Youth Religious Education news for you

Volume 2, Issue XV | December 1, 2019

December 2019

Your monthly Religious Education

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.)

Sunday Services at 10:30 a.m.

Forums at 9:15 a.m.

Nursery Care available from 9:15 to 11:30

What Does it Mean to be a People of Awe?

Sunday, December 1, 2019 @ 10:30am

By Steve Cooper, Director of Religious Education, and Rev. Michael Walker

To have awe, we need to be curious and open to experiencing the wonder that can be found all around us. At this time of the year, we get so busy that we may not notice the awesomeness of the world right under our noses. Together, we will make room for awe and wonder in our lives.

This is a multi-generational service. All are welcome!

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 December is AWE. The weekly topics will be:

Dec 1 - What Does It Mean to be a People of Awe? (service for all ages, no RE classes)

Dec 8 - The GooseBumps that Arise from Noticing New Life

Dec 15 - The GooseBumps that Arise from Awe

Dec 22 - Holiday Pageant

Dec 29 - No Classes

Each week we will provide parent and family resources relating to the theme and/or topic. (see further below for more resources on Awe)

Youth Ushers

On December 1st we will have some of our youth helping out as ushers for the multi-generational service. They will be handing out orders of service and helping the adult ushers.

We are looking for more youth to help our adult ushers on the 1st Sunday of each month. If your youth is interested please

contact the Youth RE committee .

We'll have a short training for all volunteers once we have enough youth signed on.

Calling All Young Musicians

Steve is looking for young musicians with a year or more of experience, to play their favorite holiday musical piece for the Christmas Eve Family Service (6:00 p.m. Dec. 24). Parents or siblings may accompany.

RE Graduates can sign up too!

Contact Steve with details.

Holiday Pageant & Mitten Tree

Our Holiday Pageant will take place on December 22 at 10:30. No need to sign up. Everyone will have a chance to participate.

Our Mitten Tree collection takes place during the pageant. Please bring mittens, gloves, hats or scarves to donate to the Peoples Resource Center in Wheaton. During the collection we will decorate the Mitten Tree with the items brought.

Blessing of Awe

A blessing on your homes, beautiful families, places where sunshine and moonlight give witness to the universe recreating itself in new generations of children, where stardust raises stardust in love and understanding. As you venerate the awesomeness of the great beyond, and marvel at the astonishing power and patterns of our beautiful blue planet, may you remember, too, the revelation that is your own tender body, your own fiercely loving heart, your own, unique soul. May you find the divine in yourself and everyone you love and know, in everyone who needs it--which is to say everyone, all people everywhere.

Resources for AWE

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 Awe?”, we invite parents to ask “What does it mean to be a parent of Awe” or “What does it mean to be a family of Awe?”

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 half of the questions are at a higher age level and life maturity. The second half of the list of questions (in blue text) are kid friendly. You can find the December AWE Table Topics here . Print them out and have them available or cut the questions into strips and place them in a table topic jar.

With Your Kids

(Ideas to engage Awe as a Family)

December Star Gazing and the Geminid Meteor Showers - connect with Awe

Arrange a time when your family can find a place to view the stars at night. The Geminid Meteor Showers begin 8pm Friday, Dec. 13 and end at 5pm Dec 14. https://www.space.com/34921-geminid-meteor-shower-guide.html

Family Discoveries

Ancient Earth Interactive Map

Type in your address and how many millions of years ago you wish to see and view an interactive online map of what the earth looked like.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/map-lets-you-plug-your-address-see-how-neighborhood-has-changed-over-past-750-million-years-180971507/#clVUBGlv6f6VQsqA.01

For You

(Support for Parents as Faith Formation Guides)

Celebrating the Winter Holidays

By Michelle Richards, UU World

https://www.uuworld.org/articles/celebrate-winter-holidays

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