This year our eight 4th-6th grade students followed the UUA’s Tapestry of Faith program titled Amazing Grace: Exploring Right and Wrong.  As stated in the introduction:

The curriculum uses stories, activities, discussion, and more to help youth address such questions as: Why do bad things happen?  What is the role of God, gods, and goddesses?  Who am I?  Is evil or goodness within us?  Is it something we choose?  What are my own ideas?  How can I follow my own ideas and not somebody else's?  Is "you decide for yourself" really the ultimate UU answer to these questions?

Amazing Grace intends to help sixth graders understand right and wrong and act on their new understanding.  Its purpose is to equip them for moving safely and productively through the middle- and high school years, when they will be continually tugged toward both ends of the ethics continuum.  Through their involvement in Amazing Grace, youth will come to recognize and depend on their Unitarian Universalist identity and resources as essential to their movement toward understanding, independence, and fulfillment of personal promise.

We had three pairs of teachers lead the classes at least once a month (Sharon Roberts and Gloria Weberg, Lisa Dalgleish and Emily Hecht, and Harvey and Trish Johnson).  The RE program led three Sunday services during the year with our students leading the last two in their entirety; the Water Ceremony Service (9-13-09), the Winter Solstice Service (12-20-09), and the “end of the RE year” service which focused on the Amazing Grace curriculum (5-23-10).  After the Winter Solstice Service our students sold their individually handmade ornaments to raise money for an electric dishwasher for BUUF.  Together with the offering from that service they raised over $250.00.  Many of our students participated in the BUUF Retreat over the weekend of September 19-20, 2009, as well as in the first BUUFlympics on February 7, 2010.  On Earthday Sunday, April 18, 2010, our students picked up two garbage bags of litter from BUUF’s property.  Rev. Jim McConnell included our students in his services whenever possible and led them in a pizza baking fundraiser during our Cabaret (2-20-10).

We began the UUA’s Exploring Our Values Through Poetry curriculum for our high school students with two teachers, Charles Long and Janice Zerfas, but cancelled the program due to lack of attendance.  Rev. Jim McConnell did engage some of our high school students with a trip to serve meals for those in need.

Our Adult RE Speaking of Faith get-togethers have continued throughout the year meeting Tuesday evenings and hosted by various BUUFers.  And, although it was more exercise than religion, Tai Chi classes were led by Dahlas Roy at BUUF for four consecutive weeks in the Fall to help focus our minds and bodies.

Respectfully Submitted,
Dave Sarra, DRE