Roots and Wings
Faith Development Newsletter, November 11, 2022
Happy Veterans Day to all who have served.
What's Happening in Faith Development
What's Coming in Faith Development
- November 18- Music Circle Bonfire & S'mores 5-7 pm
- November 24- Thanksgiving Potluck
- November 27- Intergenerational Hour making Blessing Bags
- December 4- Soulful Parents Group during FDH- "What do you believe? Creating Family Rituals for the Holidays".
- December 10- Selfies with Santa and Christmas Bazaar
- December 11- Christmas Pageant-Save the Date on your calendar Now.
- December 17- Parents Day Out! Get your last minute "to-do's" done while the kids have fun at church.
- OWL beginning in Spring (Dates for registration & classes TBA)
- Kg-2nd
- 4th-6th
- Parents and Caregivers as Sexual Educators
May you be happy, may you peaceful, may you be filled with love
Chris
Upcoming Activities
Sign Up with Perfect Potluck here: https://www.perfectpotluck.com/NFUI2209
Spiritual Practice
Join intern minister Carrie Holley-Hurt and Director Faith Development for a "What do you believe? Creating ritual as a family on December 4th during our Faith Development Hour.
Soulful Home -- November Theme: Change
November's Mantra: Change the View
Our monthly mantra lifts up our monthly theme. Think of these “family sayings” or “family signs” as tools for the journey, reminders that help us refocus and steady ourselves and our kids as we navigate through life’s challenges and opportunities. Each month, write this mantra on your family message board, or on a sticky note to put on your bathroom mirror, or the fridge. Make it part of your routine to share the mantra each morning so that it becomes something you all carry with you throughout the day.
“Change the view.”
While many of us know the value of “walking a mile in another’s shoes” to gain empathy for the other, and thus, more effectively embody love in action, we seldom mention how liberating this practice can be for us, too. So many of our biases are unconscious. Almost all of our first, knee-jerk responses are old scripts that we’ve inherited or thoughtlessly picked up along the way. How we see things at first glance usually tells more about us than about those we’re observing.
This month’s mantra aims to shed light on a different side of a situation.
Your child neglects to turn off the lights as they leave rooms in your home, and you snap at them. Internally, you: “Change the view.” What can I do to help them remember to turn off lights, so we save electricity? Or I wonder how much electricity is really wasted by their forgetfulness; maybe not that much. Or, they will be with me, in my care, for so short a time; turning off the lights behind them reminds me that this season of me being needed to guide and help them is fleeting.
This mantra works best on one’s self. It’s most often going to be unhelpful if offered as advice, though there might be casual, calm conversations that are reflective in tone in which you might share this technique with a family member, as an option.
At the Bedside: Exploring Change Through Story
At The Bedside activities engage the theme through storytelling. This takes place during the dreamy, almost otherworldly hour or so before children or youth drift off to sleep. Through stories and the questions and realizations that they prompt, we come to understand the nature of and our own place in the cosmos. But also, these selections invite you to remember, shape, and share stories from your own past, using thoughtful narratives to help your child weave the tale of who they are and whose they are.
Growing and Changing: Sandra Cisneros’ “Eleven”
Sandra Cisneros’ 1991 story, which describes a deeply memorable experience the author had as an elementary school student, became a mainstay in schools across North America throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. However, it has a very different feel when read at home, in the context of one’s family. Use this telling together as an opportunity to talk about the big changes that come with growing up.
Stretching the Story:
● What is something hard about growing up? What is something terrific about it?
● If the main character in the story, Rachel, were your friend, and you saw these events happening, how would you feel? What might you say or do, in the moment or afterward?
● Parents and guardians, tell about a time that you felt your younger self coming up to the surface, as Cisneros did when her teacher forced her to put the sweater on. What did that experience feel like to you at the time? How do you think about it now?
Youth
Young Unitarian Universalist Project
Scan the QR code to learn more and register to join in the fun! Parents please share with your 14-18 yr olds.
JUUst Breathe Live UU Podcast
JUUst Breathe Live is a podcast where youth ministry has a say! Hosts Shannon Harper and Eric Bliss interview youth and adults who hold a vision of liberal religious youth ministry that is both life saving and spirit lifting. JUUst click on the graphic
November UU Music Box
Enter, Rejoice and Come In
Louise Ruspini
Found in Singing the Living Tradition 361
Principle 2 All people should be treated fairly and kindly.
Principle 3 We should accept one another and keep learning together.
Principle 4 Each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life.
Source 3 The ethical and spiritual wisdom of the world’s religions.
Source 4 Jewish and Christian teachings that tell us to love all others as we love ourselves.
The first verse of this song is based on Psalm 100 from the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. This is an upbeat song that is easy to learn and familiar in many UU congregations. It’s great for welcoming people to a service or a classroom
Movement
Hand/arm gestures for “Come in”, hands open and pointing to ears and heart for “Open your ears” and “Open your hearts,” head shake and hands waving for “Don’t be afraid.”
Activities
Clap along. This is also a good song for rhythm instruments such as shakers or rhythm sticks. If anybody in the group plays an instrument such as the guitar or ukulele, this song is a great one to play along with. It is in the key of C, so the chords are C, F and G.
Discussion Topics
How does singing this song make you feel?
When you come to RE or to the service, what makes you feel happy and welcome?
As Unitarian Universalists, we like to welcome all people into our services. What can we do to make each other feel welcome and happy?
How about newcomers who are coming for the first or second time?
This is an upbeat song that sounds happy, but there is a verse about being afraid. What kinds of changes might we see in ourselves or others by coming to RE or a service?
Why might people be afraid of those changes?
Parenting Resources
About Us
Email: dlfd@liveoakuu.org
Website: https://www.liveoakuu.org/
Location: 3315 El Salido Parkway, Cedar Park, TX, USA
Phone: (904)-568-1522