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2020-09-10

Religious Education: September 10, 2020

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Religious Education & Faith Development
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains
September 10, 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.

COMMUNITY
Action Needed: New Newsletter Lists
 
We edited our newsletter lists for new classes this year. NEXT WEEK, we will resume sending individual newsletters for each class. PLEASE take a moment to verify you are linked to the correct newsletter list(s) and update your information as needed. Click HERE or click "Update Your Preferences" down below. 
Family/grade lists will advance automatically next year. Past RE volunteers are welcome join class lists even if you aren't leading RE this fall. Weekly newsletters are also posted on the CUUC blog, online here.
Children's Story Time 

TONIGHT! Thursdays, 7:05pm Check-In & 7:15-8:00pm Story, Room 4635. Barbara Mair continues reading "The Saturdays" by Elizabeth Enright. Click HERE for a description of the story and coloring sheets.  Click HERE to listen to Barbara read parts 1 & 2. Next up, Jonathan will read "A Dog's Porpoise" by M.C. Ross. To secure this space for our children, Tracy will greet you when you log in then transfer you to the story time breakout room. Room 4635| Zoom Mtg ID 602 164 635 & Pswd 468468.
SATURDAY 12-3pm
Outdoor Fun Day for All Ages
 
We aren't reopening our building yet but we do have beautiful grounds and this Saturday's weather will be gorgeous! If you are ready for some in-person contact, join us in the CUUC Lower Parking Lot. 
We will continue to prioritize the health and safety of our community by staying outside (except to use restrooms), wearing masks, maintaining responsible physical distance and using hand sanitizer.         

BRING: Lawn or camping chairs, your own picnic lunch, frisbees, scooters, skateboards, balls and other distanced games.
ACTIVITIES: Catch up and join us for tie-dyeing (bring anything cotton to tie-dye), rock painting, making glitter masks, drawing with sidewalk chalk, guided trail walks, identifying birds, dancing, frisbee and other distanced games you bring.
8th-12th GRADE YOUTH GROUP: Meet at 1pm in the Spirit Grove for SR Youth Group with Cyndi & Daniel Tillman. Lots to talk about for the year ahead!
RSVP: Help us plan craft tables and space set up by sending your RSVP to cuucevents@gmail.com. 
TICKS: If you will walk the trails, we suggest you wear long pants and closed shoes, and use bug spray to deter ticks and insects. Then, a shower and tick check at home. Find more guidelines HERE.
Resources for a New School Year

With the new school year starting during a pandemic, many parents, children, and youth are feeling stressed. We hope these resources are helpful:
If you are struggling, please reach out for support: Westchester's St. Vincent's Crisis Team, 914-925-5959; NAMI HelpLine, 914-592-5458; National Suicide Hotline, 800-273-8255; The Trans Lifeline, 877-565-8860. Get some CUUC Caring & Sharing TLC by contacting Paula Meighan, 914-924-0204, or Liz Laite, 914-366-4211. 
Be Inspired
  • Center for Healthy Minds Series: Our Actions can Plant Seeds for a Better Tomorrow, Well-Being Tips & a Discussion with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
  • VOTE! Encourage others to vote, like our 5th-7th grade RE class will be doing with Karen Leahy & UU the Vote! You can also Rock the Vote. All registered NY voters can request an absentee ballot TODAY under the "temporary illness" designation; request your absentee ballot HERE.
  • The UU Soul Matters group offers this family resource about RENEWAL with activities and discussion prompts. When we embrace renewal, we accept that what worked in the past may not work in the future, and we trade the confidence of experience and mastery for the release, excitement, and opportunity of beginner’s mind. That kind of renewal is a gift to our kids and ourselves.
  • Soul Matters also shares their Spotify playlists related to their monthly themes.
  • Stay tuned for family resources related to our CUUC themes of Resilience (October), Hope (November), and Abundance (December).

FALL 2020: FAITH IN ACTION
Fall 2020 information is below. Information for Pre-K families coming soon! Next week, classes will receive individualized newsletters. Make sure you have been added to the correct list(s) by clicking "Update Your Preferences" below. 

Plans for Spring 2021 RE are not yet set. We hope to be able to meet in person so we can offer Our Whole Lives (OWL) for 5th-6th grade, 7th-9th grade, and the Parents and Caregivers as Sexuality Educators curriculum, as well as other beloved curricula. We hold the safety of our community as our highest priority and will review conditions later this fall in collaboration with our Reopening Planning Committee.

K - 4th Grade, Hunger/Food Insecurity & Homelessness

RE Leaders: Laura Sehdeva, Laura Goodspeed, Norm Handelman
SJ Leader: Nicole Turygin
Class Begins Sunday, September 20th, 11:30am-12:15pm 
Class Meets Online 7 Times Through December
Zoom 8428 Breakout Room | Zoom Mtg ID 817 388 428 + Passcode: 468468

Click HERE for the updated schedule and additional information. 
 

Supporting Local Families
Experiencing Food Insecurity
The CUUC Hunger and Homelessness team and the Brunch Committee continue partnering with HOPE Kitchen to provide support for local families experiencing ongoing food insecurity. The need is great! Everyone at CUUC can help by making a financial donation for ingredients and supplies. With just $100 we can feed 200 people! Any donation is helpful. You can contribute by clicking the Donate button on our website or sending a check to CUUC with “Share the Plate - HOPE” in the memo line. Contact: Nicole Turygin (nturygin@gmail.com) and Steve Miller (obitsman@gmail.com). 

5th - 7th Grade, Democratic Participation

RE Leaders: Denice Tomlinson, Alex Sehdeva, Gail Johnston
SJ Leader: Karen Leahy, UU the Vote
Class Begins Sunday, September 20th, 11:45am-12:30pm  
Zoom 8428 Breakout Room | Zoom Mtg ID 817 388 428 + Passcode: 468468
Class Meets Online *9 Times Through December - Youth will be making a video about why it is important to them that adults vote so they are adding two extra classes before the election. You'll be able to share the video with family and friends!

Click HERE for the updated schedule and additional information. 

8th - 12th Grade, Racial Justice

SR YOUTH GROUP
Leaders: Cyndi & Daniel Tillman
Youth Group kicks off this Saturday at CUUC Outdoor Fun Day, 1:00pm! Bring a frisbee or ball for outdoor games then gather in the Spirit Grove for discussion that will include choosing a youth representative for the CUUC Board of Trustees. 

SUNDAY RE CLASS
RE Leaders: Cyndi & Daniel Tillman
SJ Leader: Jeff Tomlinson, In the Spirit of Truth/Racial Justice
Class Begins Sunday, September 20th, 12:00-1:00pm
Class Meets Online 7 Times Through December
Zoom 8428 Breakout Room | Zoom Mtg ID 817 388 428 + Passcode: 468468

Click HERE for the updated schedule and additional information. 
 
Know Our History | Shape the Future

This Sunday, September 13th, 4:00pm, Room 7899
To understand current movements against anti-Blackness and for racial justice, we need to understand our country's history. This Sunday we'll discuss Linda Villarosa's essay, "Medical Inequality." We will also discuss an essay that the same author (click here) published in April 2020 on Covid-19 and the toll it has taken in the African American community. 

Adult Classes and Groups

Every Sunday at 1:30pm there will be an Adult Religious Education offering led by Rev. Meredith, Tracy, or CUUC teams. Watch the weekly RE newsletter, e-Communitarian or CUUC calendar for topics.

Three Sundays this fall during the 1:30pm hour, Tracy will offer support space for adults having conversations with young people about our fall justice topics. We will share ideas for discussing democratic participation, hunger/food insecurity, homelessness, anti-Blackness and racial justice as faith and justice issues. Dates are posted on the Fall RE schedule. 

The CUUC Journey Groups are a way to deepen our understanding of life and strengthen our connections to one another by exploring monthly themes together. The Family Journey Group, led by Alex Sehdeva and Irene Cox, meets monthly on 2nd Fridays. Click HERE to see all groups and select the one that works best for you. For the September issue of On the Journey: "Journeying & Wandering," click HERE.

STAY CONNECTED & INFORMED
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains  
468 Rosedale Ave · White Plains, NY 10605-5419






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