ISSUE 95

MAY 2024

What a challenge we have this month! Our theme is pluralism. On the surface, it doesn’t seem to be a spiritual or religious theme. And yet, in a faith tradition that reminds us that each of us is worthy and all of us are included, it is an embedded value.

Most of us were raised with the notion that this country is rooted in a similar value. The American narrative is that anyone can become anything because all are welcome and included. We want to believe that we take all comers as they are to live into the American Dream. The backdrop of that American Dream has been the image of the the melting pot. Whatever we were coming in, once we come to this country, we become the same thing that is called American. (Note: this image has always ignored the indigenous people already present and the people of color who couldn’t meet the image of the ‘typical’ American.)

Rev. angel Kyodo williams Sensei concisely posed the work of pluralistic community. She wrote: “Inclusivity is not ‘how do we make you a part of what we are?’ but ‘how do we become more of what you are?’”

In a nutshell, this is why we say in each new member welcoming ceremony, “Each time new members join us, we are reconstituted.” The church is changed by the new members and the new members are changed by the church. By living into this reality, we benefit from the uniqueness of each of us and the collective wonder and power of all of us. As UU minister, the Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed encapsulated pluralism’s true gift: “The religious community is essential, for alone our vision is too narrow to see all that must be seen, and our strength too limited to do all that must be done. Together, our vision widens.” May it be so.

May Theme: The Gift of Pluralism

One of the best ways to explore our monthly themes is to have conversations about them with people who are close to you. It not only deepens our conversations but also our relationships. Below is a list of “pluralism questions” to help you on your way.

Pluralism Questions

What were you taught in your family of origin about pluralism and welcoming difference? How does that still impact you today?
Has an experience of being included permanently left a mark on you?
If you weren’t afraid of being judged or rejected, what part of yourself would you let out into the world?
If you could go back and change a moment of being excluded or excluding someone else, what would it be?
What part of your pluralistic self do you have the hardest time acknowledging or embracing with compassion? Your judgmental self? Your lazy self? Your vulnerable self? Your bitter self? Your easily frightened self? Your quick-to-anger self? Your jealous self? Your petty self? Your selfish self?
When it comes to age, our society is not as pluralistic as it thinks. Have you been ignored or cast out because of your age? Was it more emotionally challenging to accept than you expected?

I have to admit, folks, that I wasn’t quite sure where to start with this month’s theme, pluralism. So I turned to Harvard’s Pluralism Project to see what they had to say about it. (I encourage you to read the whole article. It provides many jumping off points for considering what pluralism might mean to you and to our community. I chose this one:)

“Pluralism is a response to diversity that consists in learning about meaningful differences between different cultures and identities; engaging with different cultures and identities in sites where open dialogue is possible; preserving distinct religious commitments; and looking to the First Amendment as the foundation of American pluralism…

All of America’s diversity, old and new, does not add up to pluralism. ‘Pluralism’ and ‘diversity’ are sometimes used as if they were synonymous, but diversity—splendid, colorful, and perhaps threatening—is not pluralism. Pluralism is the engagement that creates a common society from all that diversity. For example, on the same street in Silver Spring, Maryland are a Vietnamese Catholic church, a Cambodian Buddhist temple, a Ukrainian Orthodox church, a Muslim Community Center, a Hispanic First Church of God, and a Hindu temple. This is certainly diversity, but without any engagement or relationship among the different groups it may not be an instance of pluralism.”

Oof. I have to admit, friends, that I was a little convicted by this. Talk of diversity is everywhere these days! Whether engaged from a place of sincerely wanting to be inclusive, or from a place of wanting to appease a customer base, so many communities, organizations, and businesses are invested in diversity - in what their demographics look like.

But as the article points out, plurality asks something more of us. It’s one thing to tolerate other opinions. To allow for other cultures. It’s quite another to actively engage and relate to people whose experiences and ways of being are unknown to us or even make us actively uncomfortable. How often do I really approach a differing viewpoint without defensiveness - not as a threat, preparing my counterargument in my head even as the other person is still expressing their viewpoint, but with genuine curiosity? How often do I actually respond with a request for clarification, or simply, “I hadn’t considered that before,” rather than trying to persuade the other person that my way is best?

Don’t get me wrong - diversity is important. We need to have people of different backgrounds in the room - especially people from historically marginalized communities who haven’t often been included in discussions of power and policy - before we can engage with their viewpoints. But just allowing other people to show up in our space isn’t enough. Just being ok with disagreement isn’t enough. If we are invested in justice and in spiritual wholeness, we also need to understand the backgrounds, the communities - the entire worlds, sometimes - of people whose experiences might be completely foreign to us. That doesn’t mean we have to agree with them! But this understanding is the basis for building real, authentic, (and often messy and complicated) relationship.

And so one question I’m wrestling with this month is, what assumptions do I have to lay down so that I can connect authentically - as our mission asks of us - with curiosity and respect, with people whose experiences are not the same as mine? And friends, now I’m giving it to you to wrestle with, too, with my love and best wishes.

Transitions

Elinor Williams passed away April 14.

Jean Decker passed away April 22.

Board of Trustees

Meeting Summary

The April meeting focused on preparations for the Spring Congregational Meeting on Sunday, May 19 at 12:30 pm. We hope to see you there!

Light snacks and childcare will be provided. The agenda will include:

Vote on candidates for leadership positions
Overview of proposed 2024-25 budget and vote
8th Principle presentation and vote.

The meeting will be streamed live and there will be online voting options open past the meeting date. Look for more information about candidates and the proposed budget in the Weekly Connection this week.

The Gift of Interdependence and Planned Giving

Each time we sing our chalice lighting song ending in “…we are one,” we acknowledge our interdependence.

Our theme in April may cause one to see this phrase in a deeper way, as a reminder of our interdependence.

Planned giving and interdependence intersect through the act of thoughtful, forward-looking generosity. By planning for the future and considering the needs of others, we create a ripple effect that extends beyond our lifetimes, fostering a more interconnected and compassionate world both within our walls and beyond. Through a charitable bequest, a donor-advised fund or another type of planned gift, we can leave a meaningful legacy that reflects our commitment to interdependence.

Contact our Planned Giving team: Bud & B.J. Meadows or Carol Wilsey

It is certainly a cliché to say that each of us is as unique as a snowflake but it’s also true! I learned this time and again teaching so many children over more than 25 years. I would look around at the children in my classes and find myself surprised at the fact that truly, there was no one else like each of them. It is interesting that our desire to fit in and our fear of standing out quickly buries this fact. As someone who has had to work hard on issues around worthiness, my observations in my classrooms of the true individuality of each person has helped me believe that I am a unique individual as well.

This month’s worship theme is pluralism. Pluralism could not happen if we weren’t each unique. I love the idea that we can have pluralism and unity at the same time. I like to imagine this by picturing our entire congregation making a giant circle. Zoomed out, the circle would illustrate the beautifully connected whole of our church. But if we zoom in, spending a bit of time looking directly at each individual, we would find that each person brings a truly unique set of talents, gifts, challenges, beliefs, backgrounds, experiences, ideas. If we asked a single question of everyone in that circle, we would receive a wonderful variety of responses.

If we zoom out farther, to the whole of Unitarian Universalism, we find that our circle contains even broader diversity. In fact, Unitarian Universalism, in our first principle and in the proposed 8th principle, calls us to ensure that our circle is open to all who would choose to join it. That sounds simple but as we know, it can be easy to get caught up in our own needs, our own opinions, our judgements and biases and we forget to see how valuable it is for our circle to be full of people of different abilities, genders, colors, political views etc. The best circle is one where we can be together in our differences, united by our faith. I hope during this month of pluralism you take a moment to celebrate your own uniqueness and then think about what you can do to widen the circle of belonging at our church.

In other news:

Our church-year Faith Exploration program will wind down in May. Please take a moment to thank the teachers who have given so much of their time this year! If you have been thinking about teaching, please let Laura or me know - we are recruiting for the fall! This summer we will continue to have FE programming for nursery-12th grades. Our high schoolers are helping plan the summer for our 6-12th graders. Laura, Paula and I will plan engaging and fun activities for our pre-5th graders.

Please mark your calendars for our Spring Celebration Service on Sunday, June 2. Like last year, this service will honor our bridging seniors, our 8th grade Coming of Age youth, our teachers and ALL of our kids. We need a plurality of voices at this service - it will be meaningful for all!

Linda Ropes, Trustee

Last Sunday, I attended the 11 am service at JUC. As usual, the sermon was moving and thought provoking, and I enjoyed the hymns we sang. However, that was only part of the wonderful experience. I got my weekly hug from the tallest man in the congregation because he knows how glad I am not to always tower my six-foot frame over everyone. Then I got to tickle the tiny toes of a new baby and laugh at a joke from her mother. Oh, yes, and I met an interesting new visitor who was looking lonely and confused. Another JUC Trustee approached me with a question about our next board meeting, and next, I happily hugged and caught up with three long-time friends.

None of that would have happened if I had not been to church in person. Engaging with a variety of people reinforces a meaningful sense of community. For me, attending church is far beyond hearing a good sermon. It is face-to-face connection with people who share my values and interests. It is reinforcing friendships. It is learning. It is fun!

When the weather is lousy, when I am ill, when I am super busy, the ability to stream the service is fabulous. It keeps me in touch, but only to a limited degree. When all is well in my world, I want to be with my community in the flesh. As the hymn goes:

My people are your people; your people are mine;

My people are your people; your divine my divine.

Why YRP?

JUC uses a fairly unusual pledge process we call Year Round Pledging (YRP). Most churches have an annual campaign during which they make a big push for pledges over a limited (but intense) period of time. We switched from that traditional method to YRP in 2012, over a decade ago!!! YRP can be a bit confusing until you get used to it, so here are the basics:

Your pledge tells us how much you plan to give over a twelve month period based on your pledge month.
Pledging is not the same as paying. You will pledge ahead of time and pay over the course of the following twelve months.
You can pay in one lump sum, monthly, or in any way you like over that twelve month period.
Our accounting is easier if you do complete your pledge payments during the pledge period.
We have twelve pledge months corresponding to the calendar months.

Here is an example:

Your pledge month is June.
We ask you in May to let us know what you plan to pay for the period June 1 through the following May 31.
If you pledge $150 per month the total amount paid over that time would be $1,800.
You might pay that by automatic transfer every month or one time using a Required Minimum Distribution from an IRA or another source, or periodically by check.
You can also pay your pledge using appreciated stock for added tax benefits (let me know if you want more information on that method).

Disadvantages of YRP (these are outweighed by the advantages listed below)

As I mentioned, it can be confusing for those who are used to a different method.
There is no big cheerleading time to campaign for pledge increases. AKA, no sermon about the pledge campaign.
The accounting is more complex than for a traditional campaign.

Advantages of YRP

There is no special pledge time. It is part of the normal work of the church.
It is routine and much less labor intensive and expensive than an annual campaign.
We can spend more time following up with those who do not remember to return their pledge form because it is a smaller number of households.
We have a much better handle on our members and pledge income than with the traditional pledge campaign.

I really think the biggest advantage is that first one: this is just part of the work of the church. We don't have to have a giant gala consuming the energy of volunteers and staff to know that we need to support the ministries of the church. If you have questions about YRP, or about your pledge specifically, please let me know. I am happy to talk it through with you.

JUC Members Meet the Challenge For Their Jeffco Neighbors

JUC CAN

As part of this spring’s JUC Social Justice Challenge, the JUC Community Action Network (CAN) organized a number of Homelessness and Housing-related events. The feedback we received from JUC members who participated was incredible, and we wanted to share a bit of that with you:

A Letter Writing training was held at JUC, attended by over 12 members who sent letters to their respective city councils or Jeffco commissioners, thanking them for their work on housing and urging more systemic changes to help in the future. Also, over 20 of our 6-12th graders were trained on this type of advocacy – Way to Go to all JUC advocates for the homeless and housing-insecure!

At the Golden First United Methodist Church, over 14 JUC members helped serve lunch, and got to meet over 13 housing-insecure attendees.

Over 50 Helping Hands bags, filled with some cold-weather essentials, were assembled and passed out in our Jeffco communities. JUC member Pam Moser said, “I’d (over)filled up the plastic bag with all sorts of healthy snacks and a pair of warm socks. It sat in my car like a challenge – one that I wasn’t keen on taking. I’m one of those people. The ones who lock the doors when they see people holding a cardboard sign at intersections. Finally, one day as I was pulling out of the King Soopers parking lot there he was. Long coat that had seen better days, hair long and mussed. I pulled over, took a deep breath and waved him over. He came to the window looking as uneasy as I felt. I will never forget the look on his face as I handed him the bag and he saw the contents. His face broke into a wide smile. “Thank you! God Bless You!” Never in my life has a blessing felt so real. And JUC member Connie Dolezal put together some bags of goods to have in her car, and a few days later saw a woman from Venezuela, with two young teenage daughters, looking for work. Connie gave two bags to the family, and said she was “able to see two very excited teen-agers enjoying the gifts of food and drinks.”

We met for a tour of an Affordable Housing Development in Golden (Flats at Ford St.) where Foothills Regional Housing provided information and training on housing advocacy. Afterwards, JUC member Phil Nelson wrote to the Golden Mayor and City Council, letting them know about the excellent talk and tour, and thanking the city for enabling such projects.

The inherent worth and dignity of every person is our first UU principle, and during the Social Justice Challenge JUC members were phenomenal at putting that principle into practice for our housing-insecure Jeffco neighbors.

If you have questions and/or would like to be added to the JUC CAN Action Alert list to receive occasional important alerts and updates about housing issues and legislation, please send an email to communityaction@jeffersonunitarian.org.

Jeffco Interfaith Partners (JIP)/Metro Denver Habitat for Humanity Update

Bruce and Cathy Martin

At the early April JIP meeting we got word that we do now have a successful applicant to last summer’s sponsored house unit in the Miller Street Habitat project. We are glad to know that the unit will now be home to a qualifying family.

During the JUC Social Outreach Challenge in March we gathered a volunteer group of nine JUCers to work a day at the Habitat production shop painting siding. It was a great day of effort and camaraderie.

A summer workday is being planned and will be announced soon. We’re hoping to see you out on a Habitat workday soon.