Children This Sunday
FFD Features: December 10, 2024
Hello Beloveds,
I’m sorry I didn’t get to see y’all this past Sunday. But, I hear things downstairs went well. Your child watched “The Three Wise Men,” and decorated the Chapel for Christmas. If you have ever wondered what’s Christmas to a UU, then I invite you to read this week’s Taking It Home, which addresses that exact question. And, while you are there, don’t forget about this month’s simple song, #251 Silent Night. We’ll sing it at this year’s Christmas Eve service.
As for this coming Sunday, it’s a Children’s Chapel Sunday. Together, we’ll explore the question “What’s Christmas to a UU?” more in depth, then your child will go to their classroom. There, your child will learn about Communion and hold a Christmas Card Communion.
In community and love.
Until next time,
– M
– M
Not registered for Family Faith Development? You can register anytime by following this link.
Special Announcements
Holiday Hoopla is This Saturday
The Holiday Hoopla is this Saturday, December 14 from 12:30 to 3:30 PM. There will be crafts, games, cookie decorating, and the jolly big man himself. Admission is free, no registration required. However, we will be collecting winter wear (hats, scarves, gloves, etc.) for the children at South Avondale Elementary School, and unwrapped gifts for unhoused children connected to Cincinnati Public. Please see list below for gift ideas…
- 6-12 months: teethers, rattles, tummy time playmats, bath toys, musical toys
- 1-4 years old: Classic Fisher Price toys and games, stuffed animals, tea sets, kitchen play sets
- 5-12 year olds: toy trucks, cars, fire engines, dolls (barbies, baby dolls, cabbage patch ect…), sport items such as baseball, bats, basketballs, football, soccer balls, volley balls, stuffed animals
- Teens: wallets, cologne, perfume, cosmetics, make-up bags/sets, nail polish, glitzy nail accessories, gift cards to restaurants, game stops, clothing stores etc., electronic games, handheld games, earbuds, AirPods, hair accessories, mirrors,
- Family items: Board games, craft sets, science sets, family movies (DVR)
New Curriculum Coming in January
Based on feedback Family Faith Development has received since the start of this church year, the following changes will be coming to Sunday School this January…
- The PreK – Kindergarten class will drop this year’s world religions curriculum in favor of Chalice Children, a curriculum focused on exploring the basics of religion like “Why do we go to church?” and “Why are rituals important?”
- The 1st – 3rd and 4th – 6th graders will expand their understanding of the world’s religions with “Passport to the World’s Religions.” This re-orientation of the year’s curriculum will have your child ‘traveling’ to different locations around the world to learn about a different religion, their beliefs, and holidays. Passports and souvenirs included! See future communications for a travel itinerary.
Family Game Night Coming in January
There will be a Family Game Party on Saturday, January 18, starting at 12:30 PM. Community Builders will be leading this event, so be on the lookout for future communications from them.
Youth Writing Letters to Transform in February
At our last outing to Shiloh, youth indicated an interest in outings that focused on Social Justice. With that in mind, your youth is invited to join me Saturday, February 1st at 5 PM for dinner and to make / write cards for Transform Cincinnati.
What’s Transform Cincinnati? Transform Cincinnati provides free, gender affirming, clothes and community to trans kids in the Cincinnati area. With the recent uptick in transphobia nationwide, Transform has started asking their supporters to write loving and affirming letters for their clients.
Parenting UU – A Small Group Discussion Series – Coming in February
Parenting is sacred work. It is also incredibly taxing. The good news is that, according to the Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-being of Parents, community can help by fostering “open dialogue about parental stress,” creating “opportunities to cultivate supportive social connections,” and elevating “the voices of parents and caregivers to shape community programs and investments.” All of which we’ll do during Parenting UU, a small group discussion series for “new” parents this February. If you are new to First Church, or have a child under the age of 10, this program is for you. Childcare will be provided. Dates, times, and registration information are below…
- Dates: Fridays – February 7, February 21, & March 7
- Times: Optional Potluck Dinner at 6 PM. Program starts at 7 PM.
- Register by Wednesday, February 5 here.
Taking It Home: December 1, 2024
What’s Christmas to a Unitarian Universalist?
The answer to this question is as simple as it is complex. To start, many Unitarian Universalists identify as Christian, and many more were raised in a Christian denomination. For these Unitarian Universalists, Christmas can be, and often is, a celebration of Jesus’ birth. That’s the simple part. But, what is Christmas to a UU who isn’t Christian, or who wasn’t raised in the Christian tradition? What’s Christmas to our children, who are being raised UU?
It would be “easy” to point out that Christmas in North America is as much a cultural holiday as a religious one. Secular Christmas music, such as Bing Crosby’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” are evidence of that. These songs, and others, celebrate the season’s themes of joy, hope, and peace without any mention of Jesus. However, as Unitarian Universalism is more than a social club organized around shared cultural values, this answer is more complex. Unitarian Universalism grew out of Christianity. Before their merger, both Unitarianism and Universalism were Christian denominations, and their respective theologies of the oneness of God, and universal salvation, inform UU theology to this day. Famed Unitarian Religious Educator, Sophia Lyons Fahs, once wrote that “Every night a child is born is a holy night.” It is with this understanding that non-Christian UUs can see the story of Jesus’s birth as a reminder that every person has the capacity to bring joy, hope, and peace to this world.
If you want to explore the Nativity story further with your children at home, then you may wish to print out this Paper Nativity Scene from Made by Joel.
Simple Song
Sign this simple song with your children so that they may sign along in an upcoming service. A recording of the song can be found here.
Singing the Living Tradition #251 – Silent Night
Silent Night, holy night,
all is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent Night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight,
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing “Al-le-lu-lia,”
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night,
Child of God,
Love’s pure light
Radiant beams from they holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Suggested Resources
Here are some additional resources for adults and children…