The Nest – From Kathy Underwood, Director of Lifespan Faith Formation
In my column last month, I posed the question, which came first – the chicken or the egg? I used this as an analogy for my primary focus at this time of the year – determining whether to find volunteers first and form a program for our young people based on that, or to form the program and then find the volunteers.
And so now we get to work building our nest for this year. There’s so much to do to get ready for the arrival of our young people, and so much to look forward to! Let’s start with the people…
We have had some fun this summer due to the generosity of several people. Our Wednesdays on the Lawn gave us the joy of connecting with each other and having fun. We started with a Summer Solstice ritual, and in July had a scavenger hunt in the rain garden led by Northwestern University grad student, Haley Lewis, followed by a game night. So far this month, we had a dance party where Ellie Federson and Shirley Adams taught us some dance moves. This past week, Rev. Eileen gave a backpack blessing, and we celebrated the beginning of the school year with a bonfire and s’mores. Our last gathering will be on the 31st – movie night on the lawn!
The Family Ministry Team has been busy this summer too. We recently had a “spruce-up” party, where we checked the supplies in the lower-level rooms and got things ready for opening day on September 18. It was an all-ages event: the Lawrences, Liddells, Drakes, and Milanoviches helped sharpen pencils and test markers among other tasks. Our biggest endeavor is a special project that we’re initially calling The Nest to be unveiled at our Ingathering on September 11. I don’t want to spoil it too much, so for now let me just say that it is a family and kid-friendly area we are creating in the sanctuary. We will be giving you an opportunity to follow our 5th Principle and vote on a name to call this special area, so please do so!
As we create The Nest, so too are we building a larger, figurative, nest – the faith formation program. While we have quite a few “chickens” (volunteers), we need a few more. Before you think to yourself, “I’m not qualified to do that!”, let me put you at ease. We are not in need of experts on UUism, world religions, spirituality, social justice, or any topic in particular. We DO need people who are good listeners, are compassionate, and are eager to learn and have fun. We NEED folks who genuinely care about the next generation and forming relationships so that our young people can grow into our UU faith as young adults and beyond. If this is something you can embrace and would like to consider, you can read more details elsewhere in this newsletter.
In Faith,
Kathy