From DLRE: July 23, 2021

Playing with Planning 

With August just around the corner, plans are underway for this fall and our hopeful return to the building on Sunday mornings. Rev. Eileen, Rev. Susan, and I have been sharing with many of you our excitement with the new format for worship and faith formation this year. During our interim period with Rev. Karen, it became apparent that the congregation wanted a more multigenerational community, where all ages are involved in the full life of the congregation. When I interviewed to be your next Director of Religious Education, this was one desire that was emphasized. It had already been something I was exploring professionally too, and so I was eager to give it more serious consideration when I was hired. And then the pandemic arrived. 

These past 18 months has shown us many things. One of which, is that we are able to adapt to change fairly quickly, although not always easily. It made us look at how we spend our time, energy, talents, and finances more closely, as well as how those align with our values and goals. And it gave us an appreciation for time with family and friends and the realization that we want – and need – to spend quality time together. 

With the learnings gained from Rev. Karen’s time here, Rev. Eileen and I formed the Faith Formation Force to explore ways to build a more multigenerational community. The Force has been a force for sure! To test out some ideas, they created the Wednesdays in July program. We have had 32 people of all ages participate each week and it has been wonderful! (Look in this newsletter for more details.)  

From there, we considered ways of doing worship and faith formation differently that would be more welcoming to families with younger children and youth and meet our challenge to create a multigenerational community. And now we are making final plans and have begun to unveil this new creation! Check out our introductory video here and on the UCE website, or you can view the format here. You will also receive a hard copy in the mail next month.  

The Faith Formation Force is asking various groups/committees and individuals to share their talents in this new endeavor. For example, we are planning to have one Sunday focus on the arts, such as music, drama, and drawing, and are asking people with those skills to help facilitate a small group for an activity. As you look at this format, consider how you can join us in this shared ministry of building beloved community for all ages.  

We are anticipating as many things as possible as we finalize the details. Feel free to reach out to myself, Rev. Eileen, or the Faith Formation Force (Cheryl Mounts, Karena Nelson, Margaret Shaklee, Dan Solomon and Carla Williams) with your observations and questions. There will also be opportunities to give feedback over the next few months as we begin this new journey. We ask for your grace and patience as we lean into this new way of being together. 

In Faith, 

Kathy