Author Archives: truu

March Thoughts from our Board President

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So What’s Next?

Thanks to many of you, we had a very successful Visioning Party last Sunday with almost 30 people attending. Six groups met to plan for TRUU’s future. These were the six topics they discussed:  Spiritual Growth, Belonging and Connectedness, Family Integration and Multi-Generational Programming, Social Justice, Community Visibility, and Sustainable Presence. This visioning exercise was the culmination of several months of personal interviews to find out what your hopes and dreams for this congregation are.

So what happens next? The board will review the proposals made by each group this coming Monday night and you will hear about these proposals and how we plan to implement them at the TRUU Green Gala on St. Patrick’s Day. Come help celebrate all that we have accomplished this year and then look to the future. The visions that we all have for the future will become reality because of your stewardship. “Stewardship is about taking care of something we value and enabling it to grow. When we become stewards, we take responsibility and contribute our time, talent and treasure.” (uua.org)

If you value TRUU and want to see it grow, please join us on March 17th.

Thelma Zabel

Calling All Supporters of Public Radio

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Do you listen to either of our local public radio stations?  Do you contribute to either KAJX or KDNK?  Now is your chance to funnel that contribution through the MDD (Mountain Desert District) Public Radio Project.  And you’ll hear TRUU mentioned as an underwriter of the station.  The goals of this project are two-fold.  We hope to help people who are looking for UU’s find our congregation.  And we want to help others get a clearer concept of who we are and what our core beliefs are.  We hope that those who hear our messages will go to the TRUU website to learn more about us. This is the perfect way to double the impact of your contribution.  Your dollars go directly to support public radio in our valley and make TRUU’s presence known to local listeners.

Pre-addressed envelopes are available at TRUU Sunday services or you can simply mail your check to MDD 2242 S. Albion St, Denver CO 80222.  Be sure to put Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist in the memo line and then… listen for our name on the radio.

TRUU Religious Education – by Heather Rydell

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TRUU Religious Education – by Heather Rydell

Hi to all!  I’m Heather Rydell, the director of our Religious Exploration program. I have a B.A. in education and psychology from Dartmouth College.  I am a certified elementary teacher in Colorado and various eastern states. I am also director-qualified in preschool education, with many years of experience with a wide range of ages.

In our RE program I have access to wonderful curriculum and information on the UUA website (uua.org), where I find some great ideas. I also follow Gretchen’s monthly themes, so that families can continue the discussion together that they had separately on Sunday mornings . Although I guide the conversation, it is most definitely child-centered and age appropriate . If a topic emerges that is not centered on the theme, but is important or timely to the children, we go with it.

We welcome a wide range of ages.  I will occasionally have the older children think carefully about the words they use, (they have spelled out a few), so that the sensibilities of the younger ones are honored. I want them to know that no topic, idea or concern is off limits if it is spoken respectfully.  When the children return to the larger congregation I am always available to speak with their families about the interesting substance of our gatherings.

I’d like to share with our readers a recent example. You may remember the story that was read at a recent service: “The Workers and the Ranch Owner”.  You can read it here if you missed it. After hearing the story the children headed down to our R.E. room. They each shared a piece of what they remembered about the story until we had a full retelling. Much discussion ensued about the fairness or unfairness of the situation.  Finally they agreed on what I thought was a brilliant plan!  They decided that the workers should meet in the evening and divide into two equal groups. Every work day they would trade off showing up for the early or late shift. Following this rotation would mean that they would each work an equal number of hours for the agreed upon pay of $20.00 !  Beautifully simple and cooperative.

We have an amazing group of youngsters and have such fun creatively thinking and sharing together.  We have become a welcoming and supportive family. We encourage any of the congregation to join us and add your voice.