Greetings CYM Families & Friends!

This Sunday In Children’s Worship, we will explore the connection between generosity and hope. The main idea is that when we are generous, we can inspire hope in others. We also look at how our faith invites us to be counter-cultural during the holidays. In the spirit of generosity, it asks us to shift from wondering, “What do I want for Christmas?” to asking, “What can I give for the Winter Holidays?”

Our faith is very different from our culture. It asks us to consider a different question. The question is “What can I give?” and “How can I be generous?” And here’s the cool thing. When we are generous, with our attention, kindness, help and compassion, we also end up giving people one of the greatest gifts: hope! This is one of the most powerful things that come with being generous.

Here’s a breakdown of what else is happening this Sunday, November 26th:

Youth Choir: The Youth Choir will meet at 10:15 AM in the Children’s Chapel for rehearsal.  “The Friendly Beasts” will be performed at the annual Holiday Music service on December 17th.  We would love to see some new faces to add to our dedicated crew.  If your child has any interest in singing, perhaps see if you can pique their interest with the promise of a post-rehearsal brunch snack?  Ask your kiddo for their favorite snack ideas and send me your requests!  Feel free to reach out to myself or Music Director Mary Bopp with any questions about the Youth Choir.

Spirit Play: The Two Sisters — A Native American tale about creating peace for the children of the future.  As a reminder, please keep toys at home and dress ready to play and paint!

Workshop Adventures: Youth participants will create winter decorations for the congregation, lead by longtime member Dottie Reiss!

The Fifth Dimension: The Shelter — This episode deals with the threat of (nuclear) war, with focus questions on human behavior.  (Please note an update to this class schedule: The Fifth Dimension will not meet on days that the Junior Youth Group meets. There will be no class on December 3rd.   You may find the up-to-date calendar here.)

OWL: Gender expression, roles and stereotypes — Participants will explore their beliefs about gender-role expectations, and critically evaluate gender-role messages they have received. They will identify how stereotypes hurt people of all gender identities and learn steps they can take to overcome gender-role restrictions affecting themselves and others.

High School Youth Group/Faith In Action: Youth Group/Faith in Action does NOT meet this Sunday. Youth are welcome to assist in the CYM area at 11 am with younger children to earn hours toward the Distinguished Youth Service Award.

Junior Youth Group: Next meeting is December 3rd

Other Happenings This Sunday, November 26th:

• Please join me in welcoming our newly hired Children & Youth Ministry program Assistant, Angela Attardo this Sunday!  She is a longtime friend of UUSE and I am SO thrilled to have her join our team.  Please look for her in the lobby, kitchen, or her new office, and say hello!

• Membership Committee volunteers will be looking for families to photograph for the new Photo Directory. Look for them in the lobby before and after the 11 AM service.

Save The Date: 

• THIS SATURDAY, November 25th — All Ages Game Night from 7 - 9 PM at UUSE.  Bring a friend! Free. Bring a favorite game if you want. There will be plenty of games at the Meetinghouse. Questions? Contact Ellen Williams at ellenwilli@icloud.com or 860-463-6848.  This will be a recurring monthly event on the 4th Saturday of every month!

• Dec 3: 12:30 - 3:30 PM — Childcare and Gift Wrap fundraiser offered by the High School Youth Group. Take this opportunity to do some holiday shopping without the kids, and then return to have your gifts wrapped (optional).  Bring your own gift paper or choose from our selection.  The cost is $13/hr for the first child, an additional $7/hr for each additional child, and $3 per gift wrapped.  For more information or to reserve a spot, please contact Michelle Spadaccini at michspad@comcast.net or (860)543-0490.

• Dec 10: Cards and Cocoa from 1 - 3PM in the Sanctuary.  Enjoy cocoa while handcrafting holiday cards for your loved ones! Free.

• Dec 17: Annual Holiday Music Service at 9 and 11 AM

• Dec 24: Christmas Eve service is at 5 PM ONLY.  There will NOT be a morning service or CYM programming on Sunday, December 24th.  

• Dec 31: No CYM programming (nursery will be open for the 11 AM service as usual)

How You Can Help!: 

• To sign up to volunteer in a classroom, please select from the following links. We are always looking for volunteer help for classes, but we particularly need Lead Volunteers for Workshop Adventures, working with grades 1-5. If you sign up as a Lead, rest assured that we will design an activity or craft suitable for the children that will be enjoyable and manageable for you and an assistant(s). If you have an idea for the class, we will help you develop it and provide any supplies you need. What is most important is that we have volunteers to commit to particular days so that we can plan our classes accordingly! PLEASE SIGN UP NOW FOR JANUARY AND FEBRUARY DATES!

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Nursery (ages 3 and under)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084EAFAC2CA3FFCE9-nursery 

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Workshop Adventure (Grades 1 through 5) https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084EAFAC2CA3FFCE9-workshop 

Advanced Workshop Rotation for 5th Graders https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084EAFAC2CA3FFCE9-5thgraders 

Twilight Zone (6th, 7th and 8th grades) https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084EAFAC2CA3FFCE9-5thdimension 

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High School Youth Group (Grades 9-12)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084EAFAC2CA3FFCE9-high Faith In Action (Grades 10-12)https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084EAFAC2CA3FFCE9-faith

CYM program calendar for 2023-2024

See you Sunday friends!

With Love and Gratitude,

Emmy Galbraith