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Sunday Worship, January 28th, 2024
at 10:30 am
Race from Here
Rev. Mike Morran
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Please join us on
Sunday, January 28th at 10:30 am.
First Unitarian Denver has been learning about, and working on racism and white supremacy culture for quite a while now. Something like seventy years! Last year we raised nearly a quarter-million dollars that we gave away as reparations. This Sunday we will review some of that history and consider what kind of trouble we want to get into next.
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(Thanks to
Susan Riederer
for the post)
We’d like to get to know you better! Visit the QR code on your left or click
here
and fill out a visitor information link or fill out a card at our Information Table in the Community Room. We will happily add your name to our weekly newsletter and answer your questions.
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Justice Committee “Lunch Launch”
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(Thanks to Kimberly Urish for the post)
Members and friends of First Unitarian are invited to a Justice Committee “Lunch Launch” on
Sunday, January 28th
(
11:30 am-2:30 pm
upstairs in the chapel). Join us for lunch and to launch FUSD’s support for COBALT’s 2024 Ballot Initiative to protect Abortion Rights in Colorado AND the Safe and Healthy Colorado’s ballot initiative to phase out fracking in Colorado. We will learn about the initiatives, you can read the ballot language, and sign petitions to put the initiatives on the ballot for the 2024 fall elections.
Lunch is being provided by the Reproductive Justice and Climate Justice committees. Please
RSVP
to
reproductivejustice@fusden.org
before
Wednesday, January 24th
so we get enough food. Thank you and look forward to seeing you on the 28th.
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Climate Grief Workshop – Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 10am-3pm
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(Thanks to Noelle Botti, for the post)
With the physical consequences of climate change becoming more readily apparent in our day-to-day lives, many of us are faced with feelings of grief, anxiety, or hopelessness. Once again, the First Unitarian Climate Justice Project is hosting a workshop that will be facilitated by Rin Overturf. It is informed by Joanna Macy’s “Work that Reconnects” and focuses on the emotional aspects of both the impacts of climate change and our efforts to save the world we love. The workshop will be held from
10 am to 3 pm on Saturday, February 3, 2024
in person at First Unitarian. To allow for full engagement, please plan to participate for the entire session. It will be limited to 20 participants to manage the dynamics of the group. Please
RSVP
to
climatejustice@fusden.org
by Monday, January 29th
. Lunch will be provided.
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A Movie Series for Grownups: Let’s Talk About Sex (and its consequences), Baby!
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(Thanks to
Jane Ashley
for the post)
The film “Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always” will be shown as the second offering in the Reproductive Justice Initiative’s film series. Rated PG13, Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%. It will be shown at the home of Jane Ashley in Denver. There’s room for 12 people in her TV room, with a large screen for viewing. It will be shown on
Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 6 pm
. Please RSVP to Jane at
jane.ashley52@gmail.com
. She’ll send you her address.
The third movie in the series, to be shown on
Tuesday, March 12
, will be “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.”
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Climate Justice Project – Book Discussion – Save the Dates
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(Thanks to Peggy for the post)
The FUSD Climate Justice Project is holding a book discussion opportunity in February. We will be reading
Where The Water Goes
by David Owen about the Colorado River from its northern Colorado origins to its end at the sea…where it is dry. The book is both informative and accessible and lays an important foundation for our understanding of the River that is the lifeblood for much of the West. Books will soon be available in the Community Room.
Please put the dates on your 2024 calendar. The dates are
Wednesday, February 7 at 7:00 pm via Zoom (contact
Peggy Ulrich-Nims
for Zoom info)
and
Sunday, February 11 at noon in the First Unitarian Library.
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Racial Justice Project – Spring Read
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(Thanks to
Patrick Whorton
for the post)
The Racial Justice Project’s spring book read will be
Black on Black
, written by Daniel Black, an author and professor of African American studies at Clark Atlanta University. This book, in fourteen short chapters, offers a queer, intersectional perspective on racial justice issues; each chapter examines a different issue. We have organized the reading around three discussions, once a month: Intro-page 88 on
February 28
; pages 89-158 on
March 27
; pages 159-end
April 24
. All discussions will be via zoom from 7:00-8:30 p.m. Participants must register to participate by emailing Patrick Whorton at
pwhorton@gmail.com
. I will then send you a zoom link and some discussion guidelines.
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Registration Open for Pacific Western Regional Assembly – April 19th and 20th
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t’s time to get together!
Registration is open for our Pacific Western Regional Assembly this
April 19th and 20th!
People can attend either in person, at
First Universalist in Denver
, or remotely. We are planning a family friendly event and children are welcome. This is a great chance to connect with our larger faith and connect with new and old friends.
Stay up to date on all the PWR RA Plans
here
.
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First Universalist Social Justice Film Series
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The Social Justice film series is co-partnered by First Plymouth Church and our
neighbors, First Universalist Church.
When
:
Friday, February 2, 2024
Bring a snack to share, Snacks and visit at 6:30, film begins at 7:00
Where
: First Plymouth Congregational Church, 3501 S. Colorado Blvd.
It’s another election year and the right to vote has never been more profoundly
important. Celebrating Black History Month, the Social Justice Film series brings you “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power” (2022). In 1960, Lowndes County, AL–despite being 80% Black–had zero registered Black voters. This film chronicles the courageous men and women, famous and unknown, who put their lives on the line to secure the right to vote for everyone. A young
Stokely Carmichael
brings passion to the crusade, and we witness the evolution of the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) into a powerful force on the frontlines, fanning the cause outward throughout the South. Award winning documentarians
Sam Pollard
and
Geeta Gandbhir
expertly weave rarely seen archival footage and first-person testimony to create a solid sense of place and capture the high-stakes tension on the ground. Through their expert direction emerges an intimate, insightful snapshot of this seminal moment in the quest for Civil Rights, a film whose relation to the current assault on the right to vote makes it urgently relevant.
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Helping Migrants in Denver
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(Thanks to
Julie Meyers
for the post)
It’s hard to ignore the migrants who are newly arriving in Denver. Most have had arduous journeys, but, of course, their difficulties don’t magically disappear just because they have arrived in Denver, a Sanctuary City. They desperately want to work so they can provide for themselves and their families. They need housing, warm clothes, food, health care and much more.
Denverite had a helpful article on January 9th. The full article is here, but I’ve highlighted a few ideas.
https://denverite.com/2024/01/09/how-to-help-denver-migrants/
Monetary Donations:
“One of the best ways your average person can support the effort is by donating to the Newcomer’s Fund, which to date has already provided more than $1.6 million in funding toward housing, fees associated with applying for work authorization and more,” said Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for the Department of Human Services.
https://rcfdenver.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4267
Employ Migrants
. They desperately want to work! Groups like Centro de los Trabajadores are working to help migrants navigate work and offering other resources.
https://centrodelostrabajadores.org/
.
Chamba
is an app connecting migrants with people looking to hire, too.
https://www.lachamba.app/
Donate Clothing.
The City of Denver has identified some items migrants need and places to drop them off.
https://www.denvergov.org/Community/Assistance-Programs/Migrant-Support
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2024 General Assembly Registration is Now Open!
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Represent us at the UUA General Assembly!
The Unitarian Universalist Association’s (UUA) national meeting of UU congregations is an all-virtual event this year. You can participate from the comfort of your own couch from
June 20-23, 2024
.
As a member congregation of the UUA, First Unitarian Society of Denver (FUSD) sends “delegates” to this event, which includes worship, workshops, lectures and the annual UUA business meeting. FUSD delegates will participate in the business meeting and vote on items that impact all member congregations.
If you are interested in serving as an FUSD delegate at the 2024 General Assembly, please reach out to Coral Cosway at
President@fusden.org
.
Adult registration is $280 and includes access to the live sessions, on-demand programming, featured speakers and major worships. There is also an option to register for only the annual business meeting portion of the event for free (or a donation amount of your choice). You can review the
program and schedule
and visit the UUA’s
General Assembly webpage
for more information.
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(Thanks to
Thomas Poole
for the post)
On
Sunday January 28
, you are invited to attend the monthly meeting of the
Jefferson Humanists
meeting at Jefferson Unitarian Church, 14350 West 32nd Ave, in Golden. The featured program will be Working with Wildflowers in a Changing Climate // 4 pm // presented by Prof. David Inouye, who has studied how the Colorado climate has changed over the past 50 years and how those changes are influencing mountain wildflowers and their pollinators. He has spent his career as a researcher at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, near Crested Butte, working with wildflowers, bumble bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, and flies. His work was featured in a National Geographic article last April. The event is hosted by
Jefferson Humanists
, a chapter of the American Humanist Association. There will be appetizers and wine (for a donation) from 4:00 to 4:30 pm, followed by the program. Please respond to
RSVP@jeffersonhumanists.org
to let us know you will attend. Come socialize, enjoy food, find friends and share ideas! Visit
www.jeffersonhumanists.org
to learn of our coming 4th Sunday programs and monthly activities.
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Pacific Western Region – January Newsletter
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The Pacific Western Region of the Unitarian Universalists, publish a newsletter every one to two months. This newsletter will keep you up to date on all things UU that are happening in our region.
Click
here
to view the January newsletter.
Additionally, you can visit the Unitarian Universalist Association web site at
https://www.uua.org/
for information at the association level.
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First Unitarian Information
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First Unitarian – Calendaring and Room Reservations
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(Thanks to
Rhonda Williamson
, Congregational Administrator, for the post)
To Request
an event addition to the First Unitarian calendar and to request a room reservation:
- To add a meeting or event to the Church Calendar and reserve a room:
- Check the church calendar on the website to see if there are any conflicts. There is a link on each page of the website in the black area at the bottom, under ‘Useful links’
- Complete the following form to request that your event be added to the calendar and to request a room reservation.
https://firstunitariandenver.breezechms.com/form/45698258
Click
here
to access the First Unitarian Committee Handbook.
Feel free to dive in and let us know if you have any questions or thoughts!
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First Unitarian – Communication Methods How To’s
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(Thanks to
Rhonda Williamson
, Congregational Administrator, for the post)
Happy Holidays!
In September, Mary Sullivan and Kathy Aguirre hosted a Saturday meeting for the First Unitarian Interconnected Committee (chairs and leaders of each group). During this gathering and through subsequent emails, the shared a Handbook packed with valuable insights on Communication and other important details about First Unitarian. In Part 1 below, you’ll discover information about two of these methods.
First Announce
: A weekly church newsletter sent out by blast email Thursday evenings. (Also found on the website.) Deadline for entries is Tuesday end of day.
Order of Service
: The handout given at each Sunday service – giving service details, and upcoming church events Request deadline is Thursday at 8:00 am.
Please complete the form at the link below to submit announcements for either or both First Announce and Order of Service
– select both options on the form.
https://firstunitariandenver.breezechms.com/form/e50206
Click
here
to access the First Unitarian Committee Handbook.
Feel free to dive in and let us know if you have any questions or thoughts!
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Finding a place to park when you come to visit our urban sanctuary can be a bit of a challenge! We recommend the following tactics/locations:
- Sundays 6a-1p:
3 blocks of the north side of 14th Avenue (Marion St. to just before Franklin St. – please abide by the street parking signs)
- Sundays 6a-1p:
The Center at Colfax and Lafayette
- Sundays 6a-1p: (42 parking spaces)
The Alta Court lot, across Lafayette from the church. Cars with a First Unitarian Church (FUSD) hangtag or paper parking pass on the dashboard, may park in the spaces farthest away from Colfax.
- Monday through Friday, 6 pm to 8 am
: (22 parking spaces) The Alta Court lot, across Lafayette from the church. Cars with a First Unitarian Church (FUSD) hangtag or paper parking pass on the dashboard, may park in the spaces farthest away from Colfax.
- Friday 6 pm to Monday 8 am
(22 parking spaces, except Sunday morning, see above. The Alta Court lot, across Lafayette from the church. Cars with a First Unitarian Church (FUSD) hangtag or paper parking pass on the dashboard, may park in the spaces farthest away from Colfax.
- If you have any questions or need a parking pass, contact Rhonda at office@fusden.org.
Parking passes can also be obtained from the Greeters on Sunday morning.
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