Our first session of JHYG Neighboring Faiths was held on September 18th. There were 9 young folks in attendance.

Our focus was creating a sharing circle and getting to know one another. Each of us created a name tag and an index card with our name, our most recent fun moment and what we expect to happen in this class. We engaged in circle discussion and each young person was given a Rose Quartz stone to keep and bring to each class. We discussed the relationship between quartz and computers. They understand the quartz stones as places of storage and memory and as witnesses to what will unfold during our time together.

We all agreed, by stating out loud, upon a “Buy-In”, an agreement of conduct and accountability. This week’s curriculum focus was “What is Religious?” “What is Spiritual?” We explored and brainstormed this idea outside, preceded by a few fun exercises for our body. We returned to our circle inside and reviewed our “Golden Rule, World Religions” poster and worked on two handouts: “If I were a Founder”, giving them the opportunity to ponder what kind of religion they would have if they were actually a founder. The second handout was the Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources. We jointly read the seven UU principles and lit the Chalice holding hands in circle until our next meeting.

The Parent Orientation Meeting was held immediately following our first session.