President's Message

What would it look like to live in a world that accepted each one of us for ourselves? Why is it I so thoroughly enjoy being with family and good friends? Why do I feel that same way within our UUFD community? I think part of it is during all these experiences I can be comfortable in my own skin, accepted despite all my imperfections and valued for who I am. I feel loved without feeling the obligation, intentional or not, to change. Maybe true love is accepting love. Besides, wouldn’t it be a lot less interesting if we were all perfect? In this time of renewal, I promise to try to be less demanding and more accepting, to love courageously.

In gratitude and respect,

Steve Govreau

Love courageously. Inspire spiritual growth. Work for justice.

A Message from Rev. Barbara

“Co-Creating Our Covenant” Workshop

January 21, 2023, Noon – 3 p.m.

Led by UUA Primary Contact Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh

I have spoken about “covenant” often during this interim ministry. The theme of covenant was one of my opening sermons soon after I arrived at UUFD in August 2022. I’ve addressed covenant in several more sermons this church year, as well as in my article in this UUFD newsletter in February 2023. I want to talk about covenant again here, not so much to define it, as to fill you in on next steps going forward for creating an All-Congregation Covenant here at UUFD.

But perhaps a brief review is in order, for folks newer to this community who may have missed some of those earlier items. Covenant is important for this free faith of Unitarian Universalism and for UUFD as this community goes forward in ministerial search. Covenants are promises we make, in many arenas of life, for our common actions. Covenants shape how we live together in mutual respect and love, how we “walk” together. Covenant is the glue that cultivates strong relationships. Covenants, not creeds, unite us in community. Nearly all UU congregations have some type of all-congregation covenant to define community values. Here at UUFD, many of the committees and teams are also joined together by covenants.

And yet, the words of a covenant don’t mean much in the long run if we don’t live by the actions the covenant calls us to. Covenants require accountability, calling us to exercise responsibility for both the intentions and the impacts of our actions. Creating a covenant -- articulated by a covenant statement -- is of little good if we don’t also live by the values that covenant statement asks of us. Earlier this fall many of you here at UUFD participated in conversation about the current UUA Common Read, On Repentance and Repair by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg. Central to Rabbi Ruttenberg’s book is a helpful five-step process for addressing and healing from conflict. Covenant is central to her process. During our conversations, I experienced many of you growing deeply in understanding the meaning and applications of covenant to the healthy spiritual life of this congregation. 

After the new year, this congregation will have another opportunity to grow in covenant. Mark your calendars now for Sunday January 21, when Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh, primary contact for UUFD from the Pacific Western Region of the UUA, will visit UUFD in person. Her visit is organized and sponsored by the UUFD Transition Team. Everyone is encouraged to attend, to get to know Rev. Sarah better, to work with one another in this important process of covenant, and to suggest ways of looking ahead toward UUFD’s next minister. 

Rev. Sarah describes the workshop as follows:  Building on the themes of Fall 2023 at UUFD, this workshop will harvest the wisdom that’s been emerging about how UUFD participants are called to be together: how we approach conflict, what we promise when destructive behavior emerges, what we can do when we’ve caused harm (accidentally or on purpose), how we can co-create an environment of support and trust. We’ll ground our exploration in reality, exploring some “pain points” in UUFD’s past just enough to get a picture of interpersonal dynamics can be hard to address in religious community. And we’ll build the framework of a covenant that we can make with each other, a covenant that helps us to be the people that we are truly called to be. Additionally, this covenant will lay a good foundation for your new professional ministry, and all of your shared ministry in the years to come.

As preparation for this important workshop, Rev. Sarah has also agreed to offer two zoom conversations with UUFD. See "Coming in January" below for workshop and zoom information.

Everyone is strongly encouraged to participate in the zoom conversations and the workshop. If you attended Repentance and Repair conversations, you may want to bring your copy of the book to the workshop. Childcare will be provided during the workshop. 

For questions and more information, please contact any member of the Transition Team: Tom Miller, Mike Trefry, Kathleen Adams, and Teresa Jordan. For more about Rev. Sarah, click here.

See you at the fellowship!

In faith and joy,

Rev. Barbara

Coming in January

Events led by Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh, UUA Primary Contact

Embodiment, Anxiety, and the Covenant

January 11th, 2024, 7:00-8:00 pm on Zoom, led by Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh

As science and psychology reveal the intricate connections between our bodies and our brains, the process of creating a covenant—a sacred agreement about how we are to engage with one another—cannot be adequate without understanding how our bodily responses can overtake our high-minded ideals in situations of stress. Even a very good listener cannot listen well when they are physiologically triggered into a state of defense. Even the most compassionate person can show little empathy when their nervous system perceives a high-level threat. Join us in this Zoom for content and conversation that will inform your creation of the UUFD covenant. 

Join on Zoom:

https://uua.zoom.us/j/94464633509?pwd=Ym5oL0ErbVdLbXc5NjJnemVZUHRuUT09 

Meeting ID: 944 6463 3509

Passcode: PWRUUA

Being an Accountable People

January 17th, 2024, 7:30-8:30 pm on Zoom, led by Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh

Covenants require a combination of accountability, responsibility, humility, and the willingness to go deep both within ourselves, and within the community. How a congregation balances the values of the worth and dignity of all the parties is one of the challenges: how do you value the needs of those who have been harmed compared to those who have inflicted the harm? Does it matter if the harm is intentional or unintentional? How do we understand the impact of dominant culture on the issue, which has too often equated accountability with punishment? And how do we let go of the dynamics of perpetuating shame in the process of accountability?

Join on Zoom:

https://uua.zoom.us/j/94464633509?pwd=Ym5oL0ErbVdLbXc5NjJnemVZUHRuUT09 

Meeting ID: 944 6463 3509

Passcode: PWRUUA

Workshop: “Co-Creating Our Covenant”

Sunday, January 21, 2024: 12:00-3:00 p.m. in-person, Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh facilitating 

Building on the themes of Fall 2023 at UUFD, this workshop will harvest the wisdom that’s been emerging about how UUFD participants are called to be together: how we approach conflict, what we promise when destructive behavior emerges, what we can do when we’ve caused harm (accidentally or on purpose), how we can co-create an environment of support and trust. We’ll ground our exploration in reality, exploring some “pain points” in UUFD’s past just enough to get a picture of interpersonal dynamics can be hard to address in religious community. And we’ll build the framework of a covenant that we can make with each other, a covenant that helps us to be the people that we are truly called to be. Additionally, this covenant will lay a good foundation for your new professional ministry, and all of your shared ministry in the years to come. Childcare will be provided.

January News from Faith Formation

For this one moment 

Know only that you are loved 

That you are safe, and whole and loved  

Know that you belong here 

Here among us, here upon this earth 

                        ~ Rev. Gretchen Haley 

This month’s focus is on the gifts of liberating love. Our own direct experiences and any thought experiment confirms that deepest intuitive knowing, that love is the key to solving any problem and overcoming any challenge. Perhaps the greatest of these gifts is that sense of belonging we experience when love grows.  

Faith Formation Staff Changes

December 31 was Nikki Bauer’s last day as a regular Sunday teacher.  Please join me in thanking her for her service over the last year and a half as a teacher. Don’t worry. You’ll still get to see her cheerful face as the office administrator.

December 31 marks a change for Harrison Wendt as he transitions away from Youth Programming Coordinator to Sunday Faith Formation teacher.  Please join me in wishing him well as he embraces new opportunities on his journey.

Joining us in January as a Sunday Faith Formation teacher is Marketa Young, whom you may have met in her volunteer role with the toddler-preschool group.  She writes: “I am excited to be part of the UU community here away from my home church, Foothills Unitarian. I am a freshman at the Fort majoring in accounting. I love to bake, read, sing, and meet new people so please feel welcome to come say hello! I love my congregation in Fort Collins so I am grateful to find a similarly kind community in Durango.” We are thrilled to have her on board as a Sunday teacher.

Coming Attractions

Sunday Faith Formation with Youth and Children

January 7: Love is magnetic, can never be divided—only multiplied.

January 14: Love lights the way (and will be expressed through a fun craft project).

January 21: Love expresses in service and makes space for social and racial justice.

January 28: Love calls us to action in our personal lives and in our community.

Our Whole Lives (OWL) for Elementary School

Watch this space for the dates for Our Whole Lives (OWL) classes for the elementary school kids beginning in February.  This sexuality education presents honest, accurate information about sexuality that dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships and improves decision-making. This 10-session program will be led by Nikki Bauer and Harrison Wendt, who became certified OWL teachers last spring. 

Val Pals is a program to develop friendships between the adults and children of UUFD.  The adult mails “valentines” to an assigned child multiple times in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day, keeping their identity a secret.  The big reveal will be at a Valentines party after service on February 11.  If you’re an adult who would like to get to know one of our children and youth better, click here to sign up.  If you’re the parent of a child, and you’d like for your child(ren) to participate, click here to sign up.  The deadline to sign up is January 12, 2024.

Circles of Trust – Exploring “Habits of the Heart” begins January 27, 2024

“Circles of Trust” is a small group ministry which explores the inner teacher in each of us and builds compassionate relationships with others. Through personal reflection, deep listening, open and honest questions, and clearness committees, we build trust in our authentic selves and in one another. “Circles of Trust” draws from the spiritual writing of Quaker Parker Palmer.

This series will focus on Habits of the Heart, a curriculum based on Palmer’s 2011 book Healing the Heart of Democracy¸ where he applies his principles to the public arena. The first session will explain “Circles of Trust” practice; the remaining three sessions will provide spiritual deepening and tips for practical application in our shared ministries. While attendance at all four sessions is encouraged, don’t let unpredictable schedules get in the way of signing up.

For advance reading about “Circles of Trust,” see Parker Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward An Undivided Life. For the orientation and content of this particular retreat series, see Parker Palmer, Healing the Heart of Democracy. For lovely holiday reading, see Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak. These titles are available on Amazon.

Rev. Dr. Barbara Coeyman is a UU Accredited Interim Minister and a credentialed Facilitator with the Center for Courage and Renewal, the sponsoring institution of “Circles of Trust.” For questions and more information, contact Rev. Barbara directly at intmin@durangouu.org.

These classes will meet on Saturday mornings every other week beginning on January 27, 2024 and running through March 9, 2024; they are held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  To register, click here.  

Personal Faith Development  -- the Gifts of Liberating Love

As we come into the new year, many of us make lists of all sorts of resolutions, which don’t seem to work very well for most of us.  So, this January, I invite you to create a different kind of list – a list of the people who have been there for you through thick and thin. We’ve all been saved, sustained, healed, and transformed by the love of close friends and family, as well as those who only briefly crossed our paths. Some of these acts are huge and some are momentary.  

Identify these special people and their gifts before they slip from your memory, leaving your hearts feeling, some days, like you’ve only been loved by a few. 

You might do this in a single sitting, or you might add to the list as memories come to you.  This list of special people is likely much longer than you first imagine.  Spend enough time to allow your memories to bubble up.  The big moments will likely come first; the quieter moments and single exchanges will take some time to come forward. Some of these gifts of love may have felt like a curse or punishment at the time only to be recognized later for the acts of deep love they were.  For some of us, it will help to go through our lives chronologically. For others, thinking about types of love will work best. And when you think your list is done, give it just a bit more time. Pay special attention to who arises from this extra thought. When you are done: 

• Read your list aloud and pay attention to which names catch in your throat or bring an unexpected tear.
• Pick three to five names from the list and write them a letter, letting them know how their love lives in you still.  Even if that person is no longer here, write the letter anyway.
• Record yourself reading the names and thanking them for their gift of love. Listen to the recording and see what feelings or insights arise.
• Then tell a friend the story of one of these gifts paying close attention to how the retelling makes you feel.
• Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea as you explore these gifts of love that have shaped the person you have become.

This lovely quote from Valarie Kaur is a reminder that love is a multi-faceted, splendid, dynamic presence. “Joy is the gift of love. Grief is the price of love. Anger is the force that protects that which is loved.”

Respectfully submitted – Sharon Mignerey, Coordinator of Faith Formation

Proposed change to affirmation

The Environmental Justice Team (EJT), following the guidelines in the UUA Green Sanctuary program, regularly considers ways to increase the regular, conscious attention we pay to environmental justice issues, and to bring that awareness more into our worship. Our Seventh Principle calls us to have “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” The last line of the Affirmation we say weekly currently reads “…to seek knowledge in freedom, to serve human needs…”



To tie these two themes more closely together, the EJT is proposing we try out a slight, but meaningfully significant change to the Affirmation. With the considered approval of Rev. Barbara and the Worship Team, for the next couple months the Affirmation we say each Sunday will conclude …”to seek knowledge in freedom, to serve the needs of all beings, and the planet that sustains us all, for these high purposes do we unite in worship.”

We will try this out for a month or so and seek your feedback about its relevance and meaning to you, with the hope you will agree that this broadening of the scope of our Affirmation is not only appropriate, but could be a permanent addition to our worship services.

Lunch with Rev. Barbara, Jan. 7: all invited!

Sunday, January, 7

11:30 am -12:30 pm, Bowman Hall

This is an important and fun opportunity to ask Reverend Barbara any questions that may be on your mind. For example, would you like to know about her highlight experiences, observations, thoughts about UUFD during her 18 months to date? Are you curious about new or revised congregational habits?  Sponsored by the Transition Team. A hearty soup lunch for adults and children will be provided.

To register, request childcare, and/or offer soup, please click here.

With questions, contact Kathleen Adams: 970-676-1022 / kadams@mcw.edu

"Gearing up" for the 2024-25 pledge campaign

You may or may not recognize this image from last year’s pledge campaign. This is now in the history files.

The wheels are moving for this year’s graphics. There has already been some hilarious, creative, fun team pedaling going on. Watch for the unveiling coming soon.  

THE COMPONENTS OF THE TEAM ARE NOT FULLY ASSEMBLED YET. The needed tasks are time-limited, no meetings involved and don’t involve asking people for money!

Contact Kathleen for more information and offers to join the ride.  970-676-1022, kadams@mcw.edu

Ministerial Search Committee invites you to the UUFD website

Much continues to happen in our search for a new minister. The MSC would like to remind you that lots of great information and updates are kept in a special section of our website here. Please take a moment to visit. Most recently, we posted the entire Congregational Record, a document packed full of information about UUFD that was prepared for potential minister candidates.

As always, you can contact any member of the MSC with questions: Allison Andersen, Bonnie Miller, Connie Jacobs, Lisa McCorry, Liz Volz, Sheryl Guy, and Tim Miller.