Prayer for Our Children

by Robert F. Kaufmann 

We wish for you a storm or two that you may enjoy the calm. We wish for you tranquility in time of trial. We wish you a cool breeze on a warm day, and pale white clouds that you may better appreciate the blueness of the sky. We wish you darkness that you may see the stars.

We wish you anticipation of high adventure, and we wish you the courage to avoid battle. We wish you a sense of wonder -- and poetry -- and music. We wish you companionship that you may appreciate solitude.

We wish you a friend who will understand you, and understanding so that you may have a friend. We wish you may become all that you wish to be, and more than you hope that you can be.

We wish you a flower to smell, a hand to touch, a voice to cheer, a heart to gladden. And we wish you someone to love, as we love you.

via UUA: Worship Web, an online worship resource "dedicated to deepening worship in UU churches."

Youth Concert Brings in the People and the Money!

First Unitarian's Youth Group hosted an incredibly successful benefit concert on Valentine's day to support the Fuel Fund of Maryland.  Over 60 people gathered in the Enoch Pratt Parish Hall to enjoy the evening's entertainment and more than $650 was raised for the Fuel Fund!

 

Comedian Ben Paulson shared his original material in opening for our main act, Hopeful-E (Sarah Walker, Lewis Shaw, Daniel Lemer, Luke Carney and special guest, Annie Lemieux).  The band played a mix of original songs and covers.  A video is available here for their cover of "My Eyes" from Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog.

Our in-house baker, Nick DiGregorio worked long hours to provide delicious cookies and brownies for the bake sale table.  Chris Hutter served as our official emcee, getting things off to a rocking start by invoking the Rolling Stones.  Other youth group members, Emily Cross-Barnet, Logan Wyatt, Carrie DiGregorio and Garrett Preston helped decorate, staffed the sales tables, helped clean up and otherwise contributed to making this event a smoothly run and stellar success!  

Thank you to everyone who turned out to support our awesome youth and a great cause!  Photos of the evening can be found here.  

If you weren't able to make it, but would like to make a contribution to the Fuel Fund of Maryland, you can do so online here.

Let's Party for Warmth!

The Teen Group of First Unitarian enthusiastically invites you to a benefit concert for the Maryland Fuel Fund on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 7-10 pm.  

For just a $5 cover charge, you will be able to enjoy not only the musical stylings of "Hopeful-E" and the comedy of Ben Polson, but you will also know you are making a difference because all proceeds from the event will benefit the Maryland Fuel Fund, helping to heat the homes of countless local families.

While you're here, be sure to partake of our bake sale with delicious goodies, also benefiting the Maryland Fuel Fund.

Doors open at 7:00 pm, Saturday, Feb. 14.  The Enoch Pratt Parish Hall is located just behind our sanctuary at 514 Charles St. 

Come help us rock the house and party for warmth!

Difficult Choices: Harriet Tubman

I have heard their groans and sighs, and seen their tears, and I would give every drop of blood in my veins to free them. — Harriet Tubman

On Sunday Ms. Valeri spoke with the congregation about Harriet Tubman and the difficult choices she faced in her life.  

As we enter Black History Month this February, you may want to take some time in your family to learn more about the history of fellow Marylanders like Harriet Tubman.  

There are many good books about this hero of the Underground Railroad, including the ones Ms. Valeri shared with us:

• Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

• Harriet Tubman and the Freedom Train

• In Their Own Words: Harriet Tubman

While you're waiting for the books to arrive in the mail, or on your way to the library, Baltimore's own Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture is conveniently located right downtown and offers a wonderful opportunity to deepen one's understanding.

Snowed in?  Check out some of the great web resources about the life of Harriet Tubman at Scholastic's Underground Railroad website or Harriet Tubman.com.

By committing herself to her deepest beliefs in the value of human life and human freedom, Harriet Tubman saved many lives.  Though you will hopefully never have to put your life on the line for what you believe in, we all make choices in our daily lives that support or contradict our values.  What is it that you value?  What actions do you take in your life to put those values to work?  

It's Mystery Buddies Time!

Each year when February rolls around, it's time to start thinking about Mystery Buddies. If you've ever been a mystery buddy, you know how much fun it can be. 

It goes like this: Throughout February, children and adults choose a code name and sign up to be matched into Mystery Buddy pairs. At the end of February, pairs of one adult and one child are made and code names are announced. 

Though each buddy knows the code name of their buddy, and a few starter facts, their identity will be a mystery. Every week in March, clues like notes and homemade gifts are exchanged as each participant tries to guess each other's identity. 

In addition to just being fun, the Mystery Buddy program is also one of the rare opportunities adults have to meet children as individuals. Teachers meet a child as one of many in a class. Neighbors and congregants typically meet a child as so-and-so's daugher or the brother of so-and-so. Though these children may certainly become known as individuals eventually, the opportunity to begin in such a context is rare. And, speaking as one who has this privilege more than most, it is precious. While it is true that the child sitting in the pew in front of you may well become your doctor one day, or your mechanic, or the person who rents an apartment to your grandchild, the magic of church—of our intergenerational community—is that that child is also a person sitting in church, just like you. Mystery Buddies is a fun way to find out who that kid is, what do they care about? What do they like to do? Who are they? And, meanwhile, who are you? 

Stop by the RE table at coffee hour any Sunday in February to sign up to be Mystery Buddy. Sign-up forms are also available for downloading on the sidebar to the right under "Helpful Links." Anyone under the age of 18 can be a "younger" buddy and anyone over 12 can be an "older" buddy (youth can choose). Each buddy will choose a code name and decorate a mailbag to receive notes from their Mystery Buddy. Pairs will exchange clues about their identity each week in March. The whole program will conclude with a special event on March 29 where identities are revealed. It's truly fun for all ages, I hope you'll join in! 

Parents As Resident Theologians Class Offered in the Spring

Within Unitarian Universalism, there is a whole world of diverse theologies and philosophies behind the Big Questions.  

While this very fact draws us to this faith, it also makes communicating our religious concepts to our children challenging. Though we do our very best to provide a comprehensive religious education to the children and youth in our congregation, the ultimate blessing and burden of religious education rests with parents and other family members. Faith development happens mostly in the home.  

"Parents as Resident Theologians," led by Director of Religious Education, Becky Brooks, is a curriculum written by-and-for Unitarian Universalists.  The course is designed to help parents and other adults with children in your lives explore your own theologies and philosophies so that your conversations and experiences with your children can be more comfortably grounded. Using the tools of the curriculum and the wisdom of our unique group of people, we will explore how to be better religious educators for our children and youth.

Join our group to explore Unitarian Universalism with other parents and adults as we find our way together. Our class will meet upstairs in the Peace Chapel from 9:00 am to 10:30 am, Sunday mornings on the following dates: March 15, 22, 29* and April 12 and 19 (no class on 4/5). Childcare will be provided. Class size: minimum of 6, maximum of 12.

To register, simply contact the church office by email or phone (410-685-2330).

* The Mar. 29 class will conflict with the Mystery Buddies Breakfast.  The class group will decide on an alternate meeting time once we know who will be involved.

Breakfast Chat Opportunities Remain

The first three Breakfast Chat Feedback meetings, as well as a special feedback meeting with the youth group, have led to excellent discussions.  The word cloud above is a collection of some of the things we've talked about.

Hosted by the DRE Advisory Council, these gatherings help us get feedback from families about how the Religious Education program is going and how we might improve.  Any adult who brings children or youth to church, be they parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles or just family friends, are very welcome to come share your ideas, feedback and suggestions!  

We will gather from 9:30 to 10:45 am each of the two remaining feedback Sundays for a delicious meal and wonderful conversation.  If you have children in the Explorers or Sprouts classses, or if you have children in another group but weren't able to make any of the previous meetings, I hope you'll join us at one of the remaining meetings:

Feb. 8 — Explorers families (9:30 am - 10:45 am)

Feb. 22 — Sprouts families (9:30 am - 10:45 am)

Child care and breakfast are both provided.  Please RSVP to Becky so we are sure to have enough food and supplies.  

Don't miss your opportunity to help steer the direction of Religious Education programming in the future!  See you there!