From DLRE: May 10, 2020

By now, many of us have found a new routine with working at home or online learning, what people are calling “the new norm”. And yet many parents (and young people too, I’m sure) are still struggling to find the balance in holding the many threads of life they have between work and family time, partners and children, mental health and physical health, and many others. I am hearing that time to just be is hard to come by. For those with children and youth doing e-learning, the school year is coming to an end and with it the disappointments of missing out on musical performances, theater productions, sports, proms, and graduations.

And now summer is around the corner, although the cooler weather this week makes it seem a lot further away. Families are wondering what they will be able to do together, and what children and youth will have to entertain themselves without school and summer camps.

Typically, we would hold an all-ages RE program over the summer, with different adults or older youth offering an activity, social action project, or a morning of games. Now we find ourselves wondering what we can offer that families or the children themselves would be engaged in given the parameters we have. Not knowing if, or when those parameters might change complicates things a bit more too. Ask your family how they would like to connect with UCE friends this summer and see what ideas they offer. Think outside the box! Shoot me an email at kunderwood@uce.org and let me know what comes up in your brainstorming.

For now, look for this week’s VirtUUal RE session on the homepage. Your family can do this together at your own convenience any time during the week. You can read the session here and look at the links within it. Keep checking the UCE Children and Youth Facebook page, for other ideas to do for all ages and as a family.

Here’s a special treat for you: Rev. Eileen telling a story! If you would like to record yourself reading or telling a story that would be shared on our Facebook page and in our newsletter, let Kathy know. It would be wonderful to have a whole collection!

In Faith,
Kathy