Our 2011-12 Religious Education Program

From September to May, our religious education program for children and youth runs concurrently with our Sunday worship service, which starts at 10:30 a.m.  Children participate in the first part of the service, leaving for their classrooms after the Message for All Ages.  Our church year also includes a number of fully multigenerational worship services, as well as multi-age religious education days where all kids meet together for a special activity.

Nursery

Children ages 0 to 3 receive loving care and attention in our beautiful nursery, staffed by our Nursery Coordinator and a volunteer.  Note:  If you want to keep your little one with you, feel free to listen to our worship service from the cozy second floor foyer area.

PreK (4s)-1st Grade: Wonderful Welcome

The Wonderful Welcome curriculum engages and challenges leaders and children alike to explore how and why we are willing to welcome others into our lives. We welcome not only strangers, but family, our peers, our neighbors and even entities that are not people such as our animal friends and nature itself.

2nd-4th Grades: Love Will Guide Us

In this program, participants learn to seek guidance in life through the lens of our Unitarian Universalist Sources, with an emphasis on love. Together we ask questions such as, “Where did we come from?” “What is our relationship to the Earth and other creatures?” “How can we respond with love, even in bad situations?” “What happens when you die?” Sessions apply wisdom from our Sources to help participants answer these questions. Participants will learn that asking questions is valued in Unitarian Universalism, even as they begin to shape their own answers.

5th-7th Grades: Riddle and Mystery

The purpose of Riddle and Mystery is to assist youth in their own search for understanding. Each of the 16 sessions introduces and processes a Big Question. The first three echo Paul Gauguin’s famous triptych: Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? The next ten, including Does God exist? and What happens when you die?, could be found on almost anyone’s list of basic life inquiries. The final three are increasingly Unitarian Universalist: Can we ever solve life’s mystery? How can I know what to believe? What does Unitarian Universalism mean to me?

Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU)

This year, our YRUU crew will make use of the recently-published Coming of Age Handbook for Congregations, including sessions on Unitarian Universalist history and theology, spirituality, community, credos, justice, and leadership.  We will continue to incorporate special projects and activities, and we plan to involve our youth in worship frequently.

Religious Education Program Mission Satement

The purpose of Religious Education at the First Universalist Church is to provide our children with a nurturing religious education experience, grounded in Unitarian Universalism, that will aid them in their individual life choices and the development of a belief system of their own.  It is our hope that our children will become open-minded, concerned, and contributing members of society.

Religious Education Leadership

Our Director of Religious Education (also called DRE; the letters are pronounced individually) provides staff leadership for the religious education program.

An enthusiastic Religious Education Committee ensures smooth program implementation through organizational support and policy formation.  The R.E. Committee meets monthly.

Please let our Director of Religious Education (dre@uuroc.org) know if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas about our program!