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3601 West Cromwell Drive, Tucson, Arizona
Our mission: to welcome, care for, and inspire.
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December's Liturgical Theme: GIFTS
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SUNDAY SERVICES
10:30 am
Children & Youth
Religious Education
10:30 am
Minister
Reverend Ron Phares
rdphares@gmail.com
579-7094, 661-0791
Office Hours:
M, TH, Fri. 1:30-4:30
by appointment
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
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Board of Trustees
President
Larry Jagnow
1st Vice President
Sybelle van Erven 2nd Vice PresidentGwen Goodman
Treasurer
Larry Castriotta
Trustees
Joe Bredau
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Charity of the Month
The Green Basket Charity for December is the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona. The Diaper Bank provides diapers to those under the poverty line where no public assistance exists.www.diaperbank.org
Please remember to make checks out to MVUU and put the name of the charity in the memo line.
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Borderlinks Celebration December 3
Borderlinks celebrates another wonderful year of raising awareness and inspiring action with an evening of live music and a raffle for prizes, 5:30-10:00pm, Tuesday, Dec 3rd at La Cocina, 201 N Court Ave. La Cocina will donate 10% of the evening's net profits to BorderLinks. Call 520-628-8263 or visit www.borderlinks.org for more information.
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Chamber Concert December 6, 7, 8
Tucson Chamber Artists, Southern Arizona's professional chamber choir, of which our own LB is a member, will be presenting their annual concert entitled "Christmas Lessons and Carols by Candlelight."
Combining elements of a St. Olaf Christmas and Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, this year TCA is also premiering a new piece by one of America's rising star composers, Ola Gjeilo. Concerts will be December 6, 7, and 8. For more information and ticket prices, visit www.tucsonchamberartists.org.
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Christiane Heyde Is Ordained
 Our own Christiane Heyde is now Reverend Christiane. Her November 17 ordination was sponsored by three churches-Mountain Vista, her home church; UU Church of Tucson, where she did her residency; and UU Congregation of Southeast Arizona, where she is now serving as minister. Fellow ministers from around the state, District Executive Ken Brown, and congregants from all three churches were present to show their support and fellowship.
The ceremony was held at the UU Church on 22nd St. Mountain Vista UU was the ordaining congregation. Music was performed by the joint choir of the two congregations. A reception organized by members of the congregation followed the ceremony.
Congratulations, Rev. Christiane. This day has been a long time coming, and your new status is well-deserved. All your friends wish you the very best.
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Council Meeting December 14
The next Council meeting is scheduled for Saturday, December 14, from 9:00-12:00 in the Fireside room. All Committee chairpersons are expected to be present or sent a committee representative. All others are invited! If you have something you would like to see on the meeting's agenda, please let one of us know before December 7th.
Gwen Goodman, Administrative Council
Rev. Ron Phares, Ministry Council
Sybelle van Erven, Program Council
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Time and Talent
Please visit the Time and Talent Table outside the sanctuary for information about MVUU, all we have available to offer, and how you can participate. Or see Meg Kidwell, Ron Meikle, or Jane Paul.
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We Need HEAVY DRINKERS
Please bring us your cans
Ever wonder about the folks you see who pass by you each Sunday morning carrying bags of beverage cans? Those cans greatly benefit the Religious Education Department. Each month Emily Rickets loads her car with the donated cans and heads to the aluminum recycling depot. The funds raised from the aluminum cans help to provide scholarship money for MVUU students to attend Camp de Benneville Pines Summer Camp.
Most of us are already recycling. Please consider turning your cans into cash for scholarships. (And do not worry----if all you have is BEER cans, no one will judge you!!!! We know they belong to your next door neighbor, right?????)
The recycling bin reserved especially for aluminum cans is by the shed (between the Goldblatt Building and the Sanctuary). If you need help unloading and depositing your cans, feel free to ask any student you see walking by.
In advance, THANK YOU for helping our MVUU kids.
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Help Filipino Families
Donations of $100 or more are matched dollar for dollar!
A catastrophe like the one that has befallen hundreds of thousands of Filipino families opens our hearts and puts our compassion to the test. Survival is the paramount priority in the coming weeks, but that is only the beginning.
As you know, UUSC has developed the expertise to identify those left out of routine disaster relief, and we are already at work identifying those at risk in the Philippines. But as we continue this important task, we must also ask for your continued support of our ongoing work in Haiti, Darfur, and in more than 20 other countries around the world.
Please make a generous year-end donation to UUSC to help us respond to human rights challenges throughout the world. Thanks to the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, in Manhasset, N.Y., all donations of $100 or more will be matched dollar for dollar.
Copy and paste this address to donate. |
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A Spaghetti Western
A Fistful of Dollars! Service Auction January 10
 Our Western-themed Service Auction annual fundraiser, will be held Friday evening, January 10, 2014. Start thinking about what you could donate to the cause. Perhaps you can provide a service, host a dinner, lead an outing, or fill a basket of goodies.
Auction info and donation forms will be available outside on Sundays starting Oct. 20. Contact Anne Tatum (742-4007) ahtatum@mindspring.com, or Michelle Vedus-Deeney (638-7516) mvedusdeeney@comcast.net, if you have questions or want a donation form sent by email. They will gladly help with ideas for donations.
Happy Trails!
Jane Paul, Chair
Service Auction Committee
janerpaul47@gmail.com
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Did You Know?
There is a Global Chant 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 information.
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BOARD HIGHLIGHTS
Keeping Everyone Up To Date
Mountain Vista UU Board of Trustees Meeting November 19, 2013
Congregants are always welcome to attend meetings. Those who wish to speak will be allotted five minutes within an Agenda item or after the Treasurer's Report if not an Agenda item. Please contact the President at least one week before the meeting.
- Treasurer's Report: We're tracking very well on income and well on expense control and are ahead of budget. Spending controls are in place.
- Name change to MVUU status: Specific instructions were provided to the Board Secretary to pursue the process with the Arizona Corporation Commission and the I.RS.
- This statement to support Stewardship was crafted and approved:
Stewardship is a three-pronged stool of time, talent and treasure.
The members of the Board of Trustees, as stewards, wish to lead by example. We pledge to make outstanding commitments to all three.
It is our hope the congregation will follow by our example.
- Task Team: Process to determine whether we stay or move: The team is beginning the writing phase and have more information to gather. The Board hopes they will attend the December meeting. The Task Force will not make any decisions, but rather will present the information gathered to the congregation.
- Bids on Razing North Property House: The lowest bid to raze the building was $5,000. Marge Fleming provided both a verbal and written presentation on reasons to renovate it and use as either rental property or for R.E. classes. Discussion followed. No decision about the future of the building will be made until the congregation has completed the processes presented by the "stay or move" task team.
- Chalices: Rev. Ron would like to acquire chalices for rooms where meetings occur.
- Service Auction update: The auction will be held on January 10, 2014. Dinner will be catered. Donations are coming in but more are needed - deadline is December 15. Credit Cards will be accepted for purchases.
Next Meeting: 6:30 pm, December 17, 2013 Fireside Room
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Weekly Activities
Sunday Morning Book Group, 8:30
Our current book is Denial by Ajit Varki and Danny Brower. We will continue our discussion of it through December 8. On December 1 we will choose a new book. Check the mid-month newsletter to see what it is. Please join us Sundays at 8:30am in the small RE room. For more information contact John Clark at alvinjclark@aol.com.
Tuesdays, 12:00 noon, Bridge Club
Wednesdays, 9:30 am, Writers' Workshop
Thursdays, 6:45 pm, Tucson Women's Chorus
Saturdays, 6:30 pm, AA Beginners Meeting
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Bi-Monthly Activities
MVUU Growth Group
1st and 3rd Mondays of the month at 6:30 pm at the church. We are interested in learning and discussing topics important to MVUU Community growth; Stewardship, Leadership, Membership and Outreach.
1st and 3rd Mondays, 6:30 pm, Global Chant Group
1st and 3rd (and 5th) Fridays, 6:30 pm, Women's Circle
2nd and 4th Fridays, 6:30 pm, Spirit Circle
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Monthly Activities
Hike December 6
The December 6th hike will be at 10 am on the Linda Vista trail for about two miles. The trail head is on Linda Vista Blvd just east of Oracle Rd. The trail is moderately demanding with a lot of steps. Bring water and a snack. Hiking shoes and a hiking stick are recommended. Wear weather appropriate clothing. We look forward to seeing you there and then.
Hobie Denny, "Rain Bird"
Movie Outing: Sunday, December 16
Time, movie and location to be announced. We will aim for an afternoon or early evening showing and plan on going to a restaurant before or after the show. Stay tuned. john.wilcox2008@comcast.net 531-1413
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Liturgical Theme for December: GIFTS
"Gracias"
Rev. Ron Phares
It is Thanksgiving week! We will continue to digest and celebrate the bounty of our lives as we consider the grace that abounds all around us, what response to it is most appropriate, and how that is the first and final step on the spiritual path.
Sunday, December 8
"That's a Wrap!"
Rev. Ron Phares
A Meditation on Gift Giving. This one is going to get me into trouble! There are inherent gifts in each of us that we may pass on to others. There are gifts that require deep intention for us to give. Some gifts are not all that good to give. Some gifts are less valuable than the attention given in preparing their presentation. Such considerations are highlighted by the Christmas Season. But they are by no means limited to it and, believe it or not, your gifts are an exercise of your spirit and an expression of yourself in the world. That's important.
Sunday, December 15
"Winterfest: Reflections on the Solstice"
Rev. Ron Phares and the R.E. Students
Through dramatization and homily, we will reflect on the power of the cycling light and seasons, what they meant to our ancestors and what they mean to ourselves.
Sunday, December 22
"The Gift of Peace"
Rev. Ron Phares
The holiday season nears its frenetic climax. For some that means revelry and work and dizzying schedule. For some it only highlights their loneliness. It is an intense time. This service will create some space in the midst of that intensity to recover, to breathe, to unwind and to welcome what is.
This will be the last water ceremony of the church year. If you are a returning snowbird or simply have not had the opportunity to add your water to our shared waters, please bring your water and the meaning of that experience with you.
Tuesday, December 24
Christmas Eve Service
Rev. Ron Phares
Come celebrate peace. Come sing the old songs. Come brighten the darkness with your light and warm the winter with our good fellowship.
Sunday, December 29
"The Sanctity of Material Things"
Margaret Fleming
We've all been taught that spirituality is good and materialism is bad. But it isn't quite that simple. Let's explore what it is that sanctifies material things and how they can be used or abused.
Liturgical Theme for January: CYCLES
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