Sunday Services

This September we return to our Desert Ritual Year (DRY) calendar. DRY is the thematic rotation we developed within our Baja 4 collaboration of four Unitarian Universalist congregations here in Southern Arizona. It is meant to help us reflect our independence and our lives here in the Sonoran Desert in our Sunday services and our religious exploration.

This year our DRY theme is World Religions. We will be engaging the meaning that we share with several different global faiths as we connect with congregations and cultures locally. We begin with a familiar one: Unitarian Universalism.

September 22 Pulpitpalooza

Rev. Inge Detweiler, Robin Bousel, & Iris Safehaven

Rev. Inge from Borderlands UU joins us as she swaps pulpits with Rev. Matthew.

September 29 "Pride Sunday"

Robin Bousel & Chris Tackett

Here in the desert we celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride in late September! Come and celebrate MVUU's Pride!

 Do you recall the ad campaign, "got milk?" It began back in 1993 with celebrities sporting milk mustaches posing the question in lower case letters. Everyone seemed to be in on it from actors and actresses to athletes to musicians to a few fictional characters (I recall both Superman, Kermit the Frog, and Bart and Lisa Simpson with milk mustaches).

As ad campaigns go it was broadly inclusive (with the obvious exception of vegans and folks who are lactose intolerant). And even though the grammar was poor and the milk mustaches were fake, the impact was far reaching, with a reported 90% increase in milk awareness (gotmilk.com).

As a secular faith community that values democracy, I feel like we need a similar campaign as we move closer and closer to the November election. The time is right for a "got vote?" campaign.

I imaging we'd see various people with different political backgrounds holding up their ballots and grinning happily. The copy would be simple:

Voting is for each and every American. It takes less than 10 minutes to do it correctly, and you could influence leadership and policy that could add years to your life. It doesn't just happen on its own, so make a plan for how you will vote. And because we prosper when more people participate, check in with three family members or friends, and ask them if they...

got vote?

Regardless of my imaginary campaign, I invite you to make your plan and join me in asking three others about theirs. It really doesn't take all that long, but it's been reported that when people don't make a plan, they are far less likely to make the effort. So, since we do "got votes" it would be a terrible waste not to use them.

Rev. Matthew

RE Committee: Sept 20th 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

Side with Love Event Runthrough

Reimagine Together: From an Extractive Age to a New Era

UU Climate Justice Revival

On Sunday, September 22, from Noon to 1 pm, UUA and Side with Love will stream a runthrough of the agenda for the national Reimagine Together: From an Extractive Age to a New Era event on Zoom to Climate Revival facilitators and climate leaders .

The runthrough will provide guidance for us on the September 29, and October 5-6, 2024 MVUU event. MVUU will host the UU Climate Justice Revival to collectively reimagine a spirit-filled and liberatory future. Through conversations, worship, and advocacy, our congregation will work to realize climate justice and collective liberation in our communities.

Optional RSVP:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1qooAs2m5O8IkKc8WNXQTFG7kUwziyem2-9RUpqeIT60

Contigo Tambien

Welcome to Contigo Tambien, a renewed version of Contigo! Like its predecessor, Contigo Tambien is an MVUU ministry. Its function is to help migrant families and individuals succeed as independent members of the Tucson community through volunteer participation.

Currently, there are two wonderful families, originally from Venezuela, who need our support. Both families are now living with Reverend Christiane Heyde and her wife Melva Ballesteros. One family includes Willy, Juana Anais and William (age 8). Our other family includes Gabriel, Xiuruby and Lyam, (age 6). Lyam and William love their

school and both families are excited to make Tucson their home.

If you would like to be a part of the Contigo Tambien team and help in any way, please fill out the interest form below and email it to us at the email sherylandjohn@hotmail.com.

The interest form lets us know what skills you can share or what interests you. If you have questions, please send them to sherylandjohn@hotmail.com and we will do our best to answer them.

Sheryl and John will also be available at MVUU after the service on Sunday, September 29th in the Oasis to answer any questions.

If you do not have the ability or desire to help in this way but would like to make a monetary contribution, we invite you to write a check in any amount to MVUU with Contigo Tambien in the explanation. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at

Contigotambienmvuu@gmail.com

In Gratitude,

Sheryl and John sherylandjohn@hotmail.com

CHECK OUT WHATS NEW

IN THE LIBRARY

Introducing two women authors who are Unitarian Universalist ministers and who offer hopeful ways to survive whatever life throws at you.

Take What you Need: Life Lessons After Losing Everything. By Jen Crow. This is a lesson of how to look at things that happened and choose to find healing and growth from them. It is grounded and wise companionship for those times when we need it most.

Stubborn Grace: Faith, Mental Illness and Demanding a Blessing. Author Kate Landis describes how through activism she found a spiritual community that helped her fight against depression. This is a poignant journey to faith and community.

Find under WELLNESS

Let’s Ordain Pastor Jamili!

Sept 21 | 10:30am-noon | UUCT at 4831 E. 22nd St

Please consider saving the date in order to celebrate with UUCT and the Baja 4 in the Ordination of Pastor Jamili Omar.

Date: September 21, 2024

Time: ceremony begins at 10:30am with lunch to follow

Location: the UU Church of Tucson at 4831 E 22nd St, Tucson, AZ or on YouTube.

RSVP to let us know that we will have the pleasure of your company.

Funding Ordination

Good news! Due to a number of generous contributions, we raised our portion of the funds to go towards a gift for Pastor Jamili's end of internship gift. The chasuble arrived and she loves it! If you are willing and able, please consider giving an additional donation to go towards UUCT's Ordination of Pastor Jamili. Contributions can be made on-line by clicking the Pastor Jamili tab on our giving page, or by making out a check to UUCT with “Jamili” in memo line and mail to UUCT).

Thank you,

Jody Bergedick, UUCT member of Jamili’s Baja 4 Intern Committee

SAZCUUPS Fall Equinox Celebration

Sunday Sept 22, 2024 at 6:15pm

At UUCT - 4831 E. 22nd Street, Tucson, AZ

The SAZCUUPS Admin Council presents our first IN-PERSON ONLY celebration! (There will be no Zoom presentation.)

There is no ritual component. This is about music, celebration, and friendship. The evening's activities will include Fall Equinox-appropriate readings. We encourage you to bring a poem or short essay you'd like to share. Please bring a snack to share at the celebration.

Childcare is available on request (email dre.uuct@gmail.com).

Doors open at 6:15 PM MST, with the celebration beginning at 6:30.

We will meet in Goddard Hall and the connected courtyard at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson at 4831 East 22nd St. Masks are now optional indoors at UUCT.

Celebrate Pride with Us! On September 29th we will have a special service dedicated to celebrating Pride and honoring the LGBTQIA+ community. We invite you to share your creativity and experiences—whether through art, music, poetry, stories, testimonials, etc. physical and virtual submissions are welcome! This is a time to uplift and celebrate the diverse voices within our community. Submissions are welcome from all! Let's come together to express our support, love, and pride.

For more information or to submit your contributions, please contact Robin at robin.bousel@mvuu.org

Art Group

Art Group meets on the second

Saturday of each month. No need for any experience or talent

to attend! Feel free to bring your art to share. Any questions,

please call/text Ginny Stack at (630) 841-8705 or email her at

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.

“Taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic"

CALLING ALL WOMEN! MVUU WOMEN’S GROUP - WOMEN AND CONNECTIONS

WE MEET Every Third Saturday at MVUU 10:00-Noon to join together in friendship and laughter. Please join us! 

Please mark your calendars in advance for the third Saturday of each month. 

NOTE: We have set up a GOOGLE GROUPS email system. Through this group, we send important notices and updates. If you have asked to be in our group, but have not received an Email Invitation to join the Google Group “Women and Connections,” please check your spam folder. If you don’t see it in your spam folder, please email claudiasilverman6@gmail.com and we will send another invite. 

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE NEXT MEETING! 

Cathy Becskehazy (cathy.becskehazy@mvuu.org)

Pamela Gilbert (pamela.gilbert@mvuu.org)

Claudia Silverman (claudiasilverman6@gmail.com)

September Woven Basket Partner

Interfaith

The mission of ICS is to provide pathways leading to more stable and self-sufficient lives.