Notes from the journey- December

There is always a little bit of guess work that goes on when creating our programs for faith development here at UUCF; we are never exactly sure how many people will come to any given event, if a lesson plan will work, or if a worship service will speak to the needs of the congregation on Sunday morning. In a way, the act of creating of our programming is, in itself, an expression of our faith. We do our best to listen with open hearts and minds to the needs and dreams of the congregation, and, hopefully, we are open to learning new things along the way.

Sometimes, our collective labor results in a giant success and our community feels re-energized, and other times, well, maybe things don’t work out quite as we had imagined them. Whether we feel we have achieved (to borrow a few terms from the gaming world) an “epic win” or an “epic fail”, I hope that we always remember that each and every moment is just another chance to grow and learn.

I have been so inspired by our congregation’s ability to work together and willingness to try new things! Taking risks can undoubtedly be a little scary, but it really does help to be taking this path alongside a faithful community like this one!

I am especially grateful for our Sunday morning core teachers, Linda Campbell, Lucy Mercier, Pat Nilsson, and Melissa Verrell who took a chance on our curriculum experiment this fall. Our teachers were able to build awesome, meaningful, and creative lessons from the themes from the James Luther Adams’ Five Smooth Stones of Liberal Religion. Your dedication and wisdom showed in the faces of our children and youth; thank you!

This fall, my heart has also been filled by watching our children and youth build relationships with adults in our community. We have celebrated multigenerational worship together, sowed the seeds in our butterfly garden, and explored side-by-side during our First Friday gatherings. While many of these new experiences have provided some teachable moments, the lessons learned have filled my memory with “epic wins” and I have loved every moment spent watching this congregation grow together.

I hope that you will take some time to come and share with me your dreams for your faithful journey; please do not hesitate to let me know if you are interested in teaching, joining our lifespan learning team, or if you just want to sit and chat.

Together In Faith,

Amy Peterson Derrick

Director of Lifespan Learning

apderrick@uuflint.org

James Luther Adams’ Five Smooth Stones (Adapted):

1. We’re Always Learning
2. Being Together Matters
3. We Work for a Fair and Loving Community
4. We Can Make Good Things Happen
5. We Always Hope.