Join us on Sunday, November 24th at 10:30 am. Three of our community members with expertise in therapy (Alisha Bashaw, Marilee Boe, and Sandra Parker) will reflect on their vocation.
We warmly invite you to join us in person, or if you prefer, you can also participate online. We look forward to seeing you there!
Sunday, November 24th will include a New Member Welcome as part of the morning worship service. If you or someone you know is ready to take this step with First Unitarian Society of Denver, please let Rev. Mike know by sending an email to Revmorran@gmail.com.
Look for our first New Member Cafe immediately after the service. Brought to you by the Connections Ministry, these will be hosted on New Member Sundays as a way to mix and mingle with our newest members. Look for the banner in the SE corner of the Community Room. Come by and make a new friend!
Just in time for gift giving, we have new books. For the adult on your list, there is The Message by Ta nehisi Coats, Diana Athill’s Somewhere toward the End, Anne Lamott’s latest — Somehow, as well as On Freedom by Timothy Snyder. There are new kids books, too! The Day the Crayons Quit will be sure to please your young one. Skin Again is also a great kids’ read. Stop by the table at coffee hour and check us out.
Families, mark your calendars! In our Solstice Eve event on December 20th the children will sing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”, participate in the Advent Spiral, create crafts with the family, and sit down for a meal together as a community. Our next intergenerational service will be held on December 22nd when the children will put on a Winter Solstice musical, written by our very own Charlotte Braud-Kern! If your child is interested in participating, we would like you to commit to attending the following Sundays: December 1, 8, and 15 where they will learn and rehearse their parts during class time. We will have mandatory dress rehearsals on December 15th from 12:00-1:00 (pizza provided) and December 22nd at 9:45.
Do you have any old holiday cards that you would be willing to donate? Our children will be creating holiday cards for a project and images from old cards could be cut out and used to create their art! Please give donations to Ms. Leslie at the Family Check In Table.
Do you know any middle schoolers who would be interested in our Youth Program here at FUSD? Well, make sure to get them here on January 5th when we will kickstart our classes for 6th-8th graders! You can enroll them in Breeze with this form. The first and second Sundays of each month will be dedicated to lessons exploring world religions and the third and fourth Sundays will be more informal and student-led; preteens and teens building community together playing games, doing crafts, book studies, and whatever they are inspired to do!
Click here to learn more about a UU Summer Camp opportunity for Middle and High Schoolers July 6-12, 2025 in Casper, WY. Registration starts on February 1, 2025.
We currently have two volunteers interested in serving in our Youth classrooms, but we need more! We are looking for folks to facilitate lessons on world religions on the first and second Sundays of each month and folks to facilitate student-led fun on the third and fourth Sundays. If you are interested in investing in Denver’s future by serving in our Youth program, please contact Leslie at msleslie@fusden.org or complete this form in Breeze to get the process started.
Our Nursery is open for business! Thanks to Mary Hilken for volunteering to serve in our Nursery this Sunday and every Sunday in November. Children under the age of 3 are welcome! Please enroll your child through Breeze using this form and be sure to sign them in before the service. This information will help us get to know you and your child before s/he starts and to be prepared for their arrival.
Did you know Board of Trustee member Betsy Brainerd also serves in our RE Program? It’s true! Betsy has served several times in our K/1 classroom and we are grateful for her support. She is a hard worker and has a lot of fun with the kids. Thanks for all you do, Betsy! Both for our Board of Trustees and for our children.
First Unitarian Events Coming Soon
148th Annual Interfaith Service of Thanksgiving
This service will be held at University Park United Methodist Church, 2180 S University Blvd, Denver, CO, at 10 am on Thursday, November 28, 2024.
Denver’s Interfaith Service of Thanksgiving is one of the oldest continuous interfaith partnerships in the country. Since the first service was held in 1876, it has welcomed new partners of different faiths so that today we have participants from Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Unitarian expressions of faith.
A time for seekers, the curious, and those wishing to connect with the 1st Unitarian Denver community! This participatory class of three hours will provide an introduction to Unitarian Universalism and First Unitarian Church. An added bonus is that you will meet some wonderful people! Facilitated by Rev. Mike Morran, Saturday, December 7th, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. All are welcome, but you must pre-register with Rev. Mike (revmorran@gmail.com).
YOUR volunteer help makes a difference! It feels amazing when we work together to support families experiencing homelessness this cold winter through Family Promise. Lots of opportunity – drive the van, cook a meal, set up a room, host at our church (and more!). Sign up right away by clicking here!
Gather with the First Unitarian Denver community on Friday December 20th for Solstice Eve! Everyone is warmly invited to this free community event, which includes a potluck dinner, face painting, and crafts at 5:30 (EVERYONE is welcome even if unable to bring an item to the potluck), lively carol singing with a jazz band at 6:30 in the sanctuary, and a light spiral ritual with live music at 7:15 in the upstairs chapel. Please RSVP by December 16. We hope to see you there!
Almost two years ago, FUSD housed Venezuelan families who were bussed to Denver from El Paso. I have stayed in touch with a few of the families. Daniela is trying to earn money and she happens to be an excellent cook. She gave David and me a chocolate flan cake and it was amazing. She is selling them for $30 ($35 decorated). She can deliver them to your home. If you’re interested, let me know and I will make the arrangements. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by holiday planning, consider buying a cake and helping a lovely family!
Let’s make our sanctuary shine with the spirit of the season! We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to transform our sacred space into a warm and festive wonderland. We have decorations and need volunteers, whether you have an eye for design or just love spreading holiday cheer, to hang greenery and other holiday items. Let Rhonda know if you are interested in this fun, one time endeavor!
Please help End the Genocide. Call Senator Bennet at 303-455-7600 and Hickenlooper at 303-244-1628 and demand that they join support with Senator Sanders resolutions of disapproval to block the sale of $20 million in offensive weaponry to Israel.
The Board of Trustees (BOT) has approved the FUSE Taskforce with the goal of visioning/revisioning how First Unitarian facilitates meaningful engagement of new members and visitors/friends, especially families with school-age children, focusing on the first two years of membership/involvement.
The FUSE Taskforce presented the BOT with various plans of implementation and developed the following recommendations.
Planning
Research ideas, methods, or processes for new member/family connection/inclusion. What works? What might be doable at FUSD?
Consider who we are trying to reach, i.e. families, Denver/Capitol Hill demographics, millennials, NPR listeners, people of color, etc.
Build off existing strengths of the community/congregation.
Collaboration
This effort will need to work with and build off existing ministries, i.e. Connections Ministry, Faith Formation. including Minister, Stewardship and Finance Councils, and Leadership Development Committee. The goal is an overall vision/process that is complementary with existing efforts and seamless from the perspective of new members and friends.
A BOT liaison is expected to be an active participant to facilitate BOT’s support.
An Administrative Staff person(s) is expected to participate to assist as needed.
FUSE Taskforce is seeking additional members, especially Young Adults and families with children. Reach out to Rev. Mike, Revmorran@gmail.com for more information.
If you have missed a FirstAnnounce email or are trying to locate an old one, you can access the archive from our website www.fusden.org. Scroll to the bottom of any page and you will see a heading in yellow titled ‘Useful links’. The fourth option down is ‘FirstAnnounce Archive. It you click on that link a display will appear listing each of the FirstAnnounce issues by month. You can click on the one you would like to view and see the entire newsletter!
First Universalist of Denver will be showing the movie ‘Origin’ in the Hospitality Center on Friday, December 6th at 6:30 pm.
Origin is a 2023 American biographical drama film written and directed by Ava DuVernay. It is based on the life of Isabel Wilkerson, played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, as she writes the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Over the course of the film, Wilkerson travels throughout Germany, India, and the United States to research the caste systems in each country’s history. Arrive at 6:30 and the film will begin at 7pm. Discussion after film showing. Bring snacks to share
In the message, shared the day after the U.S. national election, UUA President the Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt reminds Unitarian Universalists of their long history providing sanctuary to those in need. Rev. Dr. Betancourt affirms, “These are times that will be defined by the continued and increased need for organizing, and a faithful commitment to mutual aid.”
Pacific Western Region – November Newsletter
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.
Additionally, you can visit the Unitarian Universalist Association web site at https://www.uua.org/ for information at the association level.
First Unitarian Society of Denver Information
First Unitarian – Hearing Assistance in Sanctuary
Our Sanctuary has a hearing loop. This allows us to better serve the people in our community who have trouble hearing. If you are hearing impaired, you will be able to hear what is said at the worship services and other events with better clarity.
What is a hearing loop and how does it work? Hearing Loops allow people who wear hearing aids to directly receive the sound from the PA system to their own hearing aids, much like Wi-Fi for laptops. To hear better, you will no longer have to pick up a separate listening device!
Do my hearing aids work in a loop?If you wear hearing instruments you will need to find out if they have this wireless receiver, called a T-coil or Telecoil, built in to benefit from the hearing loop. The T-coil program is accessed by pushing a button on your hearing aid. This T-coil setting has to be activated before use. Please consult your audiologist if you have a push button on your hearing aids. If your hearing aid is not equipped with a T-coil, or you do not have a hearing aid: we have listening devices available, simply ask a member of our staff.
For more information: www.hearingloop.org. For questions about your hearing aids, please visit your audiologist. For questions about our hearing loop system, please email: Assist2Hear. Inc at: info@assist2hear.com.
First Unitarian – Calendaring and Room Reservations
(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’
(Thanks to Rhonda Williamson, Congregational Administrator, for the post)
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.
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.
FirstAnnounce is a compilation of news items sent to us from many different sources. Items printed in FirstAnnounce are for your information only and do not necessarily represent the views of First Unitarian Society of Denver or its members. Publication deadline is 5:00pm on Tuesday.
