June:

Rev. Anthony continues in the pulpit through June.  In July and August, he takes the two months leave provided full-time UU ministers: a month of vacation and a month of study. Susannah Martin will be our vocalist and music director through June.  Services will be held at the usual time of 10:00 at the synagogue.

July and August:

We switch gears in July and August to services with a community focus, planned by members of the SUUF community and focused on the Verde Valley Community. A Summer Services Team icreated services to be held at the synagogue, Sunday mornings at 10:00,  as usual.  The summer theme is “Building Community” will bring speakers, panels, or agencies, building within us deeper understandings of their inclusion and integration in our community.

The Eight programs outlined below will give you a broader, clearer lens through which to see our community.

Building Community Summer Series  

SUUF July and August, 2024, 10:00 Sunday at JCSVV, 100 Meadowlark Drive

July 7: “Building Community: Voices of our Hispanic Neighbors”

              Moderator:  Tanya Mayer      

              Panel: Rosa Garcia & son Isaac, Hector Miranda, Teresa Beltran, Reyna Garduno, Adrian Jaimes

Widening our Circle starts with knowing our neighbors.  Hispanic neighbors in Sedona and Cottonwood are about 20% of the population and 60% of the school population. What are their joys and challenges? What are their lives like in our community? SUUF strives to be inclusive and to be a beacon for social justice.  What does inclusivity and social justice look like in the Verde Valley?

July 14: “Building Community: Kindness in Action”

                Speakers: Thomas and Lou Ann Bruck         

Is there a force that builds and strengthens a person or a community more than acts of kindness?  They are beautiful expressions of spirituality.  Come enjoy interactive expressions of kindness with presenters Lou Ann and Thomas in today’s service.

July 21: “Building Community: Homeless Friends in the Verde Valley” 

Speaker: Laurie Moore of Sedona Area Housing Alliance        

Are the homeless part of our community? What are their numbers in the Verde Valley? How can we, and how should we, interact with and/or serve these neighbors? Are their needs being cared for? What might improve their situation? Laurie Moore is cofounder and executive director of Sedona Area Homeless Alliance.

July 28:  “Building Community: We Are Better Together”

                 Speaker: Rev. Dr. Donna Cavedon      

Every season of our lives brings new awareness and depth to our lives.  Emerging from our parents’ beliefs, becoming our independent selves, then shifting and changing through our journeys have made us who we are today. Can we now see the effects of others’ guiding hands, shed some of our independence, and recognize that in and through community, we are better together?

August 4: “Building Community: Playing Indian in Yavapai-Apache Sacred Spaces”

                   Speaker: Maurice Crandall, Ph.D., Professor at ASU 

This talk will address the New Age and Indigenous-inspired spirituality that is common inSedona and the Verde Valley.  This form of spirituality, while well-intentioned, may ignore the historic and cultural values of local Indigenous peoples. Dr. Crandall hopes to propose ways that such spirituality – inspired by the beauty of the land – can be deployed in an ethical manner that does not harm Yavapai-Apaches.

August 11: “Building Community: Listening to the Trees”

                Speaker: Lin Ennis     

Trees are talking, tasting, smelling, caring for posterity and sharing with neighbors unlike themselves. Learn three ways to be uplifted and inspired by the trees around us.

August 18: “Building Community: Heart-Centered Communication”

                     Panel: Dev Ross, Linda Brefeld and Lou Ann Bruck

In Heart-Centered Communication, we give empathy to ourselves first and then to other people.There are simple ways to get in touch with our thoughts, feelings and needs which we will explore. Effective communication builds strong community. Dev is an award-winning screenwriter, author, performer, director and producer in theater, film and TV industries, and is now creating a film on communication.

August 25: “Building Community: A SUUF Community Celebration”

                     Hosts: Paul Friedman and Tanya Mayer                 

Come share and listen to inspirations about community.  Quotations, poems, songs, works of art, testimonials, stories–all will form this Sunday service, the culmination of our two-month community focus (please email submissions to sedonapaul@gmail.com).  After the service, we’ll share a joyous vegetarian potluck.  Please bring a dish to share, along with a can of food for the Sedona Community Food Bank.

Bring a friend to any and all services!  All are welcome!