Dinner & Bikes arrives May 15

I am thrilled that Religious Education and Green Sanctuary are hosting a Dinner and Bikes event next Wednesday, May 15! It's a multimedia roadshow of food and bicycle activism with Portland, Oregon bicycle advocate and writer Elly Blue, filmmaker Joe Biel and chef Joshua Ploeg.

You can read more about it and register here. I am hoping to have tickets for sale at the Green Sanctuary table this Sunday too.

I have been a fan of Elly Blue's since she wrote a series called "Bikenomics" for Grist (online) Magazine a couple of years ago. I followed their last two tours and waited, patiently, for them to travel this way. I think it will be a really fabulous event! I hope you will join us and let others know about it as well!

Religious Education worship and luncheon Sunday

Native American storyteller of Mohawk descent, Kay Olan, will be our guest for worship tomorrow.  She will share wisdom from the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois tradition. Sharing these wisdom traditions will be the main part of the service.

I have written at length about the Doctrine of Discovery and our work in RE this year to educate our church and larger community. We have been a sponsor this year in the Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign. Also on Sunday, as part of our RE Luncheon, Andy Mager,  Project Coordinator for the Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign, will talk about the campaign. Andy is traveling from Syracuse to talk. This will be a brief talk for all ages.

Following it will be our teacher recognition and RE slideshow. The whole program will last 1/2 an hour during lunch. Hope you will be there!

Children at the Well

"When you look and I look at these trees, these flowers, anything at all, we are the universe looking at its handiwork. You have perhaps seen the pattern of cross and yarn called the 'eye of God' made first in our Southwest in homage to the sun. We, too, all of us together, all the eyes of all the creatures, are the eye of God. That is why we need each other, our many ways of seeing, that together we may rejoice, and see clearly, and find the many keys to abundant life."               Greta W. Crosby

photo and "god's eye" by Lisa Temoshok

Since knitters shouldn't have all the fun, there will be an activity during this Sunday's multigenerational Children at the Well worship for the kinesthetic among us. We will have out supplies and directions to make “god's eyes” as a meditative tool during worship.  Look for adults and children handing them out before the worship service. 

Cranes for Marina

As many of you know, our entire FUSS community is involved in making 1000 cranes for Marina. They will decorate her recovery room as she recovers from surgery. Melinda Perrin has led this effort and so many people have joined. In RE one week we had a guest family excited to come and share how to make cranes with our 5th and 6th grade class.

Parents as Spiritual Guides

This spring Religious Education is again offering an evening program geared towards parents. Parenting: Mindfulness: Spirituality, looks at the intersections of these three things.  The course is for building community and support for each other in the work of parenting, especially children and adolescents. It is discussion based with no reading required, although there will be handouts and suggested readings to deepen your perspective on the topics we will be exploring.

The program combines RE curriculum on "Parents as Spiritual Guides," with practices and suggestions from the book Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting. We will honor our own spiritual journeys as we consider faith development of children and adolescents. We'll look at the ways RE at FUSS can support parents and children. We will also look at a model for doing social justice work together in our community.

We will meet for 5 Sundays from 5-7PM: March 17 & 24; April 7,14 & 21. Potluck dinner for everyone, including children; childcare provided. Please e-mail or call Melissa MacKinnon, DRE with questions or to register.

SUNDAE SUNDAY

Tomorrow is Sundae Sunday! Our fabulous Religious Education Council has organized this annual event. It's set up so all ages get to mingle and, hopefully, you'll enjoy some ice cream with someone you do not know well, yet.  Our senior youth will scoop the ice cream.  They will be asking for donations towards the mission trip some of them are taking to Guatemala this summer. There are vegan options too.

Our Whole Lives for 5th&6th graders starting

Our Wholes Lives is an important curriculum we offer as part of religious education at First Unitarian Society Schenectady. In a culture filled with negative stereotypes about gender and sexuality, OWL offers a positive, life- affirming opportunity to link sexuality, social justice and spirituality. Here's a description from the Unitarian Universalist website,

Our Whole Lives helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality.

At FUSS we offer OWL at two points in religious education, between 4th -6th grade and between 7th-9th grade.

We are offering the 8-week Our Whole Lives program for 5th and 6th graders beginning January 27, at 10:30 AM, with a parent/child class. There is a parent orientation this Sunday, January 20th, in Waters House, beginning at noon. We will have lunch available and there is childcare.

The OWL course requires parental approval in order for children to participate. During these 8 weeks there are no drop -ins allowed.

Our OWL programs are run by trained adult facilitators. Our facilitators are volunteers from FUSS who get additional training to lead Our Whole Lives. They are incredibly dedicated to this program and the children they serve. If you are interested in being trained, please talk with Melissa MacKinnon, Director of Religious Education.