JUC Crier 2 23 15

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February 23, 2015 • [email protected] • www.jeffersonunitarian.org • Volume 2015, Issue 4

The JUC CrierThe Newsletter of the Jefferson Unitarian Church14350 W. 32nd Avenue • Golden, Colorado 80401 • 303-279-5282

Sunday, March 1 • 9:15 & 11 a.m. • Infant/toddler care provided.

Learning to Bouncepresented by Rev. Wendy Williams, Senior Minister

We turn this month to Resilience. Why do some things survive literal and metaphorical winters, while others do not? How might learning to bounce increase our chances of not only surviving but thriving? Music: Worship Band; Adam Revell, piano.

Sunday, March 8 • 9:15 & 11 a.m. • Infant/toddler care provided.

Selma Sundaypresented by Rev. Eric Banner, Assistant Minister

Nearly fifty years ago, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sent a telegram to faith leaders around the country, including Unitarian Universalists, calling on them to join him in Selma—and Unitarian Universalists heeded the call. Now, UUs are once more being called to continue witnessing against the disease of racism. Come worship together as we symbolically cross the bridge for

justice on Selma Sunday. Music: JUC Choir; Adam Revell, piano.

☛ Looking ahead to… Sunday, March 15: Children’s Musical: Roots and Wings presented by the Children’s and Radiance Choirs with Katie Bradford and Sarah Billerbeck, Director of Music for Children and Youth. To be resilient, we need strong roots to ground us and strong wings to help us explore all that life has to offer. Our children and youth will dramatize ideas about how we keep ourselves both grounded and free. Music: Adam Revell, Cadence and Harmony Fisher, Joe Stone.

Evergreen Campus Sunday, March 1 • 4 p.m.

2981 Bergen Peak Dr.(at Congregation Beth Evergreen)

In the Face of Resistancepresented by Rev. Eric Banner, Assistant Minister

We hear messages throughout our life that if things are difficult, something is going wrong. But the true test of our resilience isn’t how we do when things are easy, but when they are hard. Music: Laura Lizut, piano. Worship Associate: Kim Hassinger.

Worship services held on first and third Sundays at 4 p.m. 2981 Bergen Peak Dr.

(at Congregation Beth Evergreen)If you wish to be informed about news regarding our Evergreen

campus, please contact Sue Parilla, Director of Congregational Engagement ([email protected]).

1 Visitors' Circle • 2nd & 4th Sundays 5 minutes after each service (Meet @ the Welcome Table)

For newcomers: an informal discussion to answer your questions about Unitarian Universalism and JUC.

Next session: March 8.

1 Path to MembershipSaturday, April 25 • 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (chapel)

Designed to familiarize those considering joining JUC with some of our staff, our diverse programs and activities, UU history and the responsibilities and benefits of membership. Sessions include child care and a light lunch. You may RSVP at the Sign Up Site or call the JUC office (303-279-5282). Please call Annie Hedberg, Membership Coordinator (303-279-7451), for more information on the joining process.

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Blessings, Wendy

Fanning

Rev. Wendy Williams, Senior Minister (303-279-5282 ext. 13; [email protected])

Rev. Eric Banner, Assistant Minister (303-279-5282 ext. 28; [email protected])

On Fire

In Faith,Eric

While there’s still snow on the ground as I write this, I know the spring will be here before we know it. And that means planning is beginning for things that are still months away. One of those things is the renewal of our commitments to social justice, and here at Jefferson Unitarian Church, we have a process for doing that.

For many years, our Social Responsibility Council has served as the central gathering place for justice efforts in our congregation. The Council has been composed of leaders from each of our social justice task forces, and those task forces are approved or renewed at the spring congregational meeting. But how, you might be asking, do they get on the agenda for the congregational meeting?

They get there through your efforts! Our church currently has four social justice task forces: Housing & Poverty,

Green, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and Food & Nourishment, in addition to our all church project, Just Neighboring. Each of these teams was started, and is sustained, by the efforts of lay members of our church who commit to serve, educate, advocate and lead for justice.

At this time of year, groups of members who have an interest in a social justice effort that they think will fit well with the work of our church can download a task force application from our website (http://www.jeffersonunitarian.org/SocialJustice).

At the April meeting of the Social Responsibility Council, our team will review task force applications. Those that are approved go on to be voted on at the spring congregational meeting. If you’d like to learn more about social justice efforts at our church, feel free to reach out to me with all your questions. Drop me an email, give me a phone call, or just catch me at church during the week.

Ours is a faith that calls us to work for justice, and I’m deeply heartened by the commitment our members have to changing the world both within and outside our walls. May you keep the fire of justice burning in all that you do.

As I write this, my mind and heart are still flooded with the sound of the JUC Choir (52 voices strong) bringing to life a few Spirituals. Born of the slave trade, the Sorrow Songs were passed from plantation to plantation and generation to generation through the oral tradition. They were lamentations and stories and escape plans, as well as hope-filled dreams that spoke to the yearning underneath all the sorrow.

Dr. King brought these songs into the modern era as a force to unify people in the quest for civil rights for all. Quite literally, it was the sound track of an era.

It is good to sing these songs anew to remind ourselves of what can be accomplished when people come together toward a shared mission. It is good to be reminded that singing entrains our mind toward a larger hope and helps move our feet in a shared direction. It is good to recall that for all the Civil Rights era accomplished, there were things left undone. Surely, we know, this is not the Promised Land. There is work yet to be done.

A few weeks ago, I attended a class with other Unitarian Universalist clergy called Love. Period. A powerful pastor, Rev. Jacqui Lewis from Middle Collegiate Church in NYC, led the class, sharing experiences and lessons learned from serving a large congregation for 11 years. That congregation is welcoming, artistic, bold and inclusive. It has become a resource church across denominations for becoming a multicultural congregation that stands together. Lewis let us peek behind the curtain at some of that congregation’s successes and struggles in embracing a theology of Love. Period. In short, Middle Collegiate believes it is called to build the beloved community.

Wisely, we spent time unpacking Beloved Community. While there were many words and ideas generated, I will share just a few that resonated deeply for me. The Beloved Community is aspirational. It is a transformational place where wholeness can

happen. A place where we are bound by a sense of kinship and trust, such that we can allow ourselves to be vulnerable enough to engage across differences.

The thrust of this work is motivated by the yearning beneath the sorrow many of us currently feel at the state of our country and world. While there is great overlap among social justice issues, the nexus for Middle Collegiate is race. Given the events in Ferguson, Missouri and Staten Island, NY, as well as rates of incarceration and poverty statistics, it is easy to understand that argument. As Lewis said, No matter your position on this case (Michael Brown), our nation is broken around issues of race. So, with hope as our impetus, we must lose the notion of faith as a spectator sport and engage racial injustice with peaceful protest.

Our own free faith is calling us to this work as well. Our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President, Rev. Peter Morales, and the UUA Board of Trustees, have called us to remember Selma to bear witness and to recall ourselves to the work yet to be done. We have been speaking of that from the pulpit. I reminded us of the words of James Baldwin: If we—and I mean the relatively conscious whites and the relatively conscious blacks, who must, like lovers, insist on, or create, the consciousness of others—do not falter in our duty now, we may be able, handful that we are, to end the racial nightmare, and achieve our country, and change the history of the world.

On March 8, we will commemorate Selma Sunday in solidarity with many of our fellow congregations. Rev. Eric Banner will offer a powerful reflection furthering our understanding of the work to which we are called.

Speaking of Selma, stay tuned for a class I will offer in the spring. We will discuss the book The Selma Awakening, written by the Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed. It is a look at how Unitarian Universalism was changed by the civil rights era. Understanding our historic engagement invites to look with open eyes and hearts to our present.

I love ending this column with See you in church. However, I won’t be seeing you as frequently as usual as I will be away from March 2–24. Betsy and I will be in Italy celebrating our recent marriage. Until then, I bid you peace and blessings.

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Religious Education MinistryAshley Johnson, Director of Religious Education ([email protected]; 303-279-5282, x18)

Understanding Young Religious UUsWhat Is YRUU?

YRUU is an acronym for Young Religious Unitarian Universalists. JUC’s YRUU group is for high school age youth (grades 9-12). Our programming is completely developed and led by volunteer adult advisors, youth, and other adult volunteers within the JUC community, and includes small group ministry-style meetings and workshops, worship and spiritual practice, and fun events like sleep-overs. Our youth also participate in YRUU programs and events at the district and regional level, such as youth conferences and training on peer chaplaincy and youth leadership.

Why Is YRUU an Important Part of Faith Formation at JUC?UU youth culture exemplifies the ideal of living in covenant

with each other: making commitments about how we will treat each other, abiding by rules that protect the health and spirit of the community, and holding each other accountable for acting accordingly. Whether they grew up at JUC or have come to us with no experience with UUism (perhaps because their parents are seeking a church home), we provide a welcoming and inclusive community where youth feel safe to bring their entire selves, ask questions and express opinions that they may not be able to express elsewhere. YRUU provides opportunities for youth to be leaders, to choose topics they want to explore, and to belong to a larger community of faithful UUs by creating meaningful connections with other youth and adults in our JUC community and the district. Being involved in youth ministry is also extremely rewarding for the adults! For many of us, being with JUC’s youth helps us continually deepen our own faith and reminds us why we value this community. Faith formation doesn’t have to end at high school graduation.

What Are the Goals of YRUU?YRUU’s goals include providing a welcoming and inclusive

community for youth to be their authentic selves, creating meaningful connections with other youth and adults within JUC and the broader UU community, empowering youth to be agents for positive change in our world, and facilitating the development of spiritual practices; all guided by our Principles and drawing wisdom from our Sources.

How Can People Help?What is it about being a UU that you are passionate about?

Do you have a favorite spiritual practice? Do you live your UU faith through social action, art or music? Is there something you would love to share with or teach to the next generation of UUs? Are you open to learning from the next generation and being transformed by the experience? Part of forming meaningful connections with adults within our JUC community is seeing adults actually demonstrate what being an adult UU looks like. Getting involved doesn’t require a long term commitment—we welcome guest workshop leaders. If you are interested in getting involved or leading a workshop, please talk with Ashley Johnson or Kelly Thomas. You will not be alone - we have seasoned volunteer advisors, Awesome Adults, and youth who know the ropes and can help you facilitate. We meet on Sundays at 11 a.m. for about an hour, but other days/times may be possible if your idea doesn’t fit in this time frame.

Beloved Community On Tuesday, February 17, members and visitors interested

in the development of UU youth met to hear Ashley Johnson, Director of Religious Education, explain JUC’s philosophy of religious education and share examples of how our community can provide a foundation for a lifetime. The event was hosted by the RE Ministry Steering Committee.

Are you looking for more information about what RE Ministry brings to JUC? Look for people wearing a new heart pin near their name tag. These individuals attended the event and are ready to spread the message.

2015 MLK Youth ConferenceThe 2015 MLK Youth Conference took place at the First

Unitarian Society of Denver on Martin Luther King weekend. This youth conference lasted two nights, culminating in the annual MLK Marade in Denver. There were just under 100 people in attendance (7 youth and 3 adults from JUC), spanning 4 states and 12 congregations with this year’s theme of We Can’t Wait, based on the title of Dr. King’s book on nonviolent take-down of racial segregation. We can’t wait for social justice to simply happen, we need to take a stand now and be proactive. Most of the time was spent with youth in tracks that they chose when registering: racial equality, immigration, GLBTQ issues, criminal injustice, and reproductive justice. A major theme of the conference was intersectionality: the idea that social categorizations such as race, class, and gender are in fact interdependent and overlap on issues of oppression, discrimination, or disadvantage. For more information on the MLK conference, visit blueboat.blogs.uua.org/2015/02/11/youth-together-for-justice to see the article written by Max Pivonka and Sofia Avery-Kapulski.

From the ClassroomsBarb Bailey, Adventurers (3- and 4- year old children)

A few weeks ago, magic happened in our Adventurers classroom. Fifteen of our cherubs sat around their table working on the art project, and there was absolute silence for quite a few minutes. Each one was totally absorbed in what he/she was creating. My team member, Karen Miller, and I were astounded and thrilled. Soon active children began to stir, but it is clear that young children can give everything of themselves to what they are doing.

Children’s Worship: First Sundays in the Chapel Sunday, March 1: Resilience

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Auction Item: JUC House Concert with Adam Revell and Friends

Sunday, March 8 • 2:30 p.m. This auction item sponsored by the JUC Choir begins in the south commons with a wine and goodies reception. At 3 p.m., we’ll move to the sanctuary to enjoy the fabulous piano styling of our own Adam Revell and friends. This concert will also feature a special choir number composed by Adam. There are still seats available for those of you who missed this event at the auction. Your $20 donation at the door is appreciated. Contact: Phyllis Bunting ([email protected]).

What Does It Mean to Be a People of Faith as Unitarian Universalists?

There are many synonyms for faith that have been highlighted in our small group ministry this month: trust, belief, confidence, conviction, hopefulness, ideology, creed, doctrine, teaching, acceptance, loyalty. The Rev. Theodore Parker, one of our ancestors through our Unitarian heritage, wrote (#683 in Singing the Living Tradition):

Be ours a religion which, like sunshine, goes everywhere; its temple, all space;

its shrine, the good heart; its creed, all truth;

its ritual, works of love; its profession of faith, divine living.

Believe it or not, there was a time in my life when I spoke to the idea of faith by talking about what I don’t believe in; my life has obviously taken a bit of a u-turn from that place. As I’ve thought about this month’s theme, the ideas of trust, hope and teaching have been lifted up for me, and I’ve been drawn to the wisdom I get from my heart and my gut.

Have you ever had a gut feeling? Or known something in your heart of hearts? I’ve had the spine tingling sensation, more than once, that I’m not alone, in a spiritual kind of way, which is ultimately one of those gut feelings. The most recent instance of this was when I was in the hospital last fall; I would wake in the middle of the night, in a strange room with noisy equipment all around, and while I was physically alone, I never felt like I was there by myself.

2nd TuesdaysLight Dinner • 6 p.m. (commons)

Worship • 6:30 p.m. (chapel)If your small group meets

on Tuesday night, you’ll be able to attend dinner, the worship service and your group meeting. Worship will be led by one of our ministers; soup and bread will be available for a modest donation. Sign up at the Sign Up Site or online (tinyurl.com/ToGatherTuesday) to donate a crock pot of soup/stew or bread. Cooks can be reimbursed up to $25 for ingredients if requested. Next ToGather Tuesday: March 10.

The Little Mermaid Sing-AlongSaturday, Feb. 28 • 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Disney lovers of all ages are welcome to come enjoy The Little Mermaid, and sing along with all the fabulous songs from the movie. Doors open at 5:45 p.m.

Arrive on time to visit with Ariel! You’ll have a chance to get photos, and she will grace us with her beautiful voice before we launch into her movie.

- Fun props make watching the movie interactive and silly- Sing along to great classics like Under the Sea, Kiss the

Girl, and Part of Your World- Costume contest with prizes- Trivia fun throughout the evening- Concessions during intermission, including beer and wine

for the grown-ups Want to help with this event? Contact Melissa Monforti

([email protected]; 303-455-4896).

Family Events

Game Night - In the Afternoon!Sat., March 14 • 2 to 5 p.m. • Mills bldg.

Intergenerational event hosted by JUC’s Community of Unitarians Raising Kids (CURK). This is a family-friendly afternoon of laid back fun. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Bring your favorite card games and board games, as well as a snack to share. Contact: Melissa Kaltenbach ([email protected]; 303-954-0780).

Lighting the PathBeckett Coppola, Intern Minister (303-279-5282 ext. 31; [email protected])

Blessings,Beckett

Sharon Daloz Parks wrote, Faith – one’s sense of the ultimate character of existence – not only centers the mind and provides a resting place for the heart. It is also the orienting guide of the hand. Faith determines action. Faith is manifest in act. Faith is intimately related to doing…. Our faith is revealed in our behavior. The deeper we walk together into this conversation on faith, and the conversation that is this one church, the more we can see these gut things—the heart things—to be the wisdom of our precious human bodies in action in the world.

This is one way for me to feel faith in my life, and envision bringing my faith to the world. Mahatma Gandhi wrote, Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into. How are you growing into your faith? When have you felt faith in your life? How do you plan to live your faith in the world this week?

We talked about these questions during our most recent ToGather Tuesday worship service, and it was a rich conversation. There was a sense of looking to our pasts and into our futures in a powerful community setting. I invite you to look now at these same questions, with your mind, your heart, and your gut, at home. Perhaps journal about them, or talk to someone at church on Sunday. Let it be a gentle inquiry, an exercise, an experiment in curiosity in the remaining few weeks of this month examining faith.

As a people of faith, we are called to live our faith out loud—to live boldly our call to the ever-evolving and shifting sands of Truth. Sometimes this is hard, sometimes easy, and always challenging, but as long as we have each other and JUC, we will have the resources we need to go ever deeper into the conversation. This is our profession of faith: One Love, One Church, One Journey.

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JUST NEIGHBORING http://jeffersonunitarian.org/All-Church-Project

Visit jeffersonunitarian.org/src for general information on SRC Task Forces and their goals.

. . . Green Task Force . . .

Solar to the Rescue?Thursday, Feb. 26 • 7 p.m. • sanctuary

Presented by Keith Emery, NRELThe solar industry has seen

a massive boom, making photovoltaics attractive for homeowners and utilities alike. Learn what fueled this revolution, which new technology allows it to thrive, whether there are further leaps in solar cell efficiency just ahead and why we’re not seeing many thin-film cells. And the biggest question: Can solar electricity be rolled out fast

enough to roll back climate change?Keith Emery has received several prestigious awards for his

influential research in photovoltaics. He and his wife Pat are longtime JUC members.

Contact: Martin Voelker (303-215-1110). Visit tinyurl.com/jcres-rsvp for more info. Co-sponsored by JUC’s Green Task Force, Colorado Renewable Energy Society, and Golden Earth Days.

Homeless Breakfast Since November, JUC volunteers have helped with the

Homeless Breakfast at Sloan’s Lake Community Church (2796 Utica St.). Every week, a different pair prepared food to serve breakfast to 50-60 people. This is a big thank-you to all of you who have participated.

We are now in need of volunteers for the month of March (and beyond). You can sign up on the Social Responsibility Council bulletin board. Food prep begins at 7 a.m. and breakfast is served at 9. Can’t volunteer? Please donate items to the food pantry. Suggestions are posted on the SRC bulletin board.

Food Bank for Seniors Seniors at the Edgewater Plaza (2250 Eaton St.) need help

with their food bank one Friday morning each month from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. They already have an arranged food delivery, but they need help unloading boxes, setting up tables, distributing food and putting tables away. They can use four people each time.

Upcoming dates are March 13, April 10 and May 8. Please sign up on the SRC bulletin board to volunteer for these dates and more throughout the year.

Lumberg Elementary Many of you have heard about the Lumberg Reading Club

where 23 JUCers are helping tutor 1st – 3rd grade students in reading. In addition, John Bradford has been helping a 1st grade class improve their math skills. Here’s a brief description from John of what he has been doing:

Last September I contacted Joel Newton with the Edgewater Collective and asked if he could find a first grade teacher at Lumberg Elementary who would be interested in having me come to her classroom and use Cuisenaire rods to teach mathematics. Joel found first grade teacher Suzanne Wawra, who arranged for me to come two days a week and meet with groups of 2-5 students at a time to work on mathematical concepts and skills. Cuisenaire rods are wooden sticks in ten different colors and sizes ranging from the smallest (a cubic centimeter) to the longest one which is 10 centimeters long. Students can discover for themselves mathematical patterns and facts using the rods as a model. After discovering patterns and facts, they can commit them to memory. I work with three groups of students each day, and in two days, I see all 22 students. I am excited with their interest and progress. They are presently able to solve problems like 28 + 16 using rods and are beginning to develop mental processes for solving such problems. Some have begun to work on basic multiplication patterns.

We still need tutors and substitutes for the Lumberg Reading Club. If you are interested or have questions about Just Neighboring, please contact Jill Armstrong ([email protected]).

Activity Leader OrientationTuesday, March 10 • 7 to 8:30 p.m.

JUC activity leaders and team members who organize, coordinate and plan will learn how to get activities scheduled, publicized and to work within our large church system. All are welcome. Sign up at the Sign Up Site. Contact: Sue Parilla ([email protected]; 303-279-5282, x24).

Composting No Longer Available at JUCWe recently had a sudden and unexpected cancellation of

our composting service here at JUC. And, unfortunately, upon researching alternatives, we’ve found there are currently none. Until there is more demand by other customers in our area, we are out of luck. We will eventually remove the compost containers, but for now any compost waste just goes in with the regular trash. Please be extra careful to handle recycling properly!

Lunch after Church Sunday, March 1 • 12:30 p.m.

Yianni’s Gyros Place (10450 W. Colfax)Join us for good food and conversation! See LeeAnne at

the Getting Connected table in the commons that morning, or just meet us there!

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Pastoral CareHow JUCers Care for Each Other

We Share in the Joys of…❦ Ayrolyn & Kevin Keady

❦ Betsy Brown & Wendy Williams

We Hold in Our Hearts…❦ Merry Luckenbill

❦ Bobbie Keating

❦ Sue Gunn

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Did You Know?Jeffco Partners for Interfaith Action (of which JUC is a

member) raised $47,000 during 2014 through the Pumpkin Patches for Habitat for Humanity to build new homes.

Hand in hand... Stone by stone.

Year Round Pledge Campaign Have You Noticed the Did You Know Series?

[email protected]; 720-CHURCH9

Your Year Round Pledge (YRP) Co-chairs are working to improve communications with the congregation about the YRP process, how it works, and how our pledges of financial support make everything happen at JUC. We could show lists of what goes to salaries, the mortgage and utilities, etc., but we suspect that’s not what folks are looking for. We will continue to have articles and testimonials that address the big picture, and we’re working on a much improved web page presentation, but we understand that people often want concrete examples.

Therefore, we have initiated a series of sound bite sized examples of the myriad things that the very existence of JUC has made possible over the years. Tucked here and there in the Crier, Sunday bulletin, and on our sanctuary and commons room screens will be brief descriptions of accomplishments both small and large, past and current, that would not have been possible

without the ongoing, sustaining support of our members and friends.

To the right are listed several of the Did You Know...? examples that have appeared in recent weeks. If you missed them before now, keep an eye out for future ones. If you have suggestions for more such tidbits, please contact Pat Emery ([email protected]) or Marci Sontag ([email protected]) with your ideas. We have to keep them short and to the point, but the more examples of

our past and current accomplishments, the merrier!

Did You Know...? In 2014, JUC knitters and quuilters made and donated 138

baby hats and 63 baby quilts/blankets to Denver Health Babies-in-Need program.

Last year, JUC hosted 47 homeless people through Family Promise, and members put in 1,421 volunteer hours to make it happen!

All sermons are available online via video or podcast and are easy to access if you miss a service.

We have a new Small Group Ministry program helping develop personal connections among JUCers. Groups meet at JUC and as far away as Littleton and Pine.

JUC’s first minister, Rev. Leon Hopper, responded to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call for ministers to join him in Selma, AL in 1965.

JUC’s newcomer welcoming and Path to Membership program were the subject of UUA General Assembly workshops and the first ever UU University!

~YRP Co-chairs, Pat Emery and Marci Sontag

CU Buffoons: Fun-Filled A CappellaSat., March 21 7 p.m.

Performing more than 60 shows per year, the song list of the Buffoons is very diverse, ranging from Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered to Dobie Gray’s Drift Away, to more contemporary songs such as Soul to Squeeze by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The CU Buffoons have been consistently successful in Colorado since the group’s creation over 45 years ago. They have produced over a dozen albums, sung the national anthem for all the major Colorado pro teams, and performed at diverse venues. Their song The Great Debate was named Best of College A Cappella in 2013.

$17 pre-sale / $20 day of showTickets available at the JUC office or online

(westsidelivepresents.org).

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Ongoing Affinity Groups

Groups on this page meet on a regular basis and welcome new members. Meeting locations are posted in the common areas of both church buildings.

✻ Ongoing Group: Issues in Aging • 4th Mondays • 7 p.m.Valerie Stone ([email protected]) We meet once a month to discuss a wide variety of issues related to aging. So far, we have covered getting an accurate diagnosis when dementia is suspected, resources for families dealing with dementia, caregiver issues, wisdom and exercise. Mon., Feb. 24: Dr. Michelle Winston presents The 6 Pillars of Brain Fitness and Brain Health, covering memory and attention exercises for healthy aging. Then she will lead us in some neurobics exercises!

Blue Mountain Meditation Group: 1st & 3rd Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. • Annie & John Hedberg (303-279-7451) For those practicing Eknath Easwaran’s Eight-Point Program for living a spiritual life in the everyday world. If you wish to join without the introductory course, read Passage Meditation by Easwaran and meditate 30 minutes daily for a month.Buddhist Sangha: 1st & 3rd Sundays, 5 p.m. • Doug Anderson ([email protected]; 720-474-6723) The Buddha was a highly unorthodox person. His teachings are not sets of dogma but rather propositions for people to investigate and validate for themselves. No experience necessary. Child care upon request. Charla! 1st & 3rd Sundays, 5 p.m. • Carol Drew (303-422-5977)Discuss important topics in Spanish. Intermediate level recommended.Covenant of UU Pagans (CUUPS) • Angela Priest ([email protected]; 303-877-6055)Dream Study: 2nd and 4th Mondays, 9:15 a.m. • Marie Schottler (303-278-8035; [email protected]) Based on the writings of Jeremy Taylor, in this gentle group process questions are asked of the dreamer leading to an aha! about his or her own dream. Please call before attending. Great Books Discussion Group: 2nd & 4th Mondays, 7:30 p.m. Dona Chilcoat (303-989-6945) Based on the idea that by reading from the great books of our civilization and discussing them with others, sharing insights and questions, you can reach a fuller understanding of these works than you could on your own. Issues in Aging: 4th Mondays, 5 to 7 p.m. • Jim Mayer (303-431-1740; [email protected]) Information and education on issues related to healthy aging and dementia, to include lectures, panels, and discussion. JUC Humanists • Chuck Mowry (303-989-3117) Working to help members become informed about Humanism as one of the Unitarian Universalist sources from which we draw an understanding of who we are. JUC Knitters: 3rd Fridays, 7 p.m. in members' homes • Jean Decker (303-274-9872; [email protected]) All knitters and crocheters are invited to join in making hats and blankets for Denver Health.Non-Violent Communication: 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 7 p.m. Dindy Fuller (720-402-4099)Anyone who has previously taken NVC training is eligible to participate. A great way to practice and improve your skills. Origins: 1st Wednesdays, 1 p.m. • Lisa Rountree ([email protected]; 720-273-7511) Explore religious origins and traditions through film and literature. Watch and discuss films like From Jesus to Christ, The Buddha and Sacred Journeys, and read and discuss works from historians such as Bart Ehrmann, Elaine Pagels, Reza Aslan and others. Open to all. Monthly selections are determined by participants. Poetry Group: 1st & 3rd Thursdays, 7 p.m. • Julie Excell ([email protected]; 541-778-4724) Explore poetry as an art form and a spiritual practice through appreciation of the work of master poets, and through writing and sharing your own poetry.

Quuilters' Group: 1st Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon • Jean Decker (303-274-9872; [email protected]) Call for meeting details.Retirees' Brown Bag Lunch: 1st Fridays, 11:30 a.m. • Betty Halladay (303-274-9144) Next meeting: March 6.Roving Readers: 4th Sundays, 12:30 p.m. • Mike Foster (303-456-2647) Open to anyone who reads the monthly selection. Books selected by group participants. March 22: Seabiscuit and/or Unbroken (Hillenbrand)Science and Spirit: 4th Sundays, 12:30 p.m. • Joe Kraus ([email protected]) Discuss recent discoveries and wonder together. More info at http://jucscienceandspirit.wordpress.comSlow Soup Group: 1st Sundays, 12:30 p.m. • Gilla Lachnitt (303-216-9674; [email protected]), Carol Kolesnikoff (303-588-9198; [email protected]) We’ll prepare soups together to take home and to donate. Ingredients provided; cost is $10/person. Spiritual Healing Circle: 2nd Saturdays, 10 a.m. (6620 Quitman Ct., Arvada) Joyce Thiessen-Barrett ([email protected]), Emily Townsend ([email protected]) Weaving together practices from shamanism, energy healing, and music healing to create sacred space, offer prayers, and send/receive healing energy. RSVP requested. Story Circle: 3rd Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. • Lev Ropes (303-278-0177; [email protected]) A gathering to foster the traditional art of storytelling for adults. Tell a polished story for fun, or a story that you’d like to polish up in front of a forgiving and friendly audience. Receive help from other tellers, or come to listen. All are welcome. Thin Air: Tuesdays, 1 p.m. • Carole Monfort (303-279-1343)An informal group of folks who wish to keep up their musical skills as well as have fun. Repertoire consists of traditional, folk, instrumental and vocal music. Please call for more details. Understanding the Heart of Buddhism: 2nd & 4th Thursdays, 7 p.m. • Doug Anderson ([email protected]; 720-474-6723) Meditation and discussion presented online by Rodney Smith, author of Lessons from the Dying, Stepping Out of Self-Deception and Awakening; founder of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society. UU Liberal Christians: 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 7 p.m. • Sara Lohaus ([email protected]; 303-432-3149) Connect with Christianity from a fresh, open-minded perspective. UU Piecemakers: 3rd Fridays, 9:30 a.m. in members' homesEdna Mae Miller (303-989-4793) Work on personal projects as well as quilts donated to charities selected by the group.WomenSpirit: 2nd Fridays, 7 p.m. • Kalin Baker ([email protected]; 720-253-6561) A lively community of women 18+ who playfully reflect and share interactive programs based on participants’ interests.

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Calendar Highlights(full calendar available online at jeffersonunitarian.org/calendar)

Tues., Feb. 24 1:00pm MMG: Thin Air (Priestley rm.) 2:00pm Small Group - Rountree (M1/2) 6:30pm Evensong (chapel) 6:30pm MMG: Musical Rehearsal (sanc., Priestley rm.) 7:00pm Small Groups (R6/7, R3/4, Mitchell rm., M5)Wed., Feb. 25 6:15pm JUC Ringers (Priestley rm.) 7:00pm Small Group - Swahnberg (Mitchell rm.) 7:30pm JUC Choir (sanc.)Thurs., Feb. 26 6:00pm Housing and Poverty TF (M1/2) 7:00pm Green TF/CRES: Solar Cell Design (sanc., comm., kit.) 7:00pm LEAP: Undertanding the Heart of Buddhism (chapel)Sat., Feb. 28 6:00pm CURK: Sing-Along - Little Mermaid (sanc., comm., kit.)

Sunday, March 1 9:15/11am Learning to Bounce w/Wendy Williams 9:15/11am Children’s Worship (chapel) 10:20am MMG: Musical Rehearsal (Priestley rm.) 12:30pm Slow Soup Group (kit.) 4:00pm Evergreen Campus Worship Service 5:00pm B&C: ¡Charla! (M3/4) 5:00pm WT: Buddhist Sangha Service (chapel)Mon., March 2 3:00pm Newsletter Deadline 6:00pm MMG: Golden Bells rehearsal (Priestley rm.) 7:00pm MMG: Bell Ensemble rehearsal (Priestley rm.)Tues., March 3 1:00pm MMG: Thin Air (Priestley rm.) 6:30pm MMG: Musical Rehearsal (sanc., Priestley rm.) 7:00pm B&C: Non-Violent Communication (R6/7) 7:00pm SRC Meeting (M3/4) 7:00pm UU Liberal Christians (M1/2) 7:00pm B&C: CUUPS mtg. (chapel) 7:00pm SRC: Housing & Poverty TF mtg. (R3/4)Wed., March 4 1:00pm B&C: Origins Book Group (chapel) 6:15pm JUC Ringers (Priestley rm.) 7:30pm JUC Choir (sanc.)Thurs., March 5 1:00pm Small Group - Chronic Illness (M1/2) 7:00pm B&C: JUC Poetry Group (M3/4) 7:30pm B&C: Blue Mountain Meditation Group (chapel)Friday, March 6 11:30am B&C: Retirees’ Brown Bag Lunch (M3/4) 7:00pm MMG: First Friday Open Mic (sanc., comm.)Sat., March 7 9:00am Quuilters Group (chapel, so. commons) 10:00am MMG: Musical Rehearsal (Priestley rm., sanc., comm.) 10:30am Green TF: CCL mtg. (M1/2)

Sunday, March 8 9:15/11am Selma Sunday w/Eric Banner 9:15am LEAP: What Moves Us (M3/4) 10:20am MMG: Musical Rehearsal (Priestley rm.) 12:30pm Small Groups (M3/4, Priestley rm.) 12:30pm LEAP: A House for Hope (R6/7) 2:30pm Auction Item: Adam Revell Concert (sanc., comm., kit.) 6:00pm India Learning Circle (R3/4)Mon., March 9 9:15am B&C: Dream Study (M1/2) 6:00pm MMG: Golden Bells rehearsal (Priestley rm.) 6:30pm Small Group - Beal (M1/2) 7:00pm Worship Ministry Team (R6/7) 7:00pm MMG: Bell Ensemble rehearsal (Priestley rm.) 7:30pm B&C: Great Books Discussion Group (M3/4)Tues., March 10 1:00pm MMG: Thin Air (Priestley rm.) 2:00pm Small Group - Rountree (M1/2) 6:00pm B&C: ToGather Meal (south commons, kit) 6:30pm WG: ToGather Worship (chapel) 6:30pm MMG: Musical Rehearsals (sanc., Priestley rm.) 7:00pm SRC: UUSC TF mtg. (M1/2) 7:00pm B&C: Activity Leader Orientation (M3/4) 7:00pm Small Groups (R6/7, R3/4, Mitchell rm., M5)

• Rev. Wendy Williams, Senior MinisterMon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. • 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

• Rev. Keith Arnold, Minister of MusicTuesday–Friday • 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

• Rev. Eric Banner, Assistant MinisterTuesday–Friday • 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

• Ashley Johnson, Director of Religious Education

Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri. • 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Staff will generally be available according to the schedule above, but it is always wise to call ahead!

Office Hours Monday – Friday • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tuesday – Thursday • 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.Sunday • 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The JUC CrierThis newsletter of the Jefferson

Unitarian Church is delivered electronically to all members and pledging friends. First class mail delivery is available upon request to the church office (303-279-5282; [email protected]).

Upon request, visitors may be added to the email list or receive four (4) complimentary issues, after which they may continue receiving the newsletter by notifying the church office. E-mail [email protected] to submit an article.Editor: Rona BradleyNext deadline: 3 p.m., Mon., March 2Next publication date: Mon., March 9

Sunday Morning AnnouncementsIf you would like your JUC event to be

announced via our order of service and/or weekly email notice, please submit 75 words or less to Rona Bradley ([email protected]) by Wednesday at 9 a.m. on the week you’d like your announcement to appear.

Weekly Attendance

Feb. 15 9:15 182 RE: 34 (10 adults) 11 224 RE: 32 (10 adults) Evergreen 4p 26 RE: 6 (5 adults)

Feb. 22 9:15 62 RE: 4 (3 adults) 11 83 RE: 40 (19 adults)

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JUC Board of TrusteesNext meeting: Thursday, March 12, 7 p.m.

jeffersonunitarian.org/Board-of-Trustees

Brenda Berg, Trustee 303-765-2905; [email protected]

Board Blog

Along the Policy Governance Journey The Board of Trustees is now several months

into its journey in JUC’s transition to policy governance. Many of you are aware that under the

policy governance model, the Board provides direction to staff and volunteers based on feedback from church members and other moral owners of the church. The

staff and volunteers then have flexibility to implement within that direction, subject to any limitations. The policy governance journey is one of many steps. This is a summary of where we are in that process, and what to expect next.

First, the Board determined the church’s moral owners, since the Board must act in the interests of its moral owners. Next, the Board considered this question: What are JUC’s values, that should infuse all we do? The values are the foundation of our nested bowls. Based on congregational feedback, our values include connection, love, awe (or a similar concept), and service. The next nested bowl is JUC’s mission statement. Finally, inside the mission bowl, we set our strategic outcomes: essentially the big picture, end vision for what we all want JUC to be.

Strategic outcomes are the achievable, specific, measurable differences we as a community will make. They can be divided into the outcomes we want within, among, and beyond the people of the congregation. The Board has developed initial strategic outcomes within these categories, although we fully expect that these will be refined and possibly even changed as

we progress in our work and continue to obtain feedback from the congregation.

At this point, this is the strategic outcome for within our congregation:

The people of Jefferson Unitarian Church value an engaged spiritual life that is transforming and meaningful within the free faith tradition of which we are a part. As a people we seek to

● Sustain- Face difficult times in our lives knowing that we belong to this life and have a sense of meaning, integrity, and conscience that guides the decisions we make.

● Challenge- Choose to seek greater depth and understanding that brings us into a more engaged presence with our own deepest selves and the world in which we live.

● Empower- Make choices in our lives that contribute to a better future no matter our stage of life.

Now the Board is moving onto our next step, the substance of policy governance: the policies, of course! With the guidance of a consultant, we are writing policies that will help our staff achieve JUC’s strategic outcomes, within limitations if necessary. Watch future Board Blogs for more discussion of strategic outcomes for among and beyond, and specifics about the policy process.

Scrip Program Receives Mission from the Board of Trustees

At last month’s meeting, JUC’s Board of Trustees voted to dedicate the earnings from the sale of scrip (gift cards) available through our partnership with Great Lakes Scrip Center to pay for accessibility improvements to the Golden campus. The Scrip Program team is delighted with the Board’s decision, as it certainly serves the program’s intent to expand JUC’s capacity to serve its mission.

The first accessibility project to be undertaken, with the net earnings from last year’s scrip sales, will be to install push button electronic door opening technology for the front door of the Golden campus main building, so those in wheelchairs and other people who are handicapped or burdened can get into the building more easily. The Board will prioritize other accessibility projects and choose the next one soon.

For many years, sales of grocery certificates/cards for King Soopers, Safeway, and Natural Grocers have earned a 5% rebate for JUC’s operating budget. That will remain the case. However, we don’t want any more of our necessary funding to come from such an unpredictable source. Therefore, earnings (from 3% to 20%) from the sale of scrip for hundreds of retailers from Amazon.com

to Whole Foods do not go to the general operating budget. At the start, these funds were used to help people get to the 2009 General Assembly in Salt Lake City, where our then Senior Minister, Rev. Peter Morales, was elected President of the UUA. When the Scrip program was awarded an Endowment and Memorial Gift Trust (EMGT) grant, the stated purpose of the program became to expand JUC’s capacity to serve its mission. The program earned a net of over $3,600 during the ‘13-’14 church year, a return of nearly 50% per year!

We hope that the choice of a good use for the funds will encourage people to participate in the Scrip program. Online ordering and a smart phone app has made using scrip easy, but plastic cards will also always be available on Sundays at church. Stop by the table in the south commons for more information, or peruse the shopwithscrip.com website.

~Scrip Program Coordinators, Lauren Wilder and Pat Emery

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Quarterly Training for Los Visitantes: Companioning Immigrant Families Affected by Detention

Saturday, February 28 • 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. First United Methodist Church of Aurora

3240 Tucson St., AuroraThis training will prepare you to engage in companioning

immigrants and their families who are affected by immigrant detention, and help us all become better companions to those experiencing oppression through our unjust immigration system. By the end of the training, you will be ready to sign up for your first visit, meal, or ride!

• Become a visitor at the ICE Detention Center in Aurora, providing presence and companionship to someone in detention;

• Help make meals and provide other services for families and individuals staying at Casa de Paz, which offers free lodging and meals to guests visiting loved ones inside the detention center;

• Give rides to the airport, bus station, or other locations to those who have just been released from the detention center or detainees’ families.

Please bring a brown bag lunch. RSVP online (https://www.facebook.com/events/1545098319091352).

Community EvEnts

What Moves UsA UUA Tapestry of Faith curriculum by Rev. Dr. Thandeka

2nd & 4th Sundays • 9:15 a.m.• M3/4Facilitated by Pam Bond, Barb Scherer

What Moves Us continues Sunday, March 8, when we will introduce William Ellery Channing’s Theology of Emotional Struggle. The celebrated minister of the Federal Street Church in Boston for 39 years, Channing affirmed human beings’ kindred nature with God; he said we know God through our own soul, and he celebrated our likeness to God. In this workshop, we will peer behind his rational faith to examine his theological understanding that the route to moral perfection was through control of emotions. You might prepare by recalling a personal experience with unwanted physical and emotional distress.

While the ten workshops in this class are sequential, you are welcome to attend individual workshops even if you can’t attend all of them. Information for each upcoming workshop will be posted online (jeffersonunitarian.org/LEAP-Classes), and more information about the class can be found on the Unitarian Universalist Association website (uua.org/re/tapestry/adults/movesus/index.shtml).

Find out more about JUC’s Lifespan Education and Adult Programs at http://jeffersonunitarian.org/Adult-Education

Sign up for classes oniline (jeffersonunitarian.org/LEAP-Registration), at the Sign Up Site or by calling

the church office (303-279-5282). Contact: Patti Coe-Withington (303-596-1130), LEAP facilitator.

New LEAP Classes

A House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion for the Twenty-First Century

Sundays, March 8 & 15, April 12, 19, 26 • 12:30 to 2 p.m. Have you been wanting to explore our theology? Have you

wanted to find yourself in our theology? Have you ever struggled to explain who we are to others? Join this class and explore what it means to live a faithful life in the world as a Unitarian Universalist. Sign up at the Sign Up Site; the book will be available in the JUC office or at the UUA bookstore online.

Please contact Beckett Coppola, Intern Minister ([email protected]), with questions.

League of Women VotersThursday, March 12 • 9:15 a.m.

Cason Howell House (1575 Kipling St., Lakewood)Air for Our Heirs – Jeffco Earns an ‘F’

Jefferson County was ranked by the American Lung Association’s 2014 report as the worst county in Colorado for ozone pollution and was given a grade of F. Why and what is being done about it? Join the League of Women Voters of Jefferson County to learn more, including monitoring, sources, contaminants of concern, health risks, ecosystem effects, current air pollution studies, new proposed standards and community efforts to reduce air pollution. The public is welcome.

Call Susan at 303-503-3992 for information. An evening meeting also is available. Visit www.lwvjeffco.org or call 303-238-0032.

JUC Crier 2 23 15

Documents

Transcript of JUC Crier 2 23 15