Page Title

Wayne Daniel

Joins Us

Wayne Lynn Daniel joined WVUUC in March. He grew up in Springerville, AZ on a farm and attended the Disciples of Christ Church when he was young. Wayne attended Kansas State University where he studied music education for a year. He changed his major, to better earn a living, and graduated with a degree in Business Administration. His first job was at Cessna Aircraft and he held many different jobs in marketing, office and warehouse management, purchasing, and finally in accounting.

Wayne has a son and three step children and is helping to rear two grandchildren, a 14 year old granddaughter, and a 7 year old grandson. He has three other grandchildren as well.

While attending a Catholic Church in the past, he became the church cantor for 13 years and led the congregation in singing. He then spent 5 years at St. Francis Xavier, leading their choir and performing. He then returned to the Disciples of Christ Church and eventually became the Choir Director for 3 years. When rearing the grandkids interfered with that, he quit for a while, and later became involved in singing for one service a month at an Episcopal church.

In Your Easter

Bonnet

This year, we will hold an Easter Bonnet & Hat contest after the Easter service.

To enter, just wear your favorite hat - or get fancy and decorate your head-gear as festively as possible with flowers or little ducks or whatever signs of spring you like.

The children will be voting on the best hats after the Easter Egg Hunt.

They will award three prizes:

Most Beautiful Bonnet
Most Strange and Wonderful Bonnet
Best Hat

Prizes will be awarded to the winners. Let's make sure the kids have plenty of hats to choose from!

Please call Kathy Abramowitz at 623-915-2678

for more information.

Sunday Services -

Terry Robinson has been scheduled for services through 5/25/08.
A cordless microphone is being acquired.§
The committee is scheduling a Sunday afternoon presentation on global warming.
A fund-raiser will be held to purchase a projector. The event will include dinner and two short plays.

Finance Committee -

has prepared a timetable for the annual canvass.

Facilities -

The sanctuary beautification project is proceeding. Completion is targeted for mid-September.
The committee needs to be expanded. The recommendation is to form sub-committees for Grounds, Interior and Building.
Options for creation of office space in the sanctuary are under review.

Membership Committee --

Name tags were provided for children.
New member classes will be held in April and May.

Religious Education -

Eight families plan to attend the Parenting Workshop.
There will be a potluck lunch and games for children after the Easter service.
A wish list is being compiled for publication in the newsletter. Members may wish to make targeted contributions for wish list items.
A new type of vinyl flooring will be installed in the kitchen area to test it out before moving forward with new flooring in the sanctuary.
A "Baby Center" has been designated in the Sanctuary.

You never saw a sadder fifteen-year-old that evening. Or the next day when I had to pay the five dollars to the man who talked to horses. Instead of the thirty-six dollars he had guaranteed me as a sure thing, I only received a shrug of his shoulders and the retort, "That's the way it goes; you must learn how to lose, you know."

Winning and losing in life is no different. When I'm in a losing mood, I never seem to know how to lose. I neither give up my losses nor learn much from them. At such times, losing is a very special privilege that I cling to as I relish listing the number of times it has happened to me. On the other hand, when I feel like a winner, I know that I, too, sometimes lose. But all the losses are put into a different perspective.

I learned something from my experience with the man who talked to horses. I never listen to those who promote "get-rich-quick" schemes like the advertisements for our state and regional lotteries or other con men, many of whom I see on television. Even more, I know that losing is a part of life. But it's not the most important part. Keeping score is a souring response. We can all be winners if only we learn how to lose by forgetting to keep score.

Baby Place

If you've been in church the last few Sundays, you've probably noticed that we've rearranged the south end of the sanctuary to accommodate the needs of our youngest members. This will give our babies a little more room to wander safely and play on the floor while their parents listen to the service.

If you like babies, feel free to join their parents in the baby circle. Most of the kids really enjoy meeting strangers - and it will probably keep them quieter longer if they have a friendly new person to interact with!

It's going to be a lot of fun to watch these little ones turn into children over the next few years. Keep your eye on them! They are our future.

Easter Egg Hunt

Attention all children! An Easter Egg Hunt will be held for your pleasure - and the joy of all of us who get to watch you - on April 8th after church. You'll be staying with your parents through the whole service, but there will be a project for you to work on during the sermon so you won't get too bored. Then we'll go outside and everyone will have to line up and wait until the grown-ups come out to watch. Miss Kathy will say "Go!" and you're off!! We'll have two hunts: One for Preschool to Kindergarten and one for Grade School Kids. All kids will get a rabbit (chocolate or stuffed), even teenagers.

If you are a parent or grandparent and would like to bring a child who doesn't usually come to our Sunday school, please let Kathy know so we can be sure there will be enough loot for everyone.

If you have any questions about

Sunday school and children's programs, call Kathy A at

623-915-2678

A Note from the

Facilities Chairperson

Last week's temperatures have served as a warning that summer heat is imminent. Facilities is calling for volunteers to help catch up with the growing To Do List before it gets too hot out there.

Rather than call for a general work day as we've done in the past, volunteers are being asked to set their own schedules for accomplishing the following tasks. Please accept one (or more) by signing up on the sheet provided near the Greeter's Table.

Fill cracks in blacktop:

The cracks in the blacktop in our parking lot need filling. This project has been started but got de-prioritized. Now it needs to be finished before the heat expands the blacktop and closes the cracks. There are three gallons of crack-filler in the shed, just waiting for someone to pour them. You'll need a bench brush or broom to sweep away loose sand and gravel; and you'll need to pull any weeds in the crack before filling.

Repair lath on west side of Sanctuary:

While removing the cat's claw on the west side of the Sanctuary, some of the trellis was damaged. We need a volunteer to repair it. You'll need a hammer and saw, a few nails and about half-an-hour. We have a ladder you may use.

Does anyone have half-a-dozen old cedar laths in their growing trash pile? "Weathered" would look better, but we can buy "new" if necessary.

Install garden trellis:

A garden trellis in Hope Bradshaw's memory has been stored in the north restroom, awaiting installation for some time. We've selected a spot. Can you handle this project.? Coordinate with Dorothy Ward.

Turn soil in planter:

We need someone to turn the soil in NE courtyard planter (ASAP) so we can plant our sunflower jungle.

Actually we could use someone to turn soil in all the planters to aerate the soil. I you could do this too, it would be much appreciated.

Assemble modular tool shed:

It will take two people to assemble the locking tool shed that was donated to the church. It is in the dumpster lockup on the NW corner of the property.

Install "Y" on corner:

The letter, "Y" has been missing for some time from our 59th and Cholla sign. We've managed, tongue in cheek, with the Spanish "valle." We have the replacement letter; who will install it?

Install flooring in R.E. Building

(This needs to be a team effort, done in two parts):

Part I - remove molding strips, where necessary. Pull up 72 sq. ft. of the kitchen carpeting in a predetermined area and clean underlying surface.

Part II -Install 72 sq. ft. of "allure" vinyl flooring. This is a new flooring product being considered for use in the Sanctuary. First, though we want to test it in a smaller area for wear and acoustic properties.

Our House Needs

Spring Cleaning

You may not know it, but through the year Lucy Trissel heads the Housekeeping Committee that keeps our interiors clean. Joining her are Michael Gillett, Barbara Kovach, Mary Lynn Schroyer, Darnell Kirksey, and Dorothy Ward.

However,

Every once in a while it becomes time for us to lend a hand to get caught up. Spring housecleaning is inevitable: windows need to be cleaned, inside and out, in both the Sanctuary and the R. E. Building. And it's time to give the patio chairs a good scrubbing again.

Please join me in Spring Housecleaning, Sunday morning, April 1 at 8:30 a.m. We can get this all done before church and enjoy coffee or tea, biscuits with jam and fresh fruit . . . and each other's company, while we're at it.

Many thanks in advance,

Ann Harper

Sierra Anches Wilderness Unitarian Universalist Assocation

Plans Earth Day Camp!

Scott says, "Come experience SAWUURA!

Do you seek the quiet of the backcountry, a quiet punctuated only by the sound of the wind in the trees and bird song? Do you want to see the banner of the Milky Way strung across the night sky? Can you imagine warm days and cool nights nearly year round? Can you imagine the peace of camping alone with your family in a forested valley or together with other UU's and friends? Then welcome to SAWUURA. Located five miles south of Young, Arizona at an altitude of 5500 feet, SAWUURA is a beautiful 109 acres of wilderness nestled in the heart of the Sierra Ancha Wilderness and surrounded by thousands of acres of national forest. Driving time from either Phoenix or Tucson is approximately 4 hours.

Tent sites and small camper sites are nestled in the trees close to the creek bed. Picnic tables and shade awnings are provided in a central gathering area. There are four primitive cabins and a gravity-fed water system that brings water to sinks and solar showers near the campsites.

Earth Day, April 20-22, "Free Camp" is hosted by Scott Henderson. All are welcome! He says that we'd especially would like volunteers for this weekend to help bury our new PVC water pipe. Come up and just hang out, or pitch in with the work, as you like. (*Pet dogs allowed)

Contact ScottLHenderon@yahoo.com

Memorial Day Family Camp, May 25--28 Join Campers from around AZ for this great weekend retreat. Our theme for the weekend is "natural Verse".

Participants are encouraged to bring poetry of their own composition or from favorite authors to read aloud and share. Poetry writing workshops will be held Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Active program will include hikes and campfire singing, of course! Sunday morning worship service will be held in the Grove of the Ancients. Registration includes food for the weekend. Plan now and put it on your calendar! Visit www.sawuura.org for details and registration forms.

Questions and information: gwen@dakotacom.net or call Eb at 520-622-6966.

(*No pets allowed at this event)

General Assembly 2007

All this is from the www.UUA.org website

June 20-24 in Portland, Oregon

Choices That Matter

GA 2007 will be held in Portland, OR.

Meetings will be held in the Oregon Convention Center,

777 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, Portland OR 97232.

Registration is now open. Rates increase on May 1.

Housing reservations are available now.

Find information about Portland, Oregon.

General Assembly Information & Tentative Agenda for Congregations, Delegates, & Attendees

This 36 page booklet was sent to all congregations in late February. It contains information about traveling to Portland, GA Programming, Open Space at GA, Information for First Time Attendees, the GA Tentative Agenda, and other General Assembly related materials.

GA Information for First-time Attendees

Practical advice from GA "veterans."

Open Space Technology at GA

Be in Portland this June for an unprecedented opportunity to shape the mission of our Association. GA attendees will engage in a unique open meeting process where our own questions and passions will determine our direction for the 21st century. All are welcome.

In Open Space meetings, event participants create and manage their own agenda of parallel working sessions around a central theme of strategic importance, such as: What difference should Unitarian Universalism make in the world?

Orientation to Open Space will be provided on Thursday, June 21 during Plenary II (8:30 - 10:00 a.m.). Open Space participants will then go to one of ten concurrent Domain sessions from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. These sessions, as well as subsequent Open Space workshops and Convergence sessions, will run simultaneously with other GA programming. Participation is voluntary; all GA registrants are invited.

At each Domain, participants will identify as many as 12 issues or topics that relate to the central question and will schedule their further discussion in designated meeting times and spaces.

This Domain process will produce as many as 120 participant-driven meetings over six available workshop times. A master schedule grid of all break-out workshops will be produced and made available to all GA attendees on Thursday afternoon. Any GA registrant may attend any Open Space workshop. However, attendance will be limited to room capacity on a first come, first served basis. General Assembly ushers will be present at all Open Space workshops to ensure that rooms are not over-filled and that aisles remain clear and accessible.

On Saturday, June 23, workshop participants will return to the Domain rooms for Convergence sessions. The Convergence sessions will serve to bring together the ideas and themes produced by dozens of simultaneous workshops and identify points of emergent consensus.

From 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., Plenary time will be dedicated to presentations by OST participants of the ideas or convictions generated by OST workshops and Convergence sessions.

On Sunday, June 24, resolutions resulting from the OST process will be introduced to the Plenary for prioritization by GA delegates.

Sunday, April 1, 2007, Speaker: Kathryn Sheffield, "Myths and Religion". Myth has been defined as "the other fella's religion." But myth is a far more comprehensive term than religion, encompassing folklore, literature and art as well as belief. How are religion and myth related?

Sunday, April 8, 2007, Speaker: Rev. Charles Gaines, "What Easter Means to Me?" My understanding and experience of Easter is somewhat different than my Christian neighbors. One experience was when I witnessed, in a manner of speaking, the creation of the world.

Update:

Sunday, April 15, 2007, Speaker: Dr. Paul Eppinger, "A Tiny World and a Big God." Dr. Eppinger is the executive director of AIM, Arizona Interfaith Movement.

Sunday, April 22, 2007, Speaker: Rev. Charles Gaines, "Topic to be announced" The person with the winner bid at the Silence Auction gets to pick the subject of this sermon that I shall offer especially to that person. You'll know who it is and hear all about it on that Sunday.

Sunday, April 29, 2007, Speaker: Mary Rothschild, "Economic Justice as a Theological Issue" asks us as Unitarian Universalists to consider what we need to do to honor our UU principles to work for economic justice here and abroad. If we truly believe in the inherent worth and dignity of all people and the interconnected web of all existence, what do our theological beliefs require us to do in our daily economic and political lives?

West Valley Unitarian Universalist Church

5904 W Cholla Street

Glendale, AZ 85311

Phone: 623-846-6004

Editor: Dorothy Ward, Publisher: Doug Pope

602-246-1246

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 90 members and many more friends.

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