Rina Shere, Director of Religious Education
Monthly Newsletter Columns
THE BEACON - May 4, 2012
May REview and Sunday Calendar
Sunday, May 6
Youth group attend Young Adult service and 6th grade and younger attend RE classes
Sunday, May 13
Youth group attend Mother’s Day service and 6th grade and younger attend RE classes
Sunday, May 20
Regular classroom schedule and Rafiki performers
Sunday, May 27
Childcare only for children under ten
Sunday, June 3
Regular classroom schedule
Adult Religious Education for May and June
Sunday, May 6th 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Living and Losing ongoing support group
Join other UUSC members and friends as we help each other deal with loss and grief. We will meet in the UUSC library.
Thursday, May 17th 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Doctrine of Discovery session 2
The second session of the UUA Doctrine of Discovery workshop series, Native Voices on the Doctrine of Discovery and Immigration, will focus on the stories of indigenous peoples as we question the impact on the United States’ laws and culture if there were to be a broad repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery. Rev. Colin and Rina Shere will use readings, audio and video presentation to help us increase our understanding of this complex issue.
Wednesday, May 23rd 11:00 a.m. Tea time in the nursery
Join Rina Shere, DRE, and other UUSC parents and tots in an informal play group hour in our nursery room. No need to call in advance, just drop in and relax.
Tuesday, June 14th 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Doctrine of Discovery session 3
The third and final session of the UUA Doctrine of Discovery workshop series, How Are We Called to Respond, asks each of us to decide how to best respond to the Doctrine of Discovery. If the General Assembly votes to repudiate this document and the existing legal framework built upon the Doctrine, what does that really mean in practice for Unitarian Universalists?
Sunday, June 24th 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Spread the JOY!
Carol Dombrose, Director of Angel House and a teacher of the creative and healing arts, will lead us in a discussion of the importance of touching the heart source in you as a step in leading a more joyful life. Carol has a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and 22 years’ experience in counseling and the Healing Arts.
Unitarian Universalist Summer Camp June 18th - 21st ~ 6:00-8:30 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist families are invited to attend a summer evening camp held at First Unitarian Church of Cleveland in June. UUSC’s Rina Shere will be co-leading children’s worship and classes along with staff from First Church and The Unitarian Universalist Church of North Olmstead. The camp theme is Immigration Stories, based on the new UUA curriculum. The camp is open to rising 1st graders through rising 6th graders. There are positions for teens to be volunteer counselors. Please contact Rina if you are interested in attending or volunteering.
Thank You, Thank You!
Thank you to the Religious Education Committee for their commitment to “April is Religious Education month!” I am happy to report that we have four new teachers, one returning teacher and three new Religious Education committee members. We are still looking for “baby holders” who are willing to help out in the nursery one Sunday each month. Please contact Rina to volunteer.
The Leading Edge conference: Creating Multiracial Congregations
Earlier in April I was fortunate to attend the Leading Edge conference, held in a magnificent multiracial church in the East Village of New York City. I traveled to the conference with Rev. Colin and our four days were packed with sessions entitled “Building Multiracial Congregations,” “Using the Arts in Worship,” and “Prophetic Preaching.”
A primary takeaway was the idea that each of us must develop a “border” sensibility. We must try and try to put ourselves in the shoes of the “other.” We need to practice being in other cultures and looking at the world from a variety of perspectives. We need to move beyond our own singular location. Those of you who participated in the UUA Common Read book discussions, centering on Eboo Patel’s journey to find his unique identity and spiritual path, will understand this idea of crossing borders. For those of you who are interested in furthering your border “sensibility” I encourage you to attend the last two sessions of the Doctrine of Discovery sessions. We will put ourselves in the position of indigenous peoples and immigrants to try and develop a more meaningful understanding of the struggles they face due to legal and religious intolerances.
Information gleaned from a session that focused on new data from the recently released National Study on Youth and Religion also provided thought-provoking reflection. The study found that teens are not necessarily hostile to religion; they just really don’t care about it very much. This kernel of information prefaced the data point that “teens mirror the faith of their parents.” If we do not care about our spiritual lives, then should we expect our children to? If we do not use our Unitarian Universalist values to shape our work in the world, will our young people find sustenance in our faith? Our youth do look to us for ways to live and be in the world. Our children and grandchildren live in a much more multicultural world then many of us grew up in – and the Unitarian Universalist religion is profoundly shaped to honor diversity. My faith influences many aspects of my life – and I bet yours, too. How we vote, what we eat, what we wear, and our transportation choices are all social justice issues. I look forward to discussing the conference materials with you this Sunday.
Peace, Rina
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