Hello and Happy New Year, religious education family and friends!
The news is a little slow to get off the presses this month, but here we go!
In this post:
- Sparks and Purple Flames- This Friday, January 8th
- Senior Youth Alumni Dinner- also January 8th!
- Families Tuugether- January 9th
- Senior Youth OWL orientation- January 10th
- GAME NIGHT! Saturday, January 30th
- RE Sunday/ Teacher Appreciation- January 31st
- Fair Trade Coffee/Tea Sale- Attn: 5th-8th graders! Feb 7
- Senior Youth Appalachia group potluck- Feb 7th
- Social Justice opportunities for families in January
Sparks and Purple Flames Social groups- January 8th 7-9pm. We’re gathering at South Church this month to play the game: Murder! Please RSVP, make sure you wear sneakers, and bring a flashlight and a water bottle!
If you are an alumni from our Senior youth group (or know someone who is) please join us for our annual potluck this Friday. We will be gathering at the home of Julia Remillard. Email Kirsten for details if you need more information.
(No Families Tuugether in December, sorry!) Open to children 8 months through Sixth grade, Families Tuugether is a popular program for families of young kids; an opportunity for parents to reconnect and to recharge. Offered monthly during the church year starting in October, children are dropped off at South Church at 4:30pm with a potluck dish to share (Ready to serve, please.), and parents head up to the sanctuary for a short group gathering before heading out to enjoy some quite time. Children will strengthen friendships, enjoy a movie, and play fun games. Parents return to get their child no later than 8pm. Please note: Families MUST RSVP if they plan to come to this event, so that we are able to meet the staffing needs. Program is be closed after 25 children register, to ensure we have a safe and fun event.
Please reply if you are planning to attend. Senior Youth OWL will be meeting on Sunday mornings from 10:30-12noon, and will have one overnight at church. These are the dates: 1/24, 1/30 (overnight), 2/7, 2/14, 2/21, 3/6, 3/20, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17
RE Sunday/ Teacher appreciation- January 31st
Come and join us for a special intergenerational Sunday where we celebrate the more than 75 volunteers that make our RE program happen at South Church. We will be having a “Brunchish Social Hour” between the two services to show our thanks in the form of snacks, so please plan to bring some tasty finger foods and come early or stay late for the 10-11am social hour on that day!
Fair Trade Coffee/Tea Sale- Attn: 5th-8th graders! Sunday, February 7th to help support Sustainable Harvest international and the UUSC by purchasing coffee, tea, and Chocolate from our Fair trade sale! Run by our 5th-8th grade youth, and recurring every first Sunday during both social hours. If your 5th-8th grader can help, please sign them up here:
http://southchurchportsmouth.bringit.bz/public/38975b
Senior Youth Service Learning- Appalachia Potluck: Feb 7th at 5:30
For those youth who have committed to this year’s service learning trip to War, West Virginia. We will be holding our second planning meeting immediately following youth group. Parents do not need to attend this gathering. I will be reaching out with more details soon.
Family Social Justice Opportunities in January:
- Martin Luther King Jr day event at South Church 4 pm until 6 pm January 17 at South Church: The Seacoast Reads: Words of Peace And Protest Celebrating The Life Of Martin Luther KingAn Open Mic for the seacoast community to express poetry, fiction, song, soliloquy or monologue feelings and opinions on civil rights. Presented by Kate Leigh, Portsmouth Poet Laureate, and the Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program.Participants please sign in at 3:30 pm that day or contact Kate Leigh at peacekate@gmail.
- Black Lives Matter vigil in memory of MLK and Tamir Rice organized by Occupy New Hampshire Seacoast, at Exeter Town Hall on Monday, January 18th from 5:30-6:30 pm. Join us on Martin Luther King’s Birthday to remember a child’s tragic, unecessary death. To reflect on how Martin Luther King would react, what he would do and ask of us and where he would lead us in this fight for equality.
Join us on the steps of Exeter Town Hall, with candles and signs to bring attention to the continuing inequality and institutional issues we have within our legal system. https://www.facebook.com/events/1702437649994321/
southchurch-uu-re.org 