Director of Religious Education

Our elementary class learned about our new UU values and a fun acronym to help remember them by — Jet Pig! This adorable piglet carries a jet pack and is powered by love. In addition to discussing each part of Jet Pig (Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, Generosity, always with LOVE at the center), we also talked about why churches might want to create new goals and update their values instead of just sticking with whatever had been written long ago. Kids shared some ways that they mark the new year and think about goals and values in their own lives. We finished by coloring in an image of Jet Pig and playing an interdependence yarn game!

The Wildflower Youth Group (Middle & High School) began with our weekly check-in and offered each other support as needed. Then, they played a question & answer snowball game to reconnect and welcome new members at the beginning of a new year.

Our Sunday began with a lovely child dedication in the service that the kids and youth participated in. After that, we headed to the classroom to learn about the origins of our UU chalice. Did you know that the flaming chalice symbol was first used by the Unitarians during World War II as part of their work to help refugees? From this two-dimensional origin, chalices became a ritual part of UU services in the early 1980’s after UU children made a great variety of three-dimensional chalices in the 1970s! To celebrate the season, we made our own chalice out of a pumpkin.

It was so great to see all of your wonderful children & youth today! 

In the elementary class, we began our fall semester by creating our class covenant (a set of promises we make to each other so we can all feel safe and comfortable when we come together). Then, we read The Everything Seed, a gorgeous story of the entire universe springing forth from a single seed. Finally, we used seeds to create collages that represented the love that was present at the beginning of the universe and that continues to guide us in our UU faith.

The Youth Group did a check-in and discussed ideas for the service activity that they will be facilitating next month around labor issues. Then, the group created a collaborative mandala using parts of flowers from a different event and discussed the concept of “using what you have” as it applies to organizing, activism, and self-care.

We’ve been having a blast this summer with a focus on fun, connection, and joy 🙂 And of course, doing everything we can to stay cool in this Texas heat! So far, we’ve had a Water Day that included sprinklers, water balloons, water paint art, and freezy pops. Our Game Day included both active & board games and also ended with an icy treat. Hope you’ll join us for one of our upcoming Sundays.

We ended our Spring semester this Sunday with a focus on our 7th Principle: We care for our planet Earth and all living beings on it. The Youth Group took a field trip to Mabel Davis to look for birds and forage edible plants and the Elementary-age classes explored the world of animals with a beautifully-illustrated book and some creative play with animal figurines outside in the lovely weather.

This week, our elementary-age class talked about how our UU values call us to care about all people and what that actually looks like using a book called Oh, the Things We’re For, by Innosanto Nagara. Using rhyme and rhythm, the books calls us to reimagine healthcare, work, and school. The kids had a lot to say about the ways schools could work better for everyone! Finally, we illustrated some of our thoughts using colorful sand painting and finished up with a snack outside in the beautiful weather.

The Youth Group continued working through their Coming of Age experience and prepared for the upcoming Youth-Led Service (April 23). Heads up: the service will be intergenerational, but there will be supervised art activities in the foyer for any kids who would rather do that 🙂