Religious Education News
Our religious education news column has lots and lots of information about
the activities Live Oak children engage in each week. Meet our teachers and
youth, and see what activities they are engaging in every week. We are proud of
our program and its high quality. 
REflections
October 2007
I have been on the job here at Live Oak for three months now and
already I feel like a part of this caring community. Thank you for welcoming me!
I have spent a lot of time just getting to know how things work around here, so
that I can get a sense of what my priorities as a staff person should be. One
area that I can see needs some attention is the organizational structure of the
Religious Education (RE) program.
At Live Oak we have a strong team of dedicated teachers. These
are the people who really make the program run, and who minister first-hand to
our children and youth. We also have a part-time staff person, the Director of
Religious Education (the DRE; that’s me). What we need now is a committed team
of people — parents, teachers, empty-nesters, and people without kids who just
care! — to help manage the program. The RE Council or Committee, or whatever we
want to call it, should be one of the most vital teams in the church. These will
be the people who work with the DRE to dream, vision, create, and set goals for
the program; who help coordinate exciting programs; and who plan for and help
carry out our mission of excellent liberal religious education.
Please join me at 12:30 pm on Sunday, October 7, to learn
more about creating this important team here at Live Oak.
In faith,
Amanda Robinson, DRE
Classes for All Ages Start in
September
The 2007-2008 Religious Education year for children and youth is almost here!
Classes will begin on Sunday, September 9th. We will offer six classes for ages
4 through 12th grade. More information about the curricula for these classes
will be available in print and online soon. And be sure to register your
children for the new church year!
And then there’s FRED: Fellowship, Religious Education and Dinner! Fall FRED
kicks off on Tuesday, September 11th and will continue each Tuesday for eight
weeks, through October 30th. Each evening begins with a catered meal, available
for a minimum suggested donation. Then everyone is welcome to the
family-friendly vespers service. After vespers, childcare is available and
classes for adults and youth begin. This fall I will be facilitating “Parents as
Resident Theologians;” Rev. Freeman will facilitate a series on the Tao de Ching;
Rev. Ellis and our ministerial intern, Aaron White, will facilitate a new
spirituality curriculum from the Unitarian Universalist Association; and Glen
McIntosh will offer a drop-in course based on the Morgan Spurlock series, “30
Days.” This last offering will be a great series for youth and young adults to
participate in along with older adults!
Religious Education (RE) is one of the things that we do best. Through RE, we
engage in learning, worship, community-building, and personal transformation. I
invite you to join us on our journey this year!
Blessings, Amanda
Amanda Robinson
Director of Religious Education
August 2007
Church is Important!
As we head into the last days of summer, we start to think about
the new school year that will be starting soon. Often that means shopping trips
for new clothes and school supplies, appointments for the dentist, and arranging
for after-school care for the kids. There is always so much to do!
This year — along with all your school preparation and planning
for new fall schedules — include church as a priority for your family. Sometimes
church seems like the easiest obligation to cut, when faced with a hectic
schedule and demands on everyone’s time. But bringing your children to church
regularly is one of the best things you can do for them.
Of course the things that children learn in our religious
education (RE) program are wonderful; in RE, our children explore Unitarian
Universalism as well as other faith traditions and are supported as they grow
and develop their own beliefs. But more important than that is the community
they build when they come to church each Sunday.
For children today, life is fast. School is more demanding than
it was a generation ago. Kids juggle extracurricular activities with school and
home responsibilities and are often just as stressed out as their parents are.
That’s why they need a safe place to come each Sunday where they can be
themselves, where they have friends they trust, and where they have a support
system of adults outside their immediate family and know and care about them.
That’s the important, sustaining community we are building here at Live Oak
together. I hope you will join us!
Amanda Robinson, DRE
July 2007
I am so honored to be the new Director of Religious Education
(DRE) here at Live Oak! My family and I are very excited about our big move from
the Fort Worth area to the Austin area. My husband, Mark, and our two boys, Zeke
and Eli, and I — along with our dog, Bruno, our Tokay gecko, and our fish — will
all be moving into our new home in Cedar Park the last weekend in June.
I was the Director of Religious Education at First Jefferson
Unitarian Universalist Church for almost three years, and in that time I learned
and grew a lot. But there is always more to learn, and more growing to do! When
you get a chance, please stop to say hello. And please be patient with me; I’m
trying to learn and remember lots of names all at once!
In college I majored in English literature, not because I was on
a career track (if I had been, I would have majored in something else!), but
because I love stories. More than that, I love delving into stories to figure
out what they mean and what pieces of truth they hold. In the realm of religious
education, I agree with Joseph Campbell that the story is the central way that
people communicate the really important stuff. That’s why we tell the important
religious stories over and over again, from generation to generation.
I believe that individuals and congregations have stories, too —
and I invite you to share some of your stories with me over the next few months.
What is your story? Why is Live Oak your church home? What stories should I know
about the programs, the people, and the community here in order to really get
started? I look forward to hearing some Live Oak stories and getting at the
really important stuff with you as we walk and grow together in the coming
months. Bright blessings.
Amanda Robinson, DRE
June 2007
The DRE Search Committee has hired Amanda Robinson as the acting
Director of Religious Education. Amanda comes to us from First Jefferson
Unitarian Universalist Church in Fort Worth, where she has been DRE for three
years. In those three years she has accomplished much, notably directing the
building of a new playground at her church; see the article online at
www.uuworld.org/news/
articles/23436.shtml.
Amanda is from Austin and is excited about coming home. She is
returning home with her family as her husband is taking the job of assistant
principal at Lake Travis Middle School. She is the mother of two boys ages 7 and
4.
Amanda’s interest in engaging kids in social action and in Life
Span Education is a positive move for our RE program.
Amanda looks forward to joining our vibrant forward-thinking
community. Look for her to join us in mid June
April 2007
It is with a heavy heart I write this. My wife has been accepted
into a wonderful graduate program in Dallas, and we have decided to move there
this summer. I have been very happy with my time at Live Oak and I consider
myself blessed to be a part of the congregation. I am amazed almost daily at how
effectively our Religious Education ministry is carried out. We reach over 150
children and youth each year. Our Tuesday night FRED program helps to educate
over 120 adults annually.
I am fortunate to leave Live Oak on the best of terms. I will
always have a place in my heart for Live Oak and leaving is one of the hardest
decisions I’ve had to make. Because of the tireless and hard work of the
congregation, the Religious Education program is very strong, ready to handle
the transition and able to reach many families who desperately need our message.
I am excited that we are only four teachers away from filling
the 2007-2008 RE year and are in the beginning stages of staffing the summer RE
program. I am confident that we will be completely staffed by mid-April, more
than a month before I leave. The RE Liaison Committee will meet early this month
to figure out what the next steps should be to ensure a healthy transition.
I have been very intentional in all of my work to make certain
that Live Oak’s Religious Education program is owned and run by the
congregation, not solely by me. I feel that the church is ready to handle the
transition. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact
me or any of the RE Liaison Committee members. To ensure a smooth transition, we
need as many volunteers as possible. If you are able to teach this summer/fall,
able to do administrative tasks, able to help in or coordinate the nursery, or
many of the other tasks that are needed, please let me know. I am very thankful
for my time with Live Oak. It is a strong congregation, and I am proud to have.JPG)
called it home for four years.
Nathan Ryan, DRE
March 2007
At least once a month I attend a gathering with other UU
religious educators. While we discuss a variety of topics, our conversations
always come back to the safety of our congregations. We share thoughts, ideas,
and concerns about how we can ensure the safety of all of our church members
from the very youngest child to the very oldest. Most churches have created or
are in the process of creating policies to make sure both children and adults
are safe. Our church has already created a Safe Congregation Policy and it is
one of the best in our district. Many churches have asked permission to copy it
almost verbatim.
Because it was created a few years ago, it is smart to revisit
it every few years. There are many new parents, teachers, and church members who
aren’t aware of what we do.
All teachers have to be active in the church six months or
longer before they are allowed to teach. This is just a small sample of what we
do to make certain everyone at Live Oak has a safe and spiritual experience. To
find out our entire Safe Congregation Policy, I encourage you to visit
http://www.liveoakuu.org/abusepolicy.pdf.
February 2007
Have you ever wanted to change the world? Have you ever wanted
to transform your faith? Believe it or not, it is quite easy to do. In fact, the
answers to your desires are right here in this very newsletter article!
Our church is in an unusual position. We have 180 adult members
and 150 children and youth. Every year, half of the congregation is asked to
give of their time and energy to change the world. Every year, 90 church members
agree to help transform our children and youth by teaching. Every year these
people change the world.
Unfortunately, we can’t always lean on these 90 people. They
have given so much over the years, but after a while, they need to take some
time off to recharge their batteries. To have a successful Religious Education
program, to change the world and grow lifelong UUs, we have to rely on the
generous gifts of the entire church.
Teaching RE is not an easy job. It requires you to be the model
of UU ideals. It requires that you treat every person with inherent worth and
dignity. It requires that you honor the interconnected web of all existence. It
requires that you respect and hear every voice, including our youngest. It
requires that you strive to find out as much about your faith and your personal
spiritual path as you possibly can so that our children and youth can follow
your lead.
This is a tough thing that we ask of our congregation. We ask of
your time. We ask of your energy. We ask of your soul. In the end, though, it is
a ministry desperately needed. If you truly believe that we should be good
stewards to our earth, teach. If you truly believe that all people should be
allowed to marry, teach. If you truly believe that torture is wrong, teach. If
you truly believe that our movement has the potential to change lives as it has
mine and probably yours, teach.
January 2007
At the start of this new year, Live Oak will offer a class on UU
evangelism. To many the thought of evangelizing our faith has bad connotations
and gives people the chills. They are reminded of their religious upbringing,
and they fear that UU evangelism might mean we will force our religion down
others’ throats as we have seen others do for their denominations. When I talk
about evangelism, however, I talk of spreading our good news. The community
needs to know about us and the transcendent nature of our faith.
People need to know that there is a church open to the gay and lesbian
community. People need to know that there is a faith community that stands up
against injustice. There are many people who need our good news, who aren’t
getting it, simply because they haven’t heard of Unitarian Universalism.
A colleague of mine created this list of ways to spread our good news. I offer
it to you as a way to get you thinking about our UU evangelism.
1. Wear UU t-shirts or chalice jewelry.
2. Put a UU chalice or
bumpersticker on your car.
3. Give books by Robert Fulghum,
Forrest Church, or Peter Fleck as gifts. Point out that they’re UUs.
4. Donate books by UU authors to your public library.
5. Give UU
meditation manuals as gifts
6. Clip articles from the World
magazine that relate to the interests or concerns of friends or family members.
7. Set up a collection of used World magazines to give to newcomers in your
congregation, or donate them to a sympathetic doctor’s office, health club,
community center, or person.
8. Leave UU literature on your
coffee table.
9. Use UUSC greeting cards.
10.
Invite friends and/or family to social or education events held at your church
or fellowship.
11. Invite friends and/or family to special
worship services, such as All Music Sunday, Christmas Eve, or when your child
performs in the Children’s Choir.
12. Invite friends to join
Covenant Groups sponsored by your congregation.
13. Share your
minister’s inspirational newsletter column or copies of his/her sermons that
might interest your friends.
14. Talk about things that happened
to you at your church or fellowship.
15. In political or
activist organizations, talk about how your involvement relates to your
religious values.
16. Include your leadership in your
congregation on your resumé.
RE Teachers
Prepare to Meet
Their Classes
on September 12, 2004
Copyright
©2006, Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church.