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Lucy Trissel

You've no doubt noticed the colorful, stylized panels that enhance the exterior of our Sanctuary. It could be, however, that you don't know these are the work of our own Lucy Trissel. Using a southwest color palette to express a selection of desert and U-U symbolism, she has created treasures for us to admire and cherish.

Late in November Lucy completed yet another panel, this one for the R. E. Building door. It depicts the traditional Circle of Friends, adapting children to the design.

SPECIAL HOLIDAY GIFT FUND

Many churches have a special holiday appeal around the Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year season.

This year the board has voted to invite you to make a special contribution to the church.

The purpose of this Holiday Gift Fund will be to support some initiatives for growth and ministry that were not known or planned when the operating budget was voted last May.

Your help will encourage church leaders that they are on the right course in promoting these objectives in their current activities. The church addressed envelope enclosed in this newsletter is for your convenience.

I have now lived seventy-one Christmases. When I was a child, it seemed easy. My affluent parents filled my stocking and gave me whatever I asked (in 1940s terms). Childhood left along with a discovery that the wrapped packages I tore into were distractions from what I really wanted. In my youth I never asked for, but I expected immortality. A dying mother told me, "If you ask for anything, make it good health." So went the illusion of being immortal.

I never asked to be a god, either, but I expected to control life so I'd never be hurt, feel sad or afraid.

Experience has confirmed that I can't make everything come out all right; no matter how hard I try. Wisdom is to accept the darkness without being afraid that all the lights will go out.

I never asked to be perfect, but I expected peace on earth and a world where poverty, injustice and ignorance would be eradicated. I now know that I won't see it in my lifetime, I dream with patience.

So what's left for Christmas? Despite all the distractions, my mortality, my inability to have it all, and my imperfect world, I still have moments: times of love from family and friends; times of truth when it cuts a fine edge; times of hope when I really believe, nonetheless. These moments warm me and temper a cold that would otherwise make me callous, bitter and resentful. I have memories: Christmases past, when I was a child and youth, and times since, when tiny lights I've seen or have kindled have dispelled the darkness.

The moments and the memories bring Christmas cheer. In them I understand the darkness. From them I know that I can still start some small fire and see those of others around me, as long as I breathe and believe in life. Merry Christmas.

Spiritual Growth Group Offered by Minister

Rev. Gaines is offering a two-session spiritual growth group for those interested in exploring the meaning of a spiritual life and how some previous life experience may help to enhance their search for a deeper spiritual life in the future.

The sessions will be held on Dec. 9th and Jan. 6th, from 12:30 to 3:00 pm at the church. The group is limited to seven participants. A sign-up sheet is available at Sunday services or contact Sandra Mahoney (623-486-4685) to enroll.

The workshops will include writing and sharing assignments, and attendance at both workshops will be expected of those who register.

Augmenting Membership Initiatives Meeting,

Saturday, Dec. 9th, 3-5 p.m.

Many members of the West Valley Church have said that membership growth is a priority for the future. Until now, Cindy Nowell has been assuming almost all the responsibilities for membership growth and after two and one-half years of primarily serving alone in this capacity, she has asked that she be replaced as Chair of the Membership Committee.

WVUU needs more than one person specifically working on new member activities. So Darryl Bailey and Charles Gaines have called a meeting to review what we are currently doing and what we need to be doing in order to achieve an 8% net growth in membership. Those willing to think about it or be involved are invited. The meeting will attempt to staff support activities such as reaching out to visitors after services, tracking information about visitors from their 1st visit to joining the church, telephoning recent visitors, hosting get-togethers for newcomers, overseeing new member orientation, conducting a welcoming ceremony for new members, and integrating new members into the church after they join. Each helper will have a specific task for the next six months. No one will be excessively burdened. Please join us in order to achieve a net membership growth of from 8-10% in the coming year.

If we can do this for the next two years, the church will have over 100 members for the first time in its history.

Annual Silent Auction

Date: Saturday, February 10, 2007 Time: 5:00-8:00 pm

Theme: Dancing for the Bottom Line

The evening will include a silent auction to benefit the church. Please donate your items as soon as possible! Please see Mia or Larry after church to get a form. (Extra forms will also be available near the calendar.) The evening will include a pot-luck supper and line dancing for all who are interested!

Some ideas for donations could be:

*a special item that you have and want to donate *a weekend get-away at your cabin or beach house

*a gift certificate to a local store/restaurant/spa

*a service that you could provide: a music lesson, cooking lesson, horseback riding, etc., etc.

*a gift basket...this could be done as a family or friends together

So...come out and support your church! Have fun and lots of laughs!! Maybe you'll come home with something special, too! See you all in February!! Mia Laine and Larry Lorenzen

Storage Shed

Nears Completion

In our objective to make our Sanctuary more attractive, the first step has to be - eliminate the ever increasing clutter factor. Toward that end, diligent members have been constructing a storage shed to the north of the Sanctuary and moving day is just around the corner!

As the shed nears completion we are asking everyone, to concentrate for a few minutes on anything you might have stored behind the screen in the southwest corner of the sanctuary. Consider files, supplies, paraphernalia. Consider decorations from old projects. Consider removing unneeded, unwanted items. Consider how your or your committee will want to protect your items from the inevitable dust in the storage shed.

We are anxious to find a dolly or cart that will store and move the stacks of chairs currently taking up space in the R.E. Building. We use the chairs weekly, so will want to be able to move them quickly and easily in and out of the shed. Anyone? Please contact Ann Harper, 602-992-3132 or E-mail:

candied@cox.net

...And from Bill Norman

The concrete block refuse enclosure at the Northwest corner of our parking lot will be cleaned out (except for obvious landscaping tools) the first week of December!

If you have anything you wish to rescue or get special treatment, please call Ann Harper (see above) or Bill Norman 623-979-4875

Many, Many Thanks to

Cindy Nowell for her being our Membership Chairperson the last two-and-one-half years. She greeted people most Sundays and always arranged to have some one greeting when she could not be there.

She prepared beautiful Church directories for us and a whole new set of name tags that will last for many years.

Sunday School News

This month, both the Eagles and the older kids learned about Moses. Ask the kids to tell you about the ten plagues. They were pretty horrible.

By the end of November, the Eagles were talking about the first UU principle: We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: The inherent worth and dignity of every person.

In other words: We believe that every person is important. If we believed truly believe that, how would we treat other people?

If you have any questions about Sunday school or children's

programs, call Kathy at

623-915-2678.

Dec 9th - 6:00 - 8:30 PM - Parents Night Out and Christmas Pageant Practice at the Surprise UU church. All kids welcome. Call Kathy A for directions and more information.

December 17 - Kids perform Christmas Pageant at the Surprise church. Church service is at 10:30. Kids should arrive by 10:15 for last minute preparations.

December 24 - Kids will repeat the Christmas Pageant at West Valley during the Christmas Eve evening service.

December 31 - New Years Eve. No Sunday school.

Sunday Services 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, December 3, 2006, Speaker: Rebecca Riggs: Sermon: "All That Is Not Lost" For me personally, and considering the state of the world, probably for many others, this has been a year of tragedy and loss. The season of 'giving thanks' is difficult. How do we continue to give thanks while living in a world that is not as it should be?

Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006, Speaker: Rev. Charles Gaines: Sermon: "Who Is Tending the Fire?" A special Volunteer Sunday will offer tribute to our current leaders in the church as well as provide a framework for current and future leaders. We also hope to have a brief dedication of our new shed following the service.

Sunday, December 17, 2006 Speaker: Randy Nowell: "Mindfulness and Intimacy on the Noble Eightfold Path." Randy Nowell will discuss the three divisions of the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism and give some examples from his own life of how walking the path can lead to the development of new levels of mindfulness, and a new degree of intimacy in all our interactions.

Sunday, December 24, 2006, Speaker Rev. Charles Gaines: Sermon "The Darkness, the Light, and a Whisper in Our Ear." "I've been told that the custom of West Valley Church has been to have only one service when Sunday falls on Christmas Eve." Today we'll have two services.

Sunday, December 31, 2006, Speaker: Joel Foster : Thirty five years ago I came to know something of the oldest story of creation of the world, that of 'Dreamtime.' I found it remarkable that in the harsh Australian environment - a place of extremes desert wastes , infertile soils, awfully hot summers, and droughts lasting decades, that a people would have the time, much less the philosophy, to produce myths of insight, beauty, and joy. Dreamtime is equal in substance to our stories of Big Bang and evolution by natural selection.

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 84 members and many more friends.

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