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Sundays at Hamilton
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Join us Sundays! We gather at 10:00 a.m. for a Worship Service and Faith Formation and Religious Education programming. In the month of December, we explore the theme of "A Community of Presence." Get upcoming service information on our
website.
8600 E. Dartmouth Ave.
Holiday Programs and Worship Services
We invite all to gather for our annual Children's Holiday Musical and All Ages Holiday Service on Sunday, December 18 at 10:00 a.m. at Hamilton Middle School. Nursery and preschool programming will be held as usual. Ages kindergarten and up are invited to join their families for the service.
We will hold two traditional Christmas Eve services on December 24 at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at Temple Sinai. All ages are welcome to attend, and childcare will also be available to families during both services.
No service will be held on Christmas Day, December 25. We will hold a worship service on Sunday, January 1 at 10:00 a.m.
All Ages Holiday Service
Sunday, December 18,
10:00 a.m.
Hamilton Middle School
Christmas Eve Services
Saturday, December 24
5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Temple Sinai
3509 S Glencoe St, Denver, CO 80237 (
map)
No Service on December 25
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Feature Article:
The Unitarians Who Saved Christmas
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As the FFRE Staff Team reflected recently on our faith tradition's relationship with and place among winter holidays, Aaron Norris shared this 2013 sermon by Rev. Dr. Leonard DeRoche.
We hope you all enjoy it as much as we did. Click the link below the excerpt to view the complete text.
Christmas is our high holidays, but it wasn't always. It started as Christ Mass and was relatively minor. But the catch phrase of "Putting Christ Back Into Christmas" is relatively new. Biblical scholars tell us that most of the Christmas story was manufactured during early Christian period to make the birth of Jesus correspond with a classic birth narrative of gods during the first century. What we suspect is that Jesus was born to a young unmarried Jewish girl and that she then married. Yet about 75 percent of Americans believe the story as written. This is probably because it is a good story but its celebration has evolved over the past two millennia. Christmas has always been more cultural than religious, but it is much of the cultural additions that give us the holiday we celebrate as Christmas.
Many Unitarian Universalists may not appreciate that much of the culture of Christmas is due to the work of Unitarians...
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Building for the Future
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Finish Strong in December!
We sent out an email previously about our remaining funding gap in the building budget and asking you all to help us Finish Strong in 2016 with a balanced budget. The response to that call has been swift, generous, and heartening. We are not done yet. If you have not made a pledge to support the building project and your finances allow you to do so, or if you are able to make a stretch contribution, please do! Send an email to Spud Van de Water at
[email protected],
call him at 303.694.0646;
or stop by the BFF table at Hamilton any Sunday between now and December 18.
Building for the Future Town Hall
Sunday, December 4, 11:00 a.m.
Come to Room 129 (around corner from auditorium) to hear a brief update on the status of the building project and its budget. Have your questions answered by leaders of the BFF Steering Committee.
We're Crowdfunding Special Projects
Please share with friends and family our page on CrowdRise. Simply visit https://www.crowdrise.com/firstuniversalist and click the "share" button at the top of the page to share it with your friends on social media.
Through our CrowdRise page, anyone can donate to support these very important special building projects:
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Informed and Inspired Landscaping, reflecting the values of our congregation and our commitment to environmental sustainability.
- A New Digital Exterior Sign on Hampden Ave., facing outward to the broader community and broadcasting our presence and activities.
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An Outdoor Play Area for our Youngest UUs, giving infants, toddlers and younger children an outdoor space that is designed for the safety and enrichment of their size and age.
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A Hearing Accessible Sanctuary,
making words and music crystal clear for hearing-impaired members and guests
through h
earing loops that communicate with our audio system.
Give a donation toward a special project in lieu of a gift or in a loved one's memory. CrowdRise will help you send a lovely, customized note explaining the gift.
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Church Leadership
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Meet Rev. Stephan Papa!
Sunday, December 4 and Sunday, January 15
All are invited to join Rev. Stephan Papa for a beverage in the cafeteria following the service on Sunday, December 4 and Sunday, January 15. Rev. Papa will be preaching on January 15. He served our church for 18 years, and we are grateful to have him back in our community.
Leaders Wanted:
Ever consider serving the church in a leadership position? Know someone who might be interested in doing so? We'd like to hear from you if you or someone you know might be interested in serving on the Board of Trustees, the Committee on Ministry, or the Leadership Development Committee.
For more information, please contact one of the co-chairs of the Leadership Development Committee:
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Church Operations
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Order Your Holiday Gift Cards Here!
The holiday shopping season is upon us! Would you like to avoid crowded malls and give something back to First Universalist at the same time? Consider ordering scrips.
Scrips are gift cards that can be used just like cash, and the merchants donate a percentage of their profit to non-profit organizations like First Universalist. Gift cards are a popular gift, and we have a big list of retailers to choose from. Chances are that your favorite restaurant or retailer is on it. Don't forget something for yourself; our church can benefit from your Chipotle or Starbucks habit! Stop by our table near the main entrance of Hamilton and look at our list...and do your one-stop shopping.
During December, we will order three times to make gift giving easier for you. Just give your order form to John Hubert return to John Hubert on December 4, 11 or 18 and you will get your order on the following Sunday. Pick up your forms near the main entrance of Hamilton or email [email protected].
Going Online for Holiday Shopping?
Another easy, convenient way to support our church and the work of its ministries is by using Amazon Smile when shopping online. This works year-round
and takes no extra effort on your part. Simply visit smile.amazon.com, log in to your accou
nt, and select First Universalist Church of Denver as your charitable recipient. Then make sure you're using smile.amazon.com when you shop online. A portion of each purchase goes to support church operations.
Learn more.
Got milk? Need to pickup
dinner? We have all your favorite grocery store cards. Buy a gift card at our table in the Hamilton cafeteria after service ANY Sunday of the month. A portion of the proceeds goes to support the work of our church. Most of our cards are reusable and can be refilled at the register.
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Transform
Building a Beloved Community
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Welcome Ingrid Encalada La Torre into Sanctuary
Wednesday, November 30, 4:00 p.m., Mountain View Friends, 2280 S Columbine St, Denver, CO 80210 (map)
Please note the event has changed
from what was sent in an email on November 28.
This will
not
be the previously planned press conference but rather a community building event with the rest of the Metro Denver Sanctuary Coalition. I
ngrid and Ingrid's hosts at Mountain View Friends Meeting invite all to come meet Ingrid and her family and other supporting members of the Metro Denver Sanctuary Coalition and hear plans for further action.
Hot chocolate and pan dulce will be served.
We are asking everyone to make a call on Ingrid's behalf and then directly ask five other people you know to do the same. Visit
Coloradans for Immigrant Rights on Facebook
to see the latest call to action and to learn more about Ingrid and her family.
Gun Violence Prevention: Lessons from Australia
Thursday, Dec. 1, 7 p.m., Park Hill Congregational Church,
2600 Leyden St. Denver 80207
First Universalist's Gun Violence Prevention Task Force invites all to hear come learn about gun violence and efforts to legislate gun control in Australia. State Sen. David Shoebridge from New South Wales, Australia is visiting Denver and has agreed to talk about gun violence
and
gun laws in his country. Please join us!
Learn more.
 Colorado Gives Day: Support HIA
Tuesday, December 6, ColoradoGives.org
"We believe everyone deserves the opportunity for a better future with a decent and affordable place to call home." - HIA.
Each year, our congregation partners with other congregations in Habitat Interfaith Alliance to help build homes for families in need of affordable housing. Our HIA Task Force asks you to consider donating to them on Colorado Gives Day on December 6. There is no need to wait! Learn more and see full instructions on supporting this important work
here
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Saturday, December 10, 11:00 a.m., History Colorado
History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway,
80203
The Homeless Task Force invites all to attend this eye-opening exhibit at the History Colorado Center. We will view the exhibit "Searching for Home: at the History Colorado Center and meet in the cafe afterwards for discussion. Admission includes access to the entire museum. P
rices are: Adult $12, Senior $10 (65 and older), Student $10 (ages 13-22 with student ID), Child $8 (ages 6-12),Child (5 and under) FREE, Members FREE.
Social Justice Sunday & Second Sunday Potluck
Sunday, December 11
On the second Sunday of each month, we gather in community for a potluck meal and also collect highly needed items for community partner organizations.
 Integrated Family Community Services
We thank all for their generous contributions last month for IFCS's Thanksgiving baskets. They prepared food for over 900 families and seniors! This month, we are asking all to bring non-perishable food items for IFCS as they prepare more holiday baskets and stock their pantry for the winter. In addition to food, they can also accept household goods such as paper towels and toilet paper.
Donate Items to Help the Homeless
The Homeless Taskforce collects donations on Social Justice Sundays for our community partners who serve people experiencing homelessness. We are currently accepting donations for the Women's Homelessness Initiative that is administered through
Capitol Hill Urban Ministries
and they are in need of the following items:
- toiletries for women
- small flashlights
- instant hot cocoa mix (in individual packets)
- protein snack bars
- individual sized cereal boxes
- blankets
- over-the-counter pain relievers (Motrin, Aleve, Tylenol)
- travel size toothpaste and mouthwash
- incontinence pads
- sanitary pads
- tampons
- ear plugs
Bins are located in the front entrance of Hamilton Middle School on the second Sunday of each month.
Giving Tree: Volunteers Needed to Deliver Gifts
Thank you to all those who took a tag from our Giving Tree to buy a gift for a person in need. P
lease bring the gifts and the original tag to Hamilton on December 4 or 11. If you are not able to bring gifts by December 11, then you will need to
deliver the gifts directly to the Salvation Army. It is located at 3900 E. Arapahoe Rd., Centennial, 80122
. Volunteers are needed to help deliver gifts from the church. Please contact
Dawn
O'Neil at
[email protected]
to coordinate.
Water is Life: Updates from Standing Rock / NoDAPL
Sunday, Dec. 11, 3-5 p.m., Augustana Lutheran Church,
5000 E. Alameda at Fairfax, Denver (use Fairfax St. entrance)
All are invited to this edition of the Friends of Sabeel Film and Lecture Series.
Special guests
Scarlett Plume and Joseph Medicine Robe will share their experiences about participating in the action of the Water Protectors in North Dakota, update us on the status of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the action, and help us understand the native tradition of water protection. Learn more.
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C
onnect
Recurring Events
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 Art Journal Workshop
Tuesday, December 6, 6-8 p.m.,
RSVP for location and directions
Cost: $5-10 donation to host organization
or 303-887-6688 by Tuesday, December 6th. Space is limited.
Friday, December 9, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.,
First Plymouth Church, Commons Room (library)
All are welcome to join us in a pre-solstice celebration, as we both honor and release the darkness of mid-winter and consider our vision or intention for the coming year. For more information, contact
Ilene Kasper, 303-887-6688,
[email protected]
or Ardis
Westwood,
Reader's Theater: Special Holiday Event
S
aturday, December 17, 6 p.m. appetizers, 7 p.m. perform
Common Room,
First Plymouth Church
We encourage you to attend Readers' Theater, which will be held
Saturday, December 17th in the Common Room (library) at First Plymouth Church. All are welcome! Each month we meet for a social half-hour, a pot luck, and a director's presentation of some members in a one-act play or play excerpt. Appetizers
6 PM, Potluck
6:30 PM, Business Meeting and play
7:30 PM. Please bring a dish to share for the potluck. This is our Holiday Event and we will have a seasonal presentation. You are invited to bring a gift (up to $10) and to participate in a gift exchange. We hope to see you there!
Second Sunday Potluck
Sunday, December 11, 11:00 a.m., Hamilton cafeteria
We hope you will join us for community, connection, and nourishment. as we return this month our usual schedule of a monthly potluck on the second Sunday of the month.
Please bring an entree or side dish to share with 8-10 people.
We can plug in crock-pots, and
cold dishes are also welcome.
Help us reduce waste!
P
lease bring your own plates and utensils from home and take them with you after the meal to help us reduce our use of disposable products.
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Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S. - Saudi Connection
with author Medea Benjamin
Wednesday, Nov. 30, 6:00 reception / 7:00 program
First Plymouth Church, in Plymouth Hall, 1st Floor
$
10 suggested donation, no one turned away.
Ms. Benjamin, the founder of peace organization CodePink,
was one of 1,000 women nominated from 140 countries to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. She has received numerous prizes, including: the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Prize from the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Peace Prize by the US Peace Memorial; the Gandhi Peace Award, and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Award. She is a former economist and nutritionist with the United Nations and World Health Organization. Join us for a reception with refreshments at 6:00 p.m. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m.
The Community Forum meets three Sundays in December at 12:30 p.m. at First Plymouth Church in Room 212 (2nd floor).
December 4:
Vertical Gardening and a Future of Healthy Food for All - with Mike Hingle
December 11:
Was the Election Rigged? (Tentative)
December 18: Topic To Be Announced
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Scheduling Events
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For help finding a location for church groups and events, please contact
[email protected] or
303-759-2770 x23.
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Happenings
is a monthly e-newsletter of events and announcements. It is produced by the First Universalist Church of Denver and is emailed monthly. In addition, subscribers will receive a weekly update about Sunday services and major church news.Our list is secure; we do not share email addresses.
Submission Guidelines:
Send announcements of
event title; date; time; locale; cost; and contact information to [email protected]. Event details will be published to our website and highlights will appear in the monthly event e-newsletter, Happenings. Submissions for the newsletter must be received by the 22nd of each month. As space allows, events are also listed in our printed Sunday program.
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