DLFF Newsletter – May 2025

In Joy and Gratitude

The church year has a similar cycle to the school year, and we are in the final month before summer kicks in. We continue to celebrate all that we’ve done before beginning the cycle over again.

Our Faith Formation Sunday on May 4 was a culmination of some of this. We welcomed 17 new members, heard a story by one of our youngest featuring a goblin, saw the development of a round of the game Telestrations, and heard our four senior high youth speak about the meaning of this community to them as they graduate and head off to their next phase in life. It was  full of wonderful music from the family choir and the regular choir, and a special Star Wars tribute on the violin by Enzo Wallin. Indeed, there is much to celebrate!

Last week, I wrote a Hats Off for all the volunteers in our faith formation program, and apparently I did a poor job of cutting and pasting before I sent it to be published. This resulted in my accidental deletion of Andy Donakowski from my kudos. My apologies to Andy – and to anyone else I might have deleted. Please know that your contributions are sincerely appreciated!

Our Young Adult group has really taken off this year, which has been wonderful to see. They began the year with a monthly gathering to play games and socialize, but it has expanded exponentially from there. They formed a communication avenue via the app, Discord, as a way to share joys, sorrows, memes, games, food, resources, and more. They also felt a need to meet more often, and have started Soulful Sunday, which is a time after Kinship Time to meet and have more meaningful conversation about the worship service. As if that isn’t enough, some of them have decided to start their own covenant group to do a deeper dive into our Soul Matters themes and other topics. Fair warning: they might approach you or a team or committee about ways to connect across the generations and be involved in the rest of the UCE community. 

For our younger members, our summer program begins on June 15. We will be doing an art-based program this year that we’re calling Artsy-Fartsy Summer. Kiley Korey and Grey Wiviott are helping me build and lead this program, which is so exciting! They have so many great ideas, it’s been hard choosing which ones to do. If you love to express your creativity, or simply love to see the creativity of our kids, then feel free to join us!

The Family Ministry Team is planning their last gathering in early June and a beach day later this summer, so look for the details soon. 

I will be travelling to the United Kingdom June 23-July 13 to celebrate my 40th wedding anniversary with my husband, Todd. This is our first experience travelling across the pond and we’re a little nervous but also excited. Wendy Drake will be stepping in for me on the Sundays I am gone, so please connect with her if you need anything.

Whether you’re travelling or not, have a wonderful start to your summer!

In Faith,

Kathy

Springtime Joy

Our theme this month has been Joy, and it sure has lived up to it so far! Last Sunday’s worship service with the youth and young adults was full of joy and creativity! It is so inspiring and uplifting to hear and see their insights and passion. We are blessed to have them in our community.

This weekend, we celebrate Passover and Easter Sunday, both joyous occasions. All ages are invited to the family-friendly Passover Seder tonight at 5:30p in the sanctuary. Bring a side dish to share that doesn’t contain yeast or pork. 

 On Sunday, we will have an Easter potluck brunch during Kinship Time. Those who made Spring Peeps displays can leave them on the counter by the storage room along the west wall by the kitchen. We had so many creative displays last year, like this one of the sanctuary made by Jim Dibble (notice the Rev. Eileen bunny and song-leaders!) I look forward to seeing what others thought up this year!

For those with youngsters, we will also have an Easter Egg Hunt on the lawn, weather permitting. We will gather in The Nest after worship for instructions. Our youngest will go outside first for a head start, followed by older children and youth. 

Last month, Jeanne Kerl led a seed-planting activity for our Family Friday event, and a couple of families have reported that they are now seeing sprouts. It is such a joy to have members of the congregation share their passions with our younger ages! I like to think that the kids will watch their seedlings as they grow and then plant them in their yards for the summer and think of the fun they had making the terrariums that nurtured them.

We have been nurturing our young people and adults too all year long with the many programs, events, celebrations, and gatherings we’ve had. In just a few weeks on May 4, we will celebrate our new members who have joined our community recently as well as our young people who are in the midst of big transitions in their lives. Our youth will participate in our traditional Bridging Ceremony, a ceremony that recognizes those who are entering high school as well as those who are leaving high school and becoming young adults, or in UU terms, “emerging adults”. It is a most moving and emotional event that the whole congregation takes part in and witnesses.

Of course, our nurturing doesn’t end here! Our summer program for our young people begins on June 15. We will be doing an art-based program this year that we’re calling Artsy-Fartsy Summer. Kiley Korey and Grey Wiviott are helping me build and lead this program, which is so exciting! They have so many great ideas, it’s been hard choosing which ones to do. We’d love to have any adults who like to engage in a variety of arts to join us too. Look for more details soon. 

As always, if you have an idea to share or would like to help nurture others’ ideas that build community between generations, the Family Ministry Team welcomes you to join them. What better way to make the world whole than by nurturing our young people and families? After all, the future is theirs to grow.

In Faith,

Kathy

DLFF Newsletter – February 2025

I am sitting in my office with the sunlight streaming in as I write. One of my favorite things to do is sit in a sunny window and read while sipping some decadent flavor of tea. Last week when it was below zero, I took my dog for our usual 1.5 mile walk and saw a small flock of robins in a tree. It was then that I knew spring was coming soon. Sure enough, after a couple of colder-than-normal weeks for this time of year, it is a balmy 52 degrees out today! There is hope after all!

I am one of those people who is closely attuned to weather and seasons. I love to surround myself with tokens that remind me of this – rocks, shells, leaves, bird nests, warm blankets, and the colors of the season. This parallels my feeling about life in general – things are constantly changing, so take notice of them before they’re gone. I try not to fret over something that will not last long. I need to keep this in the back of my mind and hold it internally during these turbulent times in our country and world. I want to believe that this will not last.

Of course, the pressing issue is about what happens in the meantime. The saying, “Be the change you wish to see” resonates with me but I struggle in discerning where and how to do this. What injustices and causes are most important? They all are, in the end. Because everything is interdependent, each one has a direct connection and effect with the others. We can also refer to this as intersectionality. So with this reasoning, the answer to myself is simply to act on ANY cause, and it will tug on the threads in the web of life that are connected to it.

UCE gives me the inspiration to act. Hearing people’s stories, finding ways to widen the circle, and seeing the impact of so many people individually and collectively, gives me hope. Our young people need to hear and see this as well as take part in it as best they can. As parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles, we need to include them in our conversations on the injustices we are passionate about and listen to their perspectives and solutions. They need to know that we care about their future, that we have not abandoned them and left them to deal with it when they grow older. They, like us, need to know that spring is coming.

Our Family Friday event earlier this month was making toys for dogs and cats from old t-shirts for a local animal shelter. Next month, we will be planting a variety of seeds to take home and tend to. Our middle school youth are interested in planting trees or something similar. These are simple ways to include younger people in our efforts to make the world a better place. If you are part of a local effort that can include children and youth in any kind of social action, please let me know.

May we create the change we wish to see.

In Faith,

Kathy