Author: Katie Watkins (Page 3 of 87)

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.

Join The Generosity Builders Team!

September 25, 2024 /

Announcing the Generosity Builders Team: Join Us in Creating a Culture of Joyful Giving!

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our new team: the Generosity Builders Team, and we’re inviting YOU to join us on this exciting journey!

Together, we’ll work to cultivate a spirit of generosity in our community that is joyful, energetic, and full of possibility. With each meeting, we’ll dream big, laugh a lot, and find new ways to inspire generosity within our congregation that enables our missional work at Foothills.

To kick things off, we’re hosting an info night next Thursday, October 3, from 6:00-7:30 PM. There will be snacks (because everything is better with snacks!), and you’ll have a chance to connect with Sue F., Team Lead, and Katie Watkins, DFO, to learn about our vision, and see if you’d like to join us in this important and exciting work.

We’re looking for 4-8 team members who want to help build something meaningful while having a great time. If that sounds like you, we’d love for you to join us!

Please register so we can make sure we have enough snacks and space for everyone.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Joyfully Welcoming Our 2024-25 Caring Listener Team

September 13, 2024 /

At Foothills, it’s the work of all of us to take care of each other.  Sometimes we are the ones held by this ocean of care – and sometimes we ARE the ocean.

Our Caring Listener team is a special group of trained and trusted people who embody Foothills’ commitment to care.  In their unique role, Caring Listeners offer emotional support and spiritual companionship to members and friends of Foothills experiencing hardship or transition in their lives. They also connect individuals and families with other modes of caring within the Foothills Caring Network (e.g. meal delivery, Caring Kits).

This year’s Caring Listener Team includes (from left to right): Steve Sedam, Neil DiMont, Karen Harder, Dick Lubchenco, Katie Slota, Pat Slentz, Nadine Thomsen, Sunny Hanley and MaryLou Smith (MaryLou is not pictured here). 

Some members of the team are focused on a particular demographic, such as:

  • People with dementia and their caregivers
  • End-of-life ministry
  • Elders who have become disconnected from church
  • Legacy work and exploration

Explore the Caring Ministry webpage to learn more about our wider caring efforts at Foothills. 

Meet our Music Director Candidate

September 10, 2024 /
We are excited to invite you to be a part of the search for our next Music Director! Katie S. (she/her) is a finalist in our search and will visit Foothills and guest lead music on Sunday and Monday in a variety of settings. Katie is visiting us from Chandler, Arizona where she currently serves at the Music Director at Valley Unitarian Universalist. 

She has a passion for leading UU congregations in music that inspires, transforms, and aligns with our principles. She has a bachelor’s degree in Music Education with an emphasis in choral, piano and vocal performance, a master’s degree in Adult Education and Training, and is certified in Transformational Life Coaching. Katie and her husband are both accomplished musicians and they share three children and two dogs. 

Katie has completed several initial stages of interviewing, including a written interview and two interviews via Zoom with ministers, staff and the Music Director Hiring Committee. She’s also been working with our worship staff for the last two weeks helping to shape the service that she will co-lead with us. 

We hope you’ll take one or all of the opportunities to engage with Katie, help her get a sense for our church and help us get a sense for who she is as a music leader.

Opportunities to Meet and Sing with Katie

Sunday, September 15th

7:30 AM – Pre-worship Choir rehearsal with Katie*
9 &11 AM – Worship service with music leadership provided by Katie.

Monday, September 16th
5:30 PM – Jam Session and Sing Along
6:45 PM – Choir rehearsal
7:45 PM – Q&A with the choir

*If you plan to join the Sunday Choir rehearsal, we encourage you to also join this week’s rehearsal with guest director, Benjamin Hanson, on Wednesday at 6 PM in order to be best prepared. All are welcome. Please arrive by 7:20 AM for an on-time rehesarsal.

Music Director Search Process Updates

September 7, 2024 /

We are writing with an update regarding our search for our new music director, and to invite your active participation in our next steps.  

As a reminder, the process led us to two finalists, both of whom were invited to lead music on a Sunday and work with the choir and other musicians as a preview of their potential role. Over the past few weeks, they have also met with our staff team to prepare for these visits.

After careful consideration, we have decided that one of the candidates will no longer be considered for the position, and we have canceled their visit. Although they demonstrated impressive musical talent, their limited experience with worship planning and familiarity with the UU hymnal and music canon would require training beyond our current capacity. We are grateful for their interest and enthusiasm and have provided them with constructive feedback.

As we move forward, our other candidate, Katie S. remains in the process. It is important to clarify that Katie’s continuation is not an indication of a final decision. Our goal is to ensure that our new Music Director is a great fit for Foothills, both in terms of musical ability, as well as a relational fit in the partnership of both lay and staff ministry. 

To this end, we hope you will join us for worship on Sunday the 15th, at the musicians’ gathering (5:30 pm), or choir rehearsal on Monday evening (6:45 pm) —or all of the above (more details coming soon). We need to see Katie S. working and making music with our community, and so our community showing up in full is crucial for our decision-making. 

While we are disappointed to let one candidate go, we trust that our process is working as it should, revealing the right information at the right time. We are confident that, with your partnership, we will make the best possible decision for our community, with integrity and open hearts.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement in this important process. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or feedback. We look forward to your participation in Katie S.’ visit on the 15th and 16th, and we greatly value your input.

With gratitude and in partnership,

Rev. Gretchen Haley
Rev. Sean Neil-Barron
Sophia Miller, Summer Musician in Residence
Katie Watkins, Director of Finance and Operations

 

Music Director Hiring Team (Neil DiMont, Cheryl Hazlitt, Hsin Hsuan Lin, Juley Sobson)

The Grove & August 27, 2024 Town Hall

August 28, 2024 /

Last night, we met with over 50 congregants in person and online. We launched The Grove at our Town Hall meeting. The Grove is a new concept that we are initiating to help our most engaged community members to have easy access to the institutional information that they care about and that we can use your help in managing. 

There are often details going on at the organizational level that are not a part of ministry but they affect how we provide ministry. Things like, the state of our building, engagement trends, financial matters, communications questions. The Grove is an intentional community to share these details with those that want them, while not overly inundating newcomers and other community members who do not need to interact with this information. 

The Grove is open to anyone who wants to join. It’s an effort toward greater transparency and increased resiliency as we continue to grow in numbers.

Check out this video put together by Rev. Sean that invites you to better understand what the Grove is and how you can expect to interact with it if you join. 

Join the Grove!

Contact Katie Watkins at katie@foothillsuu.org if you have questions about The Grove. We know that navigating an online app can sometimes be intimidating, so we are working on providing some tech support opportunities for anyone who needs a little extra help. More details to come. 

Town Hall Updates

Quarterly Town Hall and Congregational meetings will provide in-person and online interaction for this group to connect and ask questions. At last night’s event, we shared several updates. You can watch a recording of the meeting below. 

Review the Slides
Review the Town Hall Packet
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