Join us on Zoom: 4/22 is Earth Day. Now, more than ever, we need to open ourselves to our world, sense our interconnectedness with Mother Earth and all our kin who dwell with us. Join us as All Souls member, Sarah Hautzinger, shares what she’s been learning about the spirituality of caring for our climate, and ways of linking into spirit-driven global and local climate action networks.

Click here to see upcoming service themes. 

The Second Chance Sale from last year's auction is currently up and running until April 16, 2021. All items are HEAVILY DISCOUNTED and will be available for purchase outright (no bidding involved). Visit here and use the "Buy It Now" option to purchase your item(s). Bids will not be accepted. Donation are also still welcome. All sales are final. All proceeds go to the ASUUC.

Why? Because we (the congregation) need to vote to approve the 2021-2022 Budget at our annual meeting in May. And before that, the Board of Trustees must construct the Budget. And to do that, the Board needs to know how much we have pledged. So, as soon as possible, please submit your 2021-2022 pledge.

-BEST WAY: Go to asuuc.net/pledge, fill out the online pledge card, and click "submit".

-Email your pledge to stewardship@asuuc.net.

For more information, go to asuuc.net/stewardship, email stewardship@asuuc.net, or call the church office (719-633-7717).

The Community Care Team has received word that the downtown COVID-19 shelter at the City Auditorium has ongoing needs. If you would like to make a donation, please email Linda.

The Place, which focuses on "igniting potential in youth to exit homelessness and create self-determined, fulfilled lives," is also accepting donations. A list of the current needs can be found on their website. If you would like to donate to this cause, please contact Kaye Brabec at 719-434-2053 or email Tish Best.

The Radical Self-Acceptance group is starting to meet again by Zoom, every Thursday at 11:00 am. We are currently discussing the book "Caste." If you have any questions, please contact Judie McMath.

Click here for the Zoom link.

The Girl Scouts of Colorado will host a FREE Kindergarten Readiness series for girls. This four-part series of virtual events will be held in March, April, and May. The virtual events will be held from 4:30-5pm. Girls need not be current Girl Scout members to participate. More information can be found here.

adult re - spiritual flow yoga with beth green

Join Beth Green, RYT-500, 9-10:15am on Wednesdays for a spiritual flow yoga class. This class will be spiritually related to our monthly Soul Matters theme and contain centering, breathing practices, a gentle flow, and a short mediation. Suggested Donations between $7-$15 (with 20% going back to the church) will be accepted by PayPal (bstanar@gmail.com) or Venmo (@BethGreenYoga) apps. You can join with this Zoom link either before or after you make your donation.

e-re 

E-Re meets before service, 9:30-10:15am for Soul Matters and 9:30-10:30am for Crossing Paths. Click here to access e-RE, or click the link from our website. Please contact Beth Green with any questions. 

A BIG thank you to our volunteers and parents that helped fill our month of April! We just need 2 more slots left for the curriculum year: a Crossing Paths assistant for 5/16 and 5/23. If interested, you can sign up for those slots here.

Our next FUUN (Family UU iN-person) Day will be our end of the year celebration 10am-12pm on Sunday, 5/30, in the church parking lot. You won't want to miss this one! More details to come soon...

calendar  

Click here for our April calendar. This month we're exploring "becoming" in Soul Matters and the religion of Hinduism in Crossing Paths. You can track our RE dates and topics, as well as find some religious and wacky holidays throughout the month.

This month, join Ms Heidi and friends as we explore our theme of "becoming" through the lens of change and the importance of keeping an open mind. This video is geared toward Pre-K & Elementary children and can be accessed through the All Souls YouTube channel.

If your children have viewed any of our RE YouTube videos, we'd love to hear your feedback! Please consider taking this very brief survey.

We explored the theme of "becoming" in Soul Matters by reflecting on who we're becoming. We had a show and tell about things we've accomplished or learned in the last year. We also listened to an all time favorite song, "Let It Go," and explored what this song means to us.

In Crossing Paths, we started digging into Hinduism and learning about this ancient religion. If you'd like to view the videos we watched, you can find the introduction video here,

the video about the Hindu belief system here, and the Zach Anner video here.

Today we explore our 7th principle, the web of life, and celebrate Earth Day! We'll read the story "The Invisible Web" by Patrice Karst and discuss how we put our 7th principle in action! We'll also play an Earth Day Pictionary game on Zoom Whiteboard.

On tack day, we find similarities between the Hindu religion an dour own faith of Unitarian Universalism. We'll learn how we both value freedom and diversity. We'll also take a look at some of the many Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

Soul Matters (1st-4th grades): “Making Hopeful Predictions.” What does it mean to be an imaginer? We’ll explore this question today! With a blast from the past, the Magic 8 Ball will be assisting in our class today with some fun games. We’ll read, “The Day You Begin” by Jacqueline Woodson and reflect on this story. We’ll also imagine we can see the future and make some predictions during our mindful moment.

Please reach out to any of us if you need anything. I hope you all stay safe and well, and take care of yourselves and each other, during this hiatus. I hope spring and summer yield seasons of hope and joy for each of us. We want each youth to know that, should you need support outside of your family, your leaders (Erika Fore, Beth Green and Nori Rost) are still here for you.

Editor's note: Please email any joys or concerns you wish to be included in the e-letter.

Join Rev. Nori EVERY Tuesday at 5:30pm for "Tuesdays with Nori." This remains an informal time to check in with one another, share our joys and concerns, and enjoy the beverage and snacks of our choice from our homes. This is the Zoom link, and it can also be found at the top of our homepage on our website.

If you have survived the COVID-19 virus, you may be eligible to help other patients by donating plasma as part of a statewide project. For more information, visit the website , or email Kate Crow or Will Crow.

To donate to the Colorado COVID Relief Fund, click here.

COVID Mask Crafters, an international collective of stitchers making home-sewn masks for healthcare workers, needs your help. Needed: sewers, donations of material (sheets, pillowcases, etc), drivers to pick up and deliver masks, and financial support. If you are interested in helping, please visit visit the website or email the Mask Crafters.

The first weekend of every month, The Aquaponic Garden holds a garden market at the Mountain Springs Church. Their aquaponic system is a 5,000 gallon closed loop ecosystem consisting of two fish tanks that are home to 300 Tilapia. There’s approximately 750sf of floating grow beds housing about 3,600 lettuce and leafy green plants of different varieties, 400 of which are harvested on a weekly basis. In addition, there is a rock media grow bed and grow towers providing a variety of harvestable herbs and seasonal vegetables. The fish waste is converted by naturally occurring water born bacteria into vital nutrients that are absorbed by the plants which in turn clean the water for recirculation back into the fish tank. This type of system uses approximately 20% of the water used in traditional soil based gardens. They sell their produce to support their donations of fresh produce to several local charitable organizations.

Do you know someone or are you in need of FREE food, toiletries, etc? Join Chopcos on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month from 11am-1pm at 4360 Bradley Rd for a drive-thru pantry.

Dog, cat, and some small animal food and supplies to share. This is a first-come, first-served basis event and piggy backs on Church for All Nations' human food pantry ever 3rd Saturday of the month from 10 am- 12:30 pm.

People sometimes face the stark choice between food and medicine. In Colorado's El Paso & Teller Counties, Open Bible Medical Clinic & Pharmacy also serves as a Community Pharmacy dispensing free prescription medication to our neighbors who are uninsured. Residents of the county can qualify for our services if they are at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. 10am-2pm every Thursday and 9am-1pm every Saturday.

The Chinook Center holds a weekly free grocery distribution 12-2pm on Sundays.

El Paso County has compiled a lengthy list of local food distribution locations here.

 Evony McKenna, Member-at-Large

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