Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

From Rev. Eva

September 21, 2007
Rev. Eva Českava

As many members of this congregation, I grew up in a family that was active in a faith community. For me, that is a drastic understatement, actually. Church was the center of our spiritual life, our social life, our volunteer activism and, I suspect, our political proclivities. Over my last three decades of leadership in Unitarian Universalist congregations, I have often thought back to my early experiences of church.

Somewhere along the way I must have learned some factual information, part of the formal education process built into our Methodist Sunday School. I heard the traditional Bible stories, and I learned about John and Charles Wesley, their evangelistic effect on religion during English colonization of America and the formation of our country, and the reason for the name Methodist. During regular worship with the adults, I memorized the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed and other bits of Protestant liturgy that come back so strongly when I’m back in that setting.

Yet what I remember most is not the facts, not even the theology. I remember viscerally who I was there, how I was regarded, and that was good. I was known by the other children as well as the adult leadership, and I was cared for. When the church had its annual weekend retreat at camp (very like our Bass Lake experience), many adults were around to watch out for me, to help with climbing or exploring, to listen to the stories of my adventures. I was home when I was in that community.

That kind of community exists here in this congregation, too. Adults who volunteer to be with our children act as “first line ministers” to these young people. They are usually the first to learn of a grandparent’s illness or the death of the family pet, and often the “lesson” for the morning takes a turn and many other things are “learned” by everyone in the group.

Sometimes adults who might be considering being part of our RE ministry are reluctant to volunteer, thinking they don’t know enough about our faith to teach anyone else. As the saying goes, we learn by teaching, and that is certainly true here. There’s another saying: “Children don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” We care! We provide tested UU materials, terrific CRE Committee and staff support and training sessions. Teachers support each other as they work in rotating teams of four, responsible for a mere six Sundays a year.

Anyone interested in being part of this vital part of UUCPA is encouraged to contact Rev. Eva, Laura Coleman or Maureen Pattarelli. You’ll be glad you did.