Page Title

West Valley UU

Church Board

President Brian O'Laughlin

President Elect Darryl Bailey

Secretary Bill and Kathy Dugan

Treasurer Dan Poland

Members at Large:

Darnell Kirksey

Donnis Deever

Church and the

Environment Need

Solar Power

We, as a group, want to protect the environment. And we want to save money. Solar panels on our roof would help the Church use less electricity which would reduce our electric bill and using less electricity protects the environment, too.

Arizona Public Service provides our electricity, and it also encourages the use of solar power. As Finance Chair I encourage anyone who would want to help us to utilize solar power. Help is needed to research, consult, or doing the actual physical installation of the solar panels on our roof. Let me know your interest by contacting me at Church or calling me at 602-246-1246.

Dorothy Ward

Chandler UU Church

Offers Spirituality

Seminar

Rev. Tom Owen-Towle, UU and author of numerous books, will lead this workshop on Saturday, October 14th at the Valley UU Church, 6400 W. Del Rio Street, Chandler AZ 85226. From 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Barbara Kovach is paying the $25 that allows all of our members to participate.

Because the Chandler Church is many miles from our Church, please indicate whether you would like to carpool by signing the sheet on the upper left hand corner of our bulletin board.

The Andersons

Phill and Tory joined our church in July, and are originally from Phoenix.

They have one daughter, Audrey, who is six months old.

Phill is a full-time student

at ASU.

Tori is employed as a finance director.

Audrey was welcomed into our church at her dedication.

Gen Volotta

Gen joined our church in June. She comes to us from Laguna Beach, California.

She is a long-time UU. Please join in welcoming Gen

to our congregation.

3rd Annual

WVUU Camping Trip

Once again, families with kids and all other campers will be sleeping under the stars in Munds Park on the weekend after Labor Day.

Our camping experience will start at noon on Saturday, September 9th. That afternoon, we'll be hiking in the National Forest. In the evening, we'll eat hot dogs and hamburgers and roast marshmallows and sing campfire songs.

In the morning, we'll be flying radio-controlled airplanes and finish our weekend with a church service deep in the woods.

Sunday School News

On August 19th, we did some serious splashing in the Nowell's pool (thanks, Cindy and Randy). We also spent some time planning our camping trip (see below).

Sunday school will start for real on September 17th. Older kids (9 - 12 years old) will meet before church at 9:30. Other kids will have their Sunday school classes during the church services.

It looks like we'll have a whole batch of three and four year olds this year. I'm still looking for a preschool teacher. We've got an excellent curriculum with stories and activities. This is a paid position - please tell me if you know anyone who is interested.

Kathy A

Kathy@Abramowitzes.com

On August 26, 2006, the 8th World Assembly of Religions For Peace convened a four-day gathering in Kyoto, Japan. UUA President William Sinkford is one of 513 religious leaders credentialed as a delegate to the meeting. The World Assembly, held every five years, addresses issues of violence that impact the entire world community. Multi-religious advocacy will take place on the highest levels as spiritual leaders from conflict zones (Iraq, Israel/Palestine and Sudan) come together in Inter-Religious Councils, special working groups that share best practices in order to become better equipped for peace-making on the ground. Previous World Assemblies have produced dramatic results, including mediating violent conflicts in the Balkans, Africa, the Middle East and Asia; activating the response of religious communities to the HIV/AIDS pandemic; and advancing the crucial work of women of faith around the globe.

On Saturday, Sinkford addressed several hundred international media at a press conference announcing the inaugural award of the Dana McLean Greeley Memorial Prize for Peace, which was presented to the Women's Desk of the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia. Fatumata Shariff, accepting the prize on behalf of the organization, said,

"It is such a privilege for African women to win this award. Liberian women passed through such a difficult time during the crisis in our country. The prize is motivation for us to work even harder to make peace a reality in Liberia." She noted that the Women's Desk will use the award stipend to address issues of violence against women, includ

Intergenerational

Game Night

Amy McCluer and Cindy Nowell invite everyone to come to the Church with their favorite game and snacks at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, September 23rd.

This is a great way to get to know other people in the Church and to have a fun evening at no cost.

Members Step

Forward to Lead

Church Auction

Larry Lorenzen and Mia Laine will plan and organize the Church's Silent and Not-So-Silent Auction.

Save your white elephants and think of your talents that you can offer to the Auction..

ing rape and genital mutilation.

The Rev. Dana McLean Greeley was the first president

of the UUA and one of the founders of Religions for Peace.

The prize in his name has been funded by The Dana McLean Greeley Foundation for Peace and Justice to honor Greeley's dream for world peace, a dream he shared with RFP co-founder the Rev. Nikkyo Niwano , the founder of the Buddhist organization Rissho Kosei-kai .

Congratulations UU's !

Mark your calendar for this very special event, which will be held Saturday, October 14th from 5:00 - 10:00 PM on our church grounds. Music will be provided by many talented musicians, including Gwendy Joysen and Hannas Kvarran. We will have guest speakers from several non-profit organizations that deal with world hunger issues. Hand-to-Hand, the fair-trade gift store, will be setting up shop in our sanctuary - great chance to shop for Christmas presents! You'll be able to buy food from vendors and get information from organizations like the One Campaign, Heifer International, CARE, Bread for the World, Interfaith Workers Justice and the Westside Food Bank. There will be activities and games for kids, too.

This event is sponsored by our church and WHEAT (World Hunger Education and Advocacy Training). It will be advertised at churches, schools and colleges throughout the West Valley. We will need your help to prepare our church and grounds for visitors and make sure the event runs smoothly.

Here's where you can help: The week before the event, we will need weed-pullers, church-cleaners and electrical helpers. On Friday, October 13th, the day of the 14th, and the morning of the 16th, we will need trucks and strong shoulders to pick up and return lights and equipment and set up tents and tables. On the evening of the event, we will need workers to collect donations at the gate, help visitors park, supervise the children's jumping castle and climbing wall, and provide clean-up in the eating tent.

This is a wonderful chance to get involved in a social action project! Please let me know if you would like to help. - Kathy A Kathy@Abramowitzes.com 623-915-2678

Kathy Abramowitz

Vermont UU Church Invites Us to See Fall Foliage

Rutland VT UU church says "Escape to Vermont" for its Twelfth Annual Bed & Breakfast Weekend, September 22-24, 2006

Enjoy the beauty of Vermont, UU hospitality, and a choice of guided activities: hiking, canoeing, visiting the studios of local artists, touring historic sites and quaint towns, and much more.

Cost $275 (single) and $475 (double).

For more information contact:

UuFoliageVermont@yahoo.com.

Call 802-438-2095 to register for the week-end.

Pacific Southwest District Votes to Select a Unitarian Universalist

Association Trustee

The following nominees are on the ballot for PSWD

UUA Trustee:

John Blue - Neighborhood UU Church of Pasadena

Nancy Edmundson - Unitarian Society of Santa

Tom Loughrey - Orange Coast UU Church

JoAnne Smith - Valley UU Church - Chandler

The Board plans to cast WVUU's 3 votes for JoAnne Smith, as she is the only nominee that is known to our congregation. If you have any concerns about the ballot, please contact a board member.

Please see front page for board members.

Sunday, September 3, 2006, Speaker: Rev. Dr. Judit "Zizi" Gellard, "The Sacred in the

Patriotic." The brilliant luminescence of the cloud-flower blossoms of the atomic bomb represented the dividing line in human history. Science lost its innocence. The opera "Dr. Atomic" rekindled the eternal question: Who will set the ethical boundaries for the human genius: scientists or politicians? Is being patriotic a moral stance or a po litical labeling? What is important: the means or the ends? The sermon grapples with ethical challenges and relativisms of our time: Is the human species riding along with the rest of God's creation?

Sunday, September 10, 2006, Speaker: Rita Christina, "The In-Gathering: A UU Tradition that celebrates the return to community after summer's travels. Bring a container of water for the "Gathering of the Waters" ritual and share your inner and outer journeys.

Sunday, September 17, 2006, Speaker: Professor Llew Howell will speak on his experiences in the Peace Corps.

Sunday, September 26, 2006, Speaker: Eb Eberlin, "Like a Wilderness". He is a singer/songwriter/story teller, former teacher, and former firefighter. He is, also, on the Board of the Sierra Ancha Wilderness Unitarian Universalist Religious Association (SAWUURA) and he lives in Tucson.

West Valley Unitarian Universalist Church

PO Box 2505

5904 W Cholla Street

Glendale, AZ 85311

Phone: 623-846-6004

Newsletter E-mail: UniqueDorothy@cox.net

This 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.

We currently have 81 members and many more friends.

Our Sunday Services begin at 10:30 AM followed by a coffee house style social hour and light lunch.