Month: December 2021 (Page 2 of 3)

Sanctuary Everywhere Update (December 2021)

December 23, 2021 /

Part of Foothills’ Justice work, Sanctuary Everywhere, accompanies asylum seekers as they begin their lives here in Fort Collins.  Now, six months into our newest and largest Village, we continue to serve and to learn. (See Rev. Gretchen’s update on the first six months of Sanctuary Everywhere in 2021.) 

The pattern of accompanying such a large Family of 17 asylum seekers seems to follow our more familiar pattern of accompanying an individual.  The first months demand immense energy, time, flexibility and problem-solving, as well as the ability to anticipate future needs – all while juggling all the rest!  All the while Village members learn – learn more about each family member, learn about issues we have not dealt with before (in this Village, it’s the complexities and challenges in the legal universe; always it is the effects of trauma), learn more about local resources we can access, and more about ourselves as individuals and as a team.

Since Rev Gretchen’s July Sanctuary Everywhere update, both remaining family members still held in detention have been released, one to join his partner here, and the other to join her younger siblings.  Family reunions are just the best! 

We continue to transport and –to varying degrees–facilitate appointments for medical, dental, mental health care, and Covid vaccinations (a moving target for 13 people plus new immigrants joining the household!!!) as well as to various appointments with ICE and lawyers and court.  Additionally, there are appointments with teachers, English classes and tutoring, and help getting to Food Bank…  Phew!

As we learn about and connect with local resources, our goal is always to teach and encourage family members to take such actions for themselves.  As with any group, some learn and adapt more quickly, and others continue to require continuing support.  Consequently, the number of Family members we are actively accompanying is shrinking, allowing the Core team to consider our next Village

The History of ISAAC & EIF (Immigration Justice)

December 23, 2021 /
In early 2017, Foothills Unitarian’s immigration justice team convened a group of over 30 faith communities and leaders from across Northern Colorado for a conversation about sanctuary. We were discerning becoming a sanctuary church and wanted to do that in partnership with others. From that conversation, those leaders all went back to their congregations and discerned the right path for them. We decided to become a sanctuary congregation, while other churches and leaders decided on other paths, and we all supported each other’s efforts. We welcomed Ingrid Encalada LaTorre into Sanctuary at our church in October 2017, and this interfaith community would go on to be critical to us while we housed her and her children and supported her journey forward.

The group of religious leaders and organizations remained committed to continuing conversations in support of interfaith collaboration around immigration justice. Rev. Gretchen Haley shared that she had been part of an effort in Denver where the interfaith community started an emergency fund that could be used for emergencies for undocumented people. She knew that Jefferson Unitarian in Golden had been the fiscal sponsor to make that fund possible. She imagined Foothills Unitarian offering similar support. 

With  initial fundraising from the Foothills and community, and an agreement for Foothills to be the fiscal sponsor, the Emergency Immigration Fund (EIF) launched in August 2017.

The initial steering committee for the EIF comprised Rev. Gretchen, one Foothills Unitarian member, and two community representatives. In 2019, Rev. Kristen Psaki took Rev. Gretchen’s place on the steering committee, and as of late 2020, the fund has evolved to be driven directly by members of the immigrant community.
 
Our goals with the Fund were to get money into the hands of those who needed it without bureaucracy and while leveraging existing networks of trust so that we could be sure we reach the people who need it most but may not otherwise seek support. As a result, we worked to develop procedures and processes that allowed those on the ground in immigrant communities to quickly write checks to get money in the hands of people who were in crisis.  
 
By 2018, the informal interfaith group had transitioned to become its own organization, ISAAC, and we maintained fiscal sponsorship of the EIF, but not of ISAAC itself. The fund is only one part of ISAAC’s work. ISAAC has been engaged in deeply impactful education and advocacy work within different faith communities since its inception.
 
While the EIF has continued to grow since 2018, it really took off in 2020 when we sought out a grant specific to COVID relief. We went from distributing annual funds of about $30,000 per to more than $500,000 in 2020. This was activated especially in March 2020 when Rev. Psaki helped convene the leaders and organizers working with immigrants in Northern Colorado to coordinate and respond to the particular needs of immigrants in the pandemic. This group continues to meet monthly and is now facilitated by the City of Fort Collins. Foothills member Ticie Rhodes has been a key part of keeping this conversation going and facilitating collaboration across partners. 
 
The Fund’s rapid growth made it clear we should begin transitioning the EIF to be held within ISAAC, now a 501c3, rather than administered through Foothills Unitarian. That transition was completed in late 2021. 
 
Throughout the evolution of EIF, members of Foothills Unitarian were critical in its growth and impact. Mary Hill did the initial “gap” research on what the fund should be used.  Ed Meek was a key part of a major fundraiser in 2018 that raised the fund’s profile, and Mary, along with Sue Ferguson, Daniel Covey, Anne Hall and Sally Harris were also deeply involved in convening the initial conversations and helping to launch ISAAC. 

Today, although we are no longer the fiscal sponsor, we continue as a member congregation, and Ticie Rhodes and Tom Rhodes are both serving on the ISAAC Board.

Staffing Updates

December 20, 2021 /

Dear friends and members,

We are excited to share that we have a few updates to our staff team in light of Amy Gage’s recent resignation. 

To start, we are thrilled to announce that Lauren Farley will be stepping up as our half-time Engagement Coordinator to fill the portions of Amy’s job that supports newcomers, BaseCamp, membership, and engagement.  

Lauren has been our half-time Family Ministry coordinator for the last two and a half years, where she has been an incredible support for families, children, and youth, as well as to our Director of Family Ministry, Eleanor VanDeusen. Through Eleanor’s mentorship and with ongoing professional development opportunities, Lauren has been intentionally growing into her role as a professional religious educator for Unitarian Universalism.  

Lauren will now be serving as a full-time member of our staff team as she will fill both of these roles. We are especially grateful that Lauren’s experience and perspective in working with families with children will shape the way we think about engagement across our congregation, and will more fully integrate families and children into our offerings.

Lauren’s creativity, sense of humor, insight, compassion, and commitment to Unitarian Universalism, have made her an invaluable member of our staff team, and we are thrilled that this opportunity will mean more people will get a chance to work with her. Lauren has already begun training with Amy, and working with Sean this week, and will continue to take over the engagement and membership roles over the next few weeks.

The other major portion of Amy’s work is in the area of administrative and facility coordination, as well as volunteer recruitment for Sunday services. Because this is a highly impactful role, and we are in the middle of the holiday season, we realized that we could not accommodate any gap in these tasks being performed. We decided that we needed someone who already knew our systems and who could jump right in on an interim basis until we can make a more permanent hire, which we estimate will take until the end of January.

We are grateful that Jenn Powell has agreed to step up and take on this role on a half-time basis until this position is filled with the permanent staff.  She will coordinate events – including physical and zoom room reservations, and support group leaders.  She will recruit and support Sunday volunteers, and support registrations and check-ins for all programs. She will be responding to the main Foothills phone line and email, and provide other general administrative support for our team over the many year-end tasks. As a member, Jenn has worked extensively in our database and has been highly involved in many of our ministries across the congregation. This means that she can pick up all of the tasks without too much training, and be responsive to the many sorts of needs that arise during this time of year.

Jenn began her work in her role this week and has already begun training with Amy for a seamless transition.

I want to note that this is an interim hire, not a permanent one. We decided it was necessary because of the combination of circumstances requiring a particular sort of specialized skills and capacity.  By Board policy, however, we do not hire members for staff positions, nor compensate members for work performed, except under exceptional circumstances.  

This policy clarifies the boundaries between staff members and church members.  Congregants are here to experience the church as their church. Staff members are here to help make that possible. As staff, we do not put our needs above the needs of the church, and we recognize that when we speak with others, we do so as staff, not as members.

People do make this transition, but when they do, they come to realize that it means they lose their church. Your minister or ministers are now your boss. The employment relationship is ultimately transactional rather than only covenantal. Pastoral care is not available to you from our ministers, and when you show up to anything, people talk to you as a staff person, not a fellow member. 

Of course, there are many ways that being on staff is rewarding. But it is a change and one that we are very cautious about encouraging for all of these reasons. 

We are grateful to Jenn for stepping up over these two months and setting aside her membership for this time. We are grateful for the ways it will mean that we can be responsive to our community and our leaders through this challenging time. And we are grateful that at the end of this time she will transition back to being the amazing church member and leader that she has been for Foothills since she first started attending.

Finally, I want to make sure that you have seen our job postings for the remaining vacancies.  You can find the full notice at foothillsuu.org/jobs. Please forward to anyone in your network that you think might be a good fit!  

Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you all for your continued partnership.

With gratitude,

Gretchen  

Holiday Song Poll 🎶

December 17, 2021 /

Check out this festive playlist for Foothills’ versions of holiday classics then let us know your favorite below!

Fill out my online form.

Welcome to our December 2021 Series: Make Room

December 6, 2021 /

Despite bustling shops and long lines at restaurants, our lives and choices remain constrained by the pandemic. A sense of danger and fretting over what’s worth the risk are now a part of our daily routine. The news moves at a pace and volume we were never meant to process, yet we feel we must try to keep up. The world is overwhelming, and we feel caught in cynicism or confusion. Anxiety, anger, and grief spill over in parking lots and playgrounds, and our patience is wearing thin as we wait for something – anything – to shift.  
 
In these days, we need the old stories of advent and yuletide. We need stories of waiting, preparing, and making room – stories of hope born in the most unexpected places. Because like the inns we tell about in the Christmas story, we too can start to feel like there just isn’t enough room in our lives. Room for friendship and connection. Room for generosity and comfort. Room for mystery and creativity. Room to learn something new and to wonder.
 
It can feel like we already know how things will turn out because we’ve been stuck for so long and the challenges haven’t faded. It can feel like survival is our only mode.
 
We can forget that all new life begins with invitation and welcome – the softening of the heart to the unexpected and the vulnerable. 
 
Which is why this December, we are inviting everyone to Make Room.
 
Together we’ll practice releasing and holding space. Preparing for the world we long for, the world trying to be born.  
 
We need to slow down and feel the fullness of time. Rather than resenting our waiting, we need to embrace it as a deep spiritual practice of bearing witness to life in its wholeness.  
 
We need to practice trusting that what we need will come. That we will be seen. That we belong. That hope and love will arrive. Maybe not in the ways we expected or in the ways we would’ve chosen, but persistently and faithfully – if we can just open our arms and our hearts and make room.  
 
In partnership,
 
Rev. Gretchen

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