Roots and Wings - RE Blog
- Details
- Category: Roots and Wings - RE Blog
- Published:
“Anything can happen, child.
ANYTHING can be.”
—Shel Silverstein
One thing that I have learned in my time working at the Unitarian Society is that so much is possible. Whether it is pivoting during a pandemic, fixing our sanctuary, or resisting dictatorship, our community comes together to respond and innovate. At first glance, there are aspects of our congregation that seem set and unchanging. But I have had a chance to see that who we are and what we do is ever-changing, responding to what’s happening in the world around us, adapting to what we are needing, and transforming as we learn and grow together. Indeed, transformation is one of our Unitarian Universalist values.
In a community, we encourage each other to see new ways of doing things and stay oriented toward change and growth—and we can always do more. These two years of interim ministry have been a testament to how we can embrace what’s possible. It’s been cool to see how we have opened ourselves to a new minister, new systems, new members and friends. Now we will prepare for a new settled minister, and I am guessing you are having mixed feelings about more change and more unknowns. We are a strong community that works together and orients toward opportunity.
Of course, I get to work with the youngest in our congregation, a population that is perhaps most open to possibility. Over and over, I humbly witness the way that the youngest among us embrace possibility and how it leads to incredible things. Like the youth group municipal compost bin, which the City of Northampton has offered to pay for. Or the new Little Free Food Pantry, about which the younger kids insisted on talking to the whole congregation. Or our OWL Sexuality Education classes, where students learn comprehensive and inclusive sexuality education, bravely ask questions, and become empowered around their identities and sexual health. (Learn more about the power of the OWL program here: article from The Guardian)
This spring, I hope we will embrace possibilities that are presented in the congregation as we move to a different building for a time (starting May 10), welcome a new minister, do service work together (see the Ashmere Project article), play together (Bingo on April 11!), organize for social justice, and encourage and support one another.
—Jessica Harwood
Director of Faith Development and Community Engagement
- Details
- Category: Roots and Wings - RE Blog
- Published:
Parenting has changed a lot over the past thirty years, and even more since COVID. Parents today work more than
previous generations, while also spending more time with their children than ever before. Working parents today spend more time with their kids than stay-at-home parents in years past! Millennials are the first generation to do worse economically than their parents. You can learn more in a 2024 report from the U.S. Surgeon General on the mental health and well-being of parents called Parents Under Pressure, as well as this episode on parenting stress in The New York Times podcast The Daily.
So how can we cultivate compassion for this important part of our congregation? It is a rare and precious opportunity to be able to connect across generations, learn about each other, and support one another.
Some ways that the USNF is institutionalizing compassion for families is with community dinners that let parents take the night off from cooking and cleaning on a work night. We provide breaks for parents on Kids Nights Out (October 17, 5:30-8 pm, see events listing) and school vacation days. Last year, parents and caregivers participated in a program called EmbraceRace for UU Families, a collaboration between the nonprofit EmbraceRace and UU religious educators. The program inspired engaging conversations and actions around raising anti-racist children, but also brought adults together and built meaningful relationships. This year, we want to continue to build the mutual network of support with an ongoing parent support group: Spirituality & Parenting During These Times: Finding Meaning and Connection. Childcare and lunch will be provided.
Do you have ideas about how to support families—or other ways that we can show our compassion for one another across generations and demographics? I am always interested to hear about how we, as a community, can fortify our interdependent web.
—Jessica Harwood
Director of Faith Development and Community Engagement