A Church for All Ages

It has been such a joy and honor to be in community with you at First U this year, and to learn and grow alongside you as we explore what it means—and what it takes—to be an intergenerational congregation.

I have had a blast coordinating and facilitating the Common Ground Sunday program, bringing together our school-age children and youth across grade levels to connect, share space, and join together in hands-on activities related to our monthly worship theme. Not only has Common Ground Sunday offered a fun and spiritually-enriching place for our children and youth to be on Sunday mornings when regular Religious Education (RE) is not scheduled, but this monthly program has also offered an alternative to the more “traditional” RE classroom model that better suits the learning styles and social needs of several of our kiddos. We didn’t necessarily anticipate this outcome going into the program year, but we have been thrilled to see so many of our kiddos flourishing in their spiritual exploration and community-building through Common Ground Sundays.

I have also been in conversation this year with some of our youth lay leaders about their experiences serving on ministry teams, as well as with the adult lay leaders working alongside these youth. I came to these conversations with plenty of questions, and I left them with many more! As First Universalist moves toward deeper intergenerational engagement in the years ahead, here are some of the big questions I hope you will keep asking together:

• How do we equip our children and youth with a sense of connection to UU identity/community/tradition and a toolbox of spiritual practices?
• How do we empower our youth leaders to engage in shared ministry that is both developmentally-friendly and mutually meaningful?
• How do we empower parents/caregivers to be religious educators at home?
• How do we empower our elders to share their wisdom and help young leaders develop their knowledge, skills, and contributions to the church’s ministries?
• How do we integrate children and youth into worship while ensuring parents/caregivers have opportunities for spiritual grounding and nourishment?
• How do we structure and coordinate our large program with long-term sustainability for staff, families, children, and youth?
• Why does intergenerational ministry matter to us at First Universalist?

In light of this last question, I invite you to consider this:

Perhaps your grandmother made the best banana bread in the world. She learned it from her mother, who learned it from her mother, and so on for generations. But your grandmother never shared the recipe or taught anyone else how to make it. And then, as we all eventually do, she passed away—and no one knew how to make the banana bread anymore. Not because people stopped loving it, but because the skills and knowledge were never passed on.

Of course, change is inevitable. Maybe the next generation will add chocolate chips, leave out the walnuts, or discover a new version they love just as much. But if this particular banana bread is so treasured, don’t we want to ensure the recipe survives us? Shouldn’t we want to share our wisdom with those who will be here to carry the tradition forward?

Often we hold our roles and responsibilities tightly because we want to ensure they are executed well, because they have become part of our identity, or because we fear losing control. But sharing our leadership and wisdom is how we keep traditions—and organizations—alive. It is also a powerful act of hospitality. It says: We want to share this with you, and we want you to be a part of what comes next.

Sharing our leadership and wisdom is how we keep traditions—and organizations—alive. It is also a powerful act of hospitality. It says: We want to share this with you, and we want you to be a part of what comes next.

As this important work continues, I hope you will keep asking not just how to welcome children and youth into the wider church, but how to invite them into meaningful leadership, tradition, and shared ministry. Because the question is not whether change will come, but whether we are willing to share our recipes.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for inviting me to join you on this leg of First U’s journey, welcoming me into worship, entrusting me with your awesome kiddos, and giving me the chance to try out a few new recipes of my own.

May your summer be filled with love and delight! Ta-ta for now!
With care,
Seth