The Power of Our Name

The Power of Our Name Voting Opens Today!

Dear Members,

Last spring, the congregation voted—by 82%—to move forward with changing our name. Hundreds of name ideas were submitted, refined, and discussed collectively with respect and consideration of both our current congregation and those we hope to welcome. We are grateful for the care, courage, and imagination that brought us to this moment.

The Board has selected three finalist names:

Common Flame Unitarian Universalist

Alpenglow Unitarian Universalist

Journey Unitarian Universalist

The vote also includes whether to use "church" or "congregation" as our noun.

You will find narratives for each name below, all of which were generated from the insights and stories received in the Community Conversation Series. We invite you to read them and reflect not only on what you prefer, but on what each name calls us toward.

Criteria

The Board relied on the naming committee to assess the results of the community conversations, through which preferences and voices were captured. We then created a final set of criteria to evaluate the finalists. We want a name that reflects these qualities:

1. “Always lets us in, but never lets us off”: reflects our nature as a welcoming people, while underscoring the invitation to live our faith actively and courageously.

2. Holds space for spirit and sacredness: symbolizes our faith beyond our designation as a church or congregation alone

3. Connects us to something greater: reflects our growth, evolution, and belonging within a larger whole

A note regarding Journey:

During our final review, we identified that several Front Range faith communities include “Journey” in their name—information that had not surfaced during earlier phases of discernment. This could cause confusion for someone searching for our church. Out of respect for the resonance many expressed for this name, we chose to keep it as a finalist and bring this additional context forward for your consideration.

Voting opens today, and remains open through Sunday, March 1. We are using a ranked-choice voting process on the names so that your full range of preference can be expressed.

Eligibility: Members who joined the congregation on or before January 17 are eligible to vote.

VOTE NOW

As an alternative to voting with the online form, you may:

Print and complete this ballot or request that a ballot be mailed to you by calling 303-279-5282 ext. 0, or by emailing office@jeffersonunitarian.org. Please include your mailing address.

This decision will shape how we introduce ourselves to our neighbors, how we root ourselves in our faith, and how we continue to co-create our shared future. We encourage you to approach your vote with reflection and care for the whole of our congregation.

Thank you for the trust you have placed in the Board. We look forward to stepping into this next chapter together.

With respect and gratitude,

Your Board of Trustees

Narratives for each finalist, created during the Community Conversation Series:

Common Flame strongly represents our principles, missions, and values, drawing on the chalice—a primary symbol of Unitarian Universalism—while avoiding religious language that might exclude seekers from diverse backgrounds. The name reflects how individual sparks come together to create something greater, with each person contributing—weaker sparks can be fed and stronger ones can feed others in mutual support. "Common" invites all people to belong, emphasizing our shared humanity and collective pulling together rather than hierarchy or exclusivity, while "flame" feels warm, hip, and extraordinary—a welcoming beacon that draws people into community. This theme is immediately recognizable to other UUs and communicates both our UU identity and our commitment to creating a space where everyone can find their place in the warmth of our shared light.

Alpenglow is a powerful metaphor for the spirit of light that animates our faith even when its source is unseen. This name honors our sacred connection to the natural world and reflects our seventh principle, respect for the interdependent web of all existence, grounding our faith in relationship rather than hierarchy. Like our cherished flame and chalice symbol, Alpenglow represents light persisting against darkness—the light of reason, the warmth of community, and the flame of hope—imagining our congregation as a collective chalice receiving and reflecting light outward to a world in need. As a phenomenon of transition belonging equally to dawn and dusk, it honors both our elders whose wisdom radiates from lives fully lived and our children and youth at their rising dawn, ensuring every generation is held, valued, and included.

Journey is a name that captures movement and the active nature of our spiritual lives, reflecting that we are continually changing and growing rather than seeking a fixed destination. This name honors that each of us is at a different point on our personal path while journeying together as a community. Journey encompasses everything we are about without being triggering or overly prescriptive, welcoming humanists and seekers alike. As we travel together, we serve as a compass for each other, supporting one another through life's ever-changing landscape with the understanding that the journey itself, not the destination, is what matters most.