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All Souls Unitarian Universalist E-Letter
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This week's editor:
Tamsin Cowdery
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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
11/15 ~ sharing life with people with disabilities
Join us on Zoom: As a Fulbright Research Scholar at the University of Toronto, Alec Gewirtz lived and worked as a caretaker at an interfaith community for people with intellectual disabilities. His relationships centered on supporting his housemates through the anguish of many forms of helplessness and uncertainty as a result of physical and intellectual limitations, as well as, emotional struggles related to difficulty in trusting in the constancy of people's love. Alec will share a few transformative stories living and learning from people with intellectual disabilities, calling attention to profound lessons for all of us.
Guest Speaker Bio: Alec Gewirtz, who graduated with a degree in religious studies from Princeton University, studies the future of community. While in Toronto, he conducted participatory research at L'Arche Daybreak, an interfaith community for people with disabilities -- living and working at the community while writing about his experience of sharing life with people with disabilities. He is currently at work on a book about what adults with disabilities can teach young people about maturity.
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all souls news
help needed for shipping books internationally
Do you remember all the way back to February 2020 when we were collecting books for a school in Africa?? Well, we did, and COVID hit so we couldn't ship in the spring. Luckily, we can now ship again to Kenya and we got a TON of books. Shipping internationally is different from sending things in the US and our DRE needs some help to pack up these books. To ship these, the books need to be packed in large manila envelopes under 4 pounds (these will be weighed by the USPS). If you have some time and a way to weigh books in an envelope, please reach out to Beth Green. I'll then plan a supply pick up and drop off time for volunteers. Thanks for considering!
covid update
With case numbers surging once more, ASUUC's board has decided not to allow any in-person meetings at the church for the foreseeable future.
The All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church annual fundraiser is now live online! You can bid on items from the comfort of your laptop, desktop, pad/tablet, or smartphone. You can also donate to the church in lieu of bidding.
The All Souls Auction is the FUNdraising event of the year - but we have had to be creative this year...so we're doing it in two parts. The first part is our Online Auction, which started on October 17th and will last two months until December 17th, 2020. We're still accepting donations! The second part, our traditional Auction Night, will happen in 2021 whenever we can hold it safely at the church. For donations, please click on the form here. For more information about the auction in general, please send an email to [email protected] or [email protected].
faith forward: adult re november workshop
This month, we'll be holding our monthly adult RE workshop 12-1:30pm on Sunday, 11/15. This month's workshop is "UU Elevator Speech". In this time, we'll discuss the difference between a credo and an elevator speech, things to include in your elevator speech, as well as writing our own speeches and sharing them in small groups. This event is held via Zoom.
No RSVP or registration is required for this event. Simply Zoom in by noon and we will get started. Hope to see you there!
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
november monthly calendar
To keep up with fun holidays and RE news, please see our November Calendar. You can print this or reference it here anytime.
new quarterly volunteer sign-up
The moment you've all been waiting for is here - our new quarterly volunteer sign-up for RE! Please use this link and reserve your slot for December through February e-RE classes. Any size commitment is so helpful. We can't do this without you!
crossing paths time change
As parents and volunteers were alerted recently, we will be making a time adjustment to the older kids classes, Crossing Paths (5th-7th grade), this month. The will end 15 minutes later at 10:30am from this weekend moving forward. We made this change because the curriculum is so rich and we want to allow more time for sharing, reflection, and games. Thank you for the understanding and support as we navigate this first completely virtual year in RE!
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children
last week
In our Soul Matters class, we reflected on some of the many ways that people use gratitude to heal themselves. We talked about prayer as a way of saying thank you. We listened to and sang the favorite UU hymn Spirit of Life (you can find the song here under "Judy's Radio"). We reflected on some of the many ways that people use gratitude to heal themselves. We talked about prayer as a way of saying thank you. We listened to and sang the favorite UU hymn Spirit of Life that opens us up and reminds us to be grateful for life's healing power. And we used the alphabet to list the many things we're grateful for. To keep the discussion going, invite you children to guide your family in the "alphabet gratitude game" (i.e. list things your family is grateful for, beginning with "A" and working all the way through the alphabet to "Z"). You can also explore this wonderful article for further ideas to engage your children and your entire family in the healing power of gratitude: " 13 Most Popular Gratitude Exercises."
In Crossing Paths we started exploring our new religion of Christianity. We learned about some important people, symbols, and history, and challenged ourselves with a Jeopardy Game (RIP, Alex). We learned that many Christians understand sin as "missing the mark," as others see that Jesus was a sacrifice for their sins. We explored both of these views by a "missing the mark" game and a science experiment. Ask your kids about both!
11/15
Soul Matters (1st-4th grade) "Listen Before you Try to Help and Heal Others." Today we'll look at our 2nd UU Principle, "Be kind in all you do," as we turn our awareness to others. First, we'll learn about The Golden Rule vs. The Platinum Rule and how we can use the Platinum Rule with each other. We'll then read, "Just Ask" by Sonia Sotomayor, a book that explains and celebrates differences! We'll end with a game of, "There's More Than One Way to Look at Something."
Crossing Paths (5th-7th grade) "Tack Day: What are the connections between UU and Christianity?" This week we compare our monthly religion to our own faith tradition of Unitarian Universalism. We'll first look at how our Holy Houses are similar and play a guessing game of sanctuaries. Next, we will discuss the idea of the "kingdom of God in the here and now" and look at 2 Bible scriptures. To illustrate this more, we'll play a game of "spot the difference" to get our kids focused on the here and now.
11/22
Soul Matters (1st-4th) "Heal by Telling the Truth of Thanksgiving." When it comes to healing, so many brave and wise voices have lifted up the importance of telling the true history of Thanksgiving. This search for the true history is reflected in our Fourth Principle: "We search for what is true." Our faith has taken up this work and called on white UU's to be especially vigilant about the work of correcting stories that have caused harm. So what's one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of healing? It says, "Learn and tell our true history!"
Crossing Paths (5th-7th) "Summit and Lake Day: The Virtual Visit, Interview, and Reflection." On our final day of exploring Christianity, we begin with our virtual visit to a Christian Church through YouTube and hunt for similarities and differences in our two services. We'll then interview one of my favorite Christians and guest ministers at All Souls, Rev. Roger Butts. After our Q&A, we'll take some time to reflect on our month-long journey of exploring Christianity.
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youth
Thanks to each of you who came to check out our new meeting space! It was so great getting to see each of you in person after a couple weeks away.
A few things we've learned:
- Please plan to arrive at 5:45pm moving forward. Since youth are ordering drinks, which have to be waited for while they're made and carried upstairs, we need to have enough time to get everyone set up before we begin our time. As we only have an hour together now, we want to maximize it and start on time.
- There's free street parking off Tejon and Rio Grande in front of some shops, if you need it. It's a couple blocks away from The Exchange, but it's a great option if you can't find any on Tejon or in the other shops center, or don't want to mind a meter.
- If you RSVP your youth and then can't make it, PLEASE text me so we're not waiting for you to show up. My number is 719-494-9072. Please save my number to use so you're not scrambling to find it when you need it.
- High Plains is requiring that we take the temperatures of all youth and facilitators when we arrive. If youth or facilitators have a temp of 100.4 degrees or higher, they will be asked to skip youth group (this is the same criteria the CDC defines). For any questions about this, please reach out to Heather or Reverend Julia.
Next Sunday, 11/15, we'll be playing Unstable Unicorns! Here is a flyer with more info. Please use this link to RSVP your youth, no later than Saturday, 11/14.
One last thing: there will be NO youth group on 11/29 (Thanksgiving weekend).
- Erika
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joys & concerns
Join Rev. Nori EVERY Tuesday at 5:30 pm 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 Hoping for a smooth transition in the Executive Branch of our government. -- Anon
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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!
Until further notice
Some families at Rudy Elementary in School District 11 are having a harder time this holiday season due to COVID-19. If you can help with providing gifts or gift cards to children in these families, please contact Heidi Cooper, School Social Worker at Rudy Elementary. Heidi's contact info is [email protected] or 719-433-6889.
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!
funeral planning workshop
Susan Coffey, a local Death Midwife and convener of Death Cafe discussions, is leading a workshop via Zoom on November 22 from 1 - 3 pm. The workshop will cover such questions as "What information is necessary to complete a death certificate." Having a funeral plan is a gift to your family. It is peace of mind for you. The workshop has a small fee of $10 for the workbook and requires an RSVP to [email protected].
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. As costs of prescription drugs continue to rise and the numbers of uninsured continue to rise, providing a source for life-saving prescription drugs becomes critical. 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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