ISSUE 68

FEBRUARY 2022

Though we are still early in a new year, I find that I am looking back. No surprise I suppose. As I grieve my parents’ deaths, I am filled with memories. It is more than family, though, I am remembering my earliest interactions with this church. When I first looked at this church as a potential landing spot, I noted with excitement that as part of its mission it named “grow Unitarian Universalism.” Wow. I hadn’t ever seen that before and it spoke to a people that loved its experience of church so much that it could only hope to share it.

Of course, growing Unitarian Universalism has always been about more than numbers. Long referred to as “the living tradition,” this religion’s gift has always been a rich understanding that revelation is not sealed. As our forebear Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “God speaketh, not spake.” Funny antiquated words capturing that our faith believes that there is more (capital T) Truth to be learned than that learned by one small group of geographically-restricted people at one point in time. Indeed, we have implicitly and explicitly held that we must interpret the call of our faith through the lens of our time and evolve as needed.

And so it is that we enter a different kind of theme this month. Usually our themes (e.g. intention, joy or relationship) invite us to reflect on our own lives. As a ministry team, we always strive to equip us to live better in the world and to tend to that still small voice speaking to something more noble than our to-do list. In February though, our theme “Widening the Circle” invites us into a reflection of Unitarian Universalism as well as our own lives.

This theme was inspired by a report published by the UUA Commission on Institutional Change, a team appointed following the fallout from a hiring controversy and the resignation of then UUA President Peter Morales. It was an effort to take a crisis and shape it into an opportunity to redeem both the premise and the promise of Unitarian Universalism.

This sort of work can be hard. These sort of reflections can be challenging. For many of us, including me, this is the only religion in which we have felt a sense of belonging and a call to live authentically deeply connected to self and others. Thus, we can respond defensively to anything which shines light on shortcomings. And so we go gently and invite you to come with us in curiosity and commitment. The world is different than it was a decade ago. Or even five years ago. The question is, how will our “living tradition” keep up with the times? What choices will we make – or fail to make – and how will that affect the relevancy and survival of our faith?

I can’t wait to consider these questions together.

I spend a lot of time thinking about the future, about my children, about the grandchildren I hope to have some day. Now entering fully into middle age I’ve had plenty of time to watch the world change around me. My childhood home had a rotary dial phone that was the property of Southwestern Bell attached to the wall of our kitchen, the only phone in the house. Now we lead Sunday services online that are seen by people in other states and countries, and it can feel like the whole of human knowledge is a click away from the phone in my pocket. This, of course, is the way of life. The list of things that will never change is short, indeed.

For that reason, perhaps, it shouldn’t have come as such a surprise to me to come across the results of the Faith Communities Today study, published last fall. It’s an academic research project that has been going on for decades. And for decades it has tracked the declining participation by Americans in churches. Not long ago the word came out that now less than half of Americans report that they are part of a religious community, for the first time since the question was asked, many decades ago. For those that do, the commentators now call you a regular church attender if you show up 1-2 times a month. But not all churches are shrinking or closing.

It turns out there are some pretty clear trends. The lead researcher, Scott Thumma, says in a conversation about the data:

“There’s something enriching about having a diversity of backgrounds and traditions that goes back to what we were talking about earlier. This complexity more resembles contemporary reality and the world that we all live in. Therefore, a faith and a faith community like that will have better resonance with society. Such communities may be more appealing when someone comes in and says, “Oh, this isn’t a group of, you know, German Lutherans; this is America.” I think that’s part of the reason why we’re seeing a continued rise in multiracial congregations. In the course of the 20 years FACT has been gathering data we’ve seen the percentage of congregations that have 20 percent or more of racial minority presence go from 12 percent of congregations to now this year 20 percent of religious communities.”

In the data tables, it also shows that those congregations are the ones that are most likely to be growing. In data, collected before the pandemic, less than a third of majority white congregations were growing at all over the previous five years, but 60% of congregations of color or multiracial congregations were stable or growing, and 80% of faith communities that weren’t Christian were either stable (20%) or growing (60%).

I take that kind of data to heart, and not just because on some level I’ll always be a scientist. I take it to heart because I know how much Unitarian Universalism means to me. Has meant to my family. My parents. My friends. My community. Just like my house doesn’t even have a landline at all, and telephone books go from my front porch directly to the recycling in the alley, our faith has changed. It looks, and feels, different than it did when I was a child. We’ve learned, and grown, and the world around us has shifted. And yet, in every way, and every day, we continue to share the core messages of our faith, that love is the spirit, that service is our law, and that we are called to help one another, widening the circle ever more, in a world that is ever changing, so that those who come behind us will inherit what was given to us, with gratitude for all that is yet to come.

Transitions

Verne Thomas died January 4.

Board of Trustees Report

The Following Our Spirit of Love workshop schedule has concluded with great success. The Board wishes to thank all who participated in this important exercise, with a special shout-out to those who facilitated the workshops.

The Board will now review the data compiled from the workshops, and make course corrections based on a renewed vision of the future of our JUC church community.

The Board is discussing changes to the format and scheduling of the Ministerial Evaluations with Revs. Wendy and Eric, in an effort to make them more useful and practical.

The Board continues to receive updates from the Safety Team regarding church operations during the pandemic.

Living with Intention and Planned Giving

Estate planning is living with intention and it is a way to ease the tensions of preparing for our life transition. It provides an opportunity to keep our financial wealth moving to the next generation and support causes that are near and dear to our heart.

JUC’s website has pages on Life Decisions and Planned Giving that are rich in information for this essential task. We invite you to include a legacy gift to JUC in your estate plan.

Contact our Planned Giving team: Bud & B.J. Meadows, Mike Kramer or Carol Wilsey

Stories of Hope

JUC’s Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) Task Force encourages support for the National UU Service Committee, and informs the congregation about their work. The Special Plate on Sunday, March 20 will be dedicated to the UUSC.

On the UUSC website’s Stories of Hope, we can see how the fruits of our donations are helping people in marginalized and climate threatened parts of the world.

Read a story about a woman named Penalise Alofa, from the Kiribati Islands here.

Widening the Circle

“The good news is that we are in control of what we do with our daily living. If we, each one of us, represent a missing remnant in the fabric of our collective future – then together, we can lean into a possibility that we have yet to fully experience in human history. A collective wholeness. An unassailable good. That is the kind of salvation I am here to fight for in the small moments of every single day.” ~ Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt, The Missing Remnant

This month’s theme, Widening the Circle, invites us into a different kind of connection to ourselves and others that opens our hearts and minds with a more profound capacity to love – a collective wholeness. Unitarian Universalism is not a faith that seeks salvation in the afterlife – we seek salvation in this lifetime – moment by moment. When we learn how to Widen the Circle, we are able to create more and more of these moments so that “together we can lean into a possibility that we have yet to fully experience in human history.”

Jefferson Unitarian Church is a thriving congregation because Unitarian Universalism teaches and connects us to our core values. We believe that religion must not only make sense in our hearts, but it also must make sense in our minds. We all strive to do the right thing, in essence, to be good people. And the world around us is ever-changing. What was the right thing to do ten years ago, five years ago, one year ago has shifted, and so must our hearts and minds. It is not easy, especially with our capacity during COVID. Yet, the need for love reaching out continues. Our need for one another continues. Our collective wholeness is an unassailable good.

This month in our children and youth faith exploration programs we will be learning and experiencing ways we can widen the circle in our lives and our faith. February sessions will be exploring Black history, love and its connection to justice, how courage can guide us, and the power of we. Our adult programs will be offering discussions, spiritual practices, and learnings. Together, we can widen the circle in our own lives and our church.

The Living Tradition program committee of the Association for Unitarian Universalist Music Ministries is charged with developing and executing learning opportunities that keep AUUMM members connected to Unitarian Universalist history, theology, and praxis (both historic and contemporary) with an aim toward strengthening members’ effectiveness for musical, worship, and organizational leadership in congregational and other settings.

Whew, that’s a mouthful. Since summer 2021 I have served on this new committee of the professional association for UU musicians, which has been developing resources that help our UU musicians remain in touch with the living tradition of Unitarian Universalism. You might remember that our hardback hymnal is titled Singing the Living Tradition (1992), in recognition that Unitarian Universalism’s forms and expressions vary and change over time. In the history of Unitarianism and Universalism, the musical forms and settings have meant that every so often our books of collected songs change. The paperback Singing the Journey is from 2005, while the predecessor to Singing the Living Tradition is Hymns for the Celebration of Life, published in 1964 as the first songbook of the then recently combined Unitarian and Universalist denominations.

Earlier this week, in a Zoom meeting of the Living Tradition program committee that I was in, we were thinking of the situation of new UU music directors, who are sometimes hired with plenty of musical experience but little to no knowledge of what music is appropriate in UU settings. My colleagues and I, charged with connecting members to UU musical practices both historic and contemporary, are beginning to develop a list to help out new UU music directors, with what could be called “tried and true” music for UU settings. My own list of “tried and true” has music like this:

Blue Boat Home by Peter Mayer

Draw the Circle Wide by Mark Miller

Deep Peace by Bill Douglas

Breaths by Ysaye Barnwell

Never Turning Back by Pat Humphries

Meditation on Breathing by Sarah Dan Jones

At the same time, the Living Tradition calls us forward. The Psalms say “Sing to the Lord a new song.” The Living Tradition program committee is also developing the list – or perhaps it’s the practice – of finding the new music that is being written now. For me, some of the music that I’ve recently discovered by Unitarian Universalist composers and present in UU settings is this:

Be the Light by Lea Morris

Pause and Reflect by Josh Long

We Shall be Known by MaMuse

Rev. Wendy asks, “how will our “living tradition” keep up with the times? What choices will we make – or fail to make – and how will that affect the relevancy and survival of our faith?”

In the spirit of continuing to draw the circle wide, if there is new music that speaks to you, that stirs your soul, that calls us on to more depth and greater service, even if you could not yet imagine it happening on a Sunday morning, you are warmly invited to share that with me. Our music team, our congregation, our movement and faith is waiting to find the new songs – grounded in UU values and principles – that will help express what is unfolding in these days and those to come.

Derek Bassett, Trustee

This past weekend several JUC Dads gathered together to spend time connecting and getting to know each other better. I was one such dad. This was my first ever Dads’ retreat and I wasn't sure quite what to expect. I'm fairly certain we were all changed by the experience, both from the normal bonding one might have on any shared experience like this and also by chance to be together as a group since the beginning of the pandemic almost two years ago.

For my outdoor activity on the retreat, I decided to go snowshoeing. Snowshoeing is something I had never tried before. I realized if I was ever going to do the activity this would likely be my best opportunity. So after borrowing a pair of snowshoes and poles, off I went to the trailhead. The trail and route to an experienced snowshoer were not hard, but physical endurance has never been one of my strengths, and so I struggled on in the back taking breaks and resting. I looked forward to each short distance, a bridge, the top of a switchback, each and every small milestone I had to face. Reaching the top and looking over the majestic valley of Snow Mountain Ranch is an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life.

Almost two years into this pandemic we continue to live in a world of both transition and growth. It is remarkable to me as I talk and listen to others how tired we all are and how ready we are to see the pandemic and the struggles it has forced onto us finally go away. We are each climbing our own mountain in snowshoes, we don't know when we will reach the top. It is disappointing when something gets in our way or we suffer setbacks but as long as we continue and as long as we strive for the top that’s all that really matters, even if we must take breaks and pauses along the way.

At this time of year, just as we thought we were safe after the major winter holidays, comes a hyped pseudo-holiday that some take very seriously: Valentine’s Day. The jury seems to be out on whether Valentine’s Day is a chance for lovers to show their feelings for one another or a scam forcing people to spend money on boxes of chocolate and roses.

For me, Valentine’s Day is a day to focus on my friends and myself. Being single on Valentine’s Day can be hard, with the constant reminders that for us singles, there is no one at home waiting for us and we will likely not be exchanging gifts with anyone. For other singles, this isn’t a problem and they relish their freedom.

For those of us looking for a brunch with female friends, there’s Galentine’s Day, a celebration of the friendship shared between women. There’s also Singles Awareness Day for those of us who are uncoupled on this festive day.

How can Valentine’s Day be special for those who aren’t in a romantic relationship? How about for those who have no gals to go to that Galentine’s Day brunch with? Or those who are experiencing loss, either by break-up, divorce or death? How can this day for lovers be inclusive and celebrate all forms of love, and hold those who feel bereft?

In December, our theme was Opening to Joy. What can December’s theme teach us about Valentine’s Day? I believe a lot. What Rev. Eric and I said in our sermons about gratitude, and how developing an intentional practice of gratitude opens us to joy, can be used as the basis for this little Valentine’s Day ritual I created to help those of us who are single by choice or chance to open our hearts to all forms of love in our lives. It can also be used by people in romantic relationships, to remember the blessings in life.

First, find a container. It can be any container. I will use a jam jar, however whatever you find to use is perfect.

Then find some clean paper and a writing instrument. When I perform this activity, I will use stationary and a fountain pen, however whatever you can find around your home will serve the purpose.

When you begin, this activity may seem difficult. The point is to keep going. On each little slip of paper write something you are grateful for, and as you state it out loud put it in the container. There is no right number of slips of paper to have in the jar. You can keep going until you truly are out of things to write, or your hand complains, whichever comes first. You can also type if handwriting is difficult. If neither of those alternatives feels right, you can draw what you are grateful for. Elegance and beauty are not the point, no one will judge your writing or drawing. This is only for you.

Upon completion of this activity, thank yourself for completing it, and set the container someplace where you will see it. When you feel like you need a boost, take out one or more of the pieces of paper and read them out loud. This container holding your gratitude can serve as a pick-me-up on any day, not just on Valentine’s Day.

I haven’t said this yet, but Happy Valentine’s Day to you! May you find yourself in a warm place of gratitude and love for all that is.

What’s Ahead in 2022 For Social Justice Legislation and JUC CAN?

Jill Armstrong, JUC CAN

JUC CAN has been working with Mobile Home Park residents in Jeffco on Know Your Rights training for more than a year. These training sessions help make residents aware of state legislation that passed last year to provide dispute resolution, clarify resident rights, and explain residents' ability to purchase their park. Unfortunately, many residents are still unaware of their rights, so JUC CAN continues to work in Arvada and Golden. We are also expanding into Lakewood.

This past year has shown us that these rights need to be clarified further. In addition, the right to purchase law must be strengthened. JUC CAN is in partnership with Together Colorado, a statewide community organization in this effort. JUC CAN and Together Colorado are supporting bills this session to:

Strengthen and update the opportunity for residents to purchase their park, giving them more time to organize and secure funds and providing additional enforcement and penalties for park owners who fail to comply.
Strengthen the Mobile Home Park Act and dispute resolution.
Protect mobile home park residents from excessive increases in lot rent. Mobile home parks are unsubsidized affordable housing. Therefore, it is vital to preserve them; simultaneously, they are under increasing pressure from outside corporate interests that treat them as a captive form of income.

There has been a lot in the news lately about the predatory business practices used against mobile home park residents, but if you want to understand more about why passing these bills is essential, here are two good articles:

In addition to bills that further protect mobile home park residents, Together Colorado and JUC CAN are supporting these three bills as part of their Transforming Justice and anti-racist efforts. They are:

Require courts to hold bond hearings within 48 hours to lessen the potential impacts of job loss, loss of custody of children, and accepting bad plea bargains
Increase using summons instead of arrests for petty offenses. These have escalated into violence in the past, often with tragic results. For example, the death of Eric Garner after being arrested for allegedly selling loose cigarettes, or Elijah McClain’s death after being stopped for “looking suspicious.”
Truth in Interrogation of Juveniles, ending deceptive interrogation practices where law enforcement is permitted to exaggerate or lie about the evidence against a suspect.

These bills will be introduced during the current (2022) Colorado legislative session. Through the JUC CAN Action Alert list, we will notify you of timely opportunities so that you can email or call your legislators to offer support for these bills. If you are not already on the list, please email communityaction@jeffersonunitarian.org to receive updates about these and other upcoming legislation.

Disablot: Welcome Back to the Sun!

Piper Perry

February 2nd is a holy day for many pagans, when the darkest night of Midwinter has turned its face toward the sun again. This is the time of year when chickens would start laying again because they got enough sunlight and new lambs were born. Many pagans call this holy day its Irish/Celtic name, Imbolc.

In blended pagan communities, this is often when we Norse pagans celebrate Disablot alongside our Celtic Trad, hereditary witch and Wiccan neighbors. Some Norse pagans celebrate closer to Valentine’s Day, but we like adding this ritual to the larger pagan community.

What is Disablot? According to the Book of Blots from The Troth, an inclusive Heathen organization, Disablot is when we remember and thank our feminine presenting ancestors, the disir. We tell stories of their nurturing love and fierce protectiveness of us as individuals and as communities.

One of most important things about this holy day, however, is that we don’t have to celebrate just our birth family. As our household is queer and most of us have been rejected by our families, we have had difficulty in trying to reconcile our practice with our experience.

It was a wonderful Wiccan that pointed out to me many years ago that it doesn’t have to be your family of birth, it can be anyone who inspires you, anyone who shows you a better way to live in the world.

So, on this holy day, my family and I raise our horn/goblet/glass to bell hooks. My first introduction to social justice work was through a therapist recommending reading bell hooks.

It was through that reading that I learned of love as a verb, an action, a deed, rather than a noun. It was through that reading that I learned of intersectionality as a lens to build more inclusive communities. It was through that reading that I learned of ways I could leave the world a better place for the children who come after me.

On this holy day, I raise my horn to bell hooks, who through her words and example, helped me be a better pagan and a better person.

I am working with some lovely people to revive the CUUPs (Covenant of UU Pagans) chapter here at JUC. If you have interest, please email me and let me know!

Widening the Circle

Rachel Joffe

I have lived in seven different states, mainly in pursuit of my career. Although I have had opportunities to meet a diverse group of people, I have had the daunting task of starting over. Now, some people would rejoice in the ability to redefine themselves, but as an introvert, while I love change and its inevitable nature, it’s difficult to put myself out there.

Most likely, it started when I was young. I was bullied a lot as kid. Bullied because of my curly hair. Bullied because I was a tomboy. And as the years piled on, so did my armor – that invisible protective layer, shielding my “bubble” that hides my true self from the world. My defense mechanism from fear that putting trust in others will lead to hurt, loss, and disappointment.

Over the years, that invisible protective layer turned into a tangible item, a talisman – my light pink Adidas track jacket. Every time I put it on and zipped it up, somehow, I felt shielded. But with any shield meant to intercept blows that can harm, it also acts as a guard, an impervious cover.

I still consider myself new to Denver, considering I arrived only months before COVID swept over the country. I forced myself to get out and meet people. But each time, before I headed out to a game night or a brunch, I took one last look in the mirror and zipped up my jacket. I was ready. Or was I?

I recently watched the 2021 hit Disney film, Raya and the Last Dragon as an assignment for a Film Club that I attend. The movie centers around a warrior named Raya, who is determined to find the last dragon in order to banish the evil spirits known as the Druun – "a plague born from human discord.” At first, Raya believes that she doesn’t trust anyone because the world it broken, but after finding the last dragon, Sisu, she is challenged with, “Maybe it’s broken because you don’t trust anyone.”

Taking risks is harder as we age. There is less room for error as adults. We want to weigh our options and for some of us, make a pro/con list. We have to be sure. We have to be ready. But sometimes knowing when to let go and taking the firsts steps before you’re ready is wise. And the act of doing so is courageous. Children are much better at taking risks than adults. They just do it like riding the playground carousel at the speed of vomit or trying a backflip off the diving board.

An investor will tell you that with a higher risk there is a greater return. So, what if, as adults, we just jumped right in. Took the leap. Sprung forward. Dove right in. Soared to new heights. Maybe it doesn’t work out the first time. Maybe not the second time. Be resilient. Or, maybe it does.

Trust and faith are built in our attempts. It is a choice and with that choice blossoms gratitude, forgiveness, and cooperation. Strip your armor. Let go. Be vulnerable; be authentic; be seen. Put your faith in others so they will put their faith in you.

We are each a catalyst. Together, we can forge a “plague”, not from human discord, but from human concession that can sweep over our communities, allowing us to trust, to work together, and to solve problems.