Water Communion Multi-Generational Service September 6th.

Soul Matters’ theme for September is “Beginnings,” and Religious Exploration
begins September with the ever-popular Water Communion Multi-Generational Service on September 6th. Bring some water from your travels or favorite Topeka source to share in blessing the spiritual journeys we will be embarking on this academic year.

Spirit Play Redux

Four volunteers have received Spirit Play training over the summer (Bobbi Schaeffer, Virginia Hummel, Nick Boaz, and Cynthia Maxwell), and they have been hard at work cleaning and organizing the Spirit Play (a.k.a. Whitney Young) Room for a new beginning. As we begin, we will use a one room classroom for children 4-14 to assess interest and needs, but we are prepared to make room for an upper elementary group and/or middle school Popcorn Theology group should there be sufficient interest.

Spirit Play Calendar for September 

• September 13^th Registration and Orientation: Nick reads “The Sources” Lesson 
• September 20^th Bobbi reads “The Chalice” Lesson 
• September 27^th Virginia reads “The Beginning” Lesson 

The Youth Group and Dungeons and Dragons 

Hello members of the UUFT. This is Dylan Cook, Sunday youth class teacher and manager of the UUFT Dungeons and Dragons group. I’d like to tell you a little bit about what we’ve been getting up to each week. 

First, I’m pleased to say that our Thursday Dungeons and Dragons group has been going very well! We’ve met nearly every week and have been excited for every single one. My six players have created detailed characters with varied backstories and personalities, and each session, they explore a world I handcrafted. They’ve met memorable supporting characters and diabolical villains, planned daring escapes, and even made some tough moral decisions. The youth go above and beyond to get into the game. One player took a book from the game and recreated it in real life, with a leather cover she bound herself. Another player has recently written a detailed script about his in-game character. It’s brought all of us together and has certainly kept many youth coming in on both Thursdays and Sundays. 

Our Sunday youth lessons have been a blast to teach. Our lessons have been structured around world religions, with a focus on etymology, real culture, and history. All with the intent to help youth gain a sense of what real people thought and believed around the world. We started with a course on Norse mythology. Next came an extensive course on the religious and cultural history of ancient Egypt. We even mummified apples! We are currently working on Greek mythology. We’ve only gotten started on that subject, but the enthusiasm the youth shows for it is amazing. The youth are always on point, asking me questions that almost always blossom into fascinating discussions, usually with a fair helping of humor. 

As the year continues, we plan to continue both weekly youth activities relatively unchanged. On the lessons side, I’m currently working on a curriculum for the three major Abrahamic faiths. It’ll be a challenge, but I know my students are up for it. For Dungeons and Dragons, our story is nearly complete. When it finishes, we’ll start a new story with all new characters, a perfect time for new players to join. If anyone is curious about joining the next game, or, better yet, is interested in leading another game in parallel with mine, please approach me on Sunday. As my students know, you can get me talking about Dungeons and Dragons very easily.