Upcoming In Children and Youth Religious Education (RE):
With the exception of a pre-planned trip for our Senior High Youth Group to Boston on June 30th, our children and youth ministries are heading into summer break.
During this time, activities are on hold, though we do still encourage families to attend on Sunday mornings, especially when we have our Senior High Sunday (June 2) and our Flower Ceremony (June 16). We are currently getting our nursery staffed for the summer and plan to open it to children of any age during services.
Kids and teens, we look forward to welcoming you back to children and youth ministries in September!
Congratulations to Bridgers!
On Sunday, June 2nd we will have a special ceremony for two members of our community who are transitioning into young adulthood. Here are their bios.
Anja Westenberg: Anja has been attending the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury (UUCD) since she was an infant and has loved exploring the spiritual and social UU world through Religious Education (RE) and Youth Group every year. She has recently enjoyed attending the normal morning services and is so appreciative of the incredibly supportive community that has provided a safe haven throughout the past 18 years. She is graduating from Danbury High School where she played the trumpet in the marching band for 4 years and helped the musical theater tech crew for 3, and Anja is planning to attend Western Connecticut State University in the Fall. WCSU is only 10 minutes away from UUCD, so she hopes to continue attending services throughout the next year while working towards a degree in Elementary Education. She recently discovered her passion for working with kids through her volunteer work at the Children’s Leadership Training Institute in downtown Danbury.
Kye Gerfao: Kye (they/he) is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist who has attended congregations in Washington, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Throughout high school Kye has been a member of youth groups both at UUCD and the Unitarian Society of New Haven. Kye has particularly enjoyed doing community service activities with the youth group, such as making sandwiches for Dorothy Day Hospitality House. Kye will be graduating in June from the Sound School, a public agricultural high school in New Haven that specializes in marine sciences. Kye’s high school years included working as a babysitter, doing over 375 hours in community service, playing varsity ice hockey, sailing on the Sound School’s sailing team, rowing with Crew Haven, and participating in the leadership team for the Sound School’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance. Kye also maintained membership in the Socialist Scholars Party and the Sound School Student Council. Over the last two years, Kye’s studies have included a focus on underwater science, which involved learning to scuba dive and leading construction of oyster reef balls for an oyster reef restoration project. Kye is leaving the Sound School with a boating license and certifications in Open Water Diving, Rescue Diving, and Scientific Diving. On a senior research trip Kye received an award as Best Representative of Connecticut Scuba Academy. Over the summer Kye will participate on Team USA in an international seamanship competition called Atlantic Challenge. Next year Kye will begin studying Marine Sciences at UConn on the Avery Point Campus. Kye currently plans to do five years at UConn and leave with a Master’s Degree in Teaching with the goal of teaching middle school science.
The Nursery Is Hiring – Immediately
We need two summer childcare providers. Are you interested? Do you know someone who might be? Please get in touch with Sierra-Marie right away. You can reach her at dre@uudanbury.org.
Calling All Congregants!
We need volunteers for next year’s children and youth ministries. There are lots of ways to get involved. Please contact Sierra-Marie at dre@uudanbury.org to find the right fit for you and your skills and interests.
Rev. Sierra-Marie’s Summer Office Hours
During June our Director of Religious Education will not hold weekly in-office hours but will be available to meet by appointment and answer phone calls and emails until June 18th. After that date she will be attending the UU Minister’s Association Ministry Days, the Liberal Religious Educator’s Association Professional Day, and the Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly and then taking a week of vacation time until the end of June.
In July and August, she will be doing a combination of professional development and 2024-2025 preparation time. During this time, she will generally be available to meet by appointment and answer phone calls and emails with the exception of vacation time from August 9th – August 18th. Please note that her summer response time may be slower. If any additional vacation time is added, however, an email auto-reply will notify you of when she next will be available.