Religious Exploration & Faith Development
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains
October 2, 2022
2022-2023 RE Theme: Unitarian Universalist Identity
Overview of the Year & Upcoming Schedule
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10/1 PlaceKeeping
Come Observe How the Water Flows
Sat Oct 1st, 10:00am, Lower Parking Lot
Regular activities for First Saturday PlaceKeeping and RE/PlaceKeeping are suspended due to the rain forecast. However, at 10:00am, Bice will lead a walk around the grounds in the rain to observe how the water moves through our property. Dress appropriately. Meet in the lower parking lot. Walking in the rain can be fun! Contact Bice Wilson, bicewilson@gmail.com.
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Welcome Max!
Max Templer will be serving as a childcare provider and Youth Group leader this year. We are delighted to have him! Please extend your welcome. Max writes: Hello! I'm Max Templer. I have been a member of CUUC since before I can remember. I am super excited to be back and active in the congregation now that I have just graduated from college!
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Childcare
Sundays, 9:45am-11:45am, Room 32, Yellow Hallway
Diane and Hans welcome young children in childcare. We offer a safe, loving environment where our youngest build community. We wear masks and play outside when weather permits.
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1st-12th Grade Classes
& Youth Group Meet
Sunday, Oct 2, 10:00-11:15am in the Classrooms
Religious Exploration classes for 1st-9th grade and Youth Group meet this Sunday. Go directly to the classrooms, not the sanctuary. The schedule posted here is updated regularly. A link to this is also on the homepage of our website.
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1st-3rd Grade Class, Signs of Our Faith
Room 33, Yellow Hallway
Session 1, Signs, Symbols, and Rituals
Laura S is leading, assisted by Jessica L. In this session, children learn what we mean when we talk about signs, symbols, and rituals, and examine why rituals are important to connect us to each other and our faith. They also hear a foundational statement of this program that will be repeated: Our behavior every day is a sign of our faith. Children in 3rd grade and younger must be picked up in their classrooms. Please do so right after worship so RE leaders can go to other activities.
4th-5th Grade Class, Toolbox of Faith
Room 41, Green Hallway
Session 7, Democratic Process (Chalk)
Laura G and Nicholas A are leading. The toolbox symbolizes our Unitarian Universalist faith. This session provides opportunities to reflect on a variety of decision-making processes, including voting and consensus making. Reflections may include whether "majority rule" is fair. Unitarian Universalists hope that people have a say in the things that concern them. This class leads into discussions the following two Sundays with the Democracy Now Team.
6th-7th Grade Class, Riddle & Mystery
Room 13, Red Hallway
Session 2, Religion to the Rescue
Mohammed L and Nicole T are leading. Big Question: What are we? Understanding and describing their religion can be a challenge for young Unitarian Universalists. Activities center on exploring Paul Gauguin's second big question—"What are we?"—and offer participants "Unitarian Universalists" as one answer. The session delves further with a second question: "What is Unitarian Universalism?" Religions exist, the session says, in part to help people join together in a search for answers to big questions. Youth investigate the words "religion," "faith" and "spirituality" and learn how each relates to Unitarian Universalism.
8th-9th Grade Class, Our Whole Lives (OWL)
Room 11, Red Hallway
This class meets until 11:45am
Workshop 3, The Language of Sexuality
Alex S and Cyndi T are leading. This workshop explores the diversity of sexual language and its impact, usefulness, and appropriateness in different contexts. The primary goal of this workshop is to encourage positive, open discourse in the program and with parents/guardians, partners, health care providers, and others. They will also explore the connection between their sexual values and the language they use to discuss sexuality.
8th-12th Grade, Youth Group
Room 14, Red Hallway
Max T, Daniel T, and Stevie C are leading this important gathering. Youth will discuss what they need from youth community this year and identify activities that help them build community and express their values. Ideas include doing activities with the Social Justice Teams, planning and/or leading elements for worship that resonate with youth (Rev. Meredith welcomes it!), plan and setup the Oct. 30th Halloween party, install a youth memorial bench to remember people who grew up in the congregation and passed away, organize backpack donations for Lifting Up Westchester, prepare monthly breakfast and lunch bags for HOPE Kitchen, advertise and organize various donations around the holidays, movie night, game night, and help with Sunday brunches. Come Sunday morning and let us know what you need from youth community this year, what you'd like to do in your gatherings, and how you'd like to contribute to CUUC community.
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10:00am Worship
In Person & Livestream
“What Praying Is, and Isn't” ~ Rev. Meredith Garmon
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Amid the buffeting of life, it may sometimes be helpful to consciously re-orient ourselves toward our values, toward gratitude, and toward a sense of awe and wonder.
Visit our website for the Sunday order of service.
Covid safety policy update: We are no longer requiring proof of vaccination. (You are welcome to remove the blue dot from your name tag.) We continue to require masks for those 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.
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Social Justice Fair
Bingo Game
After RE, children and youth will visit the Social Justice Fair where they will fill in their CUUC Social Justice Teams Bingo cards by visiting the team tables to find answers to questions and learn about our SJ Teams. Show completed Bingo sheets to Mary Cavallero for a special prize!
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CUUC Mosaic of Identities
Remember to bring the hexagon pieces you designed to reflect the identities you carry with you into community. Blank hexagons and supplies will also be available in the sanctuary and during coffee hour.
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If you are attending by Zoom, Tracy (cuucwptracy@gmail.com) would be happy to mail mosaic pieces to you and then place them with the others after you mail them back. We look forward to celebrating the multilayered identities in our CUUC community.
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UU BIPOC Gatherings
October 3rd, 6:30pm & Monthly on Mondays
If you identify as Black, Indigenous or a person of color (BIPOC), you're invited to join the Central East Region's BIPOC gathering happening monthly. In our gatherings we are joined by lay folks of color, lay leaders of color and/or religious professionals of color to be in community.
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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. Our first meeting of the year will be on September 12th at 6:30pm ET. Remaining dates: 10/3, 11/7, 12/5, 01/09, 02/06, 03/06, 04/03, 05/08, 06/05. Please email Sana Saeed (ssaeed@uua.org) or Paula Cole Jones (pcolejones@gmail.com) for zoom information.
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Donations for HOPE's Soup Kitchen
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Inviting Donations of Food Items from the Congregation
HOPE Community Services in New Rochelle is busier than ever. A dedicated team at CUUC has been preparing weekly meals for the Soup Kitchen for many years. Families are now getting involved by providing 70 to-go breakfasts and lunches. We invite the congregation to donate individual-sized food items such as shelf-stable milk, juice, water, fruit cups, and soft granola bars, as well as napkins, loaves of bread, and peanut butter. Leave them in the labeled bins located in the foyer. Frozen items such as French toast, pancakes, waffles, frozen sausages or patties (no pork) can be brought in Saturday morning, October 29th or as coordinated with Christine Haran (christineharan@yahoo.com).
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YUUP
Have you heard of YUUP yet? The Young UU Project began in 2020 as a way for young UUs to keep in touch with each other and their faith during the pandemic, and is held by Lifespan Faith Engagement.
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The purpose of YUUP is to be a national community care network and multi-directional communication channel that centers BIPOC, trans/non-binary and neurodivergent youth and offers a transition zone for young people moving into emerging adulthood. Anyone (youth, caregivers, religious professionals, lay leaders, everyone!) can tap into the social ministry of YUUP by following them on Instagram @yuup.uua and signing up for the YUUP newsletter. YUUP also has a community sphere just for youth, those who bridged in 2022 and support adults. These "Third Monday Meetups" are where youth swap ideas they can take home to their local communities. In August they swapped Favorite Check In Questions. In September they swapped favorite youth group games, which will soon be released on Instagram and in the newsletter. Find out more at UUA.ORG/YUUP.
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Youth Pride & TransParentcy+
Center Lane has two exciting events coming up! The first is their second Youth Pride, an in-person event which will be on Saturday, October 1, from 2:00-5:00pm in Ardsley. The second is TransFabulous, a short-term TransParentcy+ that will meet virtually on Mondays. See the flyers below for more details. If you have any questions email them at centerlane@wjcs.com, or call (914) 423-0610. |
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Self-Assessment Workshop Follow Up
Path to the Future Focus Groups
Eighty (80!) people attended the Self-Assessment Workshop last Saturday and shared ideas about how we see ourselves and where the future leads. You are invited to deepen the discussions at the upcoming events below:
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- At CUUC, Sunday October 16 11:45-1:00 : For those who missed our workshop
- ZOOM, Wednesday October 19 7:00-8:00 PM: For those who missed our workshop
- ZOOM, Wednesday October 26 7:00-8:00 PM: Supporting and welcoming families
- ZOOM, Wednesday November 2 7:00-8:00 PM: Increasing accessibility: physically, technically and otherwise
- At CUUC, Sunday November 6 11:45-1:00: Nurturing our spiritualities
- At CUUC, Sunday November 13 11:45-1:00: Expanding diverse voices in our congregation
- At CUUC, Sunday November 20 11:45-1:00: Topic TBD
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Families Supporting
HOPE's Soup Kitchen
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Sat Oct 29, 10:30am-12:00pm, at CUUC
Family & Youth Activity: To-Go Bag Lunch Prep for HOPE
We will be making bag lunches and breakfasts Saturday, October 29th, 10:30am-12:00pm. Join us and feel welcome to bring friends. RSVP with Christine Haran (christineharan@yahoo.com) to coordinate what food is needed.
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