Author: Caitlin Seifert (Page 1 of 2)

Caitlin grew up in Aurora, CO and moved to Fort Collins first in 2018, and again in 2022. They were raised in the UU church at first Universalist in Denver and were highly involved in the MDD YRUU program as a youth. At that time, they served as part of the youth leadership team as well as the District Peer Chaplain, so when they came to Foothills in 2023, they received the opportunity to join our staff and found it to be a perfect fit. Their love of the UU faith and value for the religious education they received makes their role in our family ministry program feel like giving forward a gift they once held. Their career has spanned from cooking in kitchens to administrative work for local businesses. In their spare time, they find joy in hiking, knitting, and spending time with their two kids and partners.

Wildfire Response: An Opportunity to Offer and Receive Support in Our Foothills Community

July 31, 2024 /

Dear friends,

**UPDATE Friday, August 2nd**

Two websites for monetary donations are now up and running:

 The Northern Colorado Disaster Fund and Serve6.8.org

House of Neighborly Service is open to provide resources including food, toiletries, clothing, gas vouchers, prescription assistance, and community resource referrals at both locations listed below. Normal verifications are waived for those experienceing hardships due to the fires. Services are provided regardless of where county residence is located in.            

In Loveland: 15 11th Street – open 8/2-8/3 from 9am-12pm and then back to regular hours: Monday-Wednesdays from 9am to 4pm and Thursdays from 9am to 6pm. Phone#:970-667-4969

In Berthoud: 375 Meadowlark Dr, Berthoud (hosted in Grace Place) = open Tuesday & Thursday 9am-5pm. Phone#: 970-532-0161

In-Kind and Financial donations are accepted.

We will continue to share updates here as they become available.

With Love,

Jenn Powell, on behalf of the Foothills Unitarian Staff Team

IShow options

Show options…House of Neighborly Service is open to provide resources inlcuding food, toiletries, clothing, gas vouchers, prescription assistance, and community resource referrals at both locations listed below. Normal verifications are waived for those experiencing hardships due to the fires. Services are provided regardless of county residence is located in.In Loveland: 1511 E 11th StreetIn Loveland: Open 8/2-8/3 from 9 am to 12 pm and then back to regular hours: Monday-Wednesdays from 9 am to 4 pm and Thursdays from 9 am to 6 pmLoveland: 1511 E 11th StreetLoveland: 1511 E 11th Street Community members intersted in volunteering can email at larimer@voacolorado.org for general volunteer opportunities.We will continue to share updates here as we learn them.

 
 
 
 

July 31, 2024

 

There is smoke in the air again. This time, from fires much closer to home: The Alexander Mountain Fire here in Larimer County, west of Loveland, and the smaller Stone Canyon Fire in Boulder County, north of Lyons.

We know that the sensory experiences of these wildfires – the smell of smoke, the sight of floating ash in the air, and the orange hue of daylight – bring up memories and fears from past experiences.  Those memories live not only in our psyches but in our bodies.

In this time of so much uncertainty and concern, we send our love.

We also begin building a network to help each other.

We have created an Emergency Support Coordination Team to help pair those who can offer various types of support with those who are impacted by local wildfires (or may soon be).

Could you offer support to a member of our Foothills community impacted by wildfire? Whether it’s a guest room in your home, support with evacuation planning, the ability to take in a dog or cat, or another generous gesture, let us know by filling out this Offer of Support Form.

If you are interested in offering financial support, our Ministerial Discretionary Fund is always receiving donations to offer a boost to Foothills folks in times of financial hardship. You can donate online here – be sure to click on “Donate to Foothills” to activate the drop-down menu and scroll to the bottom to select “Ministerial Discretionary Fund.”

Are you in need of support? Whether it’s evacuation planning, housing, transportation, or pet/animal care, let us know by filling out this Request for Support Form.

As we reflect on what we can offer and what we need, and as we cope with the devastation of wildfire, it is important to utilize tools to calm our nervous system and ground our spirit.  Our friends at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Concord, New Hampshire have created this wonderful Contemplative Practices Audio Library.  Try out the body scan, metta (lovingkindness) meditation, or another grounding practice that calls to you.

With love,

Rev. Elaine, on behalf of the Foothills Unitarian staff team

What’s Next for Music at Foothills?

July 30, 2024 /

While our music programs typically take a break during the summer, this summer has been different.

There have been a lot of amazing music-related things happening both visibly, and in the background that we’d love to catch you up on…

BENJAMIN HANSON PREPARES FOR HIS FUTURE

Earlier this year, we shared that our Music Director, Benjamin Hanson, decided to take some personal leave to reflect and evaluate his priorities. After his time away, Benjamin confirmed that he is not interested in a full-time music director position, and so will not be returning in any permanent capacity with us. Instead, he wants to pursue other opportunities, including additional higher education, that better fit his skills and passions.

We are excited to announce, however, that Benjamin will join us to provide music leadership during much of September while we finish up our search for his replacement. This will allow us to have a few extra weeks to process the transition and prepare for what’s next. Benjamin will be leading music on most Sundays in September, starting September 8th and through September 29th!

On September 29th, we will have a celebration after the service for those who wish to recognize his contributions and wish him well. More details to come.

Benjamin will also be leading choir rehearsals on most of the Wednesdays during September, ensuring that the choir will be able to stay consistent through the fall.

MUSIC THROUGH THE TRANSITION

We have been so lucky to have had Sophia Miller, our Summer Musician-in-Residence to anchor our music ministries since her arrival in late June. Through her creative leadership on Sundays, energizing open calls for singing on Wednesday evenings, and her generous collaboration with staff and lay leaders, Sophia has brought amazing energy to our music programs since she arrived at the end of June. We are grateful that she will remain in this role through September 5th, including a gathering with the choir on Wednesday the 4th.

Sophia came to our congregation after working with Adam Podd, a talented musician, composer, arranger, and pianist who serves as the Director of Music for First Unitarian Society of Brooklyn. We are delighted to share that Adam, who also arranged our commissioned musical piece (Spirit of Truth) for the Ribbon Cutting, will be joining Sophia in song leadership and to offer singing workshops and musical opportunities in the first half of August.  

Please be sure to join Adam and Sophia on August 17th for singing and community building, and on both Sunday, August 11th (at 10 am) and Sunday, August 18th when we return to our two service schedule, now at 9 and 11 am. 

MUSIC DIRECTOR POSITION POSTING & HIRING

In late June, we advertised our position of Music Director on several UUA and music-specific forums, and have received many qualified applications. We have put together a small team of members and staff who will be helping to make our selection: Juley Sobson, Katie Stieber, Cheryl Hazlitt, Neil DiMont, Hsin Hsuan Lin, Rev. Sean, and myself.

We hope to have 1-2 candidates who will join us for a Sunday in September, and who will meet with the choir and other parts of our congregation to get a chance to provide feedback as well. We hope to have an offer to our selected candidate by the end of September, and a new staff person in place no later than mid-October.

Now is a great time to join our choir!

Not only do you get to sing in a community with amazing choir directors and accompanists, but you will also have a chance to meet directly with our potential future music director candidate(s). We’ll meet on August 7th to prepare for Water Communion, and all Wednesdays in September – all are welcome, more info and sign up HERE!

Faith In Pieces Series Invitation

June 29, 2024 /
“Everyone has a crisis at some point. You’ll have one too.” These were some of the first words shared with me by an admissions counselor at the Iliff School of Theology. 

I had just confessed my worry that my atheism would be a problem at this Methodist seminary. 

At its core, seminary education challenges you to reexamine everything you thought you know. Many discover for the first time that figures like Moses may not have been historical figures. Which maybe doesn’t sound like a big deal but for some it unravels everything. It can be incredibly painful, and also it can be powerfully transformational – a crisis that also often becomes spiritually deepening.

Of course, the journey of deconstruction extends far beyond seminary classrooms. It often begins with a triggering event—a significant life milestone, a painful church experience, or a profound personal tragedy—that shakes the foundation of what we believe. And just like in seminary, the process can be disorienting, leading not only to a reevaluation of beliefs but also risking the loss of community and identity.

On that day, the admissions counselor was saying that even though I wouldn’t have the same crisis of faith many students had, I would still likely find myself in a similar moment of instability, and deconstruction. A mement where I would need to find ways to re-build, and deepen. 

That admissions counselor was a Unitarian Universalist, by the way. Afterall, historically, many who experienced these moments of realization within traditional religious settings found a new spiritual home in Unitarian Universalism – where they could settle in and call their journey set. But as Unitarian Universalists, we aren’t “past” deconstruction.  Instead, in our faith, we learn to navigate deconstruction not (only) as a crisis, but as an opportunity for growth and deepening, something we can move through, and as a foundation for reconstruction. We see the spiritual path as a spiral that deepens and evolves, where we know that truth (within and beyond ourselves) continues to unfold, and where we can learn to live with resilience and gratitude, embracing complexity and impermanence—all within a framework of life’s enduring interconnectedness.

Join Us For Our New Series: Faith in Pieces, a journey through deconstruction 
 
Over the next 8 weeks, we will delve into this process of deconstruction and reconstruction. We will provide a space for healing and growth, helping us individually, and collectively to continually rebuild and find meaning, belonging, and joy. 
 
Here’s our plan: 
  • When: Sundays starting June 30th, running through August 11th 
  • Where: Both in person and online
  • How: Gather in community where we will learn tools that help navigate life’s cracks and create a new mosaic from the pieces 
  • What else: Beyond Sundays, we are also offering Journey Groups focused on the de/reconstruction process, as well as a 4 class series, Faith for the Unbeliever – find out more here 
  • And: This is a great series to invite a friend, especially one who may be currently deconstructing 
  • Find out more: foothillsuu.org/deconstructing
We look forward to journeying this path with you. Together, let’s discover the beauty and strength in life’s changes, reconnecting the scattered pieces of ourselves, collectively creating a mosaic of meaning and transformation.

In partnership,
Rev. Gretchen

A Day of Sacred Connection

June 27, 2024 /

Rev Sean Neil-Barron

“….You are stardust, made of the same stuff as the stars and the trees and the mountains and rivers, which means you belong here, and nothing you can do, or say, and nothing that anyone can do to you can ever change that. You are loved. Beloved” 

I must have said these words hundreds of times on Saturday, in the heat of Denver’s Civic Center Park, as Foothills convened a UU clergy to offer Glitter Blessings at Denver Pride. 

Glitter blessings are simple: a moment of spoken affirmation and care and the optional anointing with glitter (biodegradable of course). 

This year at PrideFest, a few other churchy type folks were offering Glitter Blessings around the festival, but despite sharing the same name, we were not doing the same thing.

What I heard from others, and witnessed myself, was that other groups were offered a nice set of words and some glitter.  

What we offered were true blessings.

Blessings that met people in their lives,

That grew from conversation and a deep genuine care,

All rooted in the conviction that all bodies are sacred and that all Queer and Trans people are divine. 

I was joined by Revs. Eric Banner, Senior Minister at First Universalist in Denver, and Randy Spaulding, Pastor of Boulder Mennonites who is also an ordained UU minister, and together we spent 8 hours blessing over 450 people. 

When I would ask: “Is there anything you might want a blessing for right now? Anywhere in your life that needs some love and care…” 

The stories poured out raw and real.

Painful stories of Assaults, breakups, rejections by family and friends, working through past trauma, transphobia, bi-erasure, and fear. 

Beautiful stories of new relationships, new identities, and new milestones in transitions.

In Between stories of being newly out of the closet, being nonbinary, and trying to figure it out, of the joy chosen family amid the grief of the inherited. 

It’s hard to describe how holy it was, to receive these stories and to be trusted with their brutal honesty and at times defiant clarity. I felt our collective faith flowing through me. 

I can bless you. 

For you bless the world.

I can offer you love,
Because I know what you are is love finding a way,
Joy finding way.

There were so many moments and stories:

When I asked one guy where to apply the glitter during the blessing, he pointed at his chest scars. And I did, with reverence. 

A group of three was hesitant to receive a blessing but conversation opened the door to bless their polyamorous relationship.  

There are so many stories I could tell you, there were so many tears, and the pain and trauma of queer/trans life is so close to the surface, especially when it intersects with faith. 

Going through my mind the entire time were all the miracle stories in the Bible with Jesus healing people. And when you get over the obvious ego trip of relating to a story like that, I was struck with how much healing can occur, through the simple act of a consensual touch & words of deep care and affirmation backed up with deep conviction.

I left exhausted but so fulfilled. In a sea of vendors, mostly selling cheap rainbow-washed stuff, we offered true blessing, true ministry, without a need for people0 0to come to our church or our faith. But so many of them asked, because how could they not?

And we did so on the day that Unitarian Universalists from around the country, including from Foothills, voted to affirm that  “our [UU] principles and values unequivocally commit our faith to honor and celebrate the full spectrum of gender identity and expression. Being transgender or identifying with any gender other than the one assigned at birth, is a beautiful and divine manifestation of humanity; As a people who put love at the center of our faith, that love calls us to fully embrace equity for transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and gender diverse people in our congregations and the wider world”.

Meet Our Summer Musician-in-Residence

May 24, 2024 /
Sophia Miller is delighted to join Foothills Unitarian this summer. Sophia is a member of the First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn, New York, where she serves on the music team under the direction of Adam Podd, enjoying her role as a conductor, songleader, and singer, and filling in as substitute music director when needed. Sophia is a firm believer in the power of music to move and inspire hearts and minds, provoke thought and action, and offer an incredible depth of experience in the worship service.
 
Sophia is a conductor, clinician, singer, and music educator, who seeks to empower voices in her work, leading with a combination of artistic skill and a fully present heart. She works with all ages, finding great joy in working with children and adults alike. She is currently the Artistic Director for the Fieldston Choral Society in New York City, and served on the artistic team for the award-winning Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC) from 2007-2023, where she conducted young people ages 8-18. She has conducted in venues large and small throughout New York City, and has prepared choruses for recording sessions, television and radio performances, collaborations of all kinds, and performances on prominent stages nationally and internationally. In 2022 and 2023, she conducted YPC in Brundibár, a powerful and historical children’s opera written by Hans Krása and Adolf Hoffmeister before the start of World War II. Sophia has also served on the artistic teams of the Boston Children’s Chorus in Massachusetts, and the Savannah Children’s Choir in Georgia.
 
Sophia has furthered her impact as a widely sought-after guest conductor and choral clinician, bringing her expertise to choristers and choral conductors around the US and the world. Internationally, she most recently spent her time making music with children at La Escuela Municipal de Música y Danza de Cabanillas del Campo in Guadalajara, Spain, and young people from over 50 countries around the world at the Ingenium Music Academy in Winchester, England. This season, Sophia has been overjoyed to work with young people and music educators alike in Nebraska, Georgia, Missouri, Illinois, Vermont, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Washington DC, and New Jersey.
 
Sophia also serves as Conductor and Clinician for the prominent music publishing company Hal Leonard, through which she is delighted to represent new works and offer professional development opportunities to music educators throughout the United States.
 
Sophia studied music education, voice, and conducting at the Ithaca College School of Music, where she studied conducting with Dr. Janet Galván and was recognized as an esteemed alumna for her work conducting young people and celebrating the voices of children. A performer as well, Sophia continues to sing regularly throughout New York City.
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