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All Souls Unitarian Universalist E-Letter
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This week's editor:
Beth Woods
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Currently All Souls has no office hours, in keeping with the best health and safety practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Links to email our minister or office admin are provided above.
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 service this week
01/17 ~ imagine a new religion
Join us on Zoom: Today we celebrate the founding of All Souls in 1891. This congregation joined a still young Unitarian movement that has its roots in the Unitarian Controversy sermon preached by William Ellery Channing in 1819. Join us as Rev. Rost explores this key moment and how it forever shaped the faith we claim.
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all souls news
care team
It's been a strange year. With the church closed, many of us miss the opportunity to be with others in our community, have a cup of coffee after services and visit or participate in other activities. It may have been even harder for those of us who must hunker down at home all week for safety or health related issues and especially hard for those who have no family nearby.
If you would like to have a friendly voice from your church family call you now and then to help you feel more connected, let us know if there's anything we can do for you, please let us know by sending an email to our Care Team or calling 719-439-7155.
Thank you to the volunteers who donated up to 50 multi-item snack and drink packages for our house-less neighbors with COVID-19 who are currently sheltered at the City Auditorium. We hope to make another contribution in February, if you would like to help. A special thanks to the Community Caring Team members who picked up items from other donors and delivered them to the church. Pictured here are Linda and Heidi who met Andy Phelps, Homelessness Response Coordinator for the City of Colorado Springs. Good work friends!
adult re:
spiritual practice-prayer
On Sunday, January 24th, join DRE, Beth Green, and Board VP, Julie Brady, from 12-1pm as we explore the spiritual practice of prayer. This adult RE workshop looks at the many different ways to bring prayer into your life, and the significance of this practice. Join us to dive into this meaningful spiritual practice and find where you can open to the gift of prayer in your life. You can join us with this Zoom link. Check out our Facebook event page!
save the date
Sunday, February 7th, 12-1:30pm, UU History 101 part 3: The Transcendentalist Movement.
adult re - spiritual flow yoga with beth green
Join Beth Green, RYT-500, 9-10:15am on Wednesdays for a spiritual flow yoga class. This class will be spiritually related to our monthly Soul Matters theme and contain centering, breathing practices, a gentle flow, and a short mediation. Suggested Donations between $7-$15 (with 20% going back to the church) will be accepted by PayPal ( [email protected]) or Venmo (@BethGreenYoga) apps. You can join with this Zoom link either before or after you make your donation.
affinity and covenant groups
It's been a while since our small groups have met! If your affinity or covenant group is interested in resuming meetings on Zoom, we currently have a church account that can be shared by multiple groups; meetings just need to be one at a time. If your group is interested in meeting on Zoom, please contact A.B. to receive instructions on proceeding further with our Zoom account.
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religious exploration
e-re
E-Re meets before service, 9:30-10:15am for Soul Matters and 9:30-10:30am for Crossing Paths. Click here to access e-RE, or click the link from our website. Please contact Beth Green with any questions.
january ice service
THANK YOU to all our attendees to our annual Ice Service at Acacia Park! What a wonderful morning to safely gather outdoors and spend some time together! The kids (and adults) loved being together!
1 volunteer needed for february
We only need one more volunteer to complete our sign-up next month! The open slot is for Sunday, 2/7 to assist in Soul Matters. If interested, please use this link to sign up. Thank you!
january calendar still available for reference
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children
last week
In Soul Matters, we kicked off our month of "imagination" by dreaming about a world without COVID-19. We took a guided imagery adventure, seeing ourselves make our way through the pandemic to gather again and sharing our experiences. We listened to the song, "Change to Come" by Lea Morris which you can find by clicking here, and created our own poem as a class. Here's what the kids wrote together:
Soul Matters
Change to Come
January 10, 2021
This year is not the best year
But we can make it better
In the world of racism & catism
I'm tired of racism & catism
Tired of eating at home all the time
But my dad makes the best pizza ever
Getting takeout is just not the same
Tired of racism and for COVID to stop
This has been a terrible year
I'm tired of wearing my mask
And always having to use hand sanitizer
This can be a better year
We can make this better together
I know this can't go on forever
Waiting for a change to come
In Crossing Paths, we started exploring Catholicism, looking at some history, as well as their hierarchy. We discussed important differences between Protestant Christianity and Catholicism with a video you can find by clicking here. Unfortunately, we had our first big Zoom glitch and our class was cut off 10 minutes early. Parents were emailed the last bit of information and the directions to the game the kids received in their supply bag for the month. We are so sorry for the hiccup in class last week. If you need the email and did not receive it on Sunday, please reach out to Beth at [email protected].
1/17
1/24
Soul Matters (1st-4th grades): "Think Outside the Box"
Our faith asks us to use our reason to question what is and imagine new ways to think about things. It's part of our fifth UU Source. "...heed the guidance of reason and the results of science..." Sometimes people think of science and imagination as opposites, but every good scientist will tell you that you need both imagination and reason to understand the world and to invent new things. So, what's one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of imagination? It tells us "Use imagination and reason as partners to think outside the box!"
Crossing Paths (5th-7th grades): "Tack Day: Connections Between Catholicism and UU"
Tack Sunday is about comparing the religion we're exploring with our own UU faith. It is especially fun to compare and contrast our faith with Catholicism because it's usually assumed we UU's have very little in common with Catholic belief and practice. But it turns out it's not quite that simple! Today we explore the saints and the rosary.
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youth
Effective 12/1, all in-person youth activities are suspended. Parents and youth have been notified of the changes, and updates will be shared as we decide how to say connected during the COVID-19 surge. Please reach out to Beth Green or Erika Fore with any questions.
In early 2021, however, there are three opportunities for youth to connect, learn, and deepen their faith...
Training for youth and adult advisors on spiritual leadership.
Evenings of January 9th, February 13th, and March 26th with small group meeting in between.
Middle School Con: Social & Spiritual Gatherings for UUs 11-14 years of age. Theme is kindness. February 27th
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joys & concerns
Join Rev. Nori EVERY Tuesday at 5:30pm for "Tuesdays with Nori." This remains an informal time to check in with one another, share our joys and concerns, and enjoy the beverage and snacks of our choice from our homes. This is the Zoom link, and it can also be found at the top of our homepage on our website.
joys
concerns Pray, send positive thoughts and energy, etc. for a safe inauguration on January 20th. ~ Anonymous |
local activism & awareness
Editors' note: Occasionally, changes are made to these events after publication. Please click on the links provided if you are interested in attending something, to make sure the details have not changed. Thank you!
1/16, "14th Annual Educating Children of Color Summit." The Educating Children of Color (ECOC) Summit was started in 2007 to "educate all youth to pursue higher education, to support teachers to be successful educators, and educate parents on what it takes to be college ready and to hold your child and your child's school accountable." The mission is to dismantle the cradle-to-prison pipeline for children of color and children in poverty through education. Please consider supporting and/or attending.
1/18, 8am-9pm, online, " Colorado Springs MLK Day Events." As usual, the MLK Day Community Events will be a fundraiser on behalf of the NAACP and Pikes Peak Justice & Peace Commission through ticket sales. Tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite; the suggested donation is $5 but they welcome you to give as much, or little, as you are able and do not want cost to be a burden.
Ongoing
If you have survived the COVID-19 virus, you may be eligible to help other patients by donating plasma as part of a statewide project. For more information, visit the website , or email Kate Crow at or Will Crow.
Ongoing.
To donate to the Colorado COVID Relief Fund, click here.
Ongoing.
COVID Mask Crafters, an international collective of stitchers making home-sewn masks for healthcare workers, needs your help. Needed: sewers, donations of material (sheets, pillowcases, etc), drivers to pick up and deliver masks, and financial support. If you are interested in helping, please visit visit the website or email the Mask Crafters.
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community news
Editors' note: Occasionally, changes are made to events after publication. Please click on the links provided if you are interested in attending something, to make sure the details have not changed. Thank you!
wellness waggin' happy tails happy hearts
The Human Society is providing a wellness clinic at Meadows Park Community Center on Thursday, January 21st starting at 8:30 am. Appointments for checkups, wellness exams, vaccinations, heartworm tests, etc. can be made here.
Concrete Couch has partnered with the Colorado Springs Senior Center "In The Clouds" program to bring virtual online art classes. 10-11:30am every Tuesday during January, they are offering art classes through the Zoom Video Conferencing platform. These classes are open to folks ages 50 and up and cost $6 per class. Click here for more information.
people's grocery distribution
The Chinook Center holds a weekly free grocery distribution 12-2pm on Sundays.
food distribution
El Paso County has compiled a lengthy list of local food distribution locations here.
free medical care & prescriptions
People sometimes face the stark choice between food and medicine. In Colorado's El Paso & Teller Counties, Open Bible Medical Clinic & Pharmacy also serves as a Community Pharmacy dispensing free prescription medication to our neighbors who are uninsured. Residents of the county can qualify for our services if they are at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. 10am-2pm every Thursday and 9am-1pm every Saturday.
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all souls board of trustees
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e-letter deadline
The deadline for each week's e-letter is Wednesday at noon, barring something truly unexpected, such as a last-minute cancellation. Other items submitted after deadline will run the following week. Please help us inform you by honoring the deadline. Thank you -- Tamsin & Beth
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