John Munger
On April 27^th all members and friends of TUC had an opportunity to participate in shaping the 2008-2009 direction of the RE program. 

            Our goal at this meeting was to renew our group consensus about the importance of our youth and the RE programs as to how we intend to grow in the years ahead.  To that end, we want to demonstrate the need for new "boots on the ground" in our RE programs. Here is what I hope becomes a very badly kept secret:  working with our kids is the most fun you can have on Sunday!  Honestly, we should charge people to help us!   RE is the place to be at 10:00 and 11:00!

            So what exactly do we need?  UU best practices indicate that we should have 2 instructors in each of our expected 5 classrooms. 

Kathy Osler has suggested that each class would have a parent volunteer would either attend the class each week or would recruit another volunteer to attend each week.  Ideally, volunteers would commit for periods of one month each.  These parent volunteers would be half of the total we need.  The other half would come from 2 teen leaders for the youngest classes and Christina and me.  For the remaining class opening we need 3 additional volunteers to teach a class on a rotating basis for the entire year. 

These volunteers would be able to work together to shape curriculum and then take turns teaching. 

            This summer, we need the congregation and all RE families and all RE kids to put two dates on their calendars:  June 29^th and July 27^th.  On these Sunday's, we hope to hold a free pancake breakfast and outreach service for the neighborhood from 8:30 to 11:00.  We need cooks, servers, setup, cleanup, the whole nine yards!  It will be a blast!  This can only go forward if we have enough interest in making it happen.  We need 2 volunteers to take charge of the planning for these events.  Any and all ideas are welcome, especially if they are attached to willing arms and legs!  Sure these services will be a great way for TUC to get to know our neighbors better, but more importantly, they will serve as an opportunity to build esprit de corps among the kids, RE parents and the congregation.

            The total volunteer requirement is for 10 new volunteers for the 2008-2009 RE year.

            If we cannot find sufficient volunteers, we will have to combine classes, so that the kids are properly supervised.  Typically this will mean decidedly less emphasis on curriculum work.  With larger classes, without volunteer support, our RE programs look chaotic and unworthy of future support to the steady stream of visitors that attend TUC.  Studies show that well-run RE programs have a tremendous impact on the decision of visitors to regularly attend a new church.  Without additional volunteers we are less likely to succeed at reaching our goals.

            If we as church lay leadership, as staff members, as RE parents, and finally as the congregation of TUC do not demonstrate commitment to one another, we'll end up discouraged and alienated at one another.  We greatly need the regular attendance of all kids of TUC members and friends.  If kids do not attend regularly, the volunteers become dispirited.  If the volunteers disappear, parents become dispirited and are less likely to send their kids to RE.  If the volunteer participation and regular attendance are lacking, the TUC board is less likely to consider RE a priority of the congregation as a whole.  In sum, we must all be committed to one another; we must step forward as one.

            April 27^th is where the "rubber hits the road" for our RE programs.  The tenor of the active response and support of the congregation will determine the reality of our commitment to RE and to the goals of the TUC 2015 plan.  I am having so much fun here at TUC and I truly hope that many of you will join Brian, Christina, Brigette, Maria, and I as we finish out our RE year!