Cue the David Bowie. Really though, change is all around us. Whether it is in-person services not starting quite yet, new classes and opportunities for community, or construction starting at UUCBV’s new church home on 29th Street, it is sometimes hard to find steady footing in such uncertain times. Change can be exciting, but it can make us all feel a bit nervous and unsure about what the future holds.
With all this change, I want to emphasize some constants from me as the Director of Religious Education. I am here for you, whether you are an infant, child, youth, adult, elder—you get the picture. RE at UUCBV will build and deepen our faith community while also connecting us to our larger community and world. UUCBV’s RE Committee and I are deeply committed to providing safe spaces for faith development at any age and to facilitating opportunities to learn about living our principles every day. That won’t change even if we experiment with some things in the future. That won’t change when we meet back in person. That won’t change.
BUT…
September offers a whole lot of opportunities for us to feel the exciting kind of change. First, we will begin experimenting with breakout rooms during RE time some Sundays. Participants under 18 will be invited to join a separate room where they can learn all about what and why we do what we do at church. In September, we will cover covenants and the chalice. Adults who remain in the main room will have a focus question that sparks discussion about worship that day. Some Sundays will remain multigenerational so we can all hang out and enjoy one another.
RE will also hold a class for children and youth once a month. This RE class will use the curriculum CartUUns, which uses Pixar shorts to explore our principles and values. There will be time to watch the short, have a discussion, and have free art or craft time. This monthly meetup will continue whenever our classes become face-to-face. This time dedicated to our kids is vitally important to authentically learn and explore what Unitarian Universalism means to each of them.
A multigenerational offering coming up in September is Game Day! Did you know that there are wonderful programs online that let you play all sorts of games together? Well, it exists and I’m excited! For our first game day, we will be playing Yahtzee. Join us for some fun and fellowship.
All this information and more can be found in The Spark. Wait, what? Oh yeah, we also have a new monthly newsletter for children and youth with RE news, extra opportunities for learning, and goodies including challenges, activities, and links to cool videos. It will be sent out to the RE email list at the beginning of each month. Please let me know if you’d like to be added to the list!
Wow, that’s a lot of change. But as feminist intellectual Adrienne Rich reminds us, change “is an invitation to live.” Let’s live it up this September!
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