Do you live up to the ideals and standards you set for yourself? How happy are you trying to do this? Is it ever possible? This Sunday we will explore how perfectionism can become a trap and what it means to be human, fallible, and real. Religiously!
No, this is not a canvass sermon. It is a timely sermon about the meanings and value we each of give money, wealth and power. In light of the current anxiety, the stock market fears, and the scandals, what is wrong and right about our attitudes? Ultimately, this is a question of faith and community.
A lighthearted Primer on "What it means to be a Unitarian Universalist."
The Worship Committee has decided not to have our traditional water ceremony for our first double services of the fall this year. We are getting too large to have a service where so many people speak, and we have had numerous complaints from people who find it to be too much of a travelogue and not enough of a spiritual experience. If you have already gathered water from your travels, please feel free to bring it back to pour on our thirsty desert plants outside the church! Thank you for your understanding about this and we hope you are not too disappointed.
Minister's Dusty Desert Corner will not appear this month.
By Debbie Dinyes,
Board President
We have adopted our new mission statement and our Long Range Planning Group is using the goal information from our May 18 focus groups to design a plan. On Sept. 21st, this plan will be voted on and will be available before this date for study. If you are interested, in obtaining a copy of the plan for review, call the church office.
The board has authorized an appraisal of our property, which should be completed in a few weeks. All of this information will help us make a decision about where we go next. Now we find ourselves looking two big issues in the face: CHANGE and GROWTH.
These two things can and do make people anxious. People resist change, it makes them nervous. If the known is at all comfortable we want to keep it that way. Obviously we all love many things about VUU and feel comfortable here. We all know we have a space challenge and that we are growing. How will growth affect us? Will we lose our sense of community? Will we become faceless strangers to each other? How will people find a place in a large group? If we go for a new building, how much will it cost? Where will it be? What can we afford?
We in the leadership of VUU are aware of these concerns--we have them ourselves. We have no crystal ball to foretell our perfect future. We do have the will and ability to keep all of us on track together and deal with the challenges of change and growth. We are looking at small group programs to involve people and help them find a place. We want provide more opportunities for individuals and families to become involved in fun and service together. There are many ways to keep our community healthy during this time of change. To do this we need EVERYONE. The board can't do it alone, the minister can't, nor can the staff and committee chairs.
You can start right now to improve our community. On Sundays, greet each other and our visitors. Step up to someone you don't know and chat. If you think that someone is missing--you haven't seen someone for a while--give them a call or send them a note or e-mail. Let people know they are thought of. This is a good start. In the meantime the leadership will continue to work on organizational ways to involve and support people.
Some of our veteran members have gone through 2, 3, or 4 location changes and have seen us grow from a handful of members to our current 350+. It takes determination and involvement, but it can be done!
By Marilyn I. Huerter,
Director of Religious Education
August 11th starts our regular double-session Religious Education classes, at both the 9:30 and 11:15 AM services. We look forward to seeing you and your children, and hope you had a good summer.
Look for the balloons at the RE table on Sunday, August 11th. We're having a big kick-off to get all the children in our program registered for the coming year. Please stop by and register your children, infants through High School, even if you did so last year. We need this information to update our records and to plan for enough teachers and programming. There will be RE Committee volunteers at the RE table to help you.
Look for the balloons, and have some cookies!
We have wonderful teachers for the next year! However, we do still have some openings, primarily in the K-1st grade and 2nd - 3rd grade classes. We need teachers for both of these classes, and also assistants in the preschool classes, for a variety of commitment times (1, 2, or 3 Sundays a month). If you have any interest in working with these delightful youngsters, or if you have questions, please call me, either at home or the church. You do not need a lot of experience, just a desire to be with the children. The RE Committee and I will do everything we can to make your job easier: we supply curriculum, supplies, and support, as well as assistants in your class. Please help make our religious education program a success by joining our great teaching team!
The first class of The Parent Trilogy, "How to Be a UU Parent," will start on Thursday, August 15, at 7:30 PM in the Sanctuary. Marilyn Huerter will be facilitating this 5-session class. You don't have to be a parent to join the class; it's open to all adults. There is no charge, and you don't have to buy a book. The sign-up sheet is on the RE table. Sign up soon if you're interested, as class size is limited.
I'd like to welcome both our new and returning teachers for the coming year. Thank you all for your commitment to our children and youth!!
Marilyn
By Kellie Walker,
UU Director of Music Ministries
Our Adult Choir starts rehearsing again on Aug. 14. Rehearsals will be every Wed. night from 7:30-9:00 PM in the church sanctuary. This will be a great time for newcomers to begin, as we will be starting all new pieces.
The choir sings mostly 4-part music in varied styles, and we usually sing twice a month for church services, as well as a few evening performances for special events.
This year the choir will be singing mostly for 2nd services, so that we can provide a more varied music program with more small groups and solo performers in the first service. If you attend the 1st service, and like to hear the choir, feel free to stay and hear they will still sing at both services.
A special Music Reading Class is being offered for three nights: Wednesdays August 21, 28, and Sept. 4, from 6:30 to 7:15 PM in the sanctuary. This is open to anyone in the church who would like to learn some basics of music reading. Choir members are also welcome to come and brush up on their skills, but we will be starting with very beginning concepts.
A short-term Youth Choir will rehearse on Sundays Sept. 8, 15, & 22 (probably after 2nd services) for those in 6th-12th grades who like to sing. We will be performing for church services on Sunday Sept. 29.
Our Children's Choir will start up on Wed. Sept 11. We rehearse on Wed. nights in the sanctuary from 6:30-7:15 PM. This is for 1st-5th graders, and we emphasize fun as well as building music skills.
Kellie Walker,
UU Director of Music Ministries
Our next VUU Potluck for all church members and friends is scheduled for Sunday, August 11 immediately following the service. The food is always plentiful and delicious! Please join us in welcoming new members to the church and catching up with old friends. Put this date on your calendar and join us in making our newest members feel welcome.
We hold a discussion the second Sunday of every month at the home of Jane and Conrad Paul at 7 PM. We follow the Great Books Curriculum, as mapped out by the Great Books Foundation. If you are interested in joining the discussion, please contact the church office for details.
You are invited to attend the VUU Humanists initial meeting of the year to be held in the Sanctuary, Sunday, early evening, August 18th beginning at 6PM.
Our speaker for this meeting will be Ms. Susan Sackett, President of the Greater Phoenix Humanist Association, who will speak on the various approaches to Humanist Philosophy, followed by a question and answer period.
Subsequent meetings will be held the first and third Sundays of each month at the foregoing time and place. Our meeting format will change for the coming year: We will now have a speaker on a specific topic followed by a discussion period on that topic. We hope to see you there.
Should you have questions, please contact the church office.
The Pagan Bunch will meet Friday, August 2, at 7PM in the Sanctuary. Please contact the church office for details.
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 and they are all on the second Saturday evening of the month: September 14, October 12, November 9, and December 14.
There will be opportunity in August to sign up in person during Coffee Hour. Also, the past participants and the new members from the 2001-02 church year will be contacted via email if they are on-line. All participants and substitutes will receive a printed schedule by August 31.
There is no need to be a 'couple" to participate; singles are very welcome. The mix of people at each dinner will be different each month. Couples are kept together as a "unit." Sometimes singles join forces and sign up as a unit, especially if one of them lives in a place that seems too small to accommodate eight dinner guests.
On three of the Saturdays, your host will contact you before the dinner date to ask you to bring an appetizer, salad, or dessert. On one of the Saturdays, you will host the dinner at your home, and provide the entrée and beverages. As host, you set the tone for the evening. It doesn't have to be fancy -- it's the company that's important.
You should be able to attend all four dinner if you sign up as a Regular (although we know that unforeseen events may occur that require your absence). Those who know now that they cannot attend all four dinners should sign up as Highly Valued Substitutes. Being a Substitute means that no commitment has been made; if you are called and cannot attend, you may say No without any guilt.
Again, this is a terrific way for all members and friends, old or new, younger or senior, to meet new friends and have fun at the same time. Do it. Contact the church office for details.
Many of you have asked me about an ordination/installation service and I promised to give you plenty of notice. The service will most likely be the afternoon of Saturday, January 25 at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara. If you are interested in attending, please let me know and I will make sure you receive a formal invitation with detailed information. I hope that many of you will be able to attend. It was in your midst that my pursuit of the ministry began and I have always felt affirmed in my decision in your presence.
In the faith,
Jan Christian
As we enter August, yoga returns to VUU each Monday and Wednesday evening. A gentle form of Hatha Yoga is offered each Monday and Wednesday evening from 7 - 8:15 PM in Building B, lower level. All are welcome--it is beginning level class. Classes are $10/class, drop-in, or $36/4 classes.
If you have any questions or comments, please call the church office for details.
Our new member, Jerry Robin, Comedian Extraordinary, appears often at Jester'Z. To obtain a schedule of his appearances and to obtain information about the club, contact the church office.
The Susan B. Komen 5K walk/run for Breast Cancer, Komen Phoenix Race for the Cure, takes place in downtown Phoenix Sunday, October 13. The deadline for teams to register is September 24. Contact the church office for details.
Save the Date for Rip-Roarin' Fun on Saturday, September 21. This will be an incredible evening of food, music, and comedy
The Social Action Committee meets on Sept. 10. However, do not wait! In the meantime, you may talk to me (Marylou Coy) at the Coffee Table on Sundays. I have agreed to attend the planning meeting on August 6, and I would like some company. Talk to me!
The LRP&G Committee is meeting during the summer to develop a Five Year Strategic Plan for Valley UU Church. The plan will be based on the Mission Statement adopted at the congregational meeting on June 16:
"Valley Unitarian Universalist Church is a welcoming community that honors diversity in all of its forms. We strive for social justice and environmental responsibility, nurture each person's life-long spiritual journey, and create a place of peace and celebration as we encounter the mystery of life."
Reflecting this mission and the visions listed during the focus groups held on May 18, the committee is proposing the following general goals:
The result of realizing these goals will be a larger, more vibrant congregation. The committee believes that to achieve the goals stated by the members in the focus groups, VUU will need to find new church property able to accommodate growth. It will also be necessary to increase staff levels and improve organizational structure so those program goals can continue to be met as the congregation grows.
The next step in the process will be to identify objectives that will fulfill the goals and develop a Five Year Strategic Plan (July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2007) to achieve these objectives. A draft of this five-year plan will be presented to the Board of Trustees for their review and at their August meeting.
The draft of the plan will be presented to the Committee Council on September 14. Committees will be charged with developing the strategies to achieve the objectives. The draft will be shared with the congregation at a special meeting on September 15. The final version of the Five Year Strategic Plan will be voted on at a congregational meeting in early November.
It is important to remember that the direction the Valley Unitarian Universalist Church takes in the future will be determined by the way that the members of the congregation wish it to go.
See your VUU Point newsletter for names and phone numbers of your neighborhood contacts.
VUUpoint is published by:
The Valley Unitarian Universalist Church
1700 W. Warner Rd. Chandler, AZ 85224
Email: vuu@qwest.net
Church Office Hours: August hours vary. Please call Church Office.
Rev. Lone Jensen's hours:
August hours vary. Please call Church office.
Church office: (480) 899-4249
Services: Aug. 11-June 2003, at 9:15 and 11:30.
Love is the doctrine of this church
The quest of truth is its sacrament
And service is its prayer.
To dwell together in peace
To seek knowledge in freedom
To serve humankind in friendship
Thus do we covenant.