So, just what does the Lifespan Program Director of the Prairie Star District do? Good question! I hope this
blog will give you some answers.
(For a list by topic of previous posts, visit the "Best of Log" section of my Favorite Links page. You can also Search the PLBOTP archives with PicoSearch.)
Here's my RSS Feed if you'd like to subscribe to PLBOTP.
Update on PSD Youth Ministry Report. The UUA has prepared a report based on our recent district-level Consultation on
Ministry To and With Youth. You can download the report by clicking on the link below...
Participating in Your Worshipping/Caring/Learning Community of Faith
Thomas Jefferson once said that he was content to be a Unitarian by himself. That may have worked for Jefferson, and
there are probably a few folks around these days that believe one can be a Unitarian Universalist in solitude, but for more
and more of us, being a Unitarian Universalist means being part of a community of faith. And this is especially true for families.
That's why I think the sixth of Robert Wuthnow's six deliberate religious activities--participating in your community of faith in ways that make it part of your family’s emotional support system--may
be the most important.
This kind of participation is exactly what the UUA's Lifespan Faith Development Working Group had in mind when they envisioned "children, youth, and adults who affirm that they are part of a Unitarian Universalist religious
heritage and community of faith that has value and provides resources for living," and who "recognize the need for community,
affirming the importance of families, relationships and connections between and among the generations." These two portions
of their Vision Statement highlight the importance of both community and families in lifespan faith development.
But lifespan faith development is only one component of a faith community. Richard Gilbert, former Minister of
the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, New York, has one of the best descriptions of the full range of opportunities a community
of faith can provide for individuals and families. According to the Social Justice Empowerment Handbook available through the UUA, Gilbert
believes there are four dimensions of the religious life in the church:
the church as worshipping community
the church as caring community in which a mutual ministry operates to meet personal needs
the church as a community for lifespan religious education
the church as a community of moral discourse and action.
Worship and the celebration of life are at the center of the life of our religious community. Through worship we express
the values and meanings which are central to our faith. Here we find the inspiration to face the challenges of life and the
motivation for action.
Our churches are caring communities where people can find personal affirmation. Individuals come to the church for support
at times of birth, marriage, and death. They look for acceptance in times of stress and turmoil. Many of our UU congregations
have structured "caring committees" so that church members can be intentional about meeting these pastoral needs. As a community
we enjoy special events that bring us together like the fall fair, the annual retreat, the religious education picnic, and
the Christmas Eve Candle Light Service.
Our congregations are places for lifespan education. We want our children to learn about values that can sustain them
throughout their lives. Our adult education programs provide opportunities for people to learn about our liberal religious
faith tradition and to grow as persons.
In moral discourse we discuss the important ethical and social issues of our day. And we take action on issues we feel
strongly about.
In other words, a liberal religious community of faith can provide families with resources that cannot be found anywhere
else in contemporary society--at least not all in one place. Membership and participation in a local Unitarian Universalist
congregation (or the Church of the Larger Fellowship if there is no congregation near your family) is the foundation for developing lifelong Unitarian Universalists.
For the past few weeks I've been exploring Robert Wuthnow's notion that religious formation takes place primarily "through
embedded practices; that is, through specific, deliberate religious activities that are firmly intertwined with the daily habits of family routines, of eating and sleeping, of having conversations, of
adorning the spaces in which people live, of celebrating the holidays, and of being part of a community." The fifth of these
activities--celebrating holidays in ways that the religious significance comes through--seems especially appropriate at this
time of year when Unitarian Universalist families are negotiating the narrow passage between excessive consumerism and religious
sentimentalism.
Simple book about the child, written and illustrated by you!
The makings for hand puppets--brown lunch bags, googly eyes, scissors, markers etc.
Homemade Gifts:
Record interviews of parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles on audio or video tape; you can ask them to discuss their
memories of the person you plan to give the tape to, or your family's history, especially funny or meaningful anecdotes.
Make your own cards and send them to relatives and good friends.
Frame one of your best photographs. Buy a frame from a local business or artisan. Or make one yourself out of stiff paper
or cardboard, decorated with colored paper, old wrapping paper, beads and/or natural products (like leaves, small pinecones,
or seeds).
Make your own calendar using cut-out pictures, photos, and/or drawings.
Assemble a collection of favorite recipes.
Gifts of Time:
Special activities with a significant other--a candlelit dinner, massage, or outdoor activity.
A monthly lunch date with an elderly relative or friend.
A handwritten letter or card sent to a long-distance friend or relative once a month for a year.
But Christmas (or Chrismukkah or Chrismahanukwanzakah) isn't the only holiday that can be made less commercial by highlighting its religious significance. Over the last few years,
more and more UU congregations have celebrated the Mexican Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) tradition in addition to the
more typical Halloween costume parties. In a article called "Bringing the Dead to Life" from the July/August 2000 issue of the UU World, Peter Morales suggests that conducting "a simple ceremony of remembrance" on Día de los Muertos "puts us in touch with our
place in time and our mortality, and it reminds us that to live is to create a legacy that endures for generations." It doesn't
take much to let the religious meaning of a holiday shine through, even for liberal religious families.
Activities number four and five of Robert Wuthnow's six "deliberate religious activities" are especially appropriate this time of year. This week I'd like to take a look at number four: "adorning your living
spaces with symbols of your faith tradition." It's appropriate because including a symbol of our faith tradition as a gift
for your entire family this holiday season is an excellent way to bring Unitarian Universalism home.
It doesn't take much to add a few symbols of our faith to your household, whether it's a homemade chalice crafted out
of an unglazed flower pot, or a chalice forged of lead-free pewter with the symbol of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee on it. A few UU symbols around the house is all it takes to indicate that yours is a family faith, and having a family faith
goes a long way toward raising lifelong Unitarian Universalists.
All services provided by Prairie Star District are funded by congregations who
pay their District and UUA dues, as well as individuals who contribute to Friends of Prairie Star District. Thank you
for your generosity!
