Welcome to Unitarian Universalist Society East
Sunday Services at 9:00 and 11:00
Director's Corner
Emmy's Friday Update
For Sunday September 8th
Greetings CYM Families & Friends!
If you haven’t registered for CYM classes beginning in September, please do so now! Register here!
The time has arrived, our liturgical year is set to renew this Sunday marked by our annual Homecoming service, followed by a UUSE picnic! This Sunday also marks the return to two Sunday services each week, one occurring at 9 AM and the same service repeated at 11 AM. Children and families are always welcome to attend either service, but will generally see other families with children at the 11 AM service, as it aligns with our Children & Youth Ministry programming set to officially begin September 22nd. (But don’t skip out on next week September 15! We will hold a Parent and Volunteer Orientation for all CYM stakeholders to discuss and prepare for the upcoming year, as well as an Orientation for all High School Youth Group members, both orientations beginning at 11 AM on the Garden Level.)
I am so excited to see you all this Sunday as we return to gather in our sacred space with our beloved community. You are invited to bring your backpack, briefcase, or whatever you may carry to participate in our “Blessing of the Backpacks” ritual honoring the return to work or study after a summer break. And stay for a community lunch, the UUSE Homecoming picnic, directly after the 11 AM service. If you haven’t registered your child for Children & Youth Ministry Programming yet, please do so, even if you’re brand new or not sure how often you might attend. This helps us prepare for your family and get to know you better.
And last but not least, I want to shout out a huge thank you to the CYM committee members and CYM assistant for a tremendous amount of work they have put in this summer to support the launch of our 2024-2025 program year! Let’s get this party started!
Here’s what’s happening in Children & Youth Ministry on Sunday, September 8, 2024:
Nursery: Childcare will be available in our Garden Level nursery at 11 AM for children 3 and under. Care is provided by two regular childcare staff including our Nursery Coordinator, Molly, who grew up at UUSE and is now raising her kindergartener, as well as our Nursery Assistant, Lilly-Rose, a terrific high school senior equipped with lots of experience, patience, and creativity. New families are welcome to tour and hang in the nursery at any time.
All Congregation Sunday Service: “Homecoming” This Sunday we launch the new congregational year with morning worship and our Homecoming picnic following the second service. We celebrate our liberal faith, our congregational community and what it means to offer a wide invitation. Remember to bring your backpack, briefcase, workbag, pocketbook, etc. for our annual end-of-summer "Blessing of the Backpacks." Coordinators: Emmy Galbraith and Josh Pawelek
September Happenings:
September 15: CYM Orientation: All Parents and (non-parenting) Volunteers should attend! (Please let me know ahead of time if you can’t attend)
@ 11 AM
Parent and Volunteer Orientation in Children’s Chapel
Orientation for Youth Group participants in Youth Group Room
Childcare for all ages (outdoors/classroom)
Food provided for all groups
@12:15 PM
Childcare provider training for youth in Youth Group Room*
September 22: Harvest Brunch & 1st Day of Classes
@10 AM - Meet in the Children’s Chapel for an All Congregation Harvest Brunch between services (which happens to be the date of the pagan festival Mabon!)
@11 AM - Children and Youth in 1st grade and up will join their families in the Sanctuary (as they will every Sunday), and will be dismissed after a Time For All Ages (TFAA).
(Nursery is available beginning at 10:50 as usual.)
September 29: 2nd Day of Classes
All Congregation Fire Drill (alarm will not sound)
We’re starting off with lots of opportunity to join in community as you are able. I hope to see you soon!
*If your 7th-12th grader is interested in being on the list of certified babysitters for UUSE, they should attend this training. Childcare providers are recruited by several committees throughout the year, in line with our safe congregation policy, which offers youth opportunities for employment and a feeling of purpose and connection to our UUSE community. Feel free to reach out with any questions.
With Love and Gratitude,
Emmy Galbraith
Cell: (860)576-7889
CYM Committee Members:
Desiree Holian-Borgnis, Chair
Michelle Spadaccini
Paula Baker
Sudha Sevins
Committee email: uusecym@uuse.org
Angela Attardo, CYM Program Assistant
Director of Children and Youth Ministry's Monthly Column for September
Preparing for a program year in Children & Youth Ministry feels kind of like preparing to give birth. You spend months researching, asking questions, reading, setting up rooms, soliciting help, developing plan A, B, and C, doubting, more planning, and a bit of surrendering. All while knowing that once the oxygen hits and the baby begins to breathe on its own, an exciting journey will begin with challenges you never could have anticipated. Yet we do it anyway, filled with hope, joy, a bit of fear, all mixed with some overall relief to get this thing out of me already.
I feel incredibly fortunate to be given the opportunity to rebirth this program, with lots of help, this Fall and for many Septembers to come. Just like a baby, perfectly imperfect and unique, each year is different than the last.
Of course there are traditions to be carried on. As always we will offer childcare in the nursery for birth through 3 years of age during the 11 AM service, provided by our long-time Nursery Coordinator Molly Vigeant. But new this year is the addition of a paid Nursery Assistant, to ensure the most welcoming and safe congregation we can provide for our new and returning families with little ones. Be sure to say “congratulations!” to our very own high school youth Lilly-Rose Coleman who was recently hired for the role!
In keeping with tradition, the preschool and kindergarten class, Spirit Play, will embark on its second year of a two-year cycle. It’s always a joy to welcome our youngest students in beginning their religious education journey at UUSE. We are looking for 2-3 more “non-parenting adults” to join this teacher team! Whether you are familiar with working with young kids, or not, I guarantee that teaching in this class will aide you in living in the present moment and leave you feeling more alive. Their kind and curious spirits are contagious!
Newish this year will be an Elementary class learning about spiritual practice and the diverse religions of the world. While this has been taught before over many years in many ways, this will be yet another iteration. Thank you to folks who have already reached out to say they would be willing to pop in to share about their personal spiritual practice. And if you haven’t heard the pulpit announcement yet, I have asked folks who engage in any kind of spiritual practice to please reach out and let me know if they’d be willing to briefly share about it with the class. So please let me know if you are interested!
Brand new this year will be a dedicated anti-racism class for our middle school students. Similar to our popular OWL (Our Whole Lives) program which teaches children about physical and mental health, as well as relationship and life skills, the Children & Youth Ministry Committee and I envision a curriculum focused on teaching anti-racism/anti-oppression as a regular offering and staple in our Children & Youth Ministry program moving forward. There are several anti-racism curricula being piloted at UU congregations across the country right now, and we are very excited to take part and look forward to learning as we go. To support our work, members of the Social Justice/Anti-Oppression Committee at UUSE have very willingly agreed to collaborate to help guide our work with our youth, and to form a strong multi-generational team working for social justice in our community. (Be sure to check out our dedicated bulletin board on the Garden Level for details and status updates on this work beginning in September!)
Junior and High School Youth groups will continue on as they have with new members who bridged back on CYM Sunday in June. And lastly, there are a couple more additions to the Children & Youth Ministry program offerings, but I’ll let you hear about them for yourself at the upcoming Homecoming Service on September 8th! Looking forward to gathering with you all then.
Emmy Galbraith (she/her/hers)
Director of Children and Youth Ministry