To help with Sunday morning hospitality, click here.

Abbreviated information about upcoming events

more than two weeks out or without an article below

• Men's Group - Jul 22
• Game Lounge - Aug 6
• Ukester Friends - Aug 7
• Congregational Conversation - Oct 5

UUA General Assembly (GA) Outcomes

The Denominational Affairs Committee (DAC) will host a GA feedback session for VUU at the Congregational Conversation on October 5—stay tuned!

The committee welcomes Pat Reed as a new member, and invite others to join to keep up on happenings at the UUA and the work they do on our behalf.

Questions or comments can be sent to dac@vuu.org.

Submitted by Linda Rand

Connect and Serve

Welcome to DeeAnne McClenahan in her new role as Volunteer Coordinator for our congregation! She brings twenty years' membership, experience, and organizational talent to this role. A lifelong UU, her passion for our community and her deep appreciation for the power of volunteerism will help us all to make meaningful connections with and contributions to our vibrant congregation.

With so many opportunities to serve—from social justice initiatives to worship support, from hospitality to music and beyond—DeeAnne is here to help connect each of us with ways to contribute that will bring benefit and joy to all. She believes that volunteering is not just about giving time, but about discovering connection and purpose through service.

We have an incredible community of talented, generous, and committed individuals, but we don't yet know what everyone has to offer. Connect here, and find the perfect way to share your gifts!

Watch this space for some specific Help Wanted listings, and a new skills and interest survey.

Empathy Circle This Sunday

When: Sunday, July 20, 12:30–2:00 pm

Where: VUU Boardroom (Education Building)

Facilitator: Teri McGovern-Nintzel

Topic: What does life offer or reveal when you see your desires and challenges as sacred data for collective liberation? (or whatever is alive in you)

Join this Empathy Circle to explore how you respond when held in a space that pauses your usual reactions and helps you connect with your innately human empathic gifts.

This simple practice builds resilience, deepens connection, and strengthens our collective capacity for transformative justice. In a culture where resource hoarders thrive on sowing disconnection, reclaiming empathy is a radical act of existing together in spaces where we can practice our way toward freedom from that conditioning.

I always learn so much from others’ shares—it often feels like their insights flow as natural extensions of my own mind. In that oneness, the myth of separation cracks, and bridging the divides built to keep our society locked in defensive loops doesn’t just feel possible—it feels inevitable.

Please RSVP here.

EastVUU Online

Your Journey

Thursday, July 24, 6:00p

How goes your journey? In traveling your life’s path, what has been most fulfilling? Most difficult? How has your spiritual journey supported you? What do you want for the path ahead? Let’s get perspective together!

Save the Date: EastVUU Dinner, Thursday, Aug. 14, 6:00p. Join us for Hong Kong-style favorites at Mekong Palace Dim Sum, 66 S Dobson Rd, Suite 120, Mesa. All are welcome!

—Submitted by Janice Miller

AMAZE

AMAZE, the online animated puberty video series, is conducting a nationwide search for young people ages 13-17 to become ambassadors for the project. The project is to help make AMAZE better for other young people. In return, youth will get the chance to go behind the scenes with the AMAZE animation team, and they also provide training on speaking with the media, building an effective resume, and much more! Oh, and yes…they get paid.

Since all youth ambassadors are under 18, it's essential that a parent or guardian is aware of their participation. Please visit this website to find complete details about the Youth Ambassador Program. If parents have any questions at all, we respond at the info@amaze.org email very fast! We can even set up a phone call or Zoom to chat, and answer all questions.

Give Youth the Tools to Thrive: Sign Up for Our Whole Lives Today!

Support your teenager to navigate life with confidence, integrity, and compassion. Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a comprehensive, age-appropriate sexuality education program. Supporting the “three Rs” of sexuality education—respect, relationships, and responsibility—OWL empowers youth with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed, healthy decisions.

VUU is excited to offer OWL classes for both 8th–9th graders and 10th–11th graders beginning this fall. Grades K–1 will be offered in the Spring (more info coming). Each group receives tailored content that meets them where they are developmentally—creating space for meaningful conversation, peer connection, and personal growth.

OWL opens the door to honest, accurate, and inclusive education that aligns with VUU values. Youth appreciate the safe, respectful environment to explore topics that matter—from identity and relationships to consent and communication.

Spectacled Owls (8th–9th graders):

• 26 weeks, starting Sunday, August 31, 2025–Sunday, May 10, 2026, from 12:45–2:15pm Sunday afternoons.
• Mandatory Parent Orientation is Sunday, August 24, from 12:45–2:45pm. 
• Cost is $55, with a $15 discount for pledging VUU Members and Friends.

Burrowing Owls (10th–11th graders):

• 13 sessions, starting Sunday, September 7, 2025–Sunday, January 25, 2026, from 12:45–2:15pm Sunday afternoons. 
• Mandatory Parent Orientation is Sunday, September 7, from 12:45–2:45pm. 
• Cost is $55, with a $15 discount for pledging VUU Members and Friends.

Learn more about Our Whole Lives at vuu.org/owl/ or reach out to Molly McNamara.  

In The Interim

Yes, we know. It is disappointing to move to a part-time position in faith formation staff. While many of the core duties of the Director of Faith Formation can be done with a part-time director, we will need the help of dedicated volunteers, to make up the difference. Here are the teams we anticipate needing to maintain our robust programming at VUU:

• Fun and Merriment Team. These are the people who will help plan and carry out the fun events in faith formation. Events include a water day, Halloween party, Hanging of the Greens, Santa at VUU, Valentines, Easter Egg hunt. The team can choose to do more or less of these events. 

• Service Trip Team. These are the folks who will plan, schedule and fundraise for the youth service trip. Traditionally VUU youth have gone to Mexico. Several UU congregations have connections with the Hopi nation in Canyon de Chelly right here in Arizona. The group will work with youth to plan and carry out the service trip which is slated for Spring Break 2025.

• Sunday Support Team. These are the folks that will order, receive, and stock supplies and books for Sunday morning. They will maintain the VUU Supply Room and the VUU Children's library. The team will also maintain the fidget library, the infant toddler area, and the Soul Works tables.

• Adult Faith Formation. This is the team that will work with Rev. Sarah to plan, schedule, and implement adult faith formation classes throughout the congregational year. Aging, Your Unitarian Universalist Elevator Speech, UU Values, and UU History are a few ideas.

Interested in helping? Click here to find a way to plug in.

Help VUU Come Alive with the Sound of Music!

There are many opportunities to help make beautiful music at VUU. Contact the music team, or talk to Beth Wyman and Lynn DeMuth for more information on any of our opportunities. You also can email VUU's Interim Music Coordinator, Meg Palermo.

Click Here to see a list of Music Ministries opportunities.

—Submitted by Lynn DeMuth

Update on Sandy Whitley

Recently, Zach and Jeremy Green, Sandy's sons, posted a difficult message for all of us at VUU who love and are inspired by Sandy as our dear friend and 1) a founding leader of our VUU Environmental Action Team, 2) an engaged civic leader and Precinct Committee-person in LD9, 3) a fellow hiker and passionate outdoor enthusiast as well as 4) a resilient and determined voice advocating for an environmentally sustainable future for our children and grandchildren. Sadly, based on Sandy’s most recent MRI brain scan results, Sandy’s sons have made the difficult decision to honor their Mom’s living will and initiate hospice care for Sandy at her group home in Chandler. Zach and Jeremy are also encouraging us all to visit ASAP. Sandy’s group home is at: 4820 S. Robins Way, Chandler, AZ 85249-3024. Visiting hours are from 10am to 6pm daily with no prior visiting time notification necessary.

In gratitude and with sadness

Janet Cantley

Good Trouble Lives On - Thursday, July 17

Good Trouble Lives On is a national day of nonviolent action dedicated to addressing the challenges to our civil and human rights. It's a powerful reminder that in America, the power lies with the people.

On Thursday, July 17—the anniversary of Congressman John Lewis’s passing—we’re taking action across the country to defend our democracy and carry forward his legacy of Good Trouble, including a demonstration this morning. And you can still participate tonight!

Good Trouble Lives On: "Voting Rights: The Struggle To Be Counted" (a film viewing/discussion)

Thursday, July 17

4:30–6:00 pm (AZ time)

Virtual event: Join from anywhere

The film "Voting Rights: The Struggle To Be Counted" traces the long and often brutal struggle by African Americans to obtain and maintain the right to vote. "A Voteless People Is A Voiceless People!"

Register here to receive the link to watch the film.

Thank you!

—UU the VOTE co-leaders, Karen Stucke and Denise McLeod