On Sunday, March 25, at 10:00 a.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City, 3845 N. Swan, the service will be "Celebrating the UU Experience." Members will share memories of growing up in a UU Family, and parents will share stories about raising their children in the UU Fellowship of Silver City.
UU minister Azima Lila Forest and Family Program Coordinator Frank Guevara will offer a brief outdoor dedication at the end of the service, weather permitting, and an official ribbon cutting will be done by the children. Refreshments and a showing of the classroom will follow.
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City (UUFSC) was founded over 20 years ago to provide a home for those who wanted to "further individual freedom of belief, encourage spiritual growth, search openly for truth, and serve others." The Fellowship seeks to support its members on their shared life journeys through stimulating, inspiring worship services and caring, nurturing programs.
The Fellowship also strives to serve the larger community within which it exists, with members committing themselves to socially responsible outreach while building connections within the community that encourage diversity and growth within the Fellowship.
A year ago, the Fellowship committed funds to create a youth space in the Quonset hut adjacent to the main building. A local construction firm, New World Builders, constructed the children's classroom, and the "QUU HUT" has become a haven for children's classes, parents' night out, and childcare during services.
Family programming is a priority of the Fellowship, and has grown under the leadership of Dr. Frank Guevara. Guevara, who earned a degree in human development from Stanford University, taught middle school before moving into the administration of a wide range of early childhood programs around the country. He later joined the School of Education at Western New Mexico University as an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education and earned his doctorate in that subject.
Guevara and his wife Donna are the parents of nine adopted children and think that it is important for their children to have a spiritual education.
"Although we were not raised within the UU tradition, we feel that it's especially important that the children are raised within a spiritual community that promotes acceptance, diversity, and the quest for personal truths," Guevara said.
Today, children's classes are held on the second and fourth Sundays of each month, and a UU curriculum focuses on UU principles and values.
"This Sunday, the children will learn about the Power of Silence--by both practicing being silent themselves and by listening intently to the sounds around them and sounds drawn from nature. In this manner, the children will begin to explore the cost of the incessant noise of our modern world and how we can create spaces of peaceful silence," Guevara said.
The community is invited to join with the Fellowship this coming Sunday as it celebrates this milestone accomplishment and honors its children. For additional information about the service, contact Carol Morrison at 575 654-3348. To find out more about the UU Fellowship of Silver City, email uufellowshipofsilvercity@gmail.com, visit our website at www.uufsc.com or visit us on Facebook at Unitarian-Universalist-Fellowship-of-Silver-City.