WAYS TO CONNECT

MULTIGENERATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES

MULTI-GEN SERVICES

Multigenerational services (Multi-gens) are led by the Director of Religious Exploration, and are for all members of the congregation to take part in. Classes are not held when we have Multi-gens, as they are planned with the children in mind, with extra songs and movement activities. The Nursery is always provided though. Children and Youth also take part in these services, and participate by reading poetry or other special readings, performing music or skits, lighting and extinguishing the Chalice, and helping in other ways depending on the service.

We generally offer 4 Sunday morning Multi-gens, and 1 evening Christmas Eve Multi-gen each year:

The Water Communion

In August, we have our Water Communion service. This service brings closure to our summer RE programming, and prepares the children and adults for heading back out into the world: to school, work, and wherever each person’s path takes them during the week.

This is a communion specific to Unitarian Universalists, and was created by 2 UU women in the 1980’s.

The Winter Holiday Service

Our Winter Holiday service is held in mid-December, and is focused on one or more of the winter holidays from around the world. These services generally have a lot of music and have parts for all children that are interested in participating!

The Christmas Eve Service

Our Christmas Eve Service combines the reading of the Christmas Story, a secular holiday Story For All Ages, lots of holiday caroling and musicians, ending with a White Elephant gift exchange and a cookie and cider reception!

RE Sunday and Flower Communion

The RE Sunday service and the Flower Communion have been combined the past 2 years, but might be separated into 2 distinct services in the future. RE Sunday is a service that celebrates the children and youth of the RE classes, recognizes and gives thanks to the teachers and volunteers, and also includes a Bridging Ceremony for graduating seniors.

The Flower Communion is a special service that celebrates the beauty of nature, friendship and family, coming together, and sharing with one another.

This is a communion specific to Unitarian Universalists, and was first created 100 years ago!

And one more special service.

This might be a special service for a holiday or holy day like Halloween or the Spring Equinox; a UU related service about the Chalice, our UU Principles or Sources; or on something that the RE has been working on, like a social justice or environmental project.

WEEKLY RE NEWSLETTER

The Weekly RE Newsletter is sent out on Sunday afternoons, and details the events in the different classes that day, along with important information on upcoming gatherings and activities. It also offers extra activities and ideas to help continue religious exploration throughout the week, and discussion questions and prompts for families to expand on what was learned and explored in the classes that day.

THIS MONTH AT A GLANCE, THE MONTHLY UUFT NEWSLETTER

With love…

Another school year has been completed. All those final projects have been turned in, the end of the year concerts have been performed and attended, lockers and desks cleaned out, and piles of artwork have been brought home. That transition from school to summer break is by far the best transition! While it is “change”, oh what a fabulous change it is!! There is a slowing down, a relaxation that is almost permeable. For some, bedtimes get pushed back a bit, as do mornings. For others with morning camps, it’s important to stick to the schedule of the school year, but still, summer camp is filled with fun activities! Summer brings many changes, and a lot of them are good! Maybe some of you will travel. Maybe some of you will have a staycation type of summer, and will explore the many awesome places in and around Topeka like Washburn University for the Sunflower Concert series, the Topeka Public library for tons of awesome programming and activities, Gage Park with the Zoo and also the newly expanded Discovery Center! Plus, don’t forget the Topeka Renaissance Festival later this month on June 13-14, and Topeka Pride on June 20th! I will have my chainmail booth at both! Stop by for a visit if you’re there! I’ll have a couple of extra chairs. If you venture just a little beyond Topeka and make it to Lawrence, I recommend the KU Natural History Museum!! There is a fantastic fossil of my favorite dinosaur, the Parasaurolophus, across from the stairs on the lowest level!! I wonder if you will see your favorite dinosaur there? I wonder what your favorite dinosaur is?? I’ll tell you what, if you stop by my booth this month or at one of the many places I’ll be with my booth after this month, and share with me what your favorite dinosaur is, I will give you a prize! You should never be too “grownup” to have a favorite dinosaur, after all.

Change happens though, and your favorite dinosaur might change to a different one. That old favorite, Pachycephalosaurus, will still hold a place in your heart with its cool domed head, but now Allosaurus is in the house!! Make way for those big stomping feet and those big chomping teeth! Or maybe your new favorite is Maiasaura, the mothering dinosaur, the calm one. Yes, change happens. It even happened to the dinosaurs! Change happens for many reasons, some good, some not so good, and some so naturally and slowly it barely feels like change at all. So, find me at a show somewhere in 2 or 5 years if your favorite dinosaur changes. I’m serious! I’m curious! I would love to know all about it!

A big change is happening at our very own UUFT, and unfortunately it has nothing to do with dinosaurs. The people in charge have decided that in order to have a minister, they could not have a Director of Religious Exploration, or a DRE. There were just not enough funds. While there will still be RE classes, my job is ending this month. While I did not approve of the lack of communication that led to this decision, and how I was told just a few days before our last multigen, this does only illustrate that the UUFT is in great need of a minister. As well as a monthly meeting between the Chairs of all committees along with appointed positions. While this is something that I have tried to do since I became the DRE of the UUFT, I was unable to make it happen for lack of support. I can only have hope that it will happen in the future. Because it works. Communication is so important, my friends. Only by working together and communicating can a place as cool as the UUFT survive. A minister can help with this. You can help with this. Remember, my friends, that whatever we do, we do it with love. Love should always be at the center.

Be kind to each other.

Be kind to yourself.

The rest will follow.

I’ll leave you with the words of the great Robert Hunter, songwriter of the Grateful Dead, but I can only hear it as sung by the late and great Jerry:
“Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell”.

With love,

Erin Forstein
Director of Religious Exploration