June 2, 2022 – Dispatches from the journey of Foothills Unitarian

Every person contains contradictions and complexities beyond what you might ever imagine. Even you. There are parts of ourselves that lay dormant or emerge at different stages of our lives and can come as a big surprise when they do. One of the gifts of a diverse, multi-generational community is that through relationship we can better see and know the fullness of our own stories and the fullness in others.

This idea is the celebration at the heart of our annual Flower Communion ceremony. Norbert Capek started the Unitarian ritual of Flower Communion to help his Unitarian Czechoslovakian congregation celebrate the diversity in their community. In 1923, Rev. Maya Capek, Norbert’s widow, introduced Flower Communion to the United States. It is an especially fitting ritual for this year as it was created in the shadow of war and Norbert’s own story, which tragically ended when he was killed at Dachau for his Unitarian beliefs.

Join us this Sunday, June 5, as we kick off our Humans of Foothills series with our annual Flower Communion! This year’s Flower Communion theme is More Than You Know.

Details for In-Person Flower Communion
We will gather at 9 AM at the church for our first flower communion ceremony in our sanctuary since June 2019!

Please bring a flower cut from your garden, collected from wildflowers, or bought at the store. You will go home with a flower from someone else.

All ages will stay for the service the whole time, although nursery care will be available for kids four and under.

*If you have already registered for summer or if you attended an in person service in May, you do not need to register again.

Details for Online Flower Communion
We will also gather at 9 AM on Zoom for online Flower Communion ritual! You can also watch a broadcast of our Flower Communion service at 11 AM. Please have a flower next to you during the service.

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.

It’s a hard time to be a humanist. The evidence for human goodness and the capacity for humanity to save ourselves feels like it’s at an all-time low. The pandemic and the polarization of the last few years have shown us human selfishness, short-sightedness, and stubborn ignorance. Or at least, that’s what it feels like while scrolling through social media or scanning the news.

Except, when we dig in deeper, there’s another truth. Despite what the internet portrays, people are not stereotypes or memes. Every person has a story that is particular and complex. Choices they have made that shaped their lives and times when they had no choice but to deal with what life gave them. Within those choices, there is pain and there is triumph. Reconciliation and also irreversible loss.

When we move past what’s on the surface and beyond generalities into the deep particulars of someone’s story, we discover the universal. The thread of humanity that connects us all. We see that alongside regret, there is also redemption. Alongside loss, there is also love.

This June, let’s spend time sharing the stories of the humans of our community. The complex individuals whose lives connect with our own. Let’s celebrate the kindness that surrounds us and the good news that the truth – including the truth of our own lives, our human lives – continues to be revealed – and this moment is not the end of the story. Let celebrate the Humans of Foothills.

In partnership,

Rev. Gretchen

Katie Watkins

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.

Day: June 2, 2022

Flower Communion 2022: More Than You Know

You’re Invited to Humans of Foothills: June 2022 Series

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