Throughout March, Faith Exploration will focus on the month’s theme of paying attention. When we consider that phrase, paying attention, we might think of being told to sit a certain way, or behave a certain way. To perform paying attention, to perform anything, can suggest normative routines or expectations. But our look at paying attention is not about one’s behavior to fit into a mold; instead, we seek to use the act of paying attention to learn something about our shared world.
We will seek to understand how paying attention sustains our relationships with each other and with ourselves. And we will do this through a bounty of activities. Our older kids will spend several Sunday mornings with Izzy Tappan-deFrees who has designed a project that teaches film editing while learning about UU shared values. There is a lot of paying attention to the small and large details when it comes to producing a creative work. And our older kids will get this in a way that journeys alongside shared values. What I appreciate about projects like this one is the way it opens the possibility of understanding one’s UU identity.
Our younger kids will have a variety of approaches to the theme of paying attention. We will be reading stories each week, as is our routine, and we’ll have activities that invite us to deepen our understanding of what we might be called to pay attention to. Our activities throughout March will range from building with spaghetti and marshmallows to using water as a time telling tool.
And, on a personal note, I am paying attention to my upcoming ordination. You are all invited to attend this service which will be held on Sunday, May 31 at 4 pm at the First Church in Belmont. I am delighted to be working with Laura Horn and Kelly Morton from FPW, and Kathy Crawley from the Belmont church, to plan the ordination. A lovely coincidence: earlier in the day on May 31 is Belmont Pride. A little sprinkling of glitter might be in store for all of us.
Thank you,
KYLE
Kyle M. Belmont (he/him)
Director of Faith Exploration