A Month of Sundays

April Theme: Becoming

April 4: Opening Ourselves to the Light

Last year’s Easter Cantata was the first one done on Zoom, while we were under stay at home orders. This year’s Easter Cantata will (hopefully) be our last Zoom cantata. We had no idea what awaited us at this time last year. Join us as we celebrate, in narration, readings, and song, our return to the light.

Religious Exploration: FUUN Day:  Family UU iN-person Day!! Join us outdoors on the All Souls Church grounds for our in person gathering!  Today we’ll hold a celebration outdoors to ring in Spring and celebrate Easter. There will be crafts like kindness rock painting, rainbow scratch offs, and a henna artist, as well as a spring scavenger hunt. There will be prizes to be had and, of course, an Easter Egg Hunt! Please RSVP for this event with this link: https://forms.gle/BJ8oK9MopnKp9wd98

April 11: Opening Ourselves to the Holy

Springtime is a season of miracles. Dormant trees begin to bud and bear fruit, birds swoop and calling in a mating dance that will lead to nests filled with chirping fledglings. Seemingly out of nothing, seed planted in the ground grows. It’s no wonder Springtime is also connected to the Holy in many faith traditions. This day we sit in the midst of the three important Holy Days: the Jewish Passover, the Christian Easter, and the beginning of Ramadan in Islam. Each of these represents a moment when a people found the Holy. Where is the Holy in our lives? How can we open ourselves up to it?

Religious Exploration: Soul Matters (1^st-4^th grade): “Find Your True Self: Who Are You Becoming?” On our first day of exploring our theme of “becoming” we’ll discuss the gifts we have within ourselves! We will listen and discuss a favorite song, “Let It Go,” as a song of acceptance. We end with a Who Are You Becoming Show and Tell! Show off some cool things you’ve learned and discovered over the past year!

Crossing Paths (5^th-7^th grade): “Map Day: Learning the Terrain of Hinduism” This is the day we get a glimpse of the “terrain” for Hinduism.  We’ll explore this very old religion through videos, games, and story.

April 18: Opening Ourselves to the World

April 22 is Earth Day. Now, more than ever, we need to open ourselves to our world, sense our interconnectedness with Mother Earth and all our kin who dwell with us. Join us as All Souls member, Sarah Hautzinger, shares what she’s been learning about the spirituality of caring for our climate, and ways of linking into spirit-driven global and local climate action networks.

Religious Exploration: Soul Matters (1^st-4^th grade): “Becoming People of the Earth” Today we explore our 7^th principle, the web of life, and celebrate Earth Day! We’ll read the story “Here We Are” by Oliver Jeffers and discuss how we put our 7^th principle in action! We’ll also play an Earth Day Pictionary game on Zoom Whiteboard.

Crossing Paths (5^th-7^th grade): “Tack Day” On tack day, we find similarities between the Hindu religion and our own faith of Unitarian Universalism. We’ll learn how we both value freedom and diversity. We’ll also take a look at some of the many Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

April 25: Opening Ourselves to Transformation

This has been a long, hard year. We have faced difficulties we could not have imagined when we rang in the new year of 2020. In this service, Rev. Nori will explore how letting go is the first step of transformation. Sandra Collins won this theme at our online service auction last fall. She writes: I have been reading Thich Nhat Hanh The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching. A section that spoke to me is the Six Realms on “Letting Go”. I think that this addresses the feelings many of us have experienced during the most recent political climate: “Letting go gives us freedom and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If in our heart we still cling to anything—anger, anxiety, or possessions—we cannot be free.”

Religious Exploration: Soul Matters (1^st-4^th grade): “Making Hopeful Predictions” What does it mean to be an imaginer? We’ll explore this question today! With a blast from the past, the Magic 8 Ball will be assisting in our class today with some fun games. We’ll read, “The Day You Begin” by Jacqueline Woodson and reflect on this story. We’ll also imagine we can see the future and make some predictions during our mindful moment.

Crossing Paths (5^th-7^th grade): “Summit & Lake Day” On our last day of exploration, we begin by taking a virtual visit of a Hindu temple and observe some of their religious traditions. We will also interview a person of Hindu faith and ask them some personal questions about Hinduism. Don’t forget to bring your Hindu Goodie Bag to open today!