Donations keep Unitarian church open
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, 4831 E. 22nd St., will keep its doors open thanks to roughly $20,000 in donations.
In an emailed letter and at the church’s May 31 service, it asked for financial help to cover its current budget shortfall and long-term debt. In total, the church needed about $60,000, according to the Rev. Diane Dowgiert.
For now, the $20,000 is enough to get the church through this fiscal year and keep it open, said board president Michael Herman.
The church has budgeted to pay off its long-term debt in the future and still has an operating reserve and endowment funds to draw on if necessary, Herman said.
It is also minimizing expenses when possible. Closing the church is a last resort. Repairs to an aging campus caused much of the church’s financial shortfall, and in the fall it will launch a capital campaign targeting church facilities.
“At the moment, we don’t have to dip into the operating reserve fund,” Herman said. “Heaven forbid a pipe bursts.”
‘Contemporary Christianity’ will be topic of two classes
Frank Williams, the founding pastor of St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church, 4625 E. River Road, will explore “Issues in Contemporary Christianity” in two classes, according to press materials.
Williams is currently the director of social services for Casa de la Luz Hospice.
The free classes will go over some theological and social areas that divide Christians, along with ways to find unity. Classes are 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. today and June 14.
Call the church at 299-9063 for more information.
St. Mark’s service today supports marriage equality
St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church, 3809 E. Third St., will participate in More Light Sunday today.
The Reveille Men’s Chorus and Desert Voices will join the church as it marks the movement toward marriage equality at a 9:30 a.m. service.
St. Mark’s Presbyterian is part of More Light Presbyterians, which promotes church participation for the LGBT community, according to press materials.
Earlier this year, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approved a change to its constitution to describe marriage as being between “two people” rather than between “a man and a woman,” according to an announcement on pcusa.org.
For more information on the service, call 325-1001.
