2022-12-22

December 25, 2022: Religious Exploration

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Religious Exploration & Faith Development
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains
December 25, 2022

2022-2023 RE Theme: Unitarian Universalist Identity
Overview of the Year & Upcoming Schedule

Full K-7th Grade Schedule (.pdf) & Full 8th-12th Grade Schedule (.pdf)
View past newsletters at bit.ly/CUUCRENews
Spotlight
January 1 Worship
Youth Led

Our youth are planning and leading a very special January 1st service, following a format used when youth plan and lead worship for each other at Cons and other events. Come experience interactive circle worship with meaningful new year rituals, stories, and a theme of accepting failure and trying again, sustaining, and reinventing ourselves. It will be a lovely opportunity to begin anew.

No Childcare 12/24, 12/25, 1/1
Quiet Activity Area in the Sanctuary

Please know that we will not have childcare for the Christmas Eve (12/24), Christmas day (12/25), and New Years day (1/1) worship services. We offer a quiet activity area in the sanctuary for families. The January 1st worship will be led by youth with stories and rituals. Children will love it!

When children are in the activity area, we ask parents/caregivers to sit near your children so you can monitor activity and help our young UUs learn to navigate the worship space.

New Story Beginning Jan 5

Every Thursday, 7:30pm, Zoom 3131
The story time group is finishing the first book in The Tillerman Cycle series by Cynthia Voigt. Barbara will begin reading the second book in the new year. This is especially for older children and youth. She offers a synopsis of the first book so you can join the group for the next one! Click here to hear Barbara read excerpts from the first book and her invitation to join the weekly group for the second book. Zoom login: https://bit.ly/CUUC-Zoom-3131 | Phone (audio only): 646-876-9923 | Meeting ID: 313 195 3131, Passcode: 468468. Contact Barbara Mair, barbara.k.mair@icloud.com

Saturday, December 24

5:30pm Worship
Christmas Eve

~ Rev. Meredith Garmon
Our annual candlelight service of readings and carols. Childcare will not be offered but the sanctuary activity area is available for families. 

Visit our website for the worship order of service. We continue to wear masks for worship services in the building. Click here to join the live-stream of our service or phone in (audio only): 646-876-9923 · Webinar: 761 321 991 · Passcode: 468468. 

Youth & Young Adult
Candle Lighters

We invite youth and young adults to pass the flame as we light everyone's candles during the Christmas Eve service. If you would like to participate, contact Tracy (cuucwptracy@gmail.com) and plan to arrive by 5:15pm to receive assignments from Karen L. 

Sunday, December 25

10:00am Worship
Christmas Day

~ Nicole Turygin
Join us for an informal, lay-led sharing service, facilitated by Nicole Turygin. Childcare will not be offered but the sanctuary activity area is available for families. 

Visit our website for the Sunday order of service. We continue to wear masks for Sunday morning worship and RE in the building. 

Click here to join the live-stream of our Sunday Worship or phone in (audio only): 646-876-9923 · Webinar: 761 321 991 · Passcode: 468468. Everyone live-streaming the service is invited to stay online afterward to socialize on Zoom. Log in to bit.ly/CUUC-CoffeeHour or phone: 929-436-2866. Meeting: 336 956 2210, Passcode: 468468.

Quiet Activity Area in the Sanctuary
No Childcare 12/24, 12/25, 1/1

Please know that we will not have childcare for the Christmas Eve (12/24), Christmas day (12/25), and New Years day (1/1) worship services. We offer a quiet activity area in the sanctuary for families. The January 1st worship will be led by youth with stories and rituals. Children will love it!

When children are in the activity area, we ask parents/caregivers to sit near your children so you can help minimize distractions as our young UUs learn to navigate the worship space, then encourage them to tidy up the area after worship.

Religious Education
on break through Jan 8

Families attend the whole congregation worship service. Religious Education classes and Youth Group do not meet.
Holiday Giving Opportunities

Clothing Drive

The Reproductive Justice and Hunger and Homelessness Social Justice teams are collecting gently used clothing for infants, children, and teens (newborn–18) to be distributed to local families in need through 914Cares.

Please leave items in the donation boxes in the lobby through January 20. We are encouraging RE families to conduct “mini-drives” in your neighborhoods by asking friends and family members to donate clothing. There will also be opportunities for children and youth to help sort donated items—stay tuned for details! Please contact Terri Kung (madterri@gmail.com) or Carolyn Hanson (carolynhanson77@gmail.com) for more information. 

Mitten Tree

Share the gift of warmth! Decorate our mitten tree with your donations of mittens, gloves, hats, and scarves for all ages and sizes. Under the boughs, we'll collect new women’s and men’s socks and underwear (men’s XL especially needed). All items will be donated to three local shelters for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. If you're curious, click here to see the story that lent inspiration to the Mitten Tree tradition.

Appeal for Minister's
Discretionary Fund

 The Minister’s Discretionary Fund allows Rev. Meredith to provide confidential assistance to those experiencing financial hardship. Please consider a donation to help us replenish the fund and give our minister the ability to help others. Make checks out to CUUC with the memo “MDF” or “Discretionary Fund.” Or use the Donate button on our website.

Community
Upcoming K-12th Grade Schedule
 
December 25th -January 1st, families attend whole congregation worship together. Classes and Youth Group do not meet. We resume January 8th with K-7th grade Chapel and 8th-12th grade Youth Group.
January 15th, there will be Social Justice programs for 1st-12th grades. January 22nd, K-9th grade RE classes resume and David B will lead a second OWL parent orientation. Schedules are available here: K-7th Grade (.pdf) 8th-12th Grade (.pdf).
Holiday Volunteering Opportunities

Voiunteer New York has a list of nearly 100 ways to volunteer during the holidays, in person and online. Click here for the opportunities

Spring OWL Classes
Invite Friends!

This year, we are offering the Our Whole Lives (OWL) curriculum for 1st-9th graders and parents/caregivers. Our classes are open to the community and this curriculum is indispensable, supporting healthy decision making and self-esteem, understanding dynamics in relationships, affirming all sexual orientations and gender identities, and encouraging communication between parents and their children. We encourage you to spread the word. 
The 8th-9th grade class is already underway. Coming up, the 1st-3rd grade class starts in January during Sunday morning RE. The 4th-5th, 6th-7th grade and parent/caregiver classes will be offered at CUUC over three Friday evenings, February 10, March 10, and April 14. The parent and caregiver class will include additional online dates to complete all twelve sessions. Classes are open to all who share the values of self-worth, health, responsibility and justice.

This is a great opportunity to invite friends and community members who are new to Unitarian Universalism and CUUC. Please help us advertise by sharing two pamphlets with friends, in your online groups, and elsewhere: Spring 2023 Sunday morning 1st-3rd grade class and family resources; and Friday evening 4th-5th, 6th-7th & Parent/Caregiver classes
Conversation with Families
Exploring the Future of RE at CUUC

Sun, March 19, 11:30am, Fellowship Hall and Zoom 8428
Times are changing, as are family needs and schedules. Join members of the RE Council and Tracy for a visioning discussion about the future of RE at CUUC. We will discuss feedback shared by the Self-Assessment Committee from the congregational survey, then explore what Religious Exploration and faith development might look like here in the coming years. It is exciting to think about what we can build together! Contact Tracy B, cuucwptracy@gmail.com

Honoring Consent

A core tenet of Our Whole Lives (OWL) is affirmative consent in all encounters. Sex Positive Families reminds us that maintaining consent and healthy boundaries during the holidays can present challenges in families.

Sex Positive Families offers the resources below for supporting young people related to affection with relatives, selective eating, and pictures, as well as supporting people of all ages in being respected as whole beings.
Class & Youth Group Schedules
K-7th Grade (.pdf) |  8th-12th Grade (.pdf)
Weekly Newsletters
Stay up to date by receiving the weekly RE newsletter (sign up here; read past Issues here) and weekly CUUC e-Communitarian (sign up here; read past issues here).
Tracy Breneman, Director of Religious Exploration and Faith Development, cuucwptracy@gmail.com
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains  
468 Rosedale Ave · White Plains, NY 10605-5419