UUFD Newsletter, Oct. 2021

October 2021

Vestments, Clericals and Sunday Best

Rev. Katie's Animas View

The Facebook group to which well over 1000 of my closest colleagues belong recently engaged in impassioned conversation after a new minister was challenged about his choice of Sunday attire. UU ministers have all kinds of wonderful strong opinions about how, when and why we wear robes (they may be liturgical or academic), stoles (the decorated draping piece which for UU ministers is a symbol of ordination by a congregation), and clericals (usually a black shirt with a white tab or collar).

One person shared the history of clerical garb, how women had long been shut out of professional ministry and so many chose to robe, as opposed to male colleagues who’d often ditched the vestments because they were assumed to be religious authorities on account of their gender.

Another colleague explains in his congregation that the robe is to remind the wearer that they belong to a living tradition as well as to remind all that there are boundaries to be respected.

Some choose to wear a robe to get away from comments on the minister’s clothing, whether it is a suit and tie, or a particular color or style of dress.

My colleague, the Rev. Lisa Bovee-Kemper, explains her choice when out at a march or public event: “The traditional use of ‘clergy collar’ has roots in our Christian history and is therefore authentic to the Unitarian Universalist ministry…I have found that in many situations being quickly identifiable as ordained clergy is important. When we make a public witness as religious people, it is important that we are seen in that context.” She also reminds us that in her particular case, identifying as queer, it is profoundly healing to many in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Throughout my ministry, I have been someone who chose to robe and wear a clerical collar when at public witness events in my role. I agree with my colleagues about reminders of the responsibility my role carries, about how vestments add some sacredness to our worship, and how I can be a model of liberal religious witness, like this Sunday October 3, when we march for the rights of women.

Since we have returned to the sanctuary after doing exclusively online worship from home, I haven’t returned to my robe yet. I haven’t quite put my finger on why—I think it might be my sense of tentativeness, that we’re still in the pandemic, and I want to somehow acknowledge that we can’t all be back safely and so I don’t want to return to business as usual.

My long time friend and colleague the Rev. Cathleen Cox points out the role of ritual and shamanic symbols in spiritual evolution and transformation. Our clothing is a reminder to me of the power of spiritual and religious community. We’re not just a group of like-minded people. We are deeply connected, across time and place, with love and trust as our guide.

Always in the love,

Rev. Katie

October Services (in person and online)

Theme: Cultivating Relationship

Worship services are held 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.

October 3

Connecting Spirituality and the Environment

–Rev. Katie Kandarian-Morris

Exploration of desert and mountain spirituality can be a profound connection to the mystical life. What is the relationship between landscape and theology, especially for those of us who live in these environs?

*Join us for Family Breakfast at 9 am on the patio.

October 10

Honoring Indigenous Peoples Day

–Connie Jacobs and Esther Belin

The new anthology, The Diné Reader, gives an up-close connection to the literary and artistic world of Navajo writers. Let’s celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day by paying attention.

October 17

No Strangers Here

-Rev. Katie Kandarian-Morris

The quote, “There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met,” has long been attributed to the poet Yeats, but rather than referring to an Irish pub, could mean the way we think about cultivating relationship based on covenant. Let’s consider the power that our relational values hold for us.

October 24

The Struggle to be a Nadleehi: A Two-Spirit Person

-LBGTQIA+ Team and pulpit guest Kayla Shaggy

Imagine being a two-spirited person, who experiences themselves as being endowed with both male and female characteristics and interests. Imagine living in a culture which not only does not recognize your two-spirited abilities, but also belittles them. What words, phrases, and/or feelings arise as you contemplate being more than your culture allows you to be?

*Team and Committee Fair immediately follows worship today.

October 31

Lessons From the Ancestors

-Rev. Katie Kandarian-Morris

On this Halloween Sunday, when we acknowledge the Samhain time of the veil between lost loved ones becoming thin, let us remember all souls and our loved ones lost by bringing photos for the altar. If you are attending online, send your photos to Rev. Katie to have them included in a video montage. Children are welcome to come in costume, (adults, too, with respect).

*Pumpkin decorating follows worship today.

Message from John Redemske, UUFD Board President

My dear fellow UUFD members and friends,

With the level of Covid vaccinations in LaPlata County leveling off at about 70%, it is clear that the Covid situation will be around for a while longer. Our Covid Advisory Group has been keeping a close watch over the local Covid conditions and gives frequent updates to your Board. A separate task force is working to determine how we can have Fellowship time when it becomes too cold to be on the Patio. Bill Wallauer, chair of the Risk Management committee, along with Mike Trefry, chair of Building and Grounds, have been working with local contractors to quote the addition of heat recovery ventilation systems to all of the UUFD buildings. Currently only the basement of Columbine house has a ventilation system. The goal is to allow us to continue meeting safely in-person even during the winter months, and adequate building ventilation is an important factor in this. Your board approved the purchase and installation of this ventilation equipment for installation before winter.

The announcement by Rev. Katie on Sunday, Sept. 19 of her retirement at the end of 2021 has added to the extraordinary nature of this year. Our congregation has grown considerably both physically and spiritually over the many years of Rev. Katie’s leadership, and we are well prepared to enter into this ministerial transition time. Communication is always important, but will be even more so during this transition time. Your Board and the Healthy Congregations Committee (HCC) completed facilitated conversation training together in September. The HCC is organizing weekly Listening Circles to be held before the Sunday service to provide a time for listening, sharing and healing as we enter into this ministerial transition time. See the HCC article in this newsletter for more details. We hope that all members and friends will participate in at least one of these Listening Circles before the end of the year! This communication between us is an important first step in the ministerial transition process.

Over the next several months, your Board will be working with the UUA to identify potential interim ministers with the aim of having one in place at the beginning of 2022. In the meantime, your Board will continue to work with Rev. Katie to keep our wonderful church functions going and provide for a smooth transition at the end of the year. Your board will review the 2017-2022 Strategic Plan over the next several months to determine what we have accomplished toward the Strategic Plan goals. Board members will be in contact with many of you to discuss this. This is a part of our introspective look: How have we done as a congregation? What has worked well and what needs improvement?

Although our congregation does not have a formal Vision Statement yet, the existing Strategic Plan has quite of bit of “Vision” or “what do we want to BE in the future” information in it. Your Board has distilled this existing information into the following statement:

“To be the leader in the Four Corners in providing liberal religion, spiritual growth, and social justice community.”

How close is this to what your current vision is for UUFD? As we go forward, we will work further on this, refining it together and ultimately coming to consensus on a new vision. The vision will be our guidance for what direction we head during our transition process and beyond.

With continuing gratitude for all of you,

John Redemske

UUFD Board of Trustees President

Committee and Team Fair

October 24, 2021

11:30 am following the Sunday Service

SNACKS

Look for your friends and the Committees/Teams they LOVE

Vote on The Best Booth

Find out about activities at UUFD

Healthy Congregation Committee creates Listening Circles

Zoom and in-person options available in Oct., Nov., and Dec.

One purpose of the Healthy Congregation Committee (HCC) is to create avenues for healthy communication focusing on communication that is respectful and empathic and acknowledges the importance of our mission. This helps us hold a sacred focus in all of our UUFD relationships. The HCC and the Board (BOT) have been working closely together to create Listening Circles that give the congregation the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings in a safe space. We are now in a time where there is more reason to come together to share thoughts, feelings, and questions about Reverend Katie’s retirement and what’s ahead for UUFD.

All members of the HCC and BOT have participated in four hours of facilitation training and will help facilitate these Circles. Reverend Katie will attend as her schedule permits. The live Listening Circles will take place on Sundays in Bowman Hall at 9 AM on Oct 17 and 24, Nov 7 and 21, and Dec 5 and 19. Zoom listening circles will occur on Sundays at 9 AM on Oct 31, Nov 14, and Dec 12. This schedule could change, but we will keep you posted. No RSVP required. We hope all will participate in at least one circle.

Mission: Support Kids

Help assemble, or donate toward, backpacks for foster children

Our newest Basic Needs project team is working regularly to assemble comfort backpacks for foster children in our area. The backpacks are created with age appropriate personal care and hygiene products and comfort items such as shampoo/conditioner, toothbrush/toothpaste, deodorant, comb/brush, body wash, journal, coloring book and crayons, fidget toy, silly putty, book gift certificate, and a stuffed animal.

To date we have delivered 40 completed backpacks to the local Social Services foster care program and their contracted partner Whimspire. Whenever a case worker has to remove a child from their home to be placed in a foster home, the child is given one of these backpacks that is theirs to keep. This replaces the more typical embarrassing situation in which the child has to carry any belongings in a trash bag. The backpack communicates that they are still important and gives them a safe place they know they can keep their things wherever they are. The items in the backpack are also designed to affirm the importance of self-care, encourage positive self-esteem, as well as help calm down their nervousness and provide a source of comfort. The M:SK project team also includes a handwritten note of care in each backpack.

If you would like to help, we assemble backpacks the first Thursday of each month at 3:00 in Columbine House. Or help us with the purchase costs of a backpack and items – each one totals about $45-50. We put our love and energy to work to support kids and let them know that there are people in the world who care about them!

Planning for our ministerial transition

Article details timeline and process

As our Fellowship begins to think about and plan for our ministerial transition, we encourage you to read this article, which was shared at the Sept. 26 service during reflection time. It summarizes what the Board learned during its retreat, which included a two hour zoom presentation by Sarah Millspaugh, UUFD's Congregation Life contact with UUA.

Installation of new board members, Sept. 26, 2021

Fall cleanup on Oct. 8

Bring a smile and your green thumb!

Our landscape is ready for the fall cleanup with weeding, trimming, and deadheading. Oct. 8 is our second and final day of cleanup, in preparation for having all of our yard waste on the curb for the city to pick up on Oct. 11. If you can help with this important task, please reply to Aline or Carroll at aschwob@msn.com or cgroeg@gmail.com. Thanks.

Climate Change: want to help?

UUFD Environmental Justice Team welcomes you

The Environmental Justice Team (EJT) is once again meeting regularly to help determine and guide what UUFD members and friends can do individually, as a fellowship, and as part of our broader community to contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change. Meetings are held each first Tuesday of the month from 5:00pm to 6:30pm at UUFD. We hope to have a more robust effort this year and going forward. We have a great team and would welcome others interested in contributing their thoughts and energy to our work. Please contact Tom Miller (tommiller1945@gmail.com) for more information and to get on the EJT roster.

New Share the Plate recipients selected

Social Responsibility and Justice (SRJ) Special Feature

Nine nominations were made for new Share the Plate recipients for this next year, four were selected, and each will receive three months of STP donations. Being selected as a recipient presents a great opportunity for a nonprofit to meet their needs and grow their work as they receive our donations. In this last STP year (October 2020-September 2021), our congregation donated a total of $16,178 - each recipient received between $3461 to $4239. The generosity of UUFD members and friends extends into our community with these appreciated gifts.

The nine nominated organizations include the following:

Black Student Alliance at Durango High School
Construyendo Poder (Building Power)
La Plata Youth Services
Manna/Durango Food Bank/FLC Grub Hub
Mission: Support Kids
Neighbors In Need Alliance (NINA) – Purple Cliffs
Navajo Water Project
San Juan Citizens Alliance
Women’s Resource Center

After the Social Responsibility and Justice Coordinating Team reviewed information on all nominees, we confirmed if each met our basic criteria: 1) nonprofit based in the Four Corners, 2) work focused on pressing social justice issue, 3) aligned with UUFD social justice priorities. In deeper discussion, we gave special consideration to organizations newer to Share the Plate, those working with youth, and those for whom our donations would likely make a more significant impact. We also confirmed that recipients of STP would continue to be organizations/projects outside of UUFD as a reflection of our intention to share our generosity with the community. The following recipients were selected, with donations to be received in assigned months:

NINA, Purple Cliffs – October, November, December

Black Student Alliance, DHS – January, February, March

La Plata Youth Services – April, May, June

Navajo Water Project – July, August, September

On each Share the Plate Sunday, we will hear from one of these organizations about the nature of their work and how it supports our community’s well-being. Thank you to those who took the time to nominate an organization, and thank you to everyone who donates so generously to Share the Plate!

What happened at the last board meeting?

Keeping you up-to-date and in the know!

Notes from the Sept 28, 2021 board meeting

Covid policy review:

The current state of Covid in LaPlata county was reviewed. There is a substantial upswing in Covid.
A chart showing different levels or phases of Covid severity as well as associated metrics and resulting UUFD activities that can be allowed is under development and progress was discussed at length by Graham Smith of the Covid Advisory Group.
An update to the Covid policy was discussed at length and approved by the Board. The main changes from the previous policy caused by the upswing in Covid are:
Full vaccination required in people 12 years and older and they must wear N95 masks for indoor gathering.
Children under 12 must wear N95 masks for indoor gathering.
Participation in Circle Suppers requires full vaccination.

Bill Wallauer, chair of Risk Management gave an update regarding UUFD ventilation upgrades:

It was recommended to accept the bid by Altitude Heating & AC for heat recovery ventilation systems including UV disinfection systems for the Sanctuary, Bowman hall and Columbine House first floor. The systems can be installed before winter.
The Board approved the expenditure of $25,250 for the ventilation equipment and installation with funds drawn from the Capital Campaign fund. This ventilation equipment will assist the use of our buildings in winter when windows cannot be opened.

Tom Miller, chair of the Near Term Fellowship Space task force, gave an update. The task force is working closely with the Covid Advisory Group and is looking at a variety of options for Fellowship space once winter arrives. They will have a final report to the Board in mid-October.

An initiative presented by John Redemske for a Covid Community Action Committee was briefly discussed. This proposal seeks to determine if there is sufficient community interest to form a committee to promote vaccinations in the San Juan Basin. If there is interest, John Redemske would organize the first meeting, but the leadership of the committee would be by others. The Board approved the initiative.

If you have any comments, concerns, questions or suggestions about Board activity, please call John Redemske, Board president (603-345-2244). I would love to hear from you!