May brings Mother’s Day and the end of our RE class year. Mother’s Day is a day that we celebrate more than just moms: we celebrate our relationships and our families. Families of all types and sizes. On that Sunday morning we will honor not only those among us who have given birth but everyone who ever had a mother! We invite you to join us on this morning that means different things to different people.
May also brings the official end of our religious education class year. Our RE classes for the year will conclude with a RE Celebration on May 31. It will be a morning of fun and special refreshments! We hope all of our children and youth will join us as we mark the ending of another class year in the life of our congregation.
Our recent Easter Brunch was a great success; not only did we provide an opportunity for everyone to enjoy a delicious breakfast and spend time together, we also raised over $700 for the RE Activities Fund! Our families came together by bringing delicious food and by decorating Fellowship Hall so that it looked like a big Easter Basket! We appreciate all who helped in any way and those who came and supported our program with their generous donations.
Have you ever wondered what happens in the religious education program while worship is going on upstairs? To answer that question quite simply: lots! When we are not joining the adults for the early part of worship we have our own Worship Circle. We light our Chalice. Everyone gets the opportunity to share about their week or some special thing they have done. We celebrate milestones, and sometimes we talk about the loss of a pet or something they loved. Three Sundays a month the children and youth attend classes where UUA curriculum is used to give them opportunities to consider things that are relevant to their lives and the lives of others. One Sunday each month we have an Action Sunday. This year, Action Sundays have included such things as delivering food to the food bank or making decorations for a congregational lunch. These are opportunities for even the youngest to do something to help others. So if you have ever wondered what goes on and how you might be a part of the faith development of our youngest members, please contact me or Karen Bryant, our RE Committee Chair.
Each summer our RE Program becomes a multi-age program, with a central theme running throughout. This year, we plan to do a Summer of Service. Each week we will take on individual projects, either on our own campus or out in the community. We will provide opportunities for all who attend to be part of making our world a little better by serving others. Another aspect of our summer programming is that it will be led by different adults each week. We trade off leading the project of the week, so if you have an idea that would fit into our summer programming, please let me or Karen know. We are open to good ideas for projects in which our children and youth are able to participate and that can be done in one or two Sundays.
We encourage all our families to make time in their busy week to come on Sunday mornings and be part of this beloved community that we all have helped to create. It does make a difference in the life of a child when we take the time to come together and learn together and serve together.
Vicki Benavides,
Director of Religious Education
