• December 8- Blue Christmas Vespers, 7pm
• December 10- Selfies with Santa and Christmas Bazaar, 10 am
  
• December 11- No Rehearsal Christmas Pageant-Followed by the Annual Meeting. The Nursery will be closed during the service, as we all participate in the Pageant. Childcare will be provided during the annual meeting.
• December 17
• Parents Day Out! Saturday, 12-4 pm. Get your last minute "to-do's" done while the kids have fun at church. Please RSVP ASAP
• Winter Solstice Labyrinth Walk, 5 pm
• December 18th-
• Children's Faith Development Party, 11-12
• Adult FD "Voices from the Margins Room 105, Begins promptly at 11:05 am
• December 24th- Candlelight Christmas Eve Service, 6pm (Nursery Closed)

May you be filled with happiness, may you be filled with peace, may you be filled with love

Chris

This spring, we are proud to offer Our Whole Lives (OWL) to two groups: Kindergarten-2nd graders and 4th-6th graders. We will also offer Parents and Caregivers as Sexuality Educators simultaneously (see below).

"Our Whole Lives" takes a holistic view of sexuality. It provides accurate, age-appropriate information while helping children and youth to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional and social aspects of sexuality.

In our congregation, children and youth meet in age-specific covenantal groups led by highly committed volunteers who undergo comprehensive training led by UUA-certified trainers.

A sampling of topics for these age groups includes: (K-2) birth, babies, bodies, and families and (4th-6th) physical, emotional, and social changes of puberty.

Parent Interest and Parent Orientation Meetings will be held in January. Please mark your calendars now and plan to attend the Interest meetings so you can decide if this is a program your family would like to commit to.

Parent Interest:

K-2 January 22nd

4-6th January 8th

Parent Orientations:

K-2 February 5th

4th-6th January 22nd

Are you ready to answer the difficult questions your children will ask? Have you thought about how to communicate your values around sexuality? Do you have unhealthy sexual scripts lingering from the messages you received from your family and friends?

The information and attitudes that adults share with their children—intentionally or by default—carry extraordinary power. It is a power that many adults struggle to wield effectively and confidently. Often, their own experiences, perspectives, and worries get in the way. Join us for Parents and Caregivers as Sexuality Educators, a new program to help parents and caregivers to get comfortable with sexuality topic discussions with their children. These sessions invite you to find support and courage with one another.

Parents and Caregivers as Sexuality Educators consists of a series of 10 sessions (90 minutes each). The aim of the program is to help parents and caregivers to get comfortable with sexuality topic discussions with their children. Join Chris Jarman, Director of Lifespan Faith Development and Alyssa Goss-Pritchard, trained OWL Facilitator, as we explore how to raise healthy children and youth!

JUUst Breathe Live is a podcast where youth ministry has a say! Hosts Shannon Harper and Eric Bliss interview youth and adults who hold a vision of liberal religious youth ministry that is both life saving and spirit lifting. JUUst click on the graphic

Meditation On Breathing

Sarah Dan Jones

Found in Singing the Journey 1009

Principle 6 We believe in working for a peaceful, fair and free world.

Source 1 The sense of wonder we all share.

Source 3 The ethical and spiritual wisdom of the world’s religions.

This song was written by Sarah Dan Jones, an active Unitarian Universalist musician who believes in using music to spread and support the UU faith. This song is intended for meditation and calming. It is sung in three parts: the melody starts first and repeats throughout until the end of the song; then a low drone part (on one note) is added in; finally a high descant joins in. The group can choose to sing melody only or to add in one or both of the other parts.

Movement

As you breathe in deeply, open your arms wide to the side; as you breathe out, bring your hands back together in front of the body, palms up as if offering a gift to the world. Try it for a few breaths, then use these motions with singing the song. Look up the American Sign Language (ASL) signs for Peace and Love. Teach these signs to the group, and use the signs as you are singing the song. www.signingsavvy.com/sign/PEACE www.signingsavvy.com/sign/LOVE

Activities Use props such as feathers or cotton balls that can be easily moved by blowing. Sing “When I breathe in,” then take a deep breath. Sing “When I breathe out” then blow the air out, blowing the feathers or cotton balls. Gather the group around a small parachute or a sheet, making sure everybody has a firm grip on the edge. Practice lifting the parachute all together, so that the air billows it upwards, then moving it down to the ground so that the air swooshes out. As you sing along with the recording, start with the parachute on the ground. Lift it up as you sing “Breathe in peace,” and bring it back to the ground as you sing “Breathe out love.”

Discussion Topics

· What does it feel like in your body when you take a deep breath then blow it out?

· What does it sound like when you blow air out of your mouth?

· Does it remind you of any sounds you hear in nature?

· What does it mean to breathe in peace? To breathe out love?

· This song describes a spiritual practice that involves our physical bodies and our minds and spirits. What effect do you think this practice could have on how you feel in the moment? On your overall well-being? On your interactions with other people around you?

Email: dlfd@liveoakuu.org
Website: https://www.liveoakuu.org/
Location: 3315 El Salido Parkway, Cedar Park, TX, USA
Phone: 737-240-3127

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/353200692274924