UUFD Newsletter, March 2023

March 2023

March Services

Services begin at 10:00 am in our sanctuary located at the corner of West Third and San Juan Drive (419 San Juan Drive) in Durango. If you are unable to attend, we stream the service on Zoom, which you can find by clicking here.

The Worship Theme for March is “Vulnerability”

March 5

“Risk and Vulnerability as Core to Liberal Theology”

-Rev. Barbara Coeyman

Our ancestors in liberal religion are often identified as “rebellious” or “heretical” in their resistance to orthodox theology and practice. As a modern Unitarian Universalist, how do you live out your heritage of risk and vulnerability as articulated in liberal theology and lived practice in the world?

March 12

“Celebration Sunday: Stewardship as Spiritual Practice”

Rev. Barbara Coeyman

“Stewardship” means “the managing of something entrusted to our care.” Because each of us is a steward of our free church, stewardship is all that you give to support UUFD: financially as well as through time and talents. Considering stewardship as spiritual practice may expand your perspective on your participation in UUFD’s stewardship drive. Stewardship is an important way we live out the mission of liberal faith.

March 19

“Women’s History Month: Celebrating Universalist Women Who Came Before Us”

Rev. Barbara Coeyman

Unitarian Universalists enjoy a proud heritage of women who, inspired by their liberal faith, broke social, political, cultural, and religious boundaries. During this month when we recognize Women’s History, let us also meet several courageous women in our liberal religious history.

February 26

"Magic Moments in the Everyday"

DeAnna Hoyle

It's a blessing we were born and it matters what we do.

What we know about god is a piece of the truth.

Let the beauty we love be what we do, and we don't have to do it alone.

-Authors of Chalice Camp - Laila Ibrahim & Rev. Sheri Prud’homme

The above lyrics are from the theme of Chalice Camp, a UU Summer Day Camp curriculum, and will serve as the take-off point for sharing a perspective on process theology and magic moments in the everyday.

President's Message

Hello fellow UUFD members and friends,

As we enter into March, a considerable amount of background work is being done to prepare ourselves for the Ministerial Search process. The Board has been taking a close look at the Bylaws, Board policies and systems we have in place. We find that there are several revisions to our bylaws that need to be done this month. Several relate to the process of selecting our Ministerial Search Committee and the process to call a minister. Several relate to refining Board officer duties to define the main duty as an oversight function and to allow delegation of tasks that currently require the Board officer to do themselves.

These Bylaw changes will be discussed with the Congregation at a Board Town Hall meeting on Sunday March 5 from 11:30 to 12:30. The Board will also review current Board business, the UUA Article 2 revision and a high level next fiscal year budget review. I encourage all members and friends to attend this Board Town Hall meeting to discuss these important topics.

There will be a Special Congregational Meeting on Sunday March 26 at 11:30 – 12:30 to formally vote on these Bylaw changes. We need a quorum of 30% of our members and a 2/3 vote for approval. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this important meeting or assign your proxy vote to a member who will attend. Only one proxy vote per member attending is allowed by our Bylaws.

The Board is happy to announce that the 4 Corners UU Retreat will be held this year on the weekend of July 7-9 at the Pinesong property of Ken and Lois Carpenter! We are also very happy that Karen Klinger, Ken and Lois’s daughter, will also be active in the retreat weekend! With Covid and the flu remaining at low levels, the 4 Corners UU Retreat will be opened to other area UU congregations. At a recent Leadership Council meeting, it was agreed that the theme of the retreat weekend will be “Spreading the Joy.” The Joy we are looking to spread is that “special feeling” that we all have deep inside when we choose to spend some of our time volunteering in an activity that makes a significant difference for people within our UU community or within the greater community. Indeed, that “special feeling” deep inside is part of our spiritual growth. Opportunities to participate in the organization of the 4 Corners UU Retreat will be communicated in the E-Announcements.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions about Board activity, please email me or give me a call or attend a Town Hall meeting. I really want to hear from you!

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

John Redemske

Love courageously. Inspire spiritual growth. Work for justice.

Rising To The Peak Together: UUFD Annual Pledge Drive

Summiting a peak is an apt metaphor for stewardship in our congregation, as we aim for ever higher goals. Our fellowship is sustained by everyone working together, putting one foot in front of the other. As our pledge drive is in full swing, think about what our fellowship means to you, and how you can generously contribute to our future.

If you have not yet picked up your pledge package, you will soon receive it in the mail. Please bring your completed packet to Celebration Sunday on March 12 at 10am. Look forward to special guest musicians and a tasty food celebration after the service!

Contact Allison Anderson or Nancy Fisher with questions.

Faith Formation News & Notes

March's theme: Vulnerability

“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it's having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it's our greatest measure of courage.” -Brené Brown

Everything in our culture encourages us to be the opposite of vulnerable. We may hide behind a ready smile or a more stoic expression, but we usually resist showing our real selves to others. And yet, the great spiritual sages suggest that being vulnerable is the key to being true to ourselves and living our most preferred life.

As you have gathered by now, this month’s Soul Matter’s theme is vulnerability. On the surface, it’s an uncomfortable topic, but imagine how small life would be if we never swam in this pond. To never be vulnerable means we’d never take risks, whether it’s trying out a new recipe, a first-time skiing down a black diamond slope or asking that person we’re attracted to on a date. Risk of any kind, big or small, requires being open to things not turning out the way we want—which means we make ourselves vulnerable. Realizing that this is the normal state for trying new things suggests that being vulnerable is a state to be embraced rather than avoided.

March is that transitional month where here in Southwest Colorado, spring weather is beginning to peek through, followed by another reminder that winter isn’t finished yet. For Faith Formation at UUFD, it’s the month of moving beyond the holidays and leaping into new endeavors with all the blustery enthusiasm of a windy March day.

Children and Youth

OWL (Our Whole Lives) is lifespan sexuality education, and classes based on this robust curriculum for Middle School (grades 6-9) begin this month. OWL helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their relationships, sexual health and behavior. The curriculum is geared to participants' needs by age group. We are so pleased that Anna Royer and Jeff Hamner, both trained OWL facilitators, will be the instructors for this class. Classes will be held on Sunday afternoons (4 to 6:30 pm) beginning March 26 and will include a light meal. The maximum enrollment for this class is 15. UUFD youth who are registered before March 10 will be given priority for available spots. To register your child, click here.

Adult Faith Development Opportunities

Soul Matters Zoom Group has formed

If you’re interested in a Soul Matters group that meets via zoom, there is still time to join. Reach out to Sharon Mignerey for details. Soul Matters groups operate in a manner similar to covenant groups, exploring a different theme from the Soul Matters curriculum each month. Readings and activities allow participants to experience the ideas through spiritual practice and exploration.

Personal Faith Development

Faith development is a bit like other fitness regimens. We do the best we know how today to know ourselves better and tap into that highest ideal we have for ourselves. And then we learn something new or are asked to embark on some uncomfortable path where we exercise our spiritual muscles that can be as uncomfortable as exercising physical muscles. The website, Yogapedia, has a lovely article entitled, “Vulnerability: How To Unlock the Courage to Practice this Spiritual Act of Bravery.” Among the practices presented, here are two you might want to try for yourself.

Trust those close to your heart. Many of us (I’m raising my hand for this one) value self-sufficiency, and we’re unwilling to ask for even the tiniest bit of help, even when we’re at a breaking point. We’re reluctant to accept help, even when help is offered. Allow others close to your heart to help. Accept help when it’s offered. Use discernment and self-awareness with those closest to you so you can begin to see this flow of giving and receiving are part of the same circle. Reflect on your experiences to see how you and those who help are enhanced by the exchange.
Create balance with non-attachment. When we embark on a path our creative heart guides us toward – entering a 5K run, submitting a poem for publication, running for office, organizing for a social cause we value – it’s easy to become attached to a particular outcome, which is not assured. Try focusing on the process instead of the outcome. This still requires that awesome, dual-natured aspect of vulnerable and brave to put yourself out there. But there is also balance because you’re doing what you can with what you have -- win, lose, or draw. Ultimately, that is where the joy is, not in those too-brief, ecstatic moments of winning.

In closing, this quote from M. Scott Peck sums it up: “There can be no vulnerability without risk; there can be no community without vulnerability; there can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community.”

The Faith Formation Staff

Sharon Mignerey, Coordinator of Faith Formation

Harrison Wendt, Coordinator of Youth Faith Formation

Nikki Bauer, Faith Formation Teacher

Racial Justice

Social Responsibility and Justice special feature

Anti-racism work is never done, at least likely not in our lifetimes. If that statement brings on discouragement or fatigue, that’s understandable. It’s very difficult to sustain a commitment to difficult work over the long haul. But is there any choice, really? With our cherished value for full dignity and rights for all people, we can’t turn a blind eye to the problems of racism in our country. That’s a privilege we cannot accept, nor do we want to.

So what does it look like at UUFD? As a community, we’ve been engaged in anti-racism work for years. You are encouraged to read the list (click here) of the different ways in which we’ve worked together on building our understanding of systemic racism, learning to recognize our own biases and stereotypes, and learning how to be effective allies and co-conspirators with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color as they lead efforts to eliminate systemic racial injustices.

Michael Kraus, social psychologist and an associate professor at Yale University, explains it can be hard to recognize the magnitude and persistence of racial inequality, because we want to live in a society that is more racially equal. That cognitive dissonance can lead to overestimating how much progress we’ve made, or to taking actions to suppress the telling of data and stories of racism (think about recent actions to ban the teaching of America’s violent and unjust racial history in public schools). Kraus says “Progress toward racial equality is possible, but it will not unfold automatically, even with better education.”

And so we persist…thankful that we are not alone, that we walk this journey together.

Major themes emerge from Transition Team's town hall meeting

What is most important to engaging the UUFD community?

At the Town Hall meeting on February 12, members and friends in attendance (about 58 including online) were asked to consider this question:

Imagine you are an active member in 2028 (we hope you are). What are the three most important things that have led to your continued interest and participation in the life of the church -- the exciting, involving, alive, growth-filled, even new things that characterize your experience with the church?

The Transition Team collected and has compiled all the responses, both individual and small group. While this set of data will be made available for use by the Minister Search Committee (MSC) to be formed later this Spring, we thought you might like to have a look at the major themes that emerged from the very focused and intense 20 minutes of discernment about our potential, desired future that occurred at the Town Hall meeting.

People took a couple minutes to individually reflect on their responses. This resulted in 132 individual responses. Breakout groups of 3-4 then met to discuss their individual responses and arrive at the three most compelling themes that arose from the discussion.

Eight major themes emerged from the individual comments. In order of most to least widely shared, they are:

Maintaining and even increasing our emphasis on Social Justice activities
Increasing opportunities for spiritual growth and vibrant worship services
The importance and variety of social interactions within the congregation to deepen and broaden relationships
That we have a safe, supportive, accepting, inclusive community
An inspiring, engaging, good-fit minister
A continued, vibrant music program, especially the Choir
An emphasis on increased lay volunteering
A vibrant, dynamic Faith Formation program with an emphasis on children and youth

After the small groups filtered their individual ideas, a more condensed set of themes emerged.

What our community looks like and how it operates; a caring, respectful, vibrant, compassionate, connected community
A robust social justice program that reaches out into our community and beyond
Enhanced, involving worship experiences for all ages, including vibrant music, that lead to increasingly deeper spiritual exploration
A supportive, approachable, inspiring Minister

As our transition time continues, there will be a number of additional activities designed to further and deepen our collective understanding of who we are and to clarify what we want for our future with a new settled minister. We encourage your enthusiastic and thoughtful participation in all these activities.

Pinesong Retreat scheduled for July 7-9

Mark your calendars for this beloved event!

The Board is happy to announce that the 4 Corners UU Retreat will be held this year on the weekend of July 7-9 at the Pinesong property of Ken and Lois Carpenter! We are also very happy that Karen Klinger, Ken and Lois’s daughter, will also be active in the retreat weekend! With Covid and the flu remaining at low levels, the 4 Corners UU Retreat will be opened to other area UU congregations. At a recent Leadership Council meeting, it was agreed that the theme of the retreat weekend will be “Spreading the Joy”. The Joy we are looking to spread is that “special feeling” that we all have deep inside when we choose to spend some of our time volunteering in an activity that makes a significant difference for people within our UU community or within the greater community. Indeed, that “special feeling” deep inside is part of our spiritual growth. Opportunities to participate in the organization of the 4 Corners UU Retreat will be communicated in the E-Announcements.

Board Town Hall Meeting March 5

There will be a Board Town Hall discussion meeting on Sunday March 5, following worship, from 11:30 to 12:30. The Board will review current Board business and lead a discussion with the congregation including Board proposed revisions to our Bylaws, the UUA Article 2 revision and a high level next fiscal year budget review. We encourage all members and friends to attend this Board Town Hall meeting to discuss these important topics.

Special Congregational Meeting March 26

Join us for a Special Congregational Meeting on Sunday March 26 following worship from 11:30 to 12:30 to formally vote on some Bylaw changes. The Board has been taking a close look at our Bylaws, Board policies and systems. We find that there are several revisions to our bylaws that need to be done this month. Several relate to the process of selecting our Ministerial Search Committee and the process to call a minister. Several relate to refining Board officer duties to define the main duty as an oversight function and to allow delegation of tasks that currently require the Board officer to do themselves. We need a quorum of 30% of our members and a 2/3 vote for approval. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this important meeting or assign your proxy vote to a member who will attend. Only one proxy vote per member attending is allowed by our Bylaws.