Sunday July 6, 2025
"Resilient is a Verb: A UU Theology of Resilience"
We are living in times that can take a toll on our spirits—times we could not have foreseen, given our UU commitment to democratic ideals. We are being called—right now—to help sustain this democracy.
To answer that call, we must care for ourselves. We hope you will join us as we explore resilience as a spiritual practice. This service is a call to focus on getting and staying strong, so that we can keep on keeping on—through the long haul of this administration and beyond. Barbara Face, Service Leader, Joel Sannes, Worship Associate, and Lynn DeMuth, Song and Chant Leader.
| |  | IN THE EDUCATION BUILDINGS | |
FAITH FORMATION
We haven’t had a Game Day in a loooong time. Come this Sunday and enjoy games during our faith formation classes. Make new friends and spend time with old ones.
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DALAI LAMA AND FRIENDS
8:30 am Meditation
9:00 am Discussion
In person, in the board room, and
Via Zoom here
| | | Love is our doctrine · Service is our prayer · Justice is our calling | | | | | |
Calendar
Thursday, July 3
Friday, July 4
- Fourth of July Holiday - Office Closed
Saturday, July 5
Sunday, July 6
Monday, July 7
Tuesday, July 8
Wednesday, July 9
Thursday, July 10
Friday, July 11
Saturday, July 12
Sunday, July 13
Click here for the most current calendar, to view locations, contact information details for above events
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Abbreviated information about upcoming events
more than two weeks out or without an article below
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VUUJAZ Coffee Conversation - Jul 20
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EastVUU Online - July 24
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I-HELP Meal Prep - Jul 28 sign up here
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Rev. Sarah is on study leave and vacation. Sarah (and Desert Notes) will return in August
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UUA General Assembly (GA) Outcomes
Elections were held at GA for a number of positions. The following positions were uncontested: Board of Trustees (4 positions), Commission on Appraisal (4 positions), and the Nominating Committee (3 positions).
The one contested election was for the UUA Moderator, the highest volunteer position in the UUA and one that is very influential.
Details on election winners and vote counts are available here.
Also at GA, the delegates voted on Actions of Immediate Witness (AIWs) and Congregational Study/Action Issues (CSAIs).
AIWs express the conscience and carry the authority of the delegates at the GA at which it is passed. AIWs are initiated by individual delegates and move through their entire creation and adoption process during a single GA. On a poll of delegates taken prior to GA, the following three AIWs (out of a total of five) were selected to be on the final agenda for further discussion and affirmation:
- We Declare and Reaffirm: All People Have Inherent Worth and Inalienable Rights
- Faithful Defiance of Authoritarianism: Reaffirming Our Covenants for Democracy and Freedom
- Funding Global LGBTIQ Freedom Amid Crisis: A Call for Immediate Action and Solidarity
The delegates voted to adopt these AIWs during GA.
CSAIs are issues selected by UU member congregations for three years of study, reflection and action. The delegates voted to select the CSAI "Abolition is Faith Formation" for study. In the third year of the CSAI process, delegates at GA can vote to approve a Statement of Conscience resulting from three years of congregational feedback on the CSAI.
The Denominational Affairs Committee (DAC) will host a GA feedback session for VUU at a future date - stay tuned! In the meantime, questions or comments can be sent to dac@vuu.org.
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May Financial Analyst Report
May marks the 11th month of our fiscal year. Our gross income year to date is $577,805, or $41,051 (6.7%) below budget. Please note that income number includes $59,027 of one-time money. Pledges are $50K (-13.4%) under budget year to date. Pledges were $23K under in May; and are projected to be $54K short for the year by June. This is the time to get caught up if you have not already done so. Thank you to everyone who is supporting our congregation!
Total expenses YTD are under budget by $26K: Property, staff insurance, and committees continuing to account for most of the underage. Staff salaries are considerably higher and will end the year over budget as the tech booth supervisor’s salary is above budget, and raises have been given to several employees. Religious Education supplies are also substantially over budget.
End of year (EoY) estimates put expenses $31K under budget, and income is looking at least $43K under budget, estimating a $12K shortfall if pledges do not rebound in June. A negative carryforward is almost certain. Carrying a shortfall forward will create a larger deficit in the FY 2025-26 budget; details will depend on EoY giving; this is a good reason to encourage everyone to continue to catch up with their pledges. The savings account remains at $40K.
The full May report can be found here.
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Office Volunteers Needed
We need office volunteers! Each week, a team meets to prepare VUU's weekly bank deposit. This small but mighty group needs more folks. If you can spare an hour on a Monday morning, please contact Lynn DeMuth at 480-345-2626. Training will be provided, and you will work with an experienced partner to start.
--Submitted by Lynn DeMuth
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Bring on the Summer FUUNd!
The Let’s Have FUUNd Together Auction is VUU’s largest annual FUUNdraiser. After the auction closes in February, this column keeps you informed about FUUNd events as they are held and advertises FUUNd events you can still get in on via the Last Chance Auction.
This last week, FUUNd was had by all at Meditation Beads and Coffee and VUUniversity: Practicing Joy in a Troubled World.
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And it’s not too late to get in on some events this summer. July and August open events include:
- A Screening & Discussion of Alvin Ailey’s Dance Masterpiece, “Revelations” (Saturday, 07/12/2025)
- Create an Inspirational Sign with a Cricut Machine (Saturday, 07/19 11AM)
- How to Play Scrabble Like a Champion (Saturday, 07/26/2025)
- Homeopathic Remedies for You & Your Family (Saturday, 08/09/2025)
- Abbott and Costello Re-visited (Saturday, 08/23/2025)
All Last Chance Auction items are being offered at a “buy-it-now” price. Payment must be made at the time of purchase. You can view the items, make your purchase(s), and pay via credit card at www.Auctria.Events/VUUFUUND2025. Email fuundtogether@vuu.org for questions or other assistance.
Check out FUUNd’s Last Chance Auction Today!
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Jet Pig Summer Program has Begun!
Summer started officially last week. Our VUU Summer program, Jet Pig Summer, is underway!
All summer long preschool and elementary children will learn about our Unitarian Universalist values with the help of our UU superhero Jet Pig!
“In the heart of a lush, green meadow, nestled among the tall, whispering trees, lives a superhero pig named Jet Pig. Jet Pig was no ordinary pig; he had a special fuel pack on his back, glowing with vibrant colors and filled with a magical substance called love.”
Continuing through August, Jet Pig (JETPIG) will help us learn and remember our UU values of Justice and Equity (fairness), Transformation (openness to change), Plurality (respect for difference), Interdependence (being connected) and Generosity (sharing and being thankful).
On July 13 we continue our exploration of the Unitarian Universalist values with Jet Pig! We will explore Justice and Equity through our summer learning centers - Story, Craft, Play and Talk and Listen.
Jet Pig Summer is for children pre-kinder to fifth grade. Prekinder* children will meet in room 3 with Emma, and Kinder* to Fourth* grade children will meet in Rooms 1 and 2 with Ani and Mallory. As usual, the children will start out in the sanctuary and leave with their teachers after the Time for All Ages.
*We will not advance the children in preschool through fourth grade until September. Please use their 2024-2025 grade levels.
Summer Faith Formation for Secondary School Youth
Learning how to worship IS faith formation. Our summer worship is more relaxed and a perfect time for older children to learn what we do and how to participate in worship. Incoming sixth to twelfth graders should plan to attend worship with their families through the summer. The fidget library will be open to keep hands busy.
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In The Interim
People have been curious about how the decrease in paid staff will affect faith formation programming in the 2025-2026 program year. Let’s take a look.
Many of the core duties of the Director of Faith Formation will still be done with a part time director. Reviewing, planning, calendaring and revising Sunday lessons for all six levels of classes plus nursery will be the top priority. Paid teachers will still be teaching and caregiving along with the help of parent volunteers.
The tasks of enrollment, staff management, calendaring volunteers, tracking attendance in Breeze, budget management, communication (Happenings, parent emails and texts), reporting, program evaluation and marketing we hope will also remain with staff.
Along with the Sunday lessons come the logistics of ordering and stocking supplies and books when needed. Some of these tasks may need to be shifted to volunteers. Our supply closet is fully inventoried online now as is the VUU children’s library.
Last year was a Coming of Age year which required a fair amount of staff time planning, scheduling, teaching, and fundraising. The 2025-2026 is scheduled to be a service project year, a year when our high school youth travel on a service trip to learn a new culture and how to be of service. This project will need somewhat fewer hours planning, scheduling, and fundraising, as Coming of Age. It will need to be entirely managed by volunteers as part time staff will not have these paid hours.
During the fall and winter of 2024-2025 year we offered several adult classes with three of them planned, scheduled and taught by the director. The new director will not have the paid time to plan, schedule or teach adult classes. Volunteers supervised by Rev. Sarah will be needed to build out this program.
VUU historically offers seasonal special events and worship services. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Solstice, Easter and more. The new part time director will not have the hours to do this planning, scheduling and marketing. If we are to have these special events, they will need to be supported by volunteers.
In worship, we expect the new director to be able to plan and provide the weekly Time for All Ages. However, maintenance of the toddler and baby area, the fidget library and the Soul Works tables will need to be taken over by volunteers. In addition, Rev. Sarah is likely to take on the planning and implementation of All Community Worship services.
With the help of a few teams of dedicated volunteers, we can make up the difference in what staff are now doing and what we will be able to pay for in the coming year. That will be about 24 hours a week, or teams of eight people total doing about three hours weekly. This level of volunteerism will allow us to maintain the programs at their current levels.
Without volunteers we will need to cut back on programming such as the youth service trip, seasonal events, adult faith formation, children’s worship aides and more. Interested in helping? Click here to find a way to plug in.
--Submitted by Sara Sautter, Interim Director of Faith Formation Ministry
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Diane Hansen
I received a call from Diane Hansen letting me know that she has been in the hospital. She has permitted me to share this update. At this time, she is unsure when she will be discharged.
She does not want visitors, but cards would be appreciated. Her home address is 1853 W. Canyon Way, Chandler, AZ 85248
--submitted by Kat Karpinen
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Facilities Committee Thank you!
A HUGE thanks to our tireless volunteers who came out last month to make our Sanctuary shine! Thanks to Pam Swan, Ann Sebren, Melissa Bush, Barbara Souraf, Bill Elliott, Linda Stenholm, and Mark, Tessa, and Will Foote.
--Submitted by Mikaela Foote, Facilities Committee
| | Fellowship and Social Activities | | |
Singles Lunch Bunch
When: Friday, July 11, 1:30pm
Where: Pacific Seafood Buffet
3110 N Arizona Ave, Chandler
All you can eat of a fabulous selection of seafood and more! RSVP to Claudette by phone or text 973-768-6047 (Texts preferred)
—Submitted by Claudette Wassil
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Page Turners Book Club
The Page Turners Book Club is open to all members, visitors, and friends of VUU who enjoy reading and discussing a variety of books. The next meeting is July 17 at 7:00 PM, we will meet at the home of Johnnie Godfrey in Tempe (near Baseline Rd. and the 101). The book is Project Hail Mary by Andrew Weir.
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crew mates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.
For the meeting address or questions, please contact Johnnie at 480-231-8381 or email: membership@vuu.org.
--Submitted by Amy Monahan
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Paz de Cristo
Volunteers needed this month!
Continuing the Tradition… Keeping the Commitment… Living our Principles
June date: Friday, July 11, 4pm - 7pm
Location: 424 W Broadway Rd, Mesa, AZ
Click here for the sign up link
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, July 11, 2025. Volunteers gather at the Paz kitchen/dining room from 4 to 7 pm to prepare several meal items and then serve the evening meal. Additional tasks include cleanup of dishes, sweeping and mopping of floors and taking out the trash. 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 at www.vuu.org/paz.
--Submitted by Joanne McGrath
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I-HELP
Support Needed Over the Summer
Over the summer both Rev. Sarah and Adrienne O’Donnell have travel plans (and Rev. Sarah will be taking her vacation and study leave time). This will take us away from helping I-HELP guests and dinner hosts get set up. If you have been trained or are willing to be trained to do I-HELP hosting, we need you! This basically is a commitment from 5:15–7:00pm, four or five times a month. The dates we need help are: July 7, 15, 21, and 28. Adrienne is available for some of these dates but needs help. The highlighted dates are the ones when we provide the meal and host. Please reach out to Adrienne if you can commit to one or more of these dates.
—Rev. Sarah
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Good Trouble Lives On - 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 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.
VUU UU the VOTE has selected a few ways to participate:
1. Good Trouble Lives On: Tempe Pedestrian Bridge
Thursday, July 17
6:30 – 9am
Cole Park
2000 E Carson Dr
Tempe, AZ 85282
This is more than a protest; it’s a moral reckoning. A continuation of the movement Lewis helped lead, and a new front in the struggle for freedom. This event meets ADA standards. Text Karen at 480-600-1574 to receive the meeting place.
Register here.
2. Good Trouble Lives On: "Voting Rights: The Struggle To Be Counted" (a film viewing/discussion)
Thursday, July 17
4:30 – 6pm (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
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Paz de Cristo
Donation of the Month:
Hamburger Helper and Macaroni and Cheese
Paz Donation List
Please leave donations in the "Paz de Cristo" box in the sanctuary foyer.
Contact: Paul Reed
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Border Support
Donations needed for asylum seekers at the border:
- Small handheld fruit cups
- Small handheld juice
- Veggie cups or squeezies
- Used clothing (all sizes, all seasons)
Please put donations in the "Refugee Aid" box in the sanctuary foyer.
Contact: Sharon Kopina
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Partners in Education
Adams Elementary appreciates your TAX CREDIT donations. Get dollar-for-dollar credit to offset AZ tax liability this tax season!
Contact: Adrienne O'Donnell
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Unitarian Universalist Congregation | vuu.org | | | | |
