A Message from Reverend Barbara

What Does a Minister Do?

By invitation of the Board, on April 16, after the worship service, we initiated a new type of conversation, a monthly Minister Town Hall to complement the monthly Town Hall led by the Board. The purpose of this additional conversation, as UUFD begins its search for a settled minister, is to provide time for the interim minister to fulfill her responsibility to mentor the congregation in a number of topics germane to ministerial search. To date, led by the UUFD Transition Team, this congregation has completed a quick and efficient engagement with the steps needed to form the Ministerial Search Committee (MSC). Now, in the Minister Town Halls, it’s time to address several aspects of congregational culture central to building a positive relationship with a new minister.

The first topic I raised in the April 16 Town Hall was the question “What Does a Minister Do?”. For congregants who missed that gathering, and for you who did attend, I want to continue to address this question and offer deeper insights than time allowed during the Town Hall. I bring this topic to you for several reasons: 1) Knowledge and general understanding of the responsibilities of a UU minister is central to healthy relationships in any and all ministry settings; 2) Given that no minister can do everything, as search progresses, you will be called on for conversations about your visions for UUFD’s next professional ministry, so to articulate the areas most important for the congregation going forward; 3) As the MSC engages in conversations with applicants, and then at some point when the entire congregation meets the final candidate during what’s known as “Candidating Week,” it will be important for each and every congregant to have some fluency in discussing with the candidate expectations for coverage of the ministry. Granted there are many other factors which shape a good match for UUFD, such as compatible understanding of shared ministry and shared leadership, personal style of the candidate which emerges through in-person conversations, information about the candidate from letters of reference, and more.

But here in this article, I want to address the content areas of ministry which you the congregation and the new minister will covenant to work together on during the next ministry. A few basics about these content areas. To qualify for fellowship - which means passing the Ministerial Fellowship Committee - each minister must meet seven areas of competence, which are defined by the UU Ministers Association (UUMA) in their recent publication Fulling the Call. Within each area, as many as twelve particular skills are identified. For example, within the area of worship, three of the twelve particular “skills” are a) sermon preparation, b) collaboration with musicians, and c) development of lay worship leaders. And within each of these separate skills a range of experience is allowed. That is, there is flexibility: no one minister can do it all, nor be expert in every single niche of ministry, but some minimal experience in all seven areas of competence is required.  I expect that the “coach” from the UUA working with the MSC will use Fulfilling the Call as a guide for articulating this important portion of UUFD’s “Congregational Record,” that is, the document which details who the congregation is and their visions for ministry, so to shape a good “match” with a new minister. 

As I presented in the April Town Hall, following is the list of seven areas of ministerial competence. As you read this list, I invite you to ask yourself some questions such as what does this coverage mean, how have I experienced engagement in this area by other ministers (UUFD and others), how central is it to the next professional ministry at UUFD, how does it rank in importance with the other six areas, etc. As stated in Fulling the Call, “Inspired by that which is sacred, informed by theological reflection and spiritual practice, and grounded in Unitarian Universalist faith and traditions, a Unitarian Universalist minister/clergyperson serves and leads people in congregations, communities, and in other institutions (e.g. hospitals, military, schools, community organizations, and prisons) through”:



1.     Worship and Rites of Passage

2.     Pastoral Care and Presence 

3.     Spiritual Development for Self and Others 

4.     Social Justice in the Public Square 

5.     Administration

6.     Serving the Larger Unitarian Universalist Faith and the UUMA

7.     Leading the Faith Into the Future 

During the next Minister Town Hall, Sunday May 14, 11:30 am – 2:15 pm, we will continue discussion about these seven areas of ministerial competence, especially for any of these areas for which the meaning remains unclear for you. The second topic I plan to invite conversation about will be “Getting Ready for a New Minister.”

Yours in community,

Rev. Barbara

President's Message

Hello fellow UUFD members and friends,   

I thank all of you for continuing to participate in both the Board and the Ministerial Town Hall meetings held after some of the Sunday services each month. These meetings are opportunities for discussion with the Board or Interim Minister and with our fellow members and friends. It is during these discussions that we hear other perspectives and ideas regarding these topics, whether they be Board related or Ministerial related.  They increase our understanding and help us to grow both individually and together as a community.

The HCC is planning to hold another communication skills workshop led by Rachel Turiel after the Sunday service on May 7. I encourage all of you to attend this workshop.  Not only will these enhanced communication skills assist in building community at UUFD, but they are also a valuable skill to enhance your own personal life.   

Your Board thanks those that attended either of the two special budget review meetings held Sunday April 23 and those who responded to the special budget review email sent Monday April 24. Your Board’s objective was to rapidly communicate and discuss with our congregation a budget deficit situation and potential solutions to achieve a balanced budget.    

As will be communicated at the Sunday April 30 Board Town Hall meeting, our congregation has stepped up to provide enough additional funding to fully support our budget without any program cuts.  Your support demonstrates just how much you value these UUFD programs. Your Board is very grateful for your generous support of UUFD. 

As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions about Board activity, please Email me or give me a call or attend a Town Hall meeting. I really want to hear from you!

With gratitude to all of my fellow UU members and friends, 

John Redemske

Love courageously. Inspire spiritual growth. Work for justice.

Minister Search Committee progress update

Notes from the Ministerial Transition Team

As the next overt stage of our transition process, this past month the Transition Team polled each UUFD member, asking them to nominate three members whom they would trust to carry out the job of the Minister Search Committee (MSC). This resulted in a number of good conversations about the church and the job of an MSC member. Those who received the highest number of nominations were called and asked if they would be willing to serve. The names of those who said yes and agreed to go further in the nomination process have been provided to the Board. 

The Board is currently reviewing this list. They will consider which seven nominees will provide the best balance of representation and expertise to do the work of the Committee. The final roster will be voted on at our annual Congregational Meeting on May 21. 

At that point, the MSC will begin working through the application process for a settled minister. They will get training and coaching from the UUA Transition Office. The MSC will also likely be asking the rest of us for assistance, in several different ways, as they gather information, survey the congregation, and conduct discernment meetings prior to filling out the final application, which is due November 15. Please participate to your fullest capacity. The level of our thoughtful involvement in all the processes of transition will go a long way to making the application we submit complete, accurate and attractive to prospective ministers. 

The Transition Team will coordinate with the MSC and continue to act as liaison between Rev. Barbara, our Interim Minister, and the congregation as we continue to engage with the several other parts of our congregational work of transition. As mentioned in previous communications, these are:

• Claiming and honoring our past and engaging and honoring our griefs and conflicts
• Recognizing our unique identity, strengths, needs, and challenges
• Clarifying the appropriate leadership roles of minister(s), church staff, and lay leaders and navigating the shifts in leadership that may accompany times of transition
• Making appropriate use of District, UUA, and other outside resources
• Proudly coming into possession of a renewed vision and strong stewardship, prepared for new growth and new professional leadership, ready to embrace the future with anticipation and zest.

For more information or questions please contact Rev. Barbara or any member of the Transition Team: Sherrod Beale, Judy Hayes, Becky Malecki, Tom Miller, Mike Trefry.  

Faith Formation News & Notes

March's theme: Creativity!

“Everything you can imagine is real.” Pablo Picasso

Creativity!  What a great theme (from Soul Matters) for May.  Nature illustrates this everywhere with the nearly instantaneous flowering of plants as soon as the snow melts and the busy activities of bees awakening and birds building nests for the soon-to-be-laid eggs.  We see it in the activities of our kids when we attend open houses at school and see their entries for science fairs, displays of their art projects, and listen to their concerts.  Whether creating an AI program that helps a blind person know exactly what the item on the shelf is or composing a piece of music, creativity is always bubbling forth.  We see that in every activity here at UUFD.

Children and Youth

OWL (Our Whole Lives) Finishes on May 21

This is the first class based on the OWL curriculum since the pandemic, and it has lived up to our hopes for it, under the guidance of teachers Anna Royer and Jeff Hamner.  The enrolled participants have been meeting on Sunday afternoons since March 26, acquiring a deeper understanding of themselves and their maturing bodies within this comprehensive program of sexuality education. Since programs like this are under continuing attack in public school settings, it becomes even more important that we’re able to provide a safe, nurturing venue for kids to acquire this type of education that empowers them their whole lives. We are still accepting love offerings to cover the cost of meals (for 15) and supplies through the end of class.  Click here if you’d like to help.

The plan Faith Formation has is to provide this age-appropriate training for elementary school children next year.  The first step of that is having trained personnel. Harrison Wendt and Nikki Bauer have just completed training for this age group. Over the next few months, we will be preparing the next set of classes. If you’d like more information about the OWL program, click here.

Multi-Gen Service and Columbine Open House a Big Success

The FF staff, children, and youth were so happy to open the doors to Columbine House after the multi-gen service and brag on the accomplishments over the last year.  A big thanks to all the volunteers who helped pull this off and to all who visited the kids’ Faith Formation space.  

Adult Faith Development Opportunities

The book study, Buddhist Voices in Unitarian Universalism, continues on Wednesday evenings until May 24.  If you missed the earlier announcements and would like to participate, send an email to Sharon Mignerey (faithformation@durangouu.org).

Watch for an announcement for the next book study—title coming soon.

Personal Faith Development 

Have you ever expressed or thought this: "I’m not a creative person."  You probably are, but maybe you’ve relegated the idea of creativity to being an artist or musician or writer. In fact, even the ordinary stuff of life is filled with your creativity, whether as simple as folding the bath towels a different way so they fit in the cupboard or substituting ingredients in a familiar recipe. Maya Angelo said, “You can’t use up creativity.  The more you use, the more you have,” an idea to take out for your personal road test.  

Creativity Exercises for Spiritual Growth

Be Mindful for a Day or Week. No matter what is on your schedule for a day, pay attention to the innumerable choices you make and how your creativity shows up. Did you choose a particular pair of socks because they match the outfit you’ve chosen? Did you create something at work – a proposal or a streamlined process? Did you choose a paint color for a room in your house? Did you encourage a child or comfort a friend? Did you reframe a difficult situation and improve your own mood and outlook?

With this exercise, you're invited to reframe everything you do on a typical day and notice how you really are being creative. If you do this for only a day, make a list you can refer to the next time you have the thought that you’re not creative. If you can set aside a week to do this, keep a list and a journal with the daily prompt, “Today, I am creative by doing…”

Treasure Hunt at Galleries or Art Museums

Art can evoke many different emotions within us. We might be inspired by the beauty of a particular piece or made angry by discordant images of another. Imagine all the emotions available to you—despair, delight, anger, awe, joy, jealousy, gratitude, or grief.  With these in mind, visit one or some of the many galleries and museums available to us in Durango. As you contemplate the art, focus on what it’s making you feel and whether the reaction you’re having is rooted in your own experience and values or if this is something the artist intended to evoke within you. While the experience is still fresh, write about your reactions or discuss with a friend. If you can, visit again a couple of weeks later to see if your reaction is the same. Finally, imagine creating a piece of art in the medium you most prefer, designed to elicit a particular reaction from a viewer.  And remember: have fun! 

In closing, this quote from humorous pencil artist, Bruce Garrabrandt: “Creativity doesn’t wait for that perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones.” 

The Faith Formation Staff

Sharon Mignerey, Coordinator of Faith Formation

Harrison Wendt, Coordinator of Youth Faith Formation

Nikki Bauer, Faith Formation Teacher

P.S. Want to see a fun summary of all we've been up to this year? It's actually pretty incredible, if we do say so ourselves. Which we do. Click here!

Meeting basic needs

Social Responsibility and Justice special feature

The UUFD Basic Needs Team is one of our five justice teams and is led by Marilyn Leftwich. Within this team, six individuals are providing leadership and coordination that helps us meet basic needs of people in our community, and beyond.

Durango Food Bank – Ilona Hruska.  Each month volunteers help prepare and assemble food boxes, sort commodities deliveries, and deliver food to individuals and families who are unable to get to the Food Bank.  More volunteers are needed, especially as food insecurity is rapidly escalating with reduction in benefits such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

Days for Girls – Robbin Clark. Volunteers from the Durango community and UUFD meet once monthly at Bowman Hall to cut, sew and assemble reusable menstrual hygiene kits that are delivered to women and girls in small villages who have no access to products. Currently kits are going to the southern border for refuges and to Ukraine.

Needham Elementary – Bonnie Miller. Needham is our local school partner and serves a community with many low-income families. Volunteers support staff by providing treats once per month and helping to fund mini-grants for classroom supplies and projects that the school could not afford. To help students in need, we’ve collected donations to provide learning packets, funds for clothing, snacks, and participation fees.

Fort Lewis College Grub Hub – Terry McLaughlin. Through a new partnership with the Grub Hub, we are helping to provide food, clothing, and temporary housing to students who are struggling with financial need and sometimes are unhoused. A food drive and a coat and blanket drive were held to gather items for students, with another clothing drive planned to provide more professional attire to students for job searching.

Mission: Support Kids – Alex Todak-Schwartz. Volunteers meet monthly to assemble care backpacks for children and youth in foster care. Backpacks are provided to three local foster care agencies so that caseworkers can give one to a child whenever the child is being placed in a foster home. Age-appropriate items include personal hygiene products, stuffed animal, support/comfort items such as a fidget toy, journal, crayons and coloring book. For babies and toddlers, blankets, teething toys, and diapers are provided. 

Manna – Marilyn Leftwich. Manna is a hub to provide services for unhoused persons in Durango, and a team of UUFD volunteers works on site once per month to assist with serving meals for take-out and preparing food for the following day for those in need. In addition, the team helps to organize the free grocery store where clients can shop for food items.

If you enjoy hands-on service to help individuals and families in need, and seeing directly the difference you are making, join any one of the groups in the Basic Needs Team. You’ll get to know some wonderful people and find deep satisfaction in providing a much needed helping hand to others.  Contact Marilyn or any one of the leaders to find out more.

Announcing candidates for Board of Trustees and Nominating Committee

Candidates for the Board of Trustees and the Nominating Committee will be elected at the Annual Meeting of the congregation on Sunday, May 21, 2023.

Candidates for Board of Trustees two-year term 2023-2025

President:  Steve Govreau

Vice-President:  Jill Bystydzienski

Secretary: Carolyn Miller

Member at Large: Beth Connors 

Member at Large: Sherrod Beall

Candidates for Nominating Committee members two-year term 2023-2025

Mary Sison

Lisa Govreau

Click here for biographies of the candidates.

……………………………….......

Board of Trustees Member completing 2nd year of two-year term:

Treasurer:  Mark Swanson

Nominating Committee Member completing 2nd year of two-year term:

Ilona Hruska

Marye Jackson Celebration of Life May 6

The family of Marye Jackson cordially invites the community to attend her Celebration of Life and reception on Saturday, May 6, 2023, 11:00 am at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durango, 419 San Juan Drive. Marye embraced being a Unitarian, loved singing in the choir and appreciated finding her earthly spiritual community at UU. 



Immediately after the Celebration of Life and reception at UU, please attend an Open House at the Needham School Garden where the Ohana Kuleana Community Garden has relocated. Marye helped found this garden and was a long-time grower and educator at the garden’s previous location. A song written in her honor will be sung during the Needham Garden Open House.

Recital Series to conclude with May 5 violin and piano performance

Richard Silvers, violin, and Holly Quist, piano, will conclude this season's Recital Series on May 5 at 7:00 pm. They have chosen a program of diverse works from the 18th-21st centuries: a sonata by W.A. Mozart; transcriptions by Fritz Kreisler of Spanish dances by Enrique Granados, Isaac Albeniz and Manuel de Falla; a world premiere by Ari Barack Fisher who will attend the performance; and a sonata by Johannes Brahms.

Dr. Silvers received his three music degrees (Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts) from U.C.L.A., Indiana University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While at the latter, he was a University Fellow and musicology teaching assistant. His professional engagements have included concerts in the U.S., Italy and Switzerland. He currently serves on the faculty at Fort Lewis College as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Upper Strings.

Holly Quist has performed, collaborated and taught within communities throughout the United States, Ireland and Italy. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Western Michigan University and her Master of Music degree from the University of Missouri where she held a graduate assistantship. She now studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree.

You may purchase admission online here or at the door by cash or check.