RE Updates — September 10, 2023

Sep 8, 2023 | Religious Education

Religious Exploration

Sunday morning programming for children of all ages (nursery through highschool) will begin on Sunday, September 17th. If you haven’t already done so for this church year, please complete the online registration form. This information helps in our planning for classes and allocating the right number of volunteers to make our programs possible. Complete your registration before September 17th and you’ll be entered into a raffle to win a basket of Religious Exploration goodies for the year ahead. For questions or to register today, see Carol Konvalinka-Connolly at coffee hour.

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Religious Exploration Program

In focusing on Religious Exploration, Murray Unitarian Universalist Church affirms its desire to offer opportunities for everyone in the congregation to grow and develop. Each person is called to seek out their own path.

By becoming part of the Murray Community, we choose to walk this path with others and be nurtured and supported by our being with one another. Our three-year pillar system plan includes Unitarian Universalism, World Religions, Self-Worth, Self-Care, and our respect and care for the interconnected web of life. We offer Our Whole Lives (OWL) to our 7-9th graders every other year.

Children

Each family is asked to register all children who will be participating in the Nursery care, Sunday School, or Youth Group by completing our Family Registration Form. There is no fee for participation in our program.

Lifelong Learning

Meaningful and inspiring Religious Exploraton programming for adults — discussions, workshops, and other events that contribute to spiritual growth, lifelong religious learning, and a deep understanding of the world in which we live.

Grades 7 to 9

Our Whole Lives sexuality education program

We offer the Our Whole Lives (OWL) program every other year to 7th-9th graders. The OWL program is sometimes referred to as “sex ed,” but really it’s more than that. OWL is a sexuality education program that models and teaches caring, compassion, respect, and justice.

Youth Group

Murray high school age students are invited to participate in Youth Group. Our Youth Group offers a varied program which includes learning about our faith, service projects, discussion of social issues, plus an opportunity to have fun. Our youth are also offered many opportunities to participate and volunteer in many areas of our church.

Contact the Director of Lifespan Religious Exploration

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Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world

Desmond Tutu

We are a Green Sanctuary

Murray Unitarian Universalist Church is a Green Sanctuary accredited by the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The Green Sanctuary Program provides a path for congregational study, reflection, and action in response to environmental challenges. It provides a structure for congregations to examine their current environmental impacts and move towards more sustainable practices in ways grounded in Unitarian Universalism.

In May 2017, we submitted a proposal, with 12 projects in four focus areas: Worship and Celebration, Religious Education, Sustainable Living, and Environmental Justice. Once our projects were completed, we submitted our evaluation and were awarded accreditation in June 2020.

Recent Climate Actions by Our Team

Our team meets on the second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. via zoom. Anyone is welcome to join us. Use the contact form below if you have any questions or would like to be part of the team.

Find out how we are taking action

We have a page called Take Action where our members and friends share the actions that they take, large or small, that are intentionally done to help lessen their impact on the Earth.

Sustainability by Design

This was the title of the talk given by Mike Davis, chairman of the Attleboro Sustainability Commission, on April 1, 2024. This was sponsored by our Clara Barton Guild.

Green Heating and Cooling for Our Homes

A virtual event hosted by the Murray UU Church Climate Action Committee

An Introduction to Heat Pumps, Tuesday, May 31, 2022

An introduction to heat pumps, with Jim Nail, from HeatSmart Alliance, a volunteer organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of energy-efficient heat pumps in Massachusetts’ homes and buildings. “Heat pumps” may sound like an exotic new technology, but they are already widely used in Europe, Asia, and increasingly the United States. And here in Massachusetts, they are the preferred form of heating and cooling to help the state fight climate change — and for homeowners burning oil, propane, or using electric resistance heaters to save money.

That said, replacing an existing heating/cooling system or water heater can be a time-consuming and confusing process, especially if you aren’t familiar with heat pumps. Jim will bring you up to speed on what heat pumps are, why they are the best choice, the incentives available through MassSave to lower their cost, and the steps to take to upgrade your home to them. In addition, he will describe the HeatSmart Alliance whose volunteer coaches can guide homeowners through this process.

Massachusetts Climate Solutions, a Virtual Legislative Climate Justice Forum

On January 25, 2022. Our Murray Climate Action Team co-hosted this event, in collaboration with Attleboro’s State Representative Jim Hawkins and our UU Mass Action advocacy program. Four state legislators were on the panel, including Representative Jim Hawkins, Senator Paul Feeney, Representative Adam Scanlon, and Representative Joan Meschino, who authored one of the bills that we reviewed. We educated the community about legislative solutions for climate change and environmental justice, via a platform of six bills that are supported by a large coalition of organizations: Mass Power Forward.

Murray Climate Change Café

This was via zoom on Nov. 8, 2021. Co-led by Robi Rose, Barbara Clark, and Judy DePue. Climate Cafés are safe spaces for people to get together to talk and act on climate change, to share our concerns and our hopes, along with options for action and sharing of actions others are already taking.

Field Trip

We went to the “Revive the Roots” farm in Smithfield, RI to learn about their use of regenerative agriculture practices on September 27, 2021.

Here are some regional resources for climate action