Author: Nick Laux

This weekend was Phoenix Pride and what a weekend it was! I’ve always loved Pride, even before I came out–especially the parade aspect, it is the happiest time of the year. Everyone is happy, there is love showered everywhere, everyone has humorous t-shirts, lots of glitter on, outfits that make them feel beautiful and are with the people they know love and support them. Each float or car or walking group that comes by waves to the crowd and the crowd waves right back. Children delight at getting fans, candy, beads, noisemakers and other items that inherently cost less than 17 cents apiece.  

For almost 20 years, my family and I walked in the Pride Parade with our UU Congregation. My children were always in it with me and one year, my mom held the banner up front. We knew how important it is for religious organizations to be there–to counteract all the hate that comes from more conservative churches.  Most LGBTQ+ folks associate houses of worship with oppression and many carry religious trauma and rejection from churches. It may be bold of me to say, but I think religious groups marching in the parade are the most important category of any that are there. That we exist matters greatly.  

This year was our best Phoenix Pride yet.  

• Our decorations were the best yet.
• Our giveaways were the best received yet (pretty bags with rainbow bracelets and a card with a QR code to our website)
• Our marchers were enthusiastic and many knew how the parade worked–it was teamwork at its finest.  
• The Phoenix Pride organizers were actually “organized” this year.  
• The temperature cooperated the best.
• And we believe it was the best integration between the service and the parade that we’ve had yet, thanks to stellar leadership of Benjie Messer and Blake Rushing in the sanctuary and Jade Barger doing camera and sound on the parade route.  

Whether you consider yourself part of the LGBTQ+ community or a strong ally, I hope you could feel the joy and hope that came from Pride. We’ve come a long way–and we still have a long way to go, especially when it comes to religious support. I am so proud to wear my “This Queer Minister Loves You” shirt as I represented UUCP. 

Hope and Action: An Election Message

As Unitarian Universalists, we are called to live out our values of justice, equity, and compassion, even in times of uncertainty and anxiety. With the upcoming election, many of us may feel overwhelmed by the heightened tensions and the challenges facing our democracy. However, now more than ever, we must hold onto hope—hope that through action and commitment, we can help shape a future that reflects our values of fairness and inclusion.

A couple of weeks ago, I preached on two of the propositions that should be of interest to Unitarian Universalists. As UUs, we cannot endorse specific candidates, but we can talk about the values that we uphold, and as such, I want to say a little about Proposition 139 and Proposition 314

In Arizona, there are several critical propositions on the ballot that offer us the opportunity to get informed and make our voices heard. Two such measures, Proposition 314 and Proposition 319, will have significant impacts on our state’s future.

We urge you to vote YES on Proposition 139, which amends the Arizona Constitution to establish the fundamental right to abortion. The measure would also prohibit laws that penalize individuals for aiding or assisting someone seeking an abortion. 

We urge you to vote NO on Proposition 314, which is a watered down version of the illegal SB 1070. It would give state and local police to arrest people who are suspected of crossing the border illegally. This proposition also allows for state judges to order deportations. It is already illegal for noncitizens to cross the border and this Proposition will deputize local law enforcement and is likely to lead to harassment, separation and profiling of our black and brown community members. Furthermore, this bill is disguised as an anti-fentanyl bill, although there is little connection between migrants crossing the border and the trafficking of fentanyl.  

By understanding and engaging with these propositions, we exercise our civic responsibility and contribute to the building of a just society. It’s important that we not only vote, but also encourage those around us to learn about these measures and participate fully in this democratic process.

Get Involved: Canvas With UUs Coming To Phoenix

About 20 UUs are coming to Arizona from across the country to canvas voters in our community–you can join with them! Join UU the Vote, UU Justice Arizona (UUJAZ), and our local partners at Arizona for Abortion Access as we take action in key districts talking to voters about Proposition 139 in Phoenix. Our week(end) of action kicks off with a rally and training on Saturday, October 26, followed by a canvass where we’ll knock on doors and get talking to voters! On Sunday, we will attend worship together and then canvass again in the afternoon. Then for the next week and leading up to Election Day, we will continue to work with the “Yes on 139” campaign, raising voter awareness and engagement!

Nora Rasman and Rev. Ranwa Hammamy from the UUA’s Side With Love team will also be joining us for the first few days of training and canvassing, too. Sign up to be part of this critical effort! 

Get Involved: Protect the Vote as a Poll Defender

One powerful way we can all get involved is by defending democracy at the polls. The Democracy Defense Front is training 150 people across Arizona to become Poll Defenders on Election Day. Poll Defenders will be equipped with de-escalation and conflict resolution skills to help ensure a safe and supportive environment for voters. This is especially crucial in a time when tensions can run high.

Poll Defenders will be paid $25/hour for their work, and stipends are available for gas, food, and lodging. Whether you’re working in your own county or elsewhere, you’ll be part of a dedicated team ensuring that Arizona voters can exercise their rights without fear. This is an opportunity to make a tangible difference in safeguarding our democracy. If you’re interested in joining, you can sign up for one of the trainings.

Why Hope Matters

Hope is not passive; it’s an active commitment to shaping the world we wish to live in. During this election season, let’s remind ourselves of the power we have to influence change—not just through our votes, but through our actions in support of democracy. Our UU principles call us to this work, and it’s through our engagement that we can create a future rooted in equity and justice for all.

Let us move forward in this election season with courage, hope, and a deep commitment to living our values in the public square.

As I am writing this, we are anxiously watching Hurricane Milton as it heads to Florida. My Mother-in-law lives in the Tampa Bay/Sarasota area in a mobile home. She is sheltering with Karen’s brother, who has a block house, but we are very worried about that whole bay area, and we have about a dozen of other friends on that west coast and hundreds in Orlando, where it will still likely be a Category 1 when it goes through. So many of them have debris lined up by the street from the last hurricane that have the potential to become projectiles in this one.

I lived in Florida for almost 20 years and I have seen my share of hurricanes; they are unpredictable, loud as a freight train and they ALWAYS seem to be strongest in the middle of the night, after the electricity has been knocked out. When my kids were younger, they remember playing board games by candlelight as we all slept on the mattresses that we moved into our living room, to be as far as possible from vulnerable windows. They remember filling up our bathtub with water in case we lost clean water and heating up cans of ravioli on the grill. To be clear, they were scary and anxiety-inducing and left us in a very vulnerable position.

I am incapable of not thinking about these things theologically. I do NOT believe that God creates hurricanes to punish anyone; they are an act of weather that has intensified due to climate change. I do not believe that prayer will move the hurricane away from my loved ones; and if it did, that would just mean it would move to someone else’s loved ones. I do not believe that prayer will restore electricity sooner, keep water uncontaminated, or clear up downed trees sooner; that is the act of hundreds of committed humans who work tirelessly to restore some sort of normalcy.

Here is what I will be praying for. I pray that the storm will impact as few humans as possible; ideally, it avoids the Tampa Bay/Sarasota area which is one of the most populated areas in Florida. I pray that people will take personal responsibility to move from harm or stay out of harm afterwards. I will be sending peace and calming energy to my loved ones to counter the anxiety that they will be feeling. I hope that people will come together to help each other in kind, patient and neighborly ways, and I will pray that our governments all around the world take climate change more seriously so that I don’t have to pray for those in the path of hurricanes as often as we have to now.

We are in the middle of a Sermon Series on Hope In Anxious Times. As we approach this election season, the anxiety many of us feel is palpable. With threats of fascism, authoritarianism, rampant misinformation, and deepening political discord, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, even hopeless. Our challenge with this series is how we can, as Unitarian Universalists, find hope in such times?

While we are digging deep in our services, I want to remind us of some of our core tenets of Unitarian Universalism to ground us. Our faith calls us to remember that hope is not passive—it is a practice. Here are a few ways we can nurture hope amidst the storm:

1. Grounding in Our Values
   At the core of Unitarian Universalism are values like justice, equity, and compassion. These aren’t just ideals; they are guiding principles that remind us that we are part of a larger, loving community that strives to build a better world. Even when the world around us seems dark, these values shine as a beacon of light, reminding us that change is possible.
2. Taking Action
   Hope is not simply a feeling—it is something we cultivate through action. Whether it’s volunteering, advocating for just policies, or reaching out to those who are hurting, each small action contributes to the larger work of creating a more compassionate and equitable world. When we feel overwhelmed by the immensity of the challenges we face, taking even a small step can help ground us in a sense of purpose and possibility.
3. Trusting in Community
   As UUs, we are not alone. Our covenantal community offers us both solace and strength. In these challenging times, leaning on one another—whether through sharing stories, holding space for grief, or celebrating small victories—can provide the emotional and spiritual sustenance we need to move forward with courage.
4. Resisting Despair with Resilience
   Despair is a natural response to difficult times, but it doesn’t have to define us. History shows us that authoritarianism, oppression, and lies can be defeated. Our ancestors fought for justice, even when the odds seemed insurmountable. We can draw strength from their resilience, knowing that we too are capable of working toward a more just and loving world.
5. Looking to the Future with Faith
   Unitarian Universalism teaches us to have faith in the future, not because the future is guaranteed to be easy, but because we believe in the power of human goodness and collective action. We can choose to invest in that future through our activism, our compassion, and our commitment to truth and justice. Even in uncertain times, our faith reminds us that love has the final word.

In this election season, as the rhetoric becomes more divisive and the challenges more acute, let us remain steadfast in our hope. Together, grounded in our values and connected through our community, we can be agents of hope and change in a world that so desperately needs it.