Forming Faith (Page 8)

In the turning of the Pagan Wheel of the Year, we have just passed Imbolc, where winter makes way for springtime. At this time many Pagans will set their intentions for the coming year, stating what they would like to create in their lives. What would you like to see manifest in the coming year for yourself? for your family? for our Religious Education and larger OCUUC community? I would love to see every family introduce one new family to…

There are times in our lives when we are forced to step out of the day-to-day. Some of these events can be joyful, some can be more challenging. It is with great joy that I return from a leave of absence to OCUUC after a challenging absence. Some new ideas have been percolating with me during my time off, and I can see that the congregation has been busy putting together all kinds of programs this year. Our church is…

Karen Magoon Pearson will serve as Acting Director of Religious Education (DRE), while Rayna Hamre, our current DRE, takes a sabbatical.  

This summer I am having a different kind of experience than any previous summer trip or vacation. I am working as a chaplain intern at one of our local hospitals. My respect for our health care professionals has been expanded beyond bounds. Day and night, we have people trained and on-duty in our hospitals to take care of our bodies when illness or accident strike. Chaplains and Spiritual Care volunteers tend to our deeper selves during these times of duress.…

Our children in our religious education program select one service project each year, and we all contribute to this project from September through June. This year OCUUC RE is very pleased to be providing hands-on assistance to the homeless by creating ‘sock-kits.’ Each pair of new men’s socks is stuffed so it contains shampoo, soap, toothpaste and toothbrush, and perhaps a razor or other toiletry items. Our SOS representative, Melody Daigle, will hand these out to those who have lost…

What a difference a year makes! We are comfortably settled into our new church home and have our new settled minister, Rev. Sian Wiltshire, installed and serving our OCUUC community. Please join us on a Sunday and see our new Religious Education Rooms and our lovely new nursery. If you are new to our community, please make an appointment to speak with me about our program for children and youth and to tour our building. For those who have been…

Our Whole Lives for 4th-6th graders is now forming for Spring 2014! About OWL, “Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality.” Tell your friends and neighbors! Contact Rayna Hamre   dre@ocuuc.org  

Our Religious Education for Children and Youth (RECY) class times have changed this fall, and we are adding some new opportunities for children and youth to participate on Sundays! Here’s a list of details: RE classes for our Pre-K, 1st-3rd grades, and 4th-6th grades will be held during the 9:30am service. The Youth Group for grades 7th – 12th will continue to meet during 2nd service time at 11:15am The pulpit cam will be available in the conference room at…

The months of June and July have brought so many great events for our children, youth and adults at OCUUC. We had a wonderful 4th of July party in Irvine, our youth created a wonderful District overnight. Now we look forward to return visit from our scaly friends from Reptile Rescue on August 4th, bringing their human handlers along, too! One other event that was extremely powerful was a visit in June by a group of border justice workers, UndocuVan,…

OCUUC Summer Schedule: Sunday Service at 10:30 am, with Religious Education for Children and Youth at that time. Read the RECY Weekly for more on what’s going on at OCUUC. June 23rd: OCUUC RE Teacher Appreciation Day!

We have had a great deal of change in our church lives over the past few months. It is wonderful to have called our new minister, Rev. Sian Wiltshire, this past weekend. I am finishing up the RE unpacking and getting our classrooms ready to resume our regular curricula on Sundays from the Tapestry of Faith sessions. Our children have not missed a beat with our move! I so look forward to seeing everyone Sundays, and encourage your participation in…

For the latest information about the Religious Education for Children and Youth progream (RECY), scroll down on the Children/Youth page and see what is new!