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March ’24 nUUs from Religious Education

~ resouthchurchuu ~ Leave a comment

Youth-Led Worship, 2/4/24

Our high school youth group led a remarkable service on the first Sunday in February. They were articulate, playful, wise, and creative. They leaned into their discomfort in so many ways, each toward personal growth: Sharing deeply personal stories; speaking into microphones in front of a large congregation; making music; showing us the world through their eyes, as it is and how they want it to be. All of this speaks to the qualities of the community they have been growing up in at South Church. To feel supported in being their true selves means they trust us enough to say out loud what is real for them. This happens in the Religious Education programs throughout their first 18 years, but it also happens in the interactions they have with every one of us. Look at this picture at how the younger kids are receiving what the teens are offering. Imagine the ways this is mentoring them.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard South Church teens say that this is the only place where they don’t feel like they have to try to be anything other than who they are. What a gift we all are to each other in this way, and I hope adults feel this freedom and encouragement toward authenticity, too.

This month the church theme is “Transformation.” Downstairs in RE, we will explore ideas like when we learn and grow as individuals, communities, and in our UU faith, our beliefs and understanding transform also; how learning to see the world through many lenses transforms us; and how using tools to center ourselves and to listen to what’s inside us can transform how we live our lives every day.

There will be a special project opportunity for kids in grades 5 through 7 during RE time this month! They should go downstairs with kids during the TFAA, and we will let them know what to do if they would like to participate outside of the RE classroom. It is connected to a surprise that will come at the end of the month 😉

Our multigenerational worship day this month will be on Easter, 3/31. It will be a special time created with all ages in mind, followed by our traditional Easter Egg hunt! Bring a basket if you have one, and we will have some to borrow if you don’t.

Muffin Mingle is an opportunity for parents of young children to get to know each other. Come to church at 9am on Sunday March 3rd, for a time to connect with each other before worship! We will provide childcare, plus food for parents and kids. Intended for families with elementary-aged and younger children and babies, but those guidelines are flexible. If you love the idea of an event for parents to be in community but can’t make it to this, then please reach out so we can chat about what might work for your family: jendeldeo@southchurch-uu.org or (603)956-5146

Our youth in grades 6 through 12 have been invited to a UU youth day conference with peers in Nashua, NH at the UU church there! It will be a super fun day with opportunities for games, art, music, meeting new friends, conversations, and more. It’s coming up fast, on Saturday March 9th. You can find all details and register HERE. If there are interested youth who need help getting there, physically or financially, then please reach out to JenDB or Kirsten right away so we can try to help.

See you soon! Much Love,

💜JenDB

March Church Theme is “Transformation”

  • Birds of Gaza art project: This can help families hold or process together the knowledge that children are dying in Gaza. A beautiful tribute to their lives, you can make birds in honor of specific children. Submit to the online gallery, then hang them up at home, or bring them to church and we will display them for our community.
  • World Water Day is March 22nd. A few ways to observe:
  • One element to raising social justice-oriented kids is exposing them to many different cultures. There are a LOT of different religious holidays in March. Explore and learn about some of them together, through resources gathered by Soul Matters:
  • Our Shared Plate program gives half of the Sunday offertory to a different organization each month, which the congregation votes on in February. The Shared Plate recipient for March is the Joan G Lovering Health Center. This is a great opportunity to talk with kids who are in OWL or who have taken OWL in the past, about this organization whose “passion [is] to honor, respect, and advocate for the right of everyone to maintain freedom and choices regarding their own sexual and reproductive health.” It’s valuable to point our examples of where our UU values can also be found outside of church, like in some organizations such as Lovering Health Center.

Chalice Lighting For Meal Times:

Why We’re Here, By Erik Walker Wikstrom

May we listen so that we can hear;
May we hear so that we can feel;
May we feel so that we can know; and
May we know so that we can change ourselves and this world.
May this chalice we light,
Light our Way.

Click Linked Items for additional Details

Click here for 2023-2024 RE Program Information

  • Friday, March 1st:
    • Sparks and Flames bowling, 7pm! More info and rsvp: jendeldeo@southchurch-uu.org
  • Sunday, March 3rd:
    • Worship at 10:00a, in person and live on YouTube. Sermon offered by Rev Ellen
    • Nursery is staffed and open 9:30-11:30a
    • RE classes for Pre-K through 7th grade meet downstairs following TFAA 
    • 8th Grade Coming of Age meets 9:45-11:00 at 73 Court St, with Mentors
    • 7th Grade OWL meets 4:00-5:30 in Milk Classroom
    • Senior Youth meets 4:00-5:30 at 73 Court St
  • Sunday, March 10th:
    • Worship at 10:00a, in person and live on YouTube. Sermon offered by guest Jim Scott
    • Nursery is staffed and open 9:30-11:30a
    • RE classes for Pre-K through 7th grade meet downstairs following TFAA 
    • 8th Grade Coming of Age meets 9:45-11:00 at 73 Court St, with Mentors
    • 7th Grade OWL meets 4:00-5:30 in Milk Classroom
    • Senior Youth meet for Learning Journey Session 3, 4:00 in Social Hall
  • Sunday, March 17th:
    • Worship at 10:00a, in person and live on YouTube. Sermon offered by Kirsten
    • Nursery is staffed and open 9:30-11:30a
    • RE classes for Pre-K through 7th grade meet downstairs following TFAA 
    • 8th Grade Coming of Age meets 9:45-11:00 at 73 Court St
    • 7th Grade OWL meets 4:00-5:30 in Milk Classroom
    • Senior Youth meets 4:00-5:30 at 73 Court St
  • Sunday, March 24th:
    • Worship at 10:00a, in person and live on YouTube. Sermon offered by Rev Ellen
    • Nursery is staffed and open 9:30-11:30a
    • RE classes for Pre-K through 7th grade meet downstairs following TFAA
    • 8th Grade Coming of Age meets 9:45-11:00 with mentors, at 73 Court St
    • 7th Grade OWL meets 4:00-5:30 in Milk Classroom
    • Senior Youth meets 4:00-5:30 at 73 Court St
  • Sunday, March 31st:
    • Multigenerational Easter Worship at 10:00a, in person and live on YouTube.
    • Easter Egg Hunt following worship! Bring a basket to collect eggs in.
    • Nursery is not staffed today, but families may use the room with parent supervision
    • Kids attend full worship today, no RE classes
    • 7th Grade OWL, 8th Grade CoA, and High School Youth Group do not meet today.
  • Friday, April 5th:
    • Sparks & Flames Social Group for Grades 5-8, 7:00-9:00p RSVP to JenDB
  • Sunday, April 7th:
    • Pancake Breakfast! 8:30am-10am (before worship). Fundraiser for Senior Youth Learning Journey
    • Worship at 10:00a, in person and live on YouTube. Sermon offered by Rev Ellen
    • Nursery is staffed and open 9:30-11:30a
    • RE classes for Pre-K through 7th grade meet downstairs following TFAA 
    • 8th Grade Coming of Age meets 9:45-11:00 at church–Interview Your Mentor over pancakes!
    • 7th Grade OWL meets 4:00-5:30 in Milk Classroom
    • OWL Parent Discussion 4:00-5:30 in Sanctuary
    • Senior Youth does not meet this evening–come to Pancake Breakfast

Feb ’24 nUUs from Religious Education

~ resouthchurchuu ~ Leave a comment

Pastoral Associates Carlo and Greg visited RE on 1/21 for a special community Love project

The last Sunday in January was a special kind of day at church. We had a multigenerational worship that was full and fun and a sweet community event. Then we had the annual congregational meeting, where church members heard about relevant elements from the past year and then voted on bylaw changes and the proposed budget for 2024. Congregational polity and this democratic process make up a pretty unique part of Unitarian Universalism that set our faith apart form most religions and which require active participation of our members to continue the growth and authenticity of our community.

Multigenerational worship days are important because they give kids experience as they grow up of what it feels like and how to “do” worship. We want to make sure that once they are done with their RE careers, they have the familiarity with, and hopefully even a love for, worship in community. Multigenerational times also benefit the adults of our church, to be connected to and inspired by people of all ages. Not to mention, it helps reminds us to keep our church spaces accessible to as many kinds of people as we can. Our next multigen worship will be on February 25th.

To support kids and adults of all ages with feeling grounded in the sanctuary, we have materials available for anyone to use during worship. “Soul Work” is a term coined by a longtime UU educator named Joy Berry, who has extensively studied research on the effects of various kinds of handwork on our brain function and wellness. Here is an article that helps explain how handwork like knitting, drawing, and other activities can help us with mindfulness, memory formation and recall, relaxation, and more.

At the back of the sanctuary you will find our Soul Work station. Most of the materials are connected to the monthly church themes and/or building UU identity. They are curated to help embody what is going on at church and to help us all to be present. So parents and other adults–check out and use the Soul Work materials! Most of the kids already know where to find them. Please help to keep the area neat, and return items to the refresh basket so they can be restored for the next person. Anything you make can go home with you or left to maybe be displayed in a little Soul Work gallery, coming later.

AND, if you have ideas of things you’d like to see in our Soul Work supplies, let me know!

Kids in our Young Church RE room downstairs spent January interacting with the church theme of Liberating Love. They had a visit from Pastoral Associates, who told them about the ways that they provide loving care to our church people when they are facing challenges, and that this support will always be available to them through their lives. The kids were then invited to create love-themed cards that the PAs will use when they write cards to people. There was also a session where the kids heard a story about a character (Piglet, a friend of JET PIG) who was liberated from their fear through the patient love of their friends. They will now turn to the February theme, Justice & Equity, which are 2 more of the new proposed UU values that will be formally adopted this year.

High school youth have been working to prepare the worship that they will offer us on February 4th. (RE classes will meet as usual that day.)

Coming of Age (8th grade) has been exploring UU History and big topics like Good & Evil. OWL sexuality education for 5th grade will finish this month, and 7th grade OWL passed the halfway point of their comprehensive program. There will be an OWL Parent Discussion opportunity on Sunday February 4th, 4-5:30 in the sanctuary. This has typically been for the parents of kids in the 7th grade class, but parents of the 5th grade class are welcome to attend too.

Last but in no way least, we have a new opportunity–Muffin Mingle–for parents of younger children to gather and connect, coming up on the first Sunday in March–3/3. Families with elementary, preschool, and nursery-aged children are invited to come to church before worship, at 9am, for breakfast. We will provide childcare and space for parents to be together, as well as simple breakfast foods for adults and kids. If your child still needs you near then they can certainly stay with you. The goal is to support you in getting to know other parents of young kids at church. Feel free to invite anyone who hasn’t been to church yet, too!

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Much Love,

💜JenDB

February’s Church Theme is “Justice & Equity”

  • Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 11-17. Of course, we can practice random acts of kindness every day, and here are some ideas for how: https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas
  • One element to raising social justice-oriented kids is exposing them to many different cultures. That can be tricky for young families in NH, but here are a few easy-reach ideas for everyday multicultural experiences:
    • Prepare foods from different countries. Here are some easy examples: https://tinybeans.com/ethnic-foods-your-kids-need-to-try-at-least-once/
    • Visit an art museum and focus on art from specific countries or from artists of various races and ethnicities.
    • Choose a “language of the week” and learn a few basic words together, being sure to use them together whenever you can for the week–make a game of it by keeping points for each time someone remembers to use a word from the language for that week.
  • NH Racial Unity Team is doing equity work in New Hampshire. Children, youth and adults can enter an original poem or art work in the “Belonging” art & poetry challenge: https://racialunityteam.com/art-and-poetry-challenge

Chalice Lighting For Meal Times:

By Mary Ann Moore

We light this chalice for the light of truth.
We light this chalice for the warmth of love.
We light this chalice for the energy of action.

Click Linked Items for additional Details

Click here for 2023-2024 RE Program Information

  • Friday, February 2nd:
    • Sparks and Flames Movie Night and Snackfest, 7:00-9:00pm! More info and rsvp: jendeldeo@southchurch-uu.org
  • Saturday, February 3rd:
    • Senior Youth overnight
  • Sunday, February 4th:
    • Worship at 10:00a, in person and live on YouTube. Offered by Senior Youth Group
    • Nursery is staffed and open 9:30-11:30a
    • RE classes for Pre-K through 7th grade meet downstairs following TFAA 
    • 5th Grade OWL meets 10-11:30, Meditation Room
    • 8th Grade Coming of Age meets 9:45-11:00 at 73 Court St
    • 7th Grade OWL meets 4:00-5:30 in Milk Classroom
    • Senior Youth does not meet this evening
  • Sunday, February 11th:
    • Worship at 10:00a, in person and live on YouTube. Sermon offered by Rev Ellen
    • Nursery is staffed and open 9:30-11:30a
    • RE classes for Pre-K through 7th grade meet downstairs following TFAA 
    • 5th Grade OWL meets 10-11:30, Meditation Room
    • 8th Grade Coming of Age and 7th grade OWL do NOT meet today
    • Senior Youth meets 4:00-5:30 at 73 Court St
  • Sunday, February 18th:
    • Worship at 10:00a, in person and live on YouTube. Sermon offered by Kirsten
    • Nursery is staffed and open 9:30-11:30a
    • RE classes for Pre-K through 7th grade meet downstairs following TFAA 
    • 8th Grade CoA and 7th Grade OWL do NOT meet today
    • Senior Youth meets 4:00-5:30 at 73 Court St
  • Sunday, February 25th:
    • Multigen Worship at 10:00a, in person and live on YouTube. Sermon offered by Rev Ellen
    • Nursery is not staffed today, but families may use the room with parent supervision
    • Kids stay in worship today, no RE classes
    • 7th Grade OWL, 8th Grade CoA, and Senior Youth Group do NOT meet today
  • Friday, March 1st:
    • Sparks and Flames bowling, 7pm! More info and rsvp: jendeldeo@southchurch-uu.org
  • Sunday, March 3rd:
    • Worship at 10:00a, in person and live on YouTube. Sermon offered by Rev Ellen
    • Nursery is staffed and open 9:30-11:30a
    • RE classes for Pre-K through 7th grade meet downstairs following TFAA 
    • 8th Grade Coming of Age meets 9:45-11:00 at 73 Court St, with Mentors
    • 7th Grade OWL meets 4:00-5:30 in Milk Classroom
    • Senior Youth meets 4:00-5:30 at 73 Court St