In ancient Roman religion Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, therefore, also of gates, doors, doorways, endings and time. He is a two-faced god since he looks to the future and the past. The month of January is named for this “god” rich in spiritual meaning and value.  So January is an appropriate time to reflect on the past and to anticipate the future of our Religious Exploration Program. 

One of the obvious endings and beginnings in RE this year was the changing of DREs. Sandy Urbanczyk closed out  her years of wonderful service as DRE and we received a warm welcome as our service as the new DREs began. The RE Committee also initiated a new chapter in the ministry to our middle and senior high school youth. The TEENS & TWEENS Program, under the leadership of Don Harrison and Micah Krider, has been meeting once a month since October. The middle school TWEENS attended MountainCON in November. Our youth have been enthusiastic, engaged in planning, and consistent in attendance.  A third transition for RE is the completion of the old curriculum and the selection of new, both drawn from the UUA Tapestry of Faith online resources, which are economical, teacher and youth friendly, and well-grounded in the UUA principals and liberal religious tradition. 

The concepts of January and janitor are both based on aspects of Janus.  As members and friends of UUFEC, let us look back at 2011 with a profound sense of gratitude and a resolve to learn from our experiences even as we look forward to 2012. May our aspirations be realized in great effectiveness  as we serve as vital custodians in the spiritual development of the sweet youth of our beloved community!