VUUpoint
Sunday Services for December 2001
9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Theme for this month: The ancient hope and quest for Peace on Earth
Sunday December 2.
A Survival Guide to the Holidays December is a month stuffed as full as Santa’s bag: filled to the brim with high expectations, crass commercialism, childlike joy, adult busyness, and parents who too often feel entirely overwhelmed. Add to this a pinch of theological ambivalence, loneliness, the tragic events of this fall, and you have a recipe for trouble. The holidays are especially hard for those who have suffered losses this past year. War awakens fears and ancient longings for peace. But in spite of all this you do not have to have a blue Christmas, a dim Hanukah or a less than luminous Solstice. Come and explore with us how we can make these days holy, joyful and meaningful for believers and unbelievers.Sunday December 9. What does Christmas mean to us, as UU’s?
Christmas is a heady mixture of the new, the old, the sacred, the secular, and the downright silly. It holds within it ancient celebrations of mid winter solstice, is fragrant with greenery, mischievously full of elves, candlelight and magic. But at the center of this holy day, inescapably, is the birth story of that gentle prophet, teacher and radical peacemaker we know as Jesus. More than 2000 years later what does this really mean to us?
Sunday December 16. Christmas Pageant – Children & Youth of our RE Dept.
Sunday December 23. Songs of Joy & Peace
An all music service will feature our choirs, small ensembles and the congregation all sing Christmas music, and other music of the Season.Monday December 24…. The Star of Peace.
Early Christmas Eve Service - 5:00 p.m.
Our early service will be family oriented and have stories for all ages, lots of carols and special music. A candlelight service.
Late Christmas Eve Service – 11:00 p.m.
The late service will be more traditional and include lessons and carols. We will light candles at midnight.
Sunday December 30. Marking Time: Our New Year’s Service
The custom of marking time is ancient, though our calendar is not. Time is an artificial and entirely human concept. Still the New Year does seem like a moment to take stock, cleanse our souls, and let go of old habits and dream of the unknown future. Here is a brand New Year gift wrapped, all for us. What will we do with it?
Minister’s Dusty Desert Corner
"On Glowing Hot Peppers, Christmas in the Desert, Holidays and Holy days. "
When I was a child Christmas was my favorite holiday. Not so much because of the presents, for back then in the aftermath of World War II in Europe, presents were by today’s standards very modest. No, I loved the flickering, dancing lights, the candles everywhere and the way we gathered at dusk, which was about 2 PM in the afternoon, to light candles in our windows against the night and to keep the dusk as it were: holy.
I loved the pageantry, the fresh greenery in the midst of a barren winter, the fir tree that was our honored guest, the ancient songs and the sense of hope suddenly present among us. This holiday made winter in Scandinavia bearable, made the unrelenting dark less harsh and imbued the sadness that comes with never seeing the sun with meaning.
All would be well we were just waiting for something good to happen. In the long winter night we longed for the sunlight, yearned for spring, sat in the cold deep darkness and waited for our winter worn, dry and brittle souls to come alive again. We knew there would be, even if it was so long in coming, we knew there would be at last: joy in the morning!
Well now I live in the desert and my house is lit with glowing red, yellow and green hot peppers and just yesterday we had a nice swim. The sun shines most days and the stars are brilliant and clear in the night sky. My childhood metaphors do not seem to work here in the desert. But in fact they do. To wait for something good to happen is precisely what we need right now. What we need this season is not a superficial Xmas with commercial electronic glitter and the attitude that the one with the most presents wins. This year it seems to me we need Holy Days not merely Holidays. The difference lies in what we are waiting for. The difference lies in our hearts and in our souls. Dare we hope, for that takes courage in these times when they close airports at the drop of a hat and the whole nation seem to be waiting for something else, horrible to happen. Dare we say that there will be joy in the morning? However you interpret that this season: the birth of Jesus, the return of peace or the hope that lies inherent in every human life. . Including yours and mine. Our souls, shaken, worried and worn will heal. Our hearts will be free of fear. We will love and laugh and rejoice. All will be well! We are just waiting for something good to happen.
Have a shining Hanukah, a luminous Solstice, a liberating Kwanzaa and a very, very merry Christmas!
And speaking of something good let me say a very big: THANK YOU! For that beautiful installation you gave me. What a wonderful service and evening that was. Everything, the speakers, the music, the flowers, the reception and all that led up to it, the invitations and the orders of service, all was truly beautiful and everything went so well. And then the gift of that beautiful stole that I will wear with joy for many years to come. My heart is filled with gratitude.
Lone
Out Box
Martha Strogen
Church Administrator and Newsletter Editor
By now many of you have seen and admired my new digs. I would like to thank Lone for suggesting the idea for the office dividers, and making sure it was possible by earmarking money for the project. It gives both Jenny, our Bookkeeper, and I a bit more space and privacy – and I think it makes it easier for folks to find the things they need to borrow from the office. For the most part, they are on the outside of the partitions. In the anteroom, if you will. Everyone seems pleased with the arrangement.
I would also like to thank Sally Buntschuh for offering to type up any newsletter articles that come into the office hand or type written. If you have a computer and can do your own disk or email, that is preferred, but if you can’t – just drop your article in my big green In Box, and Sally will transcribe it. Wow, thanks a lot Sally!
In-home Childcare/Nanny Sharing
Alice Casey, alice_casey@hotmail.com.
Yoga at the Church
Now on Mondays
A gentle form of Hatha Yoga is now being offered at VUU. Each Monday evening from 7 - 8 PM in Classroom B (downstairs), Linda Martin, registered and certified yoga instructor, is teaching the classes. All are welcome--it is beginning level class. Please bring a pillow, small blanket, and/or any form of mat that you might have.
Classes are $10/class or $32/month.
If you have any questions or comments, please call Linda at the church.
PS--Class will not meet on Christmas Eve. We may have a New Year's Eve class earlier in the day. If interested in attending a yoga class to begin your New Year's Eve celebrations, call Linda for the time!
U.U. WOMEN’S CIRCLE - ----- OPEN TO ALL -- PLEASE Post This On Your Fridge
One of the great joys in the Valley UU Church is the deep sense of community. Our UU Women’s Circle is one of the most lasting groups, and it is open to all women.
The Circle meets once a month — sometimes in a member’s home---sometimes in our Cottage. The regular meeting day is the second Thursday of the month at — 1:00 PM.
The DECEMBER meeting is a holiday celebration —The theme in December is HUMOR. December 13, 2001 - 1:00 PM at The Cottage, Valley UU Church. Each attendee brings a new toy which will be donated to Interfaith Co-operative Ministries.
The JANUARY meeting theme will be your favorite poetry. January 10, 2002—1:00 PM – June Dykstra will host in her home. Each attendee may bring their favorite poem or poems to share.
The FEBRUARY meeting will be hosted by Mary Frugia in her home. February 14, 2002 - 1:00 PM – The February theme: LOVE/APPRECIATION (After all, February is HEART month and VALENTINE month.)
Musical Tables Sign-up
Feedback has been positive and Musical Tables is growing. In Spring 2001 there were 39 participants. This Fall that number grew to 66.
Sign-up for the second session for this church year for Musical Tables begins on Sunday, December 1 and ends December 30.
Musical Tables provides an opportunity for members and friends of VUU to get to know each other in a smaller setting over a potluck dinner. There are four dinners in this session - always on the third Saturday evening of the month: January 19, February 16, March 16, and April 20. There is no need to be a 'couple' to participate but you should be able to attend all four dinners. Through the use of magical mathematics, the mix of people at each dinner should be different each month (but couples are kept as a "unit").
On three of the Saturdays, your hosts will call a week or so before and ask you to bring an appetizer, salad or dessert. On one of the Saturdays, you will host and provide the entrée and beverages. As host, you set the tone for the evening - pizza and beer on the coffee table or candlelight and china in the dining room - it's up to you.
Those who know they cannot attend all four dinners should sign up as Highly Valued Substitutes. All participants will receive a schedule by January 6 so hosts for the January 19 dinner have time to make their calls.
If you can't sign up in person, send an email to
Janerpaul@yahoo.com or call before December 31. If you leave a phone message and are new to Musical Tables, be sure to provide your full names, address, phone, and any email address.LIFESPAN RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION NEWS
Marilyn Huerter, Director of Religious Education
December Events
One of our members, Jack Mauney, has been
donating a tree to the church for many years, rather anonymously.
He gets a forestry permit, goes out and cuts it down a huge tree,
and hauls it to the church. That's a real contri- bution! Thanks,
Jack; we appreciate it!
Christmas Pageant Sun. Dec. 16, both services. This is our
annual, much-anticipated pageant. Don't miss it; it really is special!
There will be no regular Sunday School classes, since almost all the
children participate. The Children's Choir will also be singing.
There will be child care for babies and very little ones. If you
can help out with them, or with older children "crowd control",
please let us know. We do need a lot of help with this!
Dec. 23 and 30
There will be NO R.E. classes Dec. 23 and 30. We're giving our dedicated teachers some time off. Child care will be available for infants thru preschool. Older children will attend church services.
Teachers' Brunch
We had a good turn-out for our VUU Cafe for our teachers, held on Nov. 18. The Religious Education Committee, led by Julia Brickner, laid out a delectable spread, and a good time was had by all. See what you'd get if you became a teacher? Talk to me, and I'll be happy to explain the details: your responsibilities and what you get out of it, too. It's easy, and fun, and it's not all hard work!
Nursery Supervisor Position
We are still looking for a person to be our Nursery Supervisor. We have a line item in our budget to pay someone for taking this responsibility every Sunday. We do have some requirements, such as being 18 or over, but if you think you might be interested, please call me.
Thank You
ADOPT-A-SCHOOL
FEASIBILITY STUDY GUIDELINES
· Identifying VUU members with talents/positions that would benefit
the program,
· Surveying selected members to determine the probable extent of
their participation,
· Choosing two or three schools that would benefit from the program,
· Contacting the principal of the most likely school to determine
interest (1),
· Proposing the structure /organization of the program (2).
If you are interested in participating in this study, please contact
Barbara or Alan Carey at the church or
THANK YOU
from the United Blood Services. The people who volunteered to donate blood, both at the Oct. 21st drive at church and at the Donor Center are truly appreciated. The turn out was very good resulting in many ill people have being assisted. 20 Pints were donated! Another drive will be held at VUU on January 27 – Rachel NelsonUnlimited Potential
(UP) asks for your support. We are a grassroots non-profit agency in south Phoenix and have free educational programs for low-income women and preschoolers. The women gain self-esteem, parenting, literacy, English and GEDs. Children, six months to five years, gain socialization, communication and preschool skills through art, music, and language activities. We also do many family activities to build healthy communities.
Thanks to the Arizona charitable tax credit law (ARS 43-1088) for the working poor, Arizona taxpayers can support agencies such as ours. You can donate up to $200 by December 31 and earn a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on your 2001 Arizona income tax. This credit can be taken in addition to the ones for public schools and private tuition. For more information, talk to your tax consultant or visit AZ Dept. of Revenue at:
www.revenue.state.az.us/brochure/welfare.htm . Donations to UP help women and families and the South Phoenix community. They should be sent to: Unlimited Potential, PO Box 8814, Phoenix, AZ 85066.We also need good children’s books, especially bilingual and Spanish, for moms to check out when they attend literacy classes. Call Jeanne Devine-Soll at the church for more information.
Shoe Box Ministry
Please keep the homeless in mind during the holiday season. At this time we need toothbrushes, shaving cream and deodorant to complete many boxes. Folks have been generously giving other items, so we need to get our inventory down and get those boxes out!
You can find our collection bin and pamphlets in the church’s entryway. Help support the inherent worth and dignity of every human being. Thanks to you all!
-Karen McBeath,
Shoe Box Coordinator
2002 Entertainment Books!
The price is still $35, of which 20% comes to our church. What? You haven’t heard of the marvelous, $ saving books – they come with a card and coupons. The smallest coups are for monthly car washes and ½ off dry cleaning! Then there are movie tix, events, Boyce Thompson, and wow the restaurants – oops, Martha says no more room. CU on Sundays by the front entrance. Neria.
Membership News
For those of you interested in joining our church, the next four-week New U.U. class will begin in early January. This is a wonderful chance to meet others who are new to the church, learn about Unitarian Universalism, and find out the pathway to membership. The Thursday night option will begin 1/10/02 and the Sunday afternoon option will begin 1/13/02. Both classes will have an evening reception on Friday, 1/8/02. Then new members will be recognized during the second service on 2/10/02 followed by a potluck luncheon. Call Lauree Perry at the church for details and to register for the class.
Board Bits
Debbie Dinyes, Board President
As I approach the end of 2001 I naturally think about what 2002 will bring to my family and me. Some changes I already know about and look forward to and some changes are unknown. The question to ask about change is not if, but when and how much.
VUU is at the edge of some big changes. We have dealt with the change in ministers, now we must deal with change in our facilities. Our facility is too small. We are falling over each other, even if we do find a place to park our cars. As a matter of fact, parking is the least of our problems. The Space 2001 Committee report clearly shows that expanding our current building would be costly and still not meet our needs in the kitchen, office space and classrooms.
Money has been put in the proposed 2002 budget for a UUA consultant and a building appraisal when it becomes necessary. We are in the process of selecting a consultant to work with us in February or March. This person will help us design a process to assess the needs and wants of the congregation with regard to the facility, as well as give advice about the facility itself. Some people have expressed concerns that our future will be determined by a few in the leadership. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Board will be forming a committee to work on future needs right after the holidays. It will be a large committee with many varied tasks. We will need many people to work on it.
Details
will follow in the next couple of newsletters.
It is scary contemplating a change as big as the one we need to make. Where will we get all that money? As president I ask myself if I have the leadership skills to meet the challenge. Then I remember two things. One, I am not doing this by myself, none of us are. Two, fifteen years ago we bought the land and built this church with no minister and barely one third of the members we have now. If we did that, we can do whatever needs to be done now. Bring it on, 2002!
Valued Volunteers: Thanks to Dian Meder for her leadership of the Hospitality Committee. Many people worked on the wonderful Installation besides those mentioned last month. They are: Charlie Voll, Ralph and Rhoda Imhoff, Kevin Erdmann, Barb Quijada, Martha Strogen, Barbara Glenn, Barb Souraf, Mary Lou Coy and Ryan Marvel. Some of the reception food was donated by Tucchetti"s at 2135 E. Camelback. Our church by-laws are now up to date thanks to Grey Staples, Loyd Means and Jim Neilsen. Thanks to Sally Buntschuh, who is putting all of our hopes and dreams from the loom to disc. Rhoda McDuffie is our new ADR, thanks Rhoda. Check out our bookstore, ably run by Mike Clark. If I have neglected to mention someone or if there is someone I need to know about, please let me know.
Debbie
A Huge & Happy Thank You
The Joints in Motion team was about 1400 people, accounting for almost one half of all the US participants in the marathon. To show their appreciation for our numbers, the Prime Minister of Ireland spoke at the dinner we were given the night before the race. He praised and thanked us for our courage in participating, in light of events of September 11.
My knees will probably never let me forget
what 26 miles feels like. But what a great feeling! Thanks again.
Laurel B. Hardin
Unraveling the Gender Knot
A course for Unitarian Universalist women, men, and senior youth written by Barbara Schonborn and Alison Campbell ,members of the Continental Constellation of UU Women and Religion. "The Gender Knot-Unraveling our Patriarchal Legacy" written by Allan G Johnson forms the basis for the course. The course looks at PATRIARCHY which affects the lives of women, men, boys and girls. It is divided into three parts-
1. What is this thing called Patriarchy?
2. Sustaining illusions and barriers to change. and
3. What we can do about it. The course runs 7 weeks
I would like to start the week of Jan 13th-the end of February. I cannot teach Thursday evenings.
The book costs $17 and can be bought through Amazon.com. I could come and answer questions at your Church if you would like. Joan fitz-Randolph at
talljoan@qwest.net .Hi, my name is Daniela and I am living with Libby Howell. She is my host mom and I am going to be here, in USA, for all the school year so I will like to work here like babysitter. I can't get a job by a contract, so is the only job that I can get....thank you.
DO YOU NEED A BABYSITTER?
HERE there is one, my name is Daniela Nunez and I am living with Libby Howell.
Music Notes
Don't forget Ryan Marvel's piano recital on Sat. Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the church! Tickets are $12.00 for adults, $5.00 for children under 12. Please speak to him to reserve your tickets, or purchase at the door.
If there are any children or youth who would like to perform at our family Christmas Eve Service on Dec. 24 at 5:00 PM, please call me at the church. Also, there may still be time to reserve a spot to perform at the RE Christmas Pageant, if you call me or Barb Brooks at the church as soon as possible.
The MADRIGAL DINNER is coming up on Sat. Jan. 26. We need help with
preparing and serving food for this Renaissance Feast, as well as
other odd jobs. Please let me know soon if you can help. But all
attendees need to mark your calendars, make your costumes, &
look for ticket sales starting in January! December & January
are good months to try out the Adult Choir, as we are learning
lots of new music for Christmas & the Madrigal Dinner. Sopranos
are especially needed! We rehearse Wednesdays (except Dec. 26) at
the church 7:30- 9:00 PM.
Kellie Walker
, Director of Music MinistriesCaring and Concerns Neighborhood Contacts
To ensure that all of our Community's needs are met during the holiday season, when people can be so busy, it's especially important we make an extra effort to watch out for each other. If you think someone could use a little "Holiday Cheer", let your Neighborhood Contact know. Confidentiality is always respected.
If you haven't met your contact(s) yet, introduce yourself at services. If you would be willing to help when a situation arises, be sure to call or email and let them know what you can provide.
Caring and Concerns wishes everyone at VUU a Healthy, Hap py, and Joyous Holiday Season!
VUUpoint is published by:
The Valley Unitarian Universalist Church
1700 W. Warner Rd. Chandler, AZ 85224
Phone: (480) 899-4249
Fax: (480) 899-2408
Email: vuu@qwest.net
Church Office Hours
Minister’s Hours:
Wed afternoon and evening, by apptointment.
Thurs & Fri Daytime, appointments available.
Monday is her sacred day off.
Call the Church office for an appointment, (480) 899-4249
Services: 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday
The VUUpoint is
published monthly from August to June by the Valley Unitarian
Universalist Church, and distributed free of charge to members
and friends. The annual subscription rate for others is an
identifiable contribution of $15 or more.
Articles, announcements and other VUUpoint material may be e-mailed to vuu@qwest.net If possible, send as an attachment. Typed, printed or legibly handwritten material is also acceptable and may be dropped off in the VUUpoint box just inside the office door.
Vuupoint Deadline: 3rd Sun of month!