Other Fellowship-Driven Events and Activities

Against the Standards: There are several classes offered outside typical congregation hours. This includes our "Against the Standards Class" (ATSC - said "Atsee") for congregants 10-16 regarding how to treat each other "equally", what this means, how to stand up to bullies, that no matter your gender its okay to cry, that gender is not as binary as we are led to believe, that "boys" can be feminine and "girls" can be masculine, people can be "neither" or even "both", and more. There are two stages of teaching:

1. Stage 1: ages 10-13
2. Stage 2: ages 14-16 

Why isn't 17 included? This is the time they are taught lessons in adulthood via the Adulthood Preparation Class (APC - said "Apec"). 

What about for ages 18 & 19? They are typically in the "Navigating Adulthood Class" (NAC - said "Knack"), a class offered to everyone of this age category attempting to figure out life and how to navigate the strange realm of adulthood. After all, PhD psychologist Jeffrey Jensen Arnett defined emerging adulthood as “the period between the end of adolescence and the beginning of getting adult responsibilities such as parenthood, marriage, and the retention of a stable occupation”. For this reason NAC covers the five features that make emerging adulthood distinct:

1. Identity Exploration
2. Instability
3. Self-Focus
4. Feeling in-Between
5. Possibilities

Stress Relief: for an hour and a half the sanctuary holds a stress relief course for students of all ages every Monday from 5 pm - 6:30 pm. There will be game play lasting anywhere between 35-45 minutes, followed by a chance to discuss what students are struggling with in school, and receive coping techniques from each other and from the supervising sanctuary staff.

Fundraising: Interconnectionism is largely about community. We want to positively impact other lives through good deeds. So how do we do this? Between volunteerism, open barbecues in the park (serving people who can't afford to eat), and random acts of kindness, accumulating funds to get us started in this is a huge part in getting us involved. 

Additional Personal Deity Worship: Interconnectionism does not either praise nor deny deities that may or may not exist, but does not and can not stop others from believing. That is why any and all running Interconnectionist sanctuaries have an on-grounds deity worshiping area where people may bring things and/or silently worship and pray to deities they believe in. Some sanctuaries have land large enough to allow deity stones, individual stones with the names of all deities people of the ICF believe in. In these area, all are welcome to make a stone for each name of a deity they believe in that they do not see in the deity worshiping area. Be sure to check with the local minister of your sanctuary to be certain a desired name is not already out there. If your local congregation does not meet inside a sanctuary or have a local sanctuary to meet inside of, thus meeting outside instead, talk to your local minister about things you can do to honor your beloved deities. 

Celestial/Cosmic Events: Blue moons, full moons, meteor shows, eclipses -- Interconnectionists celebrate them all! Typically this is done merely through observation, but sometimes if we know an event is going to take place ahead of time, the sanctuary will host Observation Parties where congregants and others can watch and celebrate the wondrous space-oriented phenomenon together. 

©️2018, The Interconnection Fellowship