What are Mystery Buddies?
In this fun intergenerational program, kids, youth, and adults are matched in Mystery Buddy pairs, with the goal of getting to know a little more about each other every week until identities are revealed on May 21. Adults, youth and kids who sign up to participate will fill out the questionnaire (either online or the paper form available at church). Pairs will exchange clues each Sunday from April 16 – May 21 (see below for some ideas).

How does it work?
Every pair of buddies will be given a code name of a famous Unitarian (e.g., Lewis Latimer Sr. and Lewis Latimer Jr.). Every Sunday, mail boxes will be in the Welcome Hall, ready to accept letters and notes* from both older and younger participants. After the church service has finished, participants can check their mailboxes for that week’s letter. The event will culminate in a lunch on May 21 when Mystery Buddy identities will be discovered!
*we ask that you do not buy any gifts for your Mystery Buddy

Who can participate?
Anyone under the age of 18 can be a “younger” buddy and anyone over 18 can be an “older” buddy. All participants are asked to exchange at least a little clue each of the five weeks (either in person or by proxy—just email Sharyn (dre.sharyn@uucmp.org) if you know if you will miss a week and she can print out a note for your buddy and place it in their mailbox). Before you sign up, please check your calendar to ensure you will be able to attend the Mystery Buddy lunch on May 21 after church.

How do I sign up?

There will be paper forms at the RE table on Easter Sunday or you can sign up online by April 10 using this form: https://forms.gle/LYTSG4w3SUTcSgN26

Acting DRE Sharyn will email you your secret code name during the week of April 9th. Clue exchanges start April 16! 

Mystery Buddy Clue Ideas

Not sure what to write to your Mystery Buddy? Check out the list below for some

suggestions. Feel free to use any of these or your own creativity to craft clues!

April 16: Music clue day
Bring a clue about your favorite music to introduce yourself to your buddy
• Share the music that you love best, describe the first time you heard that music, or explain why it’s your favorite
• What songs have you completely memorized?
• Share if you play any instrument(s)
• Provide a list of musical pieces that you would like your buddy to listen to

April 22: UU clue day
Bring a clue related to UU today
• Share what you like about Unitarian Universalism
• Share what your favorite thing is about UUCMP
• Share something you learned about the famous UU who shares your mystery code name
• Share a story about how you have lived out a UU value

April 30: Food clue day
Bring a food-related clue today
• Share your favorite restaurant and the dish you like to order there
• Share a list or picture of some of your favorite foods
• Share a story or picture about who taught you to cook or bake
• Share a recipe for one of your favorite foods

May 7: Favorite places clue day
Bring a clue about your favorite places
• Share a picture or map of a place you enjoyed visiting or living
• What fictional place would you most like to visit?
• If you could go anywhere in the world for a day, where would you go and why?

May 14: Hobby and interests clue day
Bring a clue about your hobby or interests
• What is your hobby (or hobbies) and why do you like it?
• What hobby would you get into if time and money weren’t an issue?
• What do you spend the most time thinking about?
• If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you have a good chance at winning a medal for?

May 21: Final clue day!
Discover your mystery buddy at a party after church
• What are some of the events in your life that made you who you are?
• What is something you will NEVER do again?
• Who inspires you to be better?
• What did you think you would grow out of but haven’t?