On Aug. 6, the Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist (TRUU) congregation announced their new music co-directors, married couple Paul Dankers and Michael Schoepe, who they welcomed with open arms on Aug.18 during their weekly gathering at the Third Street Center. In addition to the couple leading musical worship, Dankers has also taken on the responsibilities of office administrator and Schoepe will be in charge of running the church’s social media.
There are seven principles that Universalists value: the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice equity and compassion in human relations; acceptance of one another and encouragement toward spiritual growth; a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within congregations and in society at large; the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all; respect for the interdependent web of all existence.
Dankers said that the principals of TRUU are what drew him to accept the position after being approached by the congregation when previous director Jimmy Byrne announced he’d be moving away.
“When I read over the seven principles, I was absolutely inspired by them,” Dankers stated, noting that his experience with other religious organizations was “a sort of othering that often happens” where “it creates groups of people who are in and who are out.” Regarding TRUU, “As I’m getting to know this diverse congregation, there is no sense of shaming anybody for what they believe or practice,” he said.
The couple met and fell in love with one another in 2011 when Schoepe, originally from Munich, Germany, was performing with an acapella group. Dankers said he was drawn to his husband because he personifies sunshine, while Schoepe felt at home in his company.
“We were setting up for the concert, and I discovered that I felt at home with this charming stranger. We stayed in touch, writing hundreds of pages of emails and trying a long distance relationship for a year. One of us had to make the jump and knew we wanted to give ourselves a future. So I moved to the U.S. in 2011 we got married pretty much right away in Iowa, one of the few states where it was legal at that time,” Schoepe recalled.
Having been involved with music at the Snowmass Chapel for many years, with Dankers starting there in 2004 and Schoepe joining him as a worship leader shortly after their marriage, both have had a long stint in the Valley’s music scene. Schoepe also teaches vocal lessons freelance and is involved with the Aspen Choral Society, which Dankers directs. In addition to the Snowmass Chapel job, Dankers taught in the public schools in the Valley. Schoepe grew up in a musical family, while Dankers got involved in his youth.
“I’ve always been attracted to music,” Dankers said. “In church, I would listen to the hymns and I had many favorites among them. I would go down into the church’s basement where there was an old upright piano, and I would sit down and plunk around and try to find the notes of these hymns.”
Asked what they hope to accomplish with their new position at TRUU, the couple agreed that they want to see the congregation grow while deepening the connections that already exist.
“I think this congregation will have a rebirth without having to change anything about who they are,” Schoepe surmised. “I think it has to trickle and shine out a little bit more. Of course, we want to contribute to attracting more people and I think the way to reach that is to reestablish or reconfirm — to know the treasure that they already are and to celebrate that.”
“This is a life rich with beautiful experiences, and those experiences are enriched and deepened in community. That’s why we want to be part of this, because this is a community that embraces all of the different people and has rituals around important events and sharing as part of that,” Dankers elaborated.
For more information on services and upcoming events, visit truu.org or follow @tworiversuu on Instagram.