President's Message

A message from Board President Tim Miller

I used all of my remaining good graces with Ms. Nikki Bauer, our excellent Office administrator, when she allowed me to submit these words well after the monthly newsletter deadline. We wish her well in her new endeavors; she will be missed. 

After a busy, eventful year, your Board of Trustees took a bit of a break in July, meeting just once for a Deep Chair discussion. Still, things got done. We signed the lease and welcomed Amy Eckhart and her infant/toddler childcare business to Columbine House starting July 21st; I hope you saw the follow up story in Wednesday’s Durango Herald. Also, earlier this week, we refined and issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) document to some local architects and design/build firms to gauge their interest in preparing conceptual drawings of what you told us you’d like to see if we were to proceed with a new fellowship/multi-use hall. And we’re thinking about tangible ways we can engage with the greater community in the coming year - more on this next month.

As many of you know, we’re continuing to encourage our enthusiastic minister to make sure she takes the vacation and study leave time she’s earned!

Finally, the Finance Guy in me can’t help remarking on how well members did fulfilling their pledges for the most recent church year. Your support is appreciated and gratifying: thank you.

Tim Miller

August News from Spiritual Growth Ministry

Funday Sundays

The summer fun continues through August as volunteers from the congregation share their interests and hobbies in the children’s Sunday morning classes. Carolyn Miller will share her fossil collection on August 3. Rev. Jamie will lead a creative clay activity on August 10. Kids will help Werner Heiber tend the overflowing raised bed gardens in the backyard of Columbine House on August 17. The following Sunday, August 24, kids will harvest their garden produce and cook it up with Lisa McCorry. On the last Sunday of the month, August 31, Trenton Wann will assist the kids in glazing their clay creations. Many thanks to all the volunteers who contributed to this summer of Funday Sundays. 

Thanks to Bonnie Miller and Teresa Jordan for serving on Sundays as the Point Person for the children’s programing throughout the summer. We look forward to onboarding a soon-to-be-hired Spiritual Growth Ministry Facilitator who will manage these responsibilities going forward. 

UUFD Youth Group

Lots of youth-full energy this summer! Many thanks to Grace Frazier, Ben Stewart, Lilah McVeigh and Nate Trefry for serving as Youth Kids Camp Leaders at Pine Song. They were excellent in helping camp to run smoothly, supporting younger campers, and modeling positive participation. And they were a lot of fun!

Six youth successfully fulfilled their quest in a rousing game of Dungeons & Dragons held in Columbine House in July. Dungeon Master extraordinaire, Brian Govreau, created vivid scenes of challenges and opportunities for each character to face. Our youth persisted through the ups and downs their characters experienced so that good came out in the end! Pizza and ice cream fortified them for their mission. The next date for a role-playing game will be August 15 at 6:00 pm.

UUFD Preschool Class Volunteers

Many, many thanks are owed to the faithful group of volunteers who have nurtured our littlest UUs this summer while our preschool teacher was away for summer break. Their service made it possible for parents and grandparents to more fully participate with other adults during Sunday worship services. When you see them, please thank Allison Andersen, Sherrod Beall, Megan Dugan, Susie Francis, Brenda Huffman, Teresa Jordan, Elizabeth Long, Bonnie Miller, Lisa McCorry, Liza Tregillus, and Becca Trefry for their service and care of our “littles.”

If you are interested in developing your own spiritual growth by serving in the UUFD Preschool Class, please contact Teresa Jordan at tjordan50@icloud.com for more information.

Kids’ Camp at 4 Corners UU Retreat

On Saturday, July 12, fifteen children enjoyed a day-long schedule of supervised activities. Thanks to Kids’ Camp Director Nikki Bauer for organizing all the assistants and supplies for the activities. Thanks, too, to the volunteers who worked with the children to make it all happen and to our four Youth Leaders. Megan Dugan led an opening vespers service for the Kids’ Camp, and then in the afternoon, she led a bracelet beading activity, too. Mike Trefry set up a low-ropes course which was a fun challenge for the kids. Erika Sueker had all the children making music together with their handmade instruments. In the afternoon, Mike and Becca Trefry supervised a paddle board/swimming activity at the lake, while Dan and Susan King organized a lake side hike. The four preschool-aged children in attendance enjoyed activities led by Alvina Heath and Liesl Dees in and around the screened tent in the Kids’ Camp area.

Thank you to the Carpenters for sharing, once again, their lovely property for the 4 Corners UU Retreat at PineSong. Lois and Ken are a model of generosity and such a gift to UUFD. Thanks, too, to Karen and Bob Klinger, the Carpenter’s daughter and son-in-law, for managing all the many details to make the retreat such a success.

From Adult Spiritual Growth Ministry Team

Thank you to those who visited us during the ‘un-workshops’ at Pine Song. We took notes on lots of good ideas and suggestions and the team will be meeting to prioritize next steps. Team members include Beth Connors, Bonnie Miller, Julie Jordan, Liz Volz, and Paul Senecal. Contact any team member to share your ideas.

From the Search Team: Spiritual Growth Ministry Facilitator

Team members Rev. Jamie, Teresa Jordan, Eli Ware, Nate Trefry, Allison Andersen, and Bonnie Miller are in the latter part of the search process. The team is very pleased with the level of interest received about the position and are interviewing finalists to identify the best candidate for our next Spiritual Growth Ministry leader. Once that person is selected and confirms

acceptance an announcement will be made to the congregation.

Recital Series

Many thanks to all those who helped with the third recital last spring on May 2.  I do not have all the names but do wish to mention some specifically:  Tricia Bayless who took care of finances and turned pages for me, Tom Miller for sound engineering and helping to move the piano, Teresa Jordan who posted fliers, Julie Jordan who coordinated the reception, and Shanan Orndorff who put together the flier and program as she has done all year.  

For various reasons, I had a very late start in designing a series for this coming season.  It will be slimmed down to three recitals.  The first one is scheduled for Sept. 12 and will feature Hollywood inspired chamber music to be performed by Helen Goode, clarinet, Carolyn Beck, bassoon and Cynthia Williams, piano.  Jared Wright, Artistic Director for Southwest Civic Winds, has put together a group of five musicians referred to as The Civic Winds Jazz Collective.  On Nov. 7, they will present an evening of music inspired by jazz, America’s art form.  The musicians are Jared Wright, trumpet, Michelle Wagner, tenor saxophone, Chad MacCluskey, bass, Jack Maines, piano and Clay Lowder, drum kit.  The last recital will feature Michael Hix, baritone from Albuquerque, along with Marilyn Garst at the piano on April 24, 2026.  Michael appeared on our series previously in 2018 along with 3 other singers in “A Night at the Opera.”  Please add these recital dates to your calendars.  

Marilyn Garst, Artistic Director

Must Read for Pledgers Using VANCO Autopay

Anyone using Vanco must go to the Donate link on the website (or this link here) to update their giving information for the start of the new UUFD fiscal year.

Please make sure to update the start date to July 1, 2025, and review any changes in amount or frequency.

If you have questions or need help, contact kadams@mcw.edu.

Also, if you haven’t already, now is the time to complete your pledge for the 2024–2025 fiscal year (ending June 30, 2025). 

Reminder for end of fiscal year. 

If you haven’t already completed your fiscal year July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025 pledge payment, please complete as soon as possible. Finance people are wanting to close the books.  

If you don’t know if it is complete or not, you can check in your Breeze data base page OR check with Stewardship Chair -Kathleen Adams -   kadams@mcw.edu OR  financeclerk@durangouu.org.

Thanks to all for your gifts of TIME, TALENT & TREASURE to our Beloved Community