President's Message

A message from Board President Tim Miller

I’m writing this message on the eve of the Climate Justice Revival weekend. This is a UUA-wide effort aimed at reimagining the intersection of climate and justice, and equipping congregations to enter a new era of climate action. One tangible step that we are pursuing is the replacement of our sanctuary’s aging HVAC systems with a less carbon-intensive heat pump arrangement. We hope to move forward with this project in the next couple months.

Your Board of Trustees and minister held our annual board retreat on Saturday, September 21 st . We had wide-ranging and thoughtful discussions getting to know each other better, updating our Board Covenant, and developing our Vision and a series of Goals for the 2024-2025 church year. It should come as no surprise that the foundation of these plans lies in shared ministry. We will have a final version of this work to share with the congregation in the next week or two. For now, a couple teasers: Establish a Committee on Shared Ministry, engage congregation to adopt a Congregational Covenant, and have more fun events!

SAVE THE DATE: Coming up on Saturday, October 12th, from 1:00-4:00pm, everyone is invited as we welcome facilitators Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh and Rev. Tania Márquez from the UUA’s Pacific West Region staff to lead us in a Ministerial Startup Workshop. This event will help us explore our own expectations, habits, and assumptions as we learn more about Rev. Jamie’s style of ministry - and continue to build trust and connection within our church community.

And finally, excellent volunteer opportunities are still available: Your Board of Trustees is looking for an additional member. We continue to seek volunteers to work on our Fundraiser Project and the Evacuation Drill Task Force. Please reach out to Rev. Jamie, any board member, or a committee chair or team lead to express interest in helping out.

October News from Faith Formation

We are Unitarian Universalists  

Who put love at the center of our lives 

We light this chalice today,

to practice Listening to the wisdom within us

This quote comes from the Soul Matters Deep Listening theme for October, specifically as a chalice lighting for children.  This resonates because October is a feast for all the senses.  Listen to Mother earth as she gives way from summer to winter—the crunch of leaves beneath our feet, the last songs of crickets before the first frost, the bugle call of elk.  These quieter sounds are an invitation to listen more deeply to one another and to ourselves.  

Kids Faith Formation in October 

Fall Festival Oct 13.  Everyone is (that means you!) invited to join the Faith Formation team, staff, UUFD kids and their parents for this fun event that will be immediately after service:  11:30 – 2:00.  This year, the festival will be held on the UUFD campus with Columbine House as the hub.  This kid friendly event will include pumpkin and cookie, face painting, a possible pumpkin throw, relay races, and more.  Faith Formation will provide hamburgers and hotdogs plus condiments.  We gratefully accept your potluck contributions to go with this picnic.  Please RSVP so we can correctly plan for food.  For more information, click here.  

Adult Faith Formation

There are nine participants in the current book study of Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown.  These small-group discussions provide a venue to delve more deeply into UU values and how we live this faith in the world through lively discussion of the books.  

Coming soon, a book study for What We Say Matters by Judith Hanson Lasater and Ike K. Lasater and Christ for Unitarian Universalists: a New Dialogue with Traditional Christianity by Scotty McLennan.  

Personal Faith Development – October:  Deep Listening 

If you’ve been part of a covenant group here at UUFD or another UU congregation, you’re already familiar with the practice.  Deep listening is more than something we do during a covenant group gather.  It can be personal practice that opens avenues of intuition and guidance.  

Imagine what happens in your life if you have this shift, explained by Rev. Scott Taylor. “We don’t have conversations; we are our conversations. Who and what we listen to is who and what we become.”  

To listen deeply to that “still small voice within,” here’s one practice to try out.  Begin by choosing a poem or essay that is evocative to you in some way.  If you need a suggestion, here are two poems from this month’s Soul Matters Deep Listing:  The Birds Wrote me a Poem or Alone.  

• For the first reading, read the text aloud and focus on the feelings it evokes. Don’t rush for an answer.  Just feel with your emotions and your body.  

• For the second reading, focus on a phrase or line “pops out” at you or “shimmers” as you read it.  What is it that makes this line or phrase stand out.  Perhaps, is your inner voice rising to the surface with something to tell you?  

• For the third reading, focus on any memories that arise. Are these recent or old?  What is it about this text that stirs the past? 

• For the fourth and final reading, ask yourself, “How is my inner voice and deepest self trying to offer me a message of comfort or challenge through this text?”

The manner in which we listen makes a difference.  As you contemplate this notice the differences within yourself if you’re aware of background noise that snags or attention—a TV or music or silence.  

How is your contemplation affected?  If you chose to have on music or the TV, try this in the silence.  

Deep listening is one of those practices that can feel strange in the beginning, but that can become a comforting, wise friend whose voice is heard only within the silence.

In closing, this quote from Parker Palmer. “Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.”  May your own deep listening fill you with peace and love.

Social Justice & Responsibility Team

Sponsor a Mexican Child

The Immigration Team has a new focus, sponsoring primary school age students in Mexico, where education is only funded through 3rd grade. Members can choose to sponsor a child directly or donate toward a group sponsorship by our youth group. Our children can write to the children we sponsor, providing a sense of connection for both.

Interested? Write to lizatrig@gmail.com, or visit https://www.castawaykidsmx.org/.

Partnering with Native Hope Ministries

As many of you have recently told us, partnering with other faiths and traditions is something that UUFD folks have long valued and desired to increase. We are delighted to share a growing partnership with Summit Church through participation in their Native Hope Ministries. So far, we have 4 people/groups who are providing monthly boxes of food to Navajo families. Native Hope Ministries supplies the boxes, suggested food items, and delivers the boxes to the reservation. See the Native Hope Ministries newsletter by clicking here for more information about the many services they offer. Note that we are mentioned under “A New Collaboration!”