This week we will have had both a workshop on managing grief during the holidays and a “Longest Night” service (Thursday night) for those whose grief makes the holidays a challenging time. The workshop had 14 online participants and 8 in person, and we were glad to offer this opportunity for learning both for our pastoral care team…
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I’ve heard many stories about the Sunday after Thanksgiving when about 80 of you participated in person an a dozen online with our “Flip the Church: Improvising a Shared Future” experience (see photos above). You were invited to respond to a homily in small group conversations in these questions: Rev. Jonalu Johnstone says we come…
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Rev. Sarah’s Desert Notes column will return next week.
In my sermon last week I referenced the book “God Revised: How Religion Must Evolve in a Scientific Age” by Rev. Galen Guengerich, a UU minister and colleague of mine. One of the ideas I talked about was the importance of gratitude as a building block for interdependent, healthy communities and congregations. Guengerich says that the…
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Tuesday night I co-chaired a regional VIP action meeting that focused on our work with Chandler Unified School District on mental health supports for students and with Chandler City Council on affordable housing strategies. We had 92 VIP participants, largely members from VUU and St. Matthews Episcopal here in Chandler. Many other member organizations were represented as…
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The UU College of Social Justice, UUJAZ and several AZ UU congregations have been participating in a small planning delegation with Borderlinks this week, and I am happy to have been able to join them. We are learning together and thinking about what it would look like to lead a delegation of UU’s in February 2024 and…
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The news has been filled with harrowing violence. From the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza to more mass shooting events in our own country, we are being bombarded with the trauma of mass murder, hatred, and mass destruction. At this moment it is possible to take a stand against anti-semitism and the horror of terrorism…
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This week I was happy to attend the installation of the settled minister for the Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Rev. Anthony Johnson. SUUF rents space from the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley Synagogue (JCSVV) and the shared space is beautiful, overlooking the breathtaking view of red rocks in Sedona. Rev. Anthony brings a lifetime of…
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Protect your health! Friends, we’ve had a number of people report to us that they have come down with COVID 19 in the last three weeks. Wearing a mask on Sundays and social distancing are things you can do to protect yourself and others. If you have what seem like mild cold symptoms, please test…
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This past Tuesday I worked with the family of Jamila and Damian Pulliam to create a memorial and celebration of life service for Jamila’s sister. Samira, who died last week after a short but fierce fight with cancer. Together with VUU volunteers and paid assistants we hosted an amazing, inspiring ritual and community gathering that…
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