Greetings Families!

I hope your summers are going well even in this season of fires and floods.

For those who couldn't make it, we said good-bye to Rev. Tricia in grand style; first with a lovely muffin party, on the lawn, and then with our part of her good-bye ceremony, where kids and youth created a marvelous puppet parade to the theme of Blue Boat Home. Our annual campout was a soggy success, with a smaller number of campers, a lot of rain, and a lot of fun community time!

After the many special events of June, we have moved into the quiet season as far as children's programming at First UU is concerned, but Sundays are still an opportunity to connect and build community. Childcare for all ages has been available in the Nursery area during service for the last few weeks and so far, that has meant lots of creative fun for the children who have come! Starting the last Sunday in July, through Labor Day weekend, we plan to have childcare for all ages and the worship services outdoors, whenever weather allows, a new tradition born in the pandemic that many of us look forward to all year! Adults often hear the thwack of a whiffle ball and the squealing of children in the distance as they experience worship under a canopy of leaves on the front lawn. August will also bring Rev. Karen, our new settled minister to town, and those outdoor Sundays will be a wonderful chance to get to know her!

If you haven't heard yet, Rowan Van Ness, who served us as a ministerial intern in 21/22, will be joining me in leading Faith Development for the next two years. Her title will be Director of Youth and Emergent Adult Ministries. Her broad experience in the field of religious education will be invaluable as we continue to build our program and plan for the future! I'm excited to start working with her in the last week of July!

Hope to see all of you soon!

In faith,

Erika

If you know any rising 8th or 9th graders who would benefit from the Our Whole Lives, comprehensive sexuality program, please pass this along!

We have a smaller than average number of kids in the 8th grade cohort, so we really need students from the broader community to round out the group, and parent to parent word of mouth is often the most effective way to promote the program!

With a holistic approach, OWL provides accurate, developmentally appropriate information about a range of topics, including relationships, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, sexual health, and cultural influences on sexuality. For more information about lifespan OWL curricula follow this link.

The 26 session program will run on Wednesday evenings from early September to early April, led by trained and experienced facilitators.

For more information or to register click here.

We are hoping to have several different Faith Development groups for kids in the coming program year and in order to make them rich and inviting for kids of all ages we need assistance!

We know parents are busy and often experiencing a lot of stress in these times, so we never expect that all of our guides and helpers will come from the pool of parents; last year the majority were adults without children in the home and we hope that many of them will return! However, our plans for this year will require a few more helpers, so we could really use some more parents on the team, so please consider whether you can take on a volunteer role during the 2023-34 program year.

There are opportunities to help both big and small! Fill out this quick form to indicate interest, and see a list of ways to help, including those that do not involve supervising kids and do not need to happen during the service on Sunday.

As Unitarian Universalists we do not baptize or christen children, but we do hold Child Dedication Ceremonies, a ritual of welcome and love, inviting all present during the service to support the child and their family in the journey of growing up and exploring in faith. The pandemic stalled what was once a twice annual ritual which we hope to restart this fall. While we traditionally dedicate babies, there is no age limit.

If you would like to have your child dedicated at First UU in September, or to find out more, contact Erika, erika@uusociety.org.

My counterpart at the First Baptist Church of Burlington, Annie Fields, has open spots in their free Vacation Bible School the week of August 7-11, from 9am to noon. Registration deadline is July 20th.

"The program is for kids entering Kindergarten through 6th grade but we are putting older siblings to work if they would like to. I have the most space for 4-6 graders. The program is Shine VBS 'Change Makers' published by the Mennonite central committee. It has a strong focus on peacemaking, loving kindness and being agents of positive change and uses stories of Jesus and the early church as examples (No evangelism elements). Lots of active games, STEAM (science technology, engineering, arts and math) with snacks and lunch!"

You will notice that she said, "no evangelism elements"; I know that this would be a concern for many. I have not personally vetted the curriculum, nor met with Annie, so you would have to use your own discernment, but I think for the right family this could be an interesting introduction to another faith, with many of the normal activities we seek in a summer camp.

She would like a heads up from me about how many kids I'm sending her way, so please reply to this email briefly as well as filling out their registration link. There is some possibility of transportation being provided if your home is on their route, let me know if you would like me to inquire.

Fun Fact: Did you know that this other downtown congregation has two services, one in English and one conducted in the Karen language by members of the Karen refugee population from Myanmar/Burma? Both groups share one church school program with the majority of the children coming from Karen-speaking homes.

Summer childcare for all ages, whether inside or out, is staffed by 3 care providers, usually two teenagers and an adult supervisor, and is very responsive to the needs of the particular kids who show up that week. They will prioritize safety, but be flexible, pulling out materials or organizing activities that work for those present. This could look like a bunch of older kids playing whiffle ball or ladder toss supervised by a teen just outside the garden while smaller kids play with a water table inside the fence. It could look like a handful of kids, with staff in tow, wandering the grounds on a nature scavenger hunt. We don't offer specific programming but try to make each Sunday special!

Please sign children in and out. Please take kids to the restroom before the outdoor service, otherwise staff may need to bring a child to their parent for a bathroom trip. For children entering fourth grade and above, you can check a box giving them permission to leave the group and find you after the service, but please remind them to let staff know before they go!

July 16:

9:45- Nursery opens with childcare for all ages

10:00- Service inside, families are welcome to attend together

11:00- Outdoor Coffee Hour on the lawn.

July 23:

NO SERVICE!!!

July 30:

9:45- Summer garden Childcare

10:00- Outdoor Worship begins

11:00- Outdoor Coffee Hour on the lawn.

August 6:

9:45- Summer garden Childcare

10:00- Outdoor Worship begins

11:00- Outdoor Coffee Hour on the lawn.

August 13:

9:45- Summer garden Childcare

10:00- Outdoor Worship begins

11:00- Outdoor Coffee Hour on the lawn.

August 20:

9:45- Summer garden Childcare

10:00- Outdoor Worship begins

11:00- Outdoor Coffee Hour on the lawn.

August 27:

9:45- Summer garden Childcare

10:00- Outdoor Worship begins

11:00- Outdoor Coffee Hour on the lawn.

Here I am doing very serious and important things at the General Assembly of the UUA in June!