 |
|
All Souls Unitarian Universalist E-Letter
|
This week's editor:
Tamsin Cowdery
|
|
office hours
Administration office hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-1pm.
Minister's office hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-3pm and evenings and weekends by appointment.
|
service this week
8/26 ~ the crack in everything: the theology of leonard cohen
Of the great songwriters of our time, Leonard Cohen was perhaps the most spiritual. He spent five years in a Zen monastery. His songs are cryptic koans, about the contradictions of seeking light, love and justice in a dark and fallen world, while holding onto humor and hope. Songwriter Steve Brooks sings and unravels several of his favorites, while he explores their lessons for surviving the New Dark Age.
|
all souls news
our dre
At the beginning of this month, our wonderful DRE, Laurie Frydendall, announced she was retiring, effective August 31. She has served as our DRE for five years and has done a wonderful job! Please join me in wishing her the best as she explores this new horizon in her life. We will be honoring her on Sunday, September 22 (since I have a long-planned out of town trip on this coming weekend).
We will be posting a job description soon for this half-time position, but in the meantime, if you think you might be interested, please contact me. And please send positive vibes, thoughts, prayers that we find the right person for this newest iteration of Religious Exploration at All Souls. -- Rev. Nori
There will be a choir retreat next Saturday, August 24, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Great Hall.
Opera singer extraordinaire Peter Tuff will give a vocal workshop, followed by snacks, wine, and if I know anything about Mark Arnest, absinthe. You do not have to be a member of the choir to attend - show up if you think you might be even remotely interested in singing.
Please take caution when driving in the parking lot. The Building and Grounds team has recently erected two bollards, pipes filled with concrete, to protect the stone stairs that belong to the choir porch. Over the past years the stairs have been hit 4 or 5 times resulting in costly repairs. Due to the increased parking in the lot the stairs have been damaged three times in just the past year. The team felt it was time to protect the stairs. The bollards will do considerable damage to your car if you accidentally hit them. Please exercise great care when pulling in or away from the parking stalls. Thank you for your careful driving!
new project
We are excited to announce a new project which will promote our faith and enhance the aesthetics of the Great Hall. The entire church community is invited to help design and create seven banners which will represent the basic ideas for each of our seven principles.
Everyone is encouraged to help if they would like. There will be a series of short (30-60 minutes) meetings after services starting on September 8. Each meeting will focus on developing specific details of the creative process. We will need people who are confident in their ability to:
1.create concise words or phrases,
2.visualize the best placement and proportions for the banners, and
3.select a palette of colors to use in the design.
Once these three groups have completed their tasks then our volunteers who have skill in sewing will be able to proceed with the selection of materials and details of the sewing process. The sewing volunteers will require more time to address their project. We will also need 1 or 2 people who have good administrative and organizational skills to assist Becky Harrison with the supervision of the entire process.
This is a great opportunity to share time with other people who have similar interests and get to know more people from our fabulous congregation. Look for more announcements from the pulpit or in the e-letter soon.
sustainable living group in search of co-organizer
Our Sustainable Living Affinity Group is currently in search of one or two co-organizer/s to work with Rosie Love. Duties include planning the year's topics, helping plan a few workshops, and attending the monthly meetings: first Sunday of the month at noon in the Small Hall, September through May. Please
contact Rosie at if interested! Thank you kindly!
art club/hobby meeting 8/22
Fellow artists, come join our group. This gathering is meant to be friendly, relaxed, fun, and of course, creative!! Bring in your favorite art supplies or hobbies and a brown bag lunch. 4th Thursdays at ASUUC. Creative time will be from 10am-11:30am, followed by a social lunch. Please email
Pam Brown with your contact information (name and phone number) if you are interested.
affinity groups
Our affinity groups are open to all! There is no enrollment period and no fee required. Friends are welcome! These groups share a common interest and provide opportunities to connect and deepen our fellowship outside of Sunday Service. Perhaps one is for you? For more information, please
click here.
|
religious exploration
new re registration coming soon
Look for the new 2019-2020 RE Registration for All Souls to come out soon! Please register your kids (babies through
youth group) when the updated form becomes available so we can better plan, be informed, and keep you updated. There is no charge for RE registration. We ask that you complete a registration form EACH year.
yeah baby!
Do it, volunteer in RE! Just add your name and email address to the sign-up sheet on the clipboard at the RE Table. You can pick the topic and dates that work best for you. Any size commitment is welcome. Experience not required. Everything provided. Various positions available. Join us, won't you, and help grow souls while having fun!
|
children
last sunday
Our guest, Linda Rossetti, shared her very artistic (and fun) way to reduce, reuse, and recycle - broken pottery mosaics! We glued various pieces of broken pottery, glass, mirrors and beads to tile and then topped them with a clear finish coat! What a perfect way to honor our 7th Principle. Many thanks to Linda for leading and Michelle Freddolino for assisting.
8/25
Suset Rosario and James Rosario will be our guest teacher and assistant in our Guest in the Classroom summer programming on 8/25. Suset will share her passion for hula hoops! You do NOT need to know how to hoop to attend. Hula hoops will be provided and there will be opportunities for all ages and skill levels to enjoy the meditative and engaging process of hula hooping!
9/1
Today will be an intergenerational service. Children and youth are invited to join us in service. There is no RE or Youth Group but nursery/PreK care is available. Their sign-up sheets will be downstairs. We have purple Doodle Boxes in the Great Hall for those that like to keep their hands busy.
|
youth
This Sunday is your last chance to catch our Guest in the Classroom programming. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. For many, back to school time has arrived. Sending you good vibes for a wonderful start to the new school year!
|
local activism & awareness
Editors' note: Occasionally, changes are made to these events after publication. Please click on the links provided if you are interested in attending something, to make sure the details have not changed.
Thank you!
***new event***
8/22, 5:30-7pm, at City Hall, "Justice for De'Von - Community Demands Action." The family of De'Von Bailey, concerned citizens of Colorado Springs, Coloradoans', local pastors, and organizations will again assemble on the steps of City Hall for a peaceful rally to seek justice for the officer-involved killing of De'Von Bailey.
8/22, 6pm, at ASUUC, "Fourth Thursday Film Series: Kids in Crisis; You're not Alone." Join the El Paso County Democratic Party for this month's film. Inside Youth Suicide in El Paso County: This will be a community exploration of warning signs, trends and programs. There will be two short films followed by a panel discussion featuring Dr. Leon Kelly, El Paso County Coroner, and Meghan Haynes, Teen Suicide Prevention Planner, El Paso County Public Health.
8
/24, 12pm, at Colorado Springs City Hall, "
Sanctuary Now! March on City Hall."
In the wake up attacks on our community by ICE agents, a coalition of community members and grassroots organizations have come together to demand Colorado Springs immediately becomes a sanctuary city.
8/25,
"Interfaith Candlelight Vigil for the Victims in El Paso and Dayton."
PPIFC board decided to postpone the vigil planned for Sunday evening, August 25, at First Lutheran Church. There are concerns about the safety of an outdoor vigil in our city at this time.
8/27, 5:30-8:30pm, at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, "One Voice Project." A collaboration between a wide array of stakeholders, including survivors, loved ones, and providers from the sexual assault, domestic violence, healthcare, mental health and victims' services fields in Colorado. The project aims to measure access to care issues and opportunities for Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors, in order to strengthen the overall systems-wide response provided to them. Wings is hosting a series of Listening Sessions/Town Halls with professionals, community members and especially CSA survivors and their loved ones - to review the data together and to hear what questions, suggestions and insights Colorado citizens have about this important topic. RSVP to attend.
8/31, 12-6pm, at Bear Creek Regional Park East, "1st Annual Race Against Violence."
Bring awareness to Domestic Violence at this event about education and empowerment. As we provide a platform for survivors to give testimonies throughout the day. Opening with a 5K run/walk to support those who have been affected by Domestic Violence. It is a $25 fee for those entering the race and every registrant will receive a backpack with materials and event t-shirt. Prices for those in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.
Activities for the kids, vendors, community partners, food, music and more. The day will end with a candelight vigil. All proceeds from this event will go to our "My Brothers' & Sisters' Domestic Violence Program to provide free services to victims, survivors and those indirectly affected by Domestic Violence.
9/7, 3-5pm, at Penrose Library, "When They See Us." Join this public screening of the first episode of Ava DuVernay's series "When They See Us" which tells the stories of the five wrongly accused Black and Latino male suspects in the 1989 Central Park jogger case. The screening will be followed by a discussion on the criminal justice system, racist mass incarceration and the case of Omar Gent. Hosted by SURJ Colorado Springs. Discussion guided by Color Of Change and Black Lives Matter.
|
community news
Editors' note: Occasionally, changes are made to events after publication. Please click on the links provided if you are interested in attending something, to make sure the details have not changed. Thank you!
seeking justice for de'von
On 8/3 De'Von Bailey, a black teenager, was killed by CSPD officers responding to a robbery. Witnesses report hearing 7 shots and surveillance video confirms that De'Von was running away and was shot in the back. The investigation into the shooting is currently being conducted by the El Paso County Sheriff's Department. Mayor John Suthers said we need "time" and "patience" in allowing the investigation to go forward. However, the many conflicts of interest in the relationships between the investigating agency (the El Paso County Sheriff's Office); the agency being investigated (CSPD) and the DA's Office (which makes the decision to bring charges) make it imperative that the truth comes out in a timely fashion. Please stand with the family of De'Von Bailey and send an email to Mayor Suthers or phone his office at 719-385-5900 and call for an independent investigation of the officer-involved death of Mr. Bailey. As our community mourns the life of another black youth killed, we are compelled to call for justice on behalf of the family.
volunteers needed for draft boards!
Do you want to be a part of America's "insurance policy" in case of a national emergency? Volunteering for the draft boards isn't quite what you likely think it is.
The United States hasn't had a military draft since 1973. However, the Selective Service System is charged with maintaining the necessary infrastructure for a draft, so if a draft were ever needed again, the system is already in place. Local draft boards are a critical part of that foundation. If a draft were authorized by Congress and the President, draft board members would meet to adjudicate young men's claims for exemption. Those claims might include conscientious objector status, student deferments, and family hardship deferments, among others.
Local board members do not work for the Department of Defense. They do not have any responsibility to authorize a given number of conscripts to the military, (as was the case during the Vietnam War). These volunteer positions normally require about 2 hours of annual training, but this can increase significantly if a draft was ever authorized.
This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who wants to bring a compassionate, progressive voice to our nation's security infrastructure. Please reach out to ASUUC member
Reed Peeples or phone him at 317-349-6541, for more information.
if men were angels
What happens when Trump and Hitler meet? Former ACLU attorney Bill Durland follows his call to present his eleventh in a series of original historical and satirical readers theatre plays: "If Men Were Angels"on Saturday, September 14th at 7 pm and Sunday, September 15th at 2 pm, at ASUUC. Other characters include "Connie Ann Kelly," Miss Liberty, and John Locke, with a brief appearance by Putin. Suggested donation $10, limited income $5. Everyone is welcome.
uccs presents "the mountaintop"
Running 8/22-9/8. Katori Hall paints a gripping re-imagination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s last night on earth, set in his room at the Lorraine Motel, as a mysterious stranger arrives with surprising news. This incisive play centers on the humanity of Dr. King-played by Theatreworks favorite, Calvin M. Thompson-in the shadow of his monumental legacy.
The Mountaintop won an Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2010 after performances in London's West End, and premiered on Broadway in 2011.
Buy tickets here.
front range passenger rail
CDOT is exploring Front Range Passenger Rail to address the transportation needs of our growing state. Tell them your thoughts here! Hat tip to Marion Ceruzzi for sharing.
|
|
|
joys & concerns
joys
None to share this week.
concerns
|
|
all souls board of trustees
Wendy Mike, President
Vacant, Vice President
Jim Michali, Treasurer
Kathleen Brannan, Secretary
Judie McMath, Past President
Terry Schultz, Member-at-Large
Sarah Bethke, Member-at-Large
Evony McKenna, Member-at-Large
Jay Hatfield, Member-at-Large
|
|
e-letter deadline
The deadline for each week's e-letter is Wednesday at noon, barring something truly unexpected, such as a last-minute cancellation. Other items submitted after deadline will run the following week. Please help us inform you by honoring the deadline. Thank you -- Tamsin & Shawn
|
|
|
|
|
