New Sign In Procedure

Parents & Guardians:

Coffee, juice, and refreshments will be served in the new building each Sunday from 10:40 - 10:55.

Please sign the clipboard in your child(ren)'s classrooms to let the teacher know they will be attending.

Walk with your child(ren) to the sanctuary at 10:55 and sit with them during the first part of worship.

Children will be sung out to class and teachers will walk them over.

Pick child(ren) up at 12:15. Sign them out from same clipboard you signed them in.

Children are not allowed to leave their classrooms or the playground without an adult. RE does not end when worship ends. It ends at 12:15 to give teachers enough time with the students and to give parents the opportunity to enjoy fellowship time in the sanctuary. Please do not pick them up later than 12:15 - the teachers cannot leave until all children are picked up.

We acknowledge that this change will take time to adjust to. We ask you to please arrive between 10:40 and 10:50 to allow enough time to sign your child in and then get situated into the sanctuary for worship at 11:00.

Thanks! It's gonna be a great year!!!

Growing Hearts, Minds, Spirits..and BUILDINGS!!!

I stood in the small dome and thanked it for it's contribution to our religious community over the years. I thanked it for providing space to so many bright, compassionate children, youth and adults who shared transformative moments there. In my ten years teaching RE, eight of those directing the RE program, I have watched such growth, such connection, such love. The small dome, the original UU church building on Morris Bride Road, is a geodesic dome. It is one large room/ two small rooms/one dark spider loving bathroom stall. Each summer I stood in that interestingly funky space and wondered, "Ok, how are we going to make the small dome work this year?"

It has always been a joyful challenge...creating a learning/reflecting/sharing space for two lively age groups of children...cramming a dozen energetic preschoolers into a tiny little room...and smooshing many hormone changing oderific teen-agers into a barely air conditioned hobbit hole. But on this 8th summer of my career as the Director of Religious Exploration for Children and Youth - I am not thinking about how to fit a gallon of water into a thimble. I am thinking about new opportunity. We are a strong and vibrant UU family community and that has not changed. What has changed is that now we have space to grow. Because that is what we are here for. We are here to grow hearts, minds, and spirits. We are here to grow Unitarian Universalism. And we are here to plant seeds of change and grow justice.

In two weeks we will dedicate our new building. In three weeks we will be holding classes in our new building! Our new buidling that has classrooms! Four of them! And a youth lounge!!! This. Is. Amazing.

Don't miss our Water Communion Multigeneratioanl Worship and Building Dedication Ceremony on Sunday, September 18th.

And, holy moly, you certainly don't wanna miss the first day of RE and our RE OPEN HOUSE on Sunday, September 25th. Register for RE, eat some food, learn about the program, and get to know one another.

We are still raising $$$ to equip the new building with furniture...please donate to the "A Place to Sit" campaign! Credit card donations are accepted on the church website: http://www.uutampa.org/