VirtUUal RE: May 3, 2020

As I mentioned last week, the Children and Youth Program Team and I have been making some phone calls to see how families, especially parents, are doing. We want to hear from you what it is that we can be doing to help during this time. Please know that we want to provide programs that are helpful to you, and not to overwhelm you. So in that spirit, feel free to explore the following activities whenever the spirit moves you! And if there is something you would like to see happen that you or your family would enjoy, let me, or another member of the Children and Youth Team (Sue Larsen, Sarah Iles, Gillian Lawrence, Beth McDonald) know. 

Happy May Day and Beltane to those who celebrate! With a new month, we begin exploring a new theme: Thresholds. This week’s VirtUUal RE session is about the thresholds many are experiencing at this time of the year – those who are school-age and are ending the year and possibly beginning a new phase on their educational path. You can read this week’s VirtUUal RE session here or watch the video here.

For middle school youth, you can watch some videos on Native American life:  

• A 12-year-old Lakota Sioux boy – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJapHc7B8Xs 
• National Museum of American Indian Museum Virtual Tour – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQFscvrkU1I 
• American Indian Center of Chicago – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSoFuSQO98k 
• Trickster Gallery in Schaumburg, IL – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mieAXRWl6o or https://vimeo.com/193993912 
• Crow Reservation House Tour – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKdRFdNzZMA  
• News segment on poverty on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqr9xsUn-ks 

High school youth can connect Sunday evening at 7 pm on Zoom. Look for an email from the advisors later in the week with info on how to join. 

Of course, we also have our virtual worship service on Sunday mornings at 11:15 am. I continue to post ideas on the UCE Children and Youth Facebook page, along with some interactive things to share, so look for that as well.  

For our theme of Thresholds this month, check out the Soulful Home family packet here.

Here’s the last week of Creating Sabbath Space from Soul Matters. 

And for adults, the Non-Fiction Book Group will be discussing An American Summer: Life and Death in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz on Sunday, May 3rd at 2 pm with Sarah Vanderwicken leading the discussion. Look for more information on this discussion in this week’s newsletter.

A new program facilitated by Robb Gieger, The Infrastructure of Morality, will be on Wednesday evenings beginning May 6. Email Robb if interested so he can send you some info and the link to the program: rjg6177@gmail.com 

In Faith,
Kathy