At this time of Thanksgiving, our hearts are more aware of gratitude and its sweet power on our lives.  Congregants will share readings, poems, and personal stories as we prepare a wonderful service in which many voices are heard.

Facilitator:  Rev. Christiane Heyde

Sunday Service December 7:  World AIDS Day
Facilitators and Sermon:  Rev. Christiane Heyde + Rita Aronna

Finding our way between hope and despair, between fear and enthusiasm, that seems to be my challenge these days.  The refusal to indict a police officer who shot and killed a young man in Ferguson predictably caused more violence and uproar.  While progress has been made in the fight against racism on many fronts over the last 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr., in the hearts of many there seems to have been no change in racial prejudice and hatred.  Many lives in our country continue to be devalued due to the color of their skin.  Blatant acts of racism get justified on certain TV programs and declared fair and righteous, while people of color are being discriminated against.  Sometimes I want to scream in outrage, and at other times, I want to cry out in despair.  If I let myself dwell there for too long, I would no longer be able to minister to this congregation, but if I shy away from the reality of this injustice, I am unfit to serve both you and the world. 

As I struggle for a balance and a way to cope, I search for and find the light of hope.  I easily find hope in this congregation, in the love you share with me and one another, and in the shared ministry of Sky Island UU.  I am thrilled that Marriage Equality continues to sweep the nation, and just this week I performed another same sex wedding in our sanctuary.  A couple who had shared their lives together for the last 24 years are now legally married.  I find delight in the progress in our immigration policies, after the recent action taken by President Obama.  While the new policy has painful shortcomings, it takes giant steps towards a hopeful future.  I am grateful that the Sierra Vista Herald published my letter to the editor this past Monday, commenting on this issue.  And I am grateful for Thanksgiving.  Not just the holiday, with good food and fellowship, but the power of gratitude of which we are reminded yet again in this season.  I have found that it is impossible to feel grateful and despairing at the same time, to feel thankful and hopeless simultaneously, and this gives me a way out.  I am able to look at the injustice of the world, to grieve it and anguish over it until it feels that my heart will break, and still be restored to hope through gratitude, so I can connect with you yet again, with enthusiasm and inspiration.  For that, too, I am grateful. 

This Sunday, there will be an opportunity for you to share about gratitude in our service, so please join us.  We already have a delightful program planned to join together and let our souls be comforted as we minister to one another. 

With much Love and Gratitude,

Rev. Christiane Heyde

Youth Religious Education 11/30
Religious tolerance is the theme, as the children read the book "Elijah's Angel" and focus on the first principle- each person is worthwhile.
 
Church Building Safety
If you are the last one to leave the building, please make sure all the outside doors are locked (There's 6 of them.)  Also make sure all the coffee pots are unplugged.  Please only plug 1 coffee pot in per outlet.  This was a recommendation from the electrician so we don't overload the circuits.  Currently there is 1 pot plugged in behind the refrigerator; 1 can be plugged in to the outlet behind the counter; 1 can be plugged in on the opposite wall where the narrow table is.

Thank You
$659 was collected last week for No More Deaths and $645 was collected on the 8th at the dedication for the Living Tradition Fund.

Sky Island Holiday Celebrations: 

Christmas Eve Service 12/24 @ 6PM
We will have our traditional Christmas Eve Service at 6 PM, followed by light refreshments.  The service will include carol singing, and a UU version of the La Posada Play.  Please join us!

Christmas Dinner 12/25  

Let's have a Christmas dinner together again this year, coordinating our potluck contributions to make it a feast!  Whether you are single and want to join others on Christmas, or you want to come as a couple or with your whole family, please plan ahead and consider joining us that day.  More details will follow soon.