by Austen Petersen, Director of Religious Education
August has been a busy month! In addition to Sunday classes, we’ve had quite a few big events. Thank you to everyone who has participated!
Teacher Orientation
Thank you to all our volunteer teachers who attended Teacher Orientation on August 27th!
Lower Elementary
- Lesa Craig
- Margarita RioFrio
- Marion Wolfe
Upper Elementary & Middles
- Liz Dye
- BethAnne Klaver
- Kimberly Richards-Thomas
- Jenn Sims
YRUU (High School)
- Kate McGaw, lead
- Karine Borges
- Lesley Henderson
- Patrick Jones
- Catherine Mountjoy
The teachers gathered to schedule, lesson plan, and to welcome the keynote speaker, Katie Covey, from Soul Matters. Katie Covey is a renowned Unitarian Universalist curriculum writer, and we are so honored to have her at our teacher orientation.
As a group, we concentrated on Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists’ mission, and how that connects to the work of the denomination. The work of teaching our children and youth is a core part of the mission of both our organization in Williamsburg and the mission of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
You may already know that the Unitarian Universalist Association is considering a bylaw change. Katie Covey spoke to the Article II bylaw change and how we can introduce this into our Soul Matters curriculum that we are teaching to the grade school students.
The work that our teachers undertake furthers the mission of our organization both at the congregation level and the denomination as a whole. This work is vital, and saves lives. Please join me in thanking the teachers for their commitment to this mission.
Senior High Our Whole Lives Student Orientation
The three facilitators of the Senior High Our Whole Lives class have each been through extensive training to make this offering a reality. Each single facilitator represents days of training with other Unitarian Universalists from around the country wrestling with how to offer science based accurate information to our senior high students.
Please join me in offering my thanks to Stephanie Hasselbacher, Lauren Weeks, and Dave Wilcox.
Upcoming
Our Whole Lives Parent Orientation
Monday, September 11 at WUU, 6:30 pm
This orientation is mandatory for all students to participate in this class.
55+ Our Whole Lives Facilitators
Just as the Senior High Our Whole Lives facilitators have committed to the training of facilitators, the 55+ OWL class facilitators have completed a separate training for this class at the adult level.
It has been a pleasure to work with this group. Please join me in offering my thanks to Natalie Miller-Moore and Liz Wiley.
If you haven’t already seen the FAQ about 55+ OWL, see below.
Thanks for your interest in WUU’s Golden OWL class!
We’ve had some great conversations so far and we look forward to more. You can register for the class here, with this link: https://wuu.breezechms.com/form/6ca33c78
The deadline to register is September 18th, with the first class beginning Tuesday, September 19th at 6 p.m. in the Little Sanctuary.
A few answers to questions we’ve received:
Is there a virtual option?
Unfortunately, no, this is not a topic that lends itself to virtual participation smoothly, but in addition, there are privacy and sharing concerns related to virtual spaces that make it a poor fit. We do not want to inhibit discussion, which is the primary component of the class, and we want there to be a safe, contained space that improves the confidential and revelatory nature of the class. (Although, no one should share anything they are not comfortable with.) Please feel free to take advantage of our resources though, if you are interested in learning more from home.
What if I already know I’ll miss a class?
We don’t want you to miss a thing, but the most important session to attend is the kickoff class on September 19th where we set the covenant for the group and begin the process of creating a trusting space. If you cannot make that session, then it may not be the time to join. We understand that some plans can’t be cancelled and that illness or other urgent matters may make perfect attendance challenging. Just consider your ability to commit (even if it’s going to be a bit uncomfortable at times) and to hold space for others as part of group learning, which will depend on each of our abilities to be present.
Do you have any resources to share?
Throughout the class, we’ll have book recommendations, podcasts and websites for you. If you are interested in these but don’t want to take the class, we can share some of them with you as well. Here is the UUA bookstore link to our 55+ curriculum guide which has a description as well.
Who else will be there? Will it be a variety of ages and genders?
We know this is a highly personal topic and people’s lived experiences will vary greatly — but also admit that our American culture related to sex is highly gendered. We would love a good representation of experiences, so please encourage your friends or people of other genders to register by the deadline!
As for ages, we expect there will be a bell curve of people between 50 and 100 and again, we don’t want to make assumptions about lived experience nor who might be valuable in adding to the conversation.
Will I need to learn a bunch of new vocabulary words?
We’ve had some great conversations about this, and it’s best described in these two ways:
– the vocabulary is changing to better reflect people’s experiences of gender identity, sexual orientation and relationship styles and it’s helpful to be precise in the descriptions for greater potential understanding — even if you don’t think a new vocabulary is useful for you, it can help you respectfully communicate with others.
– labels can be useful in conveying concepts, but we also know that lifespan spirituality includes the willingness to have our assumptions challenged and to cast off old labels when necessary. New ways of thinking include new words and ways of understanding a topic more broadly or deeply.
Do you have to be a UU to take the class?
No, this class is open to anyone willing to covenant with us to learn and engage in respectful dialogue about sexuality, relationships and health. There is a fee for non WUU-members, and it is in person so that limits the pool to locals — but it’s not limited by congregational membership. Please tell your friends if you think they would be a good participant!
College of William and Mary Connections
Big congratulations go to our executive team, Madeline Farris and Grace Morales, for organizing this year’s Student Activity Fair Unitarian Universalist Circle table.
Thanks to the generosity of WUU bakers, we were able to offer home baked cookies to anyone who stopped by our table.
Thank yous go to:
Linda Cole
Liz Dye
Carolyn Greathouse
David Hamilton
Katrina Landon
Well done, everyone!
See our program schedule below for more information on September events for children and youth.
September 2023
Theme: Welcome
Sunday, September 3
No classes
Sunday, September 10
Ingathering Service at 10 AM, RE classes 10:20-11:20
Preschool: Rainbow Children
Lower Elementary: Soul Matters
Upper Elementary & Middle School: Soul Matters
High School: Soul Matters
Monday, September 11
Parent Orientation for Senior High Our Whole Lives Class at WUU at 6:30 PM
Sunday, September 17
Service at 10 AM, classes 10:20-11:20
Preschool: Rainbow Children
Lower Elementary: Soul Matters
Upper Elementary & Middle School: Soul Matters
High School: Soul Matters
Special Event! Jamestown 4H Trip 1:00-4:30 PM
Tuesday, September 19
Sr High OWL: Session One
Sunday, September 24
Service at 10 AM, classes 10:20-11:20
Preschool: Rainbow Children
Lower Elementary: Children’s Yoga
Upper Elementary & Middle School: Children’s Yoga
High School: Children’s Yoga
Special Event! Kayaking, sign up requested
Tuesday, September 26
Sr. High OWL: Session Two
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Learn more about our Religious Education programming, and contact austen@wuu.org for more information. Register for WUU Religious Education now!