We began this year by telling about a child who was pestering his father with the newspaper, until finally his father tore up a map of the world and asked him to try to put it all back together, believing the child would never know which part went where.  The child figured out this puzzle by looking at the other side of the page where there was a human body, which he knew easily how to reconstruct.  The tale concluded: “Put the person together and the whole world falls into place.” When I look back at all of the sermons, the adult spiritual path classes, the workshops, the meetings we have had together, the visioning process, the pastoral care conversations – I realize that so much of this year has had us wrestling with this truth as our charge as individuals and as a religious community.  Are we wounded, and if so, why? What is our call in healing ourselves? How do we imagine we would do this together in ways we could not on our own? And how does this relate to healing the world?

This is one way to tell the story of our time together – to track the threads of what we have been learning and struggling with.  But, there are other ways.   We can talk about how we have grown, the new faces, the additional Sunday services, the community events.  We can speak about organizational changes, leadership growth, connections to the broader Unitarian Universalist movement.  We can tell about the events of our lives, the illnesses we’ve weathered, the losses, the pending births, the new homes.

At times like this – times of transition and change – we seek to make meaning of who and what we have been, what all this time together has meant, and what it will mean.  We evaluate if it has been “worth it,” and why.  We consider if and how we want to move forward.  As we seek to make meaning, we risk two extremes: that we will find a single story (our own, one that gets repeated enough it gains power, one that appeals to our fears or our hopes, etc. etc.), and call it the whole truth; and/or that we will imagine – for better or worse – that the story of the past is the story of the future.[1]

This congregation has many stories – many truths – present among it.  Many ways of characterizing what has been, what is, and what will be.  As we move through this transition, I invite each person to consider what story or stories they observe at work in this congregation, and in our individual lives – and then to practice curiosity and wonder in learning how these are the same or different than what others observe.  And then I invite us all to work with humility and patience towards weaving together these stories into the narrative of this congregation’s future.

Speaking of this transitional time, I want to let you all know, I am working out the specific plan with the Board, but generally we are imagining that I will extend my contract with TRUU through June so as to ensure a smooth transition with your new minister.  It is standard practice that I will be in conversation with this new minister as much as they believe is helpful.  Anything you may need from me, you can trust I will be fully responsive to your new minister and offer them as much or as little information as they seek.

However, once my contract ends, generally you can trust that my point of contact for the congregation will be your new minister.  It is important for the health of the congregation (which I care deeply about), and it is a part of my collegial covenant with all Unitarian Universalist ministers, that I support the establishing of a full and good relationship between you all and your new minister.  Which means, though I will happily embrace you at regional or national gatherings when we run into each other, and though I will read the TRUU newsletter and website with pride and love, I will not be able to return to the congregation or offer any service after this time concludes.  It does not mean I will not continue to love you all.  Surely I will.  It does not mean I cherish you any less than if we were in regular conversation or consultation.  In fact it should only underscore my love for you – my loyalty to your vibrant future requires my clear boundary as we complete this time together.

Let us spend these last two months walking together with joy and authenticity, weaving together the stories of the past and the present, imagining together the bold, bright future of Unitarian Universalism – the bold, bright possibilities of our world.  With faith, we leap into the unknown, trusting that the story we have yet to create is more beautiful than we even know.

With love and in faith,

Gretchen

On Sunday mornings, we say, We are called to walk with one another in life’s joys and life’s pains, and especially in the ways that these things arrive all at once, in one tangled blessing we call life.   We bring to you news that is exactly this – a mixture of both goodness and grief.  We write to you, the congregation and community of TRUU, in a shared letter as we wanted to be clear that this news comes with integrity and health, with all parties feeling this mixture of emotions.

After great discernment and care, Gretchen has decided not to renew her contract with TRUU beyond this church year.  She has been offered and has accepted a position as the Assistant Minister at Foothills Unitarian Church in Fort Collins, Colorado.  This role will allow her to serve a large church, on the Front Range, in a nearly-full time capacity – all of which created an ideal opportunity for her.

Gretchen has been open about this possibility with the Board, and as a result, we have already formed a Search Committee that has created a job description for our now officially open position for a minister.  The Search Committee, chaired by Sue Coyle, is working closely with the Board and with Rev. Nancy Bowen, District Executive for the Mountain Desert District, as well as with other sources nationwide. They and we feel confident that we will have a strong candidate for our minister for the coming year.  It is our hope that we will be able to present this candidate to the congregation by the time of our congregational meeting in May.

Although we all feel a sense of grief at the ending of what has been a wonderful relationship with Gretchen, it is important to say there are no bad feelings here.  This transition comes purely as a result of Gretchen’s desire – and TRUU’s desire to support her – to follow her call into full-time ministry.  As a congregation, we can be proud that we have walked with Gretchen in our mutual learning, and we can speak with pride about our role as a teaching congregation.

Going forward, there is a strong positive role for us to fill in walking with emerging ministers – as we are  an emerging congregation – in learning together about shared ministry.  Gretchen feels strongly that through her two years with us she has grown in ways simply not possible without such practical experience, and knows she will be a better minister as a result.  We know the congregation feels the same; we will be stronger from our learning and teaching with her, as well.

We will be working out a schedule for our transition in ministry, and you can be assured you will have sufficient notice regarding Gretchen’s last service with us.  Her position with Foothills will start in August, and so there will be some time to ensure this transition goes as smoothly as possible.  You can safely assume we’ll have a party to celebrate all that we have done together, and to mark this transition with gratitude and love.  In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns at all, please feel free to contact one of us, or Sue Coyle as the Chair of the Search Committee at soprissue2 at aol (dot) com.

One of the important cornerstones of our faith is that truth continues to be revealed.  We don’t yet know how things will turn out – we don’t yet know who our minister will be.  All we know is that we are called to remain faithful to the vision and mission of our congregation, the things which called us to come together, the things which keep calling to us as our shared hopes.  We are only beginning to see what beauty and what promise there is available for our congregation.  Let us place our trust in one another, in the love we claim at the heart of the universe, holding us all in blessing.  As we say on Sundays: May our hearts and minds be filled with a deep openness, that only the greatest love may fill us up.

With love, and in faith,

Thelma Zabel, Board President, TRUU

Rev. Gretchen Haley, Consulting Minister, TRUU

You may have read or heard about the newly formed Ministerial Search Team. Your TRUU Board made Gretchen a good faith offer to continue as our half time consulting minister for next year. She is considering all of her options. So, working together to insure that there is continuity of ministry, Gretchen encouraged the Board to write a position description for a half time consulting minister to distribute not only in our own Mountain Desert District but also throughout the United States. Working together, we want the best for both the congregation and for Gretchen who has served us well. Gretchen will share more information as her future becomes clear. Meanwhile the ministerial search team will be sending out the position announcement on April 1^st and we’ll keep you posted.

Thelma Zabel

Over 60 adults and children enjoyed TRUU’s St. Patty’s Day Green Gala, held on the evening of March 17 at the Calaway Room in the Third Street Center.   The evening consisted of live string music, short and interesting talks, a video and slide show, great food, and discussion within small pledging groups.   Chris Coyle and Nicolette Toussaint were our MCs..   This no-cost event was sponsored by our Board of Trustees, as a gesture of appreciation to all who supported our services and activities this year and as an inducement to have all think in terms of generosity for our future.  The evening was a celebration of TRUU’s many accomplishments during this year and TRUU’s  strong vision for our future. 
We see TRUU as the institutional value carrier for liberal religion in our region.  Our ability to enrich ourselves and our community with quality Sunday services and other activities requires each of us to contribute our time, thoughtfulness, and financial support.   Leo McKinney put together a beautiful “Resource Development” packet that summarizes what TRUU is about.   It also contains a form for your annual pledge.  We ask that you thoroughly read this document that is very affirming of TRUU’s identity and mission.   We ask that you think deeply about what TRUU means to you both now and for our future.   Please be generous with your pledge commitment.   So that we can plan our budget for next year, we ask that you turn in your pledge commitment as soon as possible, hopefully by March 30.    Thank you all.  – Bill Spence

Thanks to many of you, we had a very successful Visioning Party last Sunday with almost 30 people attending. Six groups met to plan for TRUU’s future. These were the six topics they discussed:  Spiritual Growth, Belonging and Connectedness, Family Integration and Multi-Generational Programming, Social Justice, Community Visibility, and Sustainable Presence. This visioning exercise was the culmination of several months of personal interviews to find out what your hopes and dreams for this congregation are.

So what happens next? The board will review the proposals made by each group this coming Monday night and you will hear about these proposals and how we plan to implement them at the TRUU Green Gala on St. Patrick’s Day. Come help celebrate all that we have accomplished this year and then look to the future. The visions that we all have for the future will become reality because of your stewardship. “Stewardship is about taking care of something we value and enabling it to grow. When we become stewards, we take responsibility and contribute our time, talent and treasure.” (uua.org)

If you value TRUU and want to see it grow, please join us on March 17^th.

Thelma Zabel

Do you listen to either of our local public radio stations?  Do you contribute to either KAJX or KDNK?  Now is your chance to funnel that contribution through the MDD (Mountain Desert District) Public Radio Project.  And you’ll hear TRUU mentioned as an underwriter of the station.  The goals of this project are two-fold.  We hope to help people who are looking for UU’s find our congregation.  And we want to help others get a clearer concept of who we are and what our core beliefs are.  We hope that those who hear our messages will go to the TRUU website to learn more about us. This is the perfect way to double the impact of your contribution.  Your dollars go directly to support public radio in our valley and make TRUU’s presence known to local listeners.

Pre-addressed envelopes are available at TRUU Sunday services or you can simply mail your check to MDD 2242 S. Albion St, Denver CO 80222.  Be sure to put Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist in the memo line and then… listen for our name on the radio.

Hi to all!  I’m Heather Rydell, the director of our Religious Exploration program. I have a B.A. in education and psychology from Dartmouth College.  I am a certified elementary teacher in Colorado and various eastern states. I am also director-qualified in preschool education, with many years of experience with a wide range of ages.

In our RE program I have access to wonderful curriculum and information on the UUA website (uua.org), where I find some great ideas. I also follow Gretchen’s monthly themes, so that families can continue the discussion together that they had separately on Sunday mornings . Although I guide the conversation, it is most definitely child-centered and age appropriate . If a topic emerges that is not centered on the theme, but is important or timely to the children, we go with it.

We welcome a wide range of ages.  I will occasionally have the older children think carefully about the words they use, (they have spelled out a few), so that the sensibilities of the younger ones are honored. I want them to know that no topic, idea or concern is off limits if it is spoken respectfully.  When the children return to the larger congregation I am always available to speak with their families about the interesting substance of our gatherings.

I’d like to share with our readers a recent example. You may remember the story that was read at a recent service: “The Workers and the Ranch Owner”.  You can read it here if you missed it. After hearing the story the children headed down to our R.E. room. They each shared a piece of what they remembered about the story until we had a full retelling. Much discussion ensued about the fairness or unfairness of the situation.  Finally they agreed on what I thought was a brilliant plan!  They decided that the workers should meet in the evening and divide into two equal groups. Every work day they would trade off showing up for the early or late shift. Following this rotation would mean that they would each work an equal number of hours for the agreed upon pay of $20.00 !  Beautifully simple and cooperative.

We have an amazing group of youngsters and have such fun creatively thinking and sharing together.  We have become a welcoming and supportive family. We encourage any of the congregation to join us and add your voice.

“The Beloved Community Within”      —-

In the February 5^th Worship Service, I offered a series of questions about what it means to be loving. “When one of us is in need – hungry in body or spirit – how does love call us to respond? When one of us is rude or shaming toward another, what does love ask? And what would it mean for us to be known for our love?”

These types of questions ask us to consider our own behavior, how we will treat each other – in personal relationships, in community, in the wider world.  Though it’s easy enough to say “Love is the Spirit of this Church,” figuring out what it means to be loving isn’t necessarily obvious.

Recently, a UU colleague, the Rev. David Miller, shared a series of questions he and his congregation had come up with for helping their community consider if their actions are loving – if they are in what we call “right relationship.”  I share these with you here for you to consider, and invite you to use them in your personal lives, and in your interactions within this congregation, and in the wider world, as we continue to let love guide us.

1. Am I assuming the good intentions of the other?
2. Am I communicating directly with the person with whom I am having an issue?
3. Am I resolving issues or am I spreading them through gossip, anger and/or
4. frustration?
5. Am I reflecting on what personal wounds, issues, and tendencies of mine are contributing to the issue?
6. Am I willing to be an active participant and to work in good faith to clear up issues?
7. Am I projecting onto someone else through my own framework what they are thinking or doing vs. engaging them and asking them to share their thoughts and story?
8. Am I actually trying to live the principles and values of Unitarian Universalism by acting with compassion, respect, and a high value of our interdependence?
9. Am I actively listening to what others are saying and not formulating a response or the next comment or question while they are talking?
10. Can I let go of my need to control the situation?
11. Can I graciously leave space for others by letting someone else speak first or by not speaking my mind if the point has been raised or made already?
12. Can I help lift up the life of another or the group in my words and actions?
13. Can I have disagreements with an individual or group, do so in love and
    respect, and continue to stay in community?
14. Can I take into account the importance of the task in relation to the importance of the relationship?
15. Can I reflect on how my attitude and actions contribute to the tone of our community?
16. Am I willing not to have to be right?
17. Am I being the change I wish to see in the world and that means really acting the way I would like others to act?
18. Am I willing to be changed?
19. And finally, can I remember to ask the question, “What is the most loving thing I can do or say right now?”

To act in the world with love, we must cultivate love in our own lives.  To hold the world accountable to loving, right relationships, we must hold ourselves accountable to the same. In the coming weeks, I am going to take each morning and read two or three of these, and just spend 5 minutes bringing them into my consciousness.  I invite you to try this practice with me.  Together, we can change the world.

Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday as we delve more deeply into the spiritual roots of justice work and consider how TRUU can grow in our engagement with social change work in our community.

With love and in faith,

Gretchen