Sunday, April 26, 2016 School of the Spirit Weekly Update

“CompostJam” and “WoodLatheJam” this Sunday plus a Campfire Sing-a-long for families! Seeking a great SpiritJam Lead Teacher for next year.

CircleJam (Opening)- we gather for songs and a Sharing Circle to open the morning.

9 and 11 a.m. “CompostJam”

Redeeming ourselves with the earth. There’s a new compost bin. We will explore composting and all the plans for the playground by the Grounds Folks! with Chuck and Beth Hensel, Chris Rathwig, Martin Ogle and Jean Cannella. Bring us your potato skins, grass clippings, egg shells, and other treasures for compost this Sunday!

9 and 11 a.m. “WoodLatheJam” 

Al Papparella, creator of our wooden chalices and candlesticks, is bringing in his lathe on Sunday. He will be making tops and other items for the children. Can you hold a marker to the lathe and watch the color circle your top? Al also asks for aspen logs, if you have any, so he can continue making our wooden chalices.

9 and 11 a.m. Preschool/Nursery-  Loving care and program with Miss Ari, early childhood teacher and musician.

Adult Classes 

  • Visit the  Adult Webpage for more information on these and other adult classes and gatherings.
  •  “The Gaia Paradigm” with Martin Ogle, Sat. Apr. 25, 10 a.m. – noon.
  • New! Mindfulness Evening Series, Tues.  biweekly for 6 Tuesdays), 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Drop In’s Welcome.

Read more about our unique experimental SpiritJam model at www.spiritjam.info   Join us as we co-create this experimental program with paid lead teachers and monthly themes!

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Announcements: 

Accepting applications nowSpiritJam Lead Teacher Position open  6 hrs/wk, 9.5 mos/yr, $15.35/hr plus 20 extra hours planning/meeting time.  We are seeking a creative, flexible individual interested in creating fun and unique “jams,” who is not a member of BVUUF. 4 hrs. most Sundays; 2 hrs. weekly planning and meeting plus 20 hrs. allocated for other meetings and planning. For the complete job description, visit the SpiritJam Lead Teacher Job Description. Tell your people! We love word of mouth referrals! Contact Katie Covey, Director, directorre@bvuuf.org

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Registration is OPEN for the 2015 Peace and Justice Summer Day Camp with PeaceJam and Project YES.  June 1-5th. K-5th graders. For our 9th annual camp, we go GLOBAL through our collaboration with PeaceJam and Project YES.

Activities: Peace in Pop Culture, Karate, Camp Zoo, Story Tree, Chapels with Rev. Lydia each morning, Fire Circle, Peace Project and a Friday afternoon Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony!

Campfire Sing-a-long, May 2, 5 – 8 p.m. on the Nature Playground. 

Whether you like to sing campfire songs, roasting marshmallows or just hanging out around the fire with friends, join us on our Nature Playground Saturday, May 2 from 5-8 pm for our annual camp fire. Feel free to bring a picnic or just your s’mores fixin’s. Camp chairs and roasting sticks are great, but not necessary. We’ll provide marshmallows and fire. All are welcome! Questions, contact Rachel Setzke, campdirector@bvuuf.org.

Upcoming SpiritJams and Services

Sun. May 3 – Storyteller Wynn Montgomery joins us to tell “The Broken Pot” and we make pottery chalices.

Sun. May 10Mama’s Day  In its fifth year, Mama’s Day is a celebration of all mamas, everywhere! We know that mamahood is not one size fits all. But most popular images of mothers exclude mamas based on their sexual orientation, race, income, immigration status and more. And Mothers Day, one of the biggest commercial holidays in the United States, often reinforces traditional ideas of family and motherhood that there’s only one way to be a family. Send a free e-card!

Mother’s Peace Day by Unitarian Julia Ward Howe. The “Appeal to womanhood throughout the world” by Julia Ward Howe was an appeal for women to unite for peace in the world. Written in 1870, Howe’s “Appeal to womanhood” was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. The appeal was tied to Howe’s feminist conviction that women had a responsibility to shape their societies at the political level.

Sun. May 17 – “Youth Sunday” Fourth Graders and up will attend the services as we honor the 8/9th Grade Coming of Age Class (9 a.m.) and the Seniors (11 a.m.) who are graduating from High School and “bridging” to Young Adulthood.

Sun. May 24 – Begin one service at 10 a.m. Informal Games for Memorial Day weekend.

Needed for Summer Camp: Cool recyclables and junk for the Junk Sculpture Room at Camp, plus donations of Duct Tape, wild and crazy colors are especially welcome!

“Share Your Passion” Summer Sundays

Do you have a passion that you would like to share with our children for up to 30 minutes on a Sunday this Summer between 10 – 11 a.m.? Be it solar cooking, science, guitar playing, travels, crafting, sports, poetry, your favorite children’s book, music, tinkering, engineering, etc. Choose a Sunday on the “Share Your Passion” Summer Calendar or visit with Katie Covey, Director, School of the Spirit (directorre@bvuuf.org) or Rachel Stevenson, SpiritJam Summer Coordinator. Rachel will be supervising and attending the Summer Sundays and will help you. You will have about 30 minutes maximum with a multi-age group of children. Here’s an ideal way to get to know the children of BVUUF and help our children get to know other adults in the congregation!

Check out the Youth Ministry Newsletter by Emily Conger, Youth Coordinator for 7th – 12th graders.

Your School of the Spirit Staff:

  • Emily CongerYouth Coordinator, youthcoordinator@bvuuf.org 
  • Ari Flauta, Early Childhood Teacher, preschool@bvuuf.org
  • Rachel Setzke, 2015 Peace and Justice Camp Director, campdirector@bvuuf.org
  • Rachel StevensonSpiritJam Teacher and Religious Education Assistant, assistantre@bvuuf.org 
  • Michael NewmanSpiritJam Teacher, spiritjam@bvuuf.org
  • Katie CoveyDirector of the School of the Spirit, dirrectorre@bvuuf.org