Come join Joe Jencks for an evening of great music at UUCP! Joe will be dropping by on January 26th as part of his current 2024 US tour.
Also check out our very own Sam Kirkland and Joe having a conversation about Joe’s upcoming concert at UUCP.
Get your tickets for Joe Jencks before they sell out, as this is a limited space event!
Note: This week’s column is from Brigitta Vieyra, while Reverend Christine is on vacation.
As a covenantal tradition, Unitarian Universalists know in our bones that life is not a solo act. We know finding grounding in times of anxiety and agony has a lot to do with what is inside each of us and equally depends on what is between us. Resilient people arise from resilient relationships. This week, I’d like to share two ways our congregation embodies caring as a mutual responsibility.
One of the active ways we practice care-full commitments to one another is through UUCP’s Caring Ministries Team. Caring Ministries offers support and presence so that no one feels alone in our community when times of hardship and struggle visit our lives. If you are in need of compassionate listening ears and would like a companion of loving presence, please reach out to Rev. Christine or caring@phoenixuu.org.
A newer way we will embody caring for one another in this year is with the emergence of a new small group, Keeping our Faith in an Election Year, facilitated by Lydia Yanik. This small group will meet on a monthly basis to carve out a deliberate space for spiritual sustenance to move through an election year in a faith forward way. Compass will share more details about this offering once all the details are finalized.
May these two compassionate offerings connect us to our warmth inside and ignite a fire of care-full commitments to nourish one another through the year.
In faith,
Brigitta
Today is my birthday. It is a running joke that having a birthday the weeks after Solstice, Christmas and New Years feels like a big let-down. I don’t need any more presents, I don’t necessarily want to go eat more and I definitely don’t want a cake! When I was younger, I would get a little bummed about that (don’t even get me started on the people who forgot my birthday because they mentioned it at Christmas!), but now my perspective has shifted a lot.
On my birthday, I like to reflect on just how much gratitude I have for the abundance in my life. Having a birthday so close to the turn of the New Year gives me an opportunity to pause and reflect. I often pull out my journal, hike to someplace peaceful and write–mostly about all these gratitudes. This year, I am grateful for my health and that of my family. I am grateful for wonderful sons and daughter-in-laws. I am grateful for my wife and the job she loves. I am grateful for our wonderful home and amusing pets, and I am very grateful for you–a congregation that I love more and more each year.
I believe that no matter what is happening in our life, we can always practice gratitude. Even in difficult times–especially in difficult times–the practice of gratitude can ground us in the abundance that is ALWAYS around us. It helps us to feel connected to the world outside of our troubles and reminds us that there is comfort, hope and love surrounding us always.
Now, let me get back to eating that cake that I definitely didn’t want.
This fall, our choir has been accompanied by Arsen Nalbandian, a phenomenal young jazz pianist. Arsen just confirmed a weekly jazz gig on Wednesday nights, at the same time as our choir rehearsal, so he’ll be leaving us. (If you want to go sometime, his Wed. night gig is at the Windsor, on Center St.)
This spring, our choir will be accompanied by pianist, organist and choir director Christine Kyhn. Christine is currently the principal accompanist for the choral/vocal department at Glendale Community College, and the collaborative pianist for the high school choirs at Glendale Prep, a Great Hearts charter school. Please give her a warm welcome to UUCP!
Your UUCP staff takes the week between Christmas and New Years off! After the month of December, which feels like it has 100 services, tons of parties, decorating and lots of “peopling,” this is a time to rest, regroup and prepare for the rest of our program year.
I hope you also take some time during this week to figure out what you need and seek it out, whether that is rest, connection, nature or a good book.
We’ll see you in January!
The UUCP Nominating Committee needs your suggestions to identify members of our congregation who may be interested in taking an active leadership role.
We need your suggestions now so we can nominate a final slate of leadership candidates by April 1. You can learn more about our leadership on our Governance page.
If you are a member looking for an opportunity to get more involved, or if you know another member you’d like to suggest as a possible candidate, please complete this form on or before March 1, 2024. Self nominations are welcome.
For more information, please email nominating@phoenixuu.org.
We are seeking new candidates for 4 positions on the UUCP Board of Trustees, 2 positions on the UU Foundation of Phoenix (UUFP) Board, and 3 positions on the Nominating Committee.