Lifespan Religious Education News Archives -- 2008
December, 2008
From Our DRE
Can you believe that it’s December already? The holiday season is almost upon us. On the 21st we’ll be celebrating twelve different winter holidays from religious traditions around the world with our “Twelve Days of Winter” pageant. While each of these holidays has special rituals and stories, you’ll find that they have many similarities. All celebrate, in their own ways, the return of light and hope in the dead of winter, and all bring families and communities together to remember and celebrate the things that are truly important.
We are a family, we members and friends of UUCCSM, and this month is a time for remembering that bond. I’ll say it again: we are a family of faith, folks, and even though we don’t always agree, even though there might be one person who just rubs you the wrong way in every encounter (like in every family, right?), we must treat every church member who walks through our doors as a member of the family, and every visitor as a guest in our own home.
In my own family, sometimes we hurt one another, and sometimes we say the wrong things in frustration or confusion or anger. But we also know that there’s something that’s more important than any argument or hurt feelings — that no matter what we do or say or think, we’ll always be family, and we owe it to one another to look beyond our differences and work them out. Even if we think the other person started it. Even if we think we’re more right, more logical, more deserving. This view is very important in a family that includes both UUs and Southern Baptists.
The same holds for us at UUCCSM. May we all, as we make our way through December, be mindful of the true spirit of the season: celebrating life and living, light and laughter, as one family. Happy holidays.
— Catherine Farmer Loya
Holiday Cookie Bake
All are invited to the Holiday Cookie Bake on Saturday, December 6, from 1 to 3 p.m. in Forbes Hall. Bring an uncooked batch of cookies and we’ll bake and decorate cookies together — and sample a few. Then we’ll pack up our cookies to provide a little extra holiday cheer for families in need this winter. Bring cookie cutters, cookie sheets, rolling pins, aprons, and your batch of cookie dough. Bring the whole family. Please RSVP, so we know how many people to expect, to Catherine
Winter Pageant Update
Winter pageant update The “Friendly Beasts,” preschoolers through 5th graders, will continue their rehearsals of “The Friendly Beasts Song” for the holiday pageant, which occurs December 21 at both services. Below is the rehearsal schedule:
Dec. 6, 7, and 14 — Preschoolers and K-5 during RE
Dec. 20 — Saturday dress rehearsal in sanctuary (9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.)
Dec. 21 — Pageant (both services; please arrive at 8:15 a.m.)
We realize that the pageant day is a long one for the children, so please contact me if you can help by:
• supervising the children and providing crafts and games for between the services and during most of the second service, when they’ll be in the RE cottage until they sing;
• bringing food for between the services (small sandwiches, bagels, cream cheese, muffins, crackers, cheese, cut vegetables and fruit, juice, water, etc.); or
• compiling paper activities and bagged crayon sets for use during the first service. (We have packets from previous years that you could build upon.)
Ideally, we would like all children to sing at both services on pageant Sunday, but if your child can sing at only one service, please let me know. Here’s to another great pageant!
— Kris Langabeer
November, 2008
From Our DRE
This year I’m trying something new with my weekly “RE UUpdates” e-mail for parents and volunteers: I’m including a section called “UU Eve ryday.” Each week I share a short reflection or reading for families to say together at mealtimes or bedtime, as a special chalice lighting, or perhaps in the morning before heading out to work and school. And there are also several suggested activities or rituals that families can do together to help reinforce UU values in their eve ryday lives.
I made this addition to the weekly e-mail because I’ve been thinking quite a lot lately about when Religious Education happens. The easy answer is that it happens on Sunday morning in our classrooms. It happens when we gather our children and youth together in groups to learn about Unitarian Universalism and what its history and values can tell us about how to live good lives. It happens when we explore the world’s faith traditions as well as our own. It happens when we ask our kids to think for themselves in figuring out how to find meaning in the world and in their lives. It happens when we lead our kids in creating caring communities right there in their classrooms, and it happens on Social Justice Sundays when we work together to make the world a better place.
But does Religious Education stop when we leave the church grounds? Is four hours per month, assuming perfect attendance, enough to give our kids and youth a grounding in what it means to be UU? Is it enough time to teach them to think for themselves, to respect all people, and to take action to make the world a better place? Of course not! Parents, you are the primary religious educators in your children’s lives. They watch what you say and what you do — how are you living your own UU values? How are you showing your children that being UU matters? What are the things that you’re doing already to reinforce what we do in RE classes on Sunday mornings? What more could you do? And what more can we do to support you in this role? Remember, friends, that ours is not just a Sunday religion. And we are all religious educators.
— Catherine Farmer Loya
YRUU Goes to Boston
If you asked about the trip last July to Boston, everyone will agree — It was The Perfect Trip.We literally had no mishaps, wonderful weather and fabulous food. Thanks to the generous support of the congregation, a lot of fundraising, and help from the parents and folks in the office, eleven teens and eight adults were able to go to Boston for an unforgettable tour. The Rev. Judith Meyer planned a beautifully balanced itinerary.Here are some favorite memories:
Elizabeth Saldo — The Boston trip was a memorable and exciting experience. I had no idea so much Unitarian history was located in the old city. I loved walking on the cobblestone streets and walking through the Boston Common. The food and city were magnificent. I am so lucky to have been a part of our wonderful trip with Judith Meyer.
Jordan Paddock — I really enjoyed learning about how the UUA works and how it all started. I also loved stopping at Fenway and experiencing watching a live game at a sports bar in Boston.
Melanie Sharp — We were following the Black Heritage Trail and saw keys in the lock of the door of one of the landmark houses.We rang the bell, and the owner was delighted when we told her about her keys and she invited us in! She kept the house basically as it was since the 1770s, and in the sub-basement she had the remnants of the Underground Railroad, which went from one house down the street to the next until it got to where the river had been. She was a delightful woman, and we loved getting to see her historic house.
Rachael Dodd — I remember the crazy, “ haunted” wallpaper in my room at the P&E plus Adam’s and Jordan’s magazine clippings decorating their room. Adam Reyes — I enjoyed our own Harvard tour and visiting the library to view old UU documents. It was fun learning about our UU history there.
Bronwen Jones — For me, getting to know the teens was great. Also I couldn’t believe how high the pulpits were. After living in Boston as a non- UU, it was great learning about the city’s wonderful UU history.
Rachael Moore — I will always remember 4th of July on the Promenade with the Boston Pops (got me out of Band Camp) and Little Italy with the most amazing food and the best lasagna ever.
Catherine Farmer Loya — I loved going to the Museum of Fine Arts with Alyssa, Colette, and Haley. It was so nice to just hang out in a small group and share their excitement.
Karen Patch — I got a kick watching the teens get to know Judith, having fun with her and discovering she is very gullible. They started asking her questions about being a hippie in the 60s (didn’t get much info from her), but great fun in the process.
Kathy Cook — So much history everywhere plus seeing the UUA offices was interesting. Everything was well planned and there was time to relax, too. There was plenty of time to get to know the teens and Judith better.
Sarah Gaillot — The trolley tour of the city was my highlight along with the Sunday church service at Arlington Street Churc h (with real Tiffany windows).
Linda Van Ligten — I felt the trip was very thoughtfully planned, and even let the teens sleep in. Very balanced with time to hang out mixed with sightseeing. The weather was great and we got to do a lot of walking. T h e re was a mixture of doing things in small groups and all together.
Judith Meyer — I think the congregation should know that the public information person who gave us the UUA tour found our group to be “really engaged and wellinformed about UU” and that one Pickett and Eliot House staff member told me that ours was the best behaved youth group that had ever stayed there. Our youth made a wonderful impression on our UUA hosts and that made me feel very proud. Thank you to everyone who supported us. You made something special happen. We appreciate it so much.
— Karen Patch
The Friendly Beasts are Coming
Once again, our preschool through elementary children will sing “The Friendly Beasts” song at our holiday pageant on Sunday, December 21, at both services.
As in years past, all involved children will sing the first and last verses of the song. Small groups of children will sing the middle five verses dressed in a costume appropriate to the animal speaking in that verse (brown donkey, red and white cow, dog, dove, and mouse). The children pick which animal they want to be, but generally, the preschoolers sing the mice verse. Elizabeth Wheat will be organizing costume-making for our Beasts this year (thank you, Elizabeth). Older kids who don’t want to dress as an animal but do want to sing are welcome to be shepherds.
Religious Exploration teachers, please note: I will lead Sunday rehearsals (about 10 minutes long) that occur in the RE classrooms during both services. Below is the rehearsal schedule, including a dress rehearsal Saturday morning, December 20:
November 9 - Preschoolers: at beginning of RE class
November 16 - Preschoolers–grade 5: 10 minutes each classroom
November 2 - Preschoolers–grade 5: 10 minutes each classroom
November 30 - Preschoolers–grade 5: 10 minutes each classroom
December 7 - Group rehearsal for all at start of RE December 14 Group rehearsal for all at start of RE
December 20 - Saturday dress rehearsal for all in sanctuary from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
December 21 - Pageant (both services)
Call or e-mail me with questions. I look forward to working with your friendly beasts once again this year!
— Kris Langabeer
Attention Parents of OWL Teens
Is your child in junior or senior high? Will he or she be attending the Our Whole Lives (OWL) program? Then these events are important to you: November 2, 10:30 to 11 a.m. in Forbes Hall. Short intro and overview of the 8th to 12th grade Our Whole Lives Program. If you aren’t familiar with the OWL program, or aren’t sure if you’re planning to enroll your teen(s) in the ‘08–‘09 program, please meet with Beth Rendeiro, OWL Coordinator, to learn more. November 16, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Mandatory OWL Parent Orientation for parents of 8th and 9th graders planning to enroll their teens in OWL. December 7, 12:30 to 4 p.m. – Part II of Mandatory OWL Parent Orientation for parents of 8th and 9th graders planning to enroll their teens in OWL.
The Philosophy and Practice of Nonviolent Parenting
A c lass series led by Kerry Thorne, Certified Nonviolent Parent Educator and MFT Intern Sundays 1 to 3 p.m. in Room 4 10 sessions from November 23 to March 1 (no class 11/30, 12/28, 1/4, 2/8 or 2/15)
Take a moment and imagine your child as an adult.This class invites you to navigate this unique journey by learning a philosophy based on:
• Exploring ourselves and our children through a lens of empathy and understanding,
• Teaching emotional intelligence by learning a language of feelings and needs,
• Setting respectful, clear boundaries,
• Exploring strategies and tools that will help you successfully create the parenting relationship you want with your child.
Childcare will be provided; please indicate need when signing up for the class. Course limited to 12 participants. Sign up at the Adult RE table during coffee hour starting November 9 or right away by contacting Catherine Farmer Loya. For more information about the content of the course, contact Kerry Thorne.
October, 2008
This month in our RE classes we will offer a special in-class curriculum for all age levels called “Lessons of Loss.”
All of us experience loss throughout our lifetimes. Sometimes these losses are relatively minor — at age 5, we must leave the familiarity of our home, preschool, or day-care center to start kindergarten. Sometimes these losses are major — we lose our home, our job, our spouse, our child. Despite its universality, most of us shy away from openly acknowledging loss when it occurs, and then deny the intense and unsettling emotions that frequently accompany loss. This tendency is heightened when the loss involves a death. Because we have not developed a common language of loss, and are not comfortable sharing our feelings with others for fear that we will lose control, we often end up feeling isolated or abandoned. This isolation further intensifies the anguish and pain of grief. We hope to help our children develop better strategies for facing life’s challenges. Because our response to loss often is affected by our theological beliefs, the RE program within our church community is a natural place to begin these conversations.
This life-span curriculum offers our congregation the chance to engage members of all ages in this important discussion. When an entire community acknowledges the inevitability of loss, indicates its willingness to bear the resulting pain, and grants its members permission to experience loss in all its intensity, it can help to minimize the fear and debilitating isolation that are the frequent companions to loss and grief.
Parents, I hope very much that your family will make a special effort to attend this month, so that your children can participate fully in this special program. And you are especially encouraged, as are all adult members of our congregation, to take part in the adult component of the program. If you have questions or concerns about the curriculum I encourage you to contact me; I am happy to discuss its contents and philosophy with you.
We have so much to gain from engaging in this program together. After all, this is why many of us are here in this congregation; to offer and receive support is one of the fundamental reasons that we join religious communities. In offering to one another our imperfect but sincere attempts to face our mortality and that of those we love, we are keeping a pledge that we implicitly made, each and every one of us, when we became Unitarian Universalists. It is no more than you deserve. And it certainly is no more than our children deserve.
— Catherine Farmer Loya
September, 2008
From Our DRE
The first day of RE for the 2008–2009 program will be on Ingathering Sunday, September 7. We’ll be conducting RE registration for the first two Sundays of the month; please make sure to register your children and youth for this year’s program. I look forward to getting our new year started; I can tell already that it’s going to be a fabulous one. And I hope all of you will join me in my excitement. After our summer break, I’m looking forward to seeing many returning faces, and meeting many new visitors as well. We have a strong and vibrant RE program planned for all of our young people and our classes are staffed by highly skilled and enthusiastic volunteer church members. We’re ready for you! Welcome. Welcome home.
— Catherine Farmer Loya
June, 2008
From Our DRE
Families, and how to support and nurture them, have been on my mind a great deal recently, not least because later this month my partner, Eric, and I will be heading off to San Francisco with parents and siblings in tow to solemnize our choice to become family to one another. But my ruminations about “family” took hold earlier this spring, inspired in large part by the experience of spending a week with my family in Georgia in April when my grandmother died. The circle of family around her in the days leading up to her passing, and the way that circle tightened as we held one another up through those first days of our loss, were profoundly sacred to me, in a way I had not experienced before.
What would our church look like if we truly treated our community as an extension of our family? How would we support one another through change and transition, and what would we offer to one another in celebration in times of joy and to shore one another up through loss and grief? What programs would we offer? How would we welcome newcomers? Where would the children be? The young adults? The parents? The singles? The seniors?
Diana Garland, in her book “Family Ministry,” defines family as “the organization of relationships that endure over time and contexts through which persons attempt to meet their needs for belonging and attachment, and to share life purposes, help and resources.” This definition recognizes the validity of families of origin as well as families of choice. It also is broad enough to allow us to recognize the ways in which our church community functions as a family, and to think about where that takes us.
Here at UUCCSM, we are already doing many things very, ve ry well. Our congregation is healthy and vibrant, and is poised to move confidently into a new phase of our life together. But take a few moments to dream with me: what more could we be doing to strengthen our bonds to one another as a family of faith?
— Catherine Farmer
May, 2008
From Our DRE
Spring is always the busiest time of year in Religious Education (RE), when we’re simultaneously wrapping up the year in our classrooms, putting together our Coming of Age and RE Sunday services, recognizing graduating high school seniors in a special Bridging Ceremony, planning and recruiting for our summer RE programs, all the while creating the structure and vision for our next year’s program to be kicked off in September. Whew! That’s a lot to have going on all at once, especially on top of all of the larger transitions happening in our church community this year, but I love being part of a church community that is so vibrant, so very active.
We have an RE program to be proud of here at UUCCSM, and its high quality is very much dependent on the generous gifts of time and energy given by church members who have volunteered to teach in RE classes, or coordinate special events, or serve on the RE Council, or help out in any number of ways large and small. You made this program what it is.
The flip side is that it is also you who will determine what our program will be next year. By now RE families have already been asked to participate in a survey that will generate feedback about your vision for the religious education of your children and youth. And we’ve got a lot of great stuff in store for the RE program next year. We’re in the market for volunteers; recruiting for our 2008–2009 roster will begin later this month. Please consider joining us as we continue to celebrate “being you and being UU” with our children and youth.
— Catherine Farmer
YRUU Travels to New York for UU-UNO Seminar
Once again, for the fourth time to be exact, members of YRUU (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) boarded an early morning flight bound for New York City to attend the Annual UU-United Nations Office (UU-UNO) Intergenerational Spring Seminar.
Four youth (Rachael Dodd, Lucie Lacombe, Elizabeth Saldo and Alyssa Wood), accompanied by one of their advisors (Liza Cranis) attended the seminar in hopes of learning much about this year’s theme “Picking up the Pieces: Building a Culture of Peace.” They would not be disappointed.
From the moment they arrived the group was met with warmth and hospitality from their hosts at All Souls Unitarian Church in Manhattan. There they met with about 60 other UU Youth from all over the U.S., Canada, and countries as distant as Russia. The sleeping accommodations were various rooms in the basement level of the church, with youth and advisors alike taking to the warmth of their sleeping bags.
The next two days were jam-packed with informational panels, starting bright and early every day at 8 am and continuing until 8 pm. While the whole seminar was informative and thought provoking, there were highlights. Among them was the panel held in one of the United Nations conference rooms (sponsored by the Canadian government) featuring former U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda and Guatemala, Prudence Bushnell; Simone Monasbian, the Chief of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime; and Sam Cooke of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. The panel, moderated by the new Executive Director of the UU-UNO, Bruce Knotts (formerly of North Hollywood), focused on “Working Toward Sustainable Peacebuilding.” That evening the youth traveled to UU Community Church of New York to view “Sometimes in April,” a film about the Rwanda massacre featuring Debra Winger as Ambassador Prudence Bushnell.
The youth were inspired by the panel “Advocacy 101,” featuring Adam Gehardstein, UUA Legislative Assistant for International Issues, and by BET network host Keith Boykin, who gave a particularly rousing talk about taking action and making peace happen. During the “Beyond Guns: Approaches to Human Security” panel, the youth met Gillan Sorensen, Senior Advisor at the UN Foundation and a UU herself, who was quite impressed that the youth had made such a long trip to learn how to bring about peace in their communities.
The group came away from the seminar brimming with ideas, encouragement, and hope, and inspired to begin taking the steps to start cultivating a culture of peace back home. Look for upcoming presentations from the youth who will share what they learned on this trip and more. Thanks to the kind generosity of Eleanor Eagan, Cathie Gentile and the Faith in Action Commission, Judy Federick, James Weinberg and Rev. Judith Meyer for making this trip possible. Without the support of the congregation and these generous individuals, this inspiring trip would not have happened.
To find out how you can contribute to future trips to the UN and other YRUU travel experiences, visit the YRUU Travel Fund table in Forbes Hall during coffee hour and help to develop the consciousness of our youth.
— Liza Cranis
RE Shining Star -- Kathy Cook
Kind, thoughtful, and generous Kathy Cook is the RE Shining Star this May. Kathy is an Our Whole Lives (OWL) program instructor who has taught 8th and 9th grade OWL and has helped out at the other levels. Beth Reindero recruited Kathy after spending time with her on another church committee. Working on the committee, Kathy was a good listener and generous with her time, and she spoke thoughtfully, reflectively, and kindly at all meetings. When Beth next needed an OWL instructor she thought of Kathy and much to her delight Kathy agreed to come on board.
To become an OWL instructor Kathy attended a weekend-long training — volunteer time, of course. She then went above and beyond by attending many of the church OWL sessions whether she was assigned or not. She always does her homework and comes prepared to teach with all materials ready. Kathy is also a trained therapist and this may help her answer all those teen and preteen questions with ease. During the teen OWL, Kathy brought in special materials for the teens to make a personal art project. They really enjoyed talking and crafting together with her donations. She is flexible and willing to step in when the OWL team has needed an extra hand.
In addition to the many hours she has contributed to OWL and the RE program, Kathy has volunteered in many areas since she joined our church in 1999. She is a member of the Board of Directors. She chairs the Bylaws and Policies Committee. She is also on the Pulpit Committee and has worked on the committee to support the intern minister. She has been on the Nominating Committee. She has chaired the Thanksgiving Feast for the last couple of years, and many years ago worked on the Winter Pageant. Kathy sings in the choir and she is going with the YRUU on the Boston trip this July. Thank you, Kathy, for all that you do for our church — you truly shine!
— Catherine Farmer
April, 2008
From Our DRE
I’ve been thinking a lot about transitions lately. Many changes are on the horizon within my family — my own upcoming wedding, cousins’ new babies, my grandmother’s failing health. And this is a time of great change within our church community, too — moving into the cottage, heading into the next phase of our building program, Judith’s upcoming retirement. And we know that changes come, whether we will them or not. We’re all familiar with the old adage — the only thing constant is change (except from vending machines). But change isn’t easy, even when we choose it, even when the change is a good one. And especially when, as happens more often, the picture is not so black and white, and the change is a more complex mix of positive and negative, exciting and painful. Sometimes, I know, the ground feels shaky. Sometimes we fear we’re not up to the challenges.
But it also requires no great leap, I’m sure, for us to recognize that with change also comes great opport unity for growth and rebirth. It feels entirely appropriate to me that we find ourselves at this crossroads in our journey as a community in the springtime, just as we are celebrating Easter, Passover, and the greening of the earth. In March, on Easter Sunday, our Religious Exploration program celebrated the spring holidays in the cottage, which is itself a powerful symbol of renewal. We were mindful of this as we gathered together in worship in a place that others once called home, its beautiful new walls built upon the bones of its former life.
The future is open, friends. And our church is a strong and caring place, made sacred by the gifts of love and service that you bring to it. Let us spend the coming months celebrating the richness of the past years, and looking with eagerness toward our future.
Announcement
Please join us in welcoming a brand new member of our staff, Liz Greenfield. Liz will be working with the youngest members of our community in our nursery program, and will also be providing childcare for church meetings and events. Liz, a UU herself, has a great deal of experience working with young children, including having worked at a nursery school that specialized in serving children with autism and other special needs. Liz recently moved to California and returned last September from two years in West Africa with the Peace Corps. We are very impressed with Liz’s warmth and skill and are delighted to have her with us.
— Catherine Farmer
RE Shining Star -- Cindee Hallinan
When I think of Cindee, I think of her beauty (both inner and outer) and her lovely welcoming smile. Cindee’s kind ways have made her a great teacher in our RE program. She has worked with lucky children in programs spanning Preschool to Coming of Age, and currently she is a YRUU advisor. Cindee has demonstrated her wide range of teaching skills working with our preschoolers for several years, being part of the Coming of Age team for a year (and is serving as a mentor to a current Coming of Ager), and now supporting our high school youth in YRUU. She has done a fabulous job at each level, giving her all to the task at hand, being committed to both the children and the other teachers.
Cindee and her family — husband, Dave (“the great man standing behind her, without whom she could accomplish nothing”), daughter, Chloe, who is now in 5th grade, and son, Owen, 2nd grade — joined our church community in 2002 (Dave thinks). Cindee jumped right into helping in RE and has been a giving participant ever since.
Cindee has an active home life. She enjoys playing the piano, is a talented seamstress, and has a new passion for skiing. She and Dave recently skied in Taos. In her work life Cindee is a substitute teacher at UES (what is UES?) and she works as a costumer on TV commercials.We are all so grateful that Cindee finds time to give her talents to our youth in YRUU and that she has contributed to our kids in so many ways over the years. Thank you, Cindee — you are a shining star.
— Margot Page
March, 2008
Our Whole Lives (OWL) Sexuality Education for K-1st Grades
This spring we will be offering the Kindergarten-1st grade level of our church’s comprehensive human sexuality education program, Our Whole Lives. OWL is a positive, age-appropriate curriculum whose four primary goals are: to provide accurate, developmentally appropriate information; to increase self-esteem and understand relationships with and responsibilities toward others; to develop interpersonal skills including communication, decision making, and problem solving, and to teach responsibility for personal health and safety. The OWL Grades K–1 curriculum is based on specific values related to human sexuality. It nurtures the worth and dignity of every participant. It fosters loving, equitable, and healthy relationships and counters injustices such as homophobia, stereotyping, and sexism. Children are encouraged to value themselves and act on their values throughout their lives. The elementary age program is based on the philosophy that parents and religious communities can form a meaningful partnership for positive responsible sexuality education, and, recognizing that parents are the most important sexuality educators of their children, it also focuses on providing resources that help parents talk about sexuality with their children. Parents, mark your calendars now for Sunday, March 9, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. for our mandatory parent orientation for all who are interested in enrolling their children in the course. The class itself will run for six consecutive weeks starting later in the spring. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Catherine Farmer at the church office.
Youth Heritage Trip to Boston July 2 Through July 6
Organized youth trips to Boston are a tradition in many UU congregations. While building community, the youth get a chance to visit important UU sites and build a sense of our UU heritage. Judith Meyer will be the tour guide for our high school group, YRUU, this summer as we do just that. Plans are underway and it looks like an exciting adventure together.
We will stay at the Pickett and Eliot House — the UUA’s bed and breakfast, which is directly behind the UUA headquarters on Beacon Hill in downtown Boston. From there we plan to take a tour of the UUA offices, celebrate 4th of July with the rest of Boston, attend a Sunday service at one of the downtown churches, and just explore. (Unfortunately, the Red Sox won’t be in town.)
We need your help with this ambitious project. Fundraising has already begun with calendar sales and a few lunches so far. It’s a good start, but we will need more to cover some of the cost. Can you help with a direct donation? Maybe have some spare miles we could use? Any and all support is appreciated. More fundraising is planned in the coming months — just keep checking for announcements and look for us in Forbes Hall. Contact Karen Patch or come by the YRUU room in the cottage if you can help us out. Thank you for your support of our youth.
Let's Welcome Wendy Wegner
Please join us in welcoming a brand new member of our staff, Wendy Wegner. She joins us as our preschool RE teacher, a new position that will provide our preschoolers with high quality, consistent programming on Sunday mornings. Wendy, who is a writer by vocation, comes to us with extensive experience working with young children. She is CPR and First Aid certified, and also has training in developmental play processes, team building, and child development. In her professional experience, Wendy has worked as a nanny, and as an educator and mentor for elementary and middle school students in classroom, tutoring, and camp settings. Wendy brings a warmth and enthusiasm to her work that is contagious, and I know that our preschool classes will thrive under her leadership. Wendy, we are so glad to have you with us. Welcome to UUCCSM!
February, 2008
From Our Director of Religious Education
Stories are powerful. We in the RE (Religious Education) program know that sharing stories with our children is a wonderful way to share our history and our values, our dreams, and our challenges as Unitarian Universalists. We know that telling stories to people of all ages engages their creativity and encourages them to draw their own conclusions about life’s big questions. And we know that developing a pool of shared stories brings communities closer together.
We are embarking on a new adventure in our elementary RE classes this spring with two curricula that we’re very excited about: “Spirit Play” for kindergarten through 2nd grades, and “Toolbox of Faith” for upper elementary grades. Spirit Play is grounded in the sharing of sacred stories from many faith traditions as well as from our own history. Each week we’ll explore a new story in a format that includes tactile materials and small props that provide visual cues along with the telling. These materials will help anchor the children in the story so that they can continue to explore its meaning as they work with the props themselves or choose art materials to use in responding to the story. The Toolbox of Faith curriculum was developed with our active 3rd through 5th graders in mind, and uses a physical “tool” each week, along with an accompanying story, to help us reflect on qualities of our Unitarian Universalist faith, such as integrity, courage, and love, as tools they can use in living their own lives and in building their own UU faith. Each of the sessions uses an actual tool as a metaphor for a quality of our faith. For example, these tools include a hammer for justice, duct tape for flexibility, and a mirror for reflection.
It won’t be long until it’s time for us to start our curriculum planning for the 2008–2009 church year, and so I have a question for all of you: which stories were most memorable or valuable to you in your own childhood — to you now as an adult? What are the stories you think we should make sure to share with the young people in our RE classes?
— Catherine Farmer
RE Shining Star: Ian Dodd
Ian Dodd, our R.E. Shining Star for February, has the hands of a worker and the mind of a philosopher. Currently Ian’s hands are blackened by the dye he’s used to color our bathroom concrete countertop. As he works on his concrete, woodworking, and photography, he often listens to some mind-expanding podcast. As Karl Lisovsky, one of his fellow Coming of Age leaders, put it, “Ian is information-hungry and knowledge-generous. He wants to see a better world emerge and has an unwavering faith in the role of bias-free knowledge to uncover truth and avenues to that truth.”
His interest and inquiry drew him to Coming of Age as a guest speaker on secular Buddhism three years ago as our daughter, Rachael, journeyed through the class. Ian was asked to join the team by Karl and Jennifer and is currently working with his second group of Coming of Agers along with Karl and Marcy Muray. All three of his fellow teachers commented on Ian’s generosity, willingness to listen to the students and shape lessons around their interests, and his talent for writing and speaking. Marcy commented that Ian has the ability to inspire a sense of wonder in the Coming of Agers because he can talk about many things ranging from spirituality to philosophy to social justice to quantum physics, and he has an adventurous spirit. All three said that Ian’s intellectual curiosity, his willingness to pull his weight, but not push his agenda, and his desire to do what’s best for the group in a principled way make working with him a good experience because he is a wonderful colleague.
Did you all know that the Coming of Age teachers make a commitment to each other to be at most of the classes? It’s a good thing that they all respect and like each other because they spend lots of time together. When Ian isn’t at church he can be found as a cameraman on a TV show (when there’s no strike), being a wonderful dad to his two kids, and a great life partner. Thank you, Ian, for dedicating part of your life to our Coming of Age students.
— Margot Page
January, 2008
From Our DRE
January: new beginning, new hope, new year — a time for looking forward, a time for making plans. How many of us have made New Year’s resolutions? And how many have made resolutions that we really expect to be able to keep? A substitute ritual that tickles my fancy is borrowed from Robert Fulghum — he wrote that one year, rather than making resolutions for the year to come, he instead backdated a list of things he had accomplished during the year as resolutions from the previous January.
I’ve found that this practice, which at first glance seems entirely silly, can be something quite lovely instead. No more lists of resolutions destined only to make one feel vaguely guilty at the end of the year for having failed to fully realize them. Now we can celebrate our successes in a way that encourages us to expect to accomplish great things in the year to come. And that’s the way to begin a year — why not tinker with tradition?
UUCCSM’s New Year’s RE solutions, 2007:
1. Staff the RE program with more than 50 amazing volunteers.
2. Minister to our children and youth by providing meaningful classroom, social justice, worship, and social experiences.
3. Put on three intergenerational Sunday services in our new and improved story-based format (Lessons of Loss, RE Sunday, Day of the Dead) in order to worship together as one UU community of all ages.
4. Complete construction on the cottage and begin officially moving into our new RE space.
5. Put on a big celebratory Holiday Pageant in December, with more music than ever before, honoring both the Winter Solstice and Christmas, replete with our beloved Friendly Beasts and itty bitty Wise People on their Camels.
6. Spend the year laughing and learning and growing together.
(Add more of your own!)
That’s a 100% success ratio — Congratulations, UUCCSM! As 2008 begins, let’s look forward to the many wonderful things that are ahead of us, and start the new year with eagerness and resolve.
— Catherine Farmer