10/06 “Climate Change Meets Citizen Activism: It’s Go Time!”
UUCB’s Climate Change Ministry
Welcoming of Our Newest Members
10/13 “Listening in a World That Won’t Stop Talking”
Amy Rowland, Ministerial Resident
10/20 “To Do No Harm”
Rev. Howell K. Lind, Developmental Minister
Child Dedication Ceremony
10/27 “Learning From Those Around Us”
Our Young Adult LGBTQ “All Church Focus” Group
I am Janen Wright your new Lifespan Faith Development Director. Thank you for having me! I am
very happy for this opportunity to honor the salvation that I have found in Unitarian Universalism by working with your children, youth and teachers in this capacity. It is a calling to me more than a job. I met some wonderful UUs in our first RE start- up meeting who are willing to give of their time and talent for the training of our youth. We are in need of more teachers. If everyone can do what they can to contribute to the training up of our youth we will have a vibrant RE program that can and will make a difference in the lives of the next generation. It is exciting work and I am happy to be a part of it!
I have many ideas that I want to put into action with the aid of my teachers. To share a few, this year we are going to be theme based as we build a rainbow, (out of silk) adding a new color each month that goes along with each of our principles that we will be talking about and celebrating. We will have a separate Junior Chapel and Senior Chapel, an on-going “store” where kids can turn in tickets for prizes, and we will embark on The 7 Principles Challenge where the kids will earn a colored bead for each challenge they master on the way to public recognition and, of course, a reward. (We will send home the particulars about that soon.)
Since I am brand new and you are entrusting me with the treasure that is your children, I feel I should more formally introduce myself. I am the mother of five kids, two in college, two in high school and one in elementary, and married to Derek Wright, a man that I have always loved with all my heart. He is a doctor by profession but more a scholar of life (I’ve never known anyone with such an appetite for learning) and though he is not a member, he has been a huge support to me, as shown by the fact that we moved here so I could go to school and take this job.
It was just over seven years ago that my quest for connection with liberal and like-minded people led me through the doors of a Unitarian Universalist church in Pocatello, Idaho. I was frankly surprised to find people whose own spiritual journeys had brought them to the same place theologically where I found myself; people who see the world like I do. I was raised an orthodox Mormon, and only gradually and with much study and introspection (and grief from loss of identity) found my way free of that religion.
I then resolved to be a Christian. I dragged my children to many different denominations, especially Presbyterian, and professed to be saved but I knew in my heart that I wasn’t saved and that I wasn’t Christian. (I had to painstakingly substitute the word “Love” for “Jesus” in order to get anything out of worship.) Because of going through this “dark night of the soul” I knew I was home at last from the first UU service that I attended. When I say I have been saved by this liberal religion I mean it quite literally. I am UU so I can give people not hell but hope and courage (as John Murray admonishes us.) There is enough hell in this world. I feel honored to be a Unitarian Universalist with all the respect for mystery and weight of responsibility that it entails. I want to be there for others who need what we have, just as others were there for me.
Because I had taught in the school district as a substitute teacher for many years and had young children of my own, my first challenge as a UU member was to revive a children’s program that would inspire our young ones to think for themselves. I was later asked to be Vice-President and then President of the Board. When I was Vice-President we hired our first minister after 20 years of being lay-led. It was then that I caught the vision of what professional ministry can offer the world so I returned to college to finish my bachelors with the ultimate goal of becoming a UU minister.
I have many passions, one of the strongest being a love for children and youth. The older I get the more I see all of us as being children – all at different stages of growth and development. I am fascinated by the growth process in myself and others. I believe that growth entails overcoming fears and learning the many lessons that love has to teach us. I have also come to believe what author Rachel Remen says best – that blessing life is more about celebrating life than it is about fixing life and that we need to develop an eye for joy. To me it is all about relationships and I look forward to getting to know each of you your wonderful children. Sincerely, Janen Wright – Lifespan Faith and Development Director
Sunday, October 20th, 7:00pm at UUCB
The UUCB Women’s Spirituality group, the Wednesday Goddesses, invites you to an evening of Goddess Culture, singing, drumming, chanting, stories of the Goddess and a Spiral Dance.
Free and open to the public — The Goddess embraces us all!
For more information, please call Debbie Davies.
We honor members, friends, visitors
Our thoughts and good wishes continue to be with: Ellen & Don Lilley’s daughter-in-law Laura fell off her bike, last month, and broke her ankle. Mamta & Chris Saxman shared that Mamta’s younger brother; Milan Shah drowned Sunday, September 1st. He was only 37 years old and leaves behind a 5 and 2 year old. They would like your prayers and thoughts for his family. Mary Gray – long-time UUCB member is in Hospice care, at home, sleeping most of the time. As we were out of town I do not know how many of YOU were effected by the floods, but we wish you a speedy return to life as you knew it before. More about those affected by the floods next month.
Congratulations, Good Luck, Blessings, and Thanks to: Ellen & Don Lilley’s Granddaughter Ashley got married last month. Amy Self got a great job teaching elementary music in Adams 12 school district!! Marjory Walker and Howard Lambert celebrated 50 years of marriage on August 31st. To all that came and helped dry up our Sanctuary we are grateful. Your quick response was wonderful, and there was little evidence that anything had occurred by the time regular Services were held on Sunday Sept. 15th.
Kay Stevens who has been our Hospitality Minstry Coordinator for over a year we say YOU are a Star! Thanks really does not cover what she has done to keep UUCB humming!! She has passed the reins over to me, Barb, but she will continue to recruit and train people to do sound/video on Sundays and for special events. There is a sign-up sheet on the office counter every Sunday for ushers, coffee set-up & clean-up, and greeters, please make it easy for all of us, by adding your name to this list of important jobs. To all who have said Yes to me already (since I have been out of town twice in less than a month) I am grateful and I say THANK YOU.
Random Thoughts: It is always a joy when Irene Faivre returns to visit from Illinois. On her recent visit she was filled with the excitement that she felt during the service and especially in the coffee hour. Six of us, including Moi, had the pleasure of serving on the Search Committee for a year, meeting weekly, with her before recommending Rev. Howell Lind to the Board of Trustees as our choice to move us forward. She is now in a church that has grown stagnate under the leadership of a Minister who has been there for 22 years, and a congregation that is willing to settle for what is safe and comfortable. She dreams of a Consulting Minister. What we continue and have accomplished here at UUCB is beyond remarkable, and we have become a UUA “poster child”! Change is hard, but easier when done together! We are not yet done asking ourselves; What’s next?
With Love & Care,
Barb
UUCB members Mary Jean Ewing, Deb Hoff, Susan Secord and Julie Zahniser at the Department of State hearings in Grand Island NE on the Keystone XL Pipeline.
“Active Hope involves identifying the outcomes we hope for and then playing an active role in bringing them about. We don’t wait until we are sure of success. ….Instead we focus on what we truly, deeply long for, and then we proceed to take determined steps in that direction.”
From Active Love by Joanna Macy
When the UUCB Climate Change Ministry formed last fall, we knew we were taking on a truly overwhelming issue. But, — in the spirit of active hope—we set our vision on a world where the climate change problem is solved, and we began to engage in several arenas which we feel will help to bring this about. On this, our first anniversary, we want to recap a few of the highlights of our year.
Keystone XL Pipeline: TransCanada Corporation wants to build a pipeline from the Alberta Tar Sands to our Gulf Coast. If built, the pipeline will further the development of the Alberta Tar Sands and will carry highly carbon intensive oil to the world. In February several members of our group traveled to Washington, D.C. to join with 40,000 activists from around the country who, for the sake of our climate, believe tar sands need to stay in the ground. Two months later, several of us traveled on a bus of 58 Coloradans to Grand Island, Nebraska where the Department of State held its only public hearing on its draft Environmental Impact Statement on the Keystone XL Pipeline. Everyone on the bus stood against the pipeline, as did more than 75% of the speakers that day…. The State Department still has not made its final decision on the pipeline and recently President Obama made the statement that it should only be built if it doesn’t significantly impact climate change. We expect a decision within the new few months and will continue to speak out against the pipeline.
Citizens Climate Lobby: In April we joined in starting the Boulder chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby, an organization whose mission is to stabilize our climate and to empower individuals to have breakthroughs in exercising their personal and political power. As members of CCL, we are working to pass a national revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend program that will incentivize renewable energy technologies and lead to stabilizing our climate. This work has taken us into the halls of Congress to lobby our elected officials, to local meetings with congressional staff members, to an editorial meeting with the Daily Camera, and hours of letter-writing to local newspapers. With little action in Congress regarding climate change and, indeed many climate change deniers, this is clearly an uphill battle. But we are really energized to be part of an organization with over 120 chapters in the U.S. and Canada, strong national leadership, and proven methods of engagement that are truly congruent with our UU principles.
Boulder Municipalization: This issue is near and dear to those of us who are Boulder citizens. We now have the opportunity to go forward with a municipal utility that will have the flexibility to purchase low and no-carbon energy to generate electricity for our Boulder citizens, thus significantly reducing our city’s carbon footprint. Many of us have worked to make this happen – including writing letters to the editor, testifying at city council meetings, and canvassing neighborhoods. In September we hope you will join us for an evening forum on the ballot initiatives that will affect the future of forming a municipal utility in Boulder.
Fracking: Hydraulic fracturing is also an issue that is of deep concern to many members of our group. Over the past year, several of us worked to help pass the Longmont ban on fracking, the Boulder County 18-month moratorium on fracking, and the city of Boulder’s one-year moratorium on fracking.. Some of us are currently working on the ballot initiative to ban fracking within Lafayette city limits and the Boulder ballot initiative to establish a 5-year moratorium on fracking.
As we move into year two of our Climate Change Ministry, we will continue to work in all of these arenas. We will also offer ways for all church members to learn more about climate change and opportunities to engage personally as well as politically.
Please join us! Our UUCB Climate Change Ministry meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. in the Sky Room. Boulder Citizens Climate Lobby meets on the first Wednesday following the first Saturday of each month, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. in the Sky Room. For further information, contact Susan Riederer
Keep Up To Date!
UUCB has a new membership database. In October you will receive an email invitation to log on to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder Member Portal. Once you set up your account you will be able to access:
· – Personal and Family data – update phone, email, address, etc.; upload your current family or personal photo.
· – View your giving history.
· – Contact the church office via an email.
TEA HOUSE OCT. 20 Dianne Ewing invites everyone to her new condo in Longmont for tea and conversation on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 20, from 3 to 5 pm. Car pooling is a good idea. There is not much really close parking, but plenty within a block. There is also a bus stop right at her home. No need to sign up, but do bring finger food to share. Pick up directions at UUCB that morning or contact Dianne. Signage in the area is confusing, but once you know where the condo is, it is easy.
CIRCLE SUPPER OCT. 5 We’ll have a true pot luck–bring whatever you like on Saturday, October 5. The location is not yet settled, but we will hold the event! It will be a chance to tell our battle-with-the flood stories and reconnect with each other. Call Dianne Ewing for location by Thursday, Oct. 3.
The PRISM house had water in both the basement and attic during the recent flood. We’ll will need to help them in some way. They are assessing the damage to the roof and basement. Right now, we are providing dinner for the student group on Tuesday, October 1. And there are five Tuesdays in October; we may need to help with a second meal in October. Check with Dianne Ewing if you would like to provide part of the meal on October 1 or later in the month.
Photos by Reed Bailey
