December blessings, friends!

This month takes us into winter, and my wish for us all is that we curate a sweet balance of rest and action in these dark dreaming times. In that vein, much of what we have planned for RE this month is preparing for the new year. Read on for updates and Sunday schedules!

UUCT Parenting Circle is meeting monthly online. Join us the second Tuesday of the month in an online space after bedtime for parents and caretakers to be together and support one another. The next meeting is on Tuesday, 12/10/24 from 8:15-9:15pm on Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85316835444?pwd=ZzmQa5lUDWQ7F9ifDSkMrTBpkzua2j.1 

Meeting ID: 853 1683 5444

Passcode: 197500

Grades 4-6 OWL is open for registration! Register your 4th, 5th, or 6th grader here. What is Our Whole Lives (OWL)? “Honest, accurate information about sexuality changes lives. It dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, improves decision making, and has the potential to save lives. For these reasons and more, we are proud to offer Our Whole Lives (OWL), a comprehensive, lifespan sexuality education curricula for use in both secular settings and faith communities.

Interactive workshops and activities engage participants, while step-by-step instructions for program planners and facilitators help ensure success.” “This ten-workshop curriculum is designed to help children ages nine through twelve to gain the knowledge, life principles, and skills they need to understand and express their sexuality in holistic, life-enhancing ways.”

Interested in OWL for other age groups? Email me to be on the OWL updates list. We hope to offer a K-1 session later in 2025 and are considering offering the Parents and Caregivers as Sexuality Educators learning as well. I’d also love to hear about your interest in middle and high school sessions as well as adult sessions.

Date with Death Club at UUCT is on a break. After completing our Fall sessions, DwDC is taking a break for December. I am grateful for Linda Wright and her co-facilitation for the last year or so! There are plans for DwDC to return as a lay-led and DRE-supported support group in the new year. This new iteration will utilize DwDC materials but offer more “working space” for folks to attend to the deeper work of preparing for our own dates with death. Stay tuned for more info! And check out DwDC participant Johanna Rucker’s article about DwDC, also in this month’s Meridian. 

Conscious Discipline Training with Sadie Ragans in November was a true joy! Special thanks this month to Sadie Ragans for offering this training to parents, caretakers, and safekeepers of children. If you weren’t able to join Sadie’s CD training in November, don’t fret! Due to the positive feedback from this session and lots of interest for more trainings, we’re planning opportunities for the future. 

DECEMBER SUNDAY RE DATES
(subject to change based on staff/volunteer availability)

• 12/1 Sunday
  • 9am: Youth Group Breakfast CLUUB
  • 11am: Elementary RE after TFAA, nursery open 9:30-1:30

• 12/8 Sunday
  • 11am: Elementary RE after TFAA, nursery open 9:30-1:30

• 12/15 Sunday (Alessandra out of town; a volunteer would be helpful!)
  • 9am: Youth Group Breakfast CLUUB
  • 11am: Elementary RE after TFAA, nursery open 9:30-1:30

• 12/22 Sunday
  • 11am: Multi-gen service (no RE; nursery open 9:30-1:30)

• 12/29 Sunday
  • 11am: Multi-gen service (no RE; nursery open 9:30-1:30)

Thanks for reading! Interested in volunteering with RE? Let me know!

Wishing you and yours very well!