Dear ones:
It is the time of year where being outside feels like sanctuary. When the trails call to us, and the rivers, and the garden. Even our new building can’t compare to the wisdom, healing, and renewal of the natural world (although our big windows looking out on the foothills do help!).
This has been a tension for Unitarian Universalists for a long time – from Transcendentalists to Pagans to Religious Naturalists – how to bring the spirituality we find in the natural world into the church. Church, as in the building, and also the institution.
Engaging this tension is at the heart of the Wild Church movement, which we have taken as a jumping off point for our new series, The Nature of Being, which starts this Sunday at 10 am (online and in person) and runs through most of June.
In these days where disconnection drags on us all – disconnection from ourselves, from one another, from a deeper sense of truth and love, let’s reconnect with our true nature. And most of all, let’s re-integrate our inside and outside spiritualities. Remembering that nature is not outside of us, and holiness is everywhere. With love, Rev. Gretchen
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.