UUFD Newsletter, July 2022

July 2022

July Services

We are now meeting in person as well as online! We continue to use established protocols on masking, distancing and vaccination. To join a Zoom worship, look for the link on the UUFD website.

SUMMER SERIES: Coping with the Climate Crisis

Our summer series runs July 3 through August 14 and features seven thoughtful and environmentally involved members of UUFD and the Durango community who will offer their thoughts and suggestions for how we can cope.

July 3

Introduction to the Summer Series

-Tom Miller

We are in a period of growing awareness of the increasingly severe effects brought on by climate change. The complexities of the short and long-term implications of these changes are staggering and scary. Our emotions range from denial to despair to hope to dedicated action. How shall we proceed? Tom Miller is a member of UUFD and Team Lead for UUFD's Environmental Justice Team.

July 10 * 4 Corners Retreat at Pine Song: No worship at UUFD *

So That The People May Live

-Rev. Munro Sickafoose

What are we willing to sacrifice for the greater good? How do we give as much or more than we take? What are the boundaries we will not cross, even if we are in great need? The underlying principle to all of these questions is that of self-control; the ability to defer gratification; the ability to place the needs of the whole and the greater good ahead of one’s own selfish interests. How might we do that in our world – and the world to come?

July 17

The Unjust Nature of Climate Change

-Dick White, former mayor and environmental action trainer and writer

Climate change is inherently unjust. The rich people and rich countries that have benefited from consumption of fossil fuels have contributed disproportionately to causing climate change. The poor people and poor countries that have the fewest resources to adapt suffer disproportionately from the consequences. What can we do as residents of the rich countries?

July 24

An exploration of science and values as integral to environmental leadership

-Heidi Steltzer, coordinator of the Environmental Science degree at Ft. Lewis

In a world that is rapidly changing in ways that put many lives and species at risk, we live with immense uncertainty and constant hope. Can climate science provide certainty, steer us away from drought, floods, heat waves and wildfires? Can we know when it is time to act and when it is too late? Heidi will offer an integrated, holistic approach to climate science that she feels is essential to environmental leadership.

July 31

Food, Agriculture, and Climate - Ethical choices matter

-Stephen Guy, UUFD member

With collective will, we have the technology, resources, and ability to ‘solve’ the Climate Crisis. The daily, ethical choices we make in our diet can affect how agriculture and food production evolve to more effectively reduce net carbon emission.

Message from John Redemske, UUFD Board President

Hello fellow UUFD members and friends,

Our congregation is extremely fortunate to be able to welcome our new Interim Minister, Barbara Coeyman! I would like to thank our Transitional Minister Search Task Force, Tom Miller (lead), Carrol Greoger, Jill Bystydzienski and Steve Foster for their excellent work in identifying and recommending both our Targeted Ministers and now our new Interim Minister! Barbara will start with us August 16 and will use the apartment in the front of the Columbine House until she can find other housing arrangements. I would encourage you to search the internet for Barbara Coeyman to read more about her. She will bring to us a wealth of organizational and other skills that we will find very helpful as we travel through the Interim Ministry process towards the identification and selection of our next Settled Minister.

The Faith Formation Team, led by Bonnie Miller, has been very active and is well on its way to identifying a UU inspired leader and staff for our FF program. The goal is to have a Faith Formation leader in place by July 1.

Our Office Administrator (OA) for the last 5 years, Jeanne MacKenzie, has decided to move on to other endeavors effective June 3. We appreciate the service that she has given to UUFD. An OA Transition/Search Team has been rapidly formed to take care of the many details in the transition to a new OA and to assure that church operations can continue smoothly.

The Board is pleased to announce the start of a new series of “Town Hall” meetings to be held after the Sunday service on the Sunday following each monthly Board meeting. This will generally be the last Sunday of the month. There will be a review of the previous Board meeting activity and a time for discussion of any subject or questions that the congregation would like to talk about. This will be an opportunity to speak with the Board and to discuss things on your mind with other members.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions about Board activity, please email me or give me a call at 603-345-2244. I really want to hear from you!

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

John Redemske

**SPECIAL MESSAGES from The Board**

The UUFD Board of Trustees seeks nominations, including self-nominations, for the Transition

Team that will be working with our Interim Minister, Rev. Barbara Coeyman, during her term

with UUFD. We are seeking 4-5 persons who will serve on the Transition Team for 1-2 years.

The Transition Team should represent the demographic diversity of the congregation and

include a member of the Healthy Congregation Committee and a member of the Transitional

Minister Search Task Force; no Board member will serve on this team. Nominees need to be

familiar with UUFD and/or Unitarian Universalism more broadly.

The Transition Team is charged with the following:

- Serving as the eyes and ears of the congregation to help Rev. Coeyman discern

congregational issues and needs as she leads us through the transition to a Settled

Minister;

- Serving as the Minister’s primary contact for pragmatic matters, including orientation to

the UUFD congregation and Durango;

- Providing an appraisal (report) for the UUA at the end of the first 6 months of Rev.

Coeyman’s tenure, at the end of the first year, and at the end of her second year;

- Helping organize a workshop, “Beyond Categorical Thinking,” that UUA will lead, and

working on specific mutually agreed on projects (e.g., History Timeline of UUFD);

- Meeting monthly with the Minister for 90-120 minutes.

Nominations briefly summarizing the person’s interest and qualifications should be sent via e-

mail to UUFD Board President, John Redemske, at [email protected] .

There was a fire in the Sanctuary building after the service on Sunday, June 19^th. Thankfully, Joe, Portia, Piper and Owen Sykes smelled smoke, and discovered smoldering cardboard in the candle storage cabinet in the Cry Room.

This fire was not caused by an individual but by a failed lithium coin type battery in a red, battery-powered tea candle. Besides two boxes of these tea candles, the cupboard also held other flammable materials including matches, candles, bottles of alcohol, and lighters.

The Board will acquire a sturdy, metal storage box for the battery-operated LED candles and store them apart from flammable materials. Also, the matches, candles, bottles of alcohol, and lighters will be stored in a lockable steel cabinet.

We were extremely lucky. This fire could have been so much worse.

Please, let’s all be alert when closing church buildings, check windows, and doors, and smells.

Regards,

Carolyn Miller

Secretary, UUFD

FAMILY MINISTRY AND FAITH FORMATION NEWS

Summer Faith Formation

A message from Bonnie Miller, Faith Formation Coordinating Team

Sharon Mignerey

Harrison Wendt

Summer promises more outdoor recreation and hopefully more free time to enjoy it! We hope all of you do, but also that you still find time to join us on Sundays for worshipping and connecting together.

We’ve made some plans for our children and youth this summer, in great part in response to our youth (rising middle and high schoolers) saying they need some time with their peer group on Sundays. So we plan to deliver! This summer children and youth will start in the Sanctuary for intergenerational worship. Once the Story for All Ages is over, they will go to Columbine House for Children’s Chapel where they will light their own chalice, share Joys and Sorrows, and engage in discussion and activities on the message of the day about caring for our planet. At 11:00 the younger children will go to supervised play on the playground, and youth will have a Youth Huddle with the Sunday Learning Coordinator to talk about topics of interest to them. We find both children and youth think food is vital to the day, so we will provide snacks!

Watch for information to come about special time for people of all ages at our annual Pinesong Retreat July 8-10 on the beautiful property of Ken and Lois Carpenter along the Pine River.

Drum roll please…..Welcome to our new Faith Formation leadership team – Sharon Mignerey and Harrison Wendt! Sharon is the new part-time Faith Formation Coordinator and Harrison is now in the expanded part-time role of Youth Programming Coordinator. As Faith Formation Coordinator, Sharon will have overall responsibility for lifespan religious education and for our adult education programming. Harrison will have responsibility for programming and activities for our children and youth. Together they will be a dynamite team!

Sharon’s background includes work as an editor, writer, instructor, writing coach, and workshop facilitator. She is also certified as a practitioner (mentor/coach) with the United Centers for Spiritual Living. She has a B.A. in English/Business Management and a M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction.

Harrison’s background includes work as a childcare provider, site leader for 9-R Kids’ Camp, leader for Washington State wilderness day camp, social/racial justice advocate, political activist, and educator as the UUFD Sunday Learning Coordinator. He is currently a student at Fort Lewis College studying sociology and music.

Sharon and Harrison assume their new roles beginning July 1 and we invite you to find a time to visit with them and share your hopes for our Faith Formation program. They are both good listeners and anxious to help us move toward our desired future!

For more Faith Formation questions or more information, contact Bonnie Miller [email protected].

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We have an Interim Minister!

Rev. Dr. Barbara Coeyman signs one-year, renewable contract

The Transitional Minister Search Task Force (TMSTF) successfully completed seven months of work with the announcement at our recent Annual Meeting of the hire of Rev. Dr. Barbara Coeyman as our new Interim Minister. Her one-year, renewable contract begins August 16. We expect to begin the search for a settled minister in the Spring of 2024.

Rev. Coeyman is a trained, credentialed, experienced interim minister, having worked with and built valuable perspective from her interim work in eight other congregations, from the east coast to Littleton here in Colorado since 2005. In addition to her ministerial degree, she has three degrees in music, including a Ph.D. in musicology (hence the Dr.) as well as a Master’s in public management. She is a hiker and a biker, contra- and Scottish dancer, writer, UU historian, and volunteer musician in a wide range of UU events. You can see her extensive and wonderfully revealing website at your leisure. You will be impressed.

Rev. Barbara’s main task is to facilitate our transition to our next settled minister. In brief, she will help us engage with each other on five main points of Interim Ministry as she describes on her website:

Heritage: Reviewing how the Congregation has been shaped and formed
Leadership: Reviewing the membership needs and its ways of organizing and developing new and effective leadership
Mission: Defining and redefining a sense of purpose and direction
Connections: Discovering and revitalizing all the relationships a faith community builds outside of itself; re-assessing old links and considering new ones
Future: Developing congregational and pastoral profiles that position the congregation for its next ministry

The TMSTF (Jill Bystydzienski, Carroll Groeger, Steve Foster, Tom Miller) is grateful for the support of the Board and congregation throughout this search process. Rev. Barbara was our first choice among several good options. That she ranked us as her first choice is a testament to the strength and vitality of the UUFD community. It is notable that there are still about two dozen UU congregations who did not make a match and remain in search, so we are pleased that not only do we have a match, we have a really good one.

We expect that Rev. Barbara will enjoy the many virtues of Durango. We will certainly profit from her experienced guidance over the next couple years. Please help to make her feel welcome when she arrives in August.

Summer Series to address Coping with the Climate Crisis

Seven speakers to offer thoughts, expertise

UUFD’s traditional Summer Series, which runs July 3 through August 14, will address the theme Coping with the Climate Crisis. We have known that the Earth’s climate is changing for decades. We are in a period of growing awareness and alarm as we experience increasingly severe effects brought on by those changes. The complexities of the short and long-term implications of these changes are staggering and scary. The variety of ways that we can potentially affect the outcome are mind boggling. Our emotions range from denial to despair to hope to dedicated action. How shall we proceed?

Seven thoughtful and environmentally involved members of UUFD and the Durango community will offer their unique thoughts and suggestions for how we can cope.

For a list of topics and speakers, click here.

Pine Song retreat quickly approaching

The 4 Corners Retreat at Pine Song is a weekend of fun and fellowship at Ken and Lois Carpenters' gorgeous riverside property. This year it will be held July 8-10, with activities being held from Friday afternoon through Sunday worship.

A Vespers service and Sunday's worship will be led by Rev. Munro Sickafoose. A special interactive workshop touching on our summer series theme of climate change will feature Heidi Seltzer, coordinator of the Environmental Science degree at Fort Lewis. Heidi has designed a stimulating program that will help to enhance our response to the reality of climate change.

You can register now for Pine Song here.

(Please remember that due to the uncertainty caused by COVID and health precautions, this year we have made the difficult decision to limit attendance to UUFD Members, guests of Members, and Friends only. We look forward to welcoming back visitors from outside congregations in 2023.)

Automatic pledge payments

Set up a new account, or update last year's pledge

Thanks to all who have pledged to UUFD for another year.

A quick heads up about automatic pledge payments for the upcoming fiscal year (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023): You can set up automatic pledge payments using a credit card or checking account. Go to www.durangouu.org, click Donate, then click the green "Donate Now" button and proceed from there. If you have set up online payments in the past, you need to reset the payment for July 2022 and beyond. This can be done anytime, but preferably before July 1, 2022. Do you need help? Contact [email protected] or 970-676-1022.

Thanks!

Kathleen Adams

UU Caring Team: Here for you!

How can we help?

The Caring Team stands ready to respond to our members' health and well-being needs. We can refer you to appropriate community resources, as well as help with meals, rides, or simply walk your dog! We send cards, and if appropriate will call you on the phone or come visit you. To assist us in these efforts, we draw upon all of you who have signed up to help us. Some of our most important work is to build connections within the fellowship, so that all of us are participating in caring for our UU Community.

Currently there are eight members of this team: Susan Koonce (Team leader), Rollie Butler, Lynn Griffith, Connie Jacobs, Terry McLaughlin, Graham Smith, and Liza Tregillus. You will see us at Sunday services wearing our Caring Team buttons. Please feel free to approach any of us with questions or concerns. Confidentiality is serious business with this team; your concerns will never go beyond us without your permission. If you want to volunteer or if you need help, you can always contact us via our email: [email protected].

It is such a pleasure for us to be part of building and maintaining our UU Caring Community! Let us know how we might help!

Social Responsibility and Justice Special Feature

Good news from the Basic Needs Team!

We’re going strong in our work and seeing good things being accomplished. Volunteers with the Durango Food Bank are organizing food boxes and delivering food to individuals and families. At Manna we are preparing food for takeout by the unhoused. Days for Girls volunteers are sewing and assembling menstrual care kits. Needham team members provided monthly encouragement and treats to staff. Mission: Support Kids is providing care backpacks to foster children.

After years as the Basic Needs Team leader, Kathy Devine is stepping down for a well-deserved break. We have so much gratitude for her leadership in helping us become such a strong team. Thank you, Kathy! And welcome Marilyn Leftwich as the awesome new team leader! For any BN Team questions contact her at [email protected] Our thanks also to Tom McCampbell who has been our liaison with Neighbors In Need Alliance (NINA) working on the issue of homelessness. Tom is taking his time and talent to the work of the Healthy Congregations Committee. Thank you, Tom!

Camping with Outdoor Adventures

Barring forest fires, blizzards, and floods, Outdoor Adventures will sponsor a group campout for UUFD members and friends (kids and dogs welcome) on August 21, 22 & 23 (3 nights) at lovely Lake Isabel. We have reserved the Ponderosa Group Campground which will accommodate 60 guests, has a group pavilion, vault toilets, potable water, trash receptacles, fire pits, and charcoal grilles. Activities include hiking, biking, fishing, birding, volleyball, horseshoes, boating, reading, snoozing, potluck dinner on the 22nd, and camaraderie. Bishops Castle is nearby and worth a visit. Approx. 260 mi- 5 hr drive-August weather 73/49 degrees and 9 days with some rain-8600 ft. elevation. Google recreation.com/ponderosa campground.

Contact [email protected] if you are going to join in. Camp fees will run $20-$25/person.