January/February 2023
Monthly Theme:
January – Finding Our Center
February – Love
Dear Families,
Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed the holidays with family and friends. At UUCR this holiday season, we were back in the sanctuary with one another for the Christmas Eve service; it was such a joy to look out over the congregation and see so many friendly faces. It’s always a special moment when we sing “Silent Night” and lift our candles in silent celebration and love. Our church is that place where we can come together and know we are loved.
December was a full month for all of our youth. We closed out December with the return of our Nativity Pageant. Volunteers of all ages took on roles from narrator to star to tell the story of the nativity. The RE team is grateful to all of the individuals who participated in the set up, support and role-playing; there were smiles all around for the joy they brought to the service. Please be sure to check out Andy Gatshall’s photos available through Shutterfly. In addition, our youth had several opportunities to connect with Rev. Laura. She hosted a Non-Coffee Coffee hour after the pageant, Virtual Hanukkah that evening, and Cider and Cookies after the Christmas Eve Service. And our grades 7-12 youth had an enjoyable SOS (Sometimes on Sundays) gathering on 12/18. These intergenerational and social opportunities strengthen our community.
These next few months we will dig deeply into our curriculum across all the programs as well as focus on building community amongst our children. The pandemic clearly interfered with the natural building of relationships, and our leaders have already taken proactive steps to respond to this need. K-6 Game Day is one such opportunity to encourage collaborative play and socialization. Our OWL program reinforces healthy relationships with each lesson, and Building Bridges is restructured to encourage our children to participate. Fortunately our COA children have a strong pre-pandemic background at UUCR, and we have begun SOS monthly gatherings to facilitate gr. 7-12 connections. Rev. Laura shared a timely article which speaks to much of what we have been noticing and experiencing. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read it. It’s reassuring to know that our experiences this fall are consistent with other church communities. Where Are the Children and Families? | Better Together | Central East Region | UUA.org
The Austin Transept space is set up to provide a comfortable movement space that is also close to worship for our children during Sunday services. Our plans to redesign the space are still underway. Items for quiet play such as coloring sheets/crayons, soft blocks, and fidgets are available to support your child’s focus. Families are asked to reach out if support is needed in this space. Our community has many individuals who would be happy to help out.
To support our volunteers, we are hoping to hold an RE Teacher Training Workshop later this month. Please be on the lookout for a survey where I will ask you to share your interest and availability.
Thank you, dear families, for your continued engagement and the positive energy and sweet curiosity of our children. I wish you all a happy and healthy new year and invite you to reach out to me at any time if you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns. I look forward to the deepening of our relationships with one another.
To see the upcoming program calendar, the complete newsletter is posted on the UUCR bulletin board and copies are in the Atrium.
Warmly,
Liz Lovell
Interim RE Coordinator