Upcoming in Children and Youth Ministries
Our nursery is open every Sunday from 9:50-11:10AM for young children who prefer not to stay in the service with their adults. For children in preK-12th grade we offer Sunday programs.
• Sunday, April 6: Regular Sunday morning programs; After-service craft for all ages; Senior High Youth Group meets Sunday evening
• Sunday, April 13: Regular Sunday morning programs; Senior High Youth Group meets Sunday evening (including a special laser tag event!)
• Sunday, April 20: Easter Sunday – kids stay in the service; a non-traditional Easter egg hunt will follow the service
• Sunday, April 27: Regular Sunday morning programs; Senior High Youth Group meets Sunday evening
Playground Updates!
A big thank you to everyone who has been giving to our playground fundraisers and to Randy, Kristen, Larissa, Steven, Catherine, Keith, Dave, Jessica, Matthew, Judy, Dale, Joanne, Suzanne, Val, Anne, and Luanne for volunteering to help the kids in various ways with their playground project!
We still need volunteers who are specifically willing to join our playground planning team. Members of this team, inclusive of kids, will occasionally meet on Sunday mornings for planning. Joining the team does not mean being involved in all aspects of planning. Some people may focus on the playground’s design, others may focus on landscaping, others on identifying a company to help us build, others on fundraising, and still others on volunteer coordination.
You can make a donation of any size toward the playground using Simple Give on the congregational website. Be sure to mark it as playground money by selecting the “Playground Project” category. These donations are all appreciated greatly!
Any gifts received during April will count toward the Easter Egg fundraiser money. On Easter, the children will hunt for eggs containing “bunny money” (fake bills with bunnies on them) that they can count up to see how much money has been given in the Easter fundraiser for their playground. They love counting money toward their fundraisers!
We also are hoping to have one or two people who are willing to give the first large gifts to help us kick-off a full fundraising campaign. A board member has requested that the kids bring a solid chunk of seed money to the board when they present their final proposal for the playground, as it will help indicate the congregation’s support for this project.
If you feel moved to give one of the first large gifts in the $2,000-6,000 range to help back the children’s playground proposal, or to join our playground planning team, please contact Rev. Sierra-Marie at dre@uudanbury.org.
Volunteers Needed Next Fall!
This is the time of year when we turn our attention to program planning. Children, youth, and family plans for the upcoming school year will depend on volunteer availability. However, it is still very important to match people with the right volunteer roles for them. If you are interested in volunteering, please send an email to Rev. Sierra-Marie (dre@uudanbury.org) with the following information.
• Frequency: How frequently are you interested in volunteering (once or twice during the year; three or four times during year; once or twice per month; most Sundays)?
• Type: What inspired you to reach out? Are you interested in helping with planning, preparation, or committee work, or is your preference to work directly with program participants?
• Style: What is your preferred style of interaction (for example, do you prefer to be in charge, or are you more interested in mutuality; do you like to have structure or do you prefer to interact in more flexible ways)?
• Age: Is there a particular age group with whom you are best suited to work?
• Skills: Do you have a special skill you can offer the children’s community in either behind-the-scenes or direct work (some examples might include making music, telling stories, creating props and sets for stages, art of any type, etc.)?
• Connections: Do you have a connection to a community organization with which we could partner for social action event?
We have many volunteer jobs that are only a ten-month commitment, and this is a great way to get to know more people in the congregation.