From Kathy Underwood: April 1, 2022

Spring Awakenings 

With signs of spring in the air and the earth, there is a feeling of hope and renewal. The encouragement in the lowering of Covid cases recently certainly helps as we can gather with others a little more comfortably and be outdoors more. Nature is awakening and is surely a salve for the soul! 

Springtime is a time for celebration for so many faiths – Bahá’í, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. With two of our Unitarian Universalist Sources being “wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life” and “Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to love our neighbors as ourselves” we are called to learn about other faiths and their traditions. For many UUs, Easter is the holiday usually celebrated, although the reasons vary. And for children, it is a fun time with egg hunts. With being back in person this year, the Family Ministry Team will be coordinating a canned goods hunt with the collection of goods going to Connections for the Homeless. Be sure to look for upcoming announcements on where to drop off donations. 

Awaken the artist within at our Afternoon of the Arts event on April 9 from 3-5p. This is a “rebirth” of the former Night of the Arts begun by Rosemary Zwick. And if that isn’t enough for you, our awesome youth will “awaken” us with a worship service on April 10, “Gender: Bending the Narrative”. 

April is also when we witness the Earth re-awakening from its winter slumber, and we celebrate Earth Day. Once again this year, UCE is playing a key role in an Earth Day celebration, being coordinated by Kristin Lems and Lucinda Lindstrom Lodder among others in the community. I am always amazed at the dedication and passion we have at UCE, especially when youth are involved. The celebration will be at 7p on April 22, and the hope is to offer it in person as well as virtually. Look for details in the newsletter.  

For our last Sunday in April, our Faith Formation Hour will focus on Social Action and being eco-friendly. The Green Team will be facilitating a fair with activities for all ages, and the Family Ministry Team will coordinate making lunch bags for Connections for the Homeless. We will look at lunches and how we can make them more eco-friendly, especially in regards to composting. 

And as we head into May, Rev. Eileen and I will be hosting some listening circles to hear your experiences with our new faith formation hour. What have you participated in and how was that experience? If you didn’t participate, what kept you from doing so? And what would you look forward to that can help awaken your spirit and faith? These conversations will take place as follows: 

In Faith,

Kathy Underwood