By Emmalinda MacLean
Director of Religious Education
Spring always seems to offer a wealth of opportunities for children and families to connect and grow relationships at Emerson—in the next two months we have Easter Sunday, Earth Day, a garden to be planted, and a Children’s Naming and Dedication ceremony on Mother’s Day! And that’s not even counting our Coming of Age youth’s adventures, or the weekly crafts, games, discussion, and exploration in our Religious Education program. We are truly a community of abundance.
I hope you will join us for as many of these activities as you are able; mark your calendars, stay tuned to the Emerson weekly email and the “Emersonians” Facebook group for more details, and feel free to contact me with any questions. (EmmalindaDRE@gmail.com, or Emmalinda MacLean on Facebook. If you’re not in the Emersonians Facebook group, ask me how to join!)
RE ACTIVITIES IN APRIL, MAY, and JUNE
Saturday, April 8, Planting Party!
Join us to bring Emerson’s garden back to life! On March 12th, children and youth planted seeds—some of which have already begun to sprout—and on April 8th we’ll transplant these seedlings into the planter boxes outside the church kitchen. I’ve never seen the magic of gardening fail to get children excited: look how much fun they had planting in class!
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Planting Day at Emerson
DONATIONS NEEDED BY APRIL 16
Can you help by donating recyclables?
We’ll be making truffula trees for the set from recycled materials. If you have any of the items below, please bring them in by Easter Sunday, April 16:
- Cardboard tubes (wrapping paper, toilet paper, or paper towels)
- Plastic bottles (12 oz through 2 liters)
Sunday, April 16, Easter!
Let’s celebrate the Earth’s re-awakening from winter with our cherished annual “Easter Egg” hunt—a fun and festive occasion built around generosity, teamwork, and service. Rather than hunting for plastic eggs filled with candy, teams of children collect non-perishable food items to be donated to the West Valley Food Pantry. Everyone’s a winner!
Sunday, April 23, Multigenerational Earth Day Service!
Emerson has a long tradition of celebrating Earth Day as a joyful, uplifting, participatory worship service that includes all ages, reminding us that we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors—we borrow it from our children. This years’ service will feature a pageant based on Dr. Seuss’s beloved classic,The Lorax, with lots of opportunities for involvement by attendees both young and old!
Mother’s Day, May 14, Children’s Naming and Dedication
Rev. Matthew and I are planning a special ritual to honor the journey of motherhood by inviting all mothers who wish to participate to tell the story of their children’s names in the service. Our names are the first in a lifetime of gifts we receive from our parents, and on Mother’s Day we will celebrate them all. Please contact me if you would like to be a part of this ceremony by telling the congregation how you chose your child’s name.
Sunday, June 11, Coming of Age
From celebrating the gift of life and a name, to embracing the transformation from childhood to adulthood, Emerson nurtures our children and youth in a multitude of ways. Our Coming of Age class continues to go boldly in the direction of their unfolding futures, exploring their beliefs about the world, their goals for the future, and their connections to Unitarian Universalism.
On Sunday, June 11th they will present an entire worship service that they have planned and organized themselves, featuring their own personal belief (or credo) statements. Many congregants consider the Coming of Age service to be one of the highlights of the church year, and so I encourage you to mark your calendars now and plan on being there to support and affirm these youth on their journey.
Recently, COA youth adventured outside their comfort zones and tested their physical limits by learning to fly with the circus arts educational organization, FocusFish.com. Sore muscles recover, but empowering experiences last a lifetime!
Activities at FocusFish