My first memory of Foothills is in late 2013, when as a visiting seminarian from St. Louis I was invited to help lead worship and workshops for a UU youth conference held at the church. I was so impressed by the vibrant community that I found. Foothills reminded me of my home congregation in Tennessee, whom I soon learned housed the sister chalice to this community’s own, gifted to us by Foothills after a tragedy.
Not long after, I moved to Fort Collins and was privileged to have Marc and Gretchen as mentors in my early stages of ministerial formation. Through seminary and my employment as Children’s Music Coordinator and Young Adult Coordinator, Foothills has been a place for me to learn, grow, and feel held in Beloved Community. It is for this reason I requested that Foothills consider co-ordaining me along with my home congregation the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.
Last year I had the chance to serve as the Ministerial Intern at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder. Under the Rev. Kelly Dignan I learned the ins and outs of congregational ministry, including preaching 12 times, leading our Racial Justice ministry team, implementing an innovative newcomer curriculum, creating a new mid-week worship series, and training a cohort of pastoral care associates.
Now as a recently fellowshipped minister, I am grateful to have a landing place at Foothills as I consider where my call to ministry might next take me. I believe in our denomination, and currently serve as vice president of the Mountain Desert District chapter of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association and as the Ministerial Formation Network Liaison for our chapter. I am not convinced, however, that congregational ministry is my path. I am actively pursuing my ministerial calling as an “eco-chaplain” and seek new ways to bring our Unitarian Universalist message to a changing world.
Your support is so meaningful to me as you exercise the power vested in you, the congregation, to ordain Unitarian Universalist clergy.
In Gratitude,
Christopher