Coming Up in RE

What’s happening in our Children’s Ministry on Sunday, February 26:

First Parish is pleased to offer another Multigenerational Play experience with Alorie Parkhill. This year's show is "Under the Big Top" and explores growing up and having the courage to try new things. Today, children ages 5 and up who are participating in the play will be rehearsing with Alorie and her helpers in the Commons. All other children and youth 5 and older are invited to join Roberta, Reed and Pat in the Brackett Room to either make props for the play or to join a philosopher's "tea" chat group talking about the theme of "growing up". Meanwhile, children ages 2 to 5 will be doing our "Friendship Finders" activities with Rose, Dominique, and Sonia; and our babies are invited to play with a First Parish adult in Parish Hall.

Our Youth Group will be meeting tonight from 7 to 9pm for a play rehearsal and then to plan their Youth Conference we are hosting for Unitarian Universalist teens next month on the theme of Social Justice.

Roberta Altamari, Director of Religious Exploration and Youth Ministry

Winter 2011-2012 Program

Here within find some great ways to celebrate the holidays and the winter season. Meaningful activities such as these are a great time to invite a friend to First Parish. If you know a family who might be interested in our liberal faith, the Multigenerational Play would be a perfect way to introduce them to how amazing our community is ….

the multigenerational First Parish Play!

Kids and their adult helpers will rehearse during regular R.E. time on the following Sundays: Jan. 8, Jan. 15, Jan. 22, Jan. 29, Feb. 12, Feb. 19, Feb. 26, and March 4. We will also rehearse on Sunday, February 5 from 11:15am to 12:30 (following the Youth Sunday service); and then we will conclude with a dress rehearsal at 9 am on March 10th and the performance will be a part of the inter-generational service on March 11th at 10 am.

Adults who want to be a part of the play will rehearse from 11:45am to 12:45pm on the following Sundays: Jan. 22, Feb. 12, and Feb. 26; and then join with the kids for the Jan. 8 and March 4 10am rehearsals, the Feb. 5 11:15am rehearsal, and the March 10 dress rehearsal at 9am.

Some members of our Youth Group will also be rehearsing during regular YG time for the clown scene and will hopefully then join with the kids for the Jan. 8 and March 4 10am rehearsals, the Feb. 5 11:15am rehearsal, and the March 10 dress rehearsal at 9am.

Save these dates: We know it’s a busy time of year and here are a few opportunities to find warmth and connect with yourselves and others ….

Join us for a special breakfast

The R.E. committee will continue our new tradition of offering breakfast opportunities for sharing feedback about Religious Exploration at First Parish and for connecting with other parents and volunteers who care about all of our children and teens. Save the date and plan to join us: March 18, 2012 from 9 to 9:45am.

What is happening this year

First Parish of Sudbury will be offering wonderful R.E. programs on Sundays.

Our birth to two-year-old Chalice Babies receive loving care from a First Parish adult. They are held, played with, and adored.

Our one-and-a-half to four-year-old Friendship Finders read books, sing songs, and do simple activities that celebrate our Unitarian Universalist values like “everyone is special”, “working together is fun”, and “we live in a big, beautiful world”.

Our four to ten-year-olds enjoy SpiritPlay, a Montessori inspired program that highlights incredible stories and related activities exploring our Unitarian Universalist promises, such as “respect all people” and “insist on peace and freedom for all”. The stories this year will be about UU identity and the UU promises.

Our ten to twelve-year-old UU Explorers learn about religious traditions from around the world that may inspire them in following the Unitarian Universalist promises in their young lives and encourage them to think about their own religious beliefs. The lessons this year will be about UU identity and science & reasoning.

Our twelve to fourteen-year-old Breakfast Club participants enjoy tasty snacks as they engage in deeper exploration of what it means to be a compassionate and free-thinking young person in today’s world. The group will help select what themes they will focus on during the year.

On some Sundays, all of our kids meet together for a special social justice activity or holiday celebration.

This year, we are lucky to have Alorie Parkhill leading another one of her fabulous multigenerational plays. Rehearsals will be during regular RE time from January 8th to March 4th with our dress rehearsal on Saturday, March 10th and the sharing of the play with our community on March 11th.

Our twelve to fourteen-year-olds will meet on some Sunday afternoons (from 1 to 3pm) for the Our Whole Lives program. Our Whole Lives is a comprehensive sexuality program highlighting the importance of mutual respect in all sexual relationships. We give our young teens the tools to think for themselves in the situations they will someday be facing in their young lives. We welcome others to join this class, particularly boys.

Our fourteen-year-olds will meet on some Sunday afternoon or evenings (meeting time to be determined) for the Coming-of-Age program. They will explore Unitarian Universalist history and theology, spiritual practices, and social justice issues. They will also work with mentors, go to New York City to learn about and work with the homeless community, and present a statement of personal belief to the congregation at the end of the year.

Our fourteen to eighteen-year-old teenagers meet later on Sunday nights as a part of our Youth Ministry sharing activities that promote connection, youth-led worship, learning, leadership development, social justice, and community service. They hope to plan and participate on a mission trip this year!

Religious Exploration Wish List:

With some new space opened up in the basement for Religious Exploration use, we are excited to set up the rooms in an engaging way for the children and youth. To do so, we are looking for donated items you no longer need before searching outside our community. If you have anything we are wishing for, please contact Roberta today.
A clean and good condition sofa or love seat in a plain color of tan, maroon, or blue.
A preschool table and 4 to 6 matching chairs

This R.E. part of Website is routinely being updated. It is an invaluable resource as a one-stop place to access all the information you want about what’s happening in our R.E. program.

Volunteer Help needed

And last but not least, there are a wide variety of ways you can help us in our Religious Exploration program this year! From simple and low commitment to rich and rewarding, there are a wide variety of volunteer options to match your interests and time availability. For more information, contact Roberta at DRE

fpsudbury.org or check out our volunteer schedule online ...

Thank you so much to all of our RE volunteer angels!!!!

"When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts." ~ Mary Baker Eddy

"We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly embracing each other." ~ Luciano de Crescenzo

Roberta Altamari
Director of Religious Exploration and Youth Ministry

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