Volume XXX | January 6, 2019
January 2019
Your monthly news & updates
Upcoming youth activities and events as well as information for members
who want to know what is going on in the youth program.

(If you do not want to receive these monthly updates you may unsubscribe
at the bottom of this email. It will not affect your regular newsletter subscription.)
“The question is: Do I know who you are, or who I am? Do we care about each other? Because if we do, together we can turn the world around.”

 - from an interview with Harry Belafonte

Celebrate the possibility of you and the possibility of change.
January 6 - Service for All Ages
The Possibility of You:
A little round white Lima bean that I can hold in my hand has the possibility of being a whole plant with roots and leaves and even more beans to give us food. What is in you? Do you have a whole plant with roots and leaves? No, but you do have a whole person with a heart and a mind and a spirit, who will grow and be the best you that you can be.
Let’s discover together the Possibility of You.

led by Steve Cooper and Clara Brubaker
Services @ 9:30 & 11:15
Youth Religious Education
Sunday Topics
Everyone starts in the sanctuary for the worship service. On days with religious education classes the children will leave after the Time to Gather with their teachers and go to their classrooms.

Our theme for January is POSSIBILITY. The weekly topics will be:
Jan. 6 - The Possibility of You (service for all ages, no RE classes)
Jan. 13 - Impossible Possibility: The future is wonderfully impossible to predict
Jan. 20 - The Possibility of Change: It is possible to make a difference
Jan. 27 - The Possibility of Being Wrong: You might not see the whole picture
Each week we will provide parent and family resources relating to the theme and/or topic. (see further below for more resources on Possibility)
Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education
Honest, accurate information about sexuality changes lives. It dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, improves decision making, and has the potential to save lives. For these reasons and more, we are proud to offer Our Whole Lives (OWL), a comprehensive, lifespan sexuality education curricula.
Due to content we close the classes to new participants after the first class meeting.
A parent orientation is prerequisite.

January 6:
5th & 6th grade Parent/Youth Orientation 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. Founders Room
8th & 9th grade class meets 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. Clara Barton classroom **

January 13:
1st & 2nd grade Parent/Child Orientation 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. Sophia Fahs classroom
5th & 6th grade class meets 1:00 - 2:15 p.m. Whitney Young classroom

January 20:
5th & 6th grade class meets 1:00 - 2:15 p.m. Whitney Young classroom **
8th & 9th grade class meets 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. Clara Barton classroom **

January 27:
1st & 2nd grade class meets 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Sophia Fahs classroom
5th & 6th grade class meets 1:00 - 2:15 p.m. Whitney Young classroom **

**closed to new students
If you did not receive your Guest At Your Table box on November 25th you can pick one up in the church office. The boxes will be collected on January 20th.
Place the box on your dinner table and add a dollar or two as you prepare to eat.
Donations to Guest at Your Table help UUSC and their partners respond to extraordinary human rights challenges of today, address root causes of injustice, and build capacity to respond to future crises.  Find out more here.
Resources for POSSIBILITY
These resources support parents as they live out and engage our themes with their children. Playing off our monthly theme question of “What does it mean to be a people of Possibility?”, we invite parents to ask “What does it mean to be a parent of Possibility” or “What does it mean to be a family of Possibility?”

Each month we will provide a list of table topics which are questions based on the monthly theme that will open up discussion during meal times, family time or just time of contemplation. The first dozen questions are at a higher level but most can be re-framed for younger children. The last half dozen or so questions are framed to be more kid friendly. You can find the Possibility Table Topics here . Print them out and have them available or cut the questions into strips and place them in a table topic jar.


Family Adventure Ideas

Practice the Possibility of kindness and love with this calendar of family activities, one for each day from Mid-January until Valentine’s Day.

Create a New Year’s Resolution together
        Focus on the Possibilities….
One thing I want to learn more about…
One thing I want to stop being afraid of…
I want to improve my …
I want to spend more time….
I want to spend less time…
I want to be more…
 
“Sorry! is marketed for two to four players, ages six and older. The game title comes from the many ways in which a player can negate the progress of another, while issuing an apologetic "Sorry!" - from the game description
Practice your humility as you are jumped over and sent back in this classic board game.

Books To Read Together

by Lynea Gillen (Author), Kristina Swarner (Illustrator)
“A colorful picture book that will warm the hearts of children and adults alike, each of its pages contain endearing examples and vibrant illustrations to inspire children to grow into grateful, caring, and giving people. It provides a wonderful way to calm children before sleep, ease their fears, and help them develop an appreciation for good work.” - Amazon
 
Theme Connection: We believe in the possibility of good in all people.

By David Levithan
A remarkable book for youth that celebrates the possibility of the impossible.

Music Video

Turn the World Around by Harry Belafonte and the Muppets

You can contact Steve Cooper, Director of Religious Education at dre@dupageuuchurch.org or the Youth Religious Education Committee at yre@duuc.org