Lifespan Spiritual Exploration: January 2021

Jan. 18th: Honoring Dr. King

On Mon. Jan. 18th many families took time to honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Day in some way or other. Liza sent an email with many ideas for ways to honor Dr. King's life. One parent said they spent about two hours one evening, listening to the songs and hearing the stories that were in these resources!

Some families from UCM decided to help the Monday Community Lunch by baking cookies! These will supplement the 40 to-go meals given out every Monday at a pick-up in our parking area. We got so many that we have frozen some and are set for several weeks! THANK YOU to all the families who participated in this service project. Cookies welcome to be dropped off anytime on Liza's porch (397 Elm St.) with a label saying "UCM Community Lunch" with your name and any allergens (nuts, wheat, eggs).

Above: Janet Poeton, a UCM Community Lunch Coordinator, prepares to package some of the home baked goods made by the congregation!

Jan. 12th Presentation: Successfully Managing End-of-Life Issues and Challenges

Over 30 of us from UCM gathered virtually on Zoom to learn more about how to be more in control of your own end-of-life care. Many thanks to Final Exit Network board member and volunteer presenter, Gary Wederspahn, for his very informative presentation. The Final Exit Network is a non-profit organization that provides many free resources on their website as well as a rich array of services to those who become members. Thanks also to Judith Hinds for connecting us with Gary. Judith longtime member of UCM and also a volunteer with Final Exit Network. Find out more about Final Exit Network here.

Stuffed Animal Sleepover: A celebration of Imagination and Community building

Since our January theme is Imagination, we thought we should have a little fun in the church building to kick-off the new year! Even though we humans can't be together right now, our stuffed animals can! We spent December getting the word out to all the kids and youth and 22 different animals joined in the fun.

Click here for video: Just Imagine: a stuffed animal sleepover

Creating ritual at home: families and others make ice lanterns!

The care packages that families received at Thanksgiving included a #10 can as the packaging. This aligns with our 7th principle (taking care of the Earth) in that it is reused and recyclable, AND it can be used to make ice lanterns! Families are seeking ways to add magic to the holidays in a time when we can't do many of our usual traditions because of the pandemic. Liza and Marissa made this simple video (below) to share how it works. Click here for video: How to make an ice lantern

They're a great addition to any Winter Solstice ritual, or any holiday really--even when it isn't winter! Check out the great lanterns made by families and individuals. Here are some of the quotes from them,

"We made some this weekend thanks to you. My boys are really excited to light them tomorrow."

"So very excited!"

"James is so excited for the ice lanterns tonight!! They were fun to make and we made two for our neighbors."

"Thank you for the care package for the holiday season. We really appreciated the thought and creativity that you put into it and we enjoyed many of the activities. Making ice lanterns was our favorite new tradition this year, and Julia really enjoyed the magic of the process and the light from the lanterns at night! "