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All Souls Unitarian Universalist E-Letter
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This week's editor:
Tamsin Cowdery
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office hours
Administration office hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-1pm.
Minister's office hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-3pm and evenings and weekends by appointment.
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service this week
4/7 ~ the unites states of facebook
In civics classes most of us were taught that we have three separate branches of the government to ensure checks and balances so that no branch can gain too much power. We were also taught that one person equals one vote. However in the past two years we have seen a startling lack of checks and balances and the Electoral College has demonstrated for the second time that the voters don't elect the President. Also evident is how social media influenced votes with fake new sources on both sides of the political divide. How can we halt the manipulation we are facing as a country? What kind of country do we want to be? How can the checks and balances be appropriately used? Join us as Rev. Nori explores these themes which were chosen by service auction winner Leslie Burton.
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all souls news
long term pet sitter needed
Member Stacy Sloan is elated that she will be serving in India with Doctors Without Borders starting early in April. However, because of this, she needs a cat sitter for the year, starting April 8. If you can help her, please contact her. Stacy's phone number is in the
Joys and Concerns section of this edition.
sustainable living affinity group
This Sunday, 4/7, the Sustainable Living Affinity Group will meet in the Small Hall following the service and fellowship, starting at about 12:15pm. All Souls' own Mike Lee will speak to us about new ways to make concrete that not only minimize carbon emissions, but might actually reverse them. This is an exciting possibility because the manufacture of concrete worldwide is a huge contributor to greenhouse gases. Mike's presentation will not take up the whole meeting, so we are asking attendees to share one tip for living lightly on the planet that they either use themselves or have heard about. Everyone is welcome to attend. Bring a friend.
Fellow artists, come join our group. This gathering is meant to be friendly, relaxed, fun, and of course... creative!! Bring in your favorite art supplies and a brown bag lunch. 2nd & 4th Thursdays at ASUUC. Creative time will be from 10-11:30am, followed by a social lunch. Please email Pam Brown with your contact information (name and phone number) if you are interested.
we still want to hear from you
Many thanks to those of you who have taken the time to complete our short survey about your experience with All Souls. This is input we need as we examine whether our mission and vision statements are still helping us be the church we want to be. We really, really want to hear from the rest of you as well. You can take the survey online by clicking the link in the We Want to Hear From You section of our Stewardship web page, or you can get a paper survey form from the church office, fill it out, and return it to the office.
stewardship drive: we need your help
55 households have now completed their pledge commitment forms for the upcoming 2019-20 fiscal year. We still need to hear from the rest of you. Remember, even if you're on auto-pay for your pledge, we need you to complete a new form for 2019-20.
Making a financial pledge for the upcoming fiscal year is a vital part of supporting our mission and self-governance. It enables us to build a proposed operating budget for your approval at our Annual Meeting in May. The sooner we build the budget, the more time you have to review and react to it before the Annual Meeting in May - that's why we need to start budget work in April, and that's why we want our pledges in place by then.
Over the next few weeks, we'll be contacting our current pledgers who haven't yet submitted their 2019-20 pledge. But you don't have to wait. You can pledge for 2019-20 by filling out a paper pledge form and returning it to the church, or by using our online pledge form on our Stewardship web page. If you're new to pledging and have questions - or if you'd like us to deliver a pledge form - please call the church office (719-633-7717) or email Stewardship Drive chair Rick Schwarz. Thank you for helping All Souls be a vibrant religious presence in Colorado Springs now and in the future.
cc arena update
We are still keeping an eye on the Robson Arena project. The latest news is good but not great: Colorado College has agreed to move the proposed natatorium (competitive swimming pool) to a site next to the existing pool and to build a parking structure that will hold 300-400 cars. While this is a start, it's not enough to support the vehicles that will be present if the approximately 3500 seat venue is full. The next meeting will be sometime in April, date as-yet undetermined. Keep an eye here for further information. Check out
CC's project website for more info. Also, the Near North End Neighborhood group has a
webpage which lists their concerns regarding the project.
deeksha for all souls
Ancient wisdom from many spiritual traditions tells us that what we experience in our external world is a direct reflection of our internal world. We have the option of living in a suffering state or a beautiful state; both are attainable, the choice is ours. Living in a beautiful state requires living in a higher state of consciousness; moving from I-consciousness to One-consciousness. Deeksha is a transference of energy that facilitates transformation into these higher states of consciousness. Please join us 7-8:30pm, every 1st and 3rd Monday, in the gathering space in the basement at ASUUC. From the founders of O&O Academy: "It doesn't matter what the reasons are, all suffering is stupid."
Click here for more information.
women survivors' support group
Connecting with fellow survivors and having a safe place to release emotion and share our stories can be an essential part of healing from domestic and/or sexual violence. All Souls is providing a safe space for a secular women's survivor support group 6-7pm next Thursday, 3/21, in the small hall. If you are interested in attending, please email Rosie Love
or call her at (507) 320-5066.
This survivor support group meets every third Thursday of the month from 6-7pm.
affinity groups
our affinity groups are open to all! There is no enrollment period and no fee required. Friends are welcome! These groups share a common interest and provide opportunities to connect and deepen our fellowship outside of Sunday Service. Perhaps one is for you? For more information, please
click here.
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religious exploration
Enjoy working with babies and toddlers? Then come join the fun in the Nursery/PreK room at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church. We are looking for a part-time caregiver for two or more Sundays a month from 10 am - noon. Reliability is essential. Schedule flexibility is available. Perfect for college students, parents with young kids, or retirees. Position offers the possibility of bringing your own kids along if desired. We are looking for someone 18 years of age or older. Starting salary is $10.50/hr. You must submit to a background check and we will pay for you to get your CPR certification. We have books that need reading, crafts to assist with and open play time to supervise! We are a liberal religious voice located in the heart of beautiful downtown Colorado Springs and we can't wait to meet you! Contact
Laurie for more information.
What is your passion or hobby? Do you have a new interest or discovery? Come share it with RE as we offer "Guest in the Classroom" this summer. Do you belly dance? Want to teach beginning Spanish? Intrigued with kitchen chemistry? Come be our guest and present your passion to our RE kids and we will figure out how it relates to one of our principles or sources. Use our Sign-Up Genius or contact Laurie with any questions.
Our Annual RE Easter Egg Hunt will be April 21st, weather permitting. We are looking for a couple of adult chaperones that are willing to help be our "village" as we walk down and back to Monument Valley Park. We will leave on foot at 10:30am and return to the church by 11:30am. Contact
Laurie
if we can count on you!
re registration
It is never too late to register for Religious Exploration (RE) at All Souls. Just check out our on-line registration. We ask that you fill out a new registration form EACH year. Please register your kids (babies through youth group) now so we can better plan, be informed, and keep you updated. There is no charge to register.
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children
Many thanks to our leaders Rosie Love and Cory Faris who presented a fun filled and team building morning for our Team Game Day. We played Zip, Zap, Zop, Frogger and Whose Shoes as we learned ways to play together and support each other. FUN-TAS-TIC!
4/7
Being UU continues as our Air Element class explores Enough Stuff as we learn there are 5 R's in helping the interdependent web and our 7th principle: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle AND Refuse (saying no) and Rot (decomposition). Our Fire Element class will take a closer look at conflict resolution and examine how all work has honor as part of our 1st principle.
4/14
This will be our last Contemplate This! day of the 2nd semester so miss out! Let's practice being mindful together.
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youth
This Sunday, 4/7,
Youth Group will prep for our upcoming youth-led service entitled "Six Words." We will have a dress rehearsal for it on 4/28
and will then present the "Six Words" service to the congregation on 5/5
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On 4/21 youth should plan on meeting at the church at 10:15am. We will head down to Monument Valley Park and hid the eggs for our RE kids while enjoying some candy and outdoor time together.
summer uu youth camps
QUUest Camp (rising 9th graders-12th grade graduates) and Spirit QUUest (rising 6th-rising 8th graders) is back! QUUest and Spirit QUUest are Unitarian Universalist summer camp immersion experiences for youth. Youth learn about community, spirituality, justice, equality, and also have a ton of fun! The camp will be held at La Foret, 6/30-7/6, 2019. Registration cost is $650, $625 if registered by 3/17. $50 sibling discount for each additional child from the same family. Payment plans available, $100 deposit required. If you need financial assistance to attend, please complete Youth Scholarship Application by 4/30 (link available on registration page). For more information or to register for QUUest, click here or for Spirit QUUest, click here.
gay-straight alliance leadership council
The One Colorado GSA Leadership Council is composed of middle school, high school, and college students from across Colorado. The Council is made to facilitate the growth and development of members as advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth, and further support the Colorado GSA Network. As members of the Council, youth will serve as representatives for their area and will provide feedback, training, and support to GSAs in Colorado. The Leadership Council will also advise on program priorities within the Safe Schools work of One Colorado. Young people know better than anyone the problems they face in school today... and they know better than anyone just what it will take to solve them. Apply today. For further questions, please email Jordan Anthony.
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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!
4/5, 9-10:30am, at SCP Hotel Colorado Springs, "Mindful Mornings April Forum." Mindful Mornings is a monthly one-hour forum where mission-driven do-gooders convene, collaborate, and learn. Everyone is welcome, please register here! This meetup is meant to break down silos by creating a community of people willing and able to help one another achieve their goals in support of the bigger mission -- making the world a better place. If you want to learn from others working to overcome similar obstacles, or simply enjoy some time together appreciating good food, delicious drink, and stimulating conversation, you'll love Mindful Mornings. April's theme is ALTRUISM.
4/5, 6-8pm, at Prime 25, "Parenting for Civic Engagement: An Intimate Dinner Conversation." Join the Bill of Rights Institute in Colorado Springs on for a free dinner conversation with Colorado Springs area parents. As topics like protests, threats to privacy and civil rights dominate your teen's media, we want to come alongside you and explore how you can you use these issues to teach them about the underlying principles behind the Constitution, virtue, and character.
Dinner begins at 6pm and ends at 8pm; the workshop will run from 6-8:30pm. Refreshments will be served. Questions? Please contact Laura Vik at: [email protected] or 703-347-5017.
4/6, 3-5pm, at Ruth Holley Library, "Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women." **Spanish subtitles, bilingual conversation**
In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Voces Unidad for Justice will be hosting a viewing of the documentary Killing Us Softly. It addresses the unhealthy and unobtainable standards of what woman's bodies "should" look like, the dehumanization and "justifiable" violence as a result, and its effects on ourselves and society. There will be a activity using magazines after the movie on Media Literacy. You will practice our skills of critical analysis to build greater resilience to the media messages.
*Bringing your own magazines is optional, we will have plenty to go around
*Free freshly made popcorn will be served
*Sodas will be available for a dollar donation
4/8, 5:30-7:30pm, at Johnny's Navajo Hogan, Colorado's Red Flag Bill. Hosted by Colorado Springs Dems Club. The Colorado Springs Dems Club's second Monday offering in April is this talk about the Red Flag Law, which is up for a vote in the Colorado Legislature. Join Rep. Alec Garnett, the bill's sponsor and author, in the discussion of the ramifications of this law. A speaker to be named later will also join the panel, representing advocates for survivors of domestic abuse. The meeting will be held in the back room, and food may be purchased off the menu.
4/10, 12:15-1:15pm, at McHugh Commons, "Humanizing Masculinity.' Come to McHugh Commons at 12:15 to participate in a workshop and conversation with Derek McCoy, a former NFL player and director of Prevention Initiatives at Project PAVE. Derek has found passion and purpose working to transform cultural norms that lead to outcomes of violence. He will be accompanied by Ellen Wallace, Director of Stand Up Colorado. Free lunch will be provided.
4/11, 6:30-8pm, at Poor Richard's, "SURJ COS Book Club: Waking Up White by Debbie Irving." For twenty-five years, Debby Irving sensed inexplicable racial tensions in her personal and professional relationships. As a colleague and neighbor, she worried about offending people she dearly wanted to befriend. As an arts administrator, she didn't understand why her diversity efforts lacked traction. As a teacher, she found her best efforts to reach out to students and families of color left her wondering what she was missing. Then, in 2009, one "aha!" moment launched an adventure of discovery and insight that drastically shifted her worldview and upended her life plan. In Waking Up White, Irving tells her often cringe-worthy story with such openness that readers will turn every page rooting for her-and ultimately for all of us.
4/20, 8am-12pm, at Red Rock Canyon, "Earth Day at Red Rock Canyon Open Space."
This project will focus on restoring a series of redundant and unsustainable rogue trails along the Red Rock Rim Trail in Red Rock Canyon Open Space. Work will involve breaking up hardened soils, seeding, transplanting, mulching, and other necessary tasks. For this special Earth Day workday, a complimentary volunteer lunch and interpretive hikes will be offered at the conclusion of the project. If you have questions, or would like to register a group, please contact Molly Mazel, Volunteer & Partnership Coordinator, (719) 471-7736 ext. 4# or
[email protected].
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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!
cultivating gratitude and hope
4:30-6:30pm on 4/10, Centura Health is hosting a workshop on "Cultivating Gratitude and Hope," facilitated by Rev. Roger Butts, Staff Chaplain at Penrose-St Francis Health Services, and Andrea Danner, LSW. In this session, caregivers will have the opportunity to meet other caregivers, share common concerns, and discuss self-care strategies. The meeting will take place at Penrose Pavilion, 2312 N. Nevada, in the second floor conference rooms. Light snacks will be served. For more information, email
Andrea Danner.
story as healing
We all have a story to tell. Join
Rev. Roger Butts and Andrea Danner 1-2pm on 4/24 for this workshop on the healing power of story telling. Storytelling allows you to find your voice, reaffirm your values, process your experiences, and find empowerment, no matter where you are in your journey. This session will be held at the Penrose Cancer Center, 2222 N. Nevada, in the first floor conference room. Click here for more information or to sign up.
suicide prevention connection group
No cost support group every Monday for adults who have had thoughts or actions towards suicide. No registration needed, just show up at 7pm. Group lasts one hour. Hosted by
Pikes Peak Suicide Prevention
at their offices.
understanding immigration: a free course
Immigration is a rich, complex topic that is front and center in public debates. How much do you know about this subject?
How much would you like to know about immigration today? If what you're really looking for is a shortcut study guide to immigration based on data from the Pew Research Center, there's an email course available to you. Best of all, it's free! After you sign up, you'll get an email every few days over the course of a couple weeks. To register, click here.
from the marian house website
"The Marian House Soup Kitchen offers hot, nutritious meals 365 days a year to anyone who comes to our doors, free of charge. Meals are nutritionally balanced as we recognize that for many of those we serve, this is their only meal of the day. Since 1985, the Marian House Soup Kitchen has been serving people who are hungry in downtown Colorado Springs. On average, the Soup Kitchen serves 600 meals per day. Guests include struggling families, seniors on a fixed income, the working poor, veterans, people with disabilities, unsupported teens, and those who are homeless. Only about a third of our guests are homeless."
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joys & concerns
joys
I have willed my body (many years ago) to science and teaching. It is needed there. One last physical effort to be of service. Later my ashes will join my wife on a Mexico island. -- Dale Kemmerer
concerns
Our beloved dog, Penny, had to be euthanized on 4/1. She became suddenly and terribly ill over the weekend and we are told there was a large tumor in her chest. She was a big sweetheart who we will miss dearly, but our grief is a price we pay for the joy she brought us when she lived. -- Tamsin
Barb Kohlhaas is in room 6646 at Memorial Hospital (719-365-1142) following her fall whilst in Montgomery, AL. She has a fractured tibia and wrist and will be having surgery in a few days. She would appreciate if visitors would call first and hold off until the 6th as her family is here until then. -- Phyllis Smith
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all souls board of trustees
Judie McMath, President
Wendy Mike, Vice-President
Gary Harrison, Treasurer
Kate Harrison, Secretary
Rick Schwarz, Past President
Terry Schultz, Member-at-Large
Bruce Leeson, Member-at-Large
Jim Michali, Member-at-Large
Shawn Yasutake, Member-at-Large
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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 & Shawn
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