Our UUCGV calendar year ended in June and started over with a new slate of leaders in July, and we are beginning the planning and visioning for the upcoming year; another example of something ending and (Continued are an
From Our Minister, Reverend Wendy Jones What we call the beginning is often the end, and to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. ~ T. S. Eliot “Little Gidding,” from Four Quartets Is today an ending or a beginning? It’s both. It’s always both. The theme for August is “New Beginnings.” As I reflect on this concept, I am reminded of the above words from T.S. Eliot, “what we call the beginning is often the end . . .”
This simple phrase really is so true. For many of our children, school is about to begin, or has already started, which means they are approaching the end of their summer vacation.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Grand Valley — Newsletter
1 #grandvalleyuu A Place for Liberal CommunityDiverseSpiritualityThoughtandAction August 2022 We are a CongregationWelcoming In This Issue Among Us 1-2, 6, 12-13 Our Whole Lives, OWL 3 Revelations 7, 10-11 Green Sanctuary 4-6 Leadership 8 Finance 14 Worship Calendar 9 Calendar 15 Welcome to the Month ofWelcome to the Month ofto Monthto Month New BeginningsNew BeginningsNew New
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MountainUnitariancongregationaffiliatedoftheUniversalistAssociationandtheDesertDistrictoftheUUA. UUCGV NEWS
With the birth of a new baby comes the loss of “just running to the store to buy some groceries.”
something else beginning. I find it interesting that we experience endings and beginnings so often in our lives that most of the time we don’t even notice them when they are happening. One event blends into the other so often that we don’t recognize that our lives really are a series of endings and beginnings. For example, there is an ending with the birth of a child. There are endings that take place in the ritual of a wedding. There is an ending when we bring a new animal into the home. These are all beginnings, and we tend to view them as such. But they are endings also.
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With the beginning of a new marriage comes the loss of “just doing it my way.” With the joy of bringing in a new puppy or kitten comes the end of being able to leave the house for a weekend without preLettingplanning.go and embracing something new is part of the cycle of life. This month I invite us to take some time to pause to recognize the significance of what is happening while it is happening; to embrace our new beginnings and honor and release that which is ready to end. Embracing and releasing is how we move forward. With Love, Rev. Wendy
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From Mary Delbecq, UUCGV Green Team Member
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(Continued on page 5) Upcoming Meeting: Thursday, August 4th at 7:00pm via Zoom All AreAll AreAll AreAll Welcome!Welcome!Welcome!AreWelcome!
Some Notes from the “Compost Lady”
Do you compost your yard waste or food waste? In 2019 when the UUCGV Green Team surveyed folks at church, 40% were composting regularly, 12% occasionally, 10% wanted to and 36% were not composting at all. The national average for home owners composting yard and food waste is about 28% so it was good to see we were above average. Here in Mesa County we can drop off our yard waste which I prefer to call yard trimmings at the county's composting facility at no charge. We also have leaves picked up in the fall and taken to the compost facility. Mesa County uses the the finished compost around the valley and also sells it to residents. Presently there is no place to take our home food waste so it all just goes into the land fill as garbage if you are not composting at home. You may think, the yard trimmings and food waste that goes into the landfill is no problem because “doesn't it just decay like it does in the compost area?” but the answer is NO. It breaks down anaerobically in the landfill and releases methane into the air. Methane is a powerful green house gas contributing to climate change. Also in the landfill, the yard trimmings and food waste cannot release nutrients back into the soil. Composting yard trimmings and food waste is an aerobic process of decay that does not produce methane and recycles nutrients back into the soil. Compost is a valuable soil amendment that helps soil hold water and increases the activity of beneficial soil organisms. Gardeners have nicknamed it “Black Gold”. For the past 3 years I have been representing the UUCGV Green Team volunteering at the Library's Discovery Garden as their “Compost Lady” a title I have come to enjoy! Cheryl Roberts, my husband Eric and I constructed the gardens compost bins out of wooden pallets(non chemically treated) and surrounded them with burlap to help retain moisture. I turn all the leftover and rotten produce from Tuesdays Mutual Aid Food Distribution and all the Library's coffee grounds into compost. It averages about 5 pounds of food waste per week in the winter and 15 pounds of food waste per
Moisten: Since we live in such a dry climate I give the compost pile a good water mist between
Chop: Eric has sharpened the edge of my shovel so I can chop up all the food left for me into about 1-2 inch pieces. This is a fun work out and so far I haven't chopped off a toe. This step is not absolutely required but smaller pieces break down much quicker. Your home food waste can be easily chopped on your cutting board before adding to to your compost pile. Mix: Here is where the magic starts to happen. I add dried leaves on top of the food mash and mix it up a bit and shovel it onto the compost pile. You need to get the Nitrogen (Green Stuff-fresh garden trimmings and produce) and the Carbon (Brown stuff-dried leaves and chopped branches) mixed together in a ratio of about 1 part Nitrogen to 3 parts Carbon. I just do it by volume, so for every shovelful of Green Stuff I add on 3 shovelfuls of Brown Stuff. I will spare you the science of decomposition and just tell you that this ratio keeps the microorganisms that are breaking every thing down very well fed and active. Your compost should have NO odor just an earthy smell. If it starts to smell like garbage you need more Brown stuff mixed in. Layer: I layer the new stuff right on top of the old stuff week after week and every so often about once a month in the summer I get a real work out when I turn the compost . I shovel the new top stuff to the side and bring up the old bottom stuff. This provides good aeration and supplies oxygen to the microorganisms. It also is the time you get to meet the macro organisms living in your compost pile that have been busily eating and breaking down the organic matter. My favorite are the Sow bugs and Pillbugs. The kids call them roly-polies because they call roll up into a ball when you pick them up. They are not really bugs but are soil dwelling crustaceans that breath through gills on their abdomen and have been nick named “wood shrimp”.
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5 week the other seasons. That's about 500 pounds of food waste per year that stays out of Mesa County's landfill and turns into “Black Gold”. It's used throughout the garden and makes the flowers and vegetables grow and makes me very happy! In the fall when the garden is cleaned up for the winter, additional compost bins are filled and when the 6 bins reach capacity the rest is hauled off to Mesa County's composting facility. I will share my process with you in case you want to give it a try in your own back yard. It's simply Chop, Mix, Layer and Moisten.
Enjoy some mingle.refreshments,delightfulmusic,and Find some treasure! At 6:45pm begin your search for a few perfect (new to you) items! Simply enjoy yourself as you try on and test out some flair that speaks to you.
6 layers. Without adding water the microorganisms will all die off and the whole process will come to a stand still. I aim to have the center of the pile a little damp to the touch. It takes about 3-4 months for everything to be decomposed and then the compost is ready to be used as mulch or mixed into the Ifsoil.all this sounds like too much work for you perhaps you could invest in a tumbling composter for your backyard . These enclosed plastic bins are easy to fill and tumble. They handle kitchen food wastes and small amounts of yard trimmings. You still need to manage the Nitrogen:Carbon ratio so you will need to keep a pile of dry leaves handy. The hard part is removing the finished compost so make sure to get one with a big side door.
Happy Composting! Mary Delbecq
It's good to know what not to put in your home compost pile: milk products, meat scrapes, dog or cat feces, weeds that have seeds on them and vegetation that has been sprayed with weed killers should not go in your compost pile.
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How it works:How it works:How works:How works: Arrive at 6:00pm with a few accessories that you no longer use, this could be jewelry (any & all types welcome/clean and in good repair please,) purses, belts, scarves, shawls, etc. We will display your items amongst the rest of the treasures.
Voila! Take home your gems and enjoy! Join us on Thursday, August 18th for anJoin us on 18th for an EveningEveningEveningofEleganceofEleganceEveningofEleganceofElegance , a UU, a UU church fundraiser, bringing style to Reusing, Reducing, and Recycling!church fundraiser, bringing and Recycling!
Do you remember? Can you recall? The long journey – the Odyssey, the 40 years (and then some) wandering in the desert? All the people power poured into the renovation? How jubilant we were when we walked through the door at 536 Ouray to celebrate our first worship service? I won’t write about the early years when our congregation met in people’s houses, or on the monument, or in the Mesa State Chapel, etc. Let us start this historic tour at the building we rented one lot over from the corner of 10th and Grand Avenue. We were renting a building that was previously a preschool, next door to an old church with a steeple that housed the Emily Griffith Opportunity School. Do you remember when our rent started to rise, when we began to realize how much cheaper a mortgage would be? When we formed a building search committee? When we all went out like worker ants searching for crumbs? Could the old Hobby lobby building on North Avenue possibly work? No. We were considering everything. You remember touring the church building on Glenwood Avenue? Too small. You remember touring the mortuary building? Too expensive. You remember touring the church on Orchard Mesa? They rejected our offer. (Thank Then,goodness!)in2011 we decided to share space with the First Congregational Church across from Grand Junction High School. I think our rent was less than 1/3 of what we had been paying. Do you remember all the work that went into moving? Getting rid of the (heavy) old carpet padded wooden church pews? Storing a bunch of stuff in the cellar of the Carr’s house. Remember the survey to decide the time of our Worship Service? I recall 4:30 PM being the median time selected. We seemed a small crowd in the long pews of that large sanctuary. Yet, during the 2+ years we spent scheduling our meetings and events after first checking the Congregationalist’s calendar, we formed a fondness for the kitchen that would carry over to the final blueprint of our new building. Do you remember the first whisperings of the property at 536 Ouray Avenue? We had inside information from a Library Board member that it would soon be on the market. Wow! What an amazing location – right across the (Continued
For this month’s column I have decided to revisit the first article I wrote for the newsletter, back in March of 2016. The article was a little silly, as I tend to be. It was written from the perspective of the building, as though I was interviewing the building, as though the building could speak. Anywise, there are many new congregants who do not know the history of our wonderful UUCGV building. And even for those who’ve been around a while, I think it’s a good time to be reminded of how fortunate we are to have such a beautiful home.
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7 Revelations This is a monthly column helping us to get to know our friends and members in a deeper way. We thank Monte High for taking the time to do these in-depth interviews for us.
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9 Soulful Sundays Upcoming Sunday Services Please join us virtually or in person at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday. Join us on Zoom: www.grandvalleyuu.org View the Order of Service www.grandvalleyuu.org/sunday-servicesat Children’s Programming and childcare provided downstairs. August ~ New Beginnings August 7th Community Empowerment Jimi Blevins August 14th New Beginnings: Moving Through Life's Transitions Rev. Wendy Jones August 21st Human Trafficking Tom Acker August 28th The Tapestry of Life: The Lifelong Journey of Spirit Rev. Wendy Jones Sundae Sunday ~ Ice-cream Sundaes After Church
10 street from the main library branch. But could we really make it work? From the outside the building looks small, yet as you enter the reality is much larger, and there is a full basement. The building would need a major renovation, yet the foundation is good, the structure is sound, the pillars are sturdy and the spine is very strong (much like the people-gathering of the UUCGV).
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The building at 536 Ouray Avenue was completed in 1977 and was home to the Mesa County Teachers Federal Credit Union. At some point it was taken over by the Western Rockies Federal Credit Union, and then sometime in the next century the Mesa County Library bought it to use for office space and book storage. Could we really make it work? Could we turn this building into a loving space that would become a home of our own? Yes! If we tear down this wall, and that wall and that wall and that wall, and we put up this wall and this wall and this wall – we could build a beautiful place, an amazing wondrous wonderful space. We can take out that drive-in window on the wall and the driveway can become a patio with a flower garden; we can remove the conveyor belt that the library used to bring books from the basement, and fix the hole in the floor. We can remove the enormous, thick steel doors and make use of the space inside the vault, upstairs and down – the vault runs through the entire vertical length in the middle of the building, the walls are 2 ½ feet thick with reinforced concrete (the spine). We can build an altar with space for a choir, and we can replace practically the entire electrical system and put in an amazing audiovisual sound system. But can we afford it? How can we possibly afford it? Thanks to a kind gentleman, who wished to remain anonymous, we were able to purchase the building – and set it up so that our mortgage wouldn’t kick in for a few years, which allowed us to complete most of the renovation.
“Imagine. Imagine all the people, living for today…” Imagine about 12 people (the building committee) sitting around the table. In the middle of the table and architects drawing. Twelve people
11 with different ideas on the shape that our building should take. Going back-and-forth, moving walls, shifting shapes – should we put a kitchen in the basement? Do we need a foyer: how big should be? How many offices do we need? How many classrooms should we put in the basement, where will we put the lift so that we can be welcoming to all? On and on and… Consensus! Imagine all the worker bees, buzzing around the hive. The demolition began. Concrete was broken up, walls were smashed away – dust flew, and wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of the rubble was carted away. And then we built it up. Some of the work had to be contracted out (much of the contract work was done by the company of one of our congregants) but most of the work was done by our own people. I’m not going to mention names because I cannot remember all of them and I’d surely leave some of them out, and also get many of the details wrong. Many devoted congregants poured their blood, sweat, and tears into the search process, getting a mortgage – and especially renovating the building. One member lost his mind and committed a whole year of his life, as what would amount to a full-time job. We were lucky to have members with a lot of knowledge, some who were project managers and architects, others who brought a lot of common sense and countless hours of labor. Nelson Mandela said it always seems impossible until it is done. I’m not mentioning names –yet you know who you are. Each of you, throw your fists above your head, and yell – yes, I did that! We owe you all a world of gratitude, including those who have moved on and those who are no longer with us. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Life flows on... in endless song…
Silent Meditation for Healing Our World Join us at the church on Wednesdays at 10:30am for 20-30 minutes of silent meditation for healing our world. We will have chairs arranged six feet apart and we ask that you please bring a mask. Goddess Group Join the UUCGV Goddess Group as we discover the hidden forces within. All who identify as women are welcome to join us at any or all of the dates below. We meet monthly on the 4th Thursday, at 6:30 pm via Zoom. For more information contact Barbara Beth by emailing works90@hotmail.com. Go to www.grandvalleyuu.org/goddess-group for more Meetinginfo.next on: Thursday, August 25th at 6:30 pm - Cakes for the Queen of Heaven: Volume II Men's Cooking Group 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 maleidentifying, please join the fun!
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Meeting next on August 18th at 6:00pm For more info, contact Mark McKenney at 970-256-7907 or mckenneyd@qwest.net. Laughter Yoga!!! Wednesdays at 8:30 am It's Not Really Yoga... Come work out your spirit with laughter! Remember to wear a mask, bring something to lie down on. We'll meet at NE section of Sherwood Park across from 1460 East Sherwood Drive. For more info text or call Mary at (708) 552-1537
Host will offer the main dish, and then side dishes are provided by the participants. Aging Graciously Open to everyone of all ages! Join us virtually or in person. The discussion will be lead by Rev. Wendy on Thursday, August 25th at 1:00 pm
*Beginning in July, we began meeting monthly on the 4th Thursday, instead of the 3rd Thursday. Go to www.grandvalleyuu.org/aging-graciously for the Zoom link.
The UU congregation has been cooking at the Catholic Outreach soup kitchen on the 2nd Saturday of the month for over 15 years. We could not continue to do this every month without your enthusiastic assistance. During the summer months, due to travel and other commitments, we frequently run short of volunteers. If anyone is interested in joining our group, please contact Chris Jauhola by phone or e-mail (please no texts) at (chrisjauhola@aol.com; phone 703-216-6479) for more information or to volunteer. No previous experience is necessary, recipes and direction are provided, but we do ask volunteers to be vaccinated and to bring a scarf or hat to cover your hair and a face mask to meet state health department Covid-19 protocols.
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Black Canyon Discussion Group
For June we need your help on Saturday, June 11 from 8:30 am to 1:15 pm; for July, on Saturday. August 13th. We need 8-10 people from 8:30-10:00 am to help prepare and cook a main dish, vegetable, potato or rice and salad for 70-85 people. Another 56 people are needed from 11:45 to 1:15 pm to serve and help clean up the kitchen. Please let me know in advance if you plan to volunteer this month so that the shifts can be balanced. Thanks!
COVID vaccination is required to participate. Questions? Call 970-856-4226 E Heuscher or email at epheuscher@gmail.com
The next Black Canyon Discussion Group will be held on Wednesday, August 3rd at 5:30pm in the Cedaredge area. Topic will be: "What has been your best (travel or otherwise) experience so far in your life?”
I have been asked whether kids can volunteer. The following are guidelines set by Catholic Outreach: teens 16 or older are welcome at any time; 12-15 year-olds must be accompanied by a responsible adult. There are limited opportunities for 1 or 2 younger children to serve each month, but they must be accompanied by an adult and able to reach the top of the 4 ½ foot high serving counter.
total of $724 was the only "program" expense that was over budget, and included $300 for CIRC (Immigration Rights group) and $200 for Slamming Bricks (an LGBTQ+ event). The finance team considered both of these to be good uses of this category. The UUA/ District Program Fund was $10,187 versus a budget of $9261. We had under budgeted by not updating to the new UUA formula. We budgeted $10,500 for next year but our actual will be $11,206. Because of the change in formula, our "fair share" has been increasing 10% a year since the change was made in 2019. It should level out after this year, or even drop a bit.
From the UUCGV Finance Team and Treasurer, Kitty Tattersall The finance team met on July 11 to go over the financial reports for the church year ending June 30. Overall, we are ending the year in a strong financial place that will help carry us into next year. The big picture: Our total income of $188,999 was 99% of our budgeted income, and total expenses of $174,925 were only 89% of budgeted expenses, resulting in net income of $14,074 for the year. This is much higher than the budgeted loss of $6305. The primary reasons for this were staff positions that were not filled in FY22. We had budgeted $24K for the DRE position, and only paid out $3200 as Chelsea left early in the year. We also only paid our Music Director for a partial year, using 88% of the amount budgeted for that position.
Notes by Janet Cummings adapted for the newsletter by incoming treasurer Kitty Tattersall
Balance Sheet (Statement of Financial Position): Operating cash was up by $8092 from May to June, mostly due to Prepaid Pledges. We had a total of $12,312 in prepaid pledges for FY22-23 as of June 30. These will move to Pledge Income in July, but kept our bank accounts in good shape in ThankJune. you to everyone who keeps the church running, both with financial help and with time and talent. Many hands make light work!
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Expenses: We under budgeted Liability Insurance expenses (146% of budget was spent), but Workers Comp was less than expected (77%) so these two offset each other. Building Maintenance (under "Property") of $5562 looks high compared to budget of $3100, but this line includes about $1450 for patio sails expense that was covered by the Paddle Auction income of Social$1550.Action
UUCGVTreasurer,KittyTattersall
Income: Auction income was low, $6747, which was only 48% of budget, and we have budgeted less auction income for next year ($12,000 versus $14,000). On the other hand, yard sale income was $4083, which was 204% of budget. Good work! Building Rental was 169% of budget - $6768 versus $4000 as groups have returned to use the Offeringsbuilding. came in at less than budget at $9441 - the $15,000 budgeted was based on past years when a few "one time" larger gifts had come in. Paid pledges of $124,899 were 101% of the $124,000 budgeted. Yeah!
15 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 Program10:3010:30WorshipChildren’s Mutual10:00GJAid Human6:305:3011:0010:30Yoga8:30Laughter@SherwoodMeditationCareTeamBlackCanyonIntrotoTrafficking viaTeam7:00GreenMeetingZoom CIRCAssembly(Rev.WendyAttending) 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Program10:3010:30WorshipChildren’s Finance12:00 Mutual10:00GJAid 10:30Yoga8:30Laughter@SherwoodMeditation 7:006:00TLCBoard Kitchenat8:30UUServestheSoup 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Program10:3010:30WorshipChildren’s Mutual10:00GJAid 10:30Yoga8:30Laughter@SherwoodMeditation ofSwap6:00Cooking6:00Men’sJewelry-EveningElegance September Newsletter Deadline 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Program10:3010:30WorshipChildren’s Mutual10:00GJAid 10:30Yoga8:30Laughter@SherwoodMeditation Group6:30Graciously1:00AgingGoddess 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 ChurchCreamSunday12:00Program10:3010:30WorshipChildren’sSundae--IceAfter Mutual10:00GJAid 10:30Yoga8:30Laughter@SherwoodMeditation viaTeam7:00GreenMeetingZoom 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. UUCGV Calendar August 2022
Unitarian ofCongregationUniversalisttheGrandValley P.O. Box 1053 Grand Junction, CO 81502 Minister: Rev. Wendy Jones 257-0772 x2 or minister@grandvalleyuu.org Church Administrator: Maya Kraushaar 257-0772 x1 or administrator@grandvalleyuu.org Facilities Coordinator: Jimi facilities@grandvalleyuu.orgBlevins Office Hours: Tuesdays: 10:30 am - 2:30 pm Wednesdays: 10:30 am - 2:30 pm Thursdays: 10:30 am - 2:30 pm Fridays: 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm *See calendar for dates the office will be closed for staff vacations. www.grandvalleyuu.org Morningitcome,willhasnochoice. ~ Marty Rubin NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 118 GRAND JUNCTION, CO “Return Service Requested” Find us on Facebook & Instagram @grandvalleyuu “Vitally Justice-CenteredInclusiveSpirituallyAlive” We meet via Zoom and inperson on Sundays at 10:30 am for Worship
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