December Activities!

Greetings BUF Families,

The holidays are fast approaching. As you may imagine-- there are many things going on at BUF to celebrate them!  Here is what is happening for children and youth in December:

• YRUU (high school youth group) canceling regular sessions until the new year....
• Religious Education Classes and Sunday mornings-- Holiday focus in December, Lessons of Loss in January
• Hogwarts Christmas Banquet-- 12/3
• Children's Choir Rehearsals for Pageant (12/21) and Christmas Eve (6:00 pm service)-- 12/7, 12/14
• Middle School visits Church of the Assumption-- 12/7
• Holiday Craft Night with BCS-- 12/10
• Posada-- 12/13
• YRUU Bake Sale and Shopping for Interfaith Family-- 12/14
• Coming of Age Workshop-- 12/14
• Pageant Service-- 12/21
• Christmas Eve--12/24, 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

YRUU SCHEDULE CHANGE

High school students and advisors are busy this time of year so we decided to temporarily cancel regular meetings from now until January. In the meantime youth group will still meet for fun activities and events! We will announce such happenings here and youth can always find the latest information on the “BUF YRUU Group” Facebook page. If you have any questions you may contact Alicia Alford (lead advisor) at alicia.alford@comcast.net or call/text (360) 510-3908.

Religious Education-- Holiday Focus:

Sunday, November 30-- Wrapping up Hogwarts curriculum: preparing children for Hogwarts report to the congregation and creating decorations for Hogwarts Banquet on December 3. Sprit Play and Middle School meet as usual. I will also be asking children about their participation preferences in the pageant on December 21.

Sunday, December 7-- Holiday gift making-- various craft stations will be set up in the flex room. Middle School visits the Church of the Assumption-- youth should arrive to BUF by 10:00 a.m. (RE Teacher meeting at 12:00 to prepare for Lessons of Loss).

Sunday, December 14-- Children's Worship-- Hanukkah-- stories, crafts, dreidel.... 

Sunday, December 21-- Christmas Pageant-- Spirit of the Christmas Tree. Children who wish to sing in the choir for this service should attend December choir rehearsals! Depending on how many singers we have-- most of the pageant parts will be non-singing parts.... Children wanting to be Mary, Joseph, Shepards, Wise People, Angels, Animals.... Should let me know by (or on) Sunday, November 30th.

Sunday, December 28-- Game Day! RE Teacher Holiday! Various board games will be set out in the Flex room. Substitute RE Volunteers/parents will play games with children on this Sunday. 

Religious Education-- January: Lessons of Loss

Children and youth from k-8 will focus on death, dying, and grief with this wonderful UU curriculum. There are 4 sessions for each age group. Parents are encouraged to think about how their children might respond to this topic. Recent losses might come to the surface. Please feel free to contact me or your child's RE teachers if you have concerns. We have used this curriculum before-- several years ago-- to great effect. Children and RE Teachers alike seemed to really appreciate  the discussions and rituals and unique opportunity to delve into this important topic. We found it to be deep and meaningful but not intense or depressing. I'm hopeful that this will be our experience again. 

RE Sponsored Community Night Dinner-- Hogwarts Christmas Banquet!

Next Wednesday, December 3, recent graduates of the Hogwarts Magical School of Unitarian Universalist Principles (and everyone else) are invited to celebrate at a culminating banquet -- Christmas at Hogwarts! Join us for the RE-sponsored Community Night Dinner, and enjoy some Harry Potter wackiness with your pumpkin juice. The dinner starts at 6:00; cost is $5 per adult, $4 per child, $12 for families with small children.

On that same note:

Wanted: House Elves!

That's right, no banquet at Hogwarts takes place without much hard work behind the scenes, and the same is true at BUF. If you can help cook, set up, or clean up, please sign up on the following link:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4cada82ea64-community

Also, we will need some help with decorating earlier in the day, and possibly advance food prep. I realize some of you might have other things to do during the day, but if anyone is able to lend a hand during the day, please get in touch with Roz Reynolds (mama@mamafoo.net), or golly, just show up any time after 11:00!

Children's Choir Rehearsals

Sundays December 7 and December 14 after the service from 11:45-12:30 (possibly Saturday, December 20...).

Children will be rehearsing songs for the Christmas Pageant (on December 21) and also for a song to share at the 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service. Children wishing to be in the Pageant but not in the choir should check in with Crystal on Sunday, November 30.

Middle School visits: Church of the Assumption

Sunday, December 7 (service at 10:30)

Middle School youth should arrive at BUF by 10:00 a.m. to carpool (or walk) over to Assumption. Coming of Age participants should remember to mark down their points for attending!

Holiday Craft Night with BCS

Wednesday, December 10, 5:00 p.m. 

Come early for dinner and make some crafts in this joint event with BUF and Bellingham Cooperative School. There are always great gift ideas and lots of supplies!

Posada!

Saturday, December 13, 5:00-8:00 p.m.

You won't want to miss this annual tradition! We will share a Mexican feast at 5:00 p.m. then Rev. Paul Beckel will tell the story of Maria and Joseph as they searched for an Inn on the fateful night when Jesus was born. We will wander the neighborhood caroling and acting out the parts of the journey. We will have a 4th or 5th grade Mary riding an actual donkey (pony), with a singing Joseph and "mean" innkeepers. We will then return to BUF where we will be welcomed in for cookies, hot chocolate and pinatas.  It is a truly magical night that children remember for years!  We hope you will join us.  

We still need some volunteers to bring cookies, to set up for dinner and decorate the social hall, and to help clean up at the end of the night and also to prepare the social hall for pinata festivities while the rest of the participants are caroling.  If you can help please contact me!

YRUU Holiday Gift Project

Sunday, December 14, 10:30-2:00(ish)

High School youth and youth advisors should each arrive at BUF at 10:30 a.m. with 4 dozen of the SAME KIND of cookie (someone should bring a couple of kinds of gluten free....).  During the service, youth and advisors will make plates of mixed cookies to sell during the coffee hour.  The group will then take their earnings to the mall (or some other department store) to purchase gifts for our Interfaith Family.  Youth advisors have the specs of the family in need.  Contact me if you have questions!

Coming of Age Workshop: Spirituality, Rituals, Worship

Sunday, December 14, 6:30 p.m.

Youth in Coming of Age and mentors are encouraged to attend this special workshop. We will discuss the essential elements of worship. Youth and Mentors will sign up for providing the worship experience for subsequent workshops and youth will begin to think about the Children's Worship Service that they will lead.

Christmas Pageant 

Sunday, December 21, 10:30

Help Wanted! I will be out of town, celebrating Calley's graduation from college! Dee Dee Marshall will lead the children's choir, Paul will be our service leader, I am working on assigning pageant parts but need someone to direct the pageant, also someone to work with me to ensure we have needed costumes/props.... If you would like to be involved in making this year's pageant great-- please let me know ASAP!

Christmas Eve-- Two Services!

One service will be at 6:00 p.m. and will feature the Children's Choir. The other will be at 8:00 p.m. and will feature the BUF Choir.

I hope you all have a very merry Holiday Season!

Crystal

RE Happenings in November 2014

Greetings BUF Families,

It is that time again for an update about what is happening for children and youth at BUF!

• Note about children starting up front in the sanctuary...
• Martinmas Activities, 11/9 and 11/12
• Children's Choir Rehearsals
• Mandatory Coming of Age Orientation, 11/16
• Challenge Course (date/time TBD)
• Middle School Lock In, 11/22-11/23

Children Starting in the Service on the Dais

You may have noticed that we have had children begin the service up front on the dais a few times. We are attempting to make room in the pews because attendance at BUF has been so high recently-- what a wonderful problem to have! We will be trying this going forward, on all the Sundays that are 1) Not Children's Worship Sundays (when we begin in the flex room already) and 2) When we are not having a fully multigenerational service (like our Halloween service) when they will need a comfortable place to be for the whole time. I will continue my efforts to usher children up front until we all get used to this. Please feel free to sit up front with your child if that would be helpful. If you have questions or feedback-- please let me know!

3rd Anual Martinmas Celebration-- please note the several related activities below:

Sunday, November 9-- Children's Worship Service

Children in grades K-5 will come directly to the Flex Room on Sunday, at 10:30, for a special Children's Worship Service. We will re-enact some of the wonderful works of St. Martin, sing special Martinmas songs, share our own reflections, take/honor our collection of children's clothing and linens for Lydia Place, and take a special monetary collection for an organization to be voted on by the children in June.

Special RE Activities

• Children's Clothing and Linen Drive: We have been advertising a children's clothing and linen drive-- some donations have already come in-- we are still accepting more through Wednesday, November 12. Especially needed: Pillows and pillow cases, Twin sheets, Full sized sheets, Individual room fans, Shower curtains, and bath mats for 4 bathrooms. 
• Lantern Making Activity, Sunday, November 9-- after the Children's Worship service children will be invited to make candle lanterns that can be used during our Lantern Parade.

Wednesday, November 12: RE Sponsored Community Night Dinner... 

• Lantern Making before dinner from 5:00 to 6:00(especially for children who were unable to come on Sunday to make their lanterns).
• Dinner from 6:00-7:00-- the plan for dinner is lentil soup (half vegetarian, half with Italian sausage), assorted breads (including gluten-free), carrot salad, green salad, and cinnamon apples (apples cut into cross-sections, dusted with cinnamon, and baked -- looks like a real "dessert" but is unsweetened.)
• Lantern Parade-- some time between 6:30 and 7:00-- when children have finished eating. We will walk the neighborhood with our lanterns and sing the Martinmas songs that we learned on Sunday

How You Can Help!

• Parent Volunteers, we need a few parent volunteers on Sunday morning so I can give the regular RE Teachers the day off. Please contact Crystal Neva, if you are able to help!
• We need help with dinner prep! This is an RE sponsored event so we are recruiting parents and children who are available to help with cooking. Please go to the following link and scroll down to 11/12 dinner to sign up! http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4cada82ea64-community

Children's Choir Rehearsals

Sundays, in the Sanctuary, 11:45-12:30

Children's Choir rehearsals will continue this month-- we will focus the first one on Martinmas music in continued preparation for our Martinmas Lantern Parade on November 12. Subsequent rehearsals will help children prepare for our Holiday Pageant on 12/21 and for one of our probably two Christmas Eve services-- more information about that coming soon....

Mandatory Coming of Age Orientation!

November, 16, 12:00ish, Flex Room

This orientation is for youth, mentors, and parents. All youth participants should already be confirmed-- mentor selections are well underway. Lunch will be provided!

Coming of Age Challenge Course for Youth and Mentors

Date and time to be determined....

Parents of youth and mentors will receive a doodle from me to come up with a date for this event-- our original date fell through with Camp Lutherwood!

Middle School Lock-In

Saturday, November 22-November 23, 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 a.m.

All middle school youth are invited to spend the night at BUF on Saturday, November 22! The group will eat dinner together, play games, watch movies, make mischief.... This is a great bonding activity for coming age youth as well as the rest of the class. I will send a list of what your youth should bring... to middle school families. Please let me know if you don't hear from me in the next week or so!