In my short tenure as your new RE Coordinator, I am appreciative of the warm welcome extended by Emerson’s youth and adults. For the opportunity to serve, I am profoundly grateful.

With Spring’s arrival, RE-Youth are forward motion synchronized. Sunday classes have resumed and are blossoming with enriching topics from interdependence to pluralism. Adopted from Soul Matters, the subject matter reinforces the seven principles by which Unitarian Universalists live. Channeling the folk-rock group of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, I assure you the commitment to ‘teach your children well’ is stronger than ever. For the June series, we will examine the concept of renewal.

The celebratory seeds of youth we have planted have yielded formal preparation for the Coming of Age program which starts in August. Bursting with enthusiasm, the dynamic trio of Deborah Wotring, Teneka Berends, and Gavin Mason are shepherding engagement with Sunday morning gatherings, arts and crafts, off campus outings, and exposure to covenants plus a plethora of other transformative activities for middle schoolers. Yielding a strong lifelong foundation, “a covenant is also the positive expression of healthy behavior, so that leaders have more clarity in identifying and responding to disruptive behavior” according to uua.org. We strongly believe the participating youth will be great leaders in life and career.

It takes a collective effort to accomplish anything great. I invite you to share your talents in a variety of volunteer RE-Youth capacities. It is only together that we will succeed.

Shari Wright, UU Education Coordinator