August 2019
IN THIS ISSUE
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Rev. Katie's Animas View


Over a hundred years ago a Chicago humorist said something like, "The newspaper does everything for us. It comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable."

In decades throughout the last century, that phrase has been used not only for the newspaper, but also to name the duty of the church. Some of us need comfort, and others may have just a little too much. 

I have always loved the way UU minister and historian Mark Morrison-Reed expresses our goal: 

The central task of the religious community is to unveil the bonds that bind each to all. There is a connectedness, a relationship discovered amid the particulars of our own lives and the lives of others. Once felt, it inspires us to act for justice.

It is the church that assures us that we are not struggling for justice on our own, but as members of a larger community. The religious community is essential, for alone our vision is too narrow to see all that must be seen, and our strength too limited to do all that must be done. Together, our vision widens and our strength is renewed.

His reminder is not so much about comfort and discomfort, but about the powerful role of community, and covenant - these agreements that we make to not only speak, but to listen. 

Our leaders have been talking about how we embody this mission. We know that vital congregations do a good job with the basic tasks of ministry: (1) reaching out to, making room for, and welcoming newcomers, (2) providing inspiring worship services that touch both the head and the heart, (3) providing opportunities for people to learn and grow, (4) caring for one another, and (5) serving the wider community.

Let us continue to strive together for this vitality, on the arc toward the Beloved Community. 

Always in the love,

Rev. Katie

SundayServicesAugust Services

SUMMER SERIES

August 4  
Summer Series: Clarence Darrow 
-Frank Lockwood, pulpit guest
Darrow never joined a Unitarian or Universalist church, but was in regular attendance. How do we, too, side with the principle of truth and civil liberty?  

August 11 
Summer Series: Antoinette Brown Blackwell 
-Vanessa Self, pulpit guest
Antoinette Brown Blackwell was the first American woman to be ordained as minister by a congregation. How similar or different are the times we live in today?

August 18   
Summer Series: Prophetic Words and Deeds 
-Rev. Katie Kandarian-Morris
"We are all bound up together in one great bundle of humanity," proclaimed Frances Watkins Harper, and we have seen that this summer in glimpses of our history. How might we enrich our lives from these lessons of existence? 

August 25 
Book Communion: Freedom by the Page 
-Rev Katie Kandarian-Morris
Maybe UUs could be called "people of a book," because we like to read. Bring a good book to give away, and take another home. We'll gather them all on the altar, and celebrate the gifts of learning. 


PresidentsMessagePresident's Message
Tom McCampbell

Dear Friends,

I hope your summer has been full of fun!  These beautiful, long, sunny days afford us  space and time to enjoy hikes with friends, bike rides, family vacations, picnics, paddling fun,  and quiet moments to tend our gardens.  Enjoy it all!

Traditionally, summer is also the time when congregational leaders gather in retreat to reflect  on the past and make plans for the future.  Your elected Board of Trustees, along with Reverend Katie, will be meeting later this month to do just that.

Our retreat will give us a chance reconnect, recharge, and re-engage, not just with each other as board members, but with our congregation's mission and our important work.  Retired UU minister Nancy Bowen will facilitate our gathering at the Carpenter family's lovely Pine Song cabin.  Many thanks to Lois and Ken!

The board will create two important pieces of work at this year's retreat: a set of Open Questions about our congregation's future, and an Annual Vision of Ministry.  The Annual Vision of Ministry is, in essence, the board's list of priorities for the coming year.

Open Questions flow from a few things the board is pondering, but need help answering.  The Open Questions are an invitation to you to participate in the shaping of UUFD's future.  We welcome your influence.  Open Questions are a tool for sharing the collective wisdom and vision of this congregation.  They are crafted to stimulate thoughtful and expansive conversations between the board and congregational members about the culture of our fellowship, who we want to be, and perhaps, how we will get there.

Our plan is to announce the Open Questions in early fall and then schedule a series of "cottage meeting" type gatherings to discuss them.  It will be illuminating!  In the meantime, enjoy the summer!

In our shared faith,

Tom

frolic


Chair & Committee:  Becky Malecki, Deb Anderson, Mary Hockett, Mary O'Neill, Elizabeth Long and Allison Andersen

We will be having our fifth FROLIC September 27 starting at 5:00 pm and the tradition of fun, good food, entertainment and fabulous auction items will continue.  Someone will be at a FROLIC table after each Sunday service through September 22, where you can purchase tickets for the event ($10 for adults and kids free!) and pick up or turn in a donation form describing what you can contribute to the auction. Auction donation items are due by September 1 .  You can also go to the UUFD website durangouu.org and complete a donation form online.

There will be a silent auction, live auction, and bid board for dinners. New this year, the silent auction will include fixed value priced items - all at $50 or less.  For every dinner in the Board Auction, we will have a raffle available for $20 for two spots.  You can enter a raffle for as many dinners as you want and if your name is drawn, you and a friend will be going to one of the amazing gourmet dinners you will read about in the catalog to come.  Stop by the FROLIC table to see a list of ideas about donations...everyone contributing something makes for a wide range of interesting items/services that members and friends can bid on and try to make theirs. 

Stay tuned for news of how the Board of Trustees will use this year's FROLIC proceeds.   Our FROLIC theme is "Deepening Connections."  Come and join the fun and make some new friends in our fellowship.  

The FROLIC couldn't happen without the generous contributions and volunteer work of so many of you.  We still have need of some help with assorted tasks, so if can give some of your time, please contact one of the committee members or stop by our table for more information.

Don't miss out - mark your calendars now!

choirChoir begins rehearsals - new singers welcome!

The UUFD choir, "The Diversitones," will begin rehearsals on Wednesday, September 4, from 7 to 8:30 pm. All are invited to join, no matter your level of experience. Contact Elizabeth for more information.


Social Responsibility and Justice special feature

UUFD has made it a practice every year to donate funds on the first Sunday of each month to a locally-based organization committed to justice work.  All cash received, plus all checks with 'Share the Plate' on the memo line, are donated to selected recipients.  

Currently, we annually accept nominations for four new recipients, with each selected recipient receiving funds for a three month period.  Throughout the month of August, UUFD members and friends can nominate a worthy recipient by completing a nomination form on the UUFD website, or picking up a hard copy form at the SRJ table and turning it in.  The Social Responsibility and Justice Coordinating Team reviews and selects new recipients in September, and the first new recipient period begins in October.

Criteria for nominations includes:
  • nonprofit organization based in the Four Corners area
  • work is focused on pressing social justice issue
  • preference given to organizations working on UUFD's current social justice priorities - Basic Needs, LGBTQ, Healing Racism, Immigration, Environment

The SRJ Coordinating Team is grateful for the increasing number of nominations received, recognizing that UUFD's generous donations make a significant difference to the receiving organizations and their resources to do their work.  If you have an organization or project that you believe needs additional resources and is doing important justice work, please consider nominating them this August.  Listed below is our recent history of selected recipients.

October 2016-September 2017 (*one month)
Thrive Living Wage
4 Corners Rainbow Youth Center
The Garden Project of Southwest Colorado
*4STAR (Four Corners Support for Transgender people, Allies and Relatives)
*Real History of the Americas
*Volunteers of America

October 2017-September 2018
Durango Food Bank
Women's Resource Center
Compañeros 4 Corners Immigrant Resource Center
Be Frank Foundation

October 2018-September 2019
Real History of the Americas
Café au Play
4 Corners Rainbow Youth Center
Durango Adult Education Scholarship Fund

From October 2016 through July 2019, UUFD donated a total of $31,072.66 to the organizations/projects listed above.  Our generous hearts are to be celebrated!

coffeeCoffee and Connections
Special pre-worship gathering time for newer members and guests

A new ministry is coming to UUFD! Coffee & Connections is a special time for new members and guests to get to know us and/or ask questions about the church. We realize our fellowship time following the Sunday morning worship can be a bit intimidating for a new member or returning guest, and it is our hope that Coffee & Connections might be a time when new folks could develop relationships with others in a more intimate setting. Also, we hope to continue in the tradition of our 1 st Sunday Family Breakfast and make this a monthly event as well. Our first official meeting will be Sunday, August 11 th at 9:15 am in Bowman Hall. If you're a new member or guest who has been looking for a way to meet more congregation members or to become more involved, please come and join us for a cup of coffee (or tea, juice) and a bite to eat! And bring the kids too! If you have any questions please email Shannon at connections@durangouu.org. 


CUUPSCUUPS Corner
Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans

August 1, 6:30 pm, Bowman Hall
Please join us for our annual Lammas celebration! Potluck to follow.

Aug 15, 6:30 pm, Columbine House
Druid meeting as we study all things Celtic.

Aug 22, 6:30 pm, Bowman Hall
Please join us as we study Sacred Movement. Regardless of physical condition it will be wonderful!

Gentle Star Woman/Linda Gumper
CUUPS of the Half Moon
visit us on Facebook at CUUPS of the Half Moon (@cuups.org)