TRUU

Over 60 adults and children enjoyed TRUU’s St. Patty’s Day Green Gala, held on the evening of March 17 at the Calaway Room in the Third Street Center.   The evening consisted of live string music, short and interesting talks, a video and slide show, great food, and discussion within small pledging groups.   Chris Coyle and Nicolette Toussaint were our MCs..   This no-cost event was sponsored by our Board of Trustees, as a gesture of appreciation to all who supported our services and activities this year and as an inducement to have all think in terms of generosity for our future.  The evening was a celebration of TRUU’s many accomplishments during this year and TRUU’s  strong vision for our future. 
We see TRUU as the institutional value carrier for liberal religion in our region.  Our ability to enrich ourselves and our community with quality Sunday services and other activities requires each of us to contribute our time, thoughtfulness, and financial support.   Leo McKinney put together a beautiful “Resource Development” packet that summarizes what TRUU is about.   It also contains a form for your annual pledge.  We ask that you thoroughly read this document that is very affirming of TRUU’s identity and mission.   We ask that you think deeply about what TRUU means to you both now and for our future.   Please be generous with your pledge commitment.   So that we can plan our budget for next year, we ask that you turn in your pledge commitment as soon as possible, hopefully by March 30.    Thank you all.  – Bill Spence

TRUU Religious Education – by Heather Rydell

Hi to all!  I’m Heather Rydell, the director of our Religious Exploration program. I have a B.A. in education and psychology from Dartmouth College.  I am a certified elementary teacher in Colorado and various eastern states. I am also director-qualified in preschool education, with many years of experience with a wide range of ages.

In our RE program I have access to wonderful curriculum and information on the UUA website (uua.org), where I find some great ideas. I also follow Gretchen’s monthly themes, so that families can continue the discussion together that they had separately on Sunday mornings . Although I guide the conversation, it is most definitely child-centered and age appropriate . If a topic emerges that is not centered on the theme, but is important or timely to the children, we go with it.

We welcome a wide range of ages.  I will occasionally have the older children think carefully about the words they use, (they have spelled out a few), so that the sensibilities of the younger ones are honored. I want them to know that no topic, idea or concern is off limits if it is spoken respectfully.  When the children return to the larger congregation I am always available to speak with their families about the interesting substance of our gatherings.

I’d like to share with our readers a recent example. You may remember the story that was read at a recent service: “The Workers and the Ranch Owner”.  You can read it here if you missed it. After hearing the story the children headed down to our R.E. room. They each shared a piece of what they remembered about the story until we had a full retelling. Much discussion ensued about the fairness or unfairness of the situation.  Finally they agreed on what I thought was a brilliant plan!  They decided that the workers should meet in the evening and divide into two equal groups. Every work day they would trade off showing up for the early or late shift. Following this rotation would mean that they would each work an equal number of hours for the agreed upon pay of $20.00 !  Beautifully simple and cooperative.

We have an amazing group of youngsters and have such fun creatively thinking and sharing together.  We have become a welcoming and supportive family. We encourage any of the congregation to join us and add your voice.