Welcome to Unitarian Universalism

We are people of all agespeople 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.
Get to know us:
  • 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
To experience the Unitarian Universalist spiritual tradition online through the WorshipWeb collection and more, visit the Worship & Inspiration section.
For more information contact . __________________________________ We are the Baja 4!

Representing Unitarian Universalists across southeastern Arizona, we love beyond belief and find inspiration from a wide array of spiritual, religious, and secular sources. We come together as a Baja 4 because we know we are stronger together.

Learn more about each congregation!

_______________________________ Pacific Western Region Logo Pacific Western Region Newsletter for May 2026 ________________________________

Upcoming Events offered by the Greater Huachuca Area Branch NAACP

August 21, 2026

Support the Sierra Vista Community AME Church and the Desert Mountain Conference Young People’s & Children’s Division (YPD) Convention Session August 28 & 29 in Chandler, AZ. Contact Rev. Shelby A. Goodman at 646-714-1196 to request additional information.

  • Sneaker Ball: Saturday, August 29  |  6-10pm
  • AZ Prep Academy: 262 Willcox Dr., Sierra Vista
  • Statewide Candidate Forum: Saturday, September 26  |  9am-12pm – This is a virtual event.

Click HERE for more information on these events.

THIS WEEK’S CHURCH CALENDAR

Monday – September 7

Tuesday – September 8

11 – 11:30am    Truly Mindful Tuesday Meditation – All are invited to try different forms of meditation together each week.

11:30am – Noon   Tina’s Office Hours – Please set up a visit ahead of time so you won’t have to wait; the hours are a bit shorter because we are holding our monthly Sunday Services Committee Meeting that day at noon. Feel free to reach out to her by email or text. If you don’t hear back from an email within a couple days or need her more urgently, PLEASE TEXT HER.

Noon – 1:30pm    Sunday Services Committee Meeting – All are invited, especially anyone who would like to have input on the themes, readings, and music we use in worship. One of our members couldn’t be present at the last moment, so we changed the date from last week to this.

6pm    SIUUC Gardening Forum

Zoom:   https://zoom.us/j/97255166396?pwd=5rtczl4yUWznZMPVO7F8ZStF9Trbx2.1

Phone:    1 253 215 8782     ID: 97255166396

If you would like to be included in the Garden Forum weekly email synopsis and email discussions, please contact Edna at skyislandchurch@gmail.com.

6:30 – 8pm     Dharma Buddhists Meditation

Wednesday – September 9

6pm    Choir Practice – Join us in the sanctuary.

6 – 7:30pm    Wondering Wednesday

Zoom:  https://zoom.us/j/97090805829?pwd=JgLwMO4Q0e0417M9anpb44XKsSQwJo.1

Phone:    1 669 900 9128     ID: 97090805829

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 – September 10

11am – Noon    The Widowing Tribe – The Tribe is available to anyone who has lost a partner, and is at any stage of grief. It is not tied to any religious belief; it is based in support with people who know what it’s like to be inside this grief.

Friday – September 11 – 11am    Church Ladies Lunch at the Country House Restaurant

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 – Noon    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

12pm    Third Sunday – Board of Directors meet at the church following Sunday Service

https://zoom.us/j/98918280553

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

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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.
If you are a Zoom user, and it’s good to see some of you on Sunday mornings or on one of our various topical meetings, please check for updates. When you open Zoom, somewhere on your screen there should be a zoom.us entry. For me, it’s on the very very top of my screen on the left.  When you click on that, there should be a drop down menu with a number of options. One of them should say “Check for updates…..” and that’s what you want to click on. Since Zoom seems to have an update almost every week, you might be a bunch of weeks behind. Let’s all get current!
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*Wondering Wednesday Zoom Meetings:  6:00 to 7:30 pm
Join Zoom Meeting
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Sunday: @ 10:30am Church Service
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*Sunday Social Hour at 11:30AM is:
or copy and paste: https://zoom.us/j/97380861311
phone: 669 900 9128   #97380861311
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Garden Forum Tuesdays at 6PM:
Join Tuesday Zoom Meeting:
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At a time when the threats to people’s rights increase daily, we recognize we must all commit ourselves to collective action and unity with communities on the front lines of justice work. It’s why I’m writing to personally invite you to join and play an integral part in UUSC’s new Resistance Network. This network will be a hub for learning and action. It will help connect our collective efforts to protect democracy, expand civil liberties, and increase the impact of the social justice work we do together. We’re excited to co-create this new platform with you to support front line communities — rooted in faith and action. You can learn more about the Resistance Network here. Once you sign up, in addition to UUSC’s regular emails, you’ll hear from us with urgent actions to take, inspiring stories of resistance from faith groups across the country, ways to financially support community efforts, and new resources to increase our activism’s effectiveness. We encourage you to keep in close contact with us and share your success stories along the way, adding to our shared learning library for justice work that centers front line communities! Thank you for joining in solidarity with UUSC to rapidly confront the human rights challenges of today — and help to build a better tomorrow for all.     Together we rise, Mary Katherine Morn President Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Donate

New Things To Do at Sky Island

Sunday, September 6, 2026

At 10:30am In-Person and on Zoom:

https://zoom.us/j/98918280553

Phone:      1-253-215-8782

Meeting ID: 989 1828 0553

THIS SUNDAY September 6th, Django Sanders will speak about “Rastafarianism As Told To Me By Rasta Roy” and lead us through a brief look at the history of the Rastafarian religion, its creed, practices and beliefs.

MUSIC THIS SUNDAY

Opening Song         By the Rivers of Babylon      #1042      — but with more upbeat sense to it than the one in the teal hymnal

Offering                    We’ll Build a Land                #121

Closing Song           One Love                             I will leave print outs of the words on the piano

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Tina’s Week

On 7/7/77 my father and I moved to Canberra, Australia while my mother finished working at a job she loved. After my mother arrived a bit later, we discovered the Uniting Church of Australia, a combination of the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian churches. What I didn’t realize was that union became official on 6/22/77; it seemed to me that it had always existed. It became the third largest denomination in Australia and probably kept a number of churches alive.

At the Progressive Pastors gathering this Wednesday, I discovered that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and the Episcopal church, already “in communion” are likely to team up more formally with the United Methodist church this summer. As one of the Episcopalians in attendance said so well at lunch, “I don’t care what church people attend, as long as they find community.”

I celebrate their coming together, especially since our young Methodist colleagues in Sierra Vista really want us all to find better resources for families together. I am grateful that UUs throughout Arizona have teamed up for a UU the Vote summit this Saturday and to do social justice work together in future.

We are stronger together! And that applies to this church too. For just one example, if you would like better singing for worship, there are so many ways you can show up to help. You can listen to the YouTube links we send out in the newsletter to know how the hymns sound. You can come by 9:30 on Sunday morning and practice. You could come to choir practice at 6pm on Wednesdays — six of us joined Gareth this week. If you don’t like the songs we pick, you could attend the Sunday Services Committee Meeting, usually the first Tuesday of the month at noon, to suggest better ones.

I WILL have office hours this Tuesday, September 8, from 11:30 – Noon. Please set up a visit ahead of time so you won’t have to wait; the hours are a bit shorter because we are holding our monthly Sunday Services Committee Meeting that day at noon.  Feel free to reach out to me by email or text. If you don’t hear back from an email within a couple days or need me more urgently, PLEASE TEXT ME.

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Did You Know?

WORSHIP THEMES IN THE COMMUNITY ROOM 

We have sheets up on the walls of the community room with the six months of themes for worship that the Baja 4 churches of Tucson and southern Arizona chose to start in July 2026. Some people have added thoughts – please write more! The whole year, June 2026 – July 2027, will look at UU History and Identity and each month has an additional theme:

July 2026                 Democracy

August 2026            Collective Liberation

September 2026      Community

October 2026           Lamentation

November 2026       Healing

December 2026       Embodiment

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DID YOU KNOW?

The AZ Solidarity Summit is happening!

Several of us who had the opportunity to learn at the first UU the Vote Solidarity Summit back in March have been hard at work planning one just for Arizona UUs.

Where?      Valley Unitarian Universalist

                   6400 W Del Rio St, Chandler, AZ 85226

When?       Saturday, September 5, 9am-3pm

Who?         All AZ UUs and our many community partners

What?        Engagement, learning, listening, connection, fun, food (light breakfast and lunch is on us), and starting our shared future!

How?         A paradigm shift from our established skills of showing up, individual action, and rapid response to a statewide shared journey of organized coordination and long-term solidarity with value aligned community partners.

We hope that you will be able to attend the entire Summit.  Each part builds on the part before it, so coming in late or leaving early will impact your total experience.

Our Specific Goals for the Day Are:

  1. Learn some tools for building power together and create care communities.

  2. Imagining what is possible–together across Arizona and in our own locations–for long-term care and power, including and despite what happens in November.

  3. Unite as Unitarian Universalists in cause and care–with each other and with our community partners.

  4. Hear from/learn from/commit to community partners

  5. Talk about how faith communities can best contribute

Will you join us? (CLICK HERE for event registration)

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Chalice Lighters

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.

Want to connect with other UUs engaged in justice? Check out the Side With Love’s Action Center.

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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. Thank you Django Sanders who always attends to hold space for others who come as well.

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Wondering Wednesdays 

Wondering Wednesday reconvenes this Wednesday! Feel free to pop in for some friendly conversation and catch up on the latest in the SIUUC Community. 

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Second Collection for September: The second collection will be for our own Emergency Assistance Fund (EAF).  You can donate by tapping the DONATE button below. When you get to the part that says, “Use this donation for…” type in “2nd collection” . You can also donate during the second collection at the September 13 service or by dropping a check off at church and leave in the Treasurer’s file folder on the wall, or mail a check to the address at the bottom of this webpage. Be sure to put “2nd collection” for the notation or memo.
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Caring Corner

Beloved member Ken Tanner will return to Sierra Vista this Monday, September 7th. We would like to put some food in his refrigerator so he and his daughter, Andrea, can concentrate on other things as he settles back in. If you are willing to cook, please reach out to his Care Team leader, Kim Thomas at 520-912-8297. Kim prefers texts, but you can always leave her a voice mail. Ken does not like chicken, or rice.

Susie Fawcett is at the Haven of Sierra Vista. Tina has discovered that late morning is a good time to visit to find Susie somewhat responsive.

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

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Local & Regional Activities

     

Pacific Western Region News