Sending Joy and Sunshine to all of you!!

This newsletter is one of the last tasks on my list before I step away from my desk and begin my sabbatical (July 1-August 31)! During my time away I will be visiting some other UU churches and sitting down with fellow religious educators to discuss their lifespan religious education programming and to examine some different church leadership models. I will also be doing some writing, and spending some much needed time with my sons before taking my eldest to his first year of college in August. I will be back September 1st with lots to share with all of you about what I discover in my time away.

While Kirsten is away, you can direct any RE program questions to:
Cat Lyons:  cat@southchurch-uu.org
or
Jen Del Deo: Jendeldeo@southchurch-uu.org 

Thank you to those of you who have already fulfilled the following requests, we have such a great community and we are able to do so much because of our collective participation in the work of our church. If you haven’t already, please:

• Register your children for the 2019-2020 church year
• Volunteer for a Summer Sunday, please pick one day that you are willing to help out. Cat and Jen Del Deo will be providing fun lesson plans, and will be present for most classes, but they need additional help- particularly on the Sundays when one or the other is not on site! One hour of your time this summer will make a huge difference!!
• and… please Join a Volunteer Team for the 2019-2020 church year- there are descriptions of each program HERE

In this post… 

• South Church Retreat on Star Island
• Save the Dates – September gatherings!
• RE Summer Program Outline for Parents and RE Volunteers
• 10am (one service) Worship will continue this fall!
• Fall program info and calendar of dates!

South Church Retreat on Star Island- Make time for connecting on beautiful Star Island during the 2019 Star Island Retreat – 4 days of rest, fun and reflection starting Saturday, July 27th. Stay for 1, 2, 3 or 4 nights. There will be children’s programming each morning led by Jen Del Deo, daily chapels, and activities for for all ages. More information at coffee hour on most Sundays, or contact Janis Wolak at janis.wolak@gmail.com. We hope to see you on the island!

Save these Dates in September:

• Sunday, Sept. 1st: Weather permitting, we will be meeting at the Urban Foresty Center for an end of Summer RE celebration. Children can be dropped off between 9:30 and 10 am before parents head to church, and then you can pick them up after church concludes (around 11:15) Please put sunscreen and bug spray on your kids!
• Sunday, Sept. 8th: Family Orientation Potluck for all RE families after church 11:45a-1:30p
• Sunday, September 22nd: RE Volunteer Training Lunch*, 11:45a-1:30 – *Childcare available if requested
• 8th grade families: Coming Of Age orientation: Friday, Sept 20th. 6pm at #73 Court St
• Senior Youth Families: Parent and youth orientation Saturday, Sept 28th. 6pm (youth will stay after for an overnight!)

RE Summer Program Outline- Religious Education continues through the summer for children of all ages! Our nursery is open, as usual, from 9:45-11:15 each morning. For children aged 4 and up we will have an all-ages program that is based on our school-year workshop model. This summer we will revisit the themes from this past year with hands-on exploration, incorporating outdoor time as much as possible! Sign up to volunteer!

10am Worship Announcement  We shifted to a Single Service at South Church at the end of May, which is standard for the summer season, but we will be remaining at one service this coming fall as we begin our time with the new interim minister, Reverend Len De Roche (who will arrive this summer, and begin leading worship in September).

Fall Program Calendar– Believe it or not, we have pinned down a solid draft for next year’s RE program. The OWL sexuality education program is still being finalized, but you can take a look if you are wondering about how the coming fall will unfold! Here’s the link to see our 2019-2020 Program Calendar and you can find detailed program info HERE

Upcoming Themes (2019-2020 Church Year):

• September 2019: We are a community of Expectation
• October 2019:  We are a community of Belonging
• November 2019: We are a community of Attention
• December2019: We are a community of Awe
• January 2020: We are a community of Integrity
• February2020: We are a community of Resilience
• March2020: We are a community of Wisdom
• April 2020: We are a community of Liberation
• May 2020: We are a community of Thresholds