2020-02-14

This Week in Religious Education: February 13-20, 2020

Sunday, February 16

Childcare (room 32, yellow hallway)
Children are welcome in worship and we offer a quiet activity area in the sanctuary where they can be comfortable while experiencing the words, music and rituals of our faith. Diane, Hans and Sophie also welcome children into childcare, room 32 in the yellow hallway. You are welcome to bring comfort items from home. Please let Diane know if your child has allergies or specific needs.

Religious Exploration
We begin together in the sanctuary at 10:00am. After the “Time for All Ages,” children, youth and volunteers leave for Religious Exploration and meet until 11:30am.  Children 3rd grade and younger must be picked up in their rooms. Those 4th grade and older will be dismissed to head to coffee hour at 11:30am.

PreK Children are welcome in the sanctuary for worship where they can enjoy the children's area with quiet activities, or in childcare (room 32, yellow hallway).

K-1st grade Our Whole Lives (room 33, yellow hallway)
Children continue learning about families. This Sunday, they learn about the miracle of birth in the context of starting a new life and expressing human love. David B is leading and Janet W is assisting.

2nd-3rd grade Children's Worship (Fellowship Hall)
Children gather with Tracy B and Amy S to learn about the Brighter Futures After School Mentoring Program and fill backpacks with donations the Hunger and Homeless team collected. Lyra H will also lead a music activity.

4th-5th grade Children's Worship (Fellowship Hall)
Children gather with Tracy B and Amy S to learn about the Brighter Futures After School Mentoring Program and fill backpacks with donations the Hunger and Homeless team collected. Lyra H will also lead a music activity.

6th-7th grade World Religions (room 41, green hallway)
Many of us find spiritual inspiration in our experiences of nature.  All of us have ancestors whose cultures and spiritual practices centered on the patterns of life they inhabited. Bice W is a long standing member of CUUC who practices in the contemporary earth tradition. He is a PlaceKeeper on CUUC’s hillside and wetlands as part of that practice and leads CUUC’s Days-In-Place. He will be offering the neighboring faiths class access to this tradition this Sunday. Chris B is assisting.

8th-9th grade Coming of Age (room 11, red hallway)
Erin F is continuing discussion about Unitarian Universalist theology. Youth will have the opportunity to draft and share "elevator speeches" about UU beliefs.  If you were asked to describe Unitarian Universalism during a brief elevator ride, what would you want people to know? Charlie M is assisting.

10th-12th grade Youth Group (room 14, red hallway)
Youth group meets with Daniel and Cyndi T to continue planning for the March 8th youth-led worship service.  There are some important decisions to be made, especially about music so the musicians can begin practicing.  We hope many youth will participate in this planning session!

RE Newsletters: If you would like to receive one or more RE newsletters in your e-mail, sign up HERE.  For this week's newsletters, click the class or group link above.

Connecting in Community

RE Assistants
Assistants Needed in RE No preparation required! Just spend an hour with our amazing children and youth while you fulfill our Safe Congregation practice of having two adults with our young people at all times. Click HERE to sign up or e-mail Tracy (CUUCWPTracy@gmail.com).

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Wednesday, February 26, 6:30pm
Thomas H. Slater Center, 2 Fisher Ct, White Plains
A free interactive program for all ages, co-sponsored by the MLK Freedom Library, Greenburgh African-American Historical Alliance, and the 400 Year Project. See flyer HERE. Contact: Barbara Mair (barbara.k.mair@icloud.com)

Faith Development Friday
Friday, February 21st join us for our monthly evening of learning, spiritual growth, and community. 6:15pm Pizza & Salad Dinner; 7:00pm Programs, including "Habits of the Heart" Adult RE, separate Adult and Children's Journey Groups, and Youth Group. We will also host an Appreciative Inquiry session to review Rev. Kimberley's ministry, which will be led by Lara Campbell. RSVP to CUUCevents@gmail.com by noon on Thursday, February 20th so we'll have enough food and materials for all. The February Journey Group theme is God; packets are online here.

Life of Our Congregation Festival
Sunday, February 23 during Coffee Hour in the Sanctuary, we will have a Life of the Congregation Festival! It's part committee fair, part social action, part meet and greet. While you enjoy a marvelous coffee hour hosted by our Caring and Sharing Circle, add (or update) your photo for the membership directory, help make our hymnals a little more inclusive, check to make sure your family is registered for RE or complete a RE registration form, and find ways to participate in community that fit your schedule and interests.

2020 Variety Show
Saturday, May 2, 5:00pm
This will be our 8th Annual Variety Show (WOW!), always one of the most FUN fundraisers at CUUC. It is also an event where everyone, children to adults, can pitch in and create meaningful ties to a social justice cause. Please mark your calendars for SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd - it is the most important date in the initial planning of the show because the children and youth will hear about 3 organizations and get to cast their VOTE to choose the recipient of the variety show proceeds. Contact Liz Suvanto (elizabethsuvanto@hotmail.com) or Kate Breault (ksnowbro@gmail.com) for more info.

Sunday Morning Greeters
We would love to have families greet Sunday morning before worship. Children and youth are an important part of our community and it would be wonderful to include them in greeting members and guests! Your family would be in place 9:45-10:15am. Contact Jane Dixon (lilrhodie@gmail.com) to sign up for a Sunday.

Especially for Youth

PrideWorks for LGBTQ+ Youth and Allies
Wednesday, March 18th at Pace University, Pleasantville
Registration is now OPEN!  This is the 20th anniversary of the conference and there is a special $20 student registration rate.  Many youth attend with their school's GSA; others attend on their own.  The Westchester UU congregations are a major sponsor of the conference and have a significant presence.  CUUC members volunteer to greet arriving buses with our UU welcoming banner, tend our UU info table, or volunteer for one of many other tasks. Contact: Tracy Breneman (cuucwptracy@gmail.com), Tony Arrien (arrien@optonline.net) to volunteer. More information and conference registration HERE.

Metro NY Junior CON
March 28-29 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, NJ
Registration is now OPEN! This event is for youth in grades 6 through 8 from Metro NY UU congregations.  Con = conference, a 24-hour event where junior UU youth meet. We have fun, make, do and learn stuff. We eat. We get to know each other. UU’s from all over the Metro area attend. The retreat is led by YRUU senior youth. RE teachers and parents attend as advisors. This event is held every spring and fall.  Click here for a flyer with more information.
Register here: https://www.uua.org/central-east/events/youth/mny-jr-youth-con-montclair-nj-320
For questions about event programming please contact Denice Tomlinson (denice1uu@yahoo.com).
For questions about event registration please contact Charlie Neiss (cneiss@aol.com).

Thrive Youth of Color Event
May 15-17, 2020 at the First UU Society of Albany
Registration is now OPEN!  Unitarian Universalist Youth of Color (High School age People of African Descent, Caribbean, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander, Latina/o/x and Hispanic, Middle Eastern/Arab and Multiracial) are gathering for a weekend of connection and fun at the first ever Thrive Weekend. It’s like a bite-size version of the week-long Thrive Leadership School where YoC gather to worship, feast, play, and engage in what it means to be YoC in their communities and the UU faith. The weekend will include a day of service and learning at Soul Fire Farm. Soul Fire Farm is a BIPOC-centered community farm committed to ending racism and injustice in the food system. They raise and distribute life-giving food as a means to end food apartheid. They bring diverse communities together on this healing land to share skills on sustainable agriculture, natural building, spiritual activism, health, and environmental justice.
For more information and to register, click HERE.

Metro NY Senior High CON
Save the date: April 24-26, 2020
Hosted by the Shelter Rock congregation
Stay tuned for more information...

Summer 2020 UU Camps and Activities

River Rising - Fantastic Youth Leadership Building Opportunity (rising 9th-12th graders)
July 5-11 at the UU Church of North Hills near Pittsburgh, PA
July 27-August 2 at Main Line UU Church near Philadelphia, PA
Registration is now OPEN for the UUA's Central East Region 2020 River Rising Youth Immersion Experiences! Through covenant, collaborative leadership, skill building, games, silent reflection, personal challenges, spiritual practices and many magical moments both planned and not, we grew stronger, resilient and capable of facing the future. Read more here and register here. Deadline for scholarships is June 1st.  Click HERE for additional information and to register.

Camping in the Grove (rising 4th-7th graders)
August 2-6, Murray Grove, Lanoka Harbor, NJ
Registration is now OPEN! Five days of fabulous camp fun with a healthy dose of UU religious education and history. The 2020 camp theme is "Hand in Hand," which was the name of the ship John Murray arrived on 250 years ago bringing Universalist religion to North America from Europe. Camping in the Grove is for children and youth entering 4th through 7th grade in the upcoming fall.  Additional information and to register, click HERE.

Adventures Head (rising 8th-10th graders)
Mid-July, Murray Grove, Lanoka Harbor, NJ
This program will offer exciting service opportunities and outdoor adventures to youth who have aged out of Camping in the Grove and to all youth of adventurous spirit.  We will be learning firsthand how we put our values to work in the world! More information coming soon on the Murray Grove website.

Sophia Fahs RE Summer Camp
August 23-29, Camp Echo, Burlingham, NY
Sophia Fahs camp offers an intergenerational UU community that provides enjoyable, practical and spiritual experiences in a safe, beautiful and natural environment that will inspire children, youth and adults to explore their identities: personal, communal and Unitarian Universalist.  Registration opens March 9th on their webpage.

In the Coming Weeks
  • Friday, February 21st - Faith Friday programming: Youth Group, Adult RE Class, Adult Journey Group, Children's Journey Group. Dinner at 6:15pm. Programs 7:00-8:30pm. RSVP by e-mailing cuucevents@gmail.com and let us know which group you are attending. 
  • Sunday, February 23rd - Children and youth will hear about three potential recipient organizations for proceeds from the May 2nd Variety Show. Then they will cast their VOTES to choose the recipient. 
  • Sunday, March 1st - Children attend a music activity. The 6th-7th grade World Religions and Neighboring Faiths class is visiting a nearby congregation. The 8th-9th grade Coming of Age class and Youth Group meet. 
  • Saturday, March 7th - Youth Group pulpit practice.
  • Sunday, March 8th - Whole congregation youth led worship service. Remember to spring forward for daylight savings!
  • Adult Journey Groups meet monthly on the 2nd Thursday and Friday, the 3rd Thursday and Friday, the 4th Sunday and Wednesday, and the 4th Thursday. Click here for more information and the February On the Journey packet. The theme this month is God.  

I look forward to seeing you!
in fellowship, Tracy

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