Sometimes I hear from congregants that they don’t see the kids, or don’t think we have any kids here. Many wish to feel themselves part of a vibrant, vital, growing community, but when they look around they don’t see people of all ages.
Part of this is true. We do have many more older folks in our congregation than kids, and the congregation is aging. This is a demographic reality for organized religion in this country.
But in other ways this is more of a perception issue than a reality. We do have a healthy number of children in this congregation, but we don’t always have easy ways to bridge the gaps between the adult experience of OUUC and the children’s experience of OUUC.
One way to build these connections is Mystery Pals! (If you are longtime at OUUC, you might remember this program from the past as being called “Secret Buddies”)
Mystery Pals is a 5-week pen-pal program in which a youngest-congregant gets secretly matched with an older congregant (either a youth or adult) and then for several weeks they leave little notes, puzzles, surprises, or small gifts for each other in their assigned mailbox. The idea is to tuck it in secretly when no one is watching.
After five weeks, we will have a special “Glass Slipper Sunday” party. The elder of the Pals will leave a shoe by their number, and then the kids will take the shoe to the party to find their pal.
But what if you can’t come every week? That’s OK! You can email your note to the DRE and she will tuck it into your mailbox for you.
Folks can sign up now by paper form at OUUC! It’s going to be fun!
The Children's Chalice 
Hello! I love this idea. I’m a children’s coordinator for a Unitarian chapel in the U.K. would you be willing to share any of your resources for this project? I’d be interested to see more about the sign up process and letter explaining the project.
Thanks for all the inspiration that I get from your blog posts!
Kristin