Wednesdays, Nov 4, 18, and Dec 2, 7-9 p.m.

It is time for UUCB to renew its commitment to being a place of radical welcome and affirmation for people across the spectrum of gender identity and sexual orientation! Join us for a workshop series about LGBTQIA — from what the letters mean, to understanding the experience of trans and queer people, to thinking about how we can each take responsibility for extending radical hospitality to everyone in our church community. Sessions ongoing on Wednesdays: Nov 4 & 18, and Dec 2. Come to one, some or all! Child care provided on request. To RSVP or learn more, contact Dianne Ewing at 303-776-0227.

Confused about what “LGBTQIA” means? Hoping to create a more open and welcoming community? Join us for “Living the Welcoming Congregation: Resources for Continuing the Welcoming Congregation Journey”. UUCB is a Welcoming Congregation and we need to continue deepening this meaningful work. These six sessions will help us become more informed allies, learn about ourselves and our identities, and send us down a path of creating a more welcoming community here at UUCB. Please try to attend all sessions as these build upon one another. At UUCB, Weds, 7-9 pm. Sep 30, Oct 7 (about children & youth), Oct 21, Nov 4, Nov 18, & Dec 2.

 On Tuesday evening, June 23, the Boulder chapter of Standing up for Racial Justice along with UUCB and other groups held an interfaith vigil at UUCB. Suzy Belmont was the moderator for the vigil. The Earth Room was filled to more than capacity that evening with people from many different faith communities. On the first page of the Local section, the Boulder Camera printed a very large color photo of people holding lit candles during the program. The large headline quoted the Reverend Alicia Forde, a member of the UUA staff, who was present. She said, there are “no safe places left to be black.” The event was covered by Denver’s ABC news (Channel 7) and Denver’s Fox News. Racial justice will continue to be an issue concerning us as UUs. This summer’s events have reminded us with white privilege that racism is still a real problem in the United States.

It’s not too late to sign up for the workshop/class that introduce the Welcoming Congregation and present some materials from the Bisexuality and Transgender curriculums designed by Interweave, the UU GLBT organization. The class will be held at UUCB on Tuesday, May 12. The program begins at 7 p.m., but most of the group will come at 6:30 bringing their own brown-bag dinner to visit with class members before the program begins. Eddy Carroll, a member of the First Unitarian Society of Denver, will facilitate the workshop/class. He led the “Beyond Categorical Thinking Workshop” at UUCB this winter and is very experienced training leaders for and teaching the Welcoming Congregation classes as well as the new curriculum, “Living the Welcoming Congregation.” We will offer the new curriculum in the fall at UUCB. At the May class we will decide if we want more classes before we begin the fall classes.

More than 10 years ago the UUA realized that we UUs needed to be more proactive in welcoming lesbians, gays, and bisexuals to our congregations. At that time, the organization had not thought about gender identity concerns, so the T and Q (and I and A) were not part of initial plans for the “Welcoming Congregation” program. The Welcoming Congregation program was designed then to educate our congregations and to generate action for inclusivity. A curriculum was designed and congregations were asked to review all areas of their organizations—by-laws, religious education, human resources materials, social justice, music, and so on embracing all committees and councils. There was a check list of activities required to receive official recognition as a Welcoming Congregation by the UUA. UUCB was one of the first congregations in the Front Range of Colorado to complete the requirements for official accreditation.

Churches and fellowships were encouraged to continue work in this area with worship services and other activities continuing the work of the Welcoming Congregation. We have had one or more worship service dealing with welcoming GLBTAIQ people to our congregation, but we have not offered a class since that initial time period. We offered a class three times that year with a series of weeknight classes, one time as several all-day Saturday classes, and a shortened class at the All-Church Retreat. We did lots of other things such as reviewing all RE materials to be sure that the people our children and youth studied and learned about were not just straight white men.

We’ve had a group, small at times, through the years that was concerned with the Welcoming Congregation and with working with other community organizations such as Parents and Friends of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgendered and Queer (PFLAG) and the Boulder County AIDS Project (BCAP). The name of our UUCB group has had several changes over time—sometimes GLBT and Allies and other arrangements of letters. The letters are always a mouthful and new letters have been added over time. Now we’ve decided it is just easier to call ourselves the Welcoming Congregation group. We’ll be providing you with some definitions in future newsletters and news of what we are doing.

Join us for a meeting on Sunday, March 1, at about 11:45. We’ll bring snacks to share and talk about a possible workshop for the August UUCB retreat, as well as other items. Watch for the new rainbow flag which will soon hang beside UUCB’s front doors.

Dianne Ewing for the Welcoming Congregation group.

In August, the Boulder County AIDS Project sent us a lovely note thanking us for the food and the household and personal supplies that we sent them in July. We had a carload of items to deliver to them. Thank you so much for your donations! Judy Hunter and Dianne Ewing are our UUCB reps on the Interfaith AIDS Coalition which sponsors food and supplies drives. Each member congregation has one or two drives during the year, which helps keep the BCAP Pantry shelves well stocked for needy clients. BCAP provides counseling, referrals, educational program, and community outreach. The majority of the 200 local BCAP clients are low income. Free items from the pantry is much appreciated to help them stretch their budgets. Clients include men, women, and children of all ages.

Many detainees at the GEO Immigrant Detention Center in Aurora never receive a single visitor during the time they are detained (days, weeks, months, years.) If you are interested in forming deeper relationships with those in our community experiencing detention or looking for a way to do justice work that is deeply grounded in personal relationships, JOIN US..

This training will prepare you to engage in regular visits with detainees, grounded in spiritual practices and aimed to help us all to be better companions to those experiencing oppression. By the end of the training, you will be ready to sign up for your first visit, either alone or with someone who has been on one before!**

The training is offered in conjunction with Casa De Paz Colorado, which offers free lodging and meals to guests visiting their loved ones held inside the immigrant detention center in Colorado and organizes the visitation program.

This training is offered quarterly. You must attend a training in order to engage in visitation at the detention center. Join us now to begin visiting ASAP and to be a part of this important effort towards creating the beloved community!

Saturday, May 3rd, 2014

9am-12pm

Casa de Paz

12170 East 30th Avenue #206 (in Abrigo Apartments) Aurora, CO 80011

https://www.facebook.com/events/1422545861328104/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

RSVP to kierstin@mdduua.org by May 1st.

Our  BorderLinks trip, April 24-27, 2014, will be a learning/reflecting journey for UUCB members and friends (age 18 and over) to engage in the issues of human rights and immigration at the Arizona/Sonara, Mexico border. There will be time for worship, theological reflection and fellowship while we travel the borderlands of Arizona. Amy Rowland, our assistant minister will join our group and lead worship, reflection and provide chaplaincy.

During this trip, we will learn directly about the situations that push people to immigrate to the U.S, and the extreme difficulties and dangers of that journey. We will visit with activists, academics and community members that work to meet the needs of their communities and advocate for just policies.

In Mexico, we will visit the border city of Nogales, Sonora. There we will meet with community organizations, such as Home of Peace and Hope (HEPAC), that are engaged in meal programs, education and economic development; and groups that provide basic assistance to migrants who are traveling to the U.S. or have recently been deported. We will also meet with workers from the “maquiladoras” (assembly plants) and their families. We will have the opportunity to eat meals in the home of families living in Nogales.

In the U.S., activities may include visits with humanitarian organizations, day labor centers, ranchers, academics, U.S. governmental agencies such as the Border Patrol or Immigration & Customs Enforcement, detention centers, and federal public defenders. In addition on Sunday we will join with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson  (UUCT) in celebrating the 10^th Anniversary of No More Deaths. UUCT adopted No More Deaths as a ministry of their church in the summer of 2008. No More Deaths provides humanitarian aid to end the death and suffering of migrants crossing the US/Mexico border in southern Arizona.

Prior to the trip we will provide educational and spiritual reflection for 3-4 sessions in a small group ministry for personal transformation and to prepare for our journey.  Once the trip has been concluded we will continue our small group ministry for integration of our experiences and to plan a Sunday Worship Service to share our experiences with our entire congregation.

The details;

When: UUCB members and friends will go on a BorderLinks trip April 24-27.

Where: The trip will begin in Tucson, AZ and include Nogales, Mexico

Cost: We estimate the cost to be approximately $600 person including airfare from Denver to Tucson (The sooner you book your airfare the easier it is to get a low price. Southwest and United fly direct Denver to Tucson). Financial aid is available.

Details: To participate in our trip you must have Medical Insurance and a passport.

For more information contact: Amy Rowland: amy.rowland@comcast.net, 303-815-5181 or Mary Dineen

The UUCB Young Adult Social Change Ministry invites YOU
 to the 
All-Church Social Change Event: TransGender Identities
. Sunday, January 19, 2014, from 12:30-2:30pm
. Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, 5001 Pennsylvania Ave, Boulder, CO 80303

– Enjoy lunch and fellowship with others committed to social change.

– Review Transgender basics with Jean Hodges, national VP of PFLAG.

– View a screening of “Faces and Facets of TransGender Experience,” produced by PFLAG Boulder.
- Learn from a panel of LGBTQIA folks and get your questions answered!

To confirm that we’ll have enough food for you, please quickly register here by Jan 15th! (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1r3DVMlBYEcrbjAMjuC3kyGf9C2aazI4AgPVRqafgS1M/viewform)

For more information, contact Justin Butterworth (justin.butterworth87@gmail.com)
or view our Facebook event (https://www.facebook.com/events/515421248555990/).

World AIDS Day on December 1^st 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.

A Vigil — an occasion for devotional watching, an observance

Did you know… Close to here, thousands of hard working immigrant mothers, fathers, students and community members are detained every year?

On the first Monday of each month (since 2008) a Vigil is held in Aurora outside the ICE Processing Center.  Each Vigil is sponsored and organized by allied organizations in the Denver-Metro Area.

On May 6th , our UUCB Immigration Ministry is sponsoring the Vigil for all ages.  We invite you to come on the bus with us! We will meet in our church parking lot at 4:45pm and ride a big motorcoach (with a bathroom) to Aurora.  Dinner served on the bus as we sing songs and say prayers.  We return to UUCB by 8:30. We need to know if you will attend.  Sign up at office before Monday April 29th to reserve bus seat(s) with dinner (no cost).

We need # ___ of seats on the bus.    Names of people who will attend from our family:

We will eat on the bus:  #__ meat burrito dinners,  #__ vegetarian burrito dinners, #__ gluten free burrito dinners. – – – – – – -% – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – ( keep the top part of this as a reminder )

We need to know if you will attend.  Sign up at office before Monday April 29th to reserve bus seat(s) with dinner (no cost). A Vigil — an occasion for devotional watching, an observanceAll Church Social Change Event, Monday, May 6th.