On April 3, 1968, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was in Memphis, TN, speaking to the city’s striking sanitation workers. He said, “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop … I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.” I think Dr. King probably sensed that the end of his life was near; in fact, he was assassinated by James Earl Ray the very next day.

So why do I bring this up for this month of the gift of transformation? Because every time I hear that mountaintop speech, I’m struck by the matter-of-factness with which he delivers those words. He references the Israelites’ 40 years wandering in the desert, and I have no doubt that in this moment, he was feeling a certain kinship with Moses, who led his people out of bondage in Egypt but who God also told he would never see the land of plenty, the land flowing with milk and honey that he had promised the Jews. 

Dr. King delivers the line matter-of-factly because it’s his truth. But I wonder how much wrestling - with disappointment, with exhaustion, maybe even with anger at God - he had to do to get to a place where he could accept and deliver those words, “I may not get there with you. But… we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.” What did it take for him to get to a place of acceptance that it wasn’t about him, or what he’d see, even if he’d devoted his entire life to fighting and scrounging rights back for his people? How many hours of longing did he have to let go of in order to deliver those words with sincerity and boldness?

Transformation of our world into a place of equity and justice - our “Promised Land,” perhaps - involves changing policies, procedures … and yes, other people’s minds. But before that happens, we each, as individuals and collectively, need to deepen our understanding of Dr. King’s Beloved Community: a worldwide community in which everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, hunger, and hate. We need to understand that, as Dr. King repeated from Theodore Parker, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” We need to understand that 500 years and more of oppression won’t be undone in 5, 15, or 50 years. None of us will actually see the Promised Land - and that’s not the point.

Why? Because the truth is, none of us as individuals can hope to experience the full range of what it means to be human, or to be part of a vast and expanding universe, on our own. We NEED each another in order to experience Emerson’s Over Soul: “that great nature in which we rest … that Unity within which every man's particular being is contained and made one with all other.” If our ultimate Promised Land consists of collective spiritual wholeness, of honoring the tiny piece of the Divine that is each and every one of us, that makes up the greater Divine - then we MUST open ourselves to the experiences of each and every person who, without exception, is part of that collective wholeness. And it is only by continually adding back the people who have been barred from participating in this human wholeness - and more than that, adding back the wholeness of all creation - that we can hope to understand the breadth and the beauty of who we are meant to be together.

And that starts with the gritty, sometimes painful, sometimes joyful transformation of ourselves. We often see transformation as fundamentally adding to the original. But sometimes, it’s about removing obstacles that have been keeping us from taking next steps. So this month I’m asking myself, and you too, friends: what expectations do we each need to let go of in order to be transformed ourselves, and to transform our world? What assumptions do we as a community need to wrestle with in order to allow our wider community to transform us?

One thing that I love about Unitarian Universalism is that it is a living tradition. It is a young religion - having been founded in 1961, not even a decade before I was born. The founders of our faith had to blend the older religions of Unitarianism and Universalism and they had to compromise and agree on which parts of the individual traditions they would keep and what had to go. These decisions were laid down in the Unitarian Universalist Association bylaws.

Article II of the bylaws contain the stated principles and purposes of the UUA. These are the principles and sources that are familiar to us today - they hang in our classrooms and appear on our literature. Did you know, though, that these weren’t the first iteration of the principles and purposes? The UU founders built in a re-examination of the principles and purposes every 15 years. This is pretty radical for a religion! But, it makes sense. How can you be a living tradition without a stated commitment to stop and take a look at your principles and purposes every few years and to transform them if necessary?

The commission that has recently done the 15 year work of re-examining the Article II principles and purposes states this so well:

For some religious institutions, the equivalent of Article II would be regarded as a permanent statement of belief. Ours, however, is a Living Tradition. We commit ourselves to regularly revisiting our Principles and Purposes to ensure that we are relevant, that as we grow in understanding, our Principles and Purposes grow, too. Since “new occasions teach new duties,” we must continuously examine our Principles and Purposes to see what is missing, what is no longer important, and whether the language communicates our core values to the current times. 

We are in a time of transformation in our faith. Over the next couple of months you will be hearing about proposed changes - within our church and within our denomination. We are thinking about changing the name of our church, about adopting the 8th principle and about the big changes coming to the Article II principles and purposes. When I first heard about many of these proposed changes I was a bit shocked. However, when I considered the danger of adhering forever to something written down that may no longer fit, I felt proud to be a Unitarian Universalist! What a privilege to belong to a religion that allows us to change! As you begin to hear about the proposed changes I encourage you to keep an open mind and remember what might have drawn you to this church in the first place.  

We will have many opportunities over the coming months to learn about the proposed changes. Rev. Wendy is offering a four week class, Love at the Center about the proposed Article II changes. Rev. Jen and the racial justice team will be focusing on the 8th principle in March and April with a variety of opportunities for learning both for adults and kids. I highly encourage you to check the weekly connection each week to find out how you can help JUC be the change we want to see in the world! 

Steven DeCaluwe, Trustee

This semester at Mines, I am teaching graduate students about thermodynamics, the study of energy – what it is and does, how it changes when converted from one form to another, and how it impacts the materials and systems around us (bear with me, here; I swear I have a point). Last week, we discussed the second law of thermodynamics, one of my very favorite ideas in all of science. There are many ways to state the second law, but one version boils down to this: the only ideal process, one that wastes no energy, is one that moves so slowly that it would literally take an infinite time to complete the task.

That’s right—the only way to do something perfectly is to not actually do it at all. 

I have been thinking about this idea in the context of this month’s focus on justice and equity and our current social justice challenge. In many ways, the task of accountably dismantling racism and other oppressions can feel daunting. The size of the problem is immense, and the potential to make mistakes can be paralyzing. In so many parts of our lives, we have been taught there is a “right” way to do things, and we may try to bring this same ethos to bear here, to do anti-racism the “right” way. This is perfectly understandable; none of us likes making mistakes, particularly publicly, and the potential to cause additional harm is certainly reason for pause.

But we cannot let our own dislike of discomfort take precedence over our call to justice. Returning (briefly) to thermodynamics: if we let our quest for perfection delay action, just who is that ‘perfection’ serving? How can we call it ‘perfection’ at all? 

On the JUC board, we have been working through a UU Institute course called “Knotty Conversations for Dismantling White Supremacy.” One thing we have learned so far is that this idea of a correct, singularly acceptable way to do things is itself an artifact of white supremacy, one that inhibits change and change-makers to preserve existing social order. Our “knotty” conversations on the board have helped me realize every mistake is a learning opportunity, and a necessary one. Avoiding the embarrassment of saying or doing the “wrong” thing does not replace that learning, it only puts it off to a future date. 

Living into our mission on equity and justice is going to require honesty with one another. It will also require trust: trust that each of us, in our successes and in our mistakes, is approaching with best intentions, and trust that we will help each other learn and grow with a spirit of loving kindness. I can’t think of a group of people better suited to help each other through this process than our beloved community at JUC.

My pledge to myself is to lean into this process of learning, to trust my community to support me, and to lean into the imperfect process of moving toward a more perfect world. I look forward to making the journey with all of you.

Campus Safety

Last month I reminded you of our FIRE, EVACUATE to Maple Grove Park and SHELTER protocols. Sometime in the coming months we will be scheduling a drill of the FIRE procedure. Here are other safety measures to keep in mind:

1. Wash your hands frequently, since it is cold and flu season. Don't come to church if you or your children are ill.
2. If someone is experiencing a heart incident, there is a defibrillator in the north commons (in a white cabinet on the wall just next to the welcome cart). The unit has simple instructions and provides audio commands so it can be used without training. Never hesitate to call 911.
3. First Aid kits are available with basic supplies in classrooms, kitchens and at the fire alarm box near the east entrance. If someone is injured, please notify a staff member.
4. If you light a chalice for a gathering, please remember to extinguish it, and don't leave matches within reach of children. 
5. In the case of a fire, alarms will sound throughout the campus. If this happens, exit and move away from the building to the fence perimeter (FIRE protocol). The children will also be exiting under the capable leadership of their teachers. In the event of an evacuation, look for your child(ren) outside. Please do this even if you know it is a drill or the alarm has been set accidentally. Fire extinguishers are located in several areas of the church. Take a look around so you know where they are.
6. Watch for icy spots when we have precipitation and cold weather. We do the best we can to clear sidewalks and entrances, but mother nature sometimes has the upper hand.
7. Be cautious of uneven walking surfaces.
8. Drive slowly and carefully in the parking lot - especially when it is full. If you are walking, make sure the driver of any moving vehicle can see you.
9. Use caution when entering or leaving the parking lot. Traffic sometimes is moving very fast on 32nd Ave.

What about violence? That is the most frightening and unpredictable situation to imagine here in our beloved and sacred space. Here is advice gleaned from Jeffco Sheriff safety trainings: 



1. See Something - Say Something, Hear Something - Do Something. This is not about how someone looks, it's about behavior. If a person is nervous, angry, sneaky, sweating, or evasive, it is okay to tell someone. Note that this might not be a stranger. If someone you know shows a change in behavior let someone know. If you see a suspicious object, tell someone. Go to the Commons Coordinator or any staff member. Ushers, greeters and others can keep an eye on someone and/or escort them out if necessary. It is okay to call 911.
2. Run, Hide, Fight - If violence is occurring, the Sheriff's office says these are your choices. There is no way to say which response is the correct one, you would have to decide depending on the situation. If you can escape and/or help others to escape, do so. Hiding until the situation is resolved is also valid. A bystander charging and overcoming a violent person can be a successful strategy, but this should be a last resort, and only if your life is in imminent danger. We can't tell you exactly what to do if something happens, but maybe thinking about it in advance may make you feel more secure.

We want you to know that safety is a key priority for us here and we are doing what we can to keep you informed of our procedures and training. Please be sure to bring safety concerns to a staff member.

This month is the Social Justice Challenge! It’s an opportunity for everyone to step up and into the community to help. This is such a great opportunity for us to truly be able to be that fireball that the church and the whole world needs.

We are a large community so we should be able to make some large impacts throughout this challenge. However, there can be a downside to having a large community. There is a term in psychology called Diffusion of Responsibility, also known as the Bystander Effect. Here’s the basics: The diffusion of responsibility refers to the decreased responsibility of action each member of a group feels when they are part of a group.

Psychologists John Darley and Bibb Latané set up an experiment where a distress call made it appear that a person nearby had suffered an injury. When subjects heard the cry, and thought they were the only ones who heard it, 85% of them helped. But if subjects thought there was another person who heard the call too, only 62% helped. And if subjects thought that four other people also heard the cry for help, just 31% took action.

This is a very human reaction. Many things are involved in this reaction. Sometimes we feel unable, not knowledgeable enough, not skilled enough, or horribly and untrue, not good enough. It is something that we fight within ourselves daily. When we see emails asking for help, or messages for signups, or even someone in person needing help are we stepping up? Can we step up a bit more? Is there something stopping us from jumping in? How can we fight this?

At JUC we have a great ability to help in and outside of here in a major way. However, if we are being stopped by the someone-else-will-do-it mindset then it’s a possibility that nothing gets done.

Let’s not get caught up in waiting for others and dive in! Be the fireballs that I know you can all be and jump in! Let’s make a splash with this Justice Challenge and be the change you want to see in the world! 

The Partnership of JUC and the UUSC

June LeCrone, UUSC/Guatemala Partners

When I was a new member of JUC in 2015 I heard about a cultural exchange trip to Guatemala. I went on the trip and it changed me in so many ways. I connected with Mayan scholarship students and learned about their lives and hopes for the future. I learned that JUC became involved with the scholarship program through the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). I connected with members of JUC and have found church friendships with people who share my values. This has given me a real sense of belonging at Jefferson Unitarian.

I have also chosen to support the UUSC and all of the work it does for marginalized communities all over the world. Here is what the UUSC means for me. JUC has a partnership with ADIVIMA, a grassroots organization in Guatemala that was initially connected with the UUSC. Our partnership has resulted in a scholarship program that now supports around 60 students. We are making a real difference in the lives of students, who will make a real difference in their community and their country. This all started because of JUC’s connection to the UUSC.

UUSC makes ripples in the water that grow and spread, expanding justice around the world, just as our partnership in Guatemala is an expansion of the work of the UUSC. There is currently political turmoil in Guatemala, and many places around the world face political and climate threats. At a recent meeting with our ADIVIMA partners, leadership expressed hope that the Guatemalan situation is improving. As a member of JUC I am working with others to expand justice.

Metro Denver Habitat for Humanity (MD H4H) Update

Bruce and Cathy Martin

The need for affordable housing was again highlighted at a memorial event held in downtown Denver on December 21. It honored the 311 individuals who died homeless in the metro Denver area this past year. Unfortunately, that number has gradually risen each of the last few years.

On a more positive note, the eight Metro Denver Habitat for Humanity (MD H4H) homes in the Miller Street neighborhood in Wheat Ridge were dedicated on Saturday, January 27. One of the families was actually moving in that very day.

At the most recent Jeffco Interfaith Partners meeting the current year’s support of the MD H4H home renovation projects on High Street in Denver was set at $60,000. And an additional $5,000 will be donated toward a Habitat International project. We’ll let you know when JUC work dates are assigned for the High Street projects.

And a reminder that as part of the JUC Social Justice Challenge we have set a MD H4H workday for eight volunteers at the production shop (on Raritan near 6th Street and I-25) on Saturday, March 23. The hours have been reduced to 9 am to 2 pm (originally scheduled to 4 pm) for a five-hour commitment. Volunteers must be 14 years old. Please sign up by March 8. Sign Up Link