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Rev. Katie's Animas View
For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
-The book of Esther
What do we do as Unitarian Universalists? We create change in ourselves and in the world. We are willing to be authentic, to strive to have courage, and find our beliefs and values to lead us to making the world a better place.
Post 11/9 (the election) one of my colleagues suggested that besides giving to all the good causes we want to make sure to support (Planned Parenthood, ACLU, NAACP, NARAL, Showing Up For Racial Justice, etc.) we need to be first inviting people to give to their Unitarian Universalist congregations. Our congregations should be at the top of the list! Some of us are able to support with funding, and we all can step up to volunteer time and talent so that we can be transformative leaders in this time.
I feel especially proud to be UU at a time in which people are in need of a home to be fully and authentically welcomed regardless of their orientation, their race, their immigration status, their gender or their beliefs. We are already engaged in the justice work to support the community, to be welcoming, to become anti-racist. We have room for you to do this work with us.
Queen Esther is the vulnerable leader in a complicated ancient story told about how we can find places to make a difference even when we are in a place where we feel we don't have much power. In her case, she saved the lives of her people, the Jews, when nothing was as it seemed. We are in a difficult time similar to that, a time that feels topsy-turvy and has so many we know and love off their moorings.
Let us find small ways to come together to increase the good we can do, especially at this season of darkness and light. This faith we offer is one of the best things to offer the world right now, it's what the world needs, and it needs it now, in such a time as this.
With love, hope and courage,
Rev. Katie
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December Sunday Services
Theme:
Each Night a Child is Born is a Holy Night
December 4
Can We Offer Our Presence?
Rev. Katie Kandarian-Morris
Hustle, bustle, parties and distraction. As we enter into this season of darkness and waiting, might we have something greater to offer?
December 11
This little light of mine, how do I let it shine?
Mary Ocken
In these darker months, and in the dim light of this post-election malaise, how do I find my guiding light? What can I do to actually become a beacon of hope?
December 14 WEDNESDAY
Ecumenical Advent Service and Soup Supper
Rev. Katie Kandarian-Morris and Travis Etling
Join us for a 30-minute service to be present in the time of waiting and quiet, followed by a simple soup supper for all. The Durango Friends Meeting (Quakers) will join us in hosting this service tonight. See the schedule for other Wednesday services at various Durango churches.
December 18
What Child Is This?
Rev. Katie Kandarian-Morris & Lisa McCorry
All ages are welcome to participate in our no-rehearsal pageant that tells the story of the birth of a very special baby. Stay afterwards to decorate our tree and sing carols together.
December 24
CHRISTMAS EVE: TWO SERVICES, 4 PM AND 6 PM
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Rev. Katie Kandarian-Morris
How might our Christmas words and songs be our activism to move us to a plea for peace? All are welcome tonight and childcare will be available at both services.
December 25
Festival of Lights
Rev. Katie Kandarian-Morris and Alane Brown
Hanukkah begins the evening of December 24 and continues through the evening of January 1st. Join us this Christmas morning to celebrate this festival of freedom and light.
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President's Message
Teresa Jordan
Our Unitarian Universalist congregational form of self-government descends from the Puritans. Those ancestors left behind in Europe the hierarchical church structures with which they were familiar and adopted instead a congregational system of governance on this continent.
Congregational governance requires each church or congregation to be independently governed and to make its own decisions. Members vote on the most important issues such as defining membership requirements, electing their minister and lay leaders, approving a budget, and deciding to purchase or sell property. The members collectively own the church and are vested with the power of governance.
For other decisions, the members trust their elected leaders to make good decisions on behalf of the congregation and to ask when guidance is needed. Leaders are accountable to the congregation to work toward fulfilling the mission.
Your Board of Trustees is planning a process to ask for guidance from the members. We need more clarity on our mission and vision as we prepare for the future of UUFD. Our Vice-President Tom Miller is assembling a steering committee to work with Lawrence Peers Consulting and Coaching to conduct summit conversations with our congregation in early March. The information gathered during the summit will inform a strategic plan for UUFD.
Plan to participate in the summit conversations and say, "Yes!" if asked to serve on the steering committee. Members must be involved if our congregational polity is to function. As UUs, there is no hierarchical authority to provide solutions. We, the members of UUFD, must determine our own solutions.
This is a very exciting time in the history of UUFD as our congregation determines how we will move forward into the future. Watch for upcoming details of how you can get involved in building the future of our beloved community.
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Now, More Than Ever...
Social Responsibility and Justice Coordinators: Betty Schwartz-Bozeman, Charlie Clements, Bonnie Miller
Our Fellowship has always had a robust commitment to social justice, a core part of our mission. Recent national developments have stirred and strengthened our consciousness and concern for the directions in which our country may go. Our Social Responsibility and Justice program is primed to provide us with some avenues to get involved and make a difference. Your participation in any of our ongoing activities, as well as new efforts, are needed and welcomed. We are firm in our belief that no matter the magnitude of the challenges we face, each one of us is able to have an impact for good. Read below to find out about opportunities in UUFD - all are welcome!
The next Healing Racism gathering is January 14 in the Sanctuary from 9am-12 noon. We'll watch a film together, White Like Me, and make plans for action.
Our Standing on the Side of Love tee shirts and buttons are available again, after each Sunday service at the SRJ table. Wear your shirt or button as an expression of our commitment to harness love's power to stop oppression.
Join in the UUA Common Read selected for this year: The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Hate by the Rev. Dr. William Barbour II. Books available at the SRJ table after Sunday services.
Contribute to UU Service Committee's Guest at Your Table, which advances human rights. This year's theme is 'Defying Hate' and focuses on protecting the lives and rights of refugees, asylum seekers and other marginalized groups in the United States and throughout the world. Stop at the SRJ table if you don't already have a collection box. We will send our total congregational gift in early January.
Participate in the LGBTQ team and activities. We are hosting a Transgender 101 workshop on February 19 after the Sunday service. Learn about the issues transgender people face and how we can be supportive advocates.
Wear a safety pin as a symbol that you stand with people across America in supporting those who are vulnerable and marginalized. The message is that you are pro-kindness and will not be a silent witness to prejudice and hate.
Help feed the hungry of La Plata County by joining the UUFD serving team at Manna Soup Kitchen on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Sign up at the ARJ table.
Support our monthly Share the Plate, which goes to a local organization sharing our social justice priorities. Beginning in January, our recipient will again be the 4 Corners Rainbow Youth Center, which serves LGBTQ youth ages 13-17.
In addition to the activities described, we are communicating with Compañeros, the Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center, about how we can help in achieving just and humane policies for immigrants. And we continue to work with Thrive! La Plata County and developing our relationship and support as an Interfaith partner.
Whether you can do much or just a little, we hope each of you will find some way that you can be part of our determined effort to create a community with peace, liberty and justice for all.
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Faith Formation Corner
Lisa McCorry, Director of Faith Formation
"It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business."
"What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain.:
What the world needs now is compassion. It feels heavy to be a liberal religious leader right now. At the same time, I am honored to be in this position. To be part of a faith that calls us to respond with love and understanding. How do we do this? It's easy to agree with people you agree with. How do we offer the same compassion toward those with whom we disagree? Where do we begin? They say "curiosity killed the cat," but it may save the world. Be curious. Understanding is different than agreement. If the goal is genuine understanding, ask questions and listen. Compassion does not require that we convince. Nor does it ask us to abandon our authenticity. I'd like to share something I've been obsessed with since I found it almost a year ago. This ten minute video may be the first step. It is Celeste Headlee's,
10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation.
I invite you to walk with me on this path to understanding. Dare to open your heart. Be an agent for change. What the world needs now is you.
To Covenant or Not to Covenant.
Does your ministry team, governance committee or spiritual practice group have a covenant? If the answer is "No," please consider creating one. From the UUA:
Covenant is the silk that joins Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations, communities, and individuals together in a web of interconnection. The practice of promising to walk together is the precious core of our creedless faith.
"Covenant" is both a noun and a verb. It can be a written agreement among individual community members promising to behave in certain ways, and it can mean to engage in mutual promises with Spirit, with other people and communities.
Rev. Katie or Lisa McCorry, the Director of Faith Formation, are available to provide you with resources or to guide you in this process.
 Holiday Market wants your thrift store bound items. The Annual Holiday Market is a store where the children shop, at no cost, for holiday gifts for loved ones. All items are donated from members and friends of the congregation. Get rid of your clutter for a good cause. Bring items to the large classroom on or before
Sunday, December 11th.
Noel Night Kid care will be offered from
5-9 PM. This is downtown Durango's locals first holiday shopping night. $5 suggested donation per family to support a Project Merry Christmas recipient.
NEW: Kid care is now offered at the Fellowship during 3rd
Saturday Circle Suppers. (No circle supper in December)
Childcare is usually available upon request for choir rehearsals, committee and team meetings, CUUPS, covenant groups and other spiritual practice offerings. Contact
re@durangouu.org or text
970-403-4103
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Leadership Council Meeting Dec. 20
Team leaders, please mark your calendars!
The quarterly Leadership Council meeting will be held on December 20 in Bowman Hall from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Presenters on the agenda include Vice President Tom Miller who will share information about the upcoming Summit and Allison Andersen who will discuss the developing Leadership Pipeline. All team leaders and committee chairs should plan to attend. A light supper will be served.
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Online giving now available!
Give with a simple click
 It might look like a simple "Donate" button on our website, but it's a big deal to us! UUFD can now accept online payments for pledges and donations, including recurring or monthly payments. Simply go to
our website, click on "Donate" on the top menu, and you'll be guided through the process. UUFD is charged a processing fee to accept credit cards electronically, so if you do choose this method, please consider clicking the box that includes an additional 2.75% in your donation to cover this charge.
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Next Strategic Planning Process Initiated
All UUFD community members invited to participate; mark your calendar for March 3-5
A lot of really good things have happened since UUFD's last Strategic Plan was initiated about 7 years ago. Almost all of the goals of that Plan (including a successful 1 year extension) have been successfully completed. Most importantly, we addressed the key issue of finding professional leadership. The hiring and calling of Rev. Katie have been seminal events in the life of the Church which have led to additional changes and challenges in both growth and perspective. We learned from the Dream Makers dinners last Spring that there is a significant awareness of pressure on our facilities, concern for reaching younger people, and desire to expand our focus on social justice activities among others. Now, with many new members, a not-so-new-anymore minister, and lots of success to build on, we are in a position to address current issues and take a new and fresh look at who we are as a Fellowship and what key areas and directions we want to focus on in the next several years.
In order to put together a comprehensive and inclusive plan for the next several years, the Board appointed a Planning Task Force (Elizabeth Long, Anna Royer, Marsha Porter-Nelson and Tom Miller) who developed the overall process that will allow the plan to be developed over the course of the next several months. The Task Force chose to employ a concentrated and powerful process called Future Search,
which you can read about online. To help us with that, the Board will contract with Rev. Dr. Lawrence Peers, an experienced leader of Future Search processes in church settings, including UU. A Steering Committee to assist in implementing the process is currently being formed and will start meeting in early January.
One of the most important principles upon which the Future Search model is based is to have as many people of the Community as possible "in the room" to raise, dialog about, and prioritize the key issues that the Fellowship - as a community - needs to consider as the basis for next plan. To that end,
the major component of the process is a "Summit" meeting that includes as many people in the community as possible who are willing to spend a weekend considering the future of our Beloved Community. That weekend is scheduled for March 3-5. It will include an evening meeting Friday, and an all day session Saturday. Some who attend the Friday and Saturday meetings may also meet Sunday after Church to wrap up the earlier work and plan for next steps.
You will hear much more about this process after the first of the year. There will be additional opportunities through January and February to both ask questions and give input as we build up to that weekend. But knowing how many of us plan travel and other activities pretty far in advance, and given the importance of this weekend in planning for our future,
we encourage you now to look at your calendar for the first weekend in March and put a big "UUFD Summit" in those times. There are a lot of issues related to our future endeavors that are currently floating around informally and semi-formally that we need to parse into specific priorities and goals. The Future Search process will give us all the opportunity to raise our issues of hope and concern. Everyone's perspective and input is important and needs to be included in the discussions of our future as a congregation. We hope you will mark your calendars now to reserve that weekend and be part of framing the future work of UUFD.
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 CUUPs Corner
Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans
"So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
...They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, fest, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!!"
- Susan Cooper, The Shortest Day
Please come and join us as we celebrate the return of the Sun at Winter Soltice on December 22 at 6:30 pm. We will explore on December 8th archetypes and more specifically the Divine Child archetype and how it relates to the return of the sun at Yule. We meet at Bowman Hall at 6:30pm. Look forward to seeing you there.
-Linda
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 How about holiday gifts from Equal Exchange?
Ethical, sustainable and delicious
As the holiday season nears, please consider buying some of your gifts from Equal Exchange.
Our candy bars are changing size. We still have some of the 'old' bars of 100gm of chocolate that we sell for $3.50 each. The newer bars are 80gm and while they are in the same packaging, but thinner. We will sell the 80gm size for $3.00 each.
Did you know that your purchases of Equal Exchange products count twice?
"By choosing Fair Trade, you help small-scale farmers support themselves, their families and their communities. By purchasing Equal Exchange products through your congregation, you are directly supporting you denomination's Small Farmer Fund. Last year, congregations across the U.S. purchased over 634,557 pounds of fairly traded products from Equal Exchange. As a result, Equal Exchange contributed $107,000 to our faith partners for their efforts to improve the lives of small farmers worldwide."
Learn more about the UUSC Small Farmer Fund here.
Thank you for supporting small farmers and our own "coffee time" on Sunday mornings by drinking EE coffee.
-Janice Taylor
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UUFD seeking new board members
Consider how you could become involved!
How exciting to see our congregation growing and new faces every week. Our board is working hard to keep up and anticipate the needs of our growing fellowship. The nominating committee is beginning its annual search for new board members. In May 2017 UUFD will be voting on four new positions:
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Vice President
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Associate Treasurer
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Secretary
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Board Member at Large
We will spend the next few months working closely with the board to recruit current UUFD members to serve on the board. In April we will submit a slate of candidates to the fellowship and in May at the annual members meeting UUFD will vote. Please let us know if you'd like additional information on any of these positions. Also feel free to inquire with current and past board members about what it is like to serve on the board and the responsibilities involved in the various positions.
Below is an excerpt from the current Board's Covenant
We covenant to keep the best interests of our congregation at heart, to carry out the trust placed in us as guardians of the Mission and Principles and to act as partners in our shared ministry. We will make decisions with the intent always to lift lives toward a greater good. We will practice courageous leadership, acting as role models for the Fellowship in all aspects of congregational life. We... will work together with respect, acceptance and caring. We will celebrate our diversity by working to create an environment in which all are heard and respected. As we seek consensus, we will give and accept constructive feedback. We will faithfully attend and be fully engaged in Board meetings. We will show our commitment by being prompt, prepared, and focused. In this spirit, we covenant to further the mission of UUFD as we strive to make real the vision of Unitarian Universalism.
Do you have
experience working on a board or experience related to a particular board position? Does this sound like something you'd like to be a part of?
Please contact Nominating Committee members Allison Andersen, Maureen Maliszewski and Susie Francis for more information or to answer your questions.
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FROLIC!
Co-Chairs: Bonnie Miller, Lynn Griffith, Connie Jacobs
With heartfelt gratitude, we say thanks to all the volunteers, contributors and participants of the 2016 Frolic, 'Building for our Future!' We enjoyed great food and drink, entertainment, and the company of friends while engaging in good-natured competitive bidding. The result is that we grossed $20,840 and after expenses made a profit of $19,925.85. We are donating 10% of the net proceeds to Habitat for Humanity of La Plata County, which works every day to help families build their own future by breaking the cycle of poverty and creating financial security by having an affordable, stable home. The remaining funds will support the Fellowship working with a consultant considering our next steps to address our facility needs as we continue to grow. Be watching for news from the Board of Trustees about when you will have a chance to contribute to thinking and planning for our future.
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| The fantastic food spread at this year's FROLIC. |
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Pause for Poetry
Come join the Poetry Circle on
Monday, December 12
,
6-8pm
for reading and discussing your offerings and favorites. Light refreshments are served. Inquire
durangofolk@frontier.net
.
Oct 2016
"The storm is threatening"
We scurry to hold back
The darkness, the power,
The loss of control
Not that we, living today,
Have ever had control
We have soothed ourselves
With the illusion though
And with this storm -
Even that has become impossible
The storm is emotional
And personal for many
Ideological for some
Destructive for all
Will we rise from the ashes
Like the famed phoenix
Or surrender to meaner, baser instincts
When Dylan wrote "The times
They are a changing"
I felt hope and love
Even in my despair
I felt powerful and empowered.
Not in this storm -
For the first time in my 65 years
I feel fearful and overwhelmed much of the time
By people who hate
By people willing to kill
By the "God is on my side" rhetoric
By the lack of humanity and foresight-
Language, like actions, has consequences
I'm tempted to add lack of civility, or respect, or kindness -
But can not always claim
The moral high ground there.
In anger fueled usually by
Lack of control,
by being held hostage by systems,
I - to my shame, often react in less than
Generous and respectful terms -
But never in malice
So my greatest strength -
Telling the truth about injustice and ignorance
Is also my greatest weakness
As my own delivery is not always respectful.
I do believe "the storm is threatening"
And as I feel it shaking
Myself and my country to the core,
I must allow myself
To believe that what I say
And do can make a difference in the outcome.
(Dawenwalker)
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