The Final Milestone
On May 21, we officially ended our Year in Youth Faith Formation with our Bridging Service, sending 6 Bridging Seniors into young adulthood. During the service, our Bridgers told us what this Church has meant to them, their parents shared their hopes and dreams for their children moving forward, and church and faith formation leadership and children and young adults in the congregation formed the Bridge that they crossed over. Worship concluded with our traditional Arch building sequence, with those in the center aisle rising to form an Arch for them as they left the Sanctuary. For this service, we asked everyone who was comfortable to touch each other's shoulders, so that we were all connected as they crossed the Bridge.
For me, this service symbolized everything we are trying to achieve in Youth Faith Formation. We celebrated a fine group of young adults who grew up in a community that cared for and nurtured them, instilled Unitarian Universalist values in them, and gave them a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. As many of you know, I wore a couple hats in this service, so it was especially poignant for me. As a Director of Faith Formation, I saw the goals of our program come to fruition as the seniors walked beneath that Arch. As a mother, I felt a deep spiritual peace knowing that my child, now a young adult, was equipped to go out and love the hell out of this world. I am humbled and honored in all my roles to be a part of this community,
Bridging represents the final Milestone in our Milestones program, which traditionally has started with a Kindergarten Welcoming Milestone, a Journeying Milestone in 4th grade, the Coming of Age Milestone completed every other year for 9th/10th Graders, and then ending with the Bridging Milestone for Seniors.
Part of my work this summer and much of next year will be revisiting and revising this much loved program--some born out of necessity, as our Journeying Milestone covers our 7 Principles, which are in the process of being revised at GA this summer and therefore may become obsolete. This year we have a large incoming Coming of Age group; High School Coordinator Jason Fishel and our leaders will be working Coming of Age material and experiences into our HS curriculum next year. More details to come as we work through this process together.
Unitarian Universalism is a faith based on the idea of continuing revelation. We are a congregation about to begin a search for a new leader and new direction for ORUUC. These are milestones for our entire community. Though we are in the midst of change, our core values and commitment to one another remain constant. That is the greatest milestone achievement we can ever reach.
This is the last Connecting in Spirit Newsletter for the 22/23 church/school year. The newsletter will return in August for the 23/24 school year. In the meantime, join us at Rainbow Camp the last week of June, and have a restful and joyful, albeit maybe too short, summer.
In Care and Faith,
Christine
Christine Rehder (she/her/hers)
Director of Faith Formation
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