Blessing Stuffed Animals to Help Families through the Pandemic

In the depths of the pandemic last year, Jil Novenski was looking for more ways to get a group of young children excited about sitting in front of a computer on Sunday mornings. Then it hit her: why not organize a Blessing of the Stuffed Animals?

“Lots of churches organize Blessing of the Animals services these days, when members bring in their pets—so why not stuffed animals online?” she says. “And the great thing you don’t need a pet to take part, so that’s also not putting any “get me a pet now” pressure on parents!”

Working for the Community Church of New York on East 35th Street with Senior Minister Rev Peggy Clark, Jill already has she what might be regarded as an advantage in the religious education stakes: as a Unitarian Universalist she can draw every week on the vastness of all religious tradition, celebrating Eid al-Fitr, Christmas, Diwali, and Passover, and so much more.

Jil began hosting a weekly online Youth and Children’s Chapel and Learning Workshops where young people can tune in, meet others, share what’s on their hearts, sing together, create art and celebrate connections through learning about different world religions and traditions.

Recognizing the added weight the pandemic would bring to parents, Jil also created a weekly Parent Circle, where parents connect, share resources and life hacks as well as relieve stress with peaceful readings and centering meditations.

More innovations launched through Community Church Religious Education since the pandemic include “UU Kids Connect”, a collaborative summer program and year-round series of socials serving grades K-8.

As traditional summer camps closed in June 2020, Jil hatched a plan, together with six other UU congregational leaders, to create a free online summer program filled with fun learning, justice education and art. The eight-week summer program hosted three classes a week and connected over 190 families nationwide.

One family joined from Baton Rouge, LA; another from Livermore, CA, and yet another from Marysville, WA--“You are saving my life with this program,” wrote one relieved parent from Titusville, NJ.

Currently, while online programs continue to develop, including a new teen photography workshop based on the eight Unitarian Universalist principles, Jil hopes to have children and youth meeting in person again at the end of the summer, when the congregation as a whole is expected to return to its Sanctuary at 40 East 35th Street.

In the meantime, you can find out more about the online programs for children and young people, and about Community Church, at their website: ccny.org.