July 2011
WEST WINDS
the monthly newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Westside Congregation
1650 Abrazo Road, Rio Rancho, New Mexico • Office (505) 896-8192 • P O Box 45059 Rio Rancho, NM 87174
www.uuwestside.org • e-mail: minister@, or office@, or uuwc@uuwc.org
Reflections from the Minister
Sunday Programs
I am currently on vacation but am still listening to you. I need to
catch up on a long list of TO-DOs. Cynthia has a new job as Chorus
Administrator of the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus, so July will be
busy. We will go to the Vail Festival where she will sing with the
Philadelphia Orchestra and give our hiking shoes a workout. Last
Sunday I traveled to Denver to attend my son-in-law’s Commissioning into the Methodist Ministry. This is part of a long process to his
full ordination, and now I can call him “Rev.” It’s been so exciting for
all of us. Finding our call and living up to it is a full-time growth process. We each have a call that gives us the courage to live at our
highest. Have a great summer!
— Rev. Steve
July 3 — Individual Freedom
/ Individual Responsibility,
Don Becker.
President’s Corner
Friends & Neighbors,
It's hard to believe another month is past! The Board has been busy
reviewing the Bylaws. We hope several updates will better serve
the members. We will have a Town Hall meeting about these
changes, which will not be talking about money! The weather has
been hot, so of course we had trouble with the sanctuary cooler
which is now working again. The hole in the roof has been repaired
and we are ready for the monsoons…or at least a little rain. We
have a new Board member, Jeanne Romero, and we still need another able body with a good head to also serve on the Board. Reverend Steve will be conducing a memorial Service for Vi Banks at
11 am on Monday, July 11. Please plan to attend.
—Pat Stover
Vi was the 1st of 47 persons to sign our Membership Book on November 10, 1996 — Ed..
About Small Group Ministries
Have you considered joining one of UUWC’s Small Group Ministries? Each provides a safe place to explore issues because the
meetings provide a sense of intimacy and community, as well as a
point for spiritual exploration and growth. These include Men’s and
Women’s groups, a drumming circle, and more. See the July Calendar. There will be no Women’s Group in July or August.
July 10 – Our 2nd bring-a-friend
Sunday. We Live a Heretic’s
Faith, Rev. Stephen E. Phinney. To understand who we
are, we discover in our UU history that we have always chosen our beliefs. To be a “heretic” means to “choose” what
we believe. Potluck.
A memorial service for Vi
Banks will be on Monday, July
11, at 11am at UU Westside.
July 11 is Vi & husband George’s
(also deceased) Anniversary. Refreshments &
tissues will be available.
July 17 — Metamorphosis,
Andrew Hewes. A serious,
perhaps, but mostly humorous
look at things we have learned
in life. Bring what have you
have learned in life for Q&A.
July 24 — The Healing Power
of Conflict Resolution, Kathleen Oweegon. A facilitator,
mediator, and trainer with
Bridges of Truth. We will look
at the negative impact that unresolved conflict has on personal well-being, and explore
the different ways that consciously resolving conflict can
restore harmony - not just between individuals - but in one’s
mind, body, and soul as well.
July 31 — TBA
Spirituality Corner
Our Group Is a Mirror of Hope
I see qualities in our group
That I hope to see in myself.
I look at one person and see leadership.
I look at another and see friendship.
In still another I see good ideas.
Another reflects great experience.
And yet another idealism.
And in all I see caring.
When I look in an ordinary mirror,
I only see myself.
But as I look in the mirror of our group,
What I see gives me HOPE
That I can live up to our group’s reflection.
— written & submitted by Doug Long
Roy Phillips wrote, “We exist not alone. There is no rugged individualism among species. We are part of a sacred ecosystem that involves all other creatures upon Earth, the constellations, and the
galaxies. We are a part of an interrelated system out of which we
have come, in which we live, by which are sustained. That is what
must be said in our time.”
—submitted by Rev. Steve
UU Westside Energy News
UU Westside is always looking for ways to cut costs, so Kate Parker did an energy audit—not that others haven’t been done, but
new perspectives help. At the April board retreat, she submitted
suggestions for improved conservation. Copies are available from
her and, of course, if any of you see other opportunities for energy
conservation, please let us know! The one thing she found most
often was, more than the building itself, the inevitable human factor
and a need for greater awareness and learning how, when possible, to avoid using fossil fuels when other means might serve! For
example, should we find ways to shade windows against the hot
sun rather than use electric fans and swamp coolers so often? And
on Earth Day, members of the congregation asked, rightly, do we
really need all those lights on in the Sanctuary on sunny days? A
few additional points: 1) Electric heat has a large carbon footprint—
60 percent of coal into a coal-fired power plant is wasted up the
smokestack as wasted heat energy! While a space heater — for
limited use — sometimes offers an advantage over jacking up the
thermostat, environmentally, gas heat is best. At the least, please
Storehouse West Update
This Congregation generously
donated 79 pounds of food
during June. On-going fund
raisers for Storehouse West
are old cell phones, aluminum
cans, and pennies. There is a
large penny jar for your donations in the Social Hall near the
coffee bar/counter. Food and
other items may be placed in
the food basket near the south
Social Hall door.
— Ro Danclovic
3rd Friday Lunch Bunch
The lunch bunch will meet on
July 15 at 11:30, at El Toro
Bar & Grill (Rio Rancho Inn, just
north of Sara Rd.). All are welcome! Questions? Phone Barbara Ball, 715-6666.
Celebrate your self with food
and fellowship!
Power of Words
Amnesty International’s video,
The Power of Words, is a
Webbie nominee, the internet’s highest award. It’s a
great animated short (under 2
minutes), put together by volunteers and introduced by
Morgan Freeman. It’s available on YouTube, and I recommend it. There are other
YouTube videos with the same
title which come up on the
same 1st page…GOOGLE
<Power of Words>. The one
which made me all dewy-eyed
was submitted by < purplecontent >. Also <2 minutes.
— submitted by the Ed.
use space heaters as little as possible, and be sure they’re OFF
when no longer needed for both conservation and safety reasons.
2) Many of our computers, monitors and televisions are on powerstrips, which can be turned OFF—a tool recommended by PNM for
conservation. 3) We’re going to eventually buy outside shades or
lattice work for the west wall of UUWC, with the #1 priority the west
side of Kathy’s Korner. Let’s keep these in mind for budgeting or if
anyone wants to make a special gift! This needs to be removable
so the sun can shine in, in winter,! 4) We need brighter, more energy-efficient lighting in the Fellowship Hall. Currently, this is heavily lamped, but the room still looks gloomy when they’re all ON. We
will look into more energy-efficient lighting there and in the Sanctuary. Meanwhile, please try to only flip switches ON only when more
light is really needed. 5) When arriving for short meetings, please
pick a room that doesn’t need other rooms to be specially heated
along with the meeting location. For example, West Wing rooms
have their own furnaces, whereas the Social Hall and Sanctuary
share one heating system but have separate coolers. 6) The largest
single energy expense in any month over the past years occurred
when the furnace thermostat was turned to MANUAL, so set-back
operation at lower temperatures didn’t operate for a week (—Ed.).
7) Saving the best for last, perhaps the biggest conservation
measures can be attained at almost no cost! Special signs remind
us to PLEASE LATCH DOOR. Your help will save UU Westside precious resources!
— Kate Parker, at the Board’s request
— Andrew Hewes, Editor
Most comments, suggestions,
and corrections are welcomed.
amhewes@aol.com • 891-2287
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UU Westside Congregation
P.O. Box 45059
Rio Rancho NM 87174
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