Month: April 2022

Music Newsletter: April 2022

April 14, 2022 /
A lot is going on with music this spring 🎉

From the choir’s first in-person performance at a service in two years to the next phase of our Music Director search, check out five things to know about Music Ministry below.
1. Join the General Assembly choir! 

General Assembly (GA) is the Unitarian Universalists’ annual gathering, which thousands attend onsite or online. Each year the UUA president selects a minister to lead the culminating worship service held on Sunday morning, and Rev. Gretchen was chosen to lead in 2022! Rev. Sean will lead with her.

During that Sunday service to be led by Revs. Gretchen and Sean, Unitarian Universalists from around the world will join a collective body the size of which is unmatched throughout the year, and the GA choir will perform.

General Assembly 2022 will be held in Portland, Oregon June 22-26.

Learn more about joining the GA virtual and in-person choirs!

Scholarships are available for attending GA! Reach out to Rev. Gretchen at gretchen@foothillsuu.org to learn more.
 
2. The Music Director search is moving forward!

The Music Search Team met with members of the Racial Justice and Healing Ministry Core Team to discuss antiracism in hiring. Both teams engaged in outreach during the final weeks of the search to ensure all who might be interested and are qualified to apply within the broad Unitarian Universalist community were aware of the opening. The application deadline was Monday, April 11, at midnight, and the Music Search Team will meet tonight, April 13, to review applications! 
 
3. See the choir at Easter!

We are joyful that the choir will perform at both the 8:30 and 10 AM in-person Easter services this Sunday, April 17th! This is the first time the choir has performed at an in-person service in two years so save your spot to witness the music (and jubilant, non-traditional Easter message with a queer spin celebration led by Rev. Sean)!
 
4. Share your musical gifts!

If you are interested in sharing your musical talents with our Foothills community, please email Jennifer Jolly at jenniferj@foothillsuu.org.
 
5. Soli Deo Gloria Choir Concert in honor of Bob Molison

Soli Deo Gloria Choir (SDG) in Colorado Springs will perform at First United Methodist Church Fort Collins (at 1005 Stover Street) on Saturday, May 14th at 3:00 pm. The concert will be dedicated to the memory of Dr. Robert Molison, beloved Foothills Unitarian member and former Director of Choral Activities at Colorado State University and Iowa State University, who died in January. The concert is free to attend. 
Give to the Music Ministry Special Collection!

The Building Bulletin: April 2022

April 14, 2022 /

The big news this month is that we have scheduled a groundbreaking celebration for May 17th! This day was a long time coming, and we are so excited to kick off the start of construction. We will be sending more information soon. In the meantime, mark your calendars. You’ve all helped make this possible, so join in the celebration!

At long last, we have our finalized development agreement with the city and have filed all the necessary easements for recording. The entire team: BET, architects, and contractors are relieved to have this finalized after more than nine months of effort. No one dreamed it would take this long. Our contractor said they have been having the same problem all along the Front Range. Our delight is tempered by the fact that we now move on to the building permit process.  

Our optimistic timeline for the building permit is early June. This includes a review by the zoning department. Once that is complete, our application will be submitted to other City departments for review.  We assume there will be additional comments and resubmittals. The hope is that all that will be concluded by May 20, and we will receive a permit in early June. Concurrently, we will submit an application to the fire department. 

On the financial front, we closed on our construction loan with FBNO! Another milestone passed with difficulty. The contractor needed to have the loan finalized before contracting with the sub-contractors. The bank wanted to have a building permit before closing. Thanks to Katie Watkins for sticking with it and finding a way to get the job done.

We have received a price quote from Xcel Energy for moving our gas line. The quote was under budget! We haven’t had anything come in under budget so far, so this was very exciting. The other preconstruction task is the installation of the electric transformer. The next step is to hold a DCP (Development Construction Permit) meeting. That will allow Fort Collins utilities to move ahead with scheduling the work.  

On the fun side, the BET took a field trip to the Genesis Project to see their sound and video equipment. The Worship Pastor, Oliver Miguel, whose duties include music and sound, showed us around the building.  It was helpful to see the video equipment in action. Genesis Project recently completed an expansion of their building with an auditorium about the same size as our planned sanctuary. It made the drawings a little more real to stand in a completed building. 

The asbestos work has been completed in the social hall. We have heard some concerns about air quality in the aftermath. The contracted work includes air testing.  The room was not unsealed until the air was clean.  

When clearing out the social hall prior to starting work, it became apparent that we needed some extra storage space during construction.  There is now a POD in the east parking lot that will allow things (like extra chairs and tables) to be out of the building but still available if needed.

DON’T FORGET!! GROUND-BREAKING CEREMONY ON MAY 17th!!

In partnership, 

The Building Expansion Team

Sign up for the building expansion newsletter!

Climate Justice Resources 🌎

April 6, 2022 /

Thank you Tim Harris and the Foothills’ Climate Justice Ministry (CJM) for compiling the below climate emergency resources. Click on the image category to see a full list.

All are welcome to attend CJM’s monthly meeting. Join the Climate Justice Ministry email list for details!

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