IGNITE - Newsletter of Jefferson Unitarian Church

ISSUE 114

December 2025

Our theme this month is generosity. That may feel like a set up as we head into the holiday season, but it is one of our values. We define it as the practice of expanding our yes.

Any of us may have a still small voice inside that is yelling, “Are you kidding me? I am so tapped out from all that I have already said yes to doing, I’m exhausted. And I can’t believe all the extra things on my calendar this month.”

The extra lift that is the holiday season and year end is absolutely real. All of it can take a toll on our budgets, sleep cycle, waistline, patience, and sensibilities. In such times, I turn again and again to a poem by John O’Donohue: “A Blessing for One Who is Exhausted.” There I find wisdom in lines like these:

"You have traveled too fast over false ground; \ Now your soul has come to take you back. \ Take refuge in your senses, open up\ To all the small miracles you rushed through. \ Imitate the habit of twilight, \ Taking time to open the well of color \ That fostered the brightness of day. \ Draw alongside the silence of stone \ Until its calmness can claim you. Be excessively gentle with yourself."

Somehow they return me to possibility. I may be tired, but I’m not drained and I don’t want to tap out. Instead of being weighed down by shoulds, I have a willingness to explore what yearns for a yes from me. The place where I give not from obligation, but from love and possibility.

Years ago now, IKEA ran an experiment called “The Other Letter.” A group of children was invited to write a letter to the three kings (the equivalent of Santa) with the list of what they wanted. As you can imagine, the letters were filled with requests for the latest toys and gadgets. All the presents they would hope to open.

Then, the IKEA folks asked the children to write a second letter. This one would go to their parents. What would you like from your parents this Christmas? Amazingly, touchingly, tenderly, the responses weren’t things. To a child, the requests were for time together, meals, attention, trying new things, stories, and play. Interestingly, the parents weren’t surprised. They new the toys were a substitute. And it has me wondering about how often our generosity is in service of things that are substitutes for the things that our people are truly yearning for. Then too, I wonder if, like the children, we have stopped asking for what we actually need.

I look forward to exploring these questions with you, as we practice what it might mean to expand our yes.

Blessings & love,

Rev. Wendy

Board of Trustees Meeting Summary

The November Board of Trustees meeting focused on finalizing the plans for the Congregational Meeting and next steps towards concluding The Power of Our Name process. Trustees considered dates and finalized plans for community conversations designed to engage members in meaningful conversations around our future name. Trustees also voted to approve Cheryl Barr’s appointment to the Leadership Nominating Committee.

Planned Giving: A Legacy of Generosity

Generosity is at the heart of our Unitarian Universalist faith. It is the spirit that sustains JUC, nurtures justice, and carries love into the wider world. Planned

giving is a unique expression of that generosity, one that extends beyond our lifetime. By including JUC in your end-of-life planning, you create a legacy that ensures our values continue to thrive for generations to come. This special form of giving is not only a practical way to steward your resources, but also a profound

act of love and vision. Through planned gifts, we honor the past, strengthen the present, and invest in the future. Your generosity becomes a lasting beacon, guiding JUC with hope and courage. For more information, please contact Bud & BJ Meadows or Carol Wilsey.

Learn More About Planned Giving

Amy Stasch

As I sit with the word "generosity," I'm spending a few days with my sister and cousin in a family beach house in California, where we've spent many gatherings throughout the mundane, and the highs and lows of life. We're catching up on our lives, planning gatherings, and trying to figure out dates and nuances of jumbled memories past. I'm thinking about the generosities of spending time together, and of assuming the best in people.

I regularly use the phrase 'life is life-ing' to shorthand that things are complex, and someone is 'going through it.' As we've sat this weekend talking about gatherings past, slights that occurred, rifts that developed in some corners of the tapestry of our big family (seriously! 25+ aunts and uncles and 40+ cousins), I've thought about the various ways that 'life has been life-ing' for those individuals in those times of gathering, and how family was the space where they could (or couldn't) be a bit messy. Was family ready to receive in that moment and offer generosity, or did rough edges sharpen into a rift? Unfortunately in many cases, rifts began, some of which have since been mended, and some have not. As I reflect on the lessons to be learned from my ancestors, I think, how can I carry these lessons forward? Can I receive others' actions (and needs) with generosity and support, and also, generously express my own needs (rather than expecting another to guess)?

Our church leadership offers the witty definition: 'generosity: the practice of expanding our yes,' and I think about how I can practice expanding my yes in relationships. For me, expanding that yes includes showing up when I'm tired, or it's inconvenient, because someone else may feel supported in my presence. It's not letting things fester. Saying yes and dancing with the partner that might be conflict or discomfort, and having the conversation. It's being fully present within that conversation, thinking about how it can be a 'yes' experience for all of us in it (rather than a negative). It's thinking about how covenant can be expansive, and relevant far beyond church walls. How can I say 'yes' to supporting the steady work of relationship and community throughout the terrain of my life?

Gratitude is more than a feeling. It’s a stance, a spiritual practice that shapes how we see the world and how we show up in it. This December, we’re invited to notice not just the gifts that are easy to name, but also the deeper currents that sustain us: the teachers who have shaped us, the communities that hold us, the songs that have carried us through joy and struggle alike. Gratitude deepens our resilience. It connects us to something larger than ourselves.

In that spirit of gratitude and grounded connection, I’m thrilled to share a special opportunity coming in February: The Colorado UU Resistance & Resilience Music Revival! Hosted at JUC and sponsored by the Colorado UU Music Leaders (CUUML), this day-long workshop is for musicians, choir members, and anyone curious about the intersection of music and justice (no experience needed!). This isn’t a concert – it’s an immersive experience in the powerful legacy of music and justice hosted right here in our church.

The day includes three sessions: rhythm for singers, singing for resistance & resilience, and a drumming & spirituality session, inviting us to experience the power of collective rhythm making. You can register for individual sessions or join us for the whole day.

Registration is now open, and spots will fill quickly. Whether you’re longing for renewal in your musical life, seeking deeper grounding in justice-centered creative practice, or simply wanting to learn and sing in community, this revival is for you.

Let your gratitude guide you into connection. Into learning. Into song. Into a more resilient way of being, together.

November has been a beautiful month full of opportunities to grow and connect. Neighboring Faiths went on their second field trip to the Islamic Center in Golden, HSYG had a great time playing disc golf in Arvada, COA went on their second Mentor Mixer to Fiske Planetarium in Boulder, and Elementary OWL finished their 4th/5th grade session. These are just a few things that we have done to grow our hearts and grow our faith in this community.

I traveled to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for the Liberal Religious Educators Conference, where I connected with other religious leaders in New England. I became the resident pianist for our worship services in a beautiful historic church. I attended a New DRE workshop, a Creating Safe Spaces workshop, a Retaining Volunteers workshop, and much more! I feel grateful and nourished from this experience.

December brings a whole new adventure for our Faith Exploration Program! We are planning many celebrations and activities to lift up the spirit of the season. Our children will create Christmas cards for our homebound members, Neighboring Faiths will help lead our Solstice Service, and COA will decorate cookies for our I♥️Xmas concert.

WE NEED SINGERS! The First Universalist Society of Denver has invited us to sing with them on December 13, along with First Unitarian. Children and youth ages 6-18 are invited to participate. Please consider signing up for this special opportunity. We will gather together to rehearse and then sing at Sunrise Senior Living in Denver. Sign up here to find out more.

In this Month of Generosity, I ask you to be generous with yourself. Be generous with giving yourself grace, letting go of perfectionism, and knowing the magic that you are as your whole and holy self.

"My darling" by Nikita Gill:

You are not small.

You are not unworthy.

You are not insignificant.

The universe wove you from a constellation,

just so atom, every fibre in you comes from

a different star.

Together, you are bound by stardust, altogether

spectacularly created by the energy of the

universe itself.

And that, my darling,

is the poetry of physics,

the poetry of you.

When I was younger one of my favorite things, like most kids, was Christmas morning, when you run downstairs and get to open presents. I remember one year I had been asking, no, begging, for a camera. I wanted to be a photographer and go around taking pictures of everything! I didn’t grow up in a home where we had a lot of money, but I was sure that Santa could figure something out. That morning my family went one by one and opened presents, and sure enough, there was something from Santa! I ripped it open and there was a camera, not brand new, but second-hand. I didn’t know much about stuff like that then; I was just so thrilled. I was ready to take on the world with my camera.

I took pictures of everything! Later in life I learned that one of our friends from

church had given that to my parents to give me because they knew they weren’t going to be able to afford one for me. That year I felt the magic of Christmas because one person gave something away that they no longer used, but that meant the world to me. That generosity gave me hope and kept up the magic that may not have been there at all. I tell this story because sometimes the things we take for granted might mean the world to someone else, and all we need to do is open our hearts to give. Imagine, I’m still telling this story that happened 35 years ago because I'll forever be grateful for this person. That is the impact they had on my life. Imagine what you can do for someone that might last their lifetime. Giving money isn’t the only thing, time and treasure are a huge piece of the offering to church as well. Be generous with your treasure and time this season, let’s see how much of a difference we can make in the lives of each other and our community. Blessed Be JUC. May your season be bright!