Month: October 2020 (Page 1 of 2)

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Last week we asked you, “This moment represents a crossroads. How would you name these crossroads for yourself personally? What personal commitments or values ground you?”

Here are your responses:

• Are we there yet?
• Family grounds me, always.
• At A Crossroads, Contemplating The Year Ahead … [😁In my typically verbose fashion …]

I see myself at crossroads centered on CARING and defined through a a prioritization of sorts — distributed over 3 dimensions  that will serve to guide & ground me in making choices on how I expend limited personal resources in terms of thought, words (both spoken & written), and actions.

#1 – SELF CARE: especially prioritizing care of my health (physical & mental, followed by care of creative & spiritual aspects of self (over always putting needs of others first)

#2 – CARE OF RELATIONSHIPS finding ways to decide upon & accept trade-offs necessary to facilitate focus on self care while MAINTAINING solid relationships with my husband, son & parents; FORGING a new relationship with “daughter 2.0“ (a newly minted — by her choice — single, working mom exploring new possibilities, in the context of a pandemic) where we each accept & respect the reality of much greater differences between our values & priorities than ever existed before; and, as/if the above permits, RECLAIMING & nurturing old friendships & extended family relationships.

CARE OF COUNTRY & COMMUNITY: identify how much (given the above priorities) and in what ways (regardless of the results of the November 3rd election) I can support & nurture a reclaiming of the best of American democracy thus far(on federal, state, & local levels) and, building upon that, make constructive contributions (no matter how small the impacts I am able to make directly, or indirectly by supporting the efforts of others towards both micro & macro level impacts) resulting in a legacy I am proud to pass on in the form of a better world, nation, and communities, as well as a positive sense of identity, confidence, and self-worth  for my grandchildren, and all the children of their generation.

• At this moment crossroads are very challenging. My grounding is coming from my practices of tapping and meditating after a lengthy recovery from my knee surgery have started my workouts. And I have had my creative sources in overdrive. I have redone so many walls in my home. All centered around a different theme with quotes of inspiration in each
• Before Biden and after Biden. Keeping my grandchildren daily
• Caring for my family, painting, my participation in Foothills groups. Breathing. Praying. I could fall into depression, but I won’t. We are being asked to handle more than is reasonable but less than what could be so I just keep on keepin’ on.
• Crossroads between gratitude or despair. Prayer and finding ways for our family to connect and feel joyful
• Crossroads: Recovering from major back surgery and realizing that quality of life post surgery, though greatly improved, the surgery will place some physical restrictions on what was previously a very physically active life.
• “For myself, I was just thinking about this the other day. When you can’t celebrate things (birthdays, Halloween, etc) like you always have, how do you find a new way? What is Christmas without Christmas Eve service at Foothills?! Thanksgiving is easy- turkey and football at home. Ready for that. What really matters about the holidays and how do you now find new specialness simply by being at home?
• I value my family above everything else. They ground me and keep me moving forward through all this
• Goals, Reality, Perseverance
• Breath-work and good night’s sleep help keep me grounded.
• I am always in transition… oddly enough I am quite settled now.
• I am beyond stressed, depressed, angry, and feeling hopeless that women’s rights…the very control of her own physical body… rights we fought for, marched for, sat in the halls of power for, lobbied for, voted for, challenged our parents’ and preachers’ authority for… all of that effort and more through the 1960s and 70s is lost. At 71 years old, I am shocked and horrified that women are losing the most BASIC of human rights. And why was it lost?! Because we were complacent. Year after year, we saw our rights being chipped away and we did nothing to challenge it. Now, we’re seeing the results and I’m angry. The values that ground me today matured during my teens in the 1960s context of civil rights, women’s rights and environmentalism.
• I am not sure how to name these crossroads. I feel the crossroads intersection, or the next one, is in the distance and I cannot quite see it yet. I would need to reach the intersection and look down each way to hopefully know which way they are going, hence its name. I would say that at the last crossroads I turned down the way entitled family and friends.
• Connection to family and friends is what grounds me.
• I feel that I came to a crossroad early this year and decided that I will commit to Foothills. And now Wellspring.  I am really enjoying reading Parker Palmer.  And reading about the Enneagram.  This has given me much insight about ‘why’s’ I have done many of the things I have done.  And some solutions, which I am implementing.
• I joined Wellspring this year to help create a crossroads toward wholeness and spirituality.
• I would name these times as a choice between fear, scarcity, and hopelessness versus courageous love and hope. I want to embody the latter.  I really do. And, it is hard.
• I’m just trudging alone within the constraints. The hardest thing is not spending time with family and friends Knitting, reading, working puzzles learning Spanish on the computer. Watching birds at the feeder.
• I’ve been sure to spend ample time outside and have quality time with my family. We turn off the news and tv and try to relax. The fires add to our sadness so we try to find getaways that take us further away from the smoke and ash. It’s been helping so far.
• Lou said “I have to realize my health limits and learn to live within them. And live in the Now.” I agree.
• My faith & family keep me grounded
• Name the crossroads? That’s too big of a question right now. Values that ground me? “Have Courage and Be Kind“
• Nothing like asking big questions to answer in a box. Crossroads: Reckoning with my complicity with white supremacy. Values: Forgiveness and Mercy. Ugh so hard.
• Our church. It is the biggest source of support and guidance. Without it I would crumble. All 3 ministers bring light and stability to my life. My commitment to the church grounds me. My value of dauntless resolution guides me.
• Personal Commitments: Love, Family, peace, communication, collaboration, compromise, tolerance for diversity, active listening, thinking before acting
• Regarding the election, I’d say relief is one way, endurance is the other. Personally committed to finding joy and humor in our daily lives, and providing support to others. My values of peace and security help guide my commitments.
• Safety and uncertainty
• Sensitivity to problems of all people.
• Short-term family at corner of long-term civilization.
• The ongoing isolation is forcing me to look deeper within myself. Working through faith to improve.

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Katie Watkins

Katie believes the best things in life are the result of collaboration and diverse perspectives coming together to produce something greater than any individual could. She is passionate about systems, efficiency and collaboration for better community outcomes. She loves dreaming up the big picture and drafting the roadmap to make it happen. She has a background in operations, fundraising, communications and program development, as well as over a decade of nonprofit management experience in Northern Colorado.

Her greatest joy in life comes from her family. Her husband, Steven, a principal at Wellington Middle School, and daughters Emmaline and Esmae are the lights of her life. Together they love mountains, music and all kinds of food. She is passionate about women supporting other women in all stages of life and especially through the critical moments that make or break us. She believes that one of the most important things in life is to be kind.

Being outdoors makes her soul come alive. It always roots her in gratitude and is one of the reasons she loves living in Fort Collins.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Last week, the night sky – at least according to my star app – was supposed to be perfect. Perfect to glimpse Mars, perfect for the shooting meteors coming from Orion.

Looking up, and out at the great mystery of our sky has been a part of my nightly practice during COVID. It started with the howl, but even once people grew tired of acting like pack creatures, I found myself sneaking out for a breath as dark set in. Let the dogs out. Look up. Breathe. Release. Keep going.

Something about seeing how big it all is; how tiny we are. How amazing it is to be alive at all. How even more amazing it is that we manage to make something of our lives, our bodies, our days – even though we are just specks of dust….I mean, star dust. How powerful and powerless we are! A part of everything – the movement of life, and love, and mystery and creation and change; and also, just a part.

The trick is to hold on to this feeling, this sense of the greater arc of history, the surrender into mystery ,and hope – even once I come back inside. To find the movement in life’s everyday moments. And to connect these moments in with the greater movement.

And even more, to hold on to this feeling, even when the app is wrong and the stars and Mars are covered instead by thick smoke pointing less to transcendent wonder than to existential fear, and grief. To trust that just because we can’t see them, doesn’t make them less there.

A few months back, as we were planning our new series that launches this Sunday, we were all too aware of just how vulnerable our moments might feel, how hard it might be to see that larger movement.

In these weeks surrounding the election, as the earth turns, and the light lessens, and as the pandemic powers on, if you’re feeling a little (or a lot) on edge, wondering what it all means, and how to keep going, you’re not alone.

It’s why in these days, we need to find ways to connect with that larger movement of life, and the movement of courageous love passed on generation-to-generation, a movement worthy of our dedication, and loyalty, and stewardship – regardless of the state of any given moment. We need the hope of being for something, rather than just against. We need to turn to wonder, and curiosity, kindness and gratitude.

And together, we need to remember ourselves as a part of this universe (as our reading this Sunday goes: “no outer space, just space”), held by a love that persists, and calls us on.

Whatever the state of your moments, however you are feeling, we hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we lean into all of these practices with a service Rev. Sean and I are co-leading with the amazing and brilliant Scott Denning. Visit the series web page to learn more.

Keep going, keep loving, one breath at a time.
Rev. Gretchen[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Rev. Gretchen Haley

Rev. Gretchen Haley has an audacious ambition for the liberal church, believing in its capacity to transform lives and our world by way of hyper-local relationships and partnerships that inspire the unleashing of courageous love. She oversees worship, community resourcing and outreach, and the intersectional work of our justice teams. She also serves as chief of staff, and ministry lead to the Board. In all of these, she is inspired by the commitment of the countless people who show up to do the sometimes-messy work of the church, and who are leading us to live into our mission for Northern Colorado as it is growing and changing. Her ministry is infused with her relentless curiosity about most things, especially the big stuff of theology, the beauty of creation, the magic of collaboration, and the joy of pop culture. She’s all in on adrienne maree brown’s emergent strategy, and finds solace in the trails in and around Fort Collins. She moved to Colorado from Washington state over 20 years ago for grad school in theatre, and knew immediately that she would never leave. She and her amazing partner, Carri, have 2 teenagers, Gracie and Josef, who both relish and resent being PKs, and who keep her grounded, frustrated, inspired, and humbled, everyday. She is basically obsessed with her two dogs, both large mutts, Charlie and Archer.

Responsible for: Worship, Community Resourcing and Outreach, Justice Ministries, and Congregational Leadership

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Last week we asked you, “When you talk with your friends or neighbors about Foothills, what are the stories you tell? How do you describe Foothills?” Here are your responses:

• A welcome place for all, great community for families, our people!
• A welcoming place no matter what you believe. The only church without a creed that you must abide by. Filled with deep thinkers and people who care about social justice.
• About Gather Group
• About how family you feel just being a part of a nonjudging and loving environment. And the honesty of all and the deep connection that is felt.
• An accepting and inclusive community with a focus on social justice.
• Caring about Web of Life & Learning, etc.
• Inspiring sermons and services. Social justice work I’m proud we’re doing. How many “we believe” signs Foothills got distributed across FoCo. And how much my sisterhood group means to me – so great to have a group of women who you can level with and who have each other’s backs!
• I don’t really talk to anyone about Foothills so I have no useful information to provide.
• I have encouraged my roommate to attend church with me. He is a gay man and he told me he is a Lutheran. I know he is not active and have told him that Foothills and Unitarian Universalists would be a more like-minded community for him (in my view); and that we have an active LGBTQ plus community.
• I look forward to every Sunday. It’s always meaningful and one part or another of the hour often makes me weepy.
• I love it!!! It’s so warm, welcoming & they make u feel like u belong. I also encourage people to watch the services online so they can get an idea of how cool Foothills is
• I talk with a few friends and my family. Usually, I mention the small groups that have meant so much to me, including inspirational groups like Wellspring and Braiding Sweetgrass. I talk about the efforts of Foothills to make a real difference in the community. I tell how amazing the ministers and staff are, especially during this pandemic.
• I tell about the caring and open-minded people I’ve met there!
• I tell people that Foothills is an awesome church that is relevant, progressive, and caring.
• I tell them it is a welcoming and loving community that is a safe space.
• It’s quite liberal. It’s welcoming and the ministers are gay/married. Our circle group is great and we are getting closer. I like the sermons. They make me think and feel.
• My favorite service was the flying beach balls. Who could not laugh and find joy in that. Reminiscent of concerts that I’ve been to. Minus the mud and rain. 🎉🍻😉🌈
• Open minded. Different from what they may be expecting. A Church for people who think they aren’t “churchy.”
• The most welcoming church in town.
• Though my beliefs, really, never fully “fit”, I’d never considered looking for a faith community outside of mainstream Christian churches. Soon after my first few cautious visits to Foothills, the monthly series was about the wide variety of faiths represented among Foothills members. Each week, a person of a different faith would share how and why Foothills had become their choice for spiritual community. I read a little more about Unitarian Universalists, started attending fairly regularly and was referring to Foothills as “my church”. Hearing my enthusiastic story about “discovering” UU, friends and family have responded with variations of “we think you’ve been UU all of your life and just didn’t know it”.

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Katie Watkins

Katie believes the best things in life are the result of collaboration and diverse perspectives coming together to produce something greater than any individual could. She is passionate about systems, efficiency and collaboration for better community outcomes. She loves dreaming up the big picture and drafting the roadmap to make it happen. She has a background in operations, fundraising, communications and program development, as well as over a decade of nonprofit management experience in Northern Colorado.

Her greatest joy in life comes from her family. Her husband, Steven, a principal at Wellington Middle School, and daughters Emmaline and Esmae are the lights of her life. Together they love mountains, music and all kinds of food. She is passionate about women supporting other women in all stages of life and especially through the critical moments that make or break us. She believes that one of the most important things in life is to be kind.

Being outdoors makes her soul come alive. It always roots her in gratitude and is one of the reasons she loves living in Fort Collins.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We are all holding the tension of this moment, of the smoke outside our windows, the rising COVID numbers, and the pending election. At so many moments we feel powerless, but over the next few weeks we hold great power. We each have an opportunity to put our faith in action, as we cast a vote. A vote that enables us to make our values known alongside millions of other Americans.

We are so excited to be participating in UU the Vote this week, a powerful movement in which we are invited to join the effort to get out the vote – to help our brothers and sisters in our communities and across the country access their power of choice. We are ecstatic to have Rev. Elizabeth Nugyen guide and inspire us in this process.

To UU the Vote during a pandemic is not just voter engagement, it means we:

Act Local to Build Thriving Communities: Community is at the heart of democracy. Housing, food security, health and self-determination are the pillars of a thriving community. COVID-19 has thrown more folks deeper into preexisting crises that threaten lives and democracy.

All in on the Issues, All in on Democracy: 
Justice and Freedom for All. The U.S. carceral system is a threat to human thriving and democracy. Jails, prisons, detention centers, and the policing and surveillance of our communities are contrary to the principles of a democratic society.

Share Spiritual Resilience:
Justice work is deeply spiritual work. As we move through this moment our hearts, minds, and bodies are informing our work. Our joys and weariness are constantly shifting, but community is always our anchor. We are creating hope together.

We hope you’ll join us and be inspired to put your faith into action this week.

In love and kindness,
The Foothills Team[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Rev. Gretchen Haley

Rev. Gretchen Haley has an audacious ambition for the liberal church, believing in its capacity to transform lives and our world by way of hyper-local relationships and partnerships that inspire the unleashing of courageous love. She oversees worship, community resourcing and outreach, and the intersectional work of our justice teams. She also serves as chief of staff, and ministry lead to the Board. In all of these, she is inspired by the commitment of the countless people who show up to do the sometimes-messy work of the church, and who are leading us to live into our mission for Northern Colorado as it is growing and changing. Her ministry is infused with her relentless curiosity about most things, especially the big stuff of theology, the beauty of creation, the magic of collaboration, and the joy of pop culture. She’s all in on adrienne maree brown’s emergent strategy, and finds solace in the trails in and around Fort Collins. She moved to Colorado from Washington state over 20 years ago for grad school in theatre, and knew immediately that she would never leave. She and her amazing partner, Carri, have 2 teenagers, Gracie and Josef, who both relish and resent being PKs, and who keep her grounded, frustrated, inspired, and humbled, everyday. She is basically obsessed with her two dogs, both large mutts, Charlie and Archer.

Responsible for: Worship, Community Resourcing and Outreach, Justice Ministries, and Congregational Leadership