Designing/Writing Curriculum
The challenge at Jubilee! is that there is no Creation Spirituality curriculum (or any curriculum, for that matter) that is an exact match for what we do. “What we do” probably falls somewhere between the teachings of at least three traditions – Congregationalist/United Church of Christ (UCC), Unitarian Universalists, and Unity – with the Vias thrown in for good measure. And although Howard reads from both the Old and New Testament every Sunday, the Pillars include significantly more than “just” the Judeo-Christian stories.

Last year, our curriculum followed Howard (who follows a lectionary) rather closely. We used the Old and New Testament readings for the day, Howard’s Seeds, and Howard’s theme for the Via as our starting points. The primary advantage to this approach was the tight connection between upstairs and downstairs. Kids were talking, in some way, about the same things that the adults were. But, the lectionary doesn’t always include kid-appropriate Bible passages, and they aren’t in any noticeable order. For example, last year’s lectionary readings during Advent focused on the crucifixion. Frankly, we really need to be talking about babies in mangers, festivals with lights, and wise men from the East during Christmas – not people hanging from a cross.

In the spring, Howard, Don, the Board, and I re-assessed our curricular endeavors. We decided that we could create a strong connection between upstairs and downstairs without relying solely on the curriculum. So this year, the Nurture Staff and I are creating our own Nurture curriculum with our own themes for each Via. During Via Positiva, our theme was Gratitude. We talked about being thankful for the earth, for our food, for other people, for our bodies/health, etc. For Via Negativa, our theme is In the Desert. The younger kids are focusing on the Moses story – from baby in the basket to the Promised Land. The older kids are comparing stories from different religious traditions. And, because it’s Via Negativa, we can talk metaphorically about being “in the desert.” For Via Creativa, our theme will be the Creation Stories. The younger kids will focus on the Old Testament creation stories. Older kids will explore creation stories from other traditions/cultures. Finally, our theme for Via Transformativa will be Peace. Again, Judeo-Christian stories with peace as the theme will be explored. Slightly older kids will be introduced to famous peace-makers. And older kids will explore the peaceful nature of other traditions/cultures, despite the impression given by fringe elements of every religion.

There are two exceptions to all of this. First, the teens [YAP Link] have a separate curriculum entirely that is based on the Living Values curriculum and Howard’s Seeds for Celebration. Also, we have a much more open-ended curriculum in the summer. During the summer months, Nurture Staff members and others from the Jubilee! community share their musical and artistic gifts with the kids. In the summer of 2009, we offered dancing, set-building, didgeridoo construction and meditation, yoga, meditation monoprints, and cooking.

Hiring/Training/Inspiring Staff
Each Nurture staff member brings unique gifts and talents to our program. It’s my job to foster those gifts, while also helping teachers to expand their horizons. Many of the weekly lesson plans keep teacher preferences in mind, allowing them to play to their individual strengths.

But, we also consider ourselves to be a team. We don’t simply work next door to each other on Sunday mornings. We support one another, we care about one another, and we all share our love of the Jubilee! families. Each quarter, adult full-time Nurture Staff members get together for staff development and a meal at someone’s home. Last year, staff development discussions centered on difficult Bible stories to teach and brainstorming our new curriculum. Most recently, several of us got re-certified in First Aid and CPR through a donation from Patrick Fitzsimmons, Board member and Executive Director of Red Cross WNC. We also have monthly meetings early on Sunday mornings to keep things on track.

One of our big projects over the last couple of years was implementing the Safe Sanctuary Policy. [Safe Sanctuary Link] The Safe Sanctuary Policy was approved, in final form, by the Board last spring. Teachers have been trained on the policy, and we all work hard to put the Safe Sanctuary Policy into practice at all times.

Administration
As Nurture Coordinator, I am the primary administrator for the program. I attend four Board meetings a year (or more if they request my presence). At those Board meetings, I make a Nurture Program report and field questions about any and all aspects of our program. I also write an annual Nurture Program budget that is approved by the Board as part of the overall Jubilee! Operating Budget. The Nurture Program budget has lines to pay for my salary, the Nurture Staff, the Nursery Staff, and supplies.

Finally, as Nurture Program administrator, I enjoy getting to know all sorts of people from the Jubilee! community. I attend the monthly Team Leader potlucks, I attend various events, I distract the volunteers who work in the office during the week, and I generally try to spread good cheer. Being a part of the Jubilee! community is one of the best parts of this job, and I consider it my great privilege to meet new friends every week.