Our Mission:
“We gather as a welcoming, caring community to nurture mind and spirit, celebrate diversity, and work for justice.”
Have a friend who would enjoy our community? Invite them to join our mailing list.
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Sunday Morning Experience
Join us for Worship Online at 10:30 am
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Sunday Worship - Rising from the Ashes
Sunday, April 4, 10:30 am
On Easter Sunday, please join us for our “Rising from the Ashes” service we will be exploring living long and propering.
Join us for Conversation:
Beginning at 10:15 via Google Meet. This will be our space to chat and socialize before and during the service. We will also share Candles of Community immediately following the service in this same meet.
Stay with us after the service:
There will be conversation via the same Google Meet after the service and Candles of Community for coffee hour and fellowship.
Watch the Worship Service:
Our Sunday morning service will be available live
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Kids (and their grown-ups), join us this Sunday for our K-5 religious education program! All through the month of March, we will be exploring the theme of commitment. Our Soul Matters curriculum is specifically designed to keep kids engaged and curious over an online platform. So come along for stories, activities, and fun!
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Sunday, April 4, 11:45 am
Welcome to our Middle and Senior High Youth from our PrairieUU and the local community to gather together. Join us for conversation, spiritual growth, and social activities.
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New UU - Townhall
Sunday, March 4, 11:45 am
Please join us discuss the Report regarding the incident on February 28.
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What You Missed:
If you missed Worship over the last few weeks, you are invited to visit our Facebook page, YouTube or on our website to view our services.
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Beloveds,
I would like to address something that has been brought to my attention over the past few weeks. The question has been raised about the "balance" of messaging from our services. Some of the most recent comments have been that the Sunday Worship is too/only/mostly focused on Racism and Racial Justice and not enough on spirituality or community building. In reflecting on this, I have completed a review of the themes of the Services from September 2020 through March 2021 that encompass the last 30 worship services.
This is a brief summary of past themes:
Anti-oppression - Race/Racism - 2
Anti-oppression - Other - 2
Spiritual Care - 8
Environment - 1
UU Theology - 3
Community Building - 6
LifeSpan - Intergenerational / Youth - 3
Justice League (Service Sunday) - 5
This said, I will acknowledge that Worship services have changed in many ways over the last year. We have intentionally transitioned services to address the reality of living in a virtual world and community. The overall feel of the worship service has moved from a more meditative style to an engaged style (whatever that means in a virtual world). The overall feel and design of the service is to be more celebratory, more engaging, and include a deeper understanding of liberation theology.
This has included among other things:
- More modern music and video
- A longer single meditation space that both celebrates the theme of the day and laments the woes of the world around us as we recite our covenant and light our chalice.
- A longer time is being spent focusing on and centering our youth.
- A centering thought that concludes with a call and response interaction for reflection.
- A transition from asking to give more time and money (recognizing that many people are struggling in many ways) to gratitude and recognizing all the commitment and hard work that goes into building our community each and every day.
- A member introduction and testimonial that both helps to get to know our community members better and concludes with an invitation to both membership and deeper engagement in the life of PrairieUU
We have intentionally moved to include more marginalized voices. This has included more BIPOC, Queer, Women, Younger, and People with Disabilities. Lots of these voices are intersectional so they hold more than one of these spaces.
I would like us to ask ourselves about what we are listening for when we attend services. Are the services "out of balance" or are we just hearing new voices, language, tone and more that we aren't used to hearing? What is or is not speaking to us and why? Are we focusing more on the uncomfortable than the comfortable or vice versa? There are a dozen other questions that we could ask ourselves. These are questions I ask myself each and every week as we plan out Sunday Morning. Admittedly, I don't always get it right.
Please let me know if you would like to discuss any of this in greater detail. I would love to hear from you. Also, you are always welcome to come to the Core Team meetings and share your thoughts. Please don't forget The Suggestion Box is also always open.
In Service,
Pastor
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Easter Eggs!
The Lifespan Team will again be distributing Easter Eggs filled with candy and small toys for at home egg hunts. Any PrairieUU members who would like eggs delivered to their home should email Kendra by Wednesday, March 31.
Easter Food Drive!
Lifespan will also organize an Easter food drive and pick up for the Parker Task Force as in previous years. Those who are interested should also email Kendra to arrange a pick up or drop off time and location.
Thank You,
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Dear Associate Congregations and Friends:
Last week we sent out our CONGREGATIONAL RESOURCES for our 2021 Legislative Priorities. One of our congregations created this Bulletin/Newsletter/Social Media Post. We thought it could be of use to you as well, as you help us to educate and activate people of faith around these important opportunities to create structural changes that will Make the Way for a better future for all Coloradans.
We hope that you can find a way to share this with your congregants this week.
Shalom,
Kamau Allen & Patty Lawless, for Together Colorado
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PrairieUU Habitat Build Day 2021
By summer we should have somewhat of a return to regular life, so as PrairieUU's liaisons to Habitat Interfaith Alliance, we've signed Prairie up for a Habitat build day.
Saturday, August 21, 2021
Hours are generally about 8 am - 4 pm, but we'll provide details and a sign up link when it gets closer.
As they have throughout the pandemic, Habitat Metro Denver will be following all Covid protocols appropriate for the time.
Thank you for your help adding this to the Prairie calendar and newsletter. (We may only have 5 slots, in which case we should have no trouble filling them.)
Thanks, and stay well,
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Reading Material
Need some reading material to get you through these next few months? Want to educate yourself on anti-racism and white privilege? Check out the new Justice League reading list here.
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The Justice League needs YOU!
With the pandemic continuing to impact unemployment, eviction rates, and homelessness, our community needs information on rights and resources. We’re creating an informational flyer to be distributed at apartment complexes and need volunteers to help distribute. If you are able to help, please contact Kim or Melissa.
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If you are looking for more racial justice information see the following:
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Hello Fellow Shoppers - Sign up for Scrip NOW!
Shop with Scrip’s gift card program makes earning money for PrairieUU easy! You buy full value gift cards, and the retailers give a rebate of 2-20% back to PrairieUU.
With over 250 brands that offer gift cards, that can be sent right to your email INBOX or right to your home, this is a great way to purchase gifts for others, staying out of stores completely! Click here to sign up!
PrairieUU's Enrollment Code: 86B6427674556
Sincerely,
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Support PrairieUU - Amazon Smile
If you shop on Amazon, please remember to use the special link and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchases to PrairieUU! This is through the Amazon Smile program. http://ow.ly/8zJi50BOssx
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Support PrairieUU - King Soopers Rewards Program
Our assigned Non-Profit Organization (NPO) number is UC596.
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Tech Talk
Tuesday, March 30, 4:00 PM
During this time that we may not be able to get out and be with our family and friends, communications via Video Conferencing, and social media are needed more than ever. If you have a question or can you help someone else with Tech? Computers, Phones and Tablets? During this hour we work through getting you up and running to be in better communications with our PrairieUU community and your other personal networks.
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MUUved to Action
Tuesday, March 31, 6:30 PM
MUUved to Action is a sub-group of our Justice League that meets weekly as a result of being called by our BIPOC community and members to "not sleep through the revolution". We meet to address the urgent and immediate calls for justice action in our community. We have attended protests, written position statements, made phone calls and written letters to public officials and business owners, provided public comment, attended public meetings and had invited guests from the community to provide depth to our understanding of complex justice issues and solutions. We are joined by other Denver Metro UUs and community members. We currently meet virtually on Tuesday nights from 6:30-8 via Google Meet. All are welcome to attend. For more information, please contact Melissa B.
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Wednesday, March 31, 6:30 PM
This is space for Middle/Senior High Youth and 20something Young Adults from our PrairieUU and local community to gather together. Join us for conversation, spiritual growth, and social activities.
A witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairy tales to reverse the curse put on their family tree.
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LifeSpan Meeting
Thursday, April 1, 5:30 pm
Join us on the first Thursday of each month as we engage in planning education for all ages at PrairieUU.
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Healthy Living Small Group
Friday, April 2, 1:00 pm
Join Pastor AJ and others in our community as we engage in a healthy(ier) living time together. We will meet once a week to share ideas, recipes, what works and what doesn’t about exercise. This will be a time to connect Mind, Body and Soul. If you are interested, please join Pastor AJ’s Facebook group UU Healthy Living. Finally, Pastor AJ is also joining Weightwatchers and is inviting you to join with him. If you are interested, there are a couple of special promos that are now running but end tonight. For more information, check with Pastor AJ or sign up with Weightwatchers directly.
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MUUved to Action
Tuesday, April 13, 6:30 PM
MUUved to Action is a sub-group of our Justice League that meets weekly as a result of being called by our BIPOC community and members to "not sleep through the revolution". We meet to address the urgent and immediate calls for justice action in our community. We have attended protests, written position statements, made phone calls and written letters to public officials and business owners, provided public comment, attended public meetings and had invited guests from the community to provide depth to our understanding of complex justice issues and solutions. We are joined by other Denver Metro UUs and community members. We currently meet virtually on Tuesday nights from 6:30-8 via Google Meet. All are welcome to attend. For more information, please contact Melissa B.
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Widening the Circle
Tuesday, April 6, 6:30 PM
Join the Board, COSM and Justice League to Discuss Widening the Circle of Concern: Living Our Values in the World.
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Wednesday, April 7, 6:30 PM
This is space for Middle/Senior High Youth and 20something Young Adults from our PrairieUU and local community to gather together. Join us for conversation, spiritual growth, and social activities.
A selfish Prince is cursed to become a monster for the rest of his life, unless he learns to fall in love with a beautiful young woman he keeps prisoner.
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Living Well With Mental Health Issues
Wednesday, April 7, 7:00 PM
Join us on the first Wednesday of each month from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm to share and learn more about Living Well with Mental Health Issues. Join us on Zoom: https://ucdenver.zoom.us/j/96366722455
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Sunday, April 11, 9:30 am
Kids (and their grown-ups), join us this Sunday for our K-5 religious education program! All through the month of March, we will be exploring the theme of commitment. Our Soul Matters curriculum is specifically designed to keep kids engaged and curious over an online platform. So come along for stories, activities, and fun!
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Community
Information and Resources
If you have other community resources that we should share, please let us know.
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Gun Violence is a Public Health Crisis that Must End
The following was submitted by Vivian from the American Academy of Nursing, a statement on gun violence.
March 23, 2021 (Washington, DC) – The horrific tragedy yesterday in Boulder, Colorado is a stark reminder that the impact of gun violence is a devastating public health crisis that must be addressed in order to put an end to mass shootings.
To read the rest of this statement, click here.
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From the UUA President - You Are Held In Care
To view the announcement from Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, UUA President, click here.
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Bill's Be-Cyber-Safe Box - Episode 5
Bill’s Be-Cyber-Safe Box, Episode #5. What do fake inquiries look like? Here is a copy of a message that arrived in my email inbox recently. Can you find at least three clues which led me to take this screen shot and then delete the message? I did not solicit this and do not have this virus protection on my computer. However, Norton is a legitimate company that sells very good virus protection products for computers.
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This is one example of a way hackers try to get folks to click a link that may insert malware or ransomware into your device. Others threaten to withhold something if you don’t take immediate action. They often ask you to call a number, which may connect you to someone who asks for private information in order to “help” you solve a problem.
The next episode will show another example of a probe that you should immediately delete.
You can get help with Prairie related tech issues by joining “Tech Talk” on Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m. with Rhonda. Check the church calendar for connection details using Google Meet.
Bill
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Hello Virtually Close Friends!
Those who are now eligible for the COVID-19 Vaccines in the current phase are:
(We are currently in Phase 1B.3). . .
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On Monday, March 8, CDC issued new recommendations for fully vaccinated people. These recommendations may be modified by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to be more in line with our current public health orders. In the meantime, please continue following local Public Health Orders and masking guidance.
Go to Tri-County Health Department's website for more information on vaccination, COVID-19 or to reach out with a question: tchd.org
Be well!
Yours (from at least 6 feet away),
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COVID Assistance Funds and Resources |
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Arapahoe County Rent and Mortgage assistance for Covid related loss of income, click here for more information.
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Douglas County is offering Covid-19 assistance funds to individuals and families. Please click here for more information.
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City of Aurora Covid-19 resources please click here for more information.
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Parker Covid-19 information and resources - please click here for more information.
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UUA Guidance on Gathering In-Person When COVID-19 Subsides
The UUA continues to carefully monitor developments with testing and vaccinations. Last May, we recommended congregations plan for virtual operations until at least May 2021. By now, we recognize this timeline will likely be longer. As the Biden administration develops a coordinated federal response, we expect it will be March before we have a reasonable sense of the vaccine horizon and timeline for when we might reach herd immunity. In the meantime, our current UUA Guidance on Gathering offers recommendations for specific metrics to monitor in your own community as you consider decisions about gathering when the pandemic subsides.
The full link to the UUA press release can be viewed here.
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Support PrairieUU
Click on the images below to learn more!
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Follow and Connect with us! |
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Get the most out of G Suite in your workplace with training guides, tips, customer examples, and other resources.
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To connect via a computer simply click the links provided.
To connect via a phone or tablet you will be prompted to download the Google Meet app.
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We Look Forward to Hearing From You |
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Newsletter & Announcement Contributions
All requests for the Monday newsletter and Orders of Service are due on Wednesday at 12 pm. (PLEASE NOTE: All submissions are subject to editing for content and space.)
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Office Hours - M-Th 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Phone/Text: 720-549-0530
Schedule an Appointment via Google Calendar
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General Office Hours
Mon-Thur - 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
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Office Hours - M-Th 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Phone/Text - 720-549-0531
Schedule an Appointment via Google Calendar
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Committee Emails
LifeSpan - Religious Exploration for all ages
Membership - Visitors, becoming a Covenantal member
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Mailing Address:
PrairieUU Church
P.O. Box 1684
Parker, CO 80134
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