Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix

Author: Nick Laux

  • December Species of the Month

    December Species of the Month

    Welcome to the Navigators Species of the Month! The December Species is the Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre.In doing this monthly series it is my hope to introduce folks to both new species you have never heard of as well as common species you might want to learn more about. This month’s species is abundant in the Sonoran Desert! You can be sure to find this bird almost anywhere there is a native tree nearby. 

    My photograph was taken in the middle of downtown Phoenix at Margret T. Hance Park. This Thrasher was perched in the branches of a young Ironwood tree. 

    While there are multiple thrasher species you can find in Maricopa county the Curve-billed species is the most abundant. You can look for these birds foraging fruit and seeds or hopping about in our native cacti and shrubs. Their plumage is a unique grayish brown with a somewhat lighter speckled chest. But of course, the main dominant feature of this species is their long protruding curved bill.  

    To familiarize yourself with their call, listen while you are out in nature observing other birds and look for their curved bill. You can always download the Merlin app to assist with this process. The more you get to know the Curve-billed Thrasher you can begin to look for other species at different elevations and new habitats. 

    The following thrasher species have been observed in Maricopa County recently: 
    Brown Thrasher
    Bendire’s Thrasher
    LeConte’s Thrasher
    Crissal Thrasher
    Sage Thrasher 

    The main range of this Thrasher in the United States is: 
    -Arizona
    -New Mexico 
    -West Texas 
    -Southeastern Colorado
    -Southwestern Kansas

    The Curve-billed Thrasher is also native to parts of northern and central Mexico. For a more detailed description of this species and to hear its call, please see the links below. 

    All About Birds.org:

    https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Curve-billed_Thrasher/maps-range

    From the David Sibley Online Guides to Birds:https://www.sibleyguides.com/bird-info/curve-billed-thrasher/

  • Notes From Your Dance Partner

    Notes From Your Dance Partner

    I know this is probably a very unpopular opinion, but there is little I like about the typical Thanksgiving food. None of it is food I ever eat at other times of the year: a turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, or a pie made of pumpkin. While my wife considers mashed potatoes her prime comfort food, for me it’s just “meh.”  

    This is a complicated holiday for many, either because of its genocidal colonialistic roots or difficult family dynamics, and yet, I have so much to be thankful for that I appreciate the opportunity to have a long weekend and some days to consider the abundance in my life.

    No matter if or how you celebrate, I hope you find some peace in these next few days and can name the abundance in your life.  

    I also wanted to add that I am so grateful for this community, for the opportunity to be my authentic self as your minister, for the meaning we create together, for your trust in me, and for how much joy and enrichment you’ve brought to my life. If I haven’t told you lately, thank you for being you.  

    ….and I hope that you’ll still have me as your minister now that I’ve told you my food preferences.

  • Beth Ami Temple Finds its New Home at UUCP

    UUCP is delighted to welcome Beth Ami Temple to make its home on our campus; its first service with us was held on Friday, November 8. Beth Ami congregation and Board members brought their Torah scrolls from their previous place of worship, processing in with them through the courtyard entrance, past the mezuzah hung there. The scrolls were then placed in their new home within the ark, which stands at the front of our sanctuary.

    Rev. Christine joined in the service, along with Board Co-Presidents Bunny Hodas and Shelley Stephenson. Rev. Christine addressed the congregation and shared part of UUCP’s history, which was that in the 1950s, as UUCP was searching for an organization to house us, the local Jewish Community Center had welcomed us when no one else would. Beth Ami congregants found this connection with our history very moving, and a positive sign for our shared future.

    Beth Ami congregants were also delighted that their UUCP guests tried to participate and sing along to the Shabbat blessings and prayers. Rev. Christine presented the congregation with the gift of loaves of fresh challah bread, which were blessed by the rabbi, along with wine, as part of the Kiddush.

    Afterwards, many Beth Ami members expressed their pleasure to be worshiping in such a lovely, open space. The Temple will be holding services at UUCP every other Friday. Our first experience of worshiping together was wonderful, and we have every expectation that Beth Ami Temple will find joy in its new home with us at UUCP.

  • Notes From Your Dance Partner

    Notes From Your Dance Partner

    A Time for Radical Welcome

    Over the last two weeks, we’ve seen a wonderful and inspiring increase in attendance at UUCP. Two weeks ago, we saw about 40 more people than usual and this past Sunday, we saw almost 30 more than that. We also had about 32 kids for Children’s Ministry. The energy in our shared space has been vibrant and full of possibility, a testament to the power of connection, especially in the wake of the election. This is a pivotal moment—an opportunity for us to extend our radical welcome to all who walk through our doors.

    How do you know you belong?

    For many of us, belonging begins with the smallest gestures: a warm smile, a genuine greeting, a shared moment of understanding. Perhaps it’s the way someone remembers your name, or the invitation to join a group or activity. Belonging can feel like being seen for who you are and knowing there’s a place for you in the circle.

    Now, we are called to offer that same sense of belonging to those seeking connection and purpose. Show them what belonging looks like here—through our words, our actions, and our openness. Let’s ensure they know there is room for them to grow, thrive, and be fully themselves in this beloved community.

    Why now? Because we need each other.

    In times of uncertainty and change, community is our greatest strength. We are here to lift one another up, to be a source of hope and courage, and to share the burdens and joys of life. By welcoming others, we weave a stronger, more vibrant tapestry of love and justice—a community that is ready to meet the challenges of our time, together.

    Let us show each other what it means to belong to each other—because these times call for us to unite in community.

  • Notes From Your Dance Partner

    Notes From Your Dance Partner

    I am writing this on a Tuesday evening, just after returning from seeing Sweet Honey In The Rock at the Musical Instrument Museum. As they broke into Ella’s song, which we have sung at UUCP, tears started running down my cheek. Written about the Civil Rights activist Ella Baker, the words are:

    • We who believe in freedom cannot rest;
    • We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

    I swear it has been 2 months since the election, not just 7 days, and I am still mad, sad, disappointed, fearful and motivated to act. And, clearly, I’m not over it yet.  

    Between the letter I wrote last Wednesday, the vigils on both Tuesday and Wednesday and the service on Sunday, I’ve said a lot of words about how I am feeling–and how it seems that many of us are feeling. Yet, I still don’t feel like I have the words, I think words are not adequate for the multitude of emotions that this moment elicits.  

    I will repeat that you should feel what you feel for as long as you feel it. Don’t bypass it as grief is a necessary step in the resistance that is to come. We are already seeing terrifying signs of what is to come, just as they threatened.  

    Since I am still trying to find the words, here are some excellent words by UU poet, Jan Richardson:

    Let us agree
    for now
    that we will not say
    the breaking
    makes us stronger
    or that it is better
    to have this pain
    than to have done
    without this love.
     
    Let us promise
    we will not
    tell ourselves
    time will heal
    the wound,
    when every day
    our waking
    opens it anew.
     
    Perhaps for now
    it can be enough
    to simply marvel
    at the mystery
    of how a heart
    so broken
    can go on beating,
    as if it were made
    for precisely this—
     
    as if it knows
    the only cure for love
    is more of it,
     
    as if it sees
    the heart’s sole remedy
    for breaking
    is to love still,
     
    as if it trusts
    that its own
    persistent pulse
    is the rhythm
    of a blessing
    we cannot
    begin to fathom
    but will save us
    nonetheless.

    Take care of your precious hearts and know you are not alone.

  • Second Navigators Update for November

    Second Navigators Update for November

    I am excited to announce our Navigators program will be starting back up on Sunday November 24th. To welcome our Navigator class back we will be having a garden day after service for our youth and parents that wish to participate. 

    For families that would like to join us there will be seeds available to plant and a few items in the garden that are ready to harvest. I will be leading a class on what you can plant in the fall and how to plant seeds according to their size. 

    Also, if parents would like to bring a plant start to donate that would be super helpful. If you would like more information on what you can bring to plant please email me at: