Welcome to Unitarian Universalism
We are people of all ages, people of many backgrounds, and people of many beliefs. We are brave, curious and compassionate thinkers and doers. We create spirituality and community beyond boundaries, working for more justice and more love in our own lives and in the world. Unitarian Universalism draws from our heritages of freedom, reason, hope, and courage, building on the foundation of love. We covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our Association, to support and assist one another in our ministries. Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. The values we share include all the following, which we hold as inseparable and deeply interconnected:- Interdependence: We honor the interdependent web of all existence and acknowledge our place in it.
- Pluralism: We are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
- Justice: We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all feel welcome and can thrive.
- Transformation: We adapt to the changing world.
- Generosity: We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
- Equity: We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.
- Beliefs and Shared Values – more information on our shared values and answers to some common belief questions
- Who We Are – our history, symbols, backgrounds and stories
- Religious Practices – what Unitarian Universalists do on Sunday and every day, including holidays and rites of passage
- Get Involved – find out how to connect with Unitarian Universalism, no matter where you are
THIS WEEK’S CHURCH CALENDAR
Monday – November 17
Tuesday – November 18
11am – Noon Truly Mindful Tuesday Meditation – Tina will be present. All are invited to try different forms of meditation together each week.
12:30 – 2:30pm Tina’s Office Hours – Please make an appointment so you won’t have to wait.
5pm SIUUC Gardening Forum
Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/94884266239
Phone: 1 253 215 8782 ID: 94884266239
If you would like to be included in the Garden Forum weekly email synopsis and email discussions, please contact Edna at skyislandchurch@gmail.com.
Please note that we will be meeting at 5pm until Summer 2026, when we will likely return to the 6pm meeting time.
6:30 – 8pm Dharma Buddhists Meditation
Wednesday – November 19
5pm 12-Step Group
6 – 7:30pm Wondering Wednesdays
Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/99892265318
Phone: 1 669 900 9128 ID: 99892265318
Come join us for Wondering Wednesday at 6pm on Zoom, where we are always wondering how everyone is doing, and catch up on the latest in the SIUUC Community. Feel free to pop in for some friendly conversation and maybe a chuckle or two.
Thursday – November 20
11:30am Men’s Luncheon – Contact Pat Aronna if you plan to attend.
Friday, November 21
11am – 3pm EAF | Emergency Assistance Fund
1pm – ??pm Board Games
For all Zoom meetings, if you need to call in by phone you can call 1-253-215-8782.
The meeting ID is the last 11 digits of the corresponding link.
RECURRING MONTHLY ACTIVITIES
First Tuesday – 1pm Sunday Services Committee Meeting
First Friday:
9am First Friday Hike
6pm PFLAG Monthly Meeting | Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Second Sunday – 10:30am Second Sunday 2nd Collection
Second Friday – 11am Church Ladies Lunch at the Country House Restaurant
Third Thursday – 11:30am Men’s Luncheon. Contact Pat Aronna if you plan to attend.
Third Friday:
11am – 3pm EAF | Emergency Assistance Fund
1pm – ??pm Board Games
12pm Third Sunday – Board of Directors meet at the church following Sunday Service
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, you can call 1-253-215-8782. The meeting ID is the last 11 digits of the corresponding link.
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Together we rise,
Mary Katherine Morn
President
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
New Things To Do at Sky Island UU
NOVEMBER WORSHIP
This Sunday, NOVEMBER 16th, we will explore “Finding Resilience in Our Body.” During the fall Unitarian Universalist Minister’s Association retreat Rev. Tina attended in Rancho Palos Verdes, she learned about body practices, such as buzzing, slow rocking and belly breathing that can make you more mindful of your physical frame. Social Worker Resmaa Menachem believes that the racial trauma experienced by both people of color and whites in this country is often stored in our anatomy. We need to heal ourselves to heal the larger body of our churches and wider communal life.
WORSHIP POSSIBILITIES: IF YOU HAVE A TOPIC YOU WOULD LIKE TO INVESTIGATE, PLEASE LET REV. TINA KNOW.
You could read a favorite poem, a story for all, share your knowledge of a justice, faith, ethical, self-growth issue. In case one of these piques your curiosity or calls forth your unique knowledge, these are the two themes suggested each month for the rest of the year (but we also shift the topic sometimes):
November 2025 Resilience and Social Justice for Animals
December 2025 Joy and Social Justice around Water/Climate
Future months (through June, the end of the church year) include: Radical Equity, Radical Hospitality, Feminism, Earth, Peace, Reparation and Human Rights
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REV. TINA’S WEEK
I don’t know how other ministers feel, but I find it alternately illuminating and annoying to have to live a sermon I am about to give to others. This week my body decided it needed a break — right AFTER I got back from vacation. I picked up the seeds of a cold in Pennsylvania that have blossomed into bronchitis over my week back home. I have had to stay away from meetings in person, such as office hours in the church and the Church Women’s Luncheon. Yet, I have been able to do more pastoral care than usual by making many, long phone calls (hopefully the length the person I called desired) and conducting office hours over the phone. Almost all the meetings I hoped to attend, such as a creative, productive one on Membership Expansion/Advertising, were available to me via zoom.
I have gotten a lot done but at a slower pace and with many more naps. Whenever I sprain an ankle or break an arm, my sister-in-law, Marta, asks, “What is your body trying to tell you?” I think mine was reminding me that if I speak to a large group about how they can find strength and healing from within, I had better be ready to do that myself first. Come this Sunday to discover practices that can make us more mindful of our physical selves and release the stress that harms us.
My office hours next week will be Tuesday, November 18, 12:30 – 2:30. Please make an appointment so you won’t have to wait.
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OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
From the Kitchen Volunteers:
Most of you are now aware of the additional storage space in the kitchen area. Our volunteers have moved some things around–all boxed and/or bagged foods are now off the countertop–and many unneeded containers are on the “FREE” table. We hope to start on the refrigerator next to make room for Thanksgiving. All items without names and dates will be tossed. If anyone wants to help, we usually do this during office hours.
Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner:
Diane Davis would like to remind people that we will be having our yearly Thanksgiving potluck dinner Thursday November 26th, only two weeks away. There will be a sign up sheet in the fellowship room and the actual starting time will be determined and posted soon.
Skills Fair on December 7:
We have a variety of needs for skills and we’re going to be asking you to think about where your talents are. Can you help with the website or other social media? Do you know how to use video editing software? Are your skills in math or budgeting or finances? What about social outreach or interaction skills? Be thinking about how you can engage and support our church moving forward! Bring your ideas on December 7.
DID YOU KNOW?
Within the UUA, there’s a program called Chalice Lighters. Chalice Lighters began in 1984 as a way for individual Unitarian Universalists to support projects and programs within and among UU congregations by donating $10 or more three times a year.
Sky Island UU Church has benefited in the past from Chalice Lighters grants. There’s quite a history behind the Chalice Lighters program and you can read more about it here.
Did you also know we have solar panels on our building? We installed them as part of our commitment to reduce our impact on the Earth, like buying organic and fair trade coffee and tea. What else can we do to further that commitment?
Special November Ramsey Canyon Outing – Sunday, November 16 | 1pm
Many of you know we have an annual mid-November outing to Ramsey Canyon to see the fall color. Ramsey Canyon is the best spot in southern Arizona for this. Every year we all take loads of pictures that never seem to do justice to the beauty that dazzles us! The full walk through the lower canyon is about a mile with a mild to moderate incline. The color is gorgeous at the entry, so you can enjoy it even if you don’t walk far.
The best time in the canyon is 2-4pm when the sun comes streaming through the maples. Everyone else knows this so be prepared to carpool! Meet at church at 1pm or at the Brown Canyon parking lot immediately off Ramsey Road around 1:15. If no parking spots are available, we will shuttle people from Brown Canyon to Ramsey. There is a small entry fee if you don’t have a pass and the preserve closes at 4:00. Contact Molly with any questions: mandfar@gmail.com.
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Mindfulness Meditation
Come for mindfulness meditation each Tuesday from 11am – noon at the church. We take turns leading it, but don’t feel that you have to. Come and try it out, no experience necessary.
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Wondering Wednesdays
Come join us for Wondering Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. (local time) on Zoom, where we are always wondering how everyone is doing, and catch up on the latest in the SIUUC Community. Feel free to pop in on the rest of us for some friendly conversation and maybe a chuckle or two.
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If you have a joy you’d like to share or a sorrow you’d like people to hear, please send an email to skyislandchurch@gmail.com
