Employment Opportunity: Director of Religious Education

The United Unitarian & Universalist Society of Mukwonago is seeking a 12 hours/week, 10 months/year Director of Religious Education to manage and implement religious education for approximately 8 children and 8 youth. Start date ASAP. See full job description and instructions on how to at uumuk.org/data/DRE_Employment_Opportunity.pdf. Applicants can email a letter of interest and resume to board@uumuk.org.
EEOC employer.

Childrens Curriculum for 2009-2010

Children's religious education this year will have three focuses and each one will be 6-8 weeks in length. A printable version is in this link- www.uumuk.org/data/DRE_Flyer.pdf.

The first will be Ecology and Mutual Respect and how these issues affect people throughout the world. They will learn about various animals and wildlife that are currently at risk due to environmental changes. The children will be asked to research how they might assist in leading others to bring about change, i.e., wildlife preservation, water quality, etc. We will also look at ways we can work together as individuals (in our homes), and a community to bring about a healthier world.
The second focus will be on World Religions. Learning about other religious traditions offers the children an opportunity to see how others worship. These insights help them become better informed about their basic beliefs and practices. We hope to excite interest and positive associations with each of the religions studied, by helping children seeing common threads in some of the world religions i.e., Hinduism, Christianity, Muslim, Buddhism, Judaism, Earth Centered Faiths.
The third focus will be on Unitarian Universalist Identity. Learning our UU principles is basic to understanding Unitarian Universalism. We will not only learn about our history and our UU ancestors, but we will also learn about our worship service, the significance of our chalice and other rites of passage. It is "Loving our neighbor, Keeping an open mind and Making the world a better place". *Bay Area UU in Texas

The RE program is for Children grades K-5. Classes are held each Sunday during the church service.

The children stay for the first 15 minutes of the service. They then go to their Religious Education Classes.

Footprints-Treading Softly on Earth. Do No Harm. Courage. Making a Difference. Working Together.

TO REGISTER: Print and fill out www.uumuk.org/data/Childrens_RE_Registration.pdf and mail to the church office or bring it to church.

Children's Peace Camp Was Wonderful!

Our church had a Children's Peace Camp in June in Whitewater. There were 36 children, ages 5 to 12 from Mukwonago, Muskego, Janesville, Waukesha, Milton, Whitewater, East Troy, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson and Lake Geneva.

We Learned and Had Fun!

Childrens Peace Camp was wonderful! They painted, danced, sang, cooked yummy snacks, made peace wheels and learned about leaders of peace, past and present. In addition, they sanded and painted benches that will be used at our church and at the Episcopal church (whom cohosted the camp with us). Thank you to the many volunteers whom helped make the camp a wonderful time for our children!

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Youth Group: Spirituality in the GREEN

Youth from 7th to 12th grade meet twice monthly following a Sunday Service, from September through May.
This year the youth will work with the Green Committee regarding the connection of Ecology and how these issues combine with social justice and compassion. In February they began a project to support the President's call for getting the country off fossil fuels within the next decade. this group has been called the "Young Energy Warriors" of our congregation!

To register use the registration form in the Children's Curriculum section at the top of this page.

Our Goals

The goal of our religious education program is to teach Unitarian Universalist Principles and Practices. We use many avenues to achieve this goal. Studying world religion and biblical scriptures enhances our ability to look at what others believe and then relate those teachings to what we believe.

What does 'spiritual' mean?

'Spiritual' is a word likely to mean something different to each person, in part because it reflects a very personal experience. At the core of many definitions is the sense of connection in some way to something much larger than the self. Here's one way to think of it (from UU & Me). Imagine you are walking along an ocean beach in the middle of summer. You feel the warm sand as it touches your feet, and smell the salt in the air-you can even taste it. When you look up, all you can see ahead of you is miles and miles of water. You hear a seagull passing overhead and the sounds of your friends laughing in the waves. You can feel that you are using all your senses: touch, sight, smell, hearing, and taste. Or you may find spiritual connection through prayer, meditation, music, art, or countless other media.

Life Span Faith Development

UU`s believe in the lifelong search for truth and meaning. We have a number of opportunities for adults to gather in small groups to continue learning, sharing and enriching each others lives with their spiritual stories.

Children and Mass Media

The websites below help parents make more informed choices regarding mass media and children:

www.chinaberry.com/
www.lionlamb.org/
www.parents-choice.org/

Remember ...

Love is the spirit of this church
And service is its law
to dwell together in peace
To seek the truth in love
To help one another
This is our great covenant

One book, Two Website Recommendations

Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv is a book about how today Nature is something for us to watch, to consume, to wear, and to ignore. Television ads depict a four-wheel-drive SUV racing along a breathtakingly beautiful mountain stream - while in the backseat two children watch a movie on a flip-down screen, oblivious to the landscape and water beyond the windows.

Two web sites for families
www.screentime.org/
This site gives ideas on how to devote more time to re-connecting our lives to the "real" rather than the "virtual". The Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness, a nonprofit grassroots organization encourages people to take control of the electronic media and technology in their lives.
www.greenhour.org is the website for the National Wildlife Federation which is rich in family-friendly content.

Then log off and return to Nature, as Richard Louv says, "... not only because ethics and justice demands it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health and the health of the Earth depends on it."