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Youth Ministries Updates
A monthly newsletter of the UUA Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries February 2010
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DRUUMM West Coast Regional Conference - March 19-21 in Pasadena, CA
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Save the Date - Scholarships will be available for youth and young adults!
"Painting On Our Own Canvas:
Understanding and Dismantling Internalized Racism"
Pasadena, CA |
Be a LEADER in the CHILDREN'S and YOUTH PROGRAM at Ferry Beach RE (Religious Education) Week 2010!
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July 10-16, 2010
Applications are now being accepted for skilled adult leaders to bring their ideas for guiding our children and youth in exploring what it is we treasure. Daily children's programming is offered for preschoolers all the way up to highschoolers and runs concurrently with the adult programming.
Please contact Jeanette Ruyle at jruyle23@verizon.net by February 15th if you are interested in receiving an application to be a leader in the Children's/Youth program. Interested in attending as a participant? See www.ferrybeach.org for registration information. |
Upcoming Events
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| Ministry with Youth Renaissance Module
March 11-13, 2010
DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church
Naperville, IL
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| Greetings from the Director |
Greetings all, One role of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries is to lift up and highlight best practices in congregations throughout our Association. I see innovation and connection happening in youth and young adult ministries at the local and district level throughout our Association. In celebration and thanks, we want to acknowledge these great ministries and the fabulous, dedicated leaders behind them! While we cannot publicly recognize every leader who deserves acknowledgment, the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries is honored with presenting the Donna DiSciullo Young Adult and Campus Ministry Award, Youth Advisor of the Year Award, and Unsung Unitarian Universalist Youth Award. Is there someone in your congregation or in your life that has inspired you or mentored you? Someone who has created or sustained a ministry so vibrant that people's eyes widen when they witness it? A youth whose passion and commitment has transformed a community? If so, I hope you will nominate them for one of these three important awards! Nominations are due March 15, 2010. I hope you will nominate a person who has made a great difference in Unitarian Universalism and in your life. Even more important, take a few minutes to write a note or call to express your gratitude and to acknowledge their hard work. And from me personally, to all the youth, young adults, and adults who serve, care for, and inspire our communities of faith: thank you for your time, your commitment, and your love. In faith,
 Erik B. Kesting Youth and Young Adult Ministries Director |
From the Associate for Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color
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Hello Family,
As you know the country of Haiti was devastated by an earthquake and after shocks in January. It seems that only a few short months ago the country was slammed by five hurricanes that caused wide spread destruction. As I listen to news reports and hear comments by people trying to make sense of the natural disasters that continue to plague Haiti, I thought about the book of Job in the First Testament in the Christian Bible and the issues that are raised in the story; such as innocent or undeserved suffering and how people behave when calamity strikes.
It is becoming a familiar refrain from some leaders in the U.S. to blame the victims of calamity for their plight. As Unitarian Universalist, what is our theology when it comes to calamity? When is it ok to blame someone or a country when a natural disaster causes wide spread death and destruction? I think one of our greatest challenges as UUs is our ability to articulate our theology in a way that communicates our beliefs. Our first Unitarian Universalist principle calls us to promote and affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Our UU theology challenges us to be inclusive, that is to embrace the people of Haiti along with the people who blame them for their plight in their hour of biblical suffering.
It is not too late to show your support for the people of Haiti. Please contact your local UU congregation to learn how you can get involved in relief efforts. You can also donate to the UUSC and UUA joint Haiti earthquake relief fund http://www.uusc.org/. Let us live our UU faith by not judging or questioning why someone is suffering. Rather, let us be mindful and attentive to the fact they are suffering and do our human best to ease their pain.
As always I would love to hear from you. You can message me on Facebook at Monica Cummings, email me at mcummings@uua.org or leave a comment for me on the YaYA of Color blog, UU Living Mosaic at http://uuyayaoc.blogs.uua.org/. Living My Faith,
Rev. Monica
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| Join the UU Allies for Racial Equity Annual Conference - March 19-20 in Long Beach, CA |
Scholarships available for youth and young adults! Join us for the annual Allies for Racial Equity conference for white anti-racist allies seeking accountable ways of partnering with people of color to create transformation in our congregations and communities. This year, we are using a different model for working together. On Friday, we will gather for worship and an inspirational discussion about accountability by leaders in UU anti-racism work. On Saturday, we will focus our work on anti-racist communication and accountability, and work throughout the day in large- and small-group settings around central keynote presentations by Dr. Shelly Tochluk, author of Witnessing Whiteness and professor of education at Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles. The conference will begin at 5pm on Friday, March 19 and run through the evening of March 20. After Sunday services at the UU Church of Long Beach, optional post-conference activities will be offered by the host congregation. Registration includes a light dinner Friday evening and three meals on Saturday. The cost is $125, with a reduced rate of $75 for students (including seminarians) and members of the UU Church of Long Beach. Scholarships, especially for youth, young adults and seminary students, are available. To apply for a scholarship, indicate your need on the online registration form. A pre-conference training on white anti-racist identity will be held on Friday, March 19 from 9 am to 4 pm. Registration for this training is an additional $25. For more information and to register: www.uuallies.org. |
| New Small Group Ministry Resource for Youth |
Small group ministry can be a way to help individuals build relationships, experience a greater sense of belonging, and feel supported in their spiritual journey in the congregation. Sharing the Journey: Small Group Ministry for Youth, by Jessica York and Helen Zidowecki, is a new Tapestry of Faith resource available free and online that offers guidelines for starting small group ministries with youth. Ten sample sessions and a template for constructing additional sessions can be used as Sunday morning programming or with a youth group. Sessions focus on such topics as childhood, the nature of worship, and dealing with conflict. Additional chapters explore how to use a small group ministry model to enrich a service project and as the framework for a weekend gathering.
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Interfaith Leadership Training Update |
Thirty-nine youth and adults from congregations across the country came together in Atlanta over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend to participate in an interfaith leadership training and service event. This program, designed specifically for UU youth-adult pairs, equipped participants with the skills they would need to be interfaith leaders in their own communities. For 2-1/2 days, participants worked and played together, learning about religious pluralism, UU theology, dialogue facilitation, event planning and more. On their final day together, participants engaged in a service project benefiting a local community organization that provides housing and other resources to homeless families. This event was part of a larger partnership between the Unitarian Universalist Association's Lifespan Faith Development Staff Group and the Interfaith Youth Core, made possible by a generous grant from the Shelter Rock Large Grant Fund. LFD and IFYC will also partner to produce curriculum for youth, and to lead a camp slated for August 1-6 at The Mountain. Further coverage of this event as well as details about forthcoming events will be available soon at www.uua.org/interfaithyouth. | |
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| Contact the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries |
Erik B. Kesting, Youth and Young Adult Ministries Director (617) 948-4359 ekesting@uua.orgRev. Dr. Monica L. Cummings, Associate for Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color (262) 705-5786 mcummings@uua.orgJeremie Giacoia, Leadership Development Associate (617) 948-4352 jgiacoia@uua.org
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