News of the Fellowship January 2015 January 4 UU Worship, What’s it all about Alfie -­‐ Pauline Benetti This is a morning for inquiry -­‐ a time to reflect upon what draws us together on Sunday morning, a time to ask questions and seek answers. What is the central religious act of a community that celebrates its diversity instead of a unifying creed? Is "worship" a useful word to describe what we do on Sunday morning? If so, how do we define this term and what is it that we do that qualifies? Come prepared to be involved. Pauline Benetti is a 10+ year member and past president of the Pagosa Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and a current member of the PUUF Worship Committee. January 11 Truth and Transformation -­‐ Jean Strahlendorf The search for truth is fundamental to Unitarian Universalists belief. The fourth principle of our larger religious association, states that we covenant to affirm and promote a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. By that sacred commitment to one another, we declare that we are seekers after truth, and we affirm that all persons have the right and the responsibility to seek it as well. One of the most critical challenges facing human beings today is learning to live humbly and gracefully in the midst of our many truths; learning—though it can be immensely difficult and painful—to encounter the truths of others not as threats, but as opportunities for growing in our understanding of truth, as well as opportunities for the strengthening and healing of our communities, of the nations, of the world. We will discuss how searching for truth can assist in our transformation. Jean Strahlendorf is a member of the Worship Committee and Steering Committee, serving as the Vice-­‐
President of the PUUF Board. January 18 Surrender -­‐ Janie Garms Surrender is a word often misunderstood. The concept of surrender is subjective and frequently controversial depending on the context of the subject. Surrender brings with it a range of ideas, from abject defeat to submission. In modern Western society, surrender is most often equated with unappealing circumstances; where surrender admits incompetence at best or cowardice at worst. In fact, surrender is thought of as a synonym for defeat. In religion, surrender is equated with releasing and “letting go”. There is an implied willingness to be ready for change and renewal. Further, one must explore the power of acceptance in surrender. Janie Garms will present conceptual outlines of surrender that differ from traditional Western thought; raising consciousness and awareness of what surrender means to health and well-­‐being on an individual basis as well as communal. The effects of surrender on the “fight of flight” hormonal balance of the body will be considered. Stages of change using Proschaska’s change model will be included as surrender is incorporated into concepts of living healthier and getting more out of life. Ms. Garms, RN, MSN has been a nurse for 35 years, having earned a master’s in the profession in 2008. She is well acquainted with the trials and tribulations of the human spirit, based upon her counseling and teaching experiences involving chronic illness and motivational healing. January 25 Non-­‐Violence, Non-­‐Cooperation as illustrated by the life of Martin Luther King – Veronica Bush Veronica Bush will highlight the messages of NVC (Non-­‐Violent Communication) in our ancient and modern teachings and give tribute to the sacrifices made by Martin Luther King and his quest for social justice. She will show the recorded presentation of a UU Version of Jesus Christ Superstar with a modern twist asking the question "If Jesus really did return, did he appear again as Martin Luther King?" Veronica Bush, among numerous other occupations, served as the Program Director at Jefferson Unitarian Church, Golden, CO during its search for a Minister and then served as the Chair of the Program Committee. She is currently a member of the PUUF Worship Committee. The President’s Letter Greeting my fellow PUUF members. I hope the Holiday Season was good for everyone and the New Year brings you the best of life. Personally I remind myself this month to look forward and not at the past. Seems a bit more challenging as my maturity lengthens. As you might expect my focus changed last year when I accepted the presidency of your Steering Committee. I believe in our principles, the message of UU, and how important it is to be a factor in a world I feel is so polarized and uncivil at times. I see a challenge for this Fellowship ahead. We can all see that our membership average age is past the midpoint of life. I see basically two directions for us. One is the easiest, that is to remain as we are. Few in numbers with only a few participating in perpetuating our existence. This direction will have us wither to a point where those few participating will tire of the effort or pass on. Does that advance our principles? Does it help our community, our world. The other choice is to strengthen our bonds with each other. Help one another to feel connected, loving, and spiritual to the degree each is willing and able to express. I see the UU faith and message as not limited to UU's but a central part of what it means to be an American. That may sound like exaggeration but think of what we as a people say we stand for and review our seven UU principles. In this new year I am committed to having this fellowship mean more to each one of you, developing connections between us all, and helping provide a place to explore our varied meanings of spirituality. I ask you to bear with me in developing an implementing a plan to grow in many ways this year. What that means is discussing, expressing, and participating in order to find the best path to move forward together as a UU family. Have a great New Year, George (Jorge) Sievers Steering Committee President [email protected], 970-­‐560-­‐4940 Message from your Vice President: “A fisherman once sat in the midday sun, gazing out to sea, watching his little fishing boat riding at anchor, and thinking to himself how good it was to sit in the sun with no worries, watch the waves breaking, and enjoy [the day]. But his daydream was interrupted when a smartly dressed businessman came up to him, and broke into his reverie with a sharp question: ‘What are you doing lazing around at midday? Why aren’t you out fishing?’ Somewhat taken aback, the fisherman replied, ‘I’ve done my day’s fishing. I’ve taken my fish to market, and now I’m relaxing in the sun.’ ‘But why don’t you put out to sea again and catch some more fish?’ his questioner insisted. ‘Why would I want to do that?’ replied the fisherman politely. ‘Well, then you would make twice as much money.’ ‘Why would I want to do that?’ ‘Well, then you buy a bigger, better boat, and catch more fish. You could even employ other people to do the fishing. My word, you could own a whole fleet of fishing boats if you weren’t so lazy.’ ‘Why would I want to do that?’ ‘Well, if you owned your own fleet of boats, and employed other people to do the fishing, you would have as much money as you could ever dream of.’ ‘Why would I want that?’ ‘Well, then you could spend the rest of your life just doing whatever you wanted to do, sitting in the sun, relaxing and enjoying yourself, with no worries . . . “1 Rev. Ann Schranz from the Monte Vista Unitarian Universalist Congregation states “that if the congregation has no clear sense of mission, of trying to make the world outside its sanctuary a better place, then it will not grow, no matter what”. I would contend that growth for the sake of growth, similar to the philosophy of the businessman, is worrisome. However, it could be stated that the complacency of the fisherman is also disturbing. For it has been said by Lao Tzu: “If you do not change directions, you may end up where you are heading”. But growth based upon a mission such as ensuring a permanent presence of an alternative liberal religious path for the next generation is a worthy undertaking in order to “make the world outside our sanctuary a better place”. Our PUUF mission is to “grow as a diverse community with differing beliefs and shared values. We seek to encourage spiritual growth and strive for compassion, justice and responsible action in our society and on our planet.” By fostering spiritual growth, we enable maturational and numerical growth and better insure our future. In the spirit of growth, I would encourage our endeavors to build a legacy established by courageously compassionate people who give from their resources to make a liberal religious venue such as ours available for future generations. It is a reminder that we are bound in mystery and wonder to the universe, to this community, and to one another. In the near future, PUUF leadership will distribute a survey seeking your thoughts and opinions about growth and the future of our Fellowship, and we encourage you to give it your usual careful consideration. In closing and with sincere regard for all our congregates, I again defer to the words of Forrest Church: “Let us never forget what a privilege it is to be part of this great movement and to pronounce its saving faith: one Light (Unitarianism) shining through many windows (Universalism). Let us continue our quest together, with awe and humility, with saving openness and saving doubt, never forgetting to honor those who charted our way.” 1 “The Fisherman’s Dream” (source unknown), One Hundred Wisdom Stories from Around the World, compiled by Margaret Silf, The Pilgrim Press, Cleveland, Ohio, 2003, p. 78. Jean Strahlendorf Steering Committee Vice President Life of the Fellowship All are invited to participate in the learning, sharing and caring opportunities offered in our Fellowship Book Club The book is Being Mortal; the author Atul Gawanda. Being Mortal deals with the issues we face as we get older and presents information on the hospice movement. Merilyn Moorhead 731-­‐2323 JOIN US FOR A SMALL GROUP SHARING CIRCLE IN JANUARY Beginning early in January Merlin Wheeler will lead a small discussion group with the objective of increasing personal contact among participants. The group will meet two or more times a month, for 2-­‐3 months, on a schedule agreed to by the participants. PUUF has available supportive materials for over 30 topics, ranging from Spirituality to Dealing with Information Technology. Other possible topics include The Divine, Loss and Grief, Hope, Atheism. Change, Aging, Ego, and Attitudes Towards Money. Twice-­‐monthly Meditation Sangha Beginning Saturday January 10, at 10:00 am Pagosa UU Fellowship will host a twice-­‐monthly meditation program. No teaching is proposed but rather an opportunity for group meditation with a discussion following. The session will last approximately one hour. A donation is requested to support the Fellowship. PUUF “Growth” Fund You must know by now that PUUF has a separate savings account for the purpose of “growing” our future in Pagosa Springs? This fund is growing as a result of a number of individual donations plus the investment of 10% of our budget each quarter. If you are inclined to help with this effort, the following are a few painless ways: 1) A donation to PUUF Growth Fund from family and friends in lieu of a gift. This works for birthdays and Christmas. All you have to do is let your family and friends know that this is your preference. Don’t we all have enough stuff anyway? 2) Change your will to include the PUUF Growth Fund. 3) A donation to PUUF Growth Fund from family and friends in lieu of flowers when you pass on. Once again you will have to let family and friends know your wishes. 4) Make a one time or even a regular donation to PUUF Growth Fund…maybe your change saved in a glass jar? An interesting bit of our history which you may not know….14 years ago our Fellowship experienced the loss of a key member and it was the subsequent donations from family and friends that made it possible to purchase our present Greenbriar space. Let’s keep our “Growth” Fund growing. From Our Children’s Program Coordinator – Anna Ramirez Happy 2015! Another year gone and a new one just beginning. As we enter into the new year, I encourage you to take time to be still. I also ask that you consider what a gift you are to each of us in our fellowship and how we can continue to nurture our relationships and community. Here is a prayer I hope you'll find useful. Spirit of life and love: In this season of beginning Some of us are hurried and harried. Some of us feel sorrowful and afraid. Some of us are not yet ready to step forward into the future. May we minister to one another with wisdom, Meeting our friends with open ears, open eyes, and open hearts. In this season of beginning Some of us are celebrating triumphs and joys. Some of us feel whole and happy. Some of us are eager and excited, curious to see what happens next. Let us each, as we are able, take part in one another’s happiness and enthusiasm. Quiet spirit of life and love, Bring us the grace to share wholly and faithfully in the lives of our friends and loved ones. —Amen. Our children are growing, both in number and in size. Our space is full past capacity and this is one of the most challenging issues for the Childrens Program. I am hopeful that we will work together to figure out how to continue to support our youth. Please attend the Intergenerational Club monthly meetings. We meet the first Sunday of each month immediately after coffee hour. We are working on a set of workshops called Circle of Trees, a resource from UUA. This is a great opportunity to spend time with our youth, strengthen our relationships, learn about our connection with trees, and explore our 7th principle: Take Care of Earth's Lifeboat. I look forward to seeing all of you January 4, 2015. A light lunch is provided. The workshop runs about 1.5 hours. Pagosa UU Friends: We have 15 members in the Pagosa UU Friends facebook group. If you haven't already joined, please do. it's a great bunch of friends, and an effective way to keep up with what's going on with our fellowship. Calendar of Events Welcome everyone to the events of the Fellowship Meetings are at PUUF Hall unless otherwise noted. Sunday Worship Service begins at 10:30 am RE classes offered for children 3 to 11 yrs old. 7:00 Full Moon Meditation Julie Loar 731-­‐4744 12:30-­‐2:00 Intergenerational Club Anna Ramirez 264-­‐3634 12:30-­‐2:30 Worship Committee Pauline Benetti 264-­‐5232 2:00-­‐3:30 Steering Committee George Sievers 970-­‐560-­‐4940 10:00 -­‐ 11:00 Meditation Sangha Merlin Wheeler 731-­‐9664 1:00 Book Club Merilyn Moorhead 731-­‐2323 10:00 -­‐ 11:00 Meditation Sangha Merlin Wheeler 731-­‐9664 Sun Jan 4 Sun Jan 4 Mon Jan 5 Mon Jan 5 Sat Jan 10 Mon Jan 12 Sat Jan 24 Worship Committee Nathan Beach Pauline Benetti Phyl Daleske Merilyn Moorhead Anna Ramirez Jean Strahlendorf Veronica Bush Zoë Groulx Caring Network Merilyn Moorhead Steering Committee George Sievers, President Jean Strahlendorf, Vice President Kay Kaylor, Secretary Doug VanderLouw, Treasurer Nyla Eala, At Large Julie Loar, At Large Children’s Program Coordinator Anna Ramirez 301 N. Pagosa Blvd, Greenbriar Plaza, Unit B 15 P.O. Box 5984, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147 Membership Committee Phyl Daleske Kathy Schultz Newsletter Editor Pauline Benetti, editor Zoë Groulx, guest editor Web Mistress Barbara Asprey Voice Mail: 970-­‐731-­‐7900 www.pagosauu.org