Dan's Test Blog

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Here's What's Happening in CYM this Sunday, May 3rd:

Nursery: Childcare will be available in our nursery at 11 am for children age 3 and under.

Sunday Service, 11 am: "This Land" UUSE’s meetinghouse sits on four acres at the top of Elm Hill, on the Manchester-Vernon line, above the Hockanum River Valley. What is our collective obligation to these four acres? What is our role on this land? Note: This service will be followed by a land stewarding project. Wear work clothes if you wish to participate. Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek.

Time For All Ages: Children and youth in grades 2-12 will attend the beginning of the Sunday service in the Sanctuary on the Main Level. The first two rows on the right are reserved for children and youth to sit together, and families are welcome to join them. After the “Time For All Ages” segment of Sunday service, children and youth will be dismissed to the Garden Level to attend further programming.

Spirit Play: “Norbert Capek Flower Communion” Spirit Play children will go directly to their classroom at 11 AM for the day’s lesson. This is a story about a Unitarian man who had a wonderful idea about how to celebrate the light and beauty inside each of us and the beauty of the earth. In the UU church, we call this celebration our Flower Communion.

Young UUs & Jr YG combined: "Building a Bridge Together" week 4 AND "Art Workshop" with Dottie Reiss. The middle school students will finish the bridge by drilling holes for tacks & then tacking the wood slats together with straps. Elementary children will join Dottie for an Art Workshop, and then decorate the 'railings' for the bridge.

High School Youth Group: "Vision Board Part 2" HSYG meets this week to finish their Vision Board: the future of HSYG and UUSE as a whole.

Affirmation Group: The group meets this week 12:30 pm - 2 pm in the couch room. Bring a lunch!

See you Sunday!

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Calling All UUSE Moms!

Calling all UUSE moms for help in developing a celebratory tribute to the diversity of moms! Do the prompts below move you? If so, please email your responses (or thoughts on being a mom) to Sam Taylor at uuseoffice@uuse.org by May 1st to contribute to our Mother's Day service on May 10th.

What does being a mom mean to you?

How has your identify shifted since becoming a mom?

What is your favorite memory of your mom?

What values do you hope to instill in your children?

How do you approach motherhood?

What advice would you give a mom?

What do your children call you?

Thank you for your responses!

Vision & Mission: Community Post-It Wall with the Strategic Planning Task Force

For those who have not yet had an opportunity to share their opinions on the current vision and mission statements or for those who would like to add additional comments, we hope to get your feedback so we can best represent the whole congregation with the upcoming work. After or before services until the end of May, in the Sanctuary lobby and on the Garden level lobby, you can suggest revision ideas on a Post-It or place a green dot to show satisfaction with the current wording.

Upcoming Dates of Note:



Sun, May 3: Ryan Ford Concert, 3 pm - 5 pm

Sun, May 10: NO CYM programming, Mother's Day

Sun, May 17: All Congregation Worship: Flower Communion Service AND the UUSE Annual Meeting, 12:45 pm, childcare provided

Fri, May 22: The Heart of the Arts, 7 pm An evening of music and poetry featuring Christian Loftus, Manchester's own troubadour, and Nadia Sims, the town's celebrated Poet Laureate.

Summer hours starting May 24th. One service at 10 AM.

Sun, May 24: NO CYM programming, Memorial Day Weekend

Sun, May 31: CYM Field Day & HSYG/Jr YG Escape Room Outing

Sun, Jun 7: All Congregation Worship: Affirmation Sunday Service

Sun, Jun 14: All Congregation Worship: CYM Sunday Service

Future Opportunities:

The UUA is offering free online training

Child and Youth Safety in UU Communities

This gathering will review UUA suggestions for policies and practices to create a safer congregation for all ages, including Sunday mornings, multigenerational events, and children/youth programming. Two meeting time options:

Thursday, May 14, 7-8 pm ET -or- Tuesday, May 19, 10-11 pm ET

Check out https://www.uua.org/lifespan/re-sources/spring-2026-youth-safety

General Assembly (GA)

GA is the annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), where participants gather to worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy decisions for the Association through a democratic process. UUSE is looking for people to attend virtually or at a satellite location. The 2026 GA will be held virtually June 14th-21st. Check out https://www.uua.org/ga for some info. Are you interested in representing UUSE at this year's General Assembly? Questions? Email Desiree at uuseoffice@uuse.org

Greater Hartford U.U.'s at Dunkin Donuts Park

On Saturday evening, August 1, 2026

Join the three area UU Societies (Fern Street, USH, and UUSE) at the Liberty Bank Pavilion, Dunkin Donuts Park. It's the picnic package, which will include standard ballpark fare and vegetarian options, free waters and soft drinks, and a chance to meet other UU's in the area. Doors and the picnic open at 4:30 with the game scheduled to start at 6:10 p.m. The picnic will remain open and serving food until about 7 p.m. A firework show follows the game. We are excited that the 3 Societies are exploring how we can work and play together, enjoy our UU values, and celebrate one another. Cost is $50 per person, but if you need help, financial assistance is available.

Click here for the flyer!

With Gratitude,

CYM Committee Members:

Sudha, co-chair

Michelle Spadaccini, co-chair

Desiree Holian-Borgnis

Kaitlyn Guilmette

Rhona Cohen

Committee email: uusecym@uuse.org

Angela Attardo, CYM Program Assistant

CYMAsst@uuse.org