1. When their own faith needs a booster shot. 

 

In  Sunday morning Religious Education groups, teachers and advisers ask open-ended questions of children or youth and hear their profoundly honest answers which invite deeper reflection and honesty from the adults. 

2. When they want a more concrete base through which to explore the monthly theme. 

The activities we do with children to explore the theme tend to be more embodied, like drawing, or playing games, or acting out a story. These can draw out memories and feelings in adults about the themes. 

3. When their sense of responsibility for the future of the planet needs an action.

Engaging children in the ethics of caring for the planet and hearing their deep commitment to animals and nature gives one hope for the future. 

4. When they need more inspiration in their life. 

Witnessing the abandon with which a child creates a magic wand or plays a game of group juggling or shares their sadness about the death of their beloved dog, opens adult hearts 

5. When they need some joy and play in their lives.

We use use games to learn and practice all kinds of skills in RE. We practice leadership, followership, cooperation, risk-taking, etc., all with a sense of joy and playfulness. 

6. When they are grandparent age, don't live near their own grandchildren or feel the longing for relationships with a generation other than their own. 

There's nothing quite like being greeted by name in coffee hour by a child who has been in your RE group. We place great emphasis on learning one another's names because it gives everyone such a sense of being known and belonging. Being known by the next generation is rather like being asked to the prom. 

7. When they need courage to face life's challenges. 

Each  Sunday, the children and RE teachers & advisors share their joys and sorrows. Many of the  joys and sorrows expressed are fairly ordinary, but every once and a while you might get to hear a child share how they are dealing with being bullied at school. These are moments when it is such a an honor to help create a place where a child can bring the painful truth of their lives in a loving and caring place. 

If you are considering joining a teaching team reach out to me or come to a half hour conversation in the chapel on  Sunday, August 12 at  10:15 a.m. to get your questions or concerns answered. We work to create teams of four adults who then each teach two Sundays a month from September through May. Orientation/training day will be on  Saturday, August 25. 

Warm greetings to all in our beloved JUC community. I write this article while embarking on an Evensong Tour in which my partner  David Burrows and I are taking the JUC Evensong services to congregations in California and Oregon, prior to the Unitarian Universalist Musicians Network conference in Portland, OR. We will visit six UU congregations on behalf of JUC, sharing the practice of contemplative singing and silence, connecting with partner UU communities in this time when the daily news reports ramp up anxiety and maybe even hopelessness. Evensong invites those who gather to connect with essential UU value of the interconnectedness of all beings.

There are many stories of the last six months to tell. The first is a story of gratitude from me to you. Thank you for the opportunity to serve this congregation for twenty-one years now, witnessing milestones and life passages for a generation. Thank you for the almost unheard of experience of a spacious and expansive six months with no formal responsibilities to the congregation. This is a rare benefit, one which I do not take for granted. Thank you to the many music leaders at JUC who have stepped up in leadership during my absence to ensure that the high level of collaboration, quality, and participation continued. In particular, I offer great thanks to our music staff: Sarah Billerbeck, Adam Revell, Laura Lizut, and Melissa Monforti; as well as to our music leader volunteers, Choir Manager Phyllis Bunting and Ringers Director Bev Curtiss, as well as our Sabbatical Choir Director, Michael Bizarro. When you encounter these individuals, would you please help me in generously thanking them, as well as anyone who has contributed to JUC's music ministry during the last six months, including all of our Childrens Choirs singers, JUC choir members, Treble Chamber Choir singers, Ringers, JUiCe players, and all of our congregation's musicians and volunteer sound and light technicians. 

The thanks do not stop here: I offer my grateful thanks to those JUC staff and ministers whose responsibilities increased during my absence, including Carol Wilsey, who managed transitions in the Video, Sound and Light Technician staff position, and to Eric Banner, Kristen Psaki, Kim Mason and Wendy Williams who led memorial services and weddings that I might have led if I had been present, and to all the staff who found themselves with more or different responsibilities in my absence. 

I'm fairly certain that in listing these particular points of gratitude, I am neglecting or forgetting individuals or groups, and I am looking forward to hearing back from all about how Music Ministry was created these many months. 

So many stories to share about my experience of the last six months. In a way, I am a different person; in the same way, you are different too, as is our entire community. Over the next few months, let's all take the time to share the good news and hard news, what's the same and what has changed. I still lean on music to communicate the message, and for me the song is now Joyce Poley's. Her lyrics say:

"When we share our stories from deep inside, and we listen with a loving heart, and we feel the power of each other's faith, then our heart is in a holy place."

See you soon!