President's Message

As of this writing, your Board still has a final business meeting ahead next week, June 27 th , where we, for the first time, will elect our own officers for one year terms. Our newly elected President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary will be selected from the six board members who will continue to serve in FY25, our fiscal year beginning July 1st, 2024, through June 30th, 2025.

We have hopes that this will resolve the reluctance among our membership to volunteer for the Board, especially the reluctance to serve as an officer. As a result of the Deep Chair meeting earlier this week, used to discuss issues and topics at length and to provide a time for leadership self-training, I am now optimistic that our hopes are justified. Let me explain.

As we go into this meeting, we have two experienced officers, our Treasurer and Secretary, who are leaving the Board since they are term limited. We have one continuing Board member who works full-time and is reluctant to take on more than can be handled. We also have a Board member who professes to be slightly technologically challenged and doesn’t own a compute. (A computer, or a cell phone that can access the internet, is something which is almost mandatory for any board position let alone serving as an officer.) Another that is not ready to serve in any officer role at this time, and a forth that needs a break from assisting with financial related issues and is very reluctant to serve as Treasurer, although is available for other positions.

So, we are left in a situation where our two new officers, at a minimum, need to come from a pool of four possible nominees that are willing to contribute but are very hesitant to serve, at least at this time, except perhaps in specific positions. This is an interesting quandary and one that was not totally unexpected.

During the Deep Chair, this situation was discussed and a solution was found that reflects the strength of cooperative leadership! It doesn’t surprise me, and although the final election of officers is still in doubt, don’t be surprised that the solution encompasses basically job- sharing the secretarial role. Although this position will have a named officer, responsible for overall coordination of fulfilling the role per our Bylaws, the job duties would be shared among the members not serving as the other officers. This even includes the Board member who works full-time!

In addition, my own role within the Board is subject to change. I fully expect I’ll be serving in another role come July 1 st . As a result, I once again want to relay to you how honored I have been to serve as your President this past year, and how proud I am to have served with this Board.

Love courageously. Inspire spiritual growth. Work for justice.

Message from the UUFD Office

Happy summer everyone!

Please note the office administrator is going on vacation for two weeks and will be unavailable for contact July 12th-July 28th.

The office will remain open during normal hours these two weeks of July 15 and July 22, and will be staffed by volunteers. A reminder of regular office hours:

Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10am-3pm.

For e-announcement submissions use this link here and email Sharon Mignerey with questions. August newsletter submissions go to Shanan Orndorff.

For all office related questions during these two weeks, please call the office at 970-247-1004 or stop by during office hours.

For any/all emergencies, contact the Board President, president@durangouu.org.

July News from Faith Formation

“True Patriotism springs from a belief in the dignity of the individual, freedom, and equality, not only for Americans but for all people on Earth.”

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Independence Day and its fireworks always seems the perfect way to kick off July – the height of summer where kids are free from school and returning there is a way off yet.  It’s our time to embrace all the freedoms and joys that summer brings.  

Summer Fun Is RAD

Recreation and Donuts have been the theme this summer for the Sunday Kids Faith Formation Program.  The kids have had a chance to embody our UU values (justice, equity, transformation, pluralism, interdependence, and generosity) through the fun outdoor activities that engage mind and body.  Coming this month!

• July 7 - Playful Paper Craft with Teresa Jordan
• July 14 - Pinesong - A Good Time for All
• July 21 - Cooking Time with Lisa McCorry
• July 28 - Dungeons and Dragons with Jarrad Maiers

Pinesong - July 12, 13, and 14

A dynamic program is planned for the kids during Pine Song.  A morning “camp” for preschoolers will include on site, age-appropriate fun to keep them engaged while the adults participate in their workshop.  Childcare will be provided for toddlers and infants.  Older children will be involved all day with activities that inspire their creativity, allow them to explore, and create memories.  

Personal Faith Development –Explore the Gifts of Renewal  

As parents and grandparents, we are often the ones who plan all the good stuff for our families, ensuring they have what they need for a memorable summer.  Remember to do the same for yourself.  The axiom of “you cannot pour from an empty pitcher” is true.  Figure out ways to occasionally put yourself first.

Schedule a Personal Retreat Day.  If you are one of those people tied to a calendar, insert your own day of play in there.  Julia Cameron calls these artists dates, stressing their importance for creativity and renewal.  Whether it’s time to visit an art gallery, read that book you’ve been dying to get to, spend some time with your favorite creative outlet, or a walk alone – do it. 

Connect with Friends and Nature.  These might be together—many of us belong to hiking and walking groups—or they might be separate.  Meeting friends at one of those favorite places that might seem boring to our kids or family members can be especially rejuvenating.

Rest!  A friend who keeps a visual journal, made REST an acronym.  Release (cares, expectations, the to do list, and so on). Enter (into the personal self and give that inner self space to thrive).  Sabbatical (set the intention to learn, to explore, to bask in those activities you’ve been promising yourself you would do). Time (make and keep self-care appointments).  Or take a nap – that indulgent rest of a nap can be the best.  

Remember:  self-care is never selfish and is an important step to being the best versions ourselves.  Do make this part of your “best summer ever.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson had it right when he said, “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.”

May all the Good you extend to others be returned to you multiplied.

Sharon Mignerey

Coordinator of Faith Formation

Critical UUFD Team Opening

There’s a vacancy coming up in a critical UUFD Team. I’m bring the opportunity to awareness early because it is SO important for all members to be fully aware. 

Recruiting for the ANNUAL CO-CHAIRS of the 25-26 pledge campaign has begun because of the critical importance of this yet-to-be filled position. Needless to say, the viability of our community depends heavily on this annual task of gathering our life-giving financial resources. The sub-team structure is in place already – it is the co-chairs that are needed to orchestrate the task.   

I have been on this spiritual journey of guiding the campaign for 8 seasons now. I have been happy in the role all along. However all advice points to the wisdom of the role changing hands in order to bring new ideas and energy for success. 

So I am stepping down from full involvement but I will continue to be around for consulting as needed. 

Co-chairs begin development of the campaign in early November which is right around the corner. 

I am glad to describe what’s involved for co-chairs and other members of the team.

SO THERE IT IS – A VACANCY AND AN OPPORTUNITY OF A SPIRITUAL NATURE.  

Kathleen Adams     970-676-1022,  kadams@mcw.edu

Welcome our New Music Staff

The Music Search Committee is excited to announce the hiring of Ömer Aziz Kayhan as Music Director and Choir Director and Hannah Duff as Pianist and Choir Accompanist starting August 25.

Ömer just completed his Master of Music degree in Conducting from Eastman College of Music. He graduated from Cornell University in 2020 with a B.A. in Music and Economics. He has conducted elite choral, opera, and orchestral ensembles in the US and Turkey, as well as community choirs in Rochester, NY. An accomplished baritone soloist and choral singer, he most recently sang with the choir at the First Universalist Church of Rochester, NY. His conducting fellowships include the Aspen Music Festival and Berkshire Choral International Festival in Italy.

Coming to UUFD as Pianist/Choir Accompanist, Hannah will join the Fort Lewis music staff this fall as their new choral and voice instructor. She graduated from Eastman College of Music in May with a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting. She earned her B.M. in Vocal Music Education from Eastman in 2022, where she also studied piano and Spanish. Hannah has directed choral and opera ensembles at Eastman and served as music director, choir director, and pianist at several churches in Rochester, NY. She has performed as accompanist, soprano soloist, and choir section leader with numerous Eastman and community ensembles in Rochester.

Burleigh/Billings Covenant Group

Burleigh/Billings Covenant Group invites you to join us in discussing From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Revolutionary Approach to Growing Older by Zalman Schachter-Shalom and Ronald S. Miller. Using a UU study guide, we will explore psychological, emotional, and spiritual changes involved with aging. We meet in Bowman Hall and via Zoom from 1:00-2:30pm on the third Friday each month. For more info, contact Teresa Jordan at tjordan50@icloud.com. 

What Does our Land Acknowledgement Really Mean?

By: Terri Reherman, Social Responsibility & Justice Team Chair

I first heard a “land acknowledgement” several years ago at a Colorado State University

event. Progressive and sensitive, I thought. Then I thought again. I wondered if

indigenous people thought it was progressive and sensitive? After all, if we are publicly

and proudly acknowledging that the land many of us reside on in this country is stolen

land, wouldn’t the logical next step be to give the land back? Radical idea, I know.

Since then, land acknowledgements have become common place at public gatherings

throughout the country, including Unitarian Universalist church services. In fact, at the

2020 General Assembly, UUA President Susan Frederick-Gray convened a task force

that worked to center indigenous voices, counter white supremist erasure, and lift up

indigenous resilience and resistance. The task force overwhelmingly passed an Action

of Immediate Witness (AIW) to “Address 400 Years of White Supremacist Colonialism”

(uua.org). This act calls for congregations to “Research, identify, and acknowledge the

Indigenous peoples historically and/or currently connected with the land occupied by

congregations, and find ways to act in solidarity with or even partner with those

Indigenous peoples.”

Here in Durango (the ancestral homelands of contemporary Hopi and Pueblo people),

our UUFD Service Committee continues to refine our land acknowledgement. Like all

land acknowledgements, however, it stops short of any proposal to return the land to its

original inhabitants.

In light of this ongoing discussion, I thought it appropriate to share with our congregation the work that the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is doing regarding this issue.

We invite you to read this article which was featured on the UUSC’s website on June 24, 2024.