Year: 2021 (Page 1 of 23)

WHAT A YEAR!

December 29, 2021 /

2021 was full of innovation, connection, justice, and care. See the impact we had in our 2021 Annual Report.

Everything we do is supported by your generosity of partnership in service and in financial giving. You are the reason that together, we can realize our bold vision and live our mission of unleashing Courageous Love in Northern Colorado and beyond. We are so grateful. 

There are just over 48 hours left to give a tax-deductible donation for 2021, and we still need to raise $8,000 before the new year to close our budget gap. If you’ve already given an end-of-year gift, thank you! If you haven’t yet, we hope you will consider making a gift to Foothills before January 1st. Every amount helps! If each person reading this email gives just $20 we’ll quickly reach our goal!

Give Today

Thank you for a wonderful year! We were awed by the gracious and generous flexibility of YOU, our beloved congregation.

We can’t wait to see you in 2022! Happy New Year!

In partnership and with love,

The Foothills Unitarian Team

Hope and Stability: Finishing the Year Strong

December 27, 2021 /
Make an End of Year Gift

2021 was a year of adapting church again and again to meet brand new needs that didn’t match times before the pandemic and weren’t quite the same as in 2020. We offered more options to engage with worship, small groups, and service – online, in-person, and hybrid – so we could meet people where they are no matter what. 

We’re excited to share just a glimpse into the impact we’ve had in 2021 (stay tuned for our full annual report coming later this week!):

  • We kept improving and introducing ways for folks to engage with worship from home. We revamped and relaunched our Podcast in September and received 2,000 downloads across 14 countries in the first 90 days. Our YouTube Channel received 40,300 views.
     
  • In March of 2021, we restarted Sanctuary Everywhere, and we are now supporting a family of 13 from Nicaragua.
     
  • We provided over 600 acts of care – including meals, caring kits, and a listening ear – and 50 people participated in Tangled Blessings (an online grief group) and The Kitchen Table (drop-in caring time with Rev. Elaine).
     
  • 52 people were involved in Foothills Climate Justice Ministry, including restarting the garden, Climate Cafe’s to process climate grief and fear, virtual sustainable suppers, movie nights, and a new Facebook Group to keep more folks up-to-date on climate calls to action.
     
  • We played a crucial role in launching the Vaccine Equity Coalition, a grassroots effort by local organizations to improve access to the Covid-19 vaccine in BIPOC and Latinx communities. The Spanish-language call line created by the coalition registered 2,700 community members for vaccines, and five community clinics administered 1411 vaccines. Our work helping to form and support the coalition led to us being honored with BizWest’s COVID 19 Health Care Heroes Ally Award.
     
  • Through it all, we continued to open our arms to all who seek community – we welcomed 297 newcomers in 2021!

From children’s programs to justice work to spiritual practices, all our work requires funding, and we are working hard to close our budget out strong. 

We need to raise just over $10,000 by December 31st to close our budget gap. Every end-of-year gift, no matter the size, takes us one step closer to having both the stability to continue our work no matter what the new year brings and the hope that our mission of unleashing courageous love will continue for generations to come. 

If you have already made an end-of-year gift, thank you. It not only makes a difference for our Foothills family but in our larger Northern Colorado community.

If you haven’t yet made a gift, we hope you’ll consider making a gift to Foothills Unitarian before December 31st.

Give Today

Our 7pm Christmas Eve Service Moved to YouTube

December 24, 2021 /

Our 7 pm Modern Pageant Service is now available at this link: https://youtu.be/pb1FH5A59To.

Christmas Eve 2021 Reminders!

December 24, 2021 /

We hope to see you tonight for one of our FOUR Christmas Eve Services. Get the details about all Christmas Eve services (and this Sunday the 26th)👇

5 PM In-Person Christmas Eve Pageant

The 5 pm service will take place in person in the East church parking lot! The service will be under 45 minutes in length.

A great benefit of being outside is that we now get to sing together! Get the song sheet with lyrics. 

Being outside has also allowed us to increase capacity – save your spot!

Important Reminders for the 5 PM Service

  • Vaccination is required for those 12+.
  • Masks are required for those over the age of 2 (medical-grade encouraged). 
  • Please park in the West church parking lot or on the street.
  • Please bring chairs for comfortable seating.
  • Bathroom access will be emergency-only and medical-grade masks will be required to enter the building.
  • You’re invited to come dressed as a nativity character – a shepherd, sheep, any animal, innkeeper, King Herod, wise person or angel!
  • It’s colder than originally forecasted, so be sure to bundle up!

9 PM In-Person Candlelight Service

This service will take place in the church sanctuary. Vaccination and medical-grade masks* are required for all attendees. 

In light of rising concerns about the Omicron variant of COVID-19, please consider watching from home instead of attending in-person if you have not received your booster, have traveled out of state or by plane in the last week, or are hosting out-of-town guests.

*Medical grade masks include surgical masks, N95, N94 or KN95s

If you are no longer able to attend the in-person service for which you have registered, please remember to cancel your registration (select “view registration” then “cancel online”).

Online Options available at 7 and 9 PM

7 PM Broadcast – Modern Pageant: Join us online for a heartwarming and funny take on the Nativity story that blends all the traditional elements you love with progressive values. 

9 PM Livestream – Meditative Candlelight: Join us in real-time for a magical and meaningful candlelight Christmas Eve service in the sanctuary with piano and cello.

Both of these services will be available at the times listed above (or anytime after) on our website and Facebook Live. 

Sunday, December 26th

There will be no in-person services on Sunday, December 26th, the Sunday after Christmas.

Our online services will still take place, and we hope you’ll join us for a holiday message from UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray. Join us on Zoom at 9 am or watch a broadcast at 11 am (or anytime after) on our website and Facebook Live. 

Important Updates About Our Christmas Eve Services

December 23, 2021 /

Due to the rising concern about the Omicron Variant of COVID-19, we have decided to make adjustments to our Christmas Eve Services to prioritize safety for all participants. This includes a location change for our 5 PM service to outdoors, some additional regulations for our 9 PM service, and a more robust online offering so that everyone is able to participate comfortably and with security in knowing your safety is being prioritized. 

5 PM Service (Previously at The Lincoln Center)

This service will take place in the East church parking lot and be under 45 minutes in length. Please remember to bring chairs for comfortable seating (we’ll also have some available for those that don’t have them)! Masks are required (medical-grade masks encouraged), and vaccination is required for those 12+.

Moving the service outside has allowed us to increase capacity. If you aren’t already registered, save your spot now!

PLEASE NOTE: We are aware that the weather forecast looks somewhat concerning. We will send an email and text to all registered attendees by noon confirming our plan to go forward in person, or case of inclement weather, move to all-online. 

9 PM Service

This service will take place as scheduled in the church sanctuary. However, we ask folks to consider carefully if their attendance might pose a risk to others. If you are currently registered but meet any of the following criteria, please consider watching the livestream from home instead of attending in person: 

– Anyone who has not received their booster
– Anyone who has traveled out of state or by plane in the last week
– Anyone hosting out-of-town guests

If you are no longer able to attend due to this request or feel more comfortable choosing to tune in from home, please remember to cancel your registration (select “view registration” then “cancel online”).

Online Options available at 7 and 9 PM (and possibly 5 PM)

We previously planned to offer a 7 PM online service; however, due to the changing circumstances, we are now offering two online versions of our services.

7 PM Broadcast – Modern Pageant: Join us online for a heartwarming and funny take on the Nativity story that blends all the traditional elements you love with progressive values. 

9 PM Livestream – Meditative Candlelight: Join us in real-time for a magical and meaningful candlelight Christmas Eve service in the sanctuary with piano and cello.

Both of these services will be available at the times listed above (or anytime after) on our website and Facebook Live. 

COVID Safety Protocols

All of the safety protocols will still be observed for in-person services (outdoors and indoors), including: 
– Masking for everyone over the age of 2.
– Vaccinations for everyone over the age of 12.
– We strongly encourage the use of medical-grade masks at all times. 
– Medical grade* masks are required for the indoor service at 9 PM, we will have extras on hand for anyone who does not have one. 
– For the 5 PM service, bathroom access will be emergency only and will require a medical-grade mask Please use the West parking lot or the neighborhood street parking. 

*Medical grade masks include surgical masks, N95, N94 or KN95s

We are truly grateful to still have the opportunity to gather and celebrate together in ways that preserve the festiveness, fun, and fulfillment of our original plan while protecting the safety of our Foothills family and larger community – as well as the well-being of our brave healthcare providers in the midst of overwhelmed hospitals. Thank you for your flexibility!

The Foothills Team 

 
« Older posts

© 2025 Dispatches from the journey of Foothills Unitarian

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑