Dear youth and parents,
 
Anna and I just returned from a great meeting with representatives from Beth-El Congregation and the Islamic Association of Tarrant County to finalize our upcoming tri-faith series for youth (new name: "Youth Trialogue").  We are all very excited about what's in store, as youth from three historic faiths gather to learn more about each other and develop connections that build on our similarities while respecting our differences.  Our prayer is that after this series our 7th-10th graders will not only have a better understanding of their Jewish and Muslim neighbors, but a better understanding of their own faith as well.

I wanted to be sure to explain why this series is targeted to four grades in particular, which may seem a bit odd.  The trialogue was actually initiated by the religious education director from Beth-El, and was designed to suit older middle schoolers and younger high schoolers.  Their youth program actually ends after 10th grade, and high school juniors and seniors participate in adult classes.  The mosque has a similar structure, and focusing on those grades worked perfectly for them.  Though UCC's youth program is set up differently, we agreed to stick with the grades in question so that the participants from our church would be coming from the same grades as everyone else, allowing us to tailor the program to that specific audience.  So, grades 7-10 it is.

If you have (or are) a 7th-10th grader, be sure to mark October 25 and November 8 and 15 on your calendar for the three trialogue events, and read on for more details on this and other youth activities coming up.

Grace and Peace,
Russ

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