Family Information for Sunday, July 28, 2013

Hello Families and Friends of Westside,

 

Hope everyone is doing well this lovely Friday evening, and has enjoyed this magnificent week of sunshine!

 

Just a quick reminder that this Sunday there is going to be a multigenerational service (one of only two this summer). This means there will be no RE class this week, however the Nursery will be open for kids ages six months to four years old. All kids over four are encouraged to attend the upbeat service centered around drumming and rhythm. Below is the description of the service to get a better understanding of what it will be like.

  

"In this multigenerational service, congregation member John Britt, along with the beat of our Westside drummers, will remind us of some simple life lessons from the drum circle in this all-percussion service. Both the individual impulse and the united beat of community fill the cycles of our human experience. In this service, our youngest and our eldest community members will experience joyful rhythms and diverse rhythms together, from different cultures."

 

Hope to see everyone there!

Mackenzie

 

 

Announcements:

Middle School Con Registration: Families of middle schoolers –  Fall Con registration is open! September 27-29, Vashon Island. The registration form is attached here. I encourage you to register in August to get the cheaper rate. Please make a copy of your registration for Betsy so she has accurate medical information. She will be attending Fall Con with our middle schoolers. Also, contact her directly if you have any questions (Betsy Lowry, dre@wsuu.org, 410-274-2018). 

Teaching and Advising in our RE Programs: We like to say that our children are our future. Well, Westside is making beautiful contributions to the future, as we help our children and youth to navigate their hearts, their self-confidence, their faith development, and their social justice sensibilities. Our children and youth come eagerly to our Sunday classes, to our special events and youth groups, and multigenerational worship and other activities. They blossom – from infant and active toddler size to middle and high school youth – in the safe and nurturing environments of our RE classes and programs. They grow and learn by being in relationship with their adult teachers. WE NEED TEACHERS! We want to offer our best to these precious gems of our community. Come talk with anyone on the RE Council, or anyone who has taught before to learn more about the connections you will make with other teachers and the difference you can make in kids’ lives. Let Betsy Lowry (dre@wsuu.org 410-274-2018) or Julie Forkasdi, RE Council Chair (julieforkasdi@email.com) know of your interest to contribute to our RE ministry.

OWL Update: We are offering two OWL classes this year, our Junior High OWL for 7^th and 8^th graders, and our elementary OWL for 4^th and 5^thgraders. The Junior High class will likely begin in October and end in April, meeting early on Sunday evenings. The elementary class has eight sessions, and the time of year will be determined with the teaching team and parent input. OWL is a significantly important experience for our children and youth, and requires a serious commitment on the part of families. We look forward to rich experiences with bonding and community building, trustbuilding, and learning in our OWL adventures this year. We now have solid teaching teams in place, and we will offer informational meetings for families in August. See Betsy Lowry (dre@wsuu.org) if you have any questions.

Coming of Age Program: Coming of Age (COA) is a program that marks the transition from childhood to young adult. UU’s generally emphasize four areas in the COA experience: pairing youth with adult mentors; discussions and retreats that emphasize self-awareness and confidence-building; service to the church and community; and a culminating affirmation ceremony. We are offering a COA program this year for any high schoolers from grades 9-11 who have not yet had this experience. Our class will start and end with retreats, and will meet on Sunday mornings every other week. We have a teaching team in place who is planning the curriculum and experiences for this program, and we will invite youth and families to an information meeting in August. See Betsy Lowry (dre@wsuu.org) if you have any questions.