Volume 61 | Issue 9 September 2021
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Volume 61 | Issue 9
September 2021
office phone: 303-366-5224
email: office@parkviewucc.org
website: www.parkviewucc.org
@ParkviewAurora
Emotional Intelligence and Why It Matters: “Self-Awareness”
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and
others and use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships. Becoming more
intelligent about emotions takes a lot of hard work. To make this work more manageable, we
can break it down into four skills. They are: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social
Awareness and Relationship Management. The diagram below shows how these four tasks are
connected with one another and with emotional intelligence in general.
Self-Awareness
The first skill we want to master is Self-
Awareness; if you really want to understand the
emotions of others, you will first need to
understand your own. This work is about you,
but you will not be able to do it alone. You will
need to engage others to get feedback. Here is
some feedback that has really helped me in
improving the ways I interact with other persons.
1) I am short-tempered when I haven’t slept well.
I’ve actually considered having a t-shirt made to let people know I’m not well rested. Warning folks of
impending danger is a form of spiritual care.
2) I experience myself as a thorough person, but others experience me as an overfunctioner. Overfunctioning
is that thing we all do sometimes, when we try to perform a function that belongs to someone else in the
system. It is a constant struggle for me not to overfunction. The three questions that most often run through
my mind are: “Can anything be done about this problem?”; “What should be done about this problem?”; and
“Am I the one who should do something about this problem?” But in spite of my best efforts, I still
occasionally jump into situations and try to “fix” them, even though it might be more appropriate to let
someone else do that.
3) I do not cry when I am sad, but I cry like a baby when I am angry. So, if you see me crying, you might want to
take cover!
4) I know that my anger can be triggered by several things, among them: dealing with things I cannot change,
dealing with people who clearly lack self-awareness, and dealing with clutter.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)
THRUST & PARRY PAGE 1
5) I used to assume that I understood the motivations of others, but I no longer do that. I need to ask others to
explain why they did or said a particular thing, encouraging them to share what is important to them about a
particular situation. This is why I will often reply to a question from another person with the question, “Why is
this situation so important to you?” That question can lead to greater self-awareness for all parties involved.
My evolving self-awareness also teaches me things about the behavior of people in general. Did you know that
we all make decisions, not based on what we know about an issue, but based on how we feel about that
issue? Did you know that for some people, being unkind to others is a response to fear? Some folks just feel
safer keeping people away rather than drawing them closer. And did you know that many of us never realize
that we have hurt someone we care about unless that person confronts us about our bad behavior? And that
how they confront us will determine whether or not we actually change our behavior? Ahhhh--so much
learning, so little time.
It is impossible to achieve complete self-awareness, but the more self-aware you become, the better prepared
you will be for the second of the four skills of emotional intelligence: Self-Management.
To be continued in the October edition of Thrust & Parry!
Peace and Prayers! -Jill
Chair Yoga- With Jo Murphy
A note from your Guru(teacher). Hope you are enjoying the Chair/Mat Yoga practice
available every day on YouTube. With the hot weather we all need to take a break.
Remember, yoga helps our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health!
I want to thank all of you who have made a financial contribution to the yoga fund.
We will plan on a special gift to a worthy cause at the holiday season.
Join me for next month’s session, Thursday September 2nd at 9:30a for
a new practice. If you are unable to join me then, tune in to Parkview’s YouTube
Channel for the rest of the month.
Namaste- May the spirit in me reach out and touch the spirit in you! Blessings, Jo
Thanks to Everyone! Gerrie Hanson
Thanks to everyone for their help in making Dr. Neal Lininger's Celebration of Life service and reception a success. Neal
gave his heart and soul to Parkview and the Aurora community, he will be greatly missed. His presence is still felt as you
walk the halls of Parkview and the many schools where he taught in the Aurora Public School System, as well as the
Center for Active Adults.
His talent as a gifted musician and artist will live on in the hearts of many. Keep his family and friends in your thoughts
as they adjust to his loss.
THRUST & PARRY PAGE 2
September Mission
This month the Mission Team is sponsoring a monetary mission, the Haiti Appeal of
the UCC.
As you probably know, Haiti has been devastated with a 7.2 earthquake and then a
tropical storm. They were not fully recovered from the previous earthquake in 2010
when 200,000 people lost their lives. Let us lend our support to this cause where
there is so much need. As you may have read in the announcement that was sent out recently, the UCC works with
agencies that are already on the scene to provide services such as Church World Service and Global Ministries. This
enables the money to go farther since it is not used to transport additional people to the disaster area. It all goes for
much needed supplies.
Thank you for your generosity with this mission.
Thank you all so much for being so generous, once again, from your Mission Team:
Chris Brown (chrismbrown72@comcast.net), Connie Crowder, and Jan Hepp (jkhepp@q.com).
P.S. When you purchase anything for the Mission Team, like gift cards, hats, gloves etc. be sure to save your receipt
for tax purposes, along with this article.
September Birthdays
Charlotte Englebrecht Kelsie Knibbe
Janice Jacobovitz Forrest
Cameron Crow Huntington
Orion Eby
Sebastian Eby Mike Shuler
Chris Cossey
Circles
by Anthony Gilchrist Midsummer Night
by Anthony Gilchrist
In circles above an August moon,
Eagles soar The high pitched renderings
Above the corn. Of cricket rites,
A canopy of powdered blue The sway of trees
And trees of old When raked by breeze
Still wet with dew. The chopper . . .
The drive in bees A rare thing at night . . .
Is taking hold A car’s security,
With half the morn Flashing blue light.
Yet to unfold.
THRUST & PARRY PAGE 3
Parkview Community Garden Update
Everything is growing and many families are being fed. Surplus is
making its way to neighbors or local foodbanks like St Andrews. Dear Graduate (Revised)
One half of one of our plots is devoted to foodbank surplus and by Anthony Gilchrist
several gardeners tend it lovingly before donating the produce.
No longer
We've already received wait list candidates for next year. It will be Is it enough for the highest
interesting to see if we can beat our "all filled up" date of February Aspiration of the graduate
21, when our plots were all spoken for this year, beating last year's To be a self-serving one.
record of the end of April. Obviously if you think you might want The days when the corporate ladder
to try a plot for next year, please, please, please get on the waiting Was the thing to climb
list now. Don't wait until the urge of gardening hits you some And natural resources
snowy day in February. You might be disappointed! Seemed inexhaustible. . .
Gone – like black-and-white television.
Our Orchard Co-Op has received donations for replacing trees, and In your time
that group is looking at the best possibilities and locations. Half Advancement in the West means:
their peaches disappeared one night, that is, ready to pick today, Consuming less developed
gone tomorrow. Very frustrating for those who spend the time And older societies
watering the trees and pruning dead branches. With the To feed the demand for smarter phones.
frustration this year of two vandalisms of our shed lock, the Species that once had a home on earth
Wednesday crew of Buildings & Grounds has now installed a Finding no habitat.
motion light near the shed. The gardeners and orchard co-op folks Homeless people finding themselves
know what it's like to be a farmer, facing the constant unknown of Without protection of a constitution.
the success of their crop cycle. All kinds of farmers might take Those pulling themselves up by their
solace from websites like mindbodygreen.com: bootstraps
Miles behind favored sons and daughters,
"Ever visit a park and get the sudden urge to flip off your shoes Before they spring out of bed.
and dig your feet in the grass? Well, that feeling of the ground While dreaming the American Dream
between your toes may actually come with health benefits. Jobs were outsourced
Earthing—also known as grounding—is the practice of walking or And they woke to find service jobs.
standing with the earth barefoot in order to connect to its innately Don’t be caught dreaming
healing energies, and it's probably one of the most enjoyable and The enemy is past the gates.
intuitive wellness practices out there." May your eyes be clear.
Give the earth your ear.
I suggest you try this before we get our first snow, even if just in The ears of your elders
your own little piece of grass, or somewhere in a park. I Are clogged with profits.
remember doing that one Sunday morning as our worship was Where a beating heart should be
held off the back patio. We sat in the shade of those large trees Is a stone in a cold, dark cavity.
and ran our toes through the grass. Were you there? Are you sure
you don't want a garden plot next year?
Parkview Garden Steering Committee
Jessie Tramutolo, John Ball, Aurelio Alcaraz, Nancy Crawford
Saturday Book Group
The Saturday Book Group will meet Saturday, September 11, at 1:30p on Zoom to discuss Peace Like A River by Leif
Enger. Jan Hepp will have the Zoom link.
The November book is the humorous nonfiction work A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson.
THRUST & PARRY PAGE 4
Fiduciary Team Report
Current discussion items: Current Budget Report (as of 8/24/21)
• At our August Fiduciary Team meeting, we voted to re- July Income $19,764.00
issue a revised final financial report for the fiscal
year 7/2020-6/2021 because some funds had not July Expenses $16,201.83
been moved from the Memorials restricted fund to
Budget
the Loose Offering line of the operating budget back +$3,562.17
Over/Under
in 11/2020. This correction provides an even larger
surplus ($70,524.92) that will be discussed when the congregation approves the final budget for the coming
year. This final report is part of the Annual Financial Report to be distributed in the Call to the Annual
Meeting in September.
• Jan Hepp, the Operations Core Team Leader, continues to work with building user contracts. Focus Points has
begun their school semester, so if you come by the church during the week, that's why all those cars are
there. The Hebron Church, one of our pre-Covid Saturday renter churches, has inquired about coming
back. For now, House of Faith, the other Saturday church, is not ready to return to worship in person.
• The Audit Team has issued their report for the last fiscal year, to be included in the upcoming Annual Financial
Report. The Fiduciary Team will review it at our September meeting on the 13th. We appreciate their
thoroughness, and we continue to improve our processes based on their comments.
• The Fiduciary Team met on August 9 via Zoom to finalize the proposed budget. Without the surplus from the
prior year, we would not have anywhere near a balanced budget. The Guidance Ministry Team will look at
the final numbers at their August meeting before presenting it as the final budget. Please look over the
proposal when you receive it and raise any questions to our Team, even before the September Annual
meeting.
• If you would like to pledge a giving amount for the coming year, please
email financialsecretary@parkviewucc.org or contact Jessie Tramutolo or Lisa Cossey directly.
Coming up: The Annual Financial Report will be distributed in September with the proposed budget. It also contains
other financial reports, such as the Treasurer's Report, the Balance Sheet, the Financial Secretary's Income Detail report,
Memorials, Paul L Thomas Scholarship, Missions, and Audit.
Fiduciary Team: Team Leader Cheryl Knibbe, along with Bill Harris, Ben Eby, Jessie Tramutolo, Lisa Cossey
Labor Day- Office Closed Eric on Vacation
The Office will be closed on Monday, September 6th Our Communications Coordinator Eric Mulder will be
in observance of Labor Day. out of the office on vacation
from September 12th- September 16th.
The office will be open again on
Tuesday, September 7th.
THRUST & PARRY PAGE 5
Operations Team Update
As fall approaches we realize all the things that have been going on this summer and several new things are
beginning with Parkview’s Operations Core Team. The first thing is that we have become open to several of our
previous tenants. Focus Points has begun classes for their ESL students Monday through Thursday as of August
24th. They will be meeting in the Common Room upstairs from Fellowship Hall from 8:30 am – 2:30 pm and
using the nursery and children’s classroom for childcare. Temporarily they will be doing virtual classes for the
Tuesday/Thursday group since they have been unable to obtain childcare workers. As soon as they find suitable
childcare, they will be meeting back at the church.
The Hebron Seventh Day Adventist Church will again be meeting in Fellowship Hall on Saturdays beginning the
first of September. The House of Faith has decided to wait before returning to in-person worship.
Our Buildings and Grounds group has been busy. They put many things on hold when we were not meeting in-
person but are back to their usual Wednesday morning tasks now. They have had an insurance adjuster come
out to check out the church roof after the hail we had in the spring. He found damage to both the sanctuary
and the roof over the offices. We are working with the Insurance Board to get that damage repaired.
Also, during the fire inspection, it was discovered that our land line to Safe Systems had been discontinued
and they are unable to get information from our fire panel. We are going to have a radio transmitter installed
to resolve this issue.
The Fiduciary Team has been very busy finalizing the 2021-2022 Budget which they will present this month.
This is always a huge project, and they do a wonderful job.
The Audit Team also completed their audit of the church’s finances.
The Landscape Team has been pruning and planting this summer to make our property look beautiful. The
plants in front and the East Courtyard have been lovely this summer.
Ben Eby of the IT Team has been training some volunteers to help with the Sunday morning worship service.
It will be wonderful to have some back-up AV operators to share the production of the service.
The Community Garden also is part of the Operations Core Team. If you look out to the west of the parking
lot, you will see that they have had a magnificent growing season and are beginning to harvest.
In case you haven’t guessed, it takes a lot of volunteers to keep all these Teams and our church operating. We
give a big “Thank You” to all that have been so important to the functioning of Parkview during this time.
Jan Hepp
Core Team Leader
Operations Core Team
THRUST & PARRY PAGE 6
HIRING FOR STAFF MEMBER- Children and Family Faith Formation Assistant
Parkview Church is looking for an exceptional candidate for the position of Children and Family Faith Formation
Assistant. The successful candidate will have a background in Progressive Christianity, or an openness to learn this new
way of understanding our faith from Parkview’s pastor. A candidate with training and experience in the “Our Whole
Lives” curriculum preferred. An openness to facilitating mid-week activities and possibly sharing those activities with
children and youth from other neighboring congregations would be helpful.
Who We Are- Parkview UCC is a diverse, growing, progressive, Open and Affirming, Protestant Christian church situated
in a suburban neighborhood in Aurora, CO. We are located a few blocks SE of 6th Avenue and Peoria Street. For more
information about our church, please visit our website www.parkviewucc.org.
General Description- The Children and Family Faith Formation Assistant supports the spiritual formation of the children
of Parkview Church and connects them and their families more fully into the life of the congregation.
Hours- 10-12 Hours a week with a flexible approach to the ebbs and flows of this work, assuming less hours in summer
and more during programmatic year. Compensation will be a fixed monthly salary ranging from $877 – $1,032 (based
on a $17-$20 per hour pay rate). Pay is commensurate with experience.
Required- Sunday Mornings 8:30a – 11:30a (approximately), monthly Faith Formation Meetings, occasional Staff
Retreats. Additional planning hours are flexible and can be done remotely.
Specific Responsibilities
• Support Sunday morning faith formation programming for children
• Coordinate and serve as lead teacher for Sunday School programming for ages 5 to 12 in collaboration with Faith
Formation Ministry Team
o Recruit and support Volunteer Teachers
o Collaborate on curriculum development and implementation with Faith Formation Ministry Team and
Pastoral Leadership Team
• Assist with Moment for Children and Youth in Sunday morning worship
Engage in the broader ministries of Parkview Church
• Nurture relationships with children, youth, and their families
• Attend and participate in monthly Faith Formation Ministry Team planning meetings
• As time permits, participate in larger discernment and visioning work of Parkview Church
Other Considerations
• Parkview is a member of the United Church of Christ and Identifies as a progressive Faith community, the ideal
candidate will have a faith background that aligns with these ideals as reflected in the covenants of Parkview
Church (which can be found on the website).
• Must be willing and able to pass a formal background check.
Ideal Candidate Description
• A person who is able to articulate their own spirituality along with embracing others stories of their faith
• Experience working with children and youth, preferably in a teaching capacity
• Experience supervising or working with volunteers
• Ability to work collaboratively with people of all ages *To apply, please send resume and cover letter
• Creativity and vision for program building to hiring@parkviewucc.org
THRUST & PARRY PAGE 7King Soopers Community Rewards Program
Register your King Soopers loyalty card and link your card to Parkview – it’s Parkview UCC is a charity
just that easy. Parkview's rewards are based on our group's percentage of on AmazonSmile! Select
spending related to the total spending of ALL participating King Soopers Parkview Church as your
Community Rewards organizations.
charity and Amazon will
Contact Mary Crow if you have any questions regarding the loyalty card donate 0.5% of the price
registration process. of your eligible purchases.
You can purchase a Safeway Card that is preloaded with Always start at
$5.00. Simply add more money to the card at any Fuel Center, Customer Service Desk smile.amazon.com when
or Check Stand using cash, check, credit or debit card. Parkview receives 5% for every shopping on Amazon for
$5,000 reloaded. Contact Mary Crow to purchase a $5 card that is "coded" for the Parkview to get
contribution for Parkview Church. the donation.
Thrust & Parry is a Parkview UCC Publication
Parkview Congregational Church, United Church of Christ
12444 E Parkview Drive
Aurora CO 80011
Printed August 26th, 2021
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