I was recently contemplating:  Why is it that some groups or projects grow and thrive, while others falter and disappear?   While the answer is complex, I believe that a key element of thriving groups is that people value their personal relationships with each other.  In addition to whatever hard work the group is doing, they also have fun.  And each person feels that they belong and are a valued member of the group. 

     We are all so busy these days, it is easy to get pulled into a “get down to business because that is all that we have time for” mindset.  And yet, if we remember the moments that felt meaningful and brought us joy over the past few years, isn’t it often those moments when we felt connected to others?  

     How do we help groups we are part of elevate the value of loving relationships?  If the group is a part of UUCGV, then regularly rereading our UUCGV Covenant of Right Relations can give us inspiration and clues to attitudes and actions that we each can each cultivate.  For example, wouldn’t most of us enjoy being part of a group in which members strive to “to express sincere appreciation for each other as we recognize our human fallibility, while maintaining a sense of humor as we live through both difficult and joyous times together”?

     We are seeing a light at the end of the COVID tunnel and hoping for a return to more in-person gatherings before long.  As we move in that direction, let’s celebrate the fun, beauty, AND challenges of the various friendships and bonds we each have or are building within others in our congregation.  Let us also take guidance and inspiration from our UUCGV Covenant of Right Relations:

Each of us, as members of this Beloved Community, do covenant: 
to live as a caring community, actively supporting each other in our spiritual values as expressed in our UU principles and sources of faith; 

• to work together respectfully, remaining honest and direct in our communication in order to draw wisdom from both our commonalities and our diversities;
• to share our gifts generously in order to contribute to the development and growth of our community; 
• to live, teach and demonstrate our UU tradition so that we pass a rich inheritance into the caring hands of future generations;
• to express sincere appreciation for each other as we recognize our human fallibility, while maintaining a sense of humor as we live through both difficult and joyous times together. 

     I love our little, mighty community, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Grand Valley – how we stand for one another and for what we stand for in the community at large – linking loving arms and waltzing our way into peace. We support one another in so many ways – with our Care Team that helps members in need with services such as providing meals or rides, with worship services that lift our spirits with inspiring sermons and participation in song, by joining small groups and listening to and sharing our stories, by listening deeply to one another and accepting and cherishing our differences and encouraging one another, or by simply being together. We may be small in numbers, yet we are a force in the Grand Valley – whether it be supporting the local homeless and low-income population, sending food to the Navajo nation or advocating and activating peace and justice. Our building is (pre and post pandemic) a hub for nonprofits and those who come together to join forces and organize for peace and justice, and for helping those in need.

     Many of you have not heard the story of our UU Congregation’s history, how we wandered around in the desert for 40 years (actually, closer to 60) until we found our home. The first UU group started up in the 1950s. They met in people’s homes. Since that time our foremothers have met in multiple buildings around the Valley, sharing space with different churches and organizations. The group changed their name a few times, and the number of members fluctuated. They even disbanded for a couple years in the 1970s, only to rise from the ashes and thrive like never before. Most recently we rented a building close to 10th and Grand, and then moved to share space with the Congregational church across from Grand Junction high school. Our weekly worship service was held on Sunday evening. During our time at the Congregational church, we began searching for a building that we could buy, with a mortgage we could afford.

     After inspecting and touring three different locations that didn’t quite work out, an intriguing prospect arose. The Downtown library was selling a building across the street that it used mainly for storage. The building began as a credit union. It had a drive-up window, a vault in the middle of the building that ran from the first floor down into the basement, and a conveyor system in the middle of the main room that hauled books from the basement. How in the world could this possibly work? Yet, the building had a strong foundation. The location was outstanding. And the imagination of our building team members was amazing – if we knock this wall down… and we put up a wall here… remove the conveyor belt and the drive-up window… put in a lift… a sound system… a kitchen and classrooms in the basement… 

     With the help of a generous donor, we were able to get a loan. Some of the work had to be contracted out, but much of it was done by congregants. Thousands of hours of volunteer time went into the remodeling of our building. Many of our congregants poured their blood, sweat and tears into the renovation.

     Though the work continued, and continues to this day, at long last, in June of 2014 we moved into the building and held our first worship service. Such a beautiful space! A place of our own, a place we could truly call home.