The VUU Retreat is right around the corner (April 19-21)!

Deadline to sign up is March 31

What is International Trans Day of Visibility? This is a day for trans and non-binary folks to celebrate the fullness of their humanity with the larger communities that surround them–friends and loved ones who honor their identity and protect their humanity. The website for GLAAD says that “while only about 30% of the general American public says they personally know a trans person, that percentage drastically varies when segmented by age. For example, 19% of Americans over 65 claim to know someone trans, while half (50%) of Americans under the age of 30 have a transgender friend or family member. This isn’t surprising when taken into account that about 1 in 5 Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ, according to Gallup’s 2022 poll.” Recently, we’ve seen a huge amount of legislation and local policies across the country, including in Arizona, targeting LGBTQIA folks, especially trans and non-binary folks.  

Different from Trans Day of Remembrance, which is meant to memorialize trans folks who have been killed or have died by suicide, TDOV (Visibility!) is about joyful celebration, much like PRIDE parades. At a time when “over 400 anti-LGBTQ bills have been filed so far, with over half specifically targeting trans people, particularly youth” we need spaces that will allow “trans people to be seen through authentic, diverse, and accurate stories which reflect the actual lived experiences of trans people; both for themselves and for those people who believe they’ve never met a trans person.” It is March 31 every year, and this year it lands on Easter.  

This is important to me personally because of the many transgender folks I’ve met over time, and because my own household includes someone who identifies this way. It’s important to our future because, as you’ve read, nearly 20% of Gen Z identify as LGBTQIA, and this means that many of them identify with more than one letter in that alphabet soup. As we make room for the diversity of human expression that is connected to both nature/DNA/chemistry and nurture/culture/relationship, we are seeing more and more of us claiming our whole selves and naming the parts we used to keep hidden or unnamed–in fear of violence, losing our belonging to families and communities, and lack of basic resources to meet everyday needs.  

How is it related to Easter? Come hear my sermon on Sunday! It’s the follow up to my Palm Sunday sermon, and it shares with you a UU perspective on resurrection, Jesus, and being a faith community. Perhaps you’ll find your own answer when you ask yourself “who do we say we are?” as UU’s and “who do we say Jesus was and what did he teach us?” What happens when we roll away the stone?

2024 FUUNd Last Chance Sale is Open

The Last Chance Sale for the 2024 FUUNd is open. All items are being offered a “buy-it-now” price. Payment must be made at the time of purchase. You can view the items, make your purchase(s), and pay via credit card here.

Here are a few events coming up quickly. (See the website for additional items.)

Healthy Longevity (04/07/24; 1:00-3:00 pm)

Reading a Work of Art (04/08/24; 2:00 pm)

Learn How to Make Unique Baby Blankets (04/14, 04/28, 12:00-1:00 pm; 5/5/24, 2:00-3:00 pm)

Event pricing, location, and other details can be found at Auctria.Events/VUUFUUND2024

Email for questions or other assistance.

Don’t miss out on the FUUNd!

UU the VOTE Volunteer Kickoff! 

Join us April 7, in the VUU sanctuary after the service to kick-off UU the VOTE for the 2024 election!

Let's put our HOPE into action! Our work will help protect democracy and promote progressive causes. 

Bring your Arizona for Abortion Access petition to be notarized (partially or completely filled). Opportunities to continue signature gathering will be presented.

Voter registration, postcard and letter-writing campaigns will be introduced for Get-out-the-Vote and non-partisan efforts. VUU volunteers made a difference in the 2022 election. Let's do it again! Contact Karen Stucke for more information.

-- UU the Vote leadership team

Maundy Thursday Service

Please join us for an evening Maundy Thursday service on March 28 at 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary commemorating our Unitarian Universalist roots with a remembrance of the Last Supper and the first service of communion, a ritual that goes back to the very beginnings of the Christian movement. We will break bread, drink juice, and celebrate the importance of community and the teachings that still stand today to love our neighbors as ourselves and serve each other in faith.

-Submitted by Mary Rothschild

New to UU? New to VUU?

Never got around to joining and now you’re thinking about it? 

Start your path to membership, or just learn more about us!

VUU New Participant Class

Saturday, April 20 9:00 am-1:00 pm 

VUU Board Room (Office Building)

RSVP here

New Member Recognition

Sunday Service, May 5

East VUU Social Night

Thursday, March 28, 6:00 pm NEW TIME

Joe's Farm Grill, 3000 E Ray Rd. Gilbert

All Welcome.

UU The Vote!

Save the date: April 11, 6:00 pm

Join EastVUU on zoom to discuss ways we can bring about a more compassionate world in this critical election year. All are welcome!

Join Zoom Meeting

The Page Turners Book Club



The Page Turners Book Club is open to all members, visitors, and friends of VUU who enjoy reading and discussing a variety of books. The next meeting is April 18 at 7:00 pm. We will meet at the home of Johnnie Godfrey in Tempe (near Baseline Rd. and the 101).  The book is "The Dictionary of Lost Words" by Pip Williams.

In 1901, the word ‘Bondmaid’ was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it. Set when the women’s suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, this historical novel reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. It’s a delightful thought-provoking celebration of words, and the power of language to shape the world and our experience of it.

For the meeting address or questions, please contact Johnnie Godfrey at (480) 231-8381, or email Amy Monahan.

-Submitted by Amy Monahan

Partners in Education (PIE)

Art Supplies Needed! Please bring art supplies including opened or used materials to services. We will collect them at our table, outside of the Sanctuary. They need paints, brushes, markers, whiteboard markers, oil pastels, and any other creative materials. If you don't have any, please consider making a special monetary donation to get these kiddos through the end of the year.

Tax Season is Upon Us! Please consider contributing to Adams Elementary EAC. You may deduct up to $200 individually or $400 jointly from the taxes you owe Arizona. This is your opportunity to direct your tax payment to a program that is aligned with our VUU values! Here is an ECA Form that you can include with your donation. This can be done any time by April 15, up until your day of filing. You may then subtract your donation from the taxes you owe Arizona! For more information, contact Perii Skolnick. 

-Submitted by Perii Skolnick