Our Coming of Age youth took part in a pilgrimage to Boston this spring to study and visit some of the most historically significant locations known to the Unitarian Universalist faith. Its been a full year of fundraising and preparation for this trip. This trip was a grand success and it was made possible because of your generous donations of time and money, thank you, thank you, thank you!

The COA Boston adventure started at 5am on Thursday, May 4th with our arrival at the Cedar Rapids Airport and despite having a large group to check in, all went well! After a brief stop in Detroit, the crew safely landed in Boston just after noon. The first day of the trip was a long one, they group visited the First UU Church of Boston followed by an extensive and interactive tour of the King’s Chapel. Our youth then finally headed to the hotel to check in and rest their feet from their long day of walking.

On Friday the group visited the UUA Headquarters. The youth were inspired from what they learned on that rainy Boston morning, and agreed that it was the most influential days of the trip. After some shopping the group went on a very popular Duck Tour around this historic city, which allowed our youth to practice their sailing skills.

Saturday, our COA youth all participated in helping the Boston Rescue Mission with prepping and serving meals to the homeless. After a heart felt lunch, the youth took a subway ride to the New England Aquarium. At the aquarium the group got to see and feel many of our ocean’s creatures. The youth then broke into two separate groups, one group took a trip down to Salem Massachusetts where they experienced a haunted tour. The second group toured and did some sightseeing in China Town.

Sunday morning the group visited the Arlington Street Church, where they toured the grand sanctuary and ended the trip with a lunch at the historic venue.

After another long flight home, our youth and chaperones were rejuvenated in their knowledge and experiences from the trip but were happy to be home.