Religious Education (RE)

Register  your child/children for the 2011-12 school year.

Welcome

Welcome to you and your family! UUFM's religious education program is an exciting place for families who wish to give their children and youth a broad knowledge of religion and a deeper understanding of their own spirituality and beliefs.

Unitarian Universalism teaches us that religious growth and learning is a life-long process. Therefore our program seeks to provide the experiences and tools to encourage each child and youth in their own religious development and to ground them in the ethical and spiritual dimensions of life. We do this through classes, worship, intergenerational activities, and the support and involvement of you, the parents.

Our program is designed to achieve several goals: to give our children and youth an understanding of Unitarian Universalism with its history and values; to show them the richness and diversity of other world religions, especially the Judeo-Christian tradition of which we are a part; to them to integrate their faith and its values into the whole of their lives.

You are invited to join us anytime. Visitors are always welcome to our classrooms and activities. We invite your suggestions in our effort to provide the best religious education program for our youngest members.

What We Teach Our Children

 The living tradition we share draws from many sources:

• Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and openness to the forces which create and uphold life.
• Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love.
• Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life.
• Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.
• Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against the idolatries of the mind and spirit.
• Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.

The Wonder of Yuletide - Religious Education Director Kristi Schuck & our children discussed their questions about the holiday seasons and drew pictures about the things they wonder about.

Getting to Know Us

We look forward to meeting new faces! Parents are always welcome to sit in on our classes and events to learn more about your child's and youth’s religious education and to help them feel comfortable. Our Minister and Religious Education Committee are always available to you by phone or by appointment.

We wrapped up our 2006-07 Religious Education studying the seven Unitarian-Universalist principles.
Here is a link to the RE Yearbook for 2006-07

Here is a link to the RE Yearbook for 2008-09

We put together a handbook about our RE Program for Children and Youth

Please let us know of anything that will help us to make your child's religious education experience a good one. It is particularly important to let us know of any health or dietary restrictions. Comfortable clothes are fine to wear, since our classes involve active and creative activities.

Worship

Worship is a central to our religious education program. While the nursery opens at 10:15 a.m., all other children join the adults every Sunday for the first part of the service. Throughout the year intergenerational services are held to celebrate special times.

On Sunday Morning, during the school year, RE classes run from 10:45 a.m. to approximately 11:45 a.m. Healthy snacks are served.

Each Sunday in the summer, the children can participate in a variety of supervised activities. The RE committee organizes special family activities all year long.

While there will be some exceptions, we ask that you not pick up your child early. This is often disruptive to the class and it takes away from the valuable time that we have to explore religious education with your child.

Attendance

Children will benefit most from our program if they come regularly. Only then will they find continuity in the program and a circle of friends so they look forward to coming each Sunday. If you are new, we ask that you sign our guest book and list the names of your children so we can prepare a name tag for them.

The Nursery (Infants to age 2)

The nursery is located on the lower level of the fellowship. Our youngest children receive friendly, safe and loving care here. Our nursery is warmly staffed by our Nursery Caregiver, with additional help from experienced volunteers. Visitors are always welcome. Parents must sign their children in before the service begins and include any special instructions. Parents are requested to bring bottles and diapers.

Preschool & Kindergarten (ages 3-5)

The Preschool classroom is located on the lower level of the fellowship. Through the curriculum, Celebrating Me and My World, our Pre-Schoolers will be looking in and looking out, with a focus on understanding themselves better. We will explore the things our bodies do and ways we choose to act. When the weather warms up, we’ll look at the animal and plant life around us. Then we will take a look at things the people who love and care about us do in their lives.

First - Third Grade

The 1st-3rd grade classroom is located on the lower level of the Fellowship behind the nursery. The curriculum, Timeless Themes introduces children to religious literature which is central to our culture and to our heritage as Unitarian Universalists. The focus is on stories from the Hebrew and Christian traditions.

Fourth - Sixth Grade

The 4th-6th grade classroom is located on the lower level of the Fellowship, across from the nursery. Timeless Themes will be used for this class and will explore the meaning of the Hebrew and Christian stories in more depth.

Junior and Senior High

This year we are offering a Race film forum series for our teens to participate in. It runs once a month on Thursday nights in February, March and April.

Service Projects

It is the tradition of our Religious Education program to invite our children and youth to participate in service projects throughout the year. Popular projects have included raking leaves in October for our members, a variation of the mitten tree in December, fundraisers to benefit victims of domestic abuse, and treats for nursing homes. Projects can change yearly as ideas are presented. For the 2006-2007 RE year, we will focus on Kids Against Hunger projects and the UUSC Guest at Your Table program.

Adult Involvement

Many volunteers contribute their time and energy to make our religious education program one of quality and vision. There are any number of ways that you can be involved. Being a member of one of our teaching teams is one important commitment.

We ask each teacher to commit for one or two blocks of three to four Sundays for consistency and stronger relationships with our children and youth. Other ways to participate include planning special/holiday events and outings, working on intergenerational services and plays, reviewing curricula, and much more.

Your involvement in your child's religious education experience also enriches your child's learning in our program. Showing an interest in their classes, participating in intergenerational activities, and initiating discussions at home are all important pieces to your family's church experience.