RE World May 2008!

As I’m typing this it’s whirling snow outside and the wind chill is downright ludicrous for this time of year. I’m hoping by the time you read this the thermometer is in the double digits in the opposite direction.
May and June are very busy months here in RE, on top of trying to get the children outside as much as possible so they can take advantage of our short summers here’s what’s coming up:

May 2 - 3 Harry Potter Retreat – for ages 11-15 yrs.
May 2 – Jun 6 Coming of Age Program – 12-15 yrs.
May 4 Intergenerational service (see page 3 for info).
May 14 - 19 RE Renaissance Training and Ottawa ACM
June 6-8 Shekinah Retreat (Coming of Age program)
June 15 Flower Communion
June 22 Congregational Picnic

Whew! Quite the line-up. As a Mom with 3 children in the school system I also know that a lot of families will be reacting to last-minute field trips and activity wrap-ups. I’m hoping we can all use Sundays as a way to reconnect and recharge for the week ahead. Sometimes, just stopping for a cup of coffee with a friend is all it takes.
The RE committee is also starting to think about our curricula for next year. We rely very much on families’ feedback to help us with this planning. Please let us know of any ideas, suggestions, improvements, and topics you’d like to cover. There are many ways to do this: fill in the canvass feedback form, email me (ucs.dre@sasktel.net), leave a message in the Religious Education Director’s mail slot in the foyer of the church, or better yet, talk to me directly. The current RE committee members are Kathryn Green (Convener), Natasha Salaash, Erica Bird, Tina Ber-toncini, Sunava Peever, and Carl von Baeyer. Any one of the committee members can listen to your comments. Feel free to inquire about the RE committee as well; we always welcome new members!
Please also keep us in mind as you are spring cleaning since the Nursery could use an infusion of new toys, we are always looking for interesting books, and markers and glue never go out of style!
As always, it is a joy to hang out with your children on Sundays. Thanks for sharing them with us!

Thanks for all you do!
Mary-Anne, RE Director

UCS Children's Choir
Practices are after Sunday Service by the piano.
New singers are always welcome.
Contact Wendy Carroll (254-2666) for more information.

The Quiet Room is available for Parents/Caregivers who need to be near small children during Sunday Ser-vices. Located on the main floor at the end of the hall on your right. The service is piped in via speaker and there are a variety of books and magazines to read.
At other times, the Quiet Room is open to everyone to use for meditation and relaxation.

Child Dedication

Unitarians believe that every child brings new life and hope into the world. We set aside a special time, called simply the Ceremony of Dedication, to welcome the child into our community and to celebrate the blessing of this gift of life. We affirm our commitment to nurture the child and hold the child in the fabric of our community. For some of us, these brief dedication ceremonies are among the most powerful and moving memories of our interconnection with the web of life in our own congregation. For more information, please read this short pamphlet on the web: www.uua.org/pamphlet/3559.html

Families who would like to participate in a Dedication Ceremony are asked to contact Mary-Anne Parker. Children welcomed in a Ceremony of Dedication can be of any age.

Should my child go to Sunday school? That's a good question. And it deserves a thoughtful answer. After all, one might argue that your child would be better off not being taught any religion so that he or she wouldn't be biased and could make a free choice as an adult.

Some parents do feel this way, and try to raise their child without any "sectarian" training. For these parents, I would like to recall the words of a Unitarian minister from the nineteenth century, Minot Judson Savage, who said,

Parents tell me continuously that they do not give their children any religious training, from the feeling that it is taking unfair advantage of the child. They say, "I propose to let my children grow up as far as possible unbiased." [But] if you do not bias [your children], the first one that [they] meet on the street, or in school, or among their companions, will begin the work of biasing, of the impression of education, for this is a continuous process. Whether you will it or not, it is something over which you have no choice. It is something that will be done either wisely and well — or unwisely and ill.

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