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REjuvenation!
Religious Education News - February 2007
REjuvenation! ArchivesA Note from Reverend Bonnie
What do you believe about God?
Our Junior High class is deeply engaged in an exciting curriculum called Compass Points. They recently surveyed the congregation about various understandings of God. Here are the results:
154 surveys were submitted. The number of times a response was chosen is in parentheses. Personal additions to survey are also in parentheses.
Statements offered:
- God is like a loving mother who sustains us and all life. (10) (and father)
- God is present in the relationship among people. (27)
- God cares for us and listens to our prayers. (10) (and answers)
- God is my conscience calling me to make the world a better place. (26)
- I find God in nature. (61)
- God and the Universe are the same-God is in everything and everyone. (50)
- God created the universe and then left it to run itself. (2)
- Creation is on-going and we are co-creators with God. (33)
- There is spark of divinity in each of us. (70) (souls are eternal)
- My beliefs about Jesus make me feel closer to God. (5)
- There are probably as many ideas about God as there are people. (64)
- I believe there is a higher power, not necessarily God. (22)
- We can use science and reason to understand our Universe. (65) (we can try)
- There is no way we can know whether or not there is a God. (39)
- There is no such thing as God and even the word is meaningless. (11) (insulting) (it may be meaningful to others)
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
- The Universe is a divine female energy that is infinite and creative
- I believe that God is love
- We all are a part of God
- God is love and love is the totality of the goodness in the universe
The number of surveys that did not follow the instructions of choosing 3 or less: 13
I'm proud to be part of a congregation that encourages open and free thinking for our youth and adults. Thanks to all who participated!
Faithfully,
Reverend Bonnie
February RE Calendar
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| February 3, Saturday | 9:30 - 11:30 am Dynamic Dads Retreat 5:30 pm GATE Spaghetti Dinner 7:00 pm Kids Coffeehouse |
| February 4, Sunday | 9:30 am Nursery - 5th grade RE classes only 11:00 am Nursery - Senior High classes Both services Children K-5th grade begin in service for first 15 minutes, then attend class as usual 10:30 - 11:00 am Chalice Choir rehearsal in music room |
| February 9, Friday |
9:30 - 11:00 am Playgroup meets in the nursery
|
| February 11, Sunday |
Children K-3rd grade begin morning in Children's Chapel Children 4th-5th grades end morning in Children's Chapel RE Classes as usual 10:30 - 11:00 am Chalice Choir rehearsal in music room 11:00 am GATE adult partners in class 12:00 noon RE Council meeting in room 001 |
| February 17, Sunday |
Family Potluck at 5:00 pm in Adams Hall (see article)
|
| February 18, Sunday |
RE Classes and Chapel as usual 10:30 - 11:00 am Chalice Choir rehearsal in music room |
| February 25, Sunday |
RE Classes and Chapel as usual 9:30 - 10:30 am Family Ritual Round Table Discussion in Rm 001 (see article) 10:30 - 11:00 am Chalice Choir rehearsal in music room |
Potluck Fun
Are you stuck in a rut? Tired of the same old dinner with just your same old family? Wishing you had someplace fun to have dinner? We've got the perfect antidote to your winter doldrums! Bring your family to the Spring Semester Family Potluck on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. We'll supply the dessert and drinks and you need to bring:
A main dish AND a side dish (e.g. salad, veggies, fruit, bread).
Be sure to bring MORE than enough to feed your family, so that we have enough to share all around.
We'll have a CUPCAKE WALK for dessert (if you don't know what that is, you need to come find out!) and various informative materials about Spring Semester available for you to take home. Members from our five RE committees will be attending too, so you can ask questions if you have any. Hope you can make it!
Creating Family Rituals With and For Children
A One-Hour Workshop on February 25th in Room 001 from 9:30 am to 10:30 am.We Unitarian Universalists don't have handed down to us the carefully prescribed traditions of many other faiths, so we have to figure out on our own and with each other how to practice our beliefs by incorporating them into our daily, weekly, and holiday family traditions. The routines and rituals of our family life provide meaning and security, teach our values, help children cope with stress and strain of normal daily transitions and larger events, and provide rich memories.
Join other parents for an hour-long workshop on February 25th, organized by the Family Support and Outreach Committee. The program will be a moderated discussion with a possibility for a longer series held at a later date based upon the work of Meg Cox, author and a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, New Jersey. She is the author of "The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays and Everyday" (Running Press, 2003). See you there!
Kids Coffeehouse
Saturday, February 3 at 7:00 pmWe hope you've already signed up to strut your stuff (please do so by January 28). Sign up sheets are posted on the RE bulletin board and outside the Senior Youth classroom. If you've got a talent you want to share with us, this is the perfect opportunity!
Too shy to perform? That's okay - we need an audience too. Plan on attending this fun evening of boffo acts, good food, and friendly community!
Dynamic Dads
Spiritual Retreat for 3 - 6 year oldsFebruary 3, Saturday 9:30 - 11:30
Registration forms for the retreat are due back by January 28. Moms are invited too! For more info, please pick up a form outside of Joan Casey's office.
Guest At Your Table
Guest At Your Table boxes yielded $299.76 for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee!
Fire Safety
Knowing what to do in an emergency is important at any time, but particularly critical when there are lots of lives at stake. At our Spring Teacher Orientation, we had our first ever Fire Drill. I'm proud to report that our teachers evacuated with their "children" in 1 minute, 20 seconds.
Now that our teachers are learning what to do if we have a fire at Eliot on a Sunday morning, we want parents to be sure to know what to do.
IF A FIRE ALARM GOES OFF:
Parents - please evacuate the building using the closest available exit. DO NOT come looking for your child! Teachers will evacuate their classrooms. You will be able to pick up your child in the grassy area by the second parking lot to the southeast of the building.
It's really important that you fight your natural instinct to look for your child. Teachers need to be able to keep track of all the children in their care.
If you have any questions please see Joan Casey.
Thank You Fall Teachers!
We had a great Fall Semester. Thanks to all our dedicated teachers:
9:30 - Lori Allen, Mike Antoine, Lea Ann Baker, Juliette Crone-Willis, Wendy Cutshaw, Susan Duncan, Amy Endrizal, Jamie Fitzgerald, Kim Fitzgerald, Tracey Howe-Koch, Cordell Jeffries, Christi Lemery, William Lemon, Adrienne Linden, Holly McKinney, Jeff McKinney, Eva Merrell, Marlene Mestres, Jeff Morris, Jane Pack, Natalie Rekittke, Sandra Rhodes, Ellen Smith, Sarah Stuhlsatz-Krouper, Rich Vaughn, Susan Vent, Dianne Wagner, Rich Wagner, Karol Walters, and Chris Young-Pour.
11:00 - Hilary Babcock, Stacy Bereza-Bowen, Dotty Brenner, Beth Campbell-Blethroad, Trish Champion, Bob Coulter, Ellen Cowell, Denise DeGhelder, Sarah Engle, Betsy Fallstrom, Cindy Haynes, Jennifer Henderson, Mary Hill, Holly Ingraham, Terry Smith Keller, Doris Kutz-Compton, Julie Leemann, Leslie Loving, Dave Maguire, Margo McIlroy, Helen McIntosh, Lynn Murphy, Douglas Riggs, Sandy Riggs, Katy Rock, Leslie Scherrer, Rachel Spann, Judy Stucki, Martin Taveras, Mike Teepe, Shelley Teepe, Brent Vaughn, Lisa Ward, Harold Waxman, LK Wilhelms, and Cat Wood.
Playgroup Fun
Back by popular demand! If you've been craving a little adult conversation in your day, then we're the group for you! Playgroup starts up again on Friday, February 9 at 9:30 in the nursery. All parents with tots are invited. Hope to see you there!
Youth News
The Senior Youth are busy planning for the Spring Con, which is scheduled for March 2 - 4. They'll have a lock in on February 23 to do the last minute planning. The Spring Con is for all our Senior Youth. 8th graders are also invited.
UU Parenting group
Join our UU Parenting group on Yahoo anytime. Just go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uuparenting to get started.
Have a Milestone in your life to share?Have a Milestone in your life to share? Know of an Eliot student living his or her faith? Please contact Joan Casey so that we can share your family's news in REjuvenation!, our children's RE newsletter, and on our RE bulletin board on the wall leading into Adams Hall. For More News...
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