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Monthly Archives: May 2023

December 2013 Worship Schedule

Sophie and Baby12/01         “From Lamentation to Affirmation”                 

                  Rev. Howell K. Lind, Developmental Minister

                  Beckett Coppola, Worship Leader

 12/08         “The Hallmark of Our Species”

                   Rev. Howell K. Lind, Developmental Minister

                  Tom Denkenberger, Worship Leader

 12/15         “The Winds of Change”                                                              

Rev. Eric Banner, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greeley

                  Sue Masterson, Worship Leader

 12/22         “Recounting the Murmurs and Fragments of Christmas”

                  Rev. Howell K. Lind, Developmental Minister

Ted Burnham, Worship Leader

12/24         4:30 pm Family Christmas Eve Service

Janen Wright, Lifespan Faith Development Director

7:00 pm All Church Christmas Eve Service

Rev. Howell K. Lind, Developmental Minister

Amy Rowland, Ministerial Resident

12/29         “When 1 + 1 = 4″

Diana Hultgren, Iliff Ministerial Student

                  Fred Cole, Worship Leader

Letter from New Music Director Deborah Berioli

Deborah Berioli UUCB PicDear Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder,

This January brings a New Year with all sorts of exciting changes and prospects for us all as I begin my position as your music director!  I am filled with excitement and anticipation to meet you all and I look forward to learning about your congregation and leading you in a musical journey that strives to serve your needs as a community.

I bring decades of experience in church music ministry to you, ten of those years coming from the UU tradition where I have learned to integrate many musical styles from local culture to world cultures.  I look forward to sharing my expertise with you and also to learning from you and incorporating your individual talents into a comprehensive music program.

The first invitation would be to come to choir rehearsal on Thursday January 2nd from 7 to 9 pm!  If you’re not a vocalist, I ask that you please not be shy about coming forth with your musical talents – if you play the guitar, flute, oboe, violin, djembe – even the triangle- I want to know! (or the kazoo….well, ya never know!)   There’s always a part for just about any instrument from general service music to hymns and from choir anthems to major works – and if there isn’t, we’ll make one up!  Music holds a great promise to bring us together in community – all are welcome, all levels, all ages, all times.

My husband Roger and I will be starting our journey from Florida on Christmas Day.  The drive should take three days, possibly four.  We will only have a few days together to get me settled in my short-term accommodations while he flies back to Florida to get our house sold!  Beginning January 2nd I will be all yours!

Please feel free to email me in advance and tell me a little about yourselves and how you’d like to participate in your music program, including what you’d like to see reflected in it.  We can build a vibrant musical culture together at UUCB and I can hardly wait to get started!

Most sincerely,

Deborah Berioli

mail@deborahberioli.com

 

 

December Share-Our-Plate Recipient: Boulder Shelter for the Homeless

Share Our PlateUUCB’s December Share-Our-Plate is the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless. Their mission is to provide safe shelter, food, support services, and an avenue to self-sufficiency for homeless adults in our community, based on a belief that all people deserve the basic necessities of life, and the community in which we live is called to serve this purpose.

The shelter’s precursor organization was founded by volunteers during the winter of 1982, in response to the death of a local homeless veteran who died of exposure in downtown Boulder. In 1987, the Shelter became a 501c(3) nonprofit corporation and has expanded and moved over the years, to its current location in north Boulder. This location also serves as home base for Boulder County Cares, and case management for the Boulder County Housing First program.

The Boulder Shelter for the Homeless is not run by the City or County of Boulder but is a private nonprofit corporation. The Shelter has always been for and of the local community, and still relies on the support of women and men who refuse to stand idly by while others suffer through bitterly cold nights for lack of housing.

Each year, 1,000 different men and women turn to the Shelter for help and each has a unique story. Some have been on the streets for years while others find themselves with no where else to turn for the first time in their lives. Some are battling addictions or mental health issues while some have just had a string of setbacks. Some never made it through high school and some have advanced degrees. Three quarters of Shelter residents are men and 20 to 25% have served in the military. About 40% of the Shelter population is working and another 20% are actively seeking employment.

The Shelter’s programs include:

  • Boulder County Cares (BCC) street outreach program equips those living on the streets in winter with basic life-sustaining supplies, transportation, and referrals to appropriate services and agencies.
  • The Winter Sheltering program furnishes hot meals and a warm, safe place to spend the night for those who have no other options during the months of October through April. Additionally, the Shelter is open each morning year-round to provide a hot breakfast, access to showers, and other limited services to those not staying overnight at the Shelter.
  • The Transition Program is a year-round service offered to homeless men and women who are committed to regaining independent housing and who live drug- and alcohol-free, have sustainable income, and a clear budget and savings plan. The goal for the program is to serve homeless individuals in transition to permanent housing via case management and contract arrangements with the objective of clients developing individual life plans to identify and address issues that have led them to homelessness and to break the cycle of poverty.
  • Off-site longer-term housing for individuals and families is provided through Transitional Housing.
  • The Housing First program is a collaborative regional initiative emphasizing placement of Boulder County’s most chronically homeless individuals into permanent housing, supported by concentrated case management.

Path to Membership Class Date Set For January

path3Interested in learning more about Unitarian Universalism or about the process of becoming a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder?

There will be a two session Path to Membership class, from 12:00 pm until 1:30 pm, on Sunday, January 19th and Sunday, January 26th. 

For those who, after participating in this Path to Membership class and wish to formally join our religious community, there will be a Welcoming of New Members at the 10:30 am Worship Service on February 2nd.

Attending this class does not commit one to joining the church, but it is an opportunity for those who want to know about UUCB and Unitarian Universalism to then make the decision of whether or not to formally affiliate with UUCB.  A sign up sheet for those interested in attending will be at the church office in the weeks preceding the first class on January 19th.  If childcare is needed so that you might attend these Path to Membership sessions, please let the church office know so that child care can be provided.  

The Path to Membership sessions are a great way to learn more about Unitarian Universalism and to better understand what our church in Boulder is working to accomplish in the lives of our members and in the larger community.  

 

Faith Formation Focus by Janen Wright

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA‘Tis the Season…… To Take Back the Holiday

December’s real gifts, custom and celebration, come to us in cherished memories.  December is the month of miracles.  A time to reflect on the miracle of birth, the miracle of Light coming back after the longest, darkest night of the year, the miracle of our own existence and close relationships.  Charles Dickens was one Unitarian who brought back Christmas when it was going out of style in his writing of,  A Christmas Carol. In it he says why he thought the season was to be valued in these words, “Christmas is a good time, a kind forgiving, charitable, pleasant time, the only time I know of in the long calendar year when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut up hearts and to think of other people below them as if they were really fellow passengers to the grave and not another race of creatures bound on their journeys.”

Christmas would not be Christmas without the giving of gifts and I happen to know the best gift out there that you can give your loved ones and yourself this Christmas season.  Ready to hear this?  It is the gift of yourself –fully present in the moment for those you love.  But, you say, December is, hands down, the busiest time of the year!  So allow the miraculous to happen—although, as with all miracles, it is going to take some higher thinking.  To be able to give and receive this gift entails making a conscious effort to cut back and simplify.

I come from a religious culture whose women, especially, were obsessed with creating a Norman Rockwell Christmas, even if it meant wrapping gifts until three o’clock in the morning on Christmas Eve and spending most of December with a splitting head ache (while being witchy to everybody around them.)  They were Santa, they decorated every inch of their homes inside and out, they drained their bank accounts while fighting the crowds to find the “perfect gift” for every friend and relative, they hosted and attended myriads of Christmas parties, pageants and recitals, made elaborate homemade goodie plates for all the neighbors and sent out Christmas cards to everyone they had ever known in this lifetime,—  and all this on top of work,  doctor’s appointments, and other obligations that regular life demands.  These women utterly threw themselves on the altar of sacrifice, taking our materialistic culture to a whole new plane so that their families might enjoy a “perfect Christmas”– that somehow always fell short of expectation. (I know because I talked to many of them after the fall out of battle.)

This is not the kind of giving of self that I am advocating here.  With such examples in my life I came to dread the approaching season when I became a mother and so did my husband.  Then the miracle happened.  We decided if we were going to do Christmas we were going to do Christmas our own way.  Together we took a conscious step back from this crazy three-ring circus and talked about what kind of holiday season we would actually look forward to and want our kids to remember in years to come.  That was an easy question for me to answer.   The kind of Christmas season I wanted then, and still want now, is one that replenishes the soul.  A season that focuses on the important things– like family, love, and generosity of spirit.  So together my husband and I mapped out a plan. (Yours might look a lot different according to what you want to keep and discard but here was our strategy.)

First, we decided we would choose only one or two favorite parties to host or attend during the month so we could spend more time at home with each other and the kids.  Second, we determined to be done with any obligatory Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. If I found myself in a store with Christmas shopping crowds it would be because I wanted to be there alongside my children in order to help them buy a gift for someone or purchase something for somebody from the angel tree.  We dropped out of all gift exchange circles with our extended families because they stressed us out and choose to buy only for our own kids and parents this time of year.

When the kids were young we had them write their request letters to old St. Nick in November. Then, before Thanksgiving, my husband and I took one day (and one day only) to go Christmas shopping.   We kept lists to keep things as fair as possible, found what we found, didn’t find what we didn’t find, and treated ourselves to a nice lunch in the middle of the day.  After that one shopping day the spending money side of Christmas was over and the kids knew it.  I wrapped the toys when the kids were in bed that evening, put them in a garbage bag, hid it in the garage and that was that.  Half the time we couldn’t even remember what was in those wrapped presents by the time we set them out on Christmas Eve- it certainly wasn’t the focus– but I honestly don’t remember anybody being disappointed.

By sticking to our resolve, as soon as we cleaned up the Thanksgiving dishes, we were free to enjoy the true gifts of the Christmas season.  There was time to bundle up and take chilly walks or drives to admire the neighbor’s Christmas lights. There was time to decorate lavishly (which I love) and have friends over to the house for dinner, (which I also love.)  There was time to warm up by the fire in the evenings and try different hot drinks of our creation.  There was time to read Christmas stories by our lit up tree, to bring out the puzzles and board games, to do some holiday baking for neighbors or just get in our pajamas and watch a movie together.  We came to call the time starting after dinner “tree time” and it is this that we all miss most when Christmas is over because it truly has a magic all its own.

Helen Keller said, “More important than getting what we want, is enjoying what we have.”  It’s more fun as well.  I encourage everybody to write a hefty “Not To Do List” this year, make sure you aren’t trying to “buy” Christmas, and take back the miracle of the season for the sake or your family, your friends and your own spirit.  Here is to a very merry Christmas indeed.

Janen Wright– Lifespan Faith Development Director

Membership Matters–December 2013

barbWe honor members, friends, visitors

Our thoughts and good wishes continue to be with:  Family and friends of those who have died since our last newsletter:  Ruth Barnard(M), Marjorie Baer(Fr), Jean Haywood(Fr), Carol Seideman(FM), Clara Niemoller(M), Dianne Ewing’s mother at 98 in Maine, and Rev. Brenda J. Stiers a United Church of Christ Minister.  Fred Cole (& 1st wife, Wendy) has known Brenda and husband Tom (also a C of C Minister) for over 51 years.  Rev. Nancy Bowen had Brenda as her Boss & Mentor in the 1980’s-90’s.  Thus, Howell became included in the six degrees of separation because of Nancy.  I joined the group about four years ago, when the Stiers retired to Boulder, and the friendship resumed, right where it had left off.  On October 20th the Fitt-Peaster family lovingly remembered their daughter, and sister, Rachel Fitt who died October 20, 1994.  Sharon Larocque on the death of her Step-Granddaughter. November 20th, marked the third year since the Cole/Richards family lost our youngest daughter Spring.

Key: M = Member of UUCB;  FM = Former Member; Fr = Friend of UUCB

Congratulations, Good Luck, Blessings, and Thanks to:  Phil Wittmeyer and the B&G Committee for our new water fountain which is open for business for both kids and adults in the Sky Room — next to the Listening Room. Virginia Wight is filled with joy in the graduation of her grandson from the Escoffier School of Culinary Art. November 5th Beckett Coppola passed her interviews with the Regional Sub-Committee on Candidacy and is an official “candidate” for the UU Ministry!  With much joy, Marlin Kropp and his Lego robotics team made state finals last month!  An abundant  amount of gratitude to Mary Jean Ewing who as the Volunteer Coordinator for UUSC (Unitarian Universalist Service Committee) has done an incredible job, and “retires” as she and husband, Peter, begin taking on his role as District Governor with Rotary.  The Lynn Pendleton/Bill Schuler family had birthday joy for sons Ollie on 11/15 and Noah on Sunday, 11/17!!  Victor Barnard has moved to Florida to live with his son Robert, and his wife Beverly.  Their address is: 517 Woodchase Drive, St. Augustine, FL  32086.  I’m sure he would love to hear news from Colorado.  On November 17th Kelly Dignan, our beloved former Ministerial Intern, became Reverend Dignan at her Service of Ordination. She was  surrounded with love and joy!  Check out the snazzy new coffee cart that Judith King found at Ikea for UUCB coffee makers.  Mary Dineen and Sue Masterson, who were married on November 29, 2013 in San Francisco by Rev. Kurt Kuhwald.  Sixteen years ago Kurt presided over their Celebration of Union, when he was our minister. They have been together for 23 years. Kurt said he still had the “words” from that ceremony in his computer.  He also dedicated Elliot Dineen when he was a baby.  The ceremony was performed on the steps of City Hall with only the five of them — Mary, Sue, Elliot, Evan, and Kurt.

Random Thoughts:  If you missed Howell’s recent sermon on “Do No Harm” it has had a lasting effect on me, and David Mendosa.  Why do I know about David?  He has included the statement in the closing of his emails.  For me it was like Wow, our world could be so much better, and different if others lived this way.  The possibilities are endless in how we could all get along, and work together.  The concept is so simple and easy to do on a daily basis.  Religion, politics, and YES, even Congress would be a place where things actually get done with such a simple purpose.

With that statement in mind — I mean no harm, but I have been told by several of us that they are wanting our Sunday morning services to go back to being more spiritual and yes, even religious.  They and I, would prefer that we NOT applaud for everyone during the service. It is usually appropriate for our guests, but most of our musical performances are designed to create a mood, rather than being an entertainment.  In the past, we clapped for everything but in recent years, that has changed.  We have come so far — so please help us return to that place again. When the Central Cluster meeting was here, I noticed that the Youth now just rub their hands together, without a sound, to show their gratitude, or give a silent wave.

Since becoming your UUCB Hospitality Ministry Coordinator your positive responses to my requests for Greeting, Ushering, and Coffee has been so heart warming.  Coffee which requires four people (two to set up, make coffee & bring goodies and two to clean up afterwards) is harder to recruit for — so please check out the sign-up sheet on the office counter every Sunday.  Our Young Adults do this on the first Sunday of each month, and I appreciate them so much! Please tell them you do too.  Don & Ellen Lilley are ushers on the first Sunday of the month, and Bob & Julie Ford are ushers on the last Sunday.  Their commitments make me smile and say THANK YOU!

 

UUCB Auction Coming in February

Save the dates! February 9 and 23 UUCB will host its annual silent auction: Let’s Take Flight.  Think about what you’d like to donate or buy. We are planning to do the auction on-line this year, which should make donating and bidding a breeze! More details to follow!balloons

Guest at Your Table

Guest at Your Table is an important annual UU tradition.  This year we won’t see the boxes at church because Guest at Your Table is thinking outside the box– both figuratively and literally.  They have launched an on-line website in order to  utilize more earth-friendly and cost effective tools.  Look up uusc.org/guest for a full explanation and resource materials.

GAYTThis program is such a good way for us all to contribute what we are able to help support world– focused service.  It is a wonderful way to put our faith into daily practice and help our kids and youth reap the blessings of supporting worthy causes that are far away from home. Read the Stories of Hope on this website and learn about the people whose lives have been changed by Guest at Your Table. UUSC is partnering with global grass-roots organizations that are really making a difference. It is an exciting thing to be a part of. 

“Talk About” a Sunday Worship Service

Post-service “Talk About” discussions are continuing once a month.  Please join Diana King and others for camaraderie and discussion on the Sunday, December 8, January 5. February 9, and March 2 from 11:30 to 12:00 pm.  Talk Abouts will take place at the back of the Earth Room (near the hearth).

Host Needed for Christmas Day Brunch or Dinner

On Christmas day, traditionally, we’ve had either a brunch or dinner in a UU home and at least once in the past decade one at UUCB. Often our hosts were Hayden and Jonathan Williamson, but they’ve moved to Maine, and that’s not very convenient for us this year. Are any of you willing to host a UU gathering on Christmas Day? This would be for all ages (parents would monitor their kids). We love going to homes, but UUCB is available if your space is small or you’d just rather host at UUCB. You choose the time of day and type of food. Guests will bring food to share, but you can coordinate it so that everyone does not bring pumpkin pie. Contact Dianne Ewing if you can host. It’s great fun!

Committee on Ministry–Proposed Name Change

Committee on Ministry – Proposed Name Change

Ministry at UUCB can be broadly defined as anything that a person or group of people does in service of the mission of the church.  Our shared ministries to one another and to our wider communities go far beyond the reach of any one person or any official designations.  Historically, the Committee on Ministry (CoM) has had the work of the professional ministers as its central focus.  Over time our mission has shifted to encompass a wider and deeper vision of ministry that can be seen each day in the work of our church members. As such, we are proposing that the CoM change the name of the Committee on Ministry to the Committee on Shared Ministries (CoSM).  This committee sees itself a broad support structure designed to be in contact with all of the ministries serving the church in order that each ministry may meet its highest goals and thus be of the greatest service to our mission and the congregation at large.  It is our hope that this name change would reflect our deepest intentions for this committee to be of greatest service to each of you and our church community.  Our members include: Alan Davis, Virginia Jenkins, Sharon Larocque, David Mendosa, and Gen Morley. If you have questions or would like to learn more about CoSM, please contact our chair, Gen Morley.

World Aids Day is December 1

Gay PrideWorld AIDS Day on December 1st brings together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic. This World AIDS Day, congregations of the Boulder County AIDS Project’s Interfaith AIDS Coalition will be holding a moment of silence to remember the 35 million people who have died of AIDS since the onset of the epidemic 31 years ago, and the 34 million people who battle with HIV every day.

In addition, the Boulder County AIDS Project in partnership with the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus will present a holiday concert commemorating World AIDS Day on Wednesday, December 4, at First United Methodist Church, 1421 Spruce Street at 7:30 pm.  Tickets are $30 at the door or may be purchased at www.rmarts.org. This is a fundraiser for the Boulder County AiDS Project.

·      Approximately 34 million people are living with HIV in the world.

·      Approximately 1.1 million people are living with HIV in the United States.

·      Approximately 14,000 people are living with HIV in Colorado.

·      And approximately 600 people are living with HIV in our community.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (2013), of the more than 14,000 Coloradoans who are living with HIV and/or AIDS, only 49% are linked to care, only 42% are retained in care and just 32% are virally suppressed because they have access to medications. Maintaining and increasing these numbers depends on the community’s ability to provide seamless systems of care that identify needs easily, confidentially and without stigma. The Boulder County AIDS Project assists clients in navigating all of these systems to help maintain viral suppression and reduce the transmission of HIV.  

This World AIDS Day we join with people from around the world to remember the 35 million individuals who have died of AIDS since the onset of the epidemic 31 years ago, and the 34 million people who battle with HIV every day, many of whom live right here in our community.

Carol Singing and Tea

Helene and Jon Bond invite us all for a holiday tea house on Sunday, Dec. 22, from 4 to 6 p.m. Bring your favorite finger food to share and your singing voice. Singers will gather around the piano when they feel like it and all will enjoy the happy spirit of the season. This is actually the fourth Sunday in December, not our usual third Sunday tea house.

January Circle Supper

We’ll welcome the New Year with a a pot luck dinner featuring our favorite holiday leftovers on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 6 p.m. at the Longmont home of Dianne Ewing. There’ll be room for plenty of people, but car pooling will be a good idea. Close-by parking is limited. Within a short walk, there is plenty of parking. Drive up to Dianne’s door and drop off your food and passengers and then park. Sign up at UUCB the last two Sundays in December, or contact her to reserve your spot byThursday, Jan. 2.

Pointsettias at Church

On Sunday, Dec. 8, UUCB will be decorated with poinsettias everywhere! If you ordered one, please Poinsettiabe sure it is paid for by Dec. 1. We have to pay the greenhouse when we pick up the plants on Dec. 3. You may pick up your plants any Sunday in December or with prior arrangement, any time from the afternoon of Dec. 3 on. (Contact Dianne Ewing, if you want to pick up any time other than a Sunday.) Be sure that you let the person at the poinsettia table with the list of purchasers know when you get your plant. We will have sleeves to protect them before you take the plants outside. We will water the plants and speak to them lovingly until you take yours home. UUCBers will enjoy them at the church as long as leave them with us. If you have questions, look for the poinsettia table with the red tablecloth during coffee hour each Sunday.

Donate a Wreath or Christmas Tree

In December, UUCB is decorated with wreaths and a real evergreen tree, donated by generous UUCBers in the past. Is it your turn to donate a wreath or a tree? Contact Dianne Ewing, if you can donate a wreath or tree. We’d like to have wreaths up by Dec. 8, and the tree by Dec. 15.

PRISM Student Ministry

PRISM     Exams are almost here! And the winter break for our PRISM students comes soon! We’ll fill goody bags for students on Sunday Dec. 1. Bring nonperishable snack items, such as granola bars, soup mixes, nuts, or school supplies, such as hi-lighters, sticky notes, and pens. We’ll add some fresh apples and home-made cookies. Our RE kids are decorating the bags for the goodies! PRISM

We do not feed the PRISM students in Dec., but when they are back in Jan. we’ll be providing dinner again. Plan to provide a dish for the PRISM students in 2014, usually on the first Tues. of the month, except in Jan. (later then) or during breaks.

 

Kierstin Homblette’s Ordination

Kristin HombletteThe Unitarian Universalist Congregations of the Denver/Boulder Cluster invite you to celebrate the Ordination of Kierstin Elizabeth Homblette to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry.

Saturday, January 18, 2014 at 10:00 AM at Jefferson Unitarian Church

1430 W. 32nd Avenue, Golden CO

 

New Water Fountain at UUCB

FountainWe now have a WATER FOUNTAIN, open for business for both kids and adults in the Sky Room, just next to the Listening Room.  Thanks to the generous donors to the UUCB Endowment for funding and Phil Whittmeyer & the B&G Committee for installation! 

UUCB Garden Group

The harvest is past and the planting is months away. Our UUCB Garden Committee’s enthusiasm for working the soil is temporarily resting during these shorter, colder days.

This summer’s garden was worked by more than a dirty dozen, who tilled, planted, watered, weeded, mulched, composted, harvested and sold produce on Sundays. We felt successful and proud as we celebrated at oDSC02874 DSC03142ur Harvest Dinner in October.

Our next gathering will happen after church on January 26th. If you are curious about the prospect of gardening with us in 2014, please drop in on this meeting. This coming year we are committed to educating more of UUCB’s prospective planters and pickers on the joys and sorrows of gardening in Boulder.

Sharon Belew and Mary Jean Ewing and Ed Self

 

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