West Valley UU Times - West Valley Unitarian Universalist Church

West Valley UU Times
W e s t Va l l e y U n i t a r i a n U n i v e r s a l i s t C h u r c h
Founded December 1983
June 2013
Board
Trustees January 21,
On of
Monday,
members
to re-commit
Ann Harper,met
President
themselves
to the goals of the
president @westvalleyuu.org
2012 Justice General AssemValerie Lynch, President-Elect
bly.
The
group agreed that
vlmail
@hotmail.com
the following goals will conOnna our
Johnson,
Secretaryto protinue
commitment
onnaj @cox.net
tect "the inherent worth and
Mitch James,
Treasurer
dignity
of all
people". We
treasurer
@westvalleyuu.org
hope that EVERY member
Roz Cook,
and
friendAt-Large
of West Valley
rozcooksalot
@gmail.com
will find activities
to participate
in
within
these
goals.
Judy Armstrong, At-Large
judya @zona.net
1. Phoenix Restoration ProGo-toContinue
People: our affiliation
ject:
with
PRP, Nancy
focusing
onpatio
penFacilities:
Stier,
palling
and
participating
area; Tom Begush, buildings; in
Glenn Snyder,
visitations
thatirrigation
they schedule.
Worship
Dorothy
Make
sureServices:
they know
of our
Ward
willingness to meet and greet
Membership:
released
detainees, as well as
Stewardship:
Valerie Lynch
assist with temporary
shelter.
Religious Education: Nick
Inform them that we are conReachmack, adults; Nancy
tinuing
to collect "personal
Stier, children
care
items"
butCorielle
will deliver
Circle Suppers:
these
to
Puente
until
needed
James
for
meeting and
greeting.
Hospitality:
Dianne
Rodgers
Barbara
Kovach
2.Caring:
Puente:
Continue
collectLeadership Development:
ing and providing what we
Board of Trustees
can
(clothing,
toiletries,
Social
Action: food,
Trustees
toys
and
games)
to
assist in
Communication: Wayne
the
support of families in disDaniel
tress,
through this
Administrator:
Ann organizaHarper
tion.
wvuu5904 @gmail.com
Long Range Planning
For Our Next
Leap of Faith
There is little question about the
need for a larger, nicer sanctuary,
which would allow us to then create a
larger, nicer Religious Education
(R.E.) space from the current sanctuary. We need to accommodate more
members and visitors, and we need to
quit scaring away new families with
our unsatisfactory R.E. space.
We are also faced with a $108,000
balloon payment which will come
due on our current mortgage in February 2014.
The Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC) has obtained assurances from certain members that they
are willing to loan about $240,000 to
the church for: construction of a sanctuary, about 50% larger than the current one, on a slab immediately north
of the Reay Shelter; paving of the
north segment of the parking lot; re-
furbishing the restrooms in the R.E.
building; and remodeling of the current sanctuary for use by R.E. We
will probably need additional construction loans and donations in order
to complete all of those projects.
The new sanctuary is shown as
“Phase 1 Sanctuary” on the site plan
on page 2 of this newsletter.
When the new sanctuary is completed by the end of 2013, the church
will have a much more valuable property to refinance. This will enable us
to pay off the current mortgage, releasing current guarantors, and repay
some or all of the members’ construction loans.
The LRPC membership includes
Noël Johnson, Chair; Terry Mead;
Onna Johnson; Wayne Daniel; and
Paul Dotterer.
No steeple!
2013 Recommitment to
Please leavethe
a message, and
we’ll get back to you.
2012 Justice GA
Church:
info@westvalleyuu.org
623.846.6004
Well, maybe not quite!
Contact Information
PAGE 2
J UNE 2 01 3
W EST V A L L E Y U U T I M E S
West Valley UU Site Plan
Arrow Points to New Sanctuary Location
LOOK OUT AHEAD !
Films of interest coming in October !
Once per month film night with films to talk about.
BE THERE
Coming on PBS
PBS will present a six hour documentary, Latino
Americans, starting Sept. 17, 7:00 pm, on Channel
8. Each program will focus on various groups of
Hispanics who have come to the U.S. The stories
are told in first person narratives.
J UNE 2 01 3
W EST V A L L E Y U U T I M E S
PAGE 3
Sign Him Up!
We’ve been seeing more (and more)
of Emily lately. Now we can see
why and rejoice with her and Pax.
Meet James Reid Whitmore,
“5lbs 12oz, wonderful”, according to
Dad.
May 24, 2013.
Congratulations!
June Board Meeting
The Board of Trustees will next meet
at 12:00 pm, Sunday, June 16, in the sanctuary. Congregation members are always
welcome. Both incoming and outgoing
Board
members,
committee
liaisons,
chairs, coordinators, or representatives
should attend. Your input into policy decisions and congregational activities is vital.
Editor’s Notes
If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter,
let me know. 602.380.5608 (cell, 8:00 am to
noon); wayne-daniel @live.com; 19225 N. Cave
Creek Rd. #64, Phoenix, AZ 85024.
You can receive the Newsletter by email or snailmail, or both, and you can change methods at any
time.
Stories, announcements, photographs, links, and
comments are accepted any time. The deadline
for the June newsletter is Tuesday, June 25.
Getting material in on time is critical.
Children’s Religious Education
A couple years ago, we started the church year
with no children's religious education program, but
decided to revive it in October of 2011. Our decision has brought new life to our congregation, producing both joy and responsibility.
Starting in August, the church school would like
to offer two different classes each Sunday for elementary school-aged children. One class would
serve children ranging in age from about 2 to 6.
The other would be for students in grades 2-5.
In addition, we are considering starting a Coming of Age program for teenagers. They would
work with an adult UU mentor once a month during
church to explore their own religious beliefs and
write them down.
If you are interested in teaching either elementary class once a month, or in serving as a mentor
for youth, please contact Nancy Stier soon.
PAGE 4
W EST V A L L E Y U U T I M E S
J UNE 2 01 3
Gavel Talk
[Presented at the Congregational Meeting, May 19.]
As my term in office winds down it is gratifying
to review and report to you the slow but sure progress of this congregation during the past five
months. Because written committee reports frequently go unread, I’ve chosen to condense cumulative reports to present as part of this president’s final
report. So, make yourselves comfortable.
R.E.
In August, the church school plans to offer two
classes each Sunday. One class will serve children
ages 2 to 6. The other will be for second through
fifth grade students. A Coming of Age program for
teenagers is under consideration. The young people
would work with an adult UU mentor once a month,
during the church service, to explore their own religious beliefs.
Where would we put them all? Funny you should
ask. Long Range Planning has the answers.
Facilities
Every once in a while we have to remind ourselves that “Facilities” is more than keeping the
weeds under control or the palo verde branches 7 ft.
above the Cholla St. sidewalk. It is curb appeal, irrigation, carpentry, computers, blacktop, communications, plumbing, illumination, audio systems, and
electrical concerns, to begin the list.
To the dozen or so undaunted souls who work devotedly and diligently on selected Tuesday and Saturday mornings and all those other times we never
hear about, please accept this congregation’s sincere
appreciation.
Worship Services
In the absence of a minister, the business of the
Worship Services committee has probably doubled
in both activity and intensity. Tasked with finding
compelling speakers each month, one of which
should be an ordained minister, and making this
work despite its dwindling budget balance, they
have never let us down. In fact they have pleasantly
surprised us on more than one occasion with lay
speakers from this very congregation. Our thanks go
to them and to the members and friends of this congregation who have stepped up to the podium on
many a Sunday morning.
The question of ministerial search, is always with
us. The establishment of a ministerial fund is, to my
way of thinking, inevitable. We are on the brink of
taking some giant steps. But more of that from Long
Range Planning.
Post-General Assembly Activity
Since the closing of the 2012 Justice General Assembly almost a year ago (can you believe it?), we
have participated in numerous post G.A. activities,
all means of fulfilling our commitment to “justice,
equity and compassion in human relations,” which
as UUs we have covenanted and affirmed to promote. In Arizona the greater emphasis is immigrant
centered. We’ve collected and distributed personal
care items, toys and household goods for immigrant
families in need; we’ve corresponded with and visited incarcerated detainees; we’ve shown up at rallies and protests, assisted LPRs (legal permanent
residents) initiate their citizenship paperwork, and in
February, along with other UU churches in the valley and in the state, we helped re-establish UU Day
at the Legislature, a practice that had fallen by the
wayside in recent years. Let’s keep up the good
work.
Membership
Since the Fall Congregational meeting eight new
members have signed our membership book. A Path
to Membership class, usually provided prior to joining, was scheduled for late in May and we will formally welcome our new members this month before
the congregation thins out for the summer months.
Leadership
Responding to suggestions, ideas, and questions
posed at January’s Congregational Brainstorming
Session, as well as to critical issues already in the
(Continued on page 5)
J UNE 2 01 3
W EST V A L L E Y U U T I M E S
PAGE 5
of West Valley UU Church. It has been my pleasure
and my privilege – and I thank you all.
(Continued from page 4)
mill- - - thirteen committee chairs, board members
and other interested parties convened in February
for an energetic and productive Leadership Retreat.
Out of that meeting came plans for the expanded
R.E. program and the elemental components of the
Long Range Plan presented at the Spring Congregational meeting.
Respectfully submitted, Ann Harper
We now enjoy a newly designed Website, a new
West Valley brochure, and updates made to our
rental policy increase our fees by 20%. Effective
July 1, a new Board of Trustees will be at West Valley’s helm. I’ve had the great good fortune to work
with most of them over the past year in a variety of
capacities. They are capable, willing, energetic, insightful and altogether committed to the prosperity
June Speakers and Topics
June 2: “An Atheist’s Sermon" - Mitch James.
"I am here to represent people who do not worship any gods, people who choose life without belief in the
supernatural. We are called by many names: atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, skeptics, secular humanists. I
am comfortable with any one of these labels but please do not call me an unbeliever."
June 9: A Set of Celebrations.
It is the last Sunday of Children's Religious Education. We will celebrate with a dedication of the children.
We are overjoyed to have had several new members join our congregation in the past few months, so we
will have a reception of new members service.
And, before spring gives way to summer, we will have our annual flower communion.
An opportunity to participate in all of these UU traditions that celebrate our values.
June 16, Father’s Day: “Turn out the lights!: Reflections on the joys and sorrows of fatherhood” Terry Mead
June 23: “Action for Justice Sunday” - Chris Hedges
A videotape of Chris Hedges delivering a powerful sermon at the Community Church of New York, May
13, 2012.
June 30: Dylan Foster
PAGE 6
J UNE 2 01 3
W EST V A L L E Y U U T I M E S
June 2013
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
26
27
10:30 am Wor- 7:30 pm
ship: Jim Reay Men’s AlAnon, RE
Wednesday
28
29
6:30 pm Mem- Life Line
oir Group, RE Screening
Thursday
30
Friday
Saturday
31
June 1
7:00 am:
Adventurers’
Club
5
6
7:00 pm:
Audubon Society Board, RE
7
9:00 am First
Friday Breakfast: Brothers,
8466 W Peoria
Ave
8
8:00 am: Building and Grounds
Service Opportunity
12
13
14
FLAG DAY
15
18
19
6:30 pm Memoir Group, RE
20
21
22
27
28
29
MEMORIAL 7:00 pm Zen
Meditation-S
DAY
June 2
10:30 am Worship: Mitch
James
3
7:30 pm
Men’s AlAnon, RE
4
8:00 am: Building & Grounds
. Service Opportunity
.
7:00 pm Zen
Meditation-S
9
10:30 am Worship: A Set of
Celebrations .
10
7:30 pm
Men’s AlAnon, RE
11
7:00 pm Zen
Meditation, S
16 - 10:30 am
17
Worship: Terry 7:30 pm
Mead
. Men’s AlFATHER’S
Anon, RE
DAY
.
.
7:00 pm Zen
Meditation-S
12:00 noon:
Board of Trustees
23
10:30 am Worship: Chris
Hedges Video
24
7:30 pm
Men’s AlAnon, RE
25
7:00 pm Zen
Meditation-S
30
10:30 am Worship: Dylan
Foster
July 1
7:30 pm
Men’s AlAnon, RE
2
8:00 am: Building & Grounds
. Service Opportunity
.
7:00 pm Zen
Meditation-S
26
3
4
7:00 pm:
Audubon Society Board, RE
5
9:00 am First
Friday Breakfast: Brothers,
8466 W Peoria
INDEPEND- Ave
ENCE DAY
6
7:30 am:
Adventurers’
Club
J UN E 2 0 1 3
W EST V A L L E Y U U T I M E S
Addiction Ministry Survey Results
Are you concerned that you or someone important to you may have an addiction
problem?
Are you concerned for yourself?
A family member?
PAGE 7
Yes
No
13
2
11
5
6
16
26
16
17
20
Are you getting help for the problem?
Do you have a co-worker or friend with an addiction problem that is affecting
your life?
Are you getting help dealing with these friends or loved ones?
5
19
Do you need help finding out if there is a problem?
1
25
What addictive substances or behaviors are affecting your life or the life of a loved one?
Check all that apply:
Drugs (illegal or prescription)
6
Alcohol
9
Food
4
Sex
0
Gambling
0
Other
a. mainstream American values
b. hoarding
Would you or someone you know be interested in:
A support group within our congregation for:
people in early recovery from drug or alcohol dependence?
1
family and friends of substance-dependent individuals?
6
teenagers dealing with their own addiction or that of family or
3
friends?
Adult education programs focusing on:
the nature of chemical dependence and how to identify a problem?
6
facts and myths about drugs and alcohol
5
Short-term addiction assessment and referral?
1
Faith-based addiction counseling?
1
Yes No
Would you like to see more attention to drugs and alcohol in the religious education program?
10
10
Would you like to see addiction and recovery addressed in worship services?
18
5
If so, how often many times in a year?
1 time – 7; 2 times – 5; 4 times – 2; no answer – 3
Would you attend a worship service held at a designated time that focused on recovery issues?
11
8
Additional comments or questions:
Send a follow-up questionnaire about the times and dates these services might be held.
PAGE 8
WE ST V ALLE Y U U T IME S
V O LU M E 1 , ISSU E 1
Adventurers’ Club
The Adventurers’ Club travels to Globe for a
moderately challenging hike up Pinal Peak on Saturday, June 1. We also switch to our summer
schedule: meeting at 7 a.m. outside the Paradise
Bakery & Grill at 67th Avenue and Loop 101 to
form carpools and caravan.
We’ll be hiking the Pioneer Trail, a 2.3 mile
climb from 6,156 to 7,800 feet and driving on Forest Service roads accessible to all vehicles. Dogs
are allowed, but must be on a leash.
If you want to just hike up as far as you feel
comfortable, you can return to the trailhead and either sit around and meditate on the quiet or drive to
the Besh Ba Gowah Archeological Park that we’ll
pass south of Globe on our way to the trail.
For more info, contact Terry
tmead[at]meadandassociates.com
Mead
at
Lecture : An art of transferring information from
the notes of the lecturer to the notes of the students
without passing through the minds of either.
Make contributions to West Valley via PayPal
from your own PayPal account to
wvuumembers@gmail.com.
June
Birthdays
5th - Terry Mead
10th - Larry Lorenzen
18th - Frank Avila
25th - Dorothy Ward
Anniversaries
None Known
If yours is not listed, that is because the Administrator does not have the information.
This is the application that the on-line calendar
at westvalleyuu.org uses .
If you also use Google Calendar, you can link to
the church’s calendar so that WVUU events show
up on your calendar. And no, people viewing the
WVUU calendar cannot see what is on yours.
On the left side of the Google Calendar screen, it
says “Other Calendars.” Click on the “+” to expand the list, then type
“wvuumembers@gmail.com” in the box that says
“Add a friend’s calendar.”
V O LU M E 1 , ISSU E 1
WE ST V ALLE Y U U T IME S
PAGE 9
Welcome New Members
Eight wonderful people joined our ranks on May 5. Front row, left to right: Yolanda Welch, Elizabeth
Skinner, Kirk Ivy, Fern Hall, Carl Alexander. Back row, left to right: Julie Tennant, Lon Curtis. Not pictured: Gina Martinez.
Circle Suppers (Yum!)
WVUUC has a longstanding tradition of monthly
circle suppers on the second Saturday of the month.
These are pot-luck suppers held from October
through May at the home of a member or friend.
The hosts plan and prepare the main dish and the
guests bring the rest. Hosts may sign up at the beginning of the year and guests at WVUUC sign up
the month before the event.
The goals of these suppers are to introduce new
members and friends, and for long time members to
get to know new people beyond the short pre- and
post- church time on Sundays.
Our May circle supper was a luau hosted by
Barry Linden and Sandra Mahoney and was attended by 12 others, including two new members,
Lon Curtis and Elizabeth Skinner.
Sandra Mahoney
PAGE 10
W EST V A L L E Y U U T I M E S
J UN E 2 0 1 3
In Memoriam - Joanne Bell Smith
Joanne Bell Smith, born March 15,1953, died
May 19, 2013 of breast cancer. She was a resident
of Glendale, Arizona.
Joanne, a graduate of Central Michigan University, enjoyed a successful career in media--in radio,
TV and advertising--even though she never knew
what she wanted be when she grew up. She moved
to Arizona and became traffic manager at KBBCFM radio, now 98.7 The Peak. After her first marriage ended in divorce, Joanne met broadcast engineer Chuck Smith, whom she married in 1981.
Their union lasted until Chuck’s death from leukemia in 2010.
Joanne was employed for 21 years at Phoenix advertising agency Moses Anshell. Hired as a copywriter, Joanne was eventually promoted to vice
president of creative management, although nobody
really knew what that title meant.
Joanne's creative work garnered more than 50
advertising awards, including two Clios and two
London International Advertising Festival Gold
Awards. She was named by the Phoenix Advertising
Club as Copywriter of the Year 1990 and 1991 and
was also the recipient of an Addy Special Judges
Award for Copywriting. A radio commercial Joanne
wrote was featured in the CD "World's Best Radio
Ads 1997-1998." She was thrilled but discovered
the ad biz gives out almost as many awards to its
members as Hollywood does, but ad people aren’t
so good-looking.
Joanne was such a
flaming liberal, it
was a wonder she
didn’t die of spontaneous combustion.
She loved writing,
odd art projects,
good books, perfect ly
me lt ed
s’mores,
classic
movies, black humor, live music, and all the good people she was
privileged to know. She sends a hug and kiss from
the Big Beyond to all. And if she appears in your
bedroom in her ectoplasmic form, try not to scream
too loud. She, herself, gets easily spooked.
Donations in her memory may be made to help
support her beloved cats at private sanctuary Purradise Ranch c/o Priscilla Dean, 34833 N. 3rd St.,
Phoenix, AZ 85086.
[Obituary written by Joan and supplied to us by Kellye Perkins.]
Joanne was a foster parent to scores of domestic
and feral cats who knew a sucker when they saw
one. Despite her better judgment, she fell in love
with every one of them. Before she died, Joanne
made sure all her kitties had new homes through the
loving generosity of cat sanctuary Purradise Ranch.
Joanne was intrigued by all the arcane mystical
wonders of the world: astrology, reincarnation,
karma, Eastern philosophies, and the belief that everything in life happens to impart spiritual wisdom,
although not in a way that benefits you much while
you’re alive and just seems like more trouble.
Joanne, holding the “Applause” sign for the
WVUU Twirler Line, doing the “Stray Cat Strut”
J UN E 2 0 1 3
W EST V A L L E Y U U T I M E S
PAGE 11
Our Unitarian Universalist Principles
There are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote:
The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Unitarian Universalism (UU) draws from many sources:
Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us
to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as
ourselves;
Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and
warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct
us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
These principles and sources of faith are the backbone of our religious community.
http://www.uua.org/beliefs/principles/index.shtml
W E S T V AL L E Y U N I T AR I AN
U N I V E R S AL I S T C H U R C H
5904 W. CHOLLA ST .
G L E N D AL E AZ 8 5 3 0 4 - 3 2 0 5
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
We are a welcoming
congregation
COVENANT
Love is the doctrine of our church.
The quest for truth is our holy rite;
And service is our prayer.
To dwell together in peace;
To seek knowledge in freedom;
To serve humankind in friendship;
Thus do we covenant.
MISSION
The West Valley Unitarian Universalist Church
provides a safe place to :
Celebrate diversity,
Draw inspiration for our lives,
Foster social and environmental justice, and
Compassionately support each other in our
spiritual searches.
-----------------------------------------------SERVICES
Our Sunday Services begin at 10:30 a.m.,
followed by a coffee house style fellowship
hour.
Child care is available.
Children’s religious education is offered
during the second half of the service.