Sending Love

By Kayla Parker

Many congregations around the continent send care packages to young adults connected to their congregation, such as their former youth who have completed Bridging Program and are now young adults. Some might be living in another town for service, work or school. Others might still be in town, but still love receiving packages and a reminder of the support their religious community provides! (all pictures on this page of from Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock - many thanks!) Congregations send packages of baked goods, UU resources, and hand-drawn notes from members of all ages from their communities. Many find this to be a great multigenerational gathering that is fun for all to participate in. Some send them for Valentines Day, others to students during their finals, others at "just because" times throughout the year. Below is a list of the items young adults who were youth participants at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock might have found in their packages this past year. All pictures on this post are from Shelter Rock.
  • Notes and/or pictures from our congregants
  • “Standing on the Side of Love” brochure
  • “Standing on the Side of Love” button or wallet card, to display UU values
  • “What do UU’s believe?” and “UU Principles” wallet cards, to help explain our faith
  • Edible treats
  • Meditation manuals (various titles) filled with spiritual readings
  • “One World One Heart” book of poems
  • Packet of UU theology brochures from our Caring Committee
  • Magnets with Caring Committee contact information – they’d love to hear from you!
  • Copies of “UU World” magazine back issues
  • Church of the Larger Fellowship (an online congregation) fliers for young adults
  • Annual report (in comic book form!) for Veatch, the congregation’s grant-giving program
  • Pens promoting Blue Boat (blueboat.blogs.uua.org) the UUA’s blog for young adults
  • Thumbdrive computer memory sticks with UUCSR logo
  • Stick-on car decals with chalice logo
  • Red glow-in-the-dark chalice pins
  • Copy of “The Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide”
  • DVD of “56 Hours in Phoenix”, documenting our recent activism for immigrant justice
  • DVD of “Broken Hallelujah”, documenting our 2007 youth service trip to New Orleans
  • And a whole bunch of materials from the UU Service Committee, an international human rights organizations: stickers, buttons and fliers promoting their campaigns, copies of the International Declaration of Human Rights, and more!
For more information on how to organize sending out such a package for your community, watch a video explaining their program from Betty Jeanne Reuters-Ward, Youth and Young Adult Program Coordinator at Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock. It is posted on YouTube, and is video 6 in a 6-set interview with her, titled Long Distance Campus Ministry. (Titled as such because this particular discussion was around campus ministry, though their care package ministry is for all young adults connected to the congregation!)
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