Monthly Archives: March 2023

April 2013 Sunday Worship Schedule

Fred Cole presenting the February S-O-P donation to Laurel Herndon – Principal; and Neno Gallo – Board Member of the Immigrant Legal Center of Boulder County

April 6th

“The Fallen Angel of Truth”

Rabbi Marc Soloway, Rabbi to Bonai Shaom

Rev. Howell Lind, Worship Leader

April 13^th

“A New Day”

Rev. Scott Tayler, UUA Director of Congregational Life

Rev. Amy Rowland, Worship Leader

April 20^th

“Living With Uncertainty “

Rev. Amy Rowland, Assistant Minister

Rev. Howell Lind, Worship Leader

April 27th

Full Church LGBTQIA Worship

Justin Butterworth and Janen Wright, Worship Leaders

Share-Our-Plate for April

The Share Our Plate recipient for April was to be the Parenting Place. Unfortunately, the organization closed down in October after around 30 years of service to our community. The Board voted to include a few special plates substituting for Parenting Place. The three organizations we will support are organizations that are supported by our Unitarian Universalist faith.

PRISM – 3/30

Progressive Radically Inclusive Student Ministry (PRISM) students of all backgrounds a welcoming, safe, and supportive community that encourages them to explore their faith, deepen their spirituality, build meaningful relationships, and put faith into action to make a better world. We are an ecumenical campus ministry at CU-Boulder sponsored by local Christian and Unitarian Universalist partners.

Living into Covenant Program – 4/13

Living Into Covenant is a program under the auspices of the Boulder Denver Cluster of Unitarian Universalist congregations. It is an intentional program that creates a learning and caring community for seminary students, religious educators, lay people, and all Unitarian Universalist ministers from the Front Range of Colorado. The Living Into Covenant program has become a national model for the support and nurture of Unitarian Universalist seminarians as they embark on their ministerial formation. It is a a program that creates and supports excellence in ministry, healthy congregations, and a dynamic public witness for our faith.

The Freedom Fund – 4/6

The Freedom Fund seeks to ensure that all Colorado women have equal access to reproductive options and are empowered to exercise their right for reproductive self-determination. The Freedom Fund provides financial assistance to low-income women who make the difficult decision to end their pregnancy. Women come to The Freedom Fund in crisis and in need of assistance. We need your support to continue this important work.

Reflections on the Journey by Rev. Howell Lind

Having Amy Rowland as UUCB’s Assistant Minister during this 2013-2014 Church Program Year has helped our congregation move forward on several of the projects and programs that we have said are important to us as a church community. Amy’s energies in expanding and deepening our small group ministry efforts, her shepherding of our All Church Social Change Events and her help in connecting us in deeper partnership with the organizations that Share Our Plate has enabled us to make significant progress in these areas.

At the end of this month Amy will accompany church members as our church’s “Chaplain” for the BorderLinks trip as members deepen their understanding and become more informed and educated about the issues of immigration at the U.S. and Mexican border. The complex issues surrounding our nation’s immigration policies and its inequities are very real concerns for us here at our church.

And I would be remiss if I did not mention the wonderful worship services and inspirational sermons that Amy has delivered over this past year. Being the congregation to ordain Amy Rowland into the Unitarian Universalist ministry is also an honor and privilege for UUCB. She is a fine minister of our faith!

At the end of the current church year, Amy will be leaving UUCB and pursuing new adventures and interests that will make use of her many talents and abilities and we all wish her well in her future endeavors.

In a short time, many of us have come to really appreciate Amy for the many gifts that she brings to her ministry and she will be missed.

In recent years, UUCB has been blessed with two stellar ministerial interns – Gretchen Haley in 2009-2010 and Kelly Dignan in 2012-13. This coming 2014-2015 UUCB will again be a “teaching church” as we welcome Diana McLean as our ministerial intern for this next church program year. Diana is a candidate for the Unitarian Universalist ministry and a student at Iliff School of Theology. Diana has many talents, skills, and expertise to share with our congregation and we, in turn, as a growing and vibrant church community will be a “learning lab” to assist in Diana’s formation as she prepares for the Unitarian Universalist ministry.

As a church, we have enjoyed the energy and variety that ministerial interns and an assistant minister have brought us over the past few years. This coming church program year should be no exception as we continue to move forward in our development as a healthy and vital congregation.

Howell

Faith Formation Focus– March 2014 The Courage to Teach—and Summertime Opportunity

The book by Parker Palmer, The Courage to Teach, powerfully reminds us that “the teacher is the curriculum. It is the teacher at the heart of our programs.” He says, “I’ve never seen a curriculum so good that a teacher couldn’t ruin it. I’ve never seen a curriculum so bad that a teacher couldn’t redeem it.” This book is built on the simple premise that good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher. Although the premise is simple the implications are not. Parker says, “in every class I teach my ability to connect with my students, and to connect them with the subject depends less on the methods I use than on the degree to which I know and trust my selfhood—and am willing to make it available and vulnerable in the service of learning.” (That is where the courage part comes in.)

Take a moment to reflect on the great teachers in your life. Although their differences may be vast I think great teachers all share the trait of being genuine. Their strength comes from their passion for their subject and, hopefully also, for the students that they teach. (One of my favorite teachers liked to say, “I don’t teach English, I teach students English.” This is important to remember.) I have observed in my years of teaching that even small children have a sixth sense of whether or not you are “real” when you teach and they respond accordingly. Good teaching requires heart connection.

As Unitarian Universalist we have many opportunities to practice courage through teaching. It is a challenge but also a blessing. I am grateful for the women, thus far, who have come forward willing to give of themselves in the capacity of being a teacher for our kids and youth and I would like to see more men in our congregation, show this kind of courage to teach. Strong male role models are just as important for our youth as the strong female role models we now have. The Adult Religious Education Program, will soon be getting back underway, and will provide even more opportunities for teaching.

A strong and sustainable religious education program is crucial for the health of our congregation and our church. It is important that we sustain the quality of our education program even through the summer (which is when people who belong with us will be “shopping” for a religious home.) This summer I want to give my teachers a well-deserved break and I envision the 10 or so summer Sundays as affording a wonderful opportunity for those of you who don’t usually get much time with our kids and youth to come into our classroom and share with us something that you are passionate about or something you can teach us to do from your skill set. It could be any craft, a lesson on astronomy, a nature walk to teach us names of plants, the sharing of a hobby and how you got into it, or anything else you’d like to offer. For the many of you who work in numerous other committees and who don’t usually get a chance to interact with our youth this is a wonderful opportunity to offer our young folks whatever it is you have to offer without having to make a long term commitment. I will be there as an assistant and I think even as our kids will be blessed from getting to know you, you will be inspired and delighted by the quality of our children and youth in the RE program. (It isn’t too early to save your spot on the calendar or run any idea by me that you might have.) I am standing between the phone and my computer to fill spots!

Come next fall the model we are using now where teachers teach once or twice a month is hopefully one that works well for the spiritual needs of both our teachers and our kids. We will replace our teachers with others who are willing to step up to the plate when our teachers deem it necessary but we shouldn’t require a complete “changing of the guards” and the break down that that entails if we meet needs individually as they arise. Sustainable strength and quality is the over- arching goal for our religious education program.

Let me leave you with this image, again from The Courage to Teach, “Mentors and apprentices are partners in an ancient dance- the old empower the young with their experience and the young empower the old with new life, reweaving the fabric of the human community as they touch and turn.”

Janen Wright, Lifespan Faith Development Director

Assistant Minister’s Notes by Rev. Amy Rowland

Thank you, UUCB! I am still resonating with the joy and spirit of my ordination and celebration! Special thanks to the ordination committee chaired by Will Kropp, including Neil DiMuccio, Barbara Fusco, Jean LaDue, Barb Richards, and Fred Cole as marshall. And of course, many thanks to Deborah Berioli and the other Front Range music directors and all the many musicians and singers who filled the sanctuary with their gorgeous sound. The service and celebration were simply wonderful, and I could not be more grateful to you, the Boulder congregation, for the honor of being ordained by you.

Some new things will be happening this month. A Depression Support Group is forming, beginning on Tuesday evenings, starting in April and running for six weeks. The purpose of the group is to provide a confidential, safe place for people to be among peers and to be honest about their condition and its impact in their lives. Rev. Amy Rowland, Assistant Minister, and Rosemary Lohndorf, certified Journal to the Self instructor, will facilitate the meetings, and journaling will be a part of the meeting time. The group will meet Tuesdays from 6:30-8:00 p.m. from April 1 to May 6. If you are interested in learning more about the group, or would like to join the group, please call or leave a message for Amy Rowland, assistant minister at (303) 815-5181 or email arowland.uucb@gmail.com.

I will join a small group from the congregation who will be headed to the Arizona/Mexico border at the end of the month. We will travel into Mexico with BorderLinks, and while in Tucson, we will attend a 10^th anniversary event for No More Deaths, and join the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson for Sunday service. We will lead a Sunday service in May to share our experiences and insights.

In gratitude,

Amy

(Rev. Amy Rowland)

President’s Column by Whitney Wheeless

Did you know?
–Our shared goals are on the members’ area of the website.
–We are a mid-sized church and operate as a policy board. That means that the board sets policy and the committees of our church implement those policies.
–What’s What and Who’s Who at Boulder UU lists all the ongoing committees, a brief description, and the current members. It’s in the members’ area of the website.
–You can request access to the members’ area, if you are a member (https://uuchurchofboulder.org/members/)

This week I was in a work meeting and a consulting firm was presenting their theory of change. Their premise is that the most basic unit of work is conversation and that an organization is a network of conversations. They talked about the quality and timing of conversations. They talked about deep listening. Their message resonated with me, not just for work but in every aspect of our lives. There are two areas that came to mind with regards to church.

The first was around deep listening. We launched our mindful meetings approach a few years ago to add a sharing component to our committee meetings and to deepen our relationships with one another. The idea is to listen deeply to each other’s stories and reflect on how those stories inform our own life and spiritual journey. Now our mindful meetings approach is being spread to other churches in MDD and beyond to help all of us deepen connections.

At our board meeting last week, I really needed a mindful meeting – a chance to step outside my own life and my own disappointments to think about someone else’s spiritual journey. To appreciate someone else’s story. It worked! Of all places, church is a place that we should feel safe to share our stories and be who we are.

The other appreciation I had was that the core is conversations. In conflict or sadness, the conversations can break down. A true conversation is not one-sided, but rather involves listening—deep listening—from all parties. It means listening to what someone is saying and trying to understand why they are saying it. Then being given the opportunity to say what you are feeling or your reaction to what’s being said and bring in your own perspective.

A large majority of people are thrilled with our church and where we are going. They are content, satisfied, and involved to the degree they wish to be. For those who are displeased with something, let’s have a true conversation. Being in covenant with each other, we each have a responsibility to think about our concerns and work with the appropriate people to resolve the issue in right relations. It’s about finding solutions so that we can be better and grow. So that we live up to our promise.

We in leadership work hard and are open to conversations. The Board spends a lot of time working on our goals and where our church is going, but we also value the process and want engagement of the congregation. We have a clear set of goals, a wonderful community, and many committed to being all that we can be.

I am proud of our church and all that we have accomplished. I look forward to many great things as we seek to live well, deepen faith, and enact justice together.

Membership Matters for April

Our thoughts and good wishes continue to be with: Kirsten Farnsworth who shared her story, with us last month. Great to see her back with a clean bill of health from all her cancer treatments. We will look forward to her “tickling the ivories” on our piano once again. When I was connecting new member Heather Ogren, with Jan Ogren, daughter of former members Ken & Marge Ogren, in California Jan replied back with the news that her mother died in July – very peacefully, just the way she wanted to. She had not been enjoying life as much, but had a wonderful two weeks prior to her death, including celebrating their 64th anniversary and July 4th concert. Ken is going to be a delegate at General Assembly from UUCSR (Santa Rosa). He sounds like an “energizer bunny” as he tries to get out for a 2-3 mile hike a couple times a week. Speedy recovery to Diana Maiden who had hip surgery in March.

Congratulations, Good Luck, Blessings, and Thanks to: We were pleased that the Governor of Arizona did the right thing, and vetoed the bill that would allow further discrimination against gays. Fox Martin ‘s Pinewood Derby car won second place in a race at North Boulder Park. Last year he placed fourth. Last month Dianne Ewing, Karen Morgan, Helene & Jon Bond went to visit former member, Ellen Synder in San Miguel, Mexico. Jon & Helene Bond welcomed their fifth Grandchild, Dylan Matthew Bond on March 13th. To the 50 or so who turned out for the dramatic presentation of “Do You Know Who I Am?” on March 16th. These courageous young people, Ana, Juan, Hugo, Oscar and Victor, did an amazing job of transforming our chancel into a real stage!

We had a nice mix of Church members and visitors from the larger community. Their next public presentation will be during the Conference on World Affairs, watch for it. Rev. Amy Rowland who we ordained on Saturday, March 22. 2014!

Special Welcome to New Members: Amanda Alonzo; Phil and Sarah Lieder and their son Henry; Lynisa and David Robinson and their son Isaac. We are very glad you joined us.

Random Thoughts: Last month Fred and I had the pleasure of being Opa & Oma to Mercedes’ daughters, Kerry, Wendy and Lupita for two nights. Mercedes along with two other women from Colorado were chosen to travel to Washington DC to join with 200 people from across the country to testify to their Congressmen about Immigration laws, and keeping families together. Fred reports it has been over thirty years since he has tutored trigonometry! He fixed breakfast and delivered the girls to their three different schools. I had the evening shift doing dinners and bedtime enforcement which was easy. To those who are new; our Immigration Ministry has companioned this family for three years, and it has been a joyful experience. Mary Jean & Peter Ewing have been their ride to church, when Mercedes tends our nursery on Sunday morning. Because Peter’s role as President-Elect of Rotary takes them out of town others have kindly stepped up to to assist with rides as well. During coffee you will find the family at a table where you may order and pre-pay for Mercedes delicious tamales, burritos and flan. These items are ready for pick-up the following Sunday!

Trish Judd shared her chalice lighting story last month, and yes I first met Trish in the 1970’s. At the time I was Director of Religious Education at First Universalist church, and each year we attended a staff retreat at La Foret in the Black Forest. We were Ministers, Minister spouses, DRE’s, and Office Administrators. We would break into our small groups but have meals, some workshops, and spiritual time together as well, and many fond memories. At that time Trish and husband Rev. Al Judd would travel from Lubbock TX (then part of the Mountain Desert District). It was great to have her walk into UUCB her first Sunday morning, and be able to welcome her warmly!

Love & Care, Barb

Depression Support Group

A support group for people living with depression is forming at our congregation. It will hold weekly meetings for a period of 6 weeks starting in April. The purpose of the group is to provide a confidential, safe place for people to be among peers and to be honest about their condition and its impact in their lives. Amy Rowland, Assistant Minister, and Rosemary Lohndorf, certified Journal to the Self instructor, will facilitate the meetings, and journaling will be a part of the meeting time. The group will meet Tuesdays from 6:30-8:00 p.m. from April 1 to May 6. If you are interested in learning more about the group, or would like to join the group, please call or leave a message for Amy Rowland, assistant minister at (303) 815-5181 or email arowland.uucb@gmail.com.

Talk About for April

Talk About –Please join Diana King and others for camaraderie and the post-service “Talk About” discussion on the Sunday, April 6 from 11:30 to 12:00 pm. In nice weather discussions will take place outside on the benches in the front of the Church. During inclement weather they will be at the back of the Earth Room (near the hearth).

April Circle Supper

BROOMFIELD CIRCLE SUPPER

The next Circle Supper will be held at the home of George Wolf and Janet Kern, Saturday, April 5 at 6:00 p.m. A curried chicken dish and a curried vegetarian dish will set the theme. Look for the sign-up sheet at church.

9th Grade Trip Cake Auction

It’s Spring! Time for the Ninth Grade Trip Cake Auction Fundraiser! UU 9th Graders from ten UU churches along the front range participate in this year-long coming-of-age journey, culminating in a 10 day trip to the Hopi and Navajo lands in the four-corners area of Colorado. This year is the 50th Trip! For many, many years, UUCB has held a Cake Auction to fundraise for this important event. This year we are requesting members and friends of UUCB to bring a cake (or pie, cupcakes, plate of cookies, loaf of banana bread etc) to be auctioned off, and, if you are not a baker, to please attend the auction and BUY a cake. It is great fun! Last year we had carrot cupcakes, a ‘cat litter’cake, cheescakes, a cliff dweller cake, pies, pumpkin bread, chocolate cakes, baklava, flan, gluten free items, cookies, and a cake made to look like our new playground, as well as many others. If you know any Alumni Trippers, please let me know so I can contact them for this 50th Trip auction! Please sign up in the Sky Room during coffee hour in April to bring a cake; monetary donations to the Ninth Grade Trip are graciously accepted as well. Questions? Contact Debbie Davies 303 666-8635

Celebrating 50 years of Preachin’ & Teachin’ Rev. Howell K. Lind

Saturday, April 12, 2014, 6:30-9:30 pm

Buffet dinner, tributes and stories

Café Sobol at Days Hotel

Limited tickets for sale after church on 3/30 and 4/6

$50 per person

($60 per person after 4/6)

Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Living into Covenant program. Living Into Covenant is a program under the auspices of the Boulder Denver Cluster of Unitarian Universalist congregations. It is an intentional program that creates a learning and caring community for seminary students, religious educators, lay people, and all Unitarian Universalist ministers from the Front Range of Colorado. The Living Into Covenant program has become a national model for the support and nurture of Unitarian Universalist seminarians as they embark on their ministerial formation. It is a a program that creates and supports excellence in ministry, healthy congregations, and a dynamic public witness for our faith.

Children’s dinner and activities to be provided at UUCB from 6-10 pm

$5 per child for those interested

Image from Pete Seeger Song Circle

Photo by Henry Kroll

On March 8, 2014, UUCB members and friends gathered to celebrate the life of Pete Seeger with a song circle.

Sunday Public Forum: Hope In a time of Eco-Crisis

Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder Rocky Mtn Peace & Justice Center & KGNU Community Radio

Sunday April 13 @ 7 PM Priscilla Stuckey, Naturalist and Author

Hope in a Time of Eco-Crisis: How Shall We Then Live ?

Priscilla Stuckey is a writer, a scholar and an Earth advocate with a passion for connecting people with nature and the author of: Kissed by a Fox Stories of Friendship in Nature

Sunday Forum: “The Gerda Letters”

Sunday, May 4 at 7:00pm. UUCB

Our special forum for Holocaust Remembrance Week (4/27 – 5/4)

Dramatic Reading of “The Gerda Letters” by local actor and community leader JoAn Segal. When hiding from the Nazis in the Netherlands, these compelling letters were sent to Gerda from her family in Berlin, Germany. JoAn was a friend of Gerda and her husband. Holocaust survivor Anita Budding, a Boulder resident, will be part of the panel discussion following the reading.

Millions have read The Diary of Anne Frank and considered the beauty and cruelty of our world and the amazing resilience of human beings. Our program is presented in this spirit.

A Special Reception will follow.

Annual Meeting Minutes Posted

Draft minutes for the UUCB 2013 Annual Meeting and for the Special Congregational meeting held in January 2014 are posted on the members area of the UUCB website for your review. They will be considered for approval at the 2014 Annual Meeting on May 18th.

Workshop: The Congregation As An Emotional System

Rev. Nancy Bowen will lead a workshop on The Congregation As An Emotional System. She will explore the factors that put congregations at risk for anxiety and conflict, principles for adopting new ways of dealing with stress and anxiety, and how spiritually and emotionally healthy leaders influence the emotional system. This was scheduled for seminarians by Living into Covenant, and it has been expanded to include religious educators, musicians, ministers and lay people.

Friday, April 18

11:30 – 1:30 pm

First Universalist – Colvin Commons

Please bring a lunch for yourself.

Please RSVP to Rev, Kelly Dignan, kelly@create meaning.org