As we continue doing virtual worship, RE, and meetings, it is even more important to find ways to connect to our UU faith. If you participate in a virtual meeting, be sure to light a chalice or candle and say a few words or read a poem. Give people a chance to share their thoughts and feelings during this time, especially since the information we receive changes almost by the hour. And join our virtual worship on Sunday at 11:15a to stay grounded and connected. 

I am preparing Virtual RE sessions that families can do together at their own convenience. You can find them on the UCE website at the top of the home page. I am also posting ideas on the UCE Children and Youth Facebook page, along with some interactive things to share, so look for that as well.  

There will also be a virtual check-in and gathering on Monday mornings at 10a and Wednesday evenings at 7:30p, where folks can drop in to share what is happening in their lives and do an activity or read a story. I encourage you to share your ideas too! Perhaps families could take turns showing a simple craft or activity that they did during the week? Let’s see what we can do with this! 

For Monday, March 23, you can Join Zoom Meeting at 

https://zoom.us/j/712829587?pwd=bUtkejVHOUwzOFFpcEhuSXQrWlBCUT09

Password 251684 

For March 25, Join Zoom Meeting 

https://zoom.us/j/850227269?pwd=dno2NWhsUytpd1lTdHJMRXlkeWFBQT09  

Password: 060826 

Hope to see you then! 

Kathy Underwood

We have reached an interesting period here at UCE as well as in our country and in time. 2020 is the start of a new decade with its promises and hopes. If you believe in numerology, when adding the digits in the year 2020, you get 4, which represents order, responsibility, stability, family, home, manifestation, conservation, peace, physical reality, and practical solutions. It is the number of work — of getting it done. You are being asked in 2020 to be fully invested in creating a foundation for long-lasting success, security, and grounding by building something of value that stands the test of time, according to Numerology.com. And if you’re into astrology, it marks the ending of three major planetary cycles of Saturn, Pluto & Jupiter.

Is it a coincidence then that here at UCE we are in a transition that is calling us to “work and getting it done”? To do the work of building a strong foundation – both in our physical structure and infrastructure – that will carry the load of the work we want to do in the community and the greater world of which we are a part? Whether or not you believe in coincidences, the fact is that we are at an important junction. And beyond our walls, we are at a critical junction: equality for all, the environment, and democracy itself are all facing challenges.

As we move into this unique and exciting period, we need to continue sharing our stories of our experiences at UCE and our dreams for UCE. How has our history formed our identity? What do we need to create our future with a new minister? What resources, tangible and intangible, do we have? Does our foundation and infrastructure support the work we feel called to do?

And so you are encouraged and invited to participate in the conversation as it relates to our lifespan religious education program on February 15 with Rev. Karen, Rev. Eileen, and I. We will explore questions such as, “How might we create more opportunities to grow our young people’s UU identity? How might we include our youngest in UCE life?” We will gather for a continental breakfast at 8:30 and begin at 9 am. Lunch and a children’s program will be provided. Our hope is that all parents and other interested adults participate in this important conversation. A special invite will be sent out separately where you can sign up so we can plan for food and childcare accordingly.

Let 2020 be a year full of good work and building the foundation needed to make our vision come to fruition!

In Faith,

Kathy

This time of year can be a joyous one as well as a challenging one for many. There can be conflicting emotions – the beauty of a winter snowfall yet the cold darkness as the sun sets at 4:20 in the afternoon; the joy of family as well as the missing of those who have died or moved away; the baking of holiday cookies and the hustle and bustle yet the feelings of being overwhelmed and having to do it all.

So far in my life, the time I felt these conflicting emotions happened when my children were younger. I wanted them to have happy holiday memories to carry them into adulthood. For many years, I ended up feeling like Scrooge and resentful. Then one year I got seriously ill with an infection and ended up in the hospital for a week in early December and spent another six weeks slowly recovering. The universe has a way of telling us when to slow down!

Since then, my family has taken the time at Thanksgiving to share what they most want from the holiday season and how to meet those wants in a less-stressful way. We find that many of them are similar enough that it isn’t hard to find ways to give each other the things we really desire during the holidays. I still struggle a bit every year, but as I get older, I find that I’m able to let go of it more.

My hope is that each of you find a way to make the holidays meaningful to you without wearing yourself down and trying to do it all. Whether you have a daily spiritual practice or simply take a part of the day to sit without a to-do list on your mind, take the time for yourself. Otherwise, the universe will find a way!

Now on to some UCE news! First, a huge “thank you” to Johna Van Dyke for coordinating the costumes and props for the pageant, along with her “elves”, Gay Menges, Alice Swan, Linda Clark, Trudi Davis, Kathy Talmage, Kay Wade, Sue Larson, and Martha Holman. And of course Don Mac Gregor for all the great photographs. It was a fun experience!

Ornament Sunday turned out wonderfully too! Thanks to all who brought a craft to share; Jordan Strueber, Carolyn Toporek, Gillian Lawrence, Brian Nielsen, Jeanne Kerl, Kathy Judge, Janice Milanovich, and Beth McDonald. And thanks to Sue Larson, Carolyn Toporek, Adam Gough and crew for helping set up and take down tables. It was fun to walk around and see all the creativity, hear holiday music and friendly conversation.

Looking ahead, the Children and Youth Program Team is hosting a family potluck on January 5 after the 11am worship service in room 3. This will be a great time for families to meet and get to know one another and enjoy a variety of food. No need to RSVP. We are hoping for 25-30 people, so bring a dish to share and join us!

Also on January 5, the Forum program will begin at 9:30am in room 6. This is an open program to discuss a variety of topics and share opinions in a friendly and respectful way. High school youth and adults are invited to come hear what we have in store to start off the Forum! Childcare is provided too.

Here’s to a new beginning and a new year!

In Faith,

Kathy

From Kathy Underwood, the Director of Lifespan Religious Education – November 15, 2019

November started out by participating in our high school youth’s conference, ConArtist. Our youth, with a lot of help from advisors Chris Allender and Mike Takada, coordinated a wonderful experience for UU youth. I led a workshop on Counted Cross-stitch – yes, you read that correctly! There were 12 youth patiently learning this art of fine-motor skills and patience. Some loved it, and others struggled, but they all gave it their genuine effort. The social justice program was led by Bonsai from the Theater of the Oppressed and was “the best program I’ve ever been to at a Con ever” according to several youth. The worship was awesome too because it included a little fire in the form of flash paper, as well as time for reflection and connection. A huge “thanks” goes out to Chris and Mike, and advisors Maxine Lapin, Ally Hunter, and Natalie Lawson – and of course, our youth.

Youth participating in a social justice workshop at ConArtist youth conference.

Our middle school youth visited Beth Emet Synagogue earlier this month. They met with Cantor Kyle Cotler, who brought out a Torah to show the youth, and they remarked what a special feeling it was to see a sacred text so close up. The students’ observations ranged from the ceiling height in the sanctuary (“So high!”) to the ratio of singing/speaking in the service and more! Next, they will be learning about Islam in religious education.

As of this writing, I have just returned from a Liberal Religious Educators’ Association conference in Baltimore that focused on trauma and marginalized peoples. It was a lot of theology and will slowly percolate in my brain over the next few weeks and months. In the midst of this was a lived example of white supremacy and how it plays out in our UU faith. Our colleagues of color called out the organizers of the conference on cultural misappropriation, which left myself and my white colleagues embarrassed, confused, and saddened for having caused more harm despite best intentions and actions. There is so much to learn, and so much work to do in dismantling white supremacy.

Looking ahead, there are two big events coming up quickly: Ornament Sunday and the Christmas Pageant. Here’s how you can participate in these fun traditions:

Ornament Sunday on December 8 – Do you have a simple holiday craft to share? One craft being offered is to decorate foam shapes. Or maybe you’re craftier than the average person and have something a little more challenging? Not crafty but want to help? Then you can staff a table, like the one decorating pinecones. Staffing a table means just being there to help people out as needed. We also need folks to help set up tables and move chairs after worship. Sign up here for any of these opportunities. And, whether or not you can help, I hope you come for some fun!

Christmas Pageant on December 15 – Another fun holiday tradition is the no-rehearsal Christmas pageant. Come be a part of the fun, either by participating as a character or animal, or simply by singing carols and watching. If you can help get costumes ready and set up or put away, then please sign up here. 

In Faith,

Kathy

• They want to be included in worship – this means that they will be in the worship service for the first 15-20 minutes like the younger kids, and that they will be more involved in elements of the worship service such as lighting the chalice, telling a story or doing a reading, greeting families, etc.
• Connected to this, they want to take ownership of the Young UU section in the sanctuary. This is an area in the front and left side of the sanctuary where the “lily pads” are. They are planning to make a sign to make it a bit more visible. They will also keep an eye on younger kids during worship, for those parents who would like a little reprieve.
• Several of the youth had fond memories of chalice circles/children’s chapel in room 3, and so they have agreed to work with me in bringing that back a bit later this year.

• Planning for What Matters Most (end of life issues) continues on October 9, 23, and 30 from 7-9p in room 3. This series, led by Cathy Deamant, Carol Nielsen, and Bob Mesle, has been designed to encourage participants to take proactive steps for life planning.
• The Witnessing Whiteness program continues as well on October 23, and 30 from 7-9p in room 3. This program is sponsored by the Racial Equity Action Leadership (REAL) Team, and will be facilitated by Dr. Gina Logan and Beth McDonald.
• Transgender Inclusion in Congregations: Nov 5, 12, 19, 26; Dec 3, 10 at 7p in room 3. This is a 6-part series created by the Transforming Hearts Collective and offered by Rev. Eileen and Christine Peters. This course is for anyone who wants to take their knowledge and skills to the next level in terms of gender diversity and trans identity and learn how to create congregations that are fully inclusive and actively affirming.

I am so grateful for the warm welcome from so many of you in the past six weeks. While overwhelming, I have been included in many meetings and conversations, and heard many of your stories about your personal and collective histories. I hope to continue being in conversation with you during the course of the year.

I’m sure you have heard the expression “change is inevitable”, and while this is true, I tend to live by another expression, “don’t make changes for the sake of change”. Over the next few months, I will be observing and learning how things are done and why, as well as the events that lead to this. From there, we can choose the ones that hit what is called “The Sweet Spot”. The Sweet Spot is a tool created by the New England Region of the UUA as a way of prioritizing your options and/or ideas. You can check out a graphic of this wonderful tool here. What would it look like if every committee, team, and council utilized this while planning for the year? Perhaps there is only one way to find out!

Looking ahead into October, two adult programs will begin:

Planning for What Matters Most (end of life issues) will be on October 2, 9, 23, and 30 from 7-9p in room 3.  This series, led by Cathy Deamant, Carol Nielsen, and Bob Mesle, has been designed to encourage participants to take proactive steps for life planning.

If you’ve done some learning about racism and white privilege and are ready to go a bit deeper, plan to attend the Witnessing Whiteness program, which will be from 7-9p in room 3 on October 2, 9, 23, and 30. This program is sponsored by the Racial Equity Action Leadership (REAL) Team, and will be facilitated by Dr. Gina Logan and Beth McDonald. Registration info coming soon!

For our children and youth, we got off on a good note for our first day of religious education. There were a few kinks, but they were resolved easily. We have 81% of our volunteer spots filled, which is awesome! The ones still left open are mostly as helpers and subs. If you can help out for any part of the year, let me or Sue Larson know.

Many of you raised good questions, and I will do my best to answer a few here:

• Young people from 8^th grade and younger (around 13 years old) will begin in the worship service. Before you have eye-rolling from your youth, there are some reasons for this that you can reiterate. First, we want them to be seen by the rest of the congregation. After all, they are a part of the congregation! Second, they will become familiar with our UU rituals and practices, and why we do them. Third, they can lead by example – whether that is by helping lead a part of worship, such as lighting the chalice, or by their presence in worship. This is also a conversation that will be ongoing regarding high school youth. For now however, the high school youth will go to their room at the beginning of worship.
• Parents are asked to sign in their child(ren) if in 3^rd grade (or around 8 years old) and younger, and then pick them up and sign them out at 12:15p.
• For 4^th and 5^th grades (around 9-11 years old), parents are asked to meet them after RE outside of the room.

A few upcoming events:

Youth Lock-In: September 28 at 3p. Parents, please fill out the permission form that was emailed to you this past week!

Bike the Ridge: David Bates-Jeffries has graciously offered to organize this fun day on September 29! As of this writing, we’re hoping the 6^th-8^th youth will be helping with the bike-decorating station. If you’d like to help in any way, email David at david.wood.bates@gmail.com

In Faith,

Kathy

Greetings, UCE!

I am feeling excited and eager to be your next Director of Lifespan Religious Education! At the same time, change is always a bit of a challenge, even when it is sought out.

A little bit about me: I am a third generation UU, and actually attended UCE as a small child with my mom and sister. My grandfather was a member around 1950, and knew Rev. Homer Jack. It is through my grandfather that my passion for social justice was cultivated.

My partner and I knew each other in high school, and one day on physics class, discovered that we were both UUs! We’ve been together pretty much since then, and have three adult children, with one grandchild on the way.

Like most religious educators, I came into this career accidentally when the DRE resigned at my home congregation, the UU Church of Elgin. Since then, I have learned so much more about our faith than I would have if I hadn’t become a religious educator. When you teach RE, you learn so much about UUism, and yourself, in the process!

I look forward to getting to know everyone in the coming year. Please forgive me if I don’t remember your name the first dozen times we meet – I promise I will eventually get there!

In Faith,

Kathy