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Unitarian Universalist Church of Greeley
October 2014- FAITH
Join us for Sunday Services at 10:00am
Childcare for babies and toddlers will be provided
every Sunday during services.
Find out more at
www.greeleyuuc.org
or
find us on facebook!
Worship Liberally
Our theological theme for October is Faith
Worship Service Descriptions
October 5th- Faith: Noun or Verb?
Rev. Kelly Dignan will describe faith as a process we
use to make meaning of life. Join her in exploring
what happens when that process does not work
anymore. How do we reconstruct a faith that does
help us make sense of life?
October 12th
Rev. Sylvia Falconer- “WHAT KIND OF FAITH?”
What do we mean by the word “Faith” and how does
an agnostic define it and live it out?
October 19th- Faithful Marriage
Rev. Kierstin Homblette and Rev. Kelly Dignan will
explore what marriage has historically meant and
what Unitarian Universalism has to say about it.
Come explore with us how the influx of queer folks
into a historically conservative institution is changing
what faithful marriage means for all of us.
Our offering plate (other than pledge payments) will
be shared with One Colorado, a statewide advocacy
organization dedicated to securing and protecting
equality and opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender (LGBT) Coloradans and their
families.
Rev. Kierstin Homblette is the Coordinator of Beloved
Community Ministries- a collaborative Unitarian
Universalist justice ministry, working to build the
beloved community of which we dream.
There will be a workshop led by One Colorado
following the service.
October 26th- Into the Great Beyond
As a covenantal tradition, our faith is expressed
through relationship. How does covenant inform the
ways we connect with our surrounding communities?
Rev. Dr. Amy Rowland, director of Create Meaning,
will explore reaching beyond our congregational
walls.
Our offering will be shared with Create Meaning, a
Unitarian Universalist organization designed to help
us reach beyond the walls of our congregation to
reach the spiritual, but not religious with our message
and values.
•
Grow in Spirit
Religious Exploration for Children and Youth
Our Children's RE class will continue to learn about
two of our UU ancestors and their commitment and
contributions.
• On October 5th- Children's Chapel with
Tabitha Covey
• On October 12th- we will be learning about
Lewis Latimer. Born to escaped slaves, he
worked with Thomas Edison and Alexander
Graham Bell. He developed a method of
making carbon filaments for the electric
incandescent lamp. He loved learning new
things and teaching them to others. We will be
sharing his light!
• On October 19th- Children's Chapel with
Tabitha Covey
• On October 26th the RE class will learn about
Joseph Priestley. He was a scientist who
identified oxygen and carbon dioxide. Science
and religion were the two great interests in his
life. He is considered a founder of
Unitarianism in America. Both of these
ancestors lived by the fourth principle: A free
and responsible search for truth and meaning.
Josette Schaffer will be the RE leader for
these two classes
Circles for Adults
Thanks for your input about which Circles you would
like to attend. Based on that input, four Circles will be
held this year. All Circles stay open through the first
session, and then they close so that trust can be built.
• The UU Identity Circle will go deeper into our
liberal faith and help you develop a spiritual
path consistent with it. It will be held
Tuesdays: October 14, 21, 28 and November
11. 7:00-8:30pm at the church Rev. Kelly will
lead.
•
•
The Spiritual Deepening Circle, you will
explore and develop spiritual practices
together. It will be held Wednesdays:
November 19, December 3, December 17,
January 7, January 21, and February 4. It will
meet from 7:00-8:30pm at the Gotchey's
house. Bill Gotchey will lead.
The Care Circle will focus on living fully, dying
well- dealing with injury and illness and
planning for your own death. Marcia Free will
lead, and it will meet for four sessions staring
in February during the day on Saturdays or
Sundays. More detail to come.
The Social Change Circle will be led by Rev.
Kelly and Hollis Berendt. It will meet monthly
starting in December Dates and times to come
soon.
Create Meaning Workshop- October 25th- Dio De
Los Muertos/Day of the Dead: Celebrate and
Remember
The Chalice Arts Ministry and the Public/Outreach
Ministry are thrilled to partner with Create meaning on
this fun event. The whole Greeley community is
invited, so register yourself and your friends. Kidsthis is especially for you and your friends.
Join from 1:00-3:00pm at the church for an all ages
afternoon of crafts and activities to celebrate and
remember friends and family who have died, and to
create connection with those who have shaped our
lives. Activities include:
• decorate sugar skulls
• create papel picado (colorful cut paper)
• gather and create objects for a picture-sized
altar to honor your loved one.
• Take home a recipe for Day of the Dead
bread.
All materials are provided. Donations welcome.
You can register on our Facebook page under events
or email Kathy Vaughn: [email protected]
We do need registrations so we know how many
supplies to buy.
Chalice Arts
New Chalice Art Show coming on October 19th.
It will feature art from some Greeley schools and
other local artists, the theme is Dia de los Muertos/
Day of the Dead. Our UU Service
for the Day of the Dead will be on November 2nd.
Gather in a Caring Community
October 5- 11:30-1:00pm From Welcoming to
Belonging.
Join us for this workshop led by Rev. Kelly on how to
welcome visitors and invite them to belong to our
covenanted community- without being pushy or
feeling uncomfortable. Childcare is provided. Lunch
will be a salad bar potluck. Please bring a topping to
share and drinks for your family.
We need folks to set up and clean up. Please
email Rev. Kelly if your discern that this is a way
to serve with grace.
On Saturday, October18th, we will have our
annual fall cleanup day from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Please set aside some time to come by and help
with any chores that will beautify the inside and
outside of our building. Over the next few weeks,
if you see anything that needs attention please
let someone on the B&G ministry know (Tim,
Shelly, John Clark, Andy). Thank you for your
help in keeping our building clean.
-Buildings and Grounds Ministry
Choir Rehearsals
Regular rehearsals held on Friday evenings at the
church:
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Sunday morning performances held at UU Church of
Greeley.
9:30 a.m. rehearsals in sanctuary, services begin at
10:00 a.m.
Friday Oct. 3rd 7:00-8:30 p.m. rehearsal
Friday Oct. 17th 7:00-8:30 p.m. rehearsal
Sunday Oct. 19th 10:00 a.m. performance (9:30am
rehearsal)
Friday Oct. 31st 7:00-8:30 p.m. rehearsal
Friday Nov. 14th 7:00-8:30 p.m. rehearsal
Sunday Nov. 16th 10:00 a.m. performance (9:30
a.m. rehearsal)
Friday Dec. 5th 7:00-8:30 p.m. rehearsal
Friday Dec. 19th 7:00-8:30 p.m. rehearsal
Sunday Dec. 21st 10:00 a.m. performance (9:30
a.m. rehearsal)
Wednesday Dec. 24th
Christmas Eve Performance
Contact Dianne Culver with any care or concerns
Thanks to Shelley and Billy Gotchey for hosting the
first Circle Supper of the church year. The group
celebrated the Autumn Equinox, and the ritual came
from this book: In Nature's Honor: Myths and Rituals
Celebrating the Earth by Patricia Montley.
Circle Suppers are fun. Whoever hosts provide
drinks and invites the number of people that fit in their
home. Everyone else brings things to eat. Someone
offers to lead a spiritual practice. Who would like to
host the next one? Contact Bill Gotchey.
We Have a Need for you to Pick some Weeds.
If you see a weed
and you feel the need
pick that weed and
you will see
what a great place this can be.
Serve in Partnership
October 19, 2014- Faith Marriage Workshop.
After the worship service, stay for lunch and a
workshop, both provided by One Colorado. Learn
more about marriage equality, sign the marriage
pledge, learn how to help with voter registration, help
us reach the LGBTQ community in Greeley so that
we can companion folks who can't wait for marriage.
We will be inviting the larger Greeley community
including people form various churches in the area.
Help us host our neighbors and learn lots, too!
November 15- Environmental Justice Workshop at
Unitarian Universalist Church of Cheyenne 9:00am1:00pm. Registration coming soon. Stay tuned to the
weekly email.
Opportunity to Companion
See the description of this invitation to companion
Catalina and her daughter on page 6,7, and 8.
Give in Gratitude
Early in September we got an anonymous donation of
$200. Here's the note that went with it: Please use
this donation for either lawnscaping or Religious
Education curriculum expenses. I don't attend, but I
listen to your podcasts on the webpage. Thank you
for the inspirational messages you are sending out.
How about that?! That is a great example of how we
are spreading our great news into the world.
Lead and Manage Mindfully
The Mountain Desert District will be holding a
workshop called Technology 101 for Congregations.
It will be on November 1. More details to come, but
mark your calendars!
Rev. Kelly’s Column
Faith is our theme this month. It is a big subject, and
the word itself has many connotations and
definitions.
The dictionary definition of faith is: Confidence or
trust in a person, idea or thing; a belief. My son
called me last week from college, worrying about an
exam that was coming up. I said, “Buddy, I have
faith in you.” In other words, I have confidence in
him to prepare and do his best. I believe in him.
The Hebrew word for faith, bitachon, means trust.
Unitarian Universalist minister, Tom Owen-Towle
draws the connection that in our theological journey,
trust requires us to surrender a bit. Not submit, but
surrender a little bit. He says, “We must learn how
to give ourselves over to another person or reality
without giving ourselves away.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr said: “Faith is taking the
first step even when you don't see the whole
staircase.” You might call this a leap of faith - which
requires courage and confidence. You may have
taken a leap of faith during your life; taken action
without knowing the outcome.
Faithfulness can be interpreted as loyalty. We have
faithful members of this church - folks who are loyal
to our denomination and congregation. Many of you
are faithful partners, parents, siblings, daughters
brothers, etc. You are loyal to others.
Then there is blind faith. Our Unitarian Universalist
heritage is full of people who reject blind faith and
suggest that we apply reason before believing in
something.
Another way to define faith is: a system for making
meaning of life’s events. Most of us were taught a
system as young children. For you, that system may
work still today, and for some of you, it may not work
anymore as a way to explain why things happen and
why they happen to you. As Unitarian Universalists,
we hold that the search for meaning and truth is
ongoing (that’s our Fourth Principle). We hold that
faith doesn’t come from the outside or from above; it
comes from within, from our active participation in
the process of discovery. In that process of
discovery, our system of making meaning can
change, and that change can be disorienting and
leave us feeling rudderless. How do we examine the
faith of our past and decide if it is working? And if it
is not working, how do we reconstruct a faith that
does help us make meaning? These are the
questions I will explore on Sunday, October 5th.
Throughout the month, I’ll be posting on Facebook
and engaging with you about the other kinds of faith.
In the meantime, I invite you to consider these
questions:
• In who or what are you confident?
• Do you surrender? To who or what?
• Do you do surrender without giving yourself
away?
• When have you taken a leap of faith? Is
there a leap you’re pondering now?
• To whom are you loyal?
Questions like these help us stay on the responsible
and ongoing search for truth and meaning. I’m glad
we’re on it together!
Happy October Birthdays!
Allie Gaskins 8
Antony Noftsker 10
Patti Joyner 11
Emerson Myers 14
Shaileen Snider 15
Norma Vang 15
Debbie Conley 20
Sylvia Perchlik 22
Treasurer's Report
August 2014
Expenses
Office and Facilities
Employees Exp.
Dues
Committees
Total Expenses:
1517.50
1595.70
559.00
100.00
3772.20
Income
Plate
Pledges
Grocery Cert/Rent
Other
Total Income:
269.00
2330.00
210.00
2000.00
4809.00
Difference:
+1036.80