IGNITE - Newsletter of Jefferson Unitarian Church

ISSUE 119

May 2026

Since January, I have been in an interfaith clergy group that meets on zoom once each month. One of the Christian Ministers opened our most recent circle with a short song with which I was not acquainted. “Take, O take me as I am. Summon out what I shall be. Set a seal upon my heart, and live in in me.” (Lyrics by John Bell.)

It moved me. Maybe it is the earnestness of the minister who shared it, whom I know is going through a major life transition.

Maybe it is just that in its brevity and simplicity it speaks to the human condition: a longing for belonging, a hope for becoming someone who lives with meaning and purpose; a knowing that it is easy to turn away when things get hard and yet there remains a deep desire to live aligned with a higher calling.

That feels right and timely. After all, having made it through all of our UU Values this year, we now turn to exploring how to live them faithfully. This will be an important prelude to our summer worship series in which our speakers each explore a value that most resonated with them or presented the greatest challenge.

Remember, we go to one service at 10:00 a.m. beginning on May 10, through September 6!

Sunday, May 17 will be a special service in which we celebrate and reflect on who we were as Jefferson Unitarian Church as we move forward to changing our name to Common Flame.

Blessings & love,

Rev. Wendy

Hello, friends!

This month, we’ll be revisiting the idea of covenant and how it calls us to act in community. And one of the ways this congregation is called to act in community, to live out our values of love and justice and equity, is through our monthly special plate donations.

Board of Trustees Meeting Summary

The April Board Meeting began with a session of the Mosaic Curriculum led by Rev. Jen, in which Trustees discussed the history of incarceration and its targeted impact on black and brown communities across the US. Transitioning into the official meeting, Trustees reviewed the budget in preparation for the May Congregational meeting, as well as explored their role in the upcoming year as it relates to our Ends and our new name. The consensus on the board was that we can view the Ends as both a North Star and a living document, to ensure we are keeping our focus on our priorities while also ensuring they are still aligned with our congregation's needs. Plans were discussed in preparation for the congregational meeting and the roll-out of our new name, Common Flame.

Planned Giving and Our Covenant to Act

Planned giving is one of the most enduring ways we live our Covenant to Act—our shared promise to move love, justice, and compassion from intention into practice. When you include our congregation in your estate plans, you help ensure that our commitments do not end with us. Your legacy strengthens ministries that welcome the seeker, support the vulnerable, and advance equity in our wider community. A planned gift of any size becomes a faithful act: a declaration that our covenant matters, that our values deserve a future, and that the work of building a more just and loving world must continue. Through your generosity, our covenant becomes action for generations yet to come. Contact Bud Meadows or Carol Wilsey to learn simple, flexible options.

We Unitarian Universalists have a long tradition through our Unitarian and Universalist ancestors of working within our wider neighborhood, local, and city partners to bring about justice and care for those who need it. As you may know, each month, JUC gives one offering away to partners and projects beyond our walls. In previous years, we’ve given up to $50,000 to community partners that might not have been given otherwise.

This month, Justice Council will once again be accepting applications for special plate recipients for our next church year. Justice Council will carefully select recipients from this pool. You may apply here!

If you are considering making a special plate suggestion for the coming church year, here are some general guidelines. Organizations must be a 501(c)(3) tax exempt entity. They are more likely to be approved if they:

Operate in Jefferson County or Colorado generally
Are small enough that $2-4,000 would make a meaningful difference in their budget
Help larger numbers of people
Have ties to the members of Jefferson Unitarian Church, particularly if our members are, or are able to be, actively involved in their work
Align with our Unitarian Universalist values and traditions

Twelve special plate applications are approved each year, and a few organizations are automatically included every year, including the Action Center, Family Tree, Habitat for Humanity, and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. Please submit your applications by Sunday, May 31! Thank you, friends, for all you do here at JUC and beyond to live out our values, and for all you will do!

Submit a Special Plate Application

The Necessary Limits of Pluralism

by Richard Burrows

This past month, we have been deeply engaged in exploring pluralism: a political philosophy holding that people of different beliefs, backgrounds, and lifestyles can coexist in the same society. This is in perfect accordance with our UU values of inclusion and the celebration of diversity, often appearing as a cornerstone of our 8 principles.

How could anyone argue with that? It fits seamlessly with our commitment to honoring all lifestyles. And yet…

The limits of pluralism are difficult to define. History shows us that pluralism can become a convenient way to avoid conflict, even when dealing with injustice. I would argue that the largest rejection of pluralism in US history resulted in the Civil War. Many in the Northern states sought to avoid conflict by accommodating the expansion of slavery in the South, arguing for a "pluralistic" coexistence of two systems. Even Lincoln was willing to consider a constitutional amendment that would have protected slavery where it already existed. Ultimately, this "pluralistic" viewpoint was rejected, and slavery was defeated, albeit at a catastrophic cost.

We can also consider the limits of our acceptance in today's society. It is easy for us to decry anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes and misogyny when they come from some claiming Christian Nationalism as their guiding light. We see that as a clear antithesis to our values. It is far more challenging when we encounter similar attitudes in the practices of some Muslim, Orthodox Jewish, or Black Christian denominations.

Where do we draw the line?

Ultimately, I think our first principle provides the best guidance. Our desire for tolerance and acceptance of different cultures must be balanced against the need to recognize the inherent worth and dignity of all. This requires us to move past mere tolerance and toward active engagement. It means we can support and celebrate an identity group, or respect its place in our society, while still finding specific customs or attitudes of its members unacceptable or harmful.

This balancing act is incredibly difficult, and we must keep in mind that others will find our own customs and practices unacceptable as well. However, to truly act on our values, we cannot remain silent in the face of injustice. True pluralism requires us to challenge intolerance rather than simply tolerate it.