Community Building

New Family Mentoring
Lani Nelson-Zlupko
The First Unitarian Society, Wilmington, DE

Welcome and connect new families to the church! Introduce new families to established families in the church! Introduce new families to church activities! Provide a mechanism for new families to share their thoughts and questions about Unitarian Universalism! That is what the New Family Mentor Program is all about.

Existing families who wish to participate can sign up to become mentor families by filling out a mentor family registration card. The New Family Support sub-committee of the religious education committee will then match new families. New families may be identified when they join the church or when they sign the visitor book. In registering to become a mentor family, one would agree to participate in at least two of the following activities with their match family:

1. Have dinner with your match family.
2. Attend church service with your match family and a meal to follow.
3. Attend Family Fun Event together or another church function.
4. Attend a New UU Sunday Evening Meeting with the match parents.

In addition, the mentor family would agree to extend contact to their match family by phone, mail or e-mail or over the first three months of their attendance at First Unitarian, helping to answer any questions regarding the church and connecting this family with activities and other members as needed.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor family you can find forms in the Parish Hall and in the library, where religious education information materials will be available on Sunday mornings.