Minister's Message

A message from UUFD Minister Rev. Jamie Boyce

The Path of Repair

Our monthly theme for the month of November is The Practice of Repair. This feels appropriate as we near the election and we confront the increasing polarization of our communities and nation and the truth of our broken democracy. At this fragile and frightening time our Unitarian Universalist values can lead us into the future with a transformative and liberating love that can change the world.

I am reminded of these words from Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg from On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World “On the other side of that bridge, on the other side of transformation, is another more whole, more full, more free way of being, one that we can’t fully imagine from here. A way that we must simply bring into existence, step by step.”

On Tuesday, November 5th the Sanctuary will be open from 3:00pm-6:00pm as a place of refuge, support, and reflection. Tables with candles and stones will be available to help us ritually hold our worry, hope, and fears. At the top of each hour, I will lead a guided meditation to support our minds, bodies, and spirits by mindfully returning to our breath.

Following the election, on November 6 th at 6:00pm we will have a candlelight vigil “The Light of Hope” as we continue to hold the election results in our concern and care. I hope you will join me to gather our hearts in gentle song and prayer, and lighting candles of hope and resilience as we continue to hold fast to a future of love, justice, and peace.

Take good care of yourselves beloveds. Breathe, rest, and connect with the things that soothe your body, mind, and spirit. If you would like a pastoral care conversation, reach out to me at minister@durandouu.org.

In faith,

Rev. Jamie

President's Message

A message from Board President Tim Miller

We are having a busy fall at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durango. We had the water in-gathering service in early September, the Climate Justice Revival at the end of that month, then we were led by facilitators Revs. Millspaugh and Márquez at the Ministry Startup workshop in mid-October, followed by Opportunity Fairs the past 2 weekends.

Since there are more activities scheduled after social time the first two weekends in November, I want to let you know about two projects we worked on at last Tuesday’s board meeting. First, as you may know, we purchased our campus from the Church of the Nazarenes in 2006, but our sanctuary was built in the 1970’s. We’re conducting energy audits to help us determine possible energy efficiency upgrades and what size heat pump system we need to replace the sanctuary’s ageing air conditioner and natural gas furnace. Once installed, the new system will reduce our carbon footprint, make better use of our solar panels, and hopefully reduce operating costs over time. In addition, our Environmental Justice team is preparing a grant application that, if approved, will dramatically reduce our out-of-pocket costs for this project.

Second, in mid-February 2025, we will take the first step in a deliberate, thorough process to envision a new fellowship space and what it will take to make that vision a reality. This Next Steps Consultation workshop, facilitated by Stewardship for UUs consultant Kay Crider, will include an analysis of our stewardship strengths, challenges, risks, and opportunities, and provide recommendations to assist us in moving forward to achieve our stated goals.

Finally, as I write this message on October 25 th , your Board of Trustees is still seeking an additional member to succeed Jill Bystydzienski. As you read this in early November, in the unlikely event that last Sunday’s Opportunity Fair did not yield at least one wonderful, motivated applicant, I’d love to hear from you.



Regards,

Tim Miller

UUFD Thanksgiving Potluck!

UUFD Thanksgiving Dinner:

Join other Thanksgiving "orphans" for a potluck gathering in Bowman Hall Nov. 28. Click the link below to sign up and see complete details. With questions: Contact Pat Senecal, patcsenecal@gmail.com OR Aline Schwob, aschwob@msn.com.

Potluck Sign up Here

Workshop- Going Over the Rainbow

Nov. 10th from 11:30-1:00: Join us for "Going Over the Rainbow!" The UUFD LGBTQIA+ social justice team invites one and all to attend this engaging workshop. Bailey Carlson, Colorado HIV Programs Manager, will present an overview of LGBTQIA+ identities and answer FAQ's about the community. What do all of those letters stand for? Pronouns and current language do's and don'ts. What are best practices to be an ally? 

• Workshop open to UUFD and the wider community.
• Drinks and light snacks will be available. 
• Childcare available upon request - please email faithformation@durangouu.org. 

During the Sunday service on Nov. 10th we'll celebrate UUFD's certification as an official "Welcoming Congregation" and point to the social justice welcoming work we still need to do. Please join us at the workshop after the service to help our congregation move this work forward!

November News from Faith Formation

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”   ~Rumi

“Living Love Through the Practice of Repair” is the Soul Matters theme for November.  While we typically think of November as the kickoff for the often too busy holiday season, many of us are also filled with some anxiety about that season.  We may be facing the blues some experience with the time change and the loss of daylight.  We may be anxious about get togethers with family and friends where unhealed relationships surface.  We may be stuck in our own perfectionism of wanting everything to be just so.  All of this suggests November might be a time to address repair.  Rather than seeing the broken pieces, what if we see those as a creation of a new whole where the brokenness is displayed, as in the Japanese art of Kintsugi.  Growth—new insights, compassion, and wisdom—have their roots in healing and repair.  Bryant McGill, author of Simple Reminders, says: “Every beautiful thing is damaged. You are that beauty; we all are.”

Kids Faith Formation in October 

Our Sunday Faith Formation activities have expanded with the reclamation of Columbine House.  

In October, the Fall Festival was hosted on the Columbine House part of the UUFD campus where a cookout included potluck entrees provided by you all and hamburgers and hot dogs from Faith Formation (thank you, Master Grillers Dan MacVeigh and Jason Raines).  Activities included face painting, cookie decorating, pumpkin decorating, fortune telling, and a bouncy house (thank you, Becca Trefry, Susan King, and Megan Dugan). 

The two most anticipated things the kids have about the expanded space is being able to cook, which they did with Susie Francis, making caramel apples, and being able to add their age-appropriate decorations in their expanded spaces.

October ended with a multi-gen service, celebrating the changing season with a skit, “Who’s Loves the Dark?”

The number of kids participating (thank you families, for bringing them) to an average of 11 each week.  Our fastest growing group are the preschoolers.

Holiday Market December 8

Every year, the kids have an opportunity to “shop” for their loved ones at our annual Holiday Market made possible by your generous contributions.  The market will be held on December 8, and the kids will select their gifts during service.

Look around your house for those “gifty goodies” that will become a treasure for one of our kids to give to their loved ones.  This might be forgotten games or puzzles (still in good condition), scarves and hats and accessories, books, décor items, jewelry, or other treasures for adults and children.  Please!  NO CLOTHES (the thrift store would love to have your donation)!  

Beginning the first Sunday in November, look for the drop-off bin at the back of the sanctuary.  Thanks in advance for your contributions.

Adult Faith Formation

Coming in January 2025! New Covenant Groups Based on Soul Matters 



Three new covenant groups are being formed that specifically address the needs of (1) families and parents, (3) newcomers to UUFD, and (3) the artists among us longing for creative expression.  Each of these have monthly materials specifically based on that interest group.  The themes are the same across the Soul Matters platform each month and investigate ideas like “Living Love Through the Practice of Repair (November’s theme),    For more information and to sign up, click here.

Personal Faith Development – November “Living Love through the practice of Repair”

 

I’ve included the full title of this month’s Soul Matters theme because of its deeper invitation.  Repair is one of those words that might bring up resistance.  We repair our cars or garments with a hole in the pocket or a relationship gone awry.  But, when a repair is done as an act of love, like the intricate gold patterns that hold together broken pottery, the process and the result can become beautiful.  The most meaningful repairs, in my experience, are those that begin with ourselves.  Imagine your body or a trait in yourself that you’re critical of.  Now imagine writing a love letter to your body or to this trait.  That love letter might include an apology for the insults you’ve hurled its way or the lack of appreciation for the gifts it provides you.  Here’s the hard part:  tell your body or this-less-than-preferred trait, “I love you because …”  Both of these are vital for healing.  One acknowledges past hurts and the other expresses gratitude for the healing.  Then … imagine passing this technique on to someone else who is being hyper critical of themselves.  What a gift you get to impart.

“Part of why I like watercolor is that mistakes are visible, and you can’t really repair much.  There is beauty in the imperfection of it.”  ~Chris Raschka

Environmental Justice Team

Climate Justice Revived!

On September 28, more than a third of UUFD members joined more than a third of UUA congregations nationwide and internationally to wrestle with our understanding of and response to the issues of climate justice in our local areas.  The 5-hour Saturday event began with imagining what a sustainable, just vision of life in the 4Corners would be like in 2050. The locally facilitated workshop, designed by the UUA Climate Justice Team and supported by our Environmental Justice team, continued as participants explored the climate justice related needs facing our local community, what each of us have to offer in response to those needs, and to combine that with what activities bring us joy in working to resolve those needs. The lively, small group discussions generated a variety of broad and specific responses to those questions, preparing the way for a more integrated, consistent, focused and joyful approach to our social justice mission. 

The key takeaways from the workshop are being shared with the Social Responsibility and Justice teams for further integration with their already robust activities. 

If you would like to see more pictures of our incredible activities, you can see them here: https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipN_YEzK6ClXVW0ZlTnxYaalacmi_nacB1voCU3w

Recital Series

The seventeenth season of the Recital Series will begin on Nov. 22 with Marilyn Mangold Garst, piano. The program will open with Sonata No. 39 by Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), written in 1773. The work opens with a brilliant Allegro including lively keyboard figuration. The beautiful poignant slow movement which follows leads directly into the Finale, a Presto characterized by short repeated sections. The bulk of the first half will consist of the Four Impromptus, Op. 90, by Franz Schubert (1797-1828). The first one consists of variations on two alternating themes with many mood changes. The second one calls for brilliant finger work in the outer sections and includes a dramatic middle section and coda with interesting harmonic progressions. The third impromptu reveals Schubert at his most pensive and introspective but also includes some startling dynamic changes. Broken chord figures create unifying features in the fourth impromptu which also includes a lyrical passionate middle section.

Following intermission, the program will continue with four preludes from Book 2 by Claude Debussy (1862-1918). He developed a keyboard style characterized by parallel chordal treatment, layers of refined sound, unusual pedal effects and full exploitation of the piano’s resources. An interesting notational feature of Book 2, published in 1913, is that most of the writing is spread out over three staves rather than the usual two. The titles are as follows: Feuilles mortes (Dead Leaves)--No. 2; Les fées sont d’exquises danseuses (The fairies are exquisite dancers)--No. 4; Bruyères (Heather)--No. 5; “General Lavine”--excentric–No. 6. The program will conclude with two etudes by Boris Papandopulo (1905-1991), a Croatian composer and conductor. The piano writing features the use of the extreme outer ranges of the keyboard which is evident in both etudes. The first selection includes tango rhythm and impressionistic qualities while the last selection is a virtuoso showpiece. 

Marilyn Garst was a faculty member for 25 years in the Department of Music at The George Washington University as professor of piano, harpsichord and keyboard ensembles. Previous experience includes college teaching in Pittsburg, Kansas, performing as pianist in the Mangold Duo with her sister Bonnie Mangold, cellist, and research on historical performance practices. After moving to Durango, she served for eleven years as Music Director for this Fellowship and currently continues as a pianist for the Fellowship and Artistic Director of the Recital Series. She received her music degrees (B.M. M.M., Ph.D.) from the University of Southern California, Indiana University and Michigan State University.  

You may purchase admission on the Fellowship’s website by clicking here or at the door by cash or check.