This Sunday the metro area will be hosting the the annual Colfax Marathon. It is one of the few times that being in the heart of the city is a real challenge. Plan to leave early for the single 9:45a service and expect to have to find creative parking solutions. While travel on Colfax Avenue will be restricted, normal traffic patterns will resume as soon as it’s safe for athletes, spectators and motorists.
General Traffic:
• The marathon will have full and partial closures of westbound and eastbound Colfax from Aurora to Lakewood starting as early as 3:00a and ending as late as 1:00p.
• Roads that cross Colfax Avenue and 17th Avenue could experience significant delays.
• The easiest places to cross Colfax Avenue will be at Interstate 25, Federal Boulevard, and Interstate 225.
• Drivers are urged to avoid Speer Boulevard and Colfax Avenue all together.
• Crossing intersections along Colfax will be allowed on a very limited basis when safety allows and only at intersections with uniformed police officers.
• Eastbound Colfax Avenue will be open from Denver’s City Park west to Quitman Street and from Colorado Boulevard east to Ursula Street.
• Westbound Colfax will be closed from Havana Street in Aurora to Garrison Street in Lakewood.
• As the race progresses from Denver’s City Park to Aurora and Lakewood simultaneously, streets will open to normal traffic as rapidly as possible.
This will serve as notice that the Annual FUSD Congregational meeting will be held on Sunday, June 2, 2013 in the church sanctuary. There will be a single service that Sunday at 9:45a and the Annual Meeting will convene shortly after that service. Everyone is welcome to attend. Members in good standing who have joined at least 60 days prior to June 2nd can vote. The agenda will include the following; the 2013-2014 Budget proposal, a possible change to the FUSD Bylaws to change the size of the Board of Trustees, ratifying new Vision, Mission, and Values Statements, and reports from the Board, Minister, and Treasurer as well as others. We will also be electing new members to our Board of Trustees and Elected Committees:
Nominees for Board of Trustees
President: Elizabeth Sollie
Vice President: Kathy Mitchell-Garton
Furman Brown - Bio
Alan Wartes - Bio
Jeanne Abrams - Bio
Rundell Brown - Bio
Celeste Johnson-Youth Member - Bio
Please note that if the bylaws change resolution passes, it will not affect the board size this year, and will thus not affect the number of candidates listed.
Nominees for Elected Committees
Andrea Mitchell-Finance Council - Bio
Don Martell-Finance Council - Bio
Debbie McGinnis-Personnel - Bio
Deanna Kaske-Personnel - Bio
Katy Jensen-Monteith-FIAC - Bio
Melany Deem-FIAC
Heather Metz-Committe on Ministry - Bio
Tim Roberstson-Committee on Ministry - Bio
Laurie Hipley-Committe on Ministry
Dan Thatcher-Leadership Developement - Bio
Carol Poole-Leadership Developement - Bio
Betsy Brainerd-Leadership Developement - Bio
Proposed Bylaws Change
Proposal to change the size of the Board of Trustees of First Unitarian Society of Denver from eleven (11) to nine (9).
History
The board size has been dynamic over the past few years. It once was 11. Then it was reduced to 9. Then it was changed to 9 adults and 2 youth.
Proposal
The leadership development committee is suggesting reducing the size of the board to 7 adults and 2 youth. This can be accomplished with a brief change of the bylaws.
Article V, Section 1:
Effective July 1, 2014, The Board of Trustees shall consist of seven (7) adult members and two (2) youth members elected by the members of the Society. Until June 30, 2014, The Board of Trustees shall consist of nine (9) adult members and two (2) youth members elected by the members of the Society.
Reasoning
Here is an Alban Institute article making the case for a board size of 5. It is an interesting read about church leadership apart from the observations on board size.
Other reasons that reducing the board is a good idea:
- The conventional wisdom is that as an organization grows, its board can shrink. Board members no longer need to be involved with the day-to-day operations of the church. At First Unitarian, the Treasurer, the Finance Council, other volunteer groups, and staff handle tasks that once were performed by board members.
- The conventional wisdom is that as an organization grows, its board can shrink. Board members no longer need to be involved with the day-to-day operations of the church. At First Unitarian, the Treasurer, the Finance Council, other volunteer groups, and staff handle tasks that once were performed by board members.
- The Leadership Development Committee is responsible for filling 33 - 35 positions. Reducing this by 2 would allow for strong leaders to fill other crucial positions within the church, such as on Abundance Ministry or Property Management.
- The board maintains two liaisons to Finance Council, and one to Leadership Development, Faith in Action Council, Connections Ministry, Abundance Ministry, and the Personnel Committee. If this structure is productive, it could be maintained with a board of 9.
- In most boards of 9, the treasurer and secretary are full voting members. At First Unitarian, they are not. In comparison to other boards, this adds 1 or 2 more people to every conversation.
- In a group of 11, there are 55 person-to-person relationships that must be maintained. In a group of 9, there are only 36. Taking into account the permutations of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,and 10 person subgroups, the reduction is even more dramatic.
- Consistently taking in information, distributing information among the group, processing information, reaching consensus, and disseminating a clear message is easier with a smaller group.
- There is a rule of thumb that meetings should not be held with more than 12 people. That number allows each person speak for 5 minutes out of each hour. The CORE Circles at First Unitarian are limited to 12. Every board meeting is always attended by the Minister, the Director of Religious Exploration, and the Treasurer. So, with a board of 9 there will be 12 present at a full meeting, even if there are no guests.
- No other group at First Unitarian attempts to conduct its business with meetings attended by anywhere close to 12 people.
- A vacancy on the board that opened early in this church year has not been filled. No action has been taken by the board to fill this position. The board has been performing just fine with 8 adults and 2 youth.
- The board can always empower a task force, committee, or working group if more people are needed to accomplish a task.
Summary
A nimble, visionary board focused on governance works best with a smaller group. The managerial, hands-on boards of First Unitarian’s past benefitted from a larger size. Reducing the board size at this time will help with this ongoing transition.
A nimble, visionary board focused on governance works best with a smaller group. The managerial, hands-on boards of First Unitarian’s past benefitted from a larger size. Reducing the board size at this time will help with this ongoing transition.
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Our Congregation is dedicated to the proposition that behind all our differences and beneath all our diversity, there is a unity that makes us one; and binds us forever together in spite of time and death and the space between the stars.
Welcome! We are so glad you are here.
Thanks for checking out the First Unitarian Society of Denver. This church is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association and is a Welcoming Congregation. There is no such thing as a typical Sunday here but there are a few things common to every service. We warmly invite everyone to join us on our spiritual journey. This page will give you some guidlines for Sundays at FUSD.
Getting Here
We invite you to look at the map and see where we are located in the city of Denver. First Unitarian is located in the historic neighborhood of Capitol Hill. As an urban church parking is something of a challenge. There is some on-street parking and on Sundays from 8:00a-1:00p the curb lane of 14th Ave. is designated by the city as available. The is a parking lot across the street from the church and has 22 spaces reserved (evenings and weekends) for cars with the appropriate parking sticker. They are available in the church office. The meters on Colfax Ave. are free on Sundays.
We invite you to look at the map and see where we are located in the city of Denver. First Unitarian is located in the historic neighborhood of Capitol Hill. As an urban church parking is something of a challenge. There is some on-street parking and on Sundays from 8:00a-1:00p the curb lane of 14th Ave. is designated by the city as available. The is a parking lot across the street from the church and has 22 spaces reserved (evenings and weekends) for cars with the appropriate parking sticker. They are available in the church office. The meters on Colfax Ave. are free on Sundays.
ServicesOur services are held at 9:45a in the summer (roughly memorial day to right after labor day) and 9:45a and 11:30a the rest of the year. The main page will always have the next sermon title and any special guests. Our services are alive with music, poetry, dancing, singing, and just about anything else Rev. Mike Morran and the ministry staff cook up to make you think, wonder, and ask questions about our spiritual place in the world. Come dressed as you consider comfortable.
After every service we have coffee hour in our community room. It is a chance to meet new people, see old friends, and talk about things important to all of us.
Connections Ministry
Each Sunday our Connections Ministry is on hand to welcome all our visitors. We understand that checking out a church can be a little intimidating and we want to make sure that your first (and every) experience is as meaningful and fulfilling as possible.
For Families with Children
First Unitarian has a vibrant Religious Exploration (RE) program for young people from
preschool to high school, with nursery care also provided. We have a thriving family community and an engaging Sunday School program which includes workshop rotation for elementary aged children. Theologically, our Religious Exploration Program seeks to provide children and youth with a meaningful, faith based, non-doctrinal religious education that makes a positive difference in their lives and encourages them to:
First Unitarian has a vibrant Religious Exploration (RE) program for young people from
preschool to high school, with nursery care also provided. We have a thriving family community and an engaging Sunday School program which includes workshop rotation for elementary aged children. Theologically, our Religious Exploration Program seeks to provide children and youth with a meaningful, faith based, non-doctrinal religious education that makes a positive difference in their lives and encourages them to:
• Focus on and acknowledge the spiritual part of life;
• Develop a foundation of knowledge empowering them to evaluate their spiritual possibilities; and
• Articulate their own religious and spiritual beliefs and paths.
RE at First Unitarian is more than just Sunday School! We have family evening events, intergenerational services and family chapels, Coming of Age, Children's Choir, Our Whole Lives, Mentor Families, a Parent Discussion and Support Group, and much, much more! Contact our Director of Religious Exploration Eric Bliss for current programming and schedules.
Miriam's Book Table
Named for longtime member Miraim Grant, Miriam's book table is your first stop for publications from Beacon Press and other liberal publishers. Lovingly cared for and run by a committee of dedicated bibliophiles.
Named for longtime member Miraim Grant, Miriam's book table is your first stop for publications from Beacon Press and other liberal publishers. Lovingly cared for and run by a committee of dedicated bibliophiles.
