Dan's Test Blog

Greetings CYM Families & Friends!

This week Rev. Josh Pawelek and I took our “Affirmation” Coming of Age cohort on a day trip to Boston and Lexington to connect with Unitarian Universalist history. The photo above was taken in Arlington Street Church, which has a long and fascinating legacy. Like many UU congregations around the world, our gray and blue hymnals stood ready to be used for the spiritual practice of singing. This Easter Sunday, our UU Sanctuary in Manchester, CT will be filled with the joy-filled sound of Spring music provided by our UUSE Holiday Choir and various musicians. Please join us at 9 or 11 AM for this inspiring service! An egg hunt will be held on UUSE grounds between services. Please bring your own basket and meet in the Memorial Garden by 10:30 for instructions for the hunt!

One more note for your consideration this holiday weekend. As you are holding and making traditions and preparing the home to invite Spring in, CYM is asking for your support in upcoming community engagement. As you busy young children with activities so you can devil some eggs, please consider setting aside “extras” for donations of art supplies and sports equipment to the EmpowerU community-sponsored afterschool program at Squire Village, a large housing development in Manchester. These supplies will be used for a collaboration between EmpowerU and our Children & Youth Ministry program at UUSE. (More exciting details to come about fun opportunities for our children and youth to meet and play with new friends this Spring and Summer!)

Here is your mission, should you choose to accept it: we need small blank canvases for the children in our community. As you know, the cost of canvas adds up quickly! So here is what I’m asking: Collect *already used* canvases you are ready to let go from your home, collected from your local Buy Nothing group, your town “swap shop” (ask your Transfer Station), and thrift shops. Bring those used canvases (small sizes preferred) to UUSE this Sunday and next Sunday, for our middle school youth to paint over with white paint to be given a next life. I will share more details about this collaboration project in the coming weeks, but I guarantee that you will be excited to participate! Any other art supplies such as paint brushes, poster board, art kits, clay, and sports equipment like various balls (basketball, soccer, kickball, tennis, and ball pumps!), jump ropes, chalk, yard games, water balloons and games are needed as well! Look for collection bins in the Lobby and I thank you in advance for your generosity and support.

Here’s what’s happening in Children & Youth Ministry on Sunday, April 20, 2025:

@11 AM

All Congregation Worship

All children and youth from birth through high school are invited to join their families and friends in the Sanctuary for a specially designed all-ages worship service this Sunday.

Sunday Service: “In the Morning, Joy: A Service for Easter” - Don’t miss our annual all-congregation service. Through music and story, we celebrate Easter, and bare witness to the joyful unfolding of Spring.

Coordinators: Mary Bopp, Emmy Galbraith and Rev. Josh Pawelek

Nursery (Ages 3 and under): Childcare is available in our Nursery on the Garden Level at 11 AM for children 3 and under. Care is provided by two regular childcare staff including our Nursery Coordinator Molly, our Nursery Assistant Lilly. Our nursery staff have grown up at UUSE, and are equipped with loads of experience, patience, and creativity to keep our youngest UUs safe and engaged. Families are always welcome to tour and stay in the nursery at any time.

High School Youth Group: Has been cancelled for this week. Come to Easter service and we’ll see you back in Youth Group on May 4th!

SAVE THE DATE:

THIS SATURDAY, Apr 19: UUSE attends Kamora’s Cultural Corner’s “Thinking and Doing Day: Take Back the Land.” Please visit https://kamorasculturalcorner.com/ to learn more about KCC, a new (to us) partner in guiding our children, youth, and families about community engagement at a grass-roots level. Register to attend this free event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/2025-thinking-and-doing-days-3893073. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions!

Sun, Apr 20: Easter Egg Hunt between services, beginning at 10:30 in the Memorial Garden.

Sat, May 3: May Fair at UUSE! 10AM-2PM

Sun, May 18: Flower Communion Service, Community Potluck, & UUSE Annual Meeting

Sun, May 25: NO CYM programming, Memorial Day Weekend

Sun, Jun 1: Affirmation Sunday Service

Sun, Jun 8: CYM Field Day and final ‘24-’25 CYM Stakeholder’s Meeting in the field

Sun, Jun 15: CYM Sunday Service

Sun, Jun 22: UUA General Assembly (interested in attending as a family? Let mw know!)

With Love and Gratitude,

Emmy Galbraith

dcym@uuse.org

Cell: (860)576-7889

CYM Committee Members:

Desiree Holian-Borgnis, Chair

Michelle Spadaccini

Paula Baker

Sudha

Committee email: uusecym@uuse.org

Angela Attardo, CYM Program Assistant

CYMAsst@uuse.org