THANKS
What a huge, fun summer we had. We “traveled” to Washington DC, Peru, Tanzania, Haiti, Italy, and Cuba. We took tours of fly fishing, waffle irons, the Brothers Grimm, water and had a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago. And we went on two actual field trips: a canoe trip to Pillsbury Crossing and a fishing trip to Rocky Ford.
Many, many thanks to all our summer tour guides: Dan Swenson, Doug Walter, and Larry Weaver (Pillsbury Crossing); Sandy Nelson (Waffle Iron and Water); Deirdre Greeley, Carrie and Lauren Cave (Washington DC); Rob and Sam Delong (fly fishing and Rocky Ford); Rev. Jonalu Johnstone (pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago); Enell Foerster (Peru); Elke Lorenz (Brothers Grimm); Carol Sevin (Tanzania); Maeve and Kathleen Tanona (Haiti); Scott Tanona (Italy); and Carolyn Kelly (Cuba). Your enthusiasm and participation in the religious education program is much appreciated.
We finish out the summer with a quiet welcome home session on September 2, an all-class kick off on September 9 (with ice cream for everyone after the service), and then a “service for all ages” with music during the September Musicale on September 16 (we’ll have quiet activities in the Jupiter room for those who prefer to listen to the music from afar).
FALL AND BEYOND
For the past few years I’ve been ruminating about how we “bridge” our youth from RE classes to the adult services. Turns out, I’m not alone. While attending UUA General Assembly I attended several workshops where that was a hot topic. (If you’re interested as well, let me know. I’d love to bend your ear about it.) An idea that has surfaced, as Jonalu and I have been talking, is to simply have more services that include EVERYONE. Jonalu has named them “service for all ages” and we’ll have them once a month (if anyone would like to help me make “busy bags” for the sanctuary, let me know). The rest of the month, for the elementary classes, we’ll continue to use themes as well as our quarter system with Unitarian Universalism, Jewish and Christian Heritage, World Religions, and our summer program in the fourth quarter.
The teens (7th-12th grade) will be adapting the Neighboring Faiths curriculum to include more UU comparison components along with their field trips to other houses of worship. Older teens, especially those who have already been through the Neighboring Faiths curriculum, are encouraged to help with RE classes. (One of those bridging topics is the notion that the more youth are included in the workings of the church, the more likely they are to remain a UU.)
I’m really looking forward to this year!
Sandy Nelson
PNO: Sept 7
WE’RE BACK!! PARENT NIGHT OUT/KID NIGHT IN SEPTEMBER 7
Our next Parent Night Out (Kid Night In) gathers on Friday, September 7, from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, at the Fellowship. Parent Night Out is designed for children from 3 to 12 years old who can toilet on their own with minimal assistance. We watch a movie, have some popcorn, and games and art projects are available. A $5 per child contribution helps us cover expenses. Supper is NOT served at Parent Night Out so please be sure your kids are fed before arriving. This is an RSVP event and space is limited. Please RSVP to Sandy Nelson at DRE@uufm.net no later than Thursday, September 6, so that supplies and volunteers can be gathered.
See you soon,
Sandy Nelson