I was reading over Benette’s newsletter from last year at this time and she had the following list:
My dream(s) for this year are:
- that all adults know the children and youth by name and have at least one conversation with them
- that great joy and lots of laughter and gratitude will be apparent in our inter-generational services
- that our children and youth will participate in meaningful social justice activities
- that children, youth and adults will support and mentor each other to greater spiritual depth and practice
- that the church will find the perfect DRE
- that church work will be thought of as holy and sacred work
It’s an amazing list with big aspirations, and one I’d like to dream as well, but number 5 has me a little worried. If nothing else, I can promise one thing – I will not be perfect. My goal is to embrace my imperfections with humor and humility, and hope I can serve as a model for that. I have already made many mistakes, ones I can learn from, and as I enter uncharted waters I will ask you all, the members and friends of this congregation, to ride the tide with me. It is with a crew that works together that will serve this ship in times of rough sea and enjoy the peacefulness of calm waters in fellowship.
Love is like a carefully loaded ship, crosses the gulf between the generations.
~ Antoine De St.-Exupéry
This year’s summer camp was exciting and a baptism-by-fire for me – being my first one and all. Our theme was The Earth is Our Mother, written and put together by Benette. She will be a tough act to follow.
Many thanks to our parent helpers Robyn Schultz, Kimberly Petersen, Tara Adams, Monica Thompson, Kristen Dors, Amy Pickett, Beth Bowman, Deidra Remde, Keeley Power, Joan Alexander, and my co-leader and resident accompanist Susan Mendel.
Our LIT’s (leaders-in-training) included Rowan Cantua, Devin Cantua, Drake Terrill, Theodore Peterson, Rory Cooley, Michelle Alexander, and Elannah Venhaus. They were amazing and helped supervise the 22 younger campers who attended. One more thank you goes to Susanna, who planned ahead and helped organize the space use for camp.
We had fun, fellowship, and made some special friendships.
It may take me the year to recover, but what would summer be without summer camp?
RE NEWS
Welcome to our children and youth, and of course our teachers, back to begin another church year. The RE classes are being put back together after room and office changes. The RE Committee (REC) has been busy bringing me up to date on the many aspects of the RE program and I am excited about my inaugural season as Director of Lifespan RE.
The REC has expanded to include a lifespan RE focus and I felt it important to add it to the position title. Officially it will be DLRE, but DRE is still the “name” I’m sure I’ll go by. We hope to continue the conversation on how to incorporate the congregation’s adult activities and classes in the lifespan learning capacity.
We also plan to have several Adult RE classes offered in the fall and spring. A few ideas are a Dream Work Seminar led by Eugene Kovalenko, who did a Forum in May, and Eleanor Cooley, UNM Continuing Ed Instructor (and Jim Cooley’s mom) has several ideas for some enlightening discussions. Stay tuned for upcoming offerings. We will have a table with information and sign up soon.
I’m grateful for the RE committee members, Theresa Cull as chair, Mark Peterson, Jim Cooley, Tara Adams, and Steve Niezgoda. They have been a tremendous support for me and have a dedicated spirit to this important work of the church.
New this Year — an online registration form. Find it here: http://www.uulosalamos.org/religious-exploration/. If you have not updated your child’s form, please take time to fill out a new one. You will also find a link for the Children and Youth Safety Policy, which can be viewed here as well.
Children and youth are invited to sit with their parents at each service through Time for All Ages, which is approximately for 20 minutes. This time is important in several ways:
- It can be a shared time for your family as well as making a connection with the wider church community.
- Children need to see parents and other adults model behavior of stillness and quiet — although we do not expect silence from young children, it is a way for them to learn to be still.
Structured Childcare and Children’s Chapel is provided after they leave the service in the Assembly Room or on the playground.
We have a Coming of Age group that will meet throughout the year that culminates with a service in March. It is a time to honor those youth who will transition from pre-teen to youth and is a powerful time of reflection for both the youth and their families. We have mentors working with each participant so it is a truly an inter-generational program for our congregation.
De Anna Hoyle
Director of Lifespan Religious Exploration
