To help with Sunday morning hospitality, click here.

Abbreviated information about upcoming events that are further than two weeks out. Events that occur sooner may have a full article below.

• Read with Rev. Sarah - Oct 16 RSVP here
• Page Turners Book Club - Oct 17 See the Book Here
• Brown Bag Lunch with Rev. Sarah - Oct 22 (date change), Nov 12
• VIP Public Action - Oct 24
• EastVUU - Oct 24
• FLP Events - Oct 25, Nov 8, Dec 13
• New Participant Classes - Oct 26, Dec 7, Mar 22, Jun 7 RSVP here
• New Participant Meal - Nov 2, Feb 1, Apr 5 RSVP here
• Congregational Conversation - Nov 3
• VUU Retreat - Apr 11-13 at Friendly Pines Camp in Prescott

Rev. Sarah is on Fall Break.

Rev. Sarah Oglesby-Dunegan



Pacific West Region (PWR) Newsletter

The PWR publishes a monthly newsletter with news and information from the region. Here's the October issue. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.



Rev. Fred's Latest Book is Available

Our most recent interim minister, Fred Wooden, has published his latest book, A Long Time Coming: A Pilgrimage of Race, which is based on the expanded and extended series of sermons he gave here at VUU in the spring of 2022.  If you would like to buy a copy, click here.

Synopsis: The author - retired pastor, failed political candidate, sometime newspaper columnist and radio host - goes to Selma Alabama in the fall of 2019 to walk the path of those who did so in March of 1965. This pilgrimage, one of several he has done before and since, is to do homage to those who were there back then, but also to undertake a pilgrimage of the soul, a "searching and fearless moral inventory" of his experience of race in his own life. He invites readers to walk with him over the miles and the years, hoping it will inspire a similar journey in them.



Game Night!

Join us on the second Friday of each month starting October 11, for an evening of games and potluck snacks. Bring your favorite game or something you haven't played in years. 5:30 - 8pm in room 1/2. Contact Nick with questions usher@vuu.org.

Paz de Cristo: A couple more volunteers needed this month

Continuing the Tradition… Keeping the Commitment… Living our Principles

October date: Friday, October 11, 4:00-7:00 pm

Location: 424 W Broadway Rd, Mesa, AZ

Click here for the sign up link. Please sign up by October 6.

Families welcome!

Please join us as we keep VUU’s 34-year tradition of serving the evening meal to Paz de Cristo guests on the second Friday of the month, October 11. Volunteers gather at the Paz kitchen/dining room from 4:00-7:00 pm to prepare several items for, and then serve, the evening meal. Additional tasks include cleanup of dishes, sweeping and mopping of floors. If you are joining us for the first time, don’t worry, Paz staff and experienced VUU volunteers make the work easy and fun and the evening goes fast.

Seventeen volunteers are needed for the evening and can range in age from 12 on up. Volunteers must be able to stand and participate in tasks during the entire evening. Have questions? Contact Joanne at 602-620-3100. Please sign up for this rewarding experience here.

-Joanne McGrath and Heather Moulton, Co-coordinators for VUU & Paz de Cristo

I-HELP Dinner Thanks

It is with a grateful heart that I once again announce a very successful I-HELP meal effort on September 23!

There are so many moving parts to these meals, and I owe a HUGE debt of gratitude to the many volunteers who come together to make it happen every single month. I cannot thank you enough, dear ones!

Thank you so much to the food donors, servers, and ancillary volunteers (like my husband Ron) who come through every month to support I-HELP.

I cannot stress enough how grateful our I-HELP guests are to receive these meals. I have gotten to know many of them personally, and am always so pleased when they move on to the lives they have always deserved. I was particularly touched last night after an encounter with one of our guests. I was sitting with them eating my meal and relaying a funny family story about my great niece Hanna. After I finished, he looked at me very intently and said, "Thank you for sharing that". Wow! I didn't even know what to say. I was incredibly touched.

As you may know by now, I am seeking a replacement for the role of I-HELP coordinator. Yes, it is a challenging role, but, as I related above, it can also be incredibly rewarding as well. 

Yours in service,

Laura Rohlfing

VUU I-HELP Coordinator

-submitted by Laura Rohlfing

Partners in Education (PIE)

Join our volunteers at Adams Elementary School, helping disadvantaged kids get an educational boost!

After School Tutoring: “Rumbo al Exito” We are adding extra volunteers to assist more English learners at Adams Elementary because we have been asked to serve 75 kids. Currently, we are focusing on improving the students’ reading comprehension because many students can read English, but still have difficulty understanding. If you speak Spanish, or know someone who does, we could really use help on Mondays or Thursdays after school in Mesa. If you don’t speak Spanish, we could use your help with recruiting and fundraising. This is a very impactful way to be an ally to disadvantaged kids who need a good start on their education. For more information contact Randall Casillas. Photo shows Rumbo al Exito tutors working with English-language learners.

Classroom Instruction: Art Masterpiece Program

We are looking for volunteers to teach the Art Masterpiece program and Arts and Craft projects. LOTS OF FUN! You don't need any art experience, but must attend one district training class, offered next at these times:

Tuesday, November 5, 9:00-10:30 am

Tuesday, November 12, 7:00-8:30 pm

Thursday, November 14, 9:00-10:30 am

 Contact Adrienne O'Donnell.

-Submitted by Janice Miller