Postings from the minister and staff See also: CUUC Website
2020-12-19
Religious Education: December 18, 2020 (Spring 2021 Information)
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Religious Education & Faith Development Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains December 18, 2020
2020-2021 Religious Education (RE) theme: JUSTICE & EQUITY
Supporting our young people in understanding justice issues, articulating their values, and engaging in faith in action with CUUC Social Justice teams.
Coachman Gift Cards
The Coachman Family Center in White Plains provides housing for families experiencing homelessness. For over 25 years CUUC has been providing holiday gifts for the children who live at the Coachman.
Only 25 left to go! Help us reach our goal of giving a $25 gift card to each of the 200 school-age children at Coachman Family Center. Mail checks to CUUC with the memo “Coachman Gift Cards.” Or donate online here, selecting “Coachman Gift Cards” from the dropdown. Learn more about our gift card collection here. Contact Jacy Good (goodjacy@gmail.com).
Thank you for helping make a child's holiday a little more special.
Christmas Pageant This Sunday
“Zooom Goes The Christmas Pageant”
Sunday, December 20, 10:00am Zoom Room 2210
Get ready to dress up and participate at home. Is this the year you're going to be one of the Wise Monarchs? Or a shepherd? Or an angel?
Maybe you'd like to be Mary for this year's pageant -- or Joseph. Or one of the animals -- sheep, goats, horses. We'll be in Zoom Room 2210(rather than our usual webinar zoom), so we can see each other if we choose to turn our video on as we participate in the pageant from home this year.
We are excited to share spring 2021 RE information with you!We will continue to meet online, 2-3 times each month on Sundays after worship. When conditions permit, we may schedule some in-person gatherings, outside and observing safety measures. We continue partnering with youth and leaders from the Rockland UU congregation, and this spring also with youth and leaders from the Croton UU.
PreK-K Community Diane and Hans will host PreK/K playdates on the CUUC playground when conditions permit and may have some online activities. Stay tuned for information.
K-4th Grade Classes Spring justice and solidarity areas include LGBTQIA+, Race, Indigenous, Immigration and Climate. We look forward to inviting guest speakers to enhance discussions and build community with the children.
5th-12th Grade Classes We were scheduled to offer Our Whole Lives (OWL) classes this year but we cannot offer comprehensive sexuality education online due to challenges around confidentiality and support. We are not offering OWL online, but we are supporting related topics. Our spring schedule will include conversations about healthy relationships and communication, consent, boundaries, bullying and social media, gender identity, sexual orientation, managing and transforming conflict, decision making, living into our values and justice making. Omitting intimate aspects of sexuality, these classes will explore the ways in which we understand ourselves and carry our values into equitable relationships with others. We will use some materials from the OWL curriculum but we are not offering comprehensive sexuality education while we are online.
Class groups are 5th-7th, 7th-9th, and 10th-12th grade. 7th graders can choose the younger or older class. All will discuss the same topics at age appropriate levels. The spring justice and equity focus in 5th-12th grade classes will be LGBTQIA+ justice, while continuing to support 8th Principle and other racial justice initiatives.
Parents and Caregivers Classes We have a wonderful curriculum for adults to accompany the youth classes, Parents & Caregivers as Sexuality Educators. This offers adults an opportunity to recall and explore their own experiences as youth, and to be intentional about how they want to support the youth in their lives who are navigating their own evolving identity and relationships. In separate classes, adults and youth will discuss the same topics as a way to support conversations at home. Materials will be included in the weekly RE newsletters for those who cannot attend online. Adults are welcome to participate even if they do not have a youth participating.
January 3rd Parent Mtg
Join us Sunday, January 3rd at 12:00pm for an overview of the spring classes and a mid-year check in. We have plenty to share with you, including a list of class topics, and we'd love to hear from you!
Spring RE overview, class dates and times, and Zoom links are on the 2020-2021 RE Schedule, which you can always find on our webpage, cucwp.org.
Our CUUC web calendarwill also have Zoom links for all events. This is also available on our website.
K-12th Grade Class Dates: January 10, 24 & 31; February 14 & 28; March 14 & 28; April 11 & 25; May 16 & 23; June 13.
Parents and Caregivers Class Dates: January 10, 24 & 31; February 14 & 28; March 14 & 28; April 11 & 25; May 16.
All log in to Zoom Room 8428 then each class meets in their own breakout room.
K-4th class meets 11:40am-12:15pm
5th-7th class meets 11:40am-12:40pm
7th-9th class meets 11:50am-12:50pm
10th-12th class meets 12:00-1:00pm
Parents & Caregivers class meets 12:00-1:00pm
Community
CUUC Dance Video
Let's have some fun! Terri and the Past Prime Time Dancers invite you to participate in a dance video. All are welcome to contribute videos or photos to the project. Click here for instructions. Videos/photos should be submitted to Terri by January 1.
Our LGBTPQIA+ Family
The holidays can be especially difficult for those who are not able to share their full selves or celebrate their loves with families of origin, or who have been rejected for doing so. To our LGBTPQIA+ family of all ages and stages: You are whole and holy, and you are loved. PFLAG offers these suggestions for taking care of yourself and navigating gatherings.
Know you are not alone. Click here for links to hotlines and other support. If you need a message of unconditional love and affirmation, read this fierce message of support from S. Bear Bergman. You can also text or call Tracy for a friendly ear (914-434-7539). ALLIES: PFLAG offers suggestions for friends and family. The Ossining LGBTQ Alliance sharesthis guidefor being a LGBTQ ally during the holiday season.
UPLIFT Trans/Nonbinary Monthly Gathering
Every fourth Tuesday, 8:00pm, UPLIFT monthly drop in gatherings are focused on trans, nonbinary, and other not (completely or at all) cis UUs. Join us to connect with other trans/nonbinary UUs and co-create support and community across our faith. This space is intentionallymulti-generational. It is open to and welcoming of trans/nonbinary elders as well as children, youth, and young adults. Standard UUA online safety measures apply to ensure all people under 18 are able to attend. Meetings are not recorded, and participation, as well as what is shared, is confidential. There is no requirement to appear on video or to otherwise maintain “conventional” appearances.
Those who identify as Black, Indigenous or a person of color (BIPOC) are invited to join the Central East Region's BIPOC gathering. This is an opportunity for lay members and leaders of color, and religious professionals of color to be in community. Our conversations focus on topics like wellness and resilience and our goal is to center BIPOC experiences and create space to explore our UU experiences. Please email Sana Saeed (ssaeed@uua.org) for zoom information.
UU BIPOC Caring Collective
The UU BIPOC Caring Collective is a sacred space of compassion and care for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. This year has rocked our BIPOC communities and lives in unconscionable ways. We invite you to come into a beautifully coordinated online sacred space, held by BIPOC UUs. This is a place for respite, listening, sharing or silence. You may even enter and find a space filled with song, poetry, prayer or reflection. We will do our best to have whatever you need for the time you’re there. Mondays & Wednesdays & Saturdays, 3-5pm & 7-9pm. Thursdays, 7-9pm. Special hours during the week of December 21st: 3-6pm on the 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th. Please register at bit.ly/UUBIPOCCare.
Holiday Cards for Caring & Sharing ~ A Couple Addresses Still Available ~
CUUC Caring & Sharing is preparing their annual holiday baskets. Goodies will be dropped off so we do not need volunteers to deliver and visit. We do, however, need holiday cards for each person. If you would like to write and mail a holiday card, contact Tracy for a recipient (cuucwptracy@gmail.com).
Ecumenical Food Pantry
In November we make our once-a-year appeal for direct donations to the Ecumenical Emergency Food Pantry of White Plains. Since March, the number of people served has soared and it is now estimated that one in five in our county are nutrition insecure.Learn more here. Mail checks to CUUC with the memo “Food Pantry.” Or to pay online at cucwp.org, click the yellow Donate button, then "Use this donation for," select "Other," and type in the Note "Food Pantry." A small percentage of online donations go to PayPal fees; you may choose to increase your donation by a few dollars to compensate. Contact: John Cavallero (jcwpny@gmail.com)
NEW items to be donated: There is need for mittens, gloves, hats, scarves, socks and underwear. Large and X-large items for men are especially needed. Also, new toiletries for shelter residents, including shampoo, lotion, razors and deodorant.
USED items to be donated: There is need for winter clothing such as warm sweaters, coats, hoodies, pants, boots, etc. for men, women, and children.
Donations can be dropped off now in front of CUUC’s doors, in the Rubbermaid containers. Please use large white plastic bags and clearly mark "Used" or "New." New and used items must be kept separate.
For further information call Samaritan House (914-948-3075) or
Ray Messing (914-592-4497). Your support is deeply appreciated!
Stay In the Know
Click HERE for the Spring 2021Religious Exploration (RE) overview, schedule, and Zoom links
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