UUFD Newsletter, Dec. 2021

January 2022 * Happy New Year

January Services (in person and online)

Worship services are held at 10 am both in person at the sanctuary and via Zoom. Please choose the option that makes you most comfortable. To join a Zoom worship, look for the link on the UUFD website.

January 2

Living and Loving with Intention

-Rev. Hollis Walker, interfaith minister, chaplain and spiritual director

How we might adopt a more spiritually mature way of entering the new year with aspiration?

January 9

Letting Go

-Carroll Groeger

Living with intention requires deliberate choice-making about what to hold close and what to let go. Listen to member Carroll Groeger’s personal story of choices and join our Burning Off ritual. What will you choose to let go of?

January 16

What Is Critical Race Theory? Or Shall The Fundamentalists Win?

-Rev. Gary Kowalski

As America struggles to reckon with its legacy of racial inequality, Critical Race Theory has become a flashpoint for controversy. Amid the noise emanating from Fox News and certain right-wing politicians, the signal has been lost. What is CRT, and can it help us walk with greater clarity, intention, and purpose toward M.L. King's long deferred Dream of justice and opportunity for all? Reverend Gary Kowalski, our new co-minister, urges us to keep the faith.

January 23

Listening to Our Call - Living Our Covenant

-Mary Ocken

When we act from our Higher Purpose in a well intentioned and deliberate manner, everything turns out better. Can we as a congregation do just that?

January 30

Title to be announced

-Sheryl Guy, pulpit guest

Message from John Redemske, UUFD Board President

Hello fellow UUFD members and friends,

As we enter the New Year, we reflect on Rev. Katie’s retirement and all the growth and changes that have happened in our Fellowship over the last eight years. We have come a long way, and we are now entering an exciting time during which we'll have the opportunity to take a close look at where we are now and where we want to head in the future. We are pleased to announce that the UUFD board has unanimously approved the hiring of two Transitional Ministers who will help us in this journey.

Revs. Gary Kowalski and Munro Sickafoose are part time ministers at the Unitarian Congregation of Taos, and will work part-time as a team for UUFD. Please see the article below for details. The Transitional Ministry Search Task Force has done a considerable amount of work preparing a Targeted Minister contract that is agreeable to the two ministers as well as to the UUFD Board. Their contract stipulates their duties, priority goals, compensation and benefits, and conditions of employment. The Task Force and the Board have worked hard to communicate the progress of this process to the congregation.

Unfortunately, the rise of COVID cases in our area and the spread of the new Omicron variant have resulted in the board's decision to pivot to online worship starting Jan. 2. We will not hold in-person services, but will broadcast live directly from our beautiful sanctuary. The UUFD COVID Advisory Group recommended this change based on a risk model that takes into account local rates of infection and our unique spaces. At this point, cases are too high for us to meet safely in a large group. We look forward to gathering in person again as soon as it is safe to do so.

Once we are back in person, our COVID policy may need to be changed to reflect the higher risk. For example, we may require the third vaccine dose or “booster“ (Pfizer or Moderna) for in-person attendance of those 16 and older. We still strongly encourage children 5 to 12 to get vaccinated. The CDC has clearly shown that fully vaccinated people have a far smaller chance of hospitalization or death from COVID.

This is a challenging time for us and the wider community. Your Board’s goal is to keep our UU community reasonably safe during these difficult times.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions about Board activity, please give me a call! 603-345-2244.

With gratitude to all of my fellow UU members and friends,

John Redemske

FAMILY MINISTRY AND FAITH FORMATION NEWS

Living with intention

A message from Leah Ongiri, family ministry coordinator

While I promise I try not to inflict it on people too often, I must admit that I am a casual, amateur poet. And there is nothing like the fresh edge of a brand-new year to inspire some words on the obvious themes.

Cusp

The day the year turns over

Everything is rendered different

But with a familiar

Comforting sheen

The Soul Matters worship and learning theme for this January is Living with Intention. It’s been such a challenging and convoluted couple years for many of us, and I find myself longing to rededicate myself to the basic practice of saying yes to life with deep intention and attention.

Permission

“Can I use your desk scissors?” If you return them, sure.

“Can I have some of the good paper from the printer?” Absolutely. Just don’t wrinkle the pile.

My heart sings at the luxury. Saying yes, the ultimate pleasure.

“If I run down to the basement, can I get another bottle of glue?” Yes, yes, and yes.

Ok, then. Enough poetry…except, perhaps, for the metaphorical poetry we create in all ages community by spending time with one another. We have a fun month planned for Faith Formation. Thanks to all who are making it so!

See below for our Sunday schedule. Please reach out if you’d like to volunteer or learn more. Or, let me know what living with intention means to you as we launch a new year.

Happy New Year,

Leah Ongiri

Part-time Family Ministry Coordinator 2021-22

familyministry@durangouu.org

Faith Formation January Guest Stars

Sunday Morning Faith Formation is proud to welcome our January Guest Stars!

January 2: Join Guest Star Kathleen Adams for star gazing during the day. Where do you fit in the universe?

January 9: Guest Star Nancy Fisher is bringing her worm friends. Yep, that’s right, WORMS. Feed them and help make compost. Such is the interconnected web of all life.

January 16: Join Guest Star Carroll Groeger for being together and an interesting activity.

January 23: Join Guest Star Sheryl Guy for fun and fellowship. All are welcome!

January 30: Guest Star Bonnie Miller loves crafting of all sorts. Come get your creative brains in motion with arts and crafts.

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Sunday worship moves to Zoom-only starting Jan. 2

Rising COVID cases and new variant prompt switch

At the December UUFD board meeting, the decision was made to switch to Zoom ONLY worship services beginning Jan. 2. UUFD is following a risk model that is directly based on the level of Covid in our local area. Because of a recent increase in cases and the expectation that the more infectious Omicron variant will spike in this area within weeks, we will conduct worship via Zoom until cases fall to an acceptable risk level. The Zoom services will be conducted in the sanctuary in front of an audience of no one, so your Zoom experience will reflect our beautiful sanctuary!

Use this link to join the Sunday service.

If you have questions about the board's decision, you may contact any board member or John Redemske (redemskeja@gmail.com).

If you have questions about the data and model we are basing decisions on, please contact Graham Smith (smigr001@gmail.com).

We look forward to seeing your smiling faces in Zoom boxes Sunday morning!

Targeted minister success

Board hires two ministers to share part-time responsibilities

On Tuesday, Dec 28, after a short and intense search, the Board voted unanimously to agree to a contract with two ministers who will share part-time responsibilities as our new Targeted Ministers. Their job will be to provide essential ministerial support for the next six months while we apply for and hopefully find an Interim Minister to start in July or August of 2022. The role of the interim minister will be to assist us in the discernment we need to get us ready to select our next Settled Minister to start in the Fall of 2024.

The new ministers are Rev. Gary Kowalski and Rev. Munro Sickafoose (see biographies, below). Both currently live in Santa Fe and co-pastor the Taos UU congregation once a month each.

There are likely a lot of questions about this transition. Please click here to read all about the details.

Introducing Rev. Gary Kowalski

A graduate of Harvard College, Rev. Gary received his M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, where he was also a Merrill Fellow. He has served congregations from New England to Tennessee and from the Northwest to North Carolina. In addition to his co-ministry in Taos, he has worked as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical responder with Hondo Fire & Rescue in Santa Fe County.

He says: Spirituality for me means connection with a Reality larger than myself. I can find it in art and poetry, in nature, in camaraderie and friendship, and often even in church! As a Unitarian Universalist minister, I hope to help strengthen the community, where people can experience a little of the wonder, beauty, and mystery of living, without judgment or dogma. I want to walk with others who are trying to make a difference in the world. For me, it is a privilege to serve this amazing little gathering of thoughtful, principled individuals, where honest differences are respected—and where you don’t have to believe to be loved or belong.

Introducing Rev. Munro Sickafoose

Rev. Munro received his M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry and serves as a community minister with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Fe and as a consulting minister with the Unitarian Congregation of Taos since 2018. His ministry focuses on healing the human relationship with the Earth and preparing our communities for the many serious challenges we face in the decades ahead.

He was influenced by Buddhism and Daoism at an early age and has been deeply involved with the indigenous spiritual path known as the Red Road for many years. He trained as a wilderness rites-of-passage guide at the School of Lost Borders and has been leading groups and individuals in the wild since 1996. He trained at the Ojai Foundation as a facilitator in the Way of Council and has spent hundreds of hours in talking circles with people from all walks of life.

After attending the First Unitarian Church of Portland, where he and his wife Susanna were involved in teaching adult programs, Munro decided to pursue a Master of Divinity degree at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California. He graduated from Starr King in 2013 and was ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa e in April of 2016.

Rev. Munro is still an “Army brat”, having moved all over the United States and Europe while growing up. He attended high school in El Paso, Texas, and spent most of his adult life living in the Southwest – except for a few years on the West coast – before he and his wife Susanna moved to Santa Fe in 2012. They currently live in Chimayo, where they are learning how to steward a small piece of land during this era of climate change.

2022 Pledge Campaign to kick off soon!

Could you help make it a success?

Happy New Year and welcome to the 2022 UUFD Pledge Campaign! This year’s campaign is gearing up for action and volunteer help with some small time limited tasks would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Kathleen Adams. In the meantime, watch for pledge packets in late January, and save the date for Celebration Sunday - March 20. This is when pledge cards need to be turned in to begin developing next year’s budget. Stay tuned for more information!

Small but mighty

Social Responsibility and Justice (SRJ) Special Feature

The United States has a large number of very small churches, but most people attend larger churches. A typical small church is 25-200, while churches 200-350 are considered midsize. A National Congregations Study estimated that the smaller churches draw only 11% of those who attend worship. The median attendance at church in the U.S. is 75 regular participants, while the average size attendance is 186. This is generally true for Unitarian Universalist churches as well, with the top 40 large congregations accounting for more individual UUs than the 500 smallest congregations put together (from Size Really Does Make a Difference! By Rev. Stefan Jonasson, UUA Director for Large Congregations 2006).

UUFD has consistently been moving toward the midsize, or Program Church. While we may still be considered a small church, our engagement in our mission to Love Courageously, Inspire Spiritual Growth, Work for Justice is anything but small! You see this reflected in the extraordinary work done by all our teams and committees, our staff, and our Board of Trustees. To see what we’ve been up to in our social justice work, click here for a quick look at year 2021. If you’ve ever wondered what’s going on in social justice, this is another chance to find out!

Healing Racism Team Reflections Series

A message from Marianna Valdez

The new year is often a time for reflection and building new habits. UUFD friends, this is the perfect time to engage in the 30-day reflection challenge put forth by Lalya Saad in her book, Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor. Each day, Saad presents a specific way that our white dominant culture tends to shape our perceptions and interactions with people of color, particularly Black people. Then, she poses simple yet poignant questions for the reader to journal their response.

You can complete this reflection challenge on your own or in a small group, as I did.

Saad's prompts are phrased in a way that engages people at all points of their journey in contemplating topics about race and racism. This can be for someone skeptical about their role in racism, and it is also just as appropriate for someone wanting to go deeper in their racial equity work. Saad’s prompts had me digging deep to face the racial stereotypes I held - and by journaling, I had to process how those stereotypes shape my daily life. Her prompts also helped me understand racial appropriation more clearly, a concept that previously had felt a little nebulous to me. The prompts on tone policing struck a particular chord for me, as it helped me realize ways that I had been minimizing what a person of color had been saying because of the emotion and intensity with which they were expressing themselves. Saad’s prompts helped me think about how I’d fallen into harmful habits - and that first step of reflection and realization springboarded me to the next step of change.

This new year, support a Black, female author. Grab a journal and a pen. Curl up on the couch solo or gather your friends. Build new habits and explore how you engage in our white dominant society.