From Kathy Underwood – Director of Lifespan Faith Formation
New Beginnings
Earlier this month during our Chalice Circle program with the children, we explored a picture of a statue of the Roman god, Janus. They noted many of the obvious things, such as that he has two heads that are braided together and that one is facing to the left and one is facing to the right. We talked about how one face is looking to the past and the other to the future, and that this is where we get our name for the month starting the New Year, January. The conversation became more profound when they noticed the ages of the faces, one looking younger and one much older. “Which one is looking to the past and which one is looking to the future?” I asked. One theory was that the older one was looking to the past because he had many years of life experience to look back on. The younger one was looking to the future because he had many years to live ahead of him. And then one young person thought carefully and said, “Maybe the older one is looking to the future because he regrets things from the past.” I just love discovering different perspectives from our young people!
So here we are, at the point of yet another new beginning – a time to look forward while reflecting on our past. “Out with the old and in with the new!” is a common expression at New Year’s. Or for the young at heart, (sing with me!) “Let it go, let it go!” We honored this with the fire communion on New Year’s Day by burning papers representing the things we want and need to let go of in our lives. In this spirit, we are doing just this in our faith formation program. By letting go of something that isn’t meeting our dreams, aspirations, or needs and trying different ideas, we discover new things about ourselves and ways of forming connections with each other.
We are now letting go of the Forum Discussion Group for the rest of the year with the thought that it might become something new and better next fall. Perhaps there is a more meaningful way for adults to learn and connect on Sundays? Or maybe there is more of a need for something completely different – perhaps spiritual or theological? Let’s take some time to consider this over the next few months. I welcome your thoughts as we do so.
And for our “in with the new”, we have two programs starting early next month:
Families First Fridays – yes, my desire is to claim some of the language used by more conservative-minded organizations. After all, we UUs care just as much about our families as they do! The Family Ministry Team wanted to start a new tradition of a monthly family-friendly gathering, and so our first one will be February 3 at 5:30-7:30p. We will have pizza and lots of fun with Groundhog Day-inspired activities. Please register so we can order enough pizzas for everyone.
Parents’ Gathering – several parents have expressed a desire to have a time to get together on Sunday mornings occasionally, and our first gathering will be on February 5 at 9:30-10:15a in room 13. Those present will share their thoughts on what they’d like this group to be (such as educational, supportive, spiritual, UU-focused) and how often to meet.
Of course, there are also programs and events that we continue to cherish, such as the Our Whole Lives (OWL) Sexuality Education program. This year, our youth are gathering one weekend a month with youth from 1st Unitarian and 2nd Unitarian for this important curriculum. UCE will be hosting the youth on February 17-18, and we could use some help with greeting and directing youth and facilitators, providing snacks for the weekend, and tidying up on Saturday afternoon. It’s an easy way to support our youth and our UU values! If interested, please sign up here.
In Faith,
Kathy