6400 W Del Rio St, Chandler, AZ 85226
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Desert Notes

Love is our Doctrine. Service is our prayer. Justice is our calling.

Desert Notes May 15, 2025

Safety/Security CERT Training: Safety/Security Training at VUU: Tuesday May 20 1-3; Please RSVP to Rev. Sarah. This is a preliminary training, and will be followed by more opportunities. If you serve in a leadership role and are available, please join us.   —Rev. Sarah Oglesby-Dunegan If you are new to VUU or Unitarian Universalism, you may be used to clergy who…
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Desert Notes May 8, 2025

CERT training: Rev. Sarah is attending a Community Emergency Response training over the next two weekends offered by Chandler Fire.  I will be integrating this learning with developing plans for training individuals and groups at VUU for emergency and preventative responses we can engage to maintain safety on our campus.  There were limited slots, and…
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Desert Notes May 1, 2025

New Members that were recognized in April, your books are in the box next to the door of my office–stop in and get yours! Last weekend I had the chance to visit Beacon UU in Flagstaff and to hear guest speaker (via zoom) CB Beal give a sermon. CB developed an idea called pre-emptive radical inclusion, an idea I…
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Desert Notes April 24, 2025

I hope that you all had as much fun as we did on Easter!  Our Spontaneous Pageant was funny, moving, and theologically very UU!  Our volunteers had fun with costumes and signs and our musicians shared a wide range of music.  Coming of Age kids served us a wonderful brunch and many of us stayed…
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Desert Notes April 17, 2025

We had a very busy week and weekend! Mid-week I attended a small prayer circle with leaders from our partner, Corazon AZ, reuniting with a shared vision of support for migrant communities in the Phoenix metro. Over the weekend I attended an event that my son Sol organized to create community and share resources with folks who…
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Desert Notes April 10, 2025

It’s been a very full week. On Saturday I marched in downtown Phoenix with many UU’s and thousands of Phoenicians, and then met with a small group of leaders and Dr. Melissa James and Rev. Tania Marquez from the UUA to talk about Stewardship issues. These were both moving experiences, and one I was glad…
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Desert Notes April 3, 2025

Last weekend our community hosted our first Transgender Day of Visibility community resource event on Saturday and a service on Sunday centered on the stories and experiences of trans and non-binary folks and their families. I am so grateful for the many people who volunteered on Saturday to help make our campus a welcoming and safe…
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Desert Notes March 27, 2025

March 31 is Trans Day of Visibility. Over the weekend many organizations, including ours, will be marking this day with celebrations and solidarity events. Many of you may not know as much about the “T” in LGBTQIA++. Last year I shared a couple of stories with you about elders I knew from my ministry in Kansas who were transgender…
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Desert Notes March 20, 2025

VUU has been building our budget based on the pledges and other income we have received and continue to receive from each of you. At the beginning of March we celebrated Mary Erickson as someone who has consistently supported VUU financially and as a volunteer in a number of different ways. “Wise elder” is not a term…
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Desert Notes March 13, 2025

Desert Notes will return in a few weeks.