UUCGV NEWS
Welcome to the month of
CURIOSITY Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Grand Valley — Newsletter
May 2019
From Our Minister, Reverend Wendy Jones Curiosity endows the people who have it with a generosity in argument and a serenity in their own mode of life which springs from their cheerful willingness to let life take the form it will. - Alistair Cooke
We are an affiliated congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Mountain Desert District of the UUA.
When was the last time you knew for certain you were “right” about something? Are you sure? Was there room for a new or different perspective in your certainty? When was the last time you knew for certain somebody else was wrong? Are you sure?
We are a Welcoming
Looking back on it years later, are you still sure they were wrong?
Congregation
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#grandvalleyuu
In This Issue • •
A Place for Liberal Spirituality
•
Diverse Thought • • •
and Community Action
UUCGV Care Team
Among Us 1-7 Children/Youth Religious Education 8-9 Why Unitarians and Universalists Belong Together 10-11 Among Us, 12-14 Worship Calendar 15 Calendar 15
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Sometimes our perspectives change as our realities change. Sometimes, time, distance or future life experiences help us to understand things from a different point of view. The value of curiosity is that if we allow a sense of wonder and curiosity to take up residence in our lives and our world views, we may have the opportunity to open up to new understandings and learnings Our dear member, Dale without the isolation, hurt and pain that comes from insisting that we Foreman, passed away are “right.� peacefully on Thursday, Sometimes a truly open mind can feel threatening because if I totally February 7. The memorial open up my mind to your perspective I just might be changed, and service will be at sometimes change is scary. the Veteran's Cemetery, on And yet living life with an openness to curiosity and a sense of wonder May 10, 2019 at 3:00 pm. just might be the change we need to move past the blocks that have Following the memorial a been holding us back in our lives. gathering will be held at UUCGV from 4:00-5:00 pm. ~ Rev. Wendy Jones Please feel free to bring an snack to share. At the gathering, friends and family may speak of their fond memories of Dale.
Save the Date Congregational Meeting Sunday, June 2nd 12:00 pm
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Journey to a Green Sanctuary
Saturday, May 4, 2019 10:00 am at the church A Note From Our Facilities Manager Come one, Come all! Spring is in the air! It is time for our annual 2019 Spring Cleanup. Stop by and sign up before all the good job's are taken! See the sign-up sheets located in the foyer. Thanks for your ongoing support of our facilities. See ya there! Many Thanks, Your Friendly Facilities Manager, Sterling VanWagoner Email: facilities @grandvalleyuu.org for more information.
One of the goals of UUA’s Green Sanctuary Program is to; “Deepen ties to UU faith and the seventh principle, bringing congregational culture into greater alignment with environmentally sustainable practices.” “Respect for interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” In many ways I have been on the green path my whole life through; teaching and living the seventh principle. As an educator I introduced the world of ecology into my science classes before it was considered appropriate for sixth graders, at least by conservative parents. Each spring my class went camping for a week; at camp they studied different biomes, identified organisms they found and learned how they fit into the web of life. Long before the plight of Monarch Butterflies and scarcity of Milkweed became the front page of the Wall Street Journal I had been raising Milkweed and Monarch Butterflies from egg or newly hatched caterpillar to flight. Teaching others to do the same was second nature to me. When money ran out for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection I organized my Garden Club and a nonprofit group, Association for Protective Stewardship to take over and teach all the sixth graders from two counties, about water at the ‘Water Festival.’ A staff of 50 ran different hands-on activities six times a day for two days teaching about clean water and the cycle we all depend on. It is not too late for mankind to change its way of living. We can learn how to use our natural resources in a sustainable way one step at a time. Start small and grow with each other. Hopefully we will be joined by many others in learning how to change our habits and live our 7th principle. Look for suggestions on how to lower your “footprint” during coffee time at the Green Table, read our tips in forthcoming Newsletters and emails, and go online to read more about Climate Change. Ask questions, share ideas and give us suggestions as we change together. ~ Audrey Brainard, UUCGV Journey to a Green Sanctuary 3
UU Night Please adopt a night to cook! It can be an awesome bonding experience and teach the attendees about all the involvement opportunities at UUCGV. It is fun & fulfilling to feed a group of people. You get to see how much they enjoy the meal and each other's company. Sign up in the foyer or contact the office at administrator@grandvalleyuu.org. City Market gift cards and monetary donations are always welcome.
Laughter Yoga
WHO ARE UU? Come get to know us!
It's not really Yoga... come work out your spirit with laughter! Join us in this amazingly fun and energetic session! Every Wednesday 10 am at the church.
Do your friends or family ever ask you, “What is Unitarian Universalism?”
Black Canyon Discussion Group The UU discussion group usually meets in the Cedaredge, CO area at 5:30 pm on the first Wednesday of each month. The next black Canyon Discussion will occur on Wednesday, May 1 in Cedaredge at 5:30 PM. Topic: What are potential benefits of eliminating gerrymandering? What are the potential benefits of moving from an electoral system to some kind of popular vote system? For more information please call the group coordinator, Enno Heuscher (970) 856-4226, or email epheuscher@gmail.com.
UU Connection Program Have you been coming to UUCGV for a while? Interested in learning more, but not quite sure how to get involved? Worry not! The UUCGV membership team is excited to announce the new “UU Connection Program.” This is a way to connect with a “Friendly UU Ambassador” who will act as your point of contact and help you navigate UUCGV organization and activities. Contact the office, and get connected!
Do you wonder what it means when we say that we are a covenantal church rather than a creedal church? Have you ever wondered if there is a difference between being a "religious liberal" versus being a "political liberal?" Rev. Wendy leads a monthly informal gathering for friends, members and guests who would like to learn more about what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist. This is an ongoing conversation, usually on the third Sunday of every month after coffee hour. All people are welcome! All questions are welcome. Join the conversation on May 12th
administrator@grandvalleyuu.org 4
Meditation and Qigong Bobbie and Boz will offer meditation (walking, sitting and moving) at our house 185 Bevan Lane on Cinco de Mayo on May 5 at 4pm and another at the church on May 6 at 5pm. Beginners and all are welcome. Thanks!
Morning Meditation Join us on Friday mornings at 8:00 am for meditation with intentional breathing with Robintix at UUCGV. Contact Robintix for more info at
Meditating for Peace
Tuesday Night Adult RE Adult RE continues to meet Tuesday evenings at 7:00. We are discussing the book, The Good in Nature and Humanity: Connecting Science, Religion and Spirituality with the Natural World. All are welcome to join our discussions. For more information, contact Duane Carr, duane.carr@gmail.com.
Discovery Garden The Mesa County Libraries Discovery Garden project is a series of interactive and demonstrative gardens that will provide education, food, respite, and community engagement. A variety of gardening techniques will be modeled, including xeric, raised bed, in-ground farming, pollinator, and permaculture design. The Discovery Garden is by the community and for the community! To get involved contact Nicole Fitzgerald at nfitzgerald@mcpld.org
We meet the second Thursday of every month at 11 am. The next “vibration raising� will be on Thursday, May 9.
Mindful Meditation Mary McCutchen will offer another meditation on the third Monday of each month, starting May 20 at 5:00 pm, at UUCGV.
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InterPlay Are you an adult or teen, who likes to play? Please come and check out an introduction to InterPlay.
Men’s Cooking UUCGV’s Men’s Cooking Group is the longest- standing group in the church. We meet and cook the third Thursday of the month. If you’re new to the church and are male-identifying, please join the fun! For more info, contact Mark McKenney at 256.7907 or mckenneyd@qwest.net.
What’s InterPlay?? InterPlay is an active, creative way to unlock the wisdom of the body. We play with music, stories, and movement, which can lead to surprising experiences of joy, fun, connection, and depth. If you are curious or this sounds interesting, please join me for the first of what will be monthly (on the 2nd & 4th Saturday)
Goddess Group Join us on Thursday, May 23, 2019 at 6:30 pm for an astrology presentation by Elizabeth Joy Howard. We will be learning how to read our birth charts and anything else that you are curious about. If you are a goddess who identifies as a woman, you are welcome! Feel free to bring a snack or a drink to share. Contact Miranda for more information: misricha@live.com 6
InterPlay session from 10:00-11:30 am on Saturday, May 11 and on Saturday, May 25. in the basement of the Grand Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. No skill or training needed – all bodies are welcome. Contact Nancy Banman for more information at nancyabanman@gmail.com
SOCIAL ACTION TEAM
Circle Suppers Do you want to make some friends or just get to know people at a deeper level than just "Hello" and "How are You?" If so, then Circle Suppers are just the thing! A group of 6 to 8 people get together once a month for a meal and conversation at the host of the month's house. The host provides the main course with the others bringing a salad, veggie or dessert. It is up to your group if you want to do breakfast, lunch or supper. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive. If you are unable to host at your house, that's ok -- you are still welcome to be part of the group. When everyone has had a chance to be a host, then a new group is formed. So whether you are single, a couple or a family, all you need to do to become involved is contact Ellen Mayo at ellenmayo@yahoo.com. Hope to see you around the table!!!
We meet the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7:00 pm at our church. We created the weekly social action calendar on our website. Check it out grandvalleyuu.org/ social-action-team It's not too late to join the team! Peace and Love, Robert McDonald eldrethone@gmail.com
Soup Kitchen Saturday This is a reminder that Soup Kitchen Saturday is the second Saturday of every month at Catholic Outreach, located at the south end of 1st Street between Pitkin and Ute Avenues. We need your help on Saturday, May 11 from 8:30 am to 1:15 pm. We need 10-12 people from 8:30-10:30 am to help prepare and cook enough food for 150+ people. Another 7-8 people are needed from 11:45 to 1:15 pm to serve and help clean up the kitchen. Anyone with an interest in helping to prepare or serve this meal is welcome, teens included. Please contact Chris Jauhola (chrisjauhola@aol.com; phone 639-7616) for more information and to let us know that you plan to volunteer. Please bring a scarf or hat to cover your hair. 7
GRAND VALLEY UU CHILDREN’S RE May 2019 Religious Education
The Month of Curiosity
Join the team! We meet the first Tuesday of the month at 10:00 am.
Sessions for Children
May 12:
May 5: Curiosity and Understanding
Curiosity and Empathy
May 19: May 26: All Ages RE service and Bridging
Curiosity and Imagination Check, Check, Check-in Our children join us for the beginning of the service. Please check in your children each Sunday morning in the foyer.
Childcare Childcare for babies, toddlers and preschoolers is provided from 10:00 am to noon each
Sunday. Childcare is provided by Robintix Perryman.
Youth! 14 and up! We have the ball rolling on our Mentorship program for our youth! For more info, contact Shari at dre@grandvalleyuu.org
This year's MDD Youth events • •
Mountain Desert District (MDD) Quuest and Spirit Quuest Camps. June 30 - July 6, 2019. La Foret. Colorado Springs, CO. Leadership Development Con. Nov 9-11. First Universalist, Denver, CO. 8
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Pandora’s Box Has your curiosity ever got you into trouble? Have you ever been so desperate to know a secret that you took no notice of a warning? All through history there are stories of people being told not to open doors, caskets, cupboards, gates and all sorts of other things and, in so many of the stories, the people just did not listen. One person who did not listen was Pandora. Her story comes from Ancient Greece and her curiosity brought a whole heap of trouble! In ancient Greece there were two brothers named Epimetheus and Prometheus. They upset the gods and annoyed the most powerful of all Gods, Zeus, in particular. This was not the first time humans had upset Zeus, and once before, as punishment, he had taken from humans the ability to make fire. This meant they could no longer cook their meat and could not keep themselves warm. However, Prometheus was clever and he knew that, on the Isle of Lemnos, lived Hephaestos, the blacksmith. He had a fire burning to keep his forge hot. Prometheus travelled to Lemnos and stole fire from the blacksmith. Zeus was furious and decided that humans had to be punished once and for all for their lack of respect. Zeus came up with a very cunning plan to punish the two brothers. With the help of Hephaestos, he created a woman from clay. The goddess Athene then breathed life into the clay, Aphrodite made her very beautiful and Hermes taught her how to be both charming and deceitful. Zeus called her Pandora and sent her as a gift to Epimetheus. His brother Prometheus had warned him not to accept any gifts from the gods but Epimetheus was completely charmed by the woman and thought Pandora was so beautiful that she could never cause any harm, so he agreed to marry her. Zeus, pleased that his trap was working, gave Pandora a wedding gift of a beautiful box. There was one very, very important condition however, that she must never open the box. Pandora was very curious about the contents of the box but she had promised that she would never open it. All she could think about was; what could be in the box? She could not understand why someone would send her a box if she could not see what was in it. It seemed to make no sense at all to her and she could think of nothing else but of opening the box and unlocking its secrets. This was just what Zeus had planned. Finally, Pandora could stand it no longer. When she knew Epimetheus was out of sight, she crept up to the box, took the huge key off the high shelf, fitted it carefully into the lock and turned it. But, at the last moment, she felt a pang of guilt, imagined how angry her husband would be and quickly locked the box again without opening the lid and put the key back where she had found it. Three more times she did this until, at last, she knew she had to look inside or she would go completely mad! She took the key, slid it into the lock and turned it. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and slowly lifted the lid of the box. She opened her eyes and looked into the box, expecting to see fine silks, gowns or gold bracelets and necklaces or even piles of gold coins. But there was no gleam of gold or treasure. There were no shining bracelets and not one beautiful dress! The look of excitement on her face quickly turned to one of disappointment and then horror. For Zeus had packed the box full of all the terrible evils he could think of. Out of the box poured disease and poverty. Out came misery, out came death, out came sadness - all shaped like tiny buzzing moths. The creatures stung Pandora over and over again and she slammed the lid shut. Epimetheus ran into the room to see why she was crying in pain. Pandora could still hear a voice calling to her from the box, pleading with her to be let out. Epimetheus agreed that nothing inside the box could be worse than the horrors that had already been released, so they opened the lid once more. All that remained in the box was Hope. It fluttered from the box like a beautiful dragonfly, touching the wounds created by the evil creatures, and healing them. Even though Pandora had released pain and suffering upon the world, she had also allowed Hope to follow them. http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/textonly562-pandoras-box.html 9 9
Why Unitarians and Universalists Belong Together: A Fifty-Year Recollection A dramatic moment unfolded on May 23, 1960, for Unitarians and Universalists, two small liberal denominations that had considered a merger for at least a hundred years. Simultaneous sessions of both denominations met in adjoining rooms in John Hancock Hall in Boston. They were connected with a public address system which faltered in the midst of the historic proceedings. Scattered, passionate acrimony remained, but a strong positive vote was given on both sides. Donald Harrington, minister of New York’s Community Church, proclaimed that on this day was created “a new world faith” which would stand alongside the other great American religions: Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish — a bit grandiose for this new denomination, Unitarian Universalism, which numbered at the time a grand total of 141,821 members. The last formal act for consolidation took place on May 12, 1961, at the first annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association in Boston, when the constitution and by-laws were ratified. Why had these two small, struggling denominations failed to join before this time? Do they really belong together? Some Universalists, who were ever more pious than Unitarians, would still say no. And many Unitarians have little understanding of what Universalists brought to the union, and so do precisely what the Universalists feared: disregard the Universalist heritage, referring to the denomination simply as “Unitarian.” The main problem with the merger always lay with the Universalists. They were the smaller of the two groups, with fewer resources and less stability. In fact, at the time of the merger, they brought only 36,864 members to the joint membership, about 25 percent of the total. But the domination of the Unitarians was not merely numerical — there were class differences which had kept the two groups apart. Both groups emerged about the same time in this country — at the end of the 18th century — and both had roots in England, but the Unitarians came from upper-middle class stock, and the Universalists tended to be from rural areas and were less well educated. Their worship styles were different, too, the Unitarians tending toward the cool and intellectual, while the Universalists were warm and emotive. As one anti-merger Universalist put it, the Unitarians seemed more interested “in analyzing the nature of infinity ... than in the spirit of love. I ... feel that I ought to put on my company manners when I go into a Unitarian Church.” Nevertheless, the two groups had much in common. Most significantly, each was a free faith, with no creed, and both had a strong policy of congregational autonomy. They were compatible theologically, though each brought a different emphasis. The Unitarians brought the concept of “one God” rather than the Trinitarian God of conventional Christian churches. Too liberal for both Calvin and Luther, they had come out of the left wing of the Protestant Reformation, and were adamant that each person must be free to follow the dictates of conscience. The Universalists, who believed in the doctrine of universal salvation, were widely known for their tolerance and generosity of spirit. Both groups allowed the umbrella of their religion to encompass an increasingly diverse range of beliefs, including atheists, agnostics, humanists, Jews, as well as Christians. And by the time of their consolidation, the class differences were more historical and perceptual than otherwise, especially in urban settings. The merger, then, was a practical move to strengthen two small denominations that had limited resources. Long in coming, it was the right way to go, not only for pragmatic reasons, but because each faith continues to teach and strengthen the other. 10
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Curiosity stems from the Latin curiosus: careful, diligent, or inquisitive. This is the same root for care and careful which implies an intention in curiosity, a sense of purpose about it. As the word moved into old French and middle English it took on qualities of eager to know (often in a bad sense), solicitous, anxious, inquisitive, odd, strange.
I personally entered the church in the 1970’s. Like a majority of the members, I was a “come-outer” from another faith, in my case Southern Baptist. As a newly divorced woman, I no longer felt welcome in the Baptist church, and so I found myself isolated, cut off from my community. One day as I was bemoaning my fate, my therapist said to me, “Why don’t you go over to the Unitarian Universalist Church? There are a lot of divorced people over there.” In the Baptist church, I could not be a deacon, much less a minister, but the Unitarian Universalists soon engaged me in leadership positions, and six years later, I was on my way to seminary at Starr King School for Religious Leadership in Berkeley, CA. At that time a kind of cool academic intellectualism characterized the pulpits of many of our churches and fellowships. This approach emerged not only from the Unitarian emphasis on reason, but also from the influence of the Humanist Movement of the 1920’s and 1930’s, which dominated the lay-led churches that the UUA started from 1948-1967, mainly in university communities. That style began to be questioned as more women and gays and people of color entered our ministry. Newcomers to Unitarian Universalism were looking for more than intellectual searching — they wanted spirituality. At the same time, many of the come-outers brought with them a fear of religion from their painful growing-up days in more dogmatic churches, so ministers had to work with that fear, reframing conventional theological language so these folks could feel safe to explore new forms of spirituality. Church music moved from the rigidity of allclassical, all the time, to music more ethnically and stylistically diverse. And so today, we are Unitarian, with a strong emphasis on reason and learning. Our congregants tend to be highly educated and we love ideas. But we are not satisfied to rest there. We are also Universalists, wanting to explore emotional and spiritual depths, wanting to be whole persons, generous and loving and ever more inclusive. Considering population growth, we’re not much bigger than we were 50 years ago, for only 0.3 percent of American adults identify as Unitarian Universalists. But we are influential far beyond our numbers, because we are found at the edge of change, wherever change is needed. We are informed, and we are passionate, heartful people. We are Unitarian Universalists, and we belong together. ~ Marilyn Sewell Unitarian Universalist Minister and Writer Article from Soul Matters
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Greeters
Treasurer Report The Stewardship Team is still working on getting everyone's pledges. We are about $20,000 short of where we were last year. It's important to our planning for the coming year to know how much money we will have. If you haven't pledged yet please fill out a pledge sheet. Every dollar is important to keep our congregation thriving. ~Steve Watson, UUCGV Treasurer
Big thank you to our greeters in April! Carmine Nugent Bea Conway Peg & Lance Oswald Lynn deBeauclair Duane & Arleta Carr Elizabeth High Joel Prudhomme
For All the Mothers For all the mothers and mother figures The grandmothers, aunts, and extended family members who mother The soon-to-be mothers, the wish-they-were mothers, the neverwanted-to-be mothers, the “it’s complicated” mothers The birth mothers, foster mothers, adoptive mothers, stepmothers
Don’t you love seeing that beautifully friendly UU face The “used to be Dad” mothers and “more than one Mom” mothers handing you the order of The single mothers, separated mothers, stay-at-home mothers, service each Sunday morning? Being a greeter at UUCGV is a unhoused mothers simple way you can contribute The grieving mothers, those who grieve their mothers, and those to the life of the congregation. On Sunday mornings, our whose grief is complex greeters pass out hymnals and For all the communities that mother the Order of Service and collect and count the offering. If And for all who depend on the Great Mother you’re looking for a short term You are held — and beloved. commitment, please sign up on the clipboard in the foyer, ~ Lindasusan Ulrich or use administrator@ From Soul Matters grandvalleyuu.org to let the office know your preferred dates!
May Membership Anniversaries
Happy
Peg & Lance Oswald, 1999 Elizabeth & Monte High, 2008 Joyce Patton, 2009 Susanna Clark, 2010 Andrea Tanner, 2010 Misti Gillam, 2012 Lynn deBeauclair, 2015 Melissa Humphrey, 2015 Stephanie Goode, 2016 Laura Jeffries, 2016 Janet Hassell, 2016
Mother’s Day!!! 12
Sunday Hospitality There is more to hospitality than just food! Remember, being welcoming, making conversation and keeping seats open on the ends of the aisles are great ways to be hospitable. All are welcome to bring snacks to share with your UU friends (keep in mind, we have a lot of requests for fresh fruits and vegetables!) Don’t expect a full lunch spread each week. We now have a sign -up clip board for a weekly hospitality facilitator. This wonderful volunteer will make sure coffee is made and cleanup happens. Hospitality duties are in the upstairs kitchen and on the good ol' clipboard. Easy peasy! We appreciate all of our community help with hospitality! Thanks!
UUCGV Board Highlights Our UUCGV Board will meet again on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at 6:30 pm. (As a reminder, members/ friends of the congregation are welcome to come and listen in on Board meetings. Also, if you have something that you would like to speak about with the Board, you can contact our Board President Janet Cummings at janetcummings26@gmail.com, and request a time at the beginning of our meeting to present your topic.) •
We reviewed a proposal for reconstruction of the front canopy of our building presented by the Property Team. We approved up to $2500 for an engineer’s analysis needed to proceed with this project.
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We heard an update from Stewardship: canvassing for this year is still in progress. Once everyone has turned in their pledges for this year, the Finance committee will be able to develop a budget for next year.
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We heard on update from Staff-Congregational Relations (SCR) committee regarding general information about some issues the committee is dealing with. Discussion of the need to increase the visibility of the SCR and for staff/congregation issues to be brought to the chain of command--Wendy and the SCR -rather than trickling in through the grapevine.
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We discussed a recommended change to the way that the Leadership Development Team (LDT) recruits people for the Team Leadership Circle (TLC). Instead of recruiting 6 members to the TLC, the LDT would recruit two at-large members and Team Leaders from the 4 program areas of the church (Celebrations, Worship, Religious Education, Membership) and would communicate during the recruitment process that a part of the expectation of being a leader of one of these teams is to also go to the monthly TLC meetings. Board members seem to agree that this change would be very effective and plan to discuss this recommendation with the LDT.
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We heard updates about two community- wide social action events that UUCGV has been involved in. Black Lives Matter will be handing over the physical document of the Proclamation of Inclusivity (which has been signed by the Grand Junction City Council thanks to the organized effort of many community groups including UUCGV) to UUCGV. The intention is that we keep it for a time and then pass its possession on to other faith communities. Richard Hyland described attending a solidarity event at the nearby Muslim center in response to recent anti-Muslim violence. Nearly 100 people attended from various faith communities and UUCGV was represented. 13
Blessing Box
Change for Change
The Blessing Box is always in need of single serving snacks and ready to eat/ non-perishable food. You can place items directly in the Blessing Box or leave them on the donation shelf in the UU foyer. Thank you for all of your support to keep the Blessing Box full! Interested in joining a team to keep the box running? If so please contact Cheryl Roberts at
Each month we collect change (coins) from the offertory baskets and donate it to a local charity. This effort usually brings in about $100/month. Our April Change for Change went to RSVP. RSVP works in partnership with local organizations to fill important volunteer needs by recruiting individuals ages 55 and over. Our May Change for Change will go to Transcend. Transend is an open and welcoming group for any transgender persons (pre, post, or non operative, crossdressers, intersex people, genderqueer people, those questioning their gender expression and/or identity, and any other non-label or label gendervariant person).
cherylroberts979@gmail.com
Blessing Tree Last year the care team put together the “blessing” tree found on the front wall in the foyer. It is designed as a way to connect those who need some specific help with those who are happy to offer that help. When a need arises the care team will create a leaf and put it on the tree. If you would like to fill the need of the leaf please take the leaf and then let Miranda, our administrator, know that you are filling the need.
Interested in Becoming a Member of Grand Valley UU? Every now and then we are asked, "How do I become a member of this congregation?" It is a fairly simple process. If you are new to Unitarian Universalism, it is recommended that you go to one of the “Who are UU?” talks that Rev. Wendy facilitates once a month after the morning service. (“Who Are UU” will begin again in April when Rev. Wendy returns from her sabbatical.) If you decide this is for you, then you can talk to Rev. Wendy, Peg Oswald or Bill Conrod of the membership team about becoming a member. You may then sign our membership book, and you will be given a folder of information. In it there will be a time and talent survey that you fill out and return to the office. A list of all the activities going on in our church is also included. We encourage you to take part in an activity as a way to get to know us and feel a part of the congregation. You will be contacted by a member of the Membership Team and a member of the Stewardship team for a friendly visit. Also, if you would like, we have Friendly UU Ambassadors to help new members "find their way." For more information, contact Bill Conrod at 970-712-8684 or bcconrod@yahoo.com. 14
What makes you come alive?
UUCGV Calendar
May
Worship Schedule Worship Services are held Sundays at 10:30am
2019
May Theme: Curiosity
May 5:Rev. Wendy Jones, The Manifestation of Joy May 12: Rev. Wendy Jones, Mother’s Day May 19: All Ages Service / Bridging Ben Leinbach May 26: Memorial Day Service
Please Remember that all meetings & events MUST be scheduled through the administrator (257-0772) or administrator@grandvalleyuu.org. See full calendar, renters and all, at grandvalleyuu.org/calendar. Sunday 28
Monday 29
10:30 Worship 11:45 Membership Team
Tuesday
Wednesday
30
1
11:00 Newsletter Folding
10:00 Care Team 10:00 Laughter Yoga 5:30 Black Canyon Discussion Group 5:30 UU Night 6:30 Choir
Thursday 2
5 10:30 Worship 11:30 LDT (Leadership Development Team) 11:45 Green Sanctuary
7:00 Adult RE 6 7 8 10:00 RE 10:00 Laughter Team Yoga 12:00 Finance 4:00 Property Team Team 5:30 UU Night 5:00 6:30 TLC 6:30 Choir Meditation & 7:00 Adult RE
11:00 Peaceful Meditation
12
13
16
Mother’s Day 10:30 Worship 11:30 Who Are UU? 12:00 Worship Team
19 10:30 Worship
26
14
15
9
6:30 Board
10:00 Laughter Yoga
7:00 Social Action Team 20 Newsletter Deadline!
7:00 Adult RE 21
5:00 Mindful Meditation
7:00 Adult RE
27
28
10:30 Worship 7:00 Adult RE 7:00 Social Action Team
2:30 Relax Me Hypnosis Session (Auction Item) 5:30 UU Night 6:30 Choir 6:30 Black Lives Matter
Friday 3
4
8:00 Morning Meditation
10:00 Spring Clean-up Day
10 8:00 Morning Meditation
11
4:00 Dale Foreman’s Memorial Reception 17 8:00 Morning Meditation
15
10:00 InterPlay 18
25 10:00 InterPlay
6:30 Goddess Group
29 30 10:00 Laughter 11:00 Newsletter Yoga Folding 5:30 UU Night 6:30 Choir
8:30 Soup Kitchen Saturday
6:00 Men’s Cooking
22 23 24 10:00 Laughter 1:30 Aging 8:00 Morning Yoga Together Meditation (closed group) 5:30 UU Night 6:30 Choir
Saturday
31 8:00 Morning Meditation
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Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Grand Valley P.O. Box 1053 Grand Junction, CO 81502
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 118 GRAND JUNCTION, CO “Return Service Requested”
“Vitally Inclusive Justice-Centered Spiritually Alive”
Office is open Tuesday-Thursday 9 am-2 pm Minister: Rev. Wendy Jones Tue 9-1, Wed & Thu 9-12 or by appointment 257-0772 x2 or minister@grandvalleyuu.org Religious Education Coordinator: Shari Daly-Miller 257-0772 x3 or dre@grandvalleyuu.org Church Administrators: Miranda Richardson & Maya Kraushaar Tuesday—Thursday 9-2 257-0772 x1 or administrator@grandvalleyuu.org Music Director: Amadalin Hunter music@grandvalleyuu.org Facilities Manager: Sterling VanWagoner facilities@grandvalleyuu.org
“The two greatest days in your life are the day you were born, and the day you find out why.” ~Mark Twain
536 Ouray Ave, Grand Junction, CO 81501 www.grandvalleyuu.org
Find us on Facebook & Instagram @grandvalleyuu
We meet Sundays at 10:30 am for Worship