Soulful Home
Supporting Families as They Explore the Sacred in Everyday Spaces
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It's hard to carve out time for faith-full family experiences, so many of us try to weave spiritual exploration into the routine spaces of family life. Helping parents create this sacred space in their daily lives is what Soulful Home is about.
Through their church's annual subscription or by subscribing directly, families get a packet at the beginning of each month that is organized around eight distinct family "spaces" with ideas and resources to fill those spaces with UU theme-based exploration. It's about creating memorable and amazing moments, through a design that is manageable, faithful and fun! Here’s an overview of the various family spaces we focus on: The Welcome Mat The Welcome Mat section provides a brief introduction to the theme and how it relates to family life. At the Table The At the Table section engages the theme through discussion. Questions are designed for a family gathering, perhaps in the sitting room when everyone is together or during a meal. This section strengthens the bonds within a family as members learn more about each other by asking and answering questions. Around the Neighborhood The Around the Neighborhood activity engages families with their surroundings through the lens of the theme. Throughout the month, we ask families to keep their eyes open for what might seem like everyday sightings but which can be perceived in new ways through the monthly theme. Trips to the grocery store, walks, and drives make for excellent spaces to conduct these treasure hunts. At Play The At Play activities and questions are a way to joyfully, playfully and imaginatively experience the monthly themes. We offer a brief framework for parents to use to introduce the activity and another to then help one's family reflect upon it, so that the insights learned in play can stay with us throughout the month and beyond. On The Message Board The On the Message Board section lifts up a theme-related mantra for your family to carry with them throughout the month. Think of them as tools for the journey that help re-focus and steady us as we navigate life’s challenges and opportunities. At the Bedside The At the Bedside activities engage the theme through storytelling. This takes place during the dreamy, almost otherworldly hour or so before children or youth drift off to sleep. Through stories and the questions and realizations that they prompt, we come to understand the nature of our world and our unique place in it. At the Kitchen Sink At the Kitchen Sink suggests ways for parents to connect with their co-parents, close circle of supporters or both. Perhaps this happens as the dinner dishes are washed and dried or with friends over a cup of tea or coffee. The Extra Mile The Extra Mile section invites families to explore the monthly theme through larger adventures and more complex projects. Congregational Subscriptions: These are annual subscriptions that include one packet for each monthly theme each month of the regular church year, September - June. The family guide packets are emailed directly to the DRE or RE Lay leader of the congregation on the first of each month for them to send on to the families in their RE program. The annual subscription is $100/yr ($10/month) for congregations under 150 members and $130/yr ($13/mo) for congregations over 150 members. Subscribe by clicking on the buttons at the bottom of this page. Individual Family & Gift Subscriptions: Individual subscriptions are available for families whose church program doesn't use Soulful Home or Soul Matters. These individual family memberships also make great gifts to friends or family members not connected to a UU congregation. Learn more about them here. Individual Packets: Our individually-sold Soulful Home packets allow you to tailor a set of themes to fit your unique program. Purchase them anytime and use them in any order you like! Click here to check them out. Check Out a Sample: Download the September packet on the theme of "A Family of Expectation" by clicking here. (Depending on your computer, you may have to hover your cursor over the bottom of your screen for the download icon/button to show up.) Video Overview & Welcome: In this video, our Family Ministry Coordinator, Teresa Honey Youngblood offers an overview of Soulful Home, welcome to new subscribers, information for those considering subscription and an awesome story about how Soulful Home is making a difference in her own family! Learn How Congregations Are Using It: Here's another video from Teresa about what we are learning about how Soulful Home is being used in some wonderfully surprising ways... and how you could use it too! Questions: Contact Susan Arnold, our Membership Director, at susan@soulmatterssharingcircle.com. |
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