Elisa Negroni is a Tennessee State Co-coordinator for The Peace Alliance, which is a non-partisan, non-profit, grassroots organization leading a movement in all 50 states that calls for the establishment of a U.S. Department of Peace and Non-Violence. This proposed legislation, Bill HR8O8, is currently before the House of Representatives.
Elisa will be sharing information about some of the history behind this centuries-old idea, The Peace Alliance, what Bill HR8O8 means for us, our country and the world, and steps we can all take to help make this a reality.Join us at 1:30 p.m. in the social area.If you would like to attend, but need a ride, please call Gail Sphar.
Dinners for Nine is a monthly dinner group that meets from September through May. The groups tend to range in size between nine and eleven. Typically, participants host a dinner in their home, and the host provides the main dish while other participants bring side dishes. Since couples often co-host, it is likely that participants will host more than once in the nine month period. If you have more questions about Dinners for Nine, you can contact us at fellowship@firstuunashville.org.
The Strategic Planning Committee invites you to participate in conversation about how we promote the cause of liberal religion, actively engage in social justice, and share hope and compassion in our community and world. The members are especially interested in hearing what you like about what we do currently and how we can improve in the future. The meetings start at 10:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. in the Fireside Room and will last about 40 minutes.
A:All children and youth who attend a religious education class more than once must register. This is a safety guideline developed by the RE Committee in accordance with our Safe Congregation policy. Children or youth who are not registered will not be able to attend class. A registration form is available on the FUUN website:
2.Click on the List of pages pull-down menu on the left
3.Highlight Children’s RE
4.Click on the Register Online link
5.Follow the instructions to complete your child’s registration
Families who have any concerns about the registration process should contact the DRE or RE Committee as soon as possible.
Q:Do I need to register my child or youth again this year if s/he has been registered in the past?
A:Yes. To keep the RE program records current, registration takes place every spring for that summer and the following academic year. You may register your child(ren) with our online registration form, which is available on the FUUN website:
2.Click on the List of pages pull-down menu on the left
3.Highlight Children’s RE
4.Click on the Register Online link
5.Follow the instructions to complete your child’s registration
Alternatively, for those without online access, you may register with a hardcopy form; contact the DRE or an RE Greeter for a form.Through the registration process, the DRE is able to create a database including attendance, allergies, learning concerns, contact information, and, very importantly, the class parent component of our RE Program.
Q: Why is the RE Committee changing to a new model using class parents?
A: The class parent model will help us to do some wonderful shared ministry:
It will allow us to foster relationships between teachers and parents, parents and parents, and parents and their children’s peers.
It will allow us to use two, rather than four, teachers per class, which will
oprovide more consistency for the children, and
oallow us to focus more directly on the teachers, from recruiting great talent, to supporting their commitment, to developing and expanding on their gifts.
Q:What are the dates for summer 2008?
A:June 8 through August 17.
Q:What are the dates for the 2008-2009 academic year?
A:September 7 through May 17, with a variety of non-RE days and Intergenerational Services, all of which will be published at the start of the year.
Q:Is there a general theme for the classes?
A:The summer theme is Social Justice. The theme for the academic year alternates between world religions and UU history and identity. Current RE classes are exploring world religions, so the coming academic year, 2008-2009, will focus on UU history and identity.
Q:What about Our Whole Lives (OWL) and Coming of Age (COA)?
A:These are also offered on a rotating basis. OWL classes will be offered during 2008-2009 for Kindergarten-1st grade, 5th-6th Grades, 7th-8th Grades, and 10th-12th Grades. Information will start to become available in late summer.
Q:Is the youth program part of the RE program?
A:Yes. Religious education takes place throughout our lives, and Sunday evenings in the youth room are no exception. We make a conscious effort to foster ties between Sunday morning and evening programming: Scott Weaver, our Youth Ministry Coordinator leads RE classes and youth group meetings, some of the same advisors work in both, and we take advantage of opportunities to tie together themes. All of this is so that those who are in both RE class and youth group can maximize the experience, and so that those who are in only one will still have some benefit of what is happening in the other.
Q:Is there any RE for children or youth on Wednesday evenings?
A:Well, don’t forget Children’s Choir rehearsals! This is a wonderful opportunity to be in musical community together. Contact Jason Shelton, Associate Minister for Music, for information. And any youth who is interested in a particular Adult RE offering is always welcome to attend. Depending on interest and volunteer availability, Scott has also been known to coordinate other activities for youth on Wednesdays. Feel free to contact him.
Women’s Group Meeting: Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, July 23, at 7 p.m. in the Meditation Room. Topic of discussion will be helping others: We can offer help, how do we respond when we need to accept help from others? Are we a burden? If you’ve been in this position, what was your response, how did you feel when others took care of you? Please join us for an evening of lively discussion.
Calling all cooks! Show off your talents at our first annual summer cook-off contest. Whip up your favorite recipe, enough for 8-10 people, and bring it on down to the Wednesday night dinner on July 30. There will be three categories: main dish/entree, salad/side dish and of course, dessert! And yes, you can enter one or all categories…. think Triple Crown.
We need to have all entries registered by July 20. Please contact Shari Tisch or email the fundraising committee. See you there. Yum yum!
If you plan to attend at all this summer, please register now. And if you plan to attend in the fall, please register at your earliest convenience. The sooner we have your registration, the better we will be able to plan the program!