it might be a good idea to take twenty breaths and observe.  

There is great joy about. And immense sadness. There is the mental and emotional trespass of commercialism. And there are moments of homecoming. The temperature of the air on your skin. The way your car smells. The colors that emerge in your office. The sounds of others.

Happy holidays. Breathe.

Religious Education News

Sunday, December 2: Winterfest Rehearsal during regular class time. Please plan to attend!

More Luncheons

Put the following dates on your calendar to have lunch at church after the Sunday service:

• December 9: a wonderful Winterfest is being planned and to follow it we will have a lunch of casseroles. Bring your favorite casserole (crockpot or easy to warm up), dessert or something to drink.
• January 13: this is our Tucson winter and we'll have hearty soups (crockpots or easily warmed up), breads, desserts and drinks.

Expect a sign-up in your email inbox for each luncheon. If you don't see it, you can always mail us to let us know what you'd like to bring. As always, we are asking you to keep our vegan and gluten-free congregants in mind. Sometimes a small adjustment makes a dish gluten-free or vegan. For example, keeping the cheese, croutons, sauces on the side, or using vegan margarine instead of butter. Look at it this way: almost everyone can eat gluten-free/vegan, even those who do not have special requirements.

We hope you will all join us for fun and fellowship. Requested donation per person is $5, but of course we never turn any hungry person away. Proceeds will benefit scholarships for our youth to go to camp at PSWD's de Benneville Pines.

UUSybelle@gmail.com or Larabuggy3@gmail.com.

Weekly Activities

You are invited to a conversation/book group, MVUU Growth Conversation and Bookclub (MVUU GCB). Our aim is continued learning in subjects that enhance congregational vitality. Subjects include stewardship, leadership, membership, community building, development (strategic) planning, ministry, or--in two words--institutional growth. We see this group as leadership training but it is also aimed at members who are not yet leaders but are interested in growing, and cultivating MVUU as an institution and understanding more deeply what it means to be a member of this community.

How: Your participation is encouraged at any level. The least involved is to get on our email list and receive emails informing you of our weekly meetings, the books we have read and are reading, and summaries of each meeting. The next step up is to come to the 1 ½ hour meetings and add your thoughts and questions to the conversation without reading the material. The use of the word "conversation" in the name prior to "bookclub" is intentional. You do not need to read the material in order to show up and add to our continued learning and growth. Want the ultimate experience? Show up and read the books or articles or watch the videos that we as group select. Is it ok to just pop in when you can but not commit to making it every week? YES.

When and Where: Currently we meet on Monday evenings 6:30-8:00 pm at the church.

What: December 3 we will begin our conversation about More Than Numbers: The Ways Churches Grow by Loren B. Mead.

Looking forward to the conversation and growth,

Tom Bunch (797-2725, sparky9132000@yahoo.com)

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--no more than 3 pages.

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    

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 November 28   

WILD: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed   

Aren't you hungry for a book so good that you can't bring yourself to put it down? This, my UU friends, is the book that delivers what the reviews promise. Cheryl's life is a chaotic, sad mess; perhaps, she muses, hiking could solve her problems. She has no hiking experience, of course, but that's a minor detail. What emerges is fresh and engaging, compelling and funny. Read this book and come join us as we share our thoughts and reflections. We'll be here: The Fireside Room on November 28th, at 6:45 pm. It'd be a shame to gather without you. Contact: Elaine azbooklover@comcast.net 290-1026

December 19, the group will meet for dinner at 6 pm at the Macaroni Grill at Ina and La Cholla. All are invited.  

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 at azbooklover@comcast.net or 290-1026

Movie Outing December 2

"Lincoln," 4:30 pm at the Foothills Mall Cinemas. Supper afterward at Macaroni Grill. Please let John know if you are coming in order to be notified of any time change, and for directions and for reservation purposes at the restaurant.

john.wilcox2008@comcast.net or 531-1413

First Friday Hike December 7

Our next first Friday hike will be on December 7 at the Linda Vista trail. We will meet at 10 am at the trail head which is located on Linda Vista Blvd., just east of the intersection with Oracle Rd. It is a moderate 2 mile hike with a lot of steps and a fair amount of elevation gain. Wear good shoes, weather appropriate clothing; bring water and a snack. Walking sticks are recommended. You will be in the finest saguaro forest in the Tucson area.   

Any questions, contact Hobie at 253-857-5171 or hobied@gmail.com

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander has been selected as the 2012-13 Unitarian Universalist Association Common Read. We are forming a group to discuss this book following the UUA discussion guide.  

The discussion will take place on a Saturday morning, February 16 from 9 to 11 am in the Sanctuary. This date will give ample time to purchase and read the book. Anne Leonard will be the discussion facilitator.  

The books can be ordered through the UUA for $19.95. If we can get a group order there will be a discount. Please let Anne know if you want to participate and if you would like to get in on the group order. She will need to know about the group order by December 15. Contact Anne at anne@alartworks.com, or by phone: 825-3449.

Finding Heart

New Finding Heart Groups begin in January and February. Signups will be after services in December for these groups or contact Elizabeth Reed at 520-269-3414 or reedeliz@gmail.com:

New Groups Starting in January 2013

• Reflecting on Sunday's Sermon. Tuesdays 10 am to noon. Small RE Room, beginning January 8
• Aging--Friend or Foe. Tuesdays 1 - 3 pm Large RE Room, beginning January 8
• Heart-to-Heart. Wednesdays 10 am - noon. Small RE Room, beginning January 9
• Welcoming Snowbirds. TBD
• Finding Heart and Soul through Dreams and Poetry. Thursdays 6:30 - 8 pm, beginning February 7
• Women of All Ages Gathering Together. TBD

 Right now you may "drop in" to these two groups--no signups necessary: 

• Join in Music--All ages welcome--don't need an instrument or singing ability. Tuesdays 7:30 pm, Sanctuary
• Games--Brain Exercises. Thursdays 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm, Fireside Room

 These groups provide a meaningful way to get to know congregation members and friends better by sharing and laughing together and working on a small service project to benefit our congregation or community.

--ATTENTION--

New Information on

Alternative Giving Project #2 for ICS

1)    MVUU volunteers stand ready to help you fill out your Alternative Gifts International 2012 form, choosing from 30 projects that you can donate to that help those in great need, for as little as $1 or as much as $55, if you wish! We will have holiday greeting cards and inserts for you to choose from to honor loved ones with your humanitarian gifts.

2)    For Interfaith Community Services (ICS):  We've decided to revise our plan for this year. Because the "Adopt a Family" project did not receive sufficient preliminary education at MVUU, we are cancelling that project this year.

Instead, Here Are Two Other Great Ways to Help ICS at This Holiday Season

1. For the $20 Gift Card Drive, please sign up at our table for the number of $20 gift cards from Fry's Super Market that you would like to donate. Turn in your check, made out to "Fry's Super Market," to Debbie or Jim through Sunday, December 16. We will call Fry's Corporate Office and request the correct total number of gift cards, along with the "No alcohol, no tobacco" stickers, which we'll pay for with your checks and pick up at Fry's on Ina and Thornydale. Jim and I will attach the stickers and personally deliver all gift card donations to ICS for you, and they will reiterate to clients the "no alcohol, no tobacco" message.
2.    
3. New ICS Project Added: We have learned that ICS has great need of female personal hygiene products and diapers of all brands and sizes. If you'd like to choose this new alternative, please purchase whatever you can of these products, and bring them to MVUU by Sunday, December 16. We will then contact ICS for pick-up of your gifts here at MVUU.

Concerning the above changes, feel free to phone Gessamans at 572-6713 with any questions, or email us at gessaman@biology.usu.edu.

Liturgical Theme for December: GIFTS 

Sunday, December 2, 2012

"The Unexpected, Unlooked For"

Ron Phares

Given that we claim to promote something called the "interconnected web" of existence, we should probably be less surprised than we are when we are presented with a gift from a corner of our lives from which we did not expect a gift. Grief, tribulation, obligation, and chance encounters all posses the potential to grant us a great gift. There are unlooked for gifts within our selves as well. Sermon as surprise present.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

"The Thirteen Gifts of Winterfest"

Choir and R.E. Kids

Join us for our annual Winterfest celebration, featuring our young people in an original skit, along with musical gifts from the choir. Our UU principles and sources are emphasized, as well as the joy of the season.

Sunday, December 16

"Feeling Good: a Gift of the Season to Yourself"

Jeanie Underwood

According to Debra Strangl, founder of Sedona Soul Adventures, you only have to feel good 51% of the time in order to transform your experience of life! Some people don't have any trouble with this; others struggle. In her talk, Jeanie will share information and several techniques to help bring about this state.

Jeanie Underwood returned to her home town of Tucson, AZ, two years ago. Prior to that, she was a psychotherapist in Bakersfield, CA, where she lived for 32 years. Currently, she works under the umbrella of the Institute for Applied Meditation, teaching meditation groups in Tucson and on the web, and she also works as a mentor and retreat guide for the institute. It is there that she learned the practice of Heart Rhythm Meditation. It has profoundly impacted her life, physically,emotionally, and spiritually, and she loves sharing it and the Sufi philosophy associated with it to all types of people, regardless of their spiritual belief.

Sunday, December 23

"Virgin Birth, the Christ Within"

Ron Phares

We carry within us gifts of immense power. Our journey to deliver these gifts into the world is fraught with disappointment, desperation and exertion. But we have come together in a community of faith in order to encourage and assist each other. Here we have hope of discovering the Christ within each of us, that being we may anoint as our gift to ourselves and the world.

Monday, December 24, 6:30 pm

Annual Christmas Eve Service

"A Light in the Darkness"

Ron Phares

What is this holiday supposed to mean to a community as theologically diverse as we? A great deal. We will explore the universal themes of this very human story as we sing and worship together on this auspicious eve.  Child care will be provided. 

Sunday, December 30

"Our Sacred Home"

Ambience Committee

Our spiritual community welcomes the stranger, cares for each other, and inspires those among us and beyond our walls. How does our sacred space reflect and enhance our mission? The Ambience Team has been working to strengthen the voice of our sanctuary with beautiful new artwork and a soft coat of paint. In this service we will share our spiritual sanctuary connections as we continue on our journey toward a cared-for sacred space evoking feelings of warmth and coming home.

Liturgical Theme for January: CYCLES