Welcome back to my UUYORE families! Many of you have taken the summer off, so I am looking forward to seeing you all again! Sometimes it’s hard to get back into the swing of things, but I know for me, it always feels like a homecoming when I see my UUYO family again in the fall! Official Religious Education classes will resume on September 11.

We are doing some exciting things this year. After attending General Assembly this summer, and after news story after news story that continue to open my eyes to how embedded racism is in the structure of our society, I feel called to do something. I feel disheartened when I think about the depth of the problem, and how hard it is going to be able to change. But I have hope for the future, and the future is in the hands of our children and youth. The change I can help affect is to get our youth to be thinking about these things, and to lead the way. This year, the Intermediate and High School classes will merge on Sunday mornings to do a curriculum called “Be the Change!” to work toward racial understanding and justice.

We will continue to offer Children’s Chapel the first Sunday of the month, where we will explore the monthly theme as a whole group. The exception to this will be the youth who will be involved in the Coming of Age program, who will meet separately during Children’s Chapel. This will be the second Coming of Age program during my tenure as Director of Religious Education, and it will look a little different than last time, meeting once a month with a few weekend workshops. This program provides a chance for our youth to firmly establish themselves in Unitarian Universalism, and decide what it means to them.

I am excited to welcome a few new teachers to the UUYORE family: Chesney Gulas, Michaella Moore, and Kerry Planty will be joining the rest of the team consisting of Alicia Baker, Scott Baker, Liz Hill, Alison Locketti, Hope Moran, and Mark Vance. These are the people who make the Religious Education program a success, and I am so grateful to have them on the team!

A date to put on the calendar: October 3, 2016 at 3:00. That’s when UUYO will be participating in the annual Non-Violence Parade. All are encouraged to attend!

See you at church!

–BeckyAnn Harker                                                                 Director of Religious Education