Children's Religious Education at First Unitarian Church
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The majority of members of Unitarian Universalist churches were not raised in our tradition. Most (over 75%) were raised in other traditions but choose Unitarian Universalism as a religious home for their families. They make this choice because of the principles and sources we espouse and the grounding of our religious education curriculum in world religions and our own Unitarian Universalist tradition.
Our Curriculum for ChildrenOur children’s Sunday School curriculum currently runs on a three-year rotation of world religions, Unitarian Universalism, and the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). This curriculum design grounds children in our Unitarian Universalist tradition while providing a wealth of spiritual resources and establishing cultural competency.
Twice a month, the children in preschool through 6th grade begin Sunday School with Children’s Chapel, where they learn the meaning of sacred time and space while experiencing a multi-age community of children, before heading to their classrooms. When not in Children’s Chapel, the children join the adults in the sanctuary for the first fifteen to twenty minutes of the service, before they head to Sunday school in age-specific classrooms: Infant/Toddler, PreK/Kindergarten, 1st–3rd grade, and 4th–6th grade. Currently, efforts are underway to rebuild our Junior and Senior High programs, which suffered serious attrition during the COVID-19 pandemic. We provide occasional opportunities to engage in fellowship and social service projects. Unitarian Universalist Principles for ChildrenThe Unitarian Universalist principles that we teach our children are:
SPECIAL PROGRAMS:
Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education program (OWL) OWL, or the Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education program, offers honest, accurate, and age-appropriate information about sexuality, relationships, health, and behavior across the lifespan. In different years, children have the opportunity to attend 10-week OWL classes for Kindergarten–1st Grade, 4th–6th Grade, and 10th–12th Grade, usually with children and youth from other local Unitarian Universalist congregations. Coming of Age (COA) Another hallmark of Unitarian Universalist religious education is Coming of Age, an opportunity for youth to explore their own beliefs and values, understand Unitarian Universalism, and develop meaningful relationships with mentors in their faith community. Youth typically experience COA around the ages of 13-17. Children's Library We are lucky to have both a physical and virtual library. The physical library is available every Sunday morning on the second-floor landing. The virtual library is powered by Epic!. To gain access to this fabulous resource, which includes hundreds of e-books for children 0–13 years of age, including curated reading lists centered on our UU principles, mental health, and social justice issues, just email our Director of Children's Religious Education. Additional Programming We also offer occasional programs such as Parents Night Out, family game nights, and parent discussion groups. Please contact our Director of Children's Religious Education for more information at [email protected]. Register for Children's Religious Education Updates
If you are not already receiving RE programming communications, please register here. |
We have thorough and specific policies to ensure the safety and well-being of the children and youth in our program. You can sign up for many events through links in our calendar. For others, please email the team sponsoring the event.
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