Sunday, October 27, 2024

This morning, we have one of our circle services, when all ages are together for the whole service.  There are a number of reasons we do this every month.  This is one of the ways we embody being a community of all ages and stages of life.  You know, I have talked to young adults who grew up in other UU congregations, and they have told me that, while they appreciate the Religious Education they had, they do not have memories of attending the services of their church when they were children. As a result, as adults some of them had little interest in attending Sunday services.

So, today, we are building memories together.  Thank you for being here as we do this.

Another point is that in this country, having a shared experience as a whole family is rare these days.  So, we are inviting parents, grandparents or other guardians and their children to sit together in the service.  Of course, sometimes people can feel restless after a time of sitting, or get a case of the wiggles. If that happens, you are welcome to escort your family to the patio, where you can hear the service, or to a table in the welcome hall, where you can watch the service together on the flat screen TV.

However, remember that we will be inviting children to help today in the collection of the offering in a few minutes, and we will invite everyone to participate later in the shared ritual. There will be a couple of times today when we will all create silence together, and we’ll let you know when that happens.

As with any service, if you can’t hear well or you feel distracted in the seat where you are, please feel free to move to a different location around the sanctuary.  Thank you for coming together to build community. Now let us receive the music for centering.

Upcoming Circle Services include the Gratitude Service on November 24 and the Yule Service (with our tree-trimming ritual and raucous singing of “The 12 Days of Christmas”) on December 22.