Update from our Ministerial Intern
By Elizabeth Foster, December 30, 2022
As we enter this new year, I’d like to take a little time to consider our spiritual journeys together. When people encounter the phrase “religious education,” they often automatically assume we are talking about Sunday School classes for children. And although this is an important part of our mission, religious education encompasses so much more. Many churches have transitioned to hiring “Directors of Lifespan Religious Education” to emphasize that RE is not something that is meant to stop when one ages out of high school youth group. Our principles call us to affirm our “acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations,” and “a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” Even if, as we discussed in a recent Coffee Hour Chat, we may be moving toward the principles with the Article II Commission, these commitments will remain. (And the fact that we are always coming to new ways of relating to our faith and the world is part of why we need Adult RE!)
Religious Education for adults can take many forms, from coffee hour chats, to courses, to public service. At our most recent Coffee Hour Chat, we discussed some of these possibilities, as well as topics that might interest our congregation and got answers including our own spiritual growth, learning more about the Bible, understanding evangelical Christianity, learning about Islam, and focusing on the environment and climate change. Rev. Clyde and I will attempt to incorporate as many of these topics as possible into sermons, workshops, and chats over the next year and a half. And this spring, we are planning to offer a more structured, six-session program called “Sacred Earth” from UU Wellspring. Developed in collaboration with our very own Rev. Clyde, “Sacred Earth” focuses on climate justice and what we can learn from both science and indigenous traditions about being in relationship with the earth, using the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. You can learn more about the program here: uuwellspring.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/UU-Wellspring-Sacred-Earth-Overview.pdf.
As for Children’s Religious Education, I’m excited to announce that we have the required number of volunteers to begin holding drop-in RE classes on Sundays! Our volunteers have all completed an initial safety training, and we look forward to offering drop-in RE and nursery options in the new year. If you would like more information about Sacred Earth, or would be willing to serve as a back-up volunteer for our Children’s program, please email me anytime, or catch me at coffee hour.
Elizabeth