Lifespan Religious Education

Lifespan Religious Education

September 2010

Dear RE Familes:

On September 19, 2010 we will formally begin our Religious Education program at UUSB. We will kick it off with a Pancake Breakfast (gluten-free pancakes will be available) from 8:30 – 9:30. We hope to see you there!

We are very excited to announce that we have hired Diane McClellen as our new DRE beginning on August 15, 2010. By way of introduction, please read her letter (below) that was published in September's Chalice & Chimes.

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor is committed to life-span religious education. We recognize that it takes a life time to learn and grow into spiritual maturity. Our professional staff and volunteers provide age appropriate educational programming for our children and adults. Our educational experiences are designed to offer learners of all ages the knowledge and tools to support their learning of Unitarian Universalist principles as well as diverse religious beliefs and traditions.

We would like to make you aware of our Sunday morning programs which occur simultaneously with the worship service. We offer classes on Sunday morning for children and youth, PreK through twelth grade, as well as nursery care for infants and toddlers. During our services everyone starts out in the sanctuary together to begin worship (if you have children in need of nursery care, you are welcome to bring them downstairs before the services begins.) There is a "story for all ages" near the beginning of our service during which all children are called to come to the front to sit together for a special story of talk geared just for them. You are are welcome to accompany your child(ren) to the front at this time. Following the story, the children will be dismissed by song to go downstairs to the RE area for their classes. If you are new or have young children, please feel free to accompany your child downstairs to see the RE area and meet your child(ren)'s teachers.

Children in Grades 3 and under will wait downstairs for a parent (or designee of a parent) to pick them up from their classroom at 11:15. Children and youth in Grades 4 and up will be dismissed from their classroom at 11:15 and are to go directly to the Dorothy Memorial Hall. Please feel free to grab a cup of coffee and a snack in the Dorothy Memorial before you retreive your child(ren). Please be respectful of your childs' teachers and wait in the hallway until 11:15 - The children remain much more focused on their lesson if there is not a lot of distraction at the end of their class time.

New this year!! Senior High Youth Groups (9-12th grade) will be offered on Sunday mornings during the Worship Service. Come and explore the UU faith through Music, Drama and Art.

For those of you planning ahead to next summer, children and youth who attend at least 50% of all RE classes are eligible to attend children, youth and family camps at Ferry Beach, as well as day camp for the younger children at UUSB. I’m telling you this now so that you can plan to attend as often as possible; you won’t want to miss out on RE for its own sake, or for the opportunity to attend summer programming.

If you have not done so already, we ask that you fill out a registration form for you child so that we have all the appropriate contact, allergy, and emergency information for our records.

As always, the RE program thrives because of its many talented and devoted adult volunteers. We welcome any adult who is interested in volunteering time and energy for Sunday morning programs, youth programs, adult programs, and special events. Many of our volunteers have affirmed that their lives have been enriched because of the time spent volunteering. We have slots available for weekly, monthly, or occasional time commitments; We would love to chat with you about your interests and talents. Please feel free to talk to Diane or any one of the the R.E. Committee members: Maureen Smith, Karen Childs, Laura Santilli, Rachel Case, Susan MacKay, or SueAnn Gaitings with any questions you might have.

Blessings,
Your Religious Education Committee

Our Mission Statement:
The lifespan religious education (LRE) program of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor inspires all participants to grow spiritually, develop a sense of personal and social responsibility, and experience joy in a loving Unitarian Universalist community.

Religious Education Newsletter 2010-2011
Sept 2010	Dec 2010	Mar 2011
Oct 2010	Jan 2011	Apr 2011
Nov 2010	Feb 2011	May 2011

Hello!
I am happy to be introducing myself as the new DRE of UUSB. My children, Kyle and Ayla, and I have been attending church here for the last year and before that we attended the First Church of Albuquerque, NM. My husband Frank has been able to join us occasionally.

I grew up attending First Parish in Wayland, Massachusetts. Its white steeple reached to the sky at the center of town, and it had a bell made by Paul
Revere and Sons. We reenacted revolutionary history by ringing the bell at 4 am for the Minutemen, and on Christmas Eve we sang It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, written by a former minister of the church, Edmund Sears. I was steeped in history, but more significant than the space, than the memories of place, are the gift of experience I took with me when I left. The foundation of these experiences is what I hope to share with our children and youth. This includes the ideas that learning and asking questions is critically important, that sharing what you have and working for equality is healing, and that the stories we tell ourselves and others create our world, both internal and external.

This year, I look forward meeting everyone and having discussions about the program, your children and what you would like to see as part of the program. With my background in the arts, as an art teacher, and as a service learning teacher, I am excited about creating meaningful hands-on, brain-on, heart-on education for our children and youth.

I also look forward to working with our generous teachers who use their gifts and talents with our children and youth in a direct and meaningful way.

In closing, I want to let you know that my door, or rather my email, is always open; please feel free to contact me at any time to ask questions, share ideas and discuss anything about the RE program. I have a phone extension at the church, and my email account is uubangorre@gmail.com.

I look forward to the official start of the RE program on September 19th!!!

With peace and purpose,
Diane McClellan, DRE

Please find the UUSB Youth Group on FaceBook - Ask for an invite!

Click here for an online version of out RE Handbook

Please visit the Events page to find out about fun stuff that will be happening throughout the year!

If you would prefer that your child not be filmed or have photos posted for public viewing, please contact Diane.