Join us for our Multi-generational religious education experience.

Our faith talks a lot about using reason to analyze the world and using action to change the world. But UU religious educators are reminding us that we also need to nurture our imaginations so we can dream up new worlds.

​Whether it is through stories like Lord of the Rings or classic fairy tales, there is something powerful about using our imagination to visit and create new places. It allows us to transcend our limits and indulge in an escape now and then. It also allows us to learn life lessons while in a pretend world. So what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of imagination? It tells us to “Use your imagination to visit and dream up other worlds!”

We will be imagining the worlds of trolls, reading about fairies, taking flight, and watching some clips of the famous imaginary worlds that have filled our childhoods.

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please message us at admin@uuclv.org.

Zoom meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87942752264 - please message us for the Zoom password

See more about the Learning Together Series here.

#UUCLV #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #UnitarianUniversalism #UUCLVEvent #imagination #ScienceFiction #FairyTales #Stories

Join us for our Multi-generational religious education experience from 4-5 PM PT.

Our faith asks us to use our reason to question what is and imagine new ways to think about things. It’s part of our fifth UU Source, “...heed the guidance of reason and the results of science…”

Sometimes people think of science and imagination as opposites, but every good scientist will tell you that you need both imagination and reason to understand the world and to invent new things. So, what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of imagination? It tells us “Use imagination and reason as partners to think outside the box!”

We will be using household objects to turn on our imaginations, using science to help us imagine what we can not see with our eyes, and playing some puzzles.

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please message us at admin@uuclv.org.

Zoom meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87942752264 - please message us for the Zoom password

See more about the Learning Together Series here.

#UUCLV #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #UnitarianUniversalism #UUCLVEvent #imagination #science #ThinkOutsideTheBox

Join us for our Multi-generational religious education experience from 4-5 PM PT.

Each month we are dedicating one session to a different aspect of anti-racism work, with our theme guiding us toward which aspect to focus on. When it comes to imagination, we focus on imagining a better world. And who better to celebrate than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr?

Dr. King’s words in his “I Have a Dream” speech can be revisited through the lens of today’s environment with even more impact. White UU’s were not very aware of racism in the last decade. Yet, now white UU’s are working on understanding that racism is still here, deep in our society. Today, more white UU’s realize that they need to imagine a better world. We need to work hard to end racism. Our faith has taken up this work and called on UU’s to build a world without racism. So, what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of imagination? It says, “Imagine and work for a better world.”

We will be talking about Martin Luther King Jr., Georgia Gilmore, and the Civil Rights Movement, and participating in a body prayer.

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please message us at admin@uuclv.org.

Zoom meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87942752264 - please message us for the Zoom password

See more about the Learning Together Series here.

#UUCLV #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #UnitarianUniversalism #UUCLVEvent #imagination #MartinLutherKingJr #MLK #IHaveADream #racism #GeorgiaGilmore #CivilRights

Join us for our Multi-generational religious education experience from 4-5 PM PT.

Our faith is a hopeful one. We disagreed with those who saw this life as doomed and irredeemable and instead asserted that life in the here and now was good and full of possibilities. In difficult times our faith has always encouraged us to hold on to hope by imagining the new day that is on its way. (Think about how often we quote the famous line about the arc of the universe bending toward justice.) So, what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of imagination? It tells us to “imagine the new day that is on its way!”

We will be talking and drawing and imagining how our lives will be different when Covid is over, and getting a chance to share and empathize about our lives during this time.​

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please message us at admin@uuclv.org.

Zoom meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87942752264 - please message us for the Zoom password

See more about the Learning Together Series here.

#UUCLV #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #UnitarianUniversalism #UUCLVEvent #imagination #Hope #Covid

Join us for our Multi-generational religious education experience from 4-5 PM PT.

When we think about imagination, one can’t help reflecting on the very first thing one does with UU kids: Child Dedications. In contrast to some faiths that highlight how we are born with original sin, UU Child Dedications emphasize that we are born with inherent goodness and immense possibilities. So, what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of imagination? It tells us to “Don’t put any limits on imagining what you can become!”

We will be talking about seeds and possibilities, singing with Lea Morris, and making "All The Possible You's" paper fortune tellers.

Join us for our Multi-generational religious education experience.

Each month we are dedicating one session to a different aspect of anti-racism work, with our theme guiding us toward which aspect to focus on. When it comes to stillness, we look to our siblings in the AME denomination who, among others, celebrate Watch Night/Freedom’s Eve. On Dec. 31, 1862, “Black slaves and free Blacks came together in churches and private homes all across the nation awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation actually had become law. Lincoln had used the occasion of the Union victory at Antietam to issue a preliminary proclamation, which freed all slaves in the rebellious states after January 1, 1863.” So what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of stillness? It says, “Learn about what it means to wait in the stillness for freedom to come.”

We will be learning about Watch Night through a poem and video, and play games to explore the feeling of waiting in anticipation.

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please message us at admin@uuclv.org.

Zoom meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87942752264 - please message us for the Zoom password

See more about the Learning Together Series here.

#UUCLV #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #UnitarianUniversalism #UUCLVEvent #stillness #antiracism #WatchNight #FreedomsEve #freedom

Join us for our Multi-generational religious education experience.

Our faith asks us to be aware of the miracle of the web of life. It’s part of our sixth UU Source, “Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.” In the stillness of the winter solstice, we celebrate the returning of nature’s light that brings hope. So what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of stillness? It tells us to “rekindle hope by being still and keeping watch for the light!”

We will be playing with candles, making paper lanterns, and talking about the stillness of winter and the returning of the light at winter solstice.

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please message us at admin@uuclv.org.

Zoom meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87942752264 - please message us for the Zoom password

#UUCLV #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #UnitarianUniversalism #UUCLVEvent #stillness #WebOfLife #Nature #Hope #Light

Join us for our Multi-generational religious education experience.

When we are still, all kinds of ideas, inner voices, and insights come to us. One way to think of it during this winter holiday season is to imagine these voices that arise out of the silence to be “angels speaking.” If we look for insights in the traditional Christmas birth legend of Jesus, we might even imagine ourselves as the shepherds in the still of the night, tending our flocks. When above us, we notice an angel calling us to make an important journey, a change in our lives, a new way of being in the world. So what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of stillness? It tells us, “Listen for the voices of angels!”

We will be playing with silence and stillness to help us tune into our inner voices, or the voices of angels, and exploring the Carol-It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, written by Unitarian minister Edmund Sears.

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please message us at admin@uuclv.org.

Zoom meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87942752264 - please message us for the Zoom password

#UUCLV #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #UnitarianUniversalism #UUCLVEvent #stillness #holidays #angels #innervoice #EdmundSears #Jesus

Join us for our Multi-generational religious education experience.

Our faith reminds us that the winter holidays are a time for beauty, peace and stillness.

Our culture has turned it into a time of commercialism, debt, and stress. It takes an
effort to step away from the media messages that buying things and busily planning events will make us happy. So what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of stillness? It tells us, “Step away from the busyness!”

We will be talking about noise and stillness, singing with Lea, looking at snow and snowflakes, and exploring ways to step back, reduce stress, and create joy this holiday season.

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please message us at admin@uuclv.org.

Zoom meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87942752264 - please message us for the Zoom password

#UUCLV #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #UnitarianUniversalism #UUCLVEvent #stillness #holidays #busyness

Join us for our Multi-generational religious education experience.

Healing takes work, but our faith also reminds us that healing involves being gentle with ourselves. When our feelings have been hurt and we’re feeling sad and lonely, sometimes the best thing to do is comfort ourselves. One way might be comfort food. Another way might be to spend time with a beloved pet. So what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of healing? It tells us to “Find ways to comfort
yourself!”

We will each be making a quick comfort soup in our own homes during this session. Here are the ingredients:

• 1 can chicken soup (or substitute veggie or vegan soup)
• Extra water (at least one cup)
• 1 pkg chicken ramen noodles ( or substitute veggie or vegan ramen)
• Canned vegetables such as beans, corn, carrots
• Precooked rice packets or instant rice
• Crackers for eating with (oyster crackers are traditional)

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please let us know.
​Email us at admin at uuclv.org

#UUCLV #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #UnitarianUniversalism #UUCLVEvent #Healing #LearningTogether #ReligiousEducation #gentleness #comforting #comfort

Join us for our Multi-generational religious education experience. 

Each month we are dedicating one session to a different aspect of decentering whiteness work, with our theme guiding us toward which aspect to focus on. When it comes to healing, so many brave and wise voices have lifted up the importance of telling the true history of Thanksgiving. This search for the true history is reflected in our Fourth Principle: “A Free and Responsible Search for Truth and Meaning” and our Eighth Principle: “journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” Our faith has taken up this work and called on white UU’s to be especially vigilant about the work of correcting stories that have caused harm. So what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of healing? It says, “Learn and tell our true history!”

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please let us know.
​Email us at admin at uuclv.org

#UUCLV #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #UnitarianUniversalism #UUCLVEvent #Healing #LearningTogether #ReligiousEducation #Thanksgiving #AmericanHistory #History

This week was all about healing by learning more about what actually happened around Thanksgiving, what is cultural appreciation versus cultural appropriation, and how we can begin to honor Indigenous cultures by listening to and learning about them.

During the Mindfulness Moment we asked participants to think of times when they felt wounded, sad and ignored. Indigenous Peoples have had their history twisted and erased. In this song, the children want the truth of their lives to be listened to. Think of times when you wanted “the truth of your story” to be listened to and honored. Share that story with family or friends to help them further imagine how Indigenous Peoples feel around Thanksgiving when the traditional (and false) story is told.

N'we Jinan Artists - "COME & LISTEN" // Penticton Indian Band, B.C. (younger children)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du7WsfG-u78

You may also want to watch more of these videos from N'we Jinan Artists
N'we Jinan Artists - FOR OUR CULTURE // Seabird Island Community School, BC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3yrPfDtOWQ

N'we Jinan Artists - "HOME TO ME" // Grassy Narrows First Nation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgaYz8YWsO8

And here are more videos to watch and reflect on:
6 Misconceptions About Native American People
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHdW_LVfn28

The Wampanoag Way Video to watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmisO7pdMW4

Two girls who work at the Wampanoag Homesite are filmed as modern girls and then how they reenact their heritage from 1620.

Here is a map which shows the percent of Indigenous persons in the U.S. https://www.educationworld.com/a_images/population_map.gif

Read each statement on this link that describes the map and guess whether the statement is true or false. https://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/TM/WS_nativeamerican_map.shtml

evil with justice, compassion and the transforming power of love.” But it’s not just prophetic people, it’s also wise people. 

And our faith tells us that some of the wisest people are older people, or as our faith calls them, Elders. They have many years of life experience. Listening to their many journeys helps us navigate our own. So what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of deep listening? It tells us to “Listen to those who have come before! Listen to the Elders!”

We will be talking about our Elders who have died and the wisdom they have passed on to us, drawing pictures to remind us of our loved ones who have passed, and sharing objects or photos with each other that remind us of those who have died. (please bring and object/photo to share)

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please let us know.

​Please message us for the Zoom ID & password.

to nature, we are taken to a place of calm, knowing that we are not isolated and alone but instead a part of something so interconnected. So what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of deep listening? ​

It tells us to “Listen to Nature!” We will be listening to cicadas/crickets, reading a story about listening to nature, doing some deep listening to our surroundings, and making a cricket band (please bring a comb and wax paper/ plastic bag)

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please let us know.

​Please message us for the Zoom ID & password.

this work and called white UU’s to be especially vigilant about the work of listening to and centering BIPOC voices. So what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of deep listening? It says, “White UU’s, listen to BIPOC voices and actively work to bring them into the center of our faith!”

​We will be reading stories that center white and BIOPIC voices and talking about why it is important to have stories that reflect everyone, talking about a time when deep-listening help a UU congregation reflect on their racism, taking a moment to meditate and pause so we are better able to listen to each other, and talking about the importance of names and having some fun with our own.

If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please let us know.

We discussed the differences between the Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you) and the Platinum Rule (Do unto others as THEY would have you do unto THEM), and we explored how offering healing and help to people must start with asking them how they define the problem they are struggling with. To get at this, we used this Google slide deck (shared below) to show each other a variety of “ambiguous images” on the Zoom screen, and then had everyone share which image they saw first. Like this game, we may think we see their struggle clearly when in truth they have an entirely different perspective on it. The game became a reminder that we can never assume we hold “the one right view” and instead always need to honor how others view their own circumstances and challenges. Talk about times in your life when you’ve struggled with this dynamic.
​
Google Slide Deck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1vCAsW7Z6GqlqUEI3ugHPcWpAItYXqDOHADNvoaxWOb4/edit?usp=sharing

It tells us to “Listen to your heart’s call to be compassionate!”

We will be reading a story about listening with our compassionate, singing about listening with our hearts, and getting to active to tune into our own hearts.

So what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of renewal?
It tells us, “Love who you are!” 
​If you have any questions or would like to help lead an activity, please let us know.

Learning Together - Love Who You Are
by ARIEL SUBLETT on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

Hello everybody! Thanks to those of you who joined us on Saturday for Learning Together. During our last session with the theme of Renewal, we focused on how we are renewed by loving who we are, we did a meditation where we visualized a path to a treasure box with a key given by a guide, and we played a game called “Our Favorites” and drew pictures of what we love to do. This was a simple, fun game you can try with your family or friends. Everyone has only a minute to draw their favorite things and others had to guess what their favorites were.
​
Here are some additional resources to use with your families:
● Watch this Story Video: Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream

Written by: Crystal Hubbard, Read by Kevin Costner and Jillian Estell, Suggested grade level: 3rd - 4th, Run time: 14 minutes

Summary: “If there was anything in the world better than playing baseball, Marcenia Lyle didn't know what it was. As a young girl in the 1930s, she chased down fly balls and stole bases, and dreamed of one day playing professional ball. With spirit, spunk, and a great passion for the sport, Marcenia struggled to overcome the objections of family, friends, and coaches, who felt a girl had no place in the field. When she finally won a position in a baseball summer camp sponsored by the St. Louis Cardinals, Marcenia was on her way to catching her dream...” – from the website https://www.storylineonline.net/books/catching-the-moon-the-story-of-a-young-girlsbaseball-dream/

• Or purchase or make a Journal: Me: A Compendium
https://vimeo.com/178109298

Hello All!

During the Learning Together time we focused on how we recommit to anti-racism work, and we played the Who Am I? Race Awareness Game. It is originally a two-player game meant for a parent and child. We suggest you play it together as a family. Both players see a set of faces. The first player selects a face and passes the device to the other player who then tries to guess which face the first player chose. Players can test out their detective skills by asking questions about the physical appearance of the target face to eliminate the other choices. When the second player guesses, players can read more about the selected person. There are conversation tips between rounds.

*Note: Unfortunately, this app is available only for iPhone and iPad at this time. Who Am I? Race Awareness Game for iPhone and iPad (free) https://apps.apple.com/us/app/who-am-i-race-awareness-game/id372945923 Review: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/who-am-i-race-awareness-game

Here are some additional resources to use with your families:
     • Watch Nick News Presents: Kids, Race, and Unity | Hosted By Alicia Keys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWsMEIODo6g&feature=youtu.be Hosted by Alicia Keys, Nick News talks with founders and leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement, offer tools for families to have constructive conversations about race, and highlights teen activists who are fighting racial injustice in Kids, Race and Unity: A Nick News Special. Oriented to older elementary and tweens.
With younger children, you may find these resources to be helpful to get the conversations started:
     ● Watch The Skin You Live In | StorytimeWithMsMelange https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Bjz1xFteQ As recommended by the Black Lives Matter Instructional Library online
     ● Or Watch Sesame Street Town Hall on Racism (2 parts for a total of 50 min) https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/06/app-news-section/cnn-sesame-street-race-town-hall-app-june-6- 2020-app/index.html Explaining racism to children. Big Bird, Elmo and CNN newscasters talk about racism. Two part series.

Feel free to send additional resources that you have found helpful!