May the Force Be with Us – the Power of Becoming

Okay, maybe it’s not quite Star Wars day yet, but we DO have a force among us – the Faith Formation Force!

If you haven’t heard about this yet, it is a group of ten who are exploring with curiosity what faith formation can look and feel like at UCE as one goes through the stages of life. How do we support and encourage each other to “yearn to learn” about our faith as Unitarian Universalist and human beings? What do we need along the way? What are the best and most engaging ways to do this?

The Faith Formation Force is looking at worship and faith formation/religious education, and how we can transform how this looks and feels, how it engages and welcomes people in, the ways people connect with each other and the world, and how we renew our spirit to help create a world made whole. This is a huge undertaking, and the group has taken it on enthusiastically!

In the REvisioning conversations that happened this past year, the theme that recurred over and over was the desire to be truly multigenerational. A faith community that builds and supports relationships across the ages. A community that envelopes our youngest members into the entire fabric of congregational life. A community that welcomes and supports each other through all stages of life.

And so the Faith Formation Force has been exploring models of worship and faith formation that support the need and desire to be an intentionally multigenerational community. At the moment, we have divided into two sub-groups: one is researching other congregations who have such a multigenerational model, and the other is looking at ways to get your feedback as we explore the models that fit our goal to become more multigenerational. When we begin to seek your input, please do participate in that process. After all, our fifth principle says that we have a voice in the things that matter to us.

Our Faith Formation Force members are Ann Gadzikowski, Ben Kornfeld, Carolyn Leman, Cheryl Mounts, Karena Nelson, Margaret Shaklee, Dan Solomon, Carla Williams, Rev. Eileen, and myself.

Springtime is such a wondrous time of the year – the possibilities of becoming are everywhere!

In Faith,

Kathy