Sunday Services

November is a busy, busy month at MVUU! We welcome back many folks from their summer sojourns and welcome in many who have found us recently. We have several major events through the month, while at the same time moving through a national election together. 

We are never too busy to spend time in gratitude for the many blessings we offer to one another. Through November we will be harvesting blessings and expressing our gratitude.

November 24 "Holiday Blues"

Rev. Matthew & Samar Adi

We return to the winter holidays aware of the many highlights and the deep places they offer. Let's celebrate and comfort one another this season.

Into the Unknown

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to step into the unknown. It’s something I find both exciting and terrifying. During the New Member Sunday, Nov 10th , Rev Matthew mentioned “into the unknown” a few times. Each time I heard the words with music in my head. I couldn’t place the song lyric until I searched for it when I got home. I found it was the song Into the Unknown from the movie Frozen 2.

When I hear the song Into the Unknown, I can’t help but think of those moments in my own life when I felt a call to venture beyond what was comfortable and familiar. Like Elsa, I’ve often found myself torn between the safety of the known and the pull toward something new.

As a Unitarian Universalist, I’m reminded that our faith encourages us to embrace these moments of uncertainty. We are called to question, to seek truth, and to explore new possibilities with open hearts and minds even when the path ahead is unclear. I’ve found that stepping into the unknown can be a powerful spiritual practice, one that challenges me to grow and discover new parts of myself.

I’m learning to trust that, even when I can’t see where the journey will lead, there is value in taking that first step. It’s a chance to be brave, to be curious, and to lean on the support of this beloved community as we navigate the unknown together.

May we, like Elsa, have the courage to listen to that call. Let us be willing to step forward into the unknown, trusting that, together, we can navigate whatever lies ahead with love, hope, and resilience.

Erin Eichelberger

Board President

Erin.eichelberger@mvuu.org

RE Committee: November 22nd 5-6pm

The Religious Exploration Committee is always looking for new friends and we want YOU! The REC meetings are a space to talk through the future of Religious Exploration, create new and exciting ideas, and address any concerns that may arise. We strive to create joyful and fun opportunities for children and families to grow spiritually, ethically, and personally in order to fearlessly live as their best selves and courageously assist all others to do the same. We will accomplish this through multigenerational programming, congregational events, and much much more. Attending these meetings does not require you to be on the committee or do any additional work outside of meeting times if you so choose.  

If this is something you would like to be a part of, please join us for our next meeting. We hope to see you there!

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81822192874

Meeting ID: 818 2219 2874

Thanks!

Stacie Sosa-Coordinator of Religious Exploration MVUU

Set up a meeting with me. I'd love to talk with you!!

https://calendly.com/stacie-sosa/30min

Huge shout out to Stacie for her first Annual Fall Festival. You did an amazing job of bringing everyone together and making it a huge success!!

You are invited to join us for our annual Thanksgiving potluck on Thursday, November 28th. We will start gathering at 1 p.m. to socialize and communally arrange tables, inside and/or outside depending on the weather. We expect to serve the feast at about 2 p.m.

Please come with picnic gear: beverage, glasses, plates, utensils, napkins and a potluck contribution. We will provide the main courses of turkey and ham. Plan to take everything home with you including leftovers. And please stay to help with clean-up. 

There will be sign-up sheets at church on the following

 Sundays: 11/17 and 11/24. 

Melanie Landa, Alana Wyatt and Joel Yelland are organizing the potluck this year. For those who are attending church virtually and wish at attend the potluck, please email Joel (joelyelland@gmail.com) with your names and potluck dish. For general inquiries please contact Alana (alanawyattphd@gmail.com).

A special thank you to Hobey Denny who started and organized this tradition at MVUU more than ten years ago!

Hiking Announcements

Attention MVUU Hikers: We will be doing a moderate 4 mile hike at Sweetwater Preserve on December 6 at 8:15am. We can carpool from the Walgreens on the south side of Cortaro and Silverbell at 8:00 or you meet us at the trailhead, follow the directions below.

Directions: From Silverbell, drive west on El Camino del Cerro and follow that for approx 2 mi to Tortolita Rd.  EL CAMINO DEL CERRO DOES NOT DEAD END AT TORTOLITA! So, you will need to look for that road sign and/or the signage directing you to SWEETWATER PRESERVE. El Camino del Cerro, turn south (left) onto Tortolita and follow that to the end; Tortolita dead-ends at the trailhead parking lot.

Please email me if you plan to hike with us.

Susan Calder at scalder3812@gmail.com

On Sunday, December 8 at 12:30, the MVUU climate revivalists are presenting lunch and “Four Big Things” about climate and energy with Robert Bulechek, the HERS energy rater who tested our HVAC system.

Cholla Chowtime 2025 

...The Interconnected Web of Dining Together…

Cholla Chowtime is a program of potluck dinners in homes, once a month for four months. Many congregations have dinner programs so please read how we do it at MVUU.

Check if you can commit to these four Saturday dates: January 4

  February 1

  March 1

  April 5

 If you can, sign up as Regulars.  Exceptions can be made if you can only attend three months IF we know in advance. You must designate that month when you sign up.

If you cannot commit to at least three of the months but want to participate, be a Substitute. We need both Regulars and Substitutes for Chowtime to work. 

Regulars will host one of the four potluck dinners for 6-8 people (including yourselves) in their homes.  They provide the entrée and beverages. The host asks their guests to bring an appetizer, salad, or dessert.  

Singles who want to be Regulars should be able to host 6-8 people.  If not, they will be paired with a single who can.  

If you have extreme dietary needs, you can always bring your own food.

Sign-up via the link provided below OR in the Oasis on November 17 and 24 or email me anytime. Signup deadline is November 29. The rotation schedule will be sent to all Regulars in December in plenty of time for the first dinner in January.

2025 Cholla Chowtime Sign Up

mvuu.breezechms.com

If you have questions, contact me at rahaim.ingrid@gmail.com or 520-305-9970, TXT or voice.

Ingrid Rahaim

Marie Nibel

Bookaholics Unanimous

We are a group of enthusiastic readers who meet the last Tuesday of the month at 2 pm by zoom. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, November 26. The book is: The Great Divorce by Ilyon Woo.  A 19th century mother's extraordinary fight against her husband, the Shakers and her times. If you are interested in learning more about the group contact

Anne Leonard: anne@alartworks.com  or 520-307-8045.

Art Group

Next Meeting: “Making Fused Glass Art”

Saturday, December 14, 2024 10am – noon

No experience needed

Please contact Ginny Stack to make your reservation:

(630) 841-8705 or tellginnycounseling@gmail.com

Our MVUU congregation's lost & found boxes are overflowing. As folx return from our summertime and Labor Day travels, please check for your water bottles, jackets or the plethora of other items. Whatever is left after Thanksgiving will be donated to a worthy cause.

OWL Classes at MVUU

Honest, accurate information about sexuality changes lives. It dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, improves decision making, and has the potential to save lives. For these reasons and more, we are proud to offer Our Whole Lives (OWL), a comprehensive, lifespan sexuality education curricula.

Barn OWLs

January 26th- April 27th| 1:30-3:00pm | MVUU

Children in 4th & 5th grades

Spotted OWLs

January 5th- May 4th | 12:30-3:30pm | MVUU

Children ages 12-15 years old and/or in grade 7-9

For more information check out our website.

https://mvuu.org/our-whole-lives/

November Woven Basket Partner: Emerge

Mission: Emerge provides the opportunity to create, sustain and celebrate a life free from abuse.

Vision: We believe that communities where everyone is safe are possible.

Emerge's Philosophy: At Emerge, we believe in supporting survivors.

• We believe that each survivor’s experience is different, and therefore, all services are driven by the needs of the survivor and their family.
• We believe that a survivor knows their story – and their safety – best.
• We address all forms of domestic abuse, not just the physical.

2021 Impact Report for Tucson, AZ: Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse provides services and resources to families in our community, to support them in rebuilding their lives free from abuse. 

• 5,043 People Served
• 7,090 Calls Made to 24 HR Hotline
• 19,196 Emergency shelter beds provided to families

To Learn More Visit https://emergecenter.org/

Donate via MVUU as the Woven Basket Partner: You can make your donations online at http://mvuu.org/donate/ or by sending a check to the Church Office. The mailing address is: MVUU, P. O. Box 91080, Tucson AZ 85752. Please indicate that this donation is for the Woven Basket in the memo line.