Expectancy: A baby, a new church, and new ministries!
We're Pregnant!
Keith and I are excited to share with you that we are expecting a baby boy sometime around July 7th!
As a new church start founder about to go on parental leave, I am excited to invite our team of lay and staff leaders to fully take over soon! Too often new church starts become dependent on their founding leader(s), and as a result the church lives or dies based on the these one or two founders.
We have a unique church leadership formation opportunity in that my parental leave comes so early in our church’s founding, which can help ensure the healthy development of our congregational culture of shared leadership for the longterm. I am grateful for our amazing team of inspired lay and staff leaders who you will get to know more in the coming months.
This year has been filled with expectancy around our baby, the birth of Juniper Formation as a church, and new ministries like ReFrame and our monthly Gatherings. Keep reading for invitations to join us in celebrating all three of these “births."
In Partnership,
Rev. Dr. Jenny Whitcher, Ph.D.
Minister of Prophetic Formation
What it means to support Parental Leave for church leaders
As Chair of the Juniper Formation Leadership Team, it is my pleasure to share that Jenny will be taking a 15-week, fully paid parental leave once her child arrives. To ensure her roles are covered, the Leadership Team of lay leaders and staff have stepped up. Read more about who is taking on different roles below.
While the Leadership Team is helping cover responsibilities during Jenny’s leave we wish to help compensate expanded staff roles with a just wage. If you have ever been at a church that didn’t have parental leave or if there was a parental leave policy you may have been someone who helped cover the responsibilities of the staff, then you know that it is not uncommon for churches to struggle to be able to compensate those who are helping cover the responsibilities of the staff who is on leave.
At Juniper Formation we are grateful to strive to ensure Jenny, and any other staff who would need parental leave, have 15 weeks of paid leave and to provide equitable compensation for those with expanded roles. We realize that we need additional financial support to ensure we can fulfill these commitments.
As we help Jenny and Keith celebrate the upcoming arrival of their child we invite you to celebrate by contributing to parental leave financial coverage, if you feel so inclined.
We share this financial need openly because we know that as a new church start that seeks to be just and equitable from the beginning, we need to name where we need additional support. Thank you for being part of our church community and caring well for our Leadership Team and giving support and peace of mind to Jenny while she is on parental leave.
If you have any questions about our parental leave policy or the request for support please reach out to me at Morgan@juniperformation.org.
Thank you for the ways you have supported the growing Juniper Formation church. We pray you are equally cared for well in the places you serve and work.
Rev. Morgan C Fletcher
Chair, Juniper Formation Leadership Team
Parental Leave Coverage
The following staff and lay leaders are working as teams to cover the different roles needed during Jenny’s parental leave. You can read more about our staff and Leadership Team members on our “About” page.
During Jenny’s parental leave you can reach us at: info@juniperformation.org, call/text 720-580-2274, and send mail to: Juniper Formation, PO Box 19541, Denver, CO 80219. We are also responsive on our facebook and instagram pages.
Juniper Formation Congregational Relationships & Care Team: Theo Isoz, Jackie Delafose, and Beth Anne Fisher
Monthly Gatherings Team: Spencer LaJoye and Minister Javon Bracy
Congregational Accompaniment (with other congregations) & Spirit-Led Accompaniment Circles (SLAC): Rev. Dr. Jason Whitehead
Communications & Media Team: Rev. Kari Collins, Minister Javon Bracy, Katelin Champion, and Rev. Dr. Jason Whitehead
Giving & Finance Team: Keisha Wiggan, Rev. Morgan Fletcher, and Jeanette Rojas
Grants Team: Rev. Kari Collins and Keisha Wiggan
Save the Date: Thursday, May 27, 5:30 pm MT, Ecclesiastical Council for Juniper Formation via Zoom
You are invited to join us for Juniper Formation’s Ecclesiastical Council, which is our final step in becoming a local church of the United Church of Christ (UCC). An Ecclesiastical Council is a public opportunity for us to share who we are through a presentation, to dialogue with the wider UCC Church through Q&A, and then for the wider UCC Church to vote on whether to approve Juniper Formation as a local church.
Ecclesiastical Councils are open to the general public and particularly invite the entire UCC Metro Denver Association (MDA) of lay leaders and clergy from MDA local churches and authorized ministers (i.e.: chaplains and wider church and community ministries). Everyone who attends the Ecclesiastical Council has voice and MDA congregational lay delegates and authorized UCC ministers each have vote.
Juniper Formation was received as a Congregation-In-Discernment in September 2020 by the MDA Local Church and Ministers Committee (LCM). As there is not currently a set process for considering congregations seeking to affiliate with the UCC, the LCM met with Juniper Formation representatives and representatives from our sponsoring congregation Sixth Avenue UCC three times, developed criteria for assessing a local church request, and reviewed materials submitted by Juniper Formation. The LCM then voted to recommend Juniper Formation to meet with the MDA Ministry Council. At our April 17th meeting with the MDA Ministry Council, Juniper Formation was unanimously approved for an Ecclesiastical Council.
Here is the process we went through as outlined by the Local Church and Ministers Committee, which was based on the "Marks of Local Church Life." You may read our responses to the questions raised by the "Marks,” and our Local Church Profile (accompanying documents are linked within these two documents, e.g.: Bylaws, policies, organizing strategy, etc.). As Juniper Formation is not searching for pastoral leadership, some portions of the Profile do not pertain to us, and they have been struck through. If you plan to attend the EC, please read these documents in advance of the EC.
If you would like to attend Juniper Formation’s EC on Thursday, May 27, at 5:30 pm MT, please email MDA Registrar Connie Feist to request the Zoom link at conniefeist@gmail.com.
New App-based Progressive Discipleship Community
In the fall of 2020, we received word that Rev. Dr. Jason Whitehead secured a grant from the Presbyterian Church (USA) to start a new worshiping community. His goal was to create an app-based discipleship community built on the idea that better habits and rituals create better disciples and spiritual leaders. We also hope to share the app with local congregations to use within their faith communities.
Thus, ReFrame was born. Guided by Micah 6:8, ReFrame attempts to create opportunities for formation and build community through acts of justice, compassion, and curiosity.
We seek to act justly by centering voices who have been marginalized in faith communities. Women, persons of color, nonbinary and genderqueer, disabled, neurodiverse, and LGBTQIA+ siblings will be some of our primary contributors to ReFrame. In this way we are hoping to provide a space for a diversity of voices to shape and challenge us to live meaningful lives of faith.
As a community that wants to love mercy, we see compassion as partner to justice. We want to assume the best of others and be willing to speak a compassionate truth with one another.
Finally, we have no clue the roads that others have traveled or the ghosts and experiences that haunt peoples’ live. Justice and compassion are intertwined with curiosity and honesty to form the backbone of humility. Being able to be honest with ourselves about our gifts and areas of growth helps us be more empathic and curious about others. Rather than having it all figured out, we want people of faith to look to the horizon with joy, and wonder what comes next?
The first version of the app is almost complete and we are hoping to launch it to a small group of testers this summer. If you would like to be a part of this group, and are willing to spend some time providing feedback to the leadership team of ReFrame (Rev. Javon Bracy, Jackie Delafose, and Rev. Dr. Jason Whitehead) this fall, please contact Jason Whitehead at jason@juniperformation.org. We are limiting the number of participants to 40 and hope that once this initial round of testing is complete we’ll be able to open the app widely toward the end of 2021.
Join us next Monday, May 10th: Gathering for Communion & Prayer
Please bring communion elements with you, whether wine/juice and bread, or other common food and drink you have available.
2nd Monday of every month
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time
Every month we share new sacred music written and performed by Spencer LaJoye!
When you click on the "Zoom link & registration page” you can register for one or more Gatherings and automatically add them to your electronic calendar. You can register for to join the Gathering at any time, including right before we start.
