We Are Going!
Faith Development News letter
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One of our families in the Sukkah on 9/26. |
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Happy Fall, Families of First UU!
Our monthly theme for October is Cultivating Relationship, and we invite you to do just that by taking part in Family Faith Development Programming outdoors all month long!
Come take advantage of the fall weather, and the canopy in the Memorial Garden, to spend meaningful time with other FUUers of all ages. We're packing a lot into one month, because we can't say for certain what will come next. Each Sunday morning at 11:00 there will be coffee and tea served outside the garden gate and a family chapel followed by crafts and activities inside it.
We strive to create programs which focus on the needs of families with children, while also having multigenerational appeal. Adults without children in tow are invited to participate, for the whole hour, or by joining us in crafting or games after some time spent chatting over coffee.
Worried about having time to travel to the Meeting House after watching the live streamed service? We are working on setting up a large screen TV watch party for the service at 10:00, weather permitting. We’ll be testing out the tech this week, and hoping to have worked out the glitches for the remaining four Sundays in October.
It isn't summer any longer, so bring your warm layers; light rain won't stop us (this week was just too soggy and cold to be fun) We'll be keeping the chapel portion of each event down to less than 15 minutes and include movement even within that, because we know it is hard to sit still on brisk day!
Many Blessing,
Erika
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CANCELED!!10/3: Cultivating Relationship With the Natural World and Each Other
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CANCELED DUE TO RAIN, SOGGINESS, AND COLD TEMP.
One of the ways we cultivate relationship is through listening and communicating. After a short chapel and game, we'll test our listening skills at two of our activity stations, while communicating our love for members of our community who cannot come enjoy the garden in person, by crafting some gifts.That's right - this one doubles as a service project! We’re making suncatchers with the natural materials we find on the grounds and printing cards with the fruits (and veggies) of the local harvest. (Adults creators welcome!)
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10/10: Murmur of the Birds
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We cultivate relationship by making promises to each other. We've been invited to participate in an international art project to be displayed in Glasgow during the Cop26 Global Climate Summit, called the Murmur of the Birds! After sharing our chapel rituals, we will take time to think deeply about what promise we can make to help prevent further climate change. We'll write our promises on origami paper, document them for the project's website, and fold the paper into birds. We'll photograph our little murmur and then mail the birds with their promises to Scotland. For more information on this global initiative, which, according to its creators “reminds us of collective, of power in numbers, of the power of art, the power of community and the power of care,” click here to watch a video statement from the artists and here for the website, Conference of the Birds.
This is a great one for all ages and we hope some of our older children, and adults come help build the murmur. High school youth group will be folding up their promises during their Thursday meeting on the 7th.
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10/17 All Society Collective Nature Art |
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We often forget that we are nature..
Everything has the energy of it's making inside it.
-Andrew Goldsworthy
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Following artist Andrew Goldsworthy’s mission of feeling, experiencing, and creating with natural elements that flow through the landscape around us, we will work in groups to create beautiful impermanent displays. This one is truly multigenerational as groups from the congregation will be invited to come reflect together on the week's service, led by our new Director of Youth and Creative Arts Ministries, David Ruffin, not just through conversation, but through physical collaboration. A few tables with pre-harvested natural items will be provided for those not able to work on the ground.
We'll start with our normal 15 minutes of child friendly worship before creating together. We tried this last year with a small group and it was magical!
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10/24: To be determined (Expect it to be active and musical!)
10/31: Soup and Chili lunch and Halloween Fun! (More details to come!)
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Parents and Caregivers As Sexuality Educators: Small Group Ministry
The information and attitudes that adults share with their children—intentionally or by default—carry extraordinary power. It is a power that many adults struggle to wield effectively and confidently. Often, their own experiences, perspectives, and worries get in the way. These sessions invite parents and caregivers to find support and courage with one another.
Ten sessions invite parents and caregivers to explore their role as the primary sexuality educators of their elementary through teen age children. The 90-minute sessions use a small group ministry format to engage adults in topics including Gender Identity, Relationships, Social Media, and Consent.
At our parent circle on September 19th much interest was expressed in sexuality education for elementary aged children. Due to the pandemic some kiddos have aged out of the Kindergarten/1st and 5th/6th grade Our Whole Lives (OWL) curricula without being able to partake. By the time we are able to start those groups up again, it is likely that even more kids will have missed the chance.
The Faith Development Department at the UUA recently developed this program which adapts well to Zoom and could be a perfect way for families at FUUSB to explore this topic and stay connected through the colder months. Participants can choose how many sessions would be valuable with a minimum of 4.(Link to the UUA page.)
If you think you would be interested, please fill out this quick form, which will attempt to get a general sense of when (which month), what day or time, and the number of sessions parents think would work for them.
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Resource for At-Home Spiritual Practice for Families
Parents have been asking for more spiritual resources to use with children. We would gladly purchase the current subscription to the Soul Matters Sharing Circles, Soulful Home packets if families tell us they would use it. Click below for a sample from last year and let me know if you want it to be part of our offerings.
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Heads Up, Yuuth!
Rev. David Ruffin, Director of Youth & Creative Arts Ministries
An apple may be falling your way soon...
The Yuuth Group is going Apple Gleaning in South Hero this Sunday, 3-5 p.m.!
Thanks to community connections with the Healthy Roots Collaborative, the Yuuth Group will be gleaning apples from several trees on a property in South Hero, where the homeowners can’t use them, keeping them from going to waste! What we pick will go to charitable food sites served by the Collaborative (with enough abundance for youth to take home some deliciousness, too).
All Youth, 9th-12th grades (and parents/drivers) are welcome. Please RSVP to David Ruffin at davidruffin@uusociety.org. The land is about half an hour from FUUSB. Get the exact address when you reply as well as a permission slip which youth will need to bring with them. Carpooling options as needed.
Yuuth Overnight Camp-Out! Oct. 16-17, Rock Point Peninsula
We are thrilled to announce that the Yuuth Group will be camping out overnight on the amazing land of Rock Point, Saturday afternoon, Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. - Sunday morning, Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. Youth will be diving into the beauty of the natural world of Rock Point, while deepening connection with one another and themselves. Covid precautions will be taken (such as one tent per youth/household), but fun will be had to an exponentially significant degree. Fire, Smores, Games, Night-time explorations on the land, etc. We'll bond while we brave the autumn elements. Thanks to the generosity of Crow's Path Field School, we will have access to shelter and facilities, and be able to handle moderately inclement weather. We will reschedule in the event of severe weather. To learn more and sign up, email David Ruffin at davidruffin@uusociety.org. All youth are welcome!
Thursday Yuuth Group Continues!
Finally... Our regular weekly Thursday evening meetings are continuing today, Thursday, Sept. 30, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. We gather with pizza from 5:30-6 p.m. so don't worry if you're a little late. No RSVP or previous participation required. All are welcome.
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