Happy 2026, Parents & Guardians of First UU!

I hope all of your families have enjoyed the holiday break and are gearing up for the return to school and other responsibilities with nourished spirits!

The new year for Faith Development at First UU is beginning right away with a multigenerational Game Night in just a few hours! Our dedicated team of volunteers thought families with chldren might particularly enjoy the opportunity to have a game night before the end of the holiday break, though as always this is an event for people of every age. We do have childcare staff coming in to help entertain kids, with the hope that this evening will be as fun for the parents as for their children.

All of our exploration groups start right up again this Sunday, January 4. We begin the morning with Family Chapel in the Community Room, focusing on our Earth Teacher for January, Butterfly, and then:

• Building UU Values (PreK-3rd) - Will continue to examine the theme of "transformation", with a story that tells the origin story of the whole universe! (The Everything Seed: A Story of Beginnings by Carole Martignacco) And, of course, they will continue to reate with cardboard and other building materials!
• Crossing Paths (4th-7th)- Will begin their exploration of Judaism. Though they've moved on from their unit on Christianity, they do have a visit coming up on January 18th to the Cathedral of Saint Paul, the Episcopal church a couple of blocks from us. More details will come, but if you have kids in this group, please save the date for our first "neighboring faiths" visit!
• YUUth (8th-12th)- Will discuss plans for next week's lunch and parent meeting and play games that foster connection. If you have kids in this group, please save time after the service on 1/11 to meet with other parents of youth, eat lunch and plan for the future of Yuuth Group at First UU.
• Pizza Lunch for OWL will begin at 11:15, with the OWL session and Parent Circle beginning at 11:45, with sibling care.

Finally, big thank yous to all of you and your kids for making December magical: the Holiday Bazaar, the caroling trip to Cathedral Square, the Solstice multigen celebration, and the Christmas Eve Pageant, all required enthusiastic participation from your families and each of these events was a huge success because of it!

Game Night: Winter Break Addition!

Friday January 2, 5-8 pm

The Faith Development Team has decided to offer a Game night at the tail end of winter break and we hope you can make it!

This is truly for people of all ages! We have lots of games at the ready, but feel free to bring the one you want to play.

You can plan to play with your children or encourage them to play with childcare staff while you try out a game with an older crowd. Make it what you want!

We'll have a "no-stress" potluck; you can wow us with your culinary skills or pick up a loaf of bread and a tub of hummus from the market. The point is to have fun together and not go hungry. We'll have coffee, decaf and tea available, dishes and utensils.

Come for a little bit or stay the whole time. Come ready to make new friends and reconnect with the old!

January 4:

9:45- Childcare Available in the Nursery

10:00- Family Chapel in the Community Room

10:15- Building UU Values, Crossing Paths, YUUTH

11:10- Coffee Hour

11:15- OWL Lunch in Arc Gallery

11:45- OWL Session in SBA, OWL Parent Circle in WYJ

January 11:

9:45- Childcare Available in the Nursery

10:00- Worship in the Sanctuary

10:15- Building UU Values, Crossing Paths, YUUTH

11:10- Coffee Hour

11:30- All-Youth Lunch & Youth Parent Meeting

January 18:

9:45- Childcare Available in the Nursery

10:00- Worship in the Sanctuary

10:15- Building UU Values, Crossing Paths, YUUTH

11:10- Coffee Hour

January 25:

9:45- Childcare Available in the Nursery

10:00- OWL Session in SBA

10:00- Worship in the Sanctuary

10:15- Chalice Choice

11:10- Coffee Hour

February 1:

9:45- Childcare Available in the Nursery

10:00- Family Chapel in the Community Room

10:15- Building UU Values, Crossing Paths, YUUTH

11:10- Coffee Hour

11:15- OWL Lunch in Arc Gallery

11:45- OWL Session in SBA, OWL Parent Circle in WYJ