Children & Youth

Our Religious Education

The Religious Education program for children and youth is an integral part of the church. Children and adults join together for the beginning of the worship service in the sanctuary and then go off to classes.

The children are greeted in our beautiful classrooms by their teachers. Each class will have four teachers and two of those teachers will be in the classroom each week. The classes are divided according to the school grade of the children. Parents are expected to volunteer to spend a few Sundays each year in the classroom with their child’s class. Parents also provide the snack.

We try to give each child a well-rounded experience in a holistic way. Every curriculum is taught with a UU perspective. We want our children to have the tools that enable them to make their own free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

Director of Lifespan Religious Education’s Blog

2011 – 2012
We have planned an exciting year for our children. Classes will use newer, teacher-friendly UU curricula, and will be divided into specific age groups for the 11:00am service. At 9:15am, there will be one multi-age class. Several intergenerational services will be held throughout the year. Here is what each class will learn:

9:15 am
One multi-age class. Bibleodeon is a UU curriculum that presents the best-known Hebrew and Christian stories in a fun and informative way. The class will also explore connections between biblical events and UU principles, and between biblical ideas and their own lives.

11:00 am
Preschool (age 3 and 4): Friendship Finders nurtures young children’s spiritual growth, creativity, and connection to their Unitarian Universalist community through rhymes, games, songs, stories, and activities.

Kindergarten–Grade 1: A Discovering Year nurtures children’s spiritual and religious growth by exploring connections to selves, friendships, families, church, nature, and religious and cultural days. Children will learn to appreciate the worth of each person, to express feelings, to play cooperatively, to celebrate diversity, and to feel part of the UU community.

Grades 2–3: Moral Tales provides children with spiritual and ethical tools to make choices and take actions that reflect their UU beliefs and values. Each lesson is based on a story about a person who displays moral courage and spiritual greatness in the face of adversity.

Grades 4–5 : Bibleodeon is a UU curriculum that presents the best-known Hebrew and Christian stories in a fun and informative way. The class will also explore connections between biblical events and UU principles, and between biblical ideas and their own lives.

Grades 6–7: Neighboring Faiths invites students to explore the faith traditions and practices of other religious groups in their community — both in the classroom and by arranging visits at other houses of worship. The class will reflect on what is unique and what is universal in religious experience, explore their own values as they relate to other faiths, and strengthen their commitment to Unitarian Universalism and UUCWC.

Grades 8–9: Coming of Age is a UU rite of passage that celebrates the transition from childhood into the teen and adult years. It encourages youths to explore what it means to be a UU and helps them move into the adult role of identifying and acting on personal beliefs and values. During the year, students will explore their personal beliefs and values, learn about Unitarian Universalism and how our faith applies to everyday life, participate in service projects to UUCWC and the community, take a heritage trip to Boston, and work with a mentor to write a personal statement of current religious belief. Each will read his or her statement at a Sunday service at the end of the year.

Grades 10–12: The Senior Youth Group will meet on the first and third Sunday of each month from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. The Youth Group allows teens to nurture their spiritual, emotional, and intellectual growth, develop leadership skills, build community, increase understanding between youth and adults, and serve the wider community. Activities include worship, learning, games, overnights, social action, and youth conferences.

Our program is a cooperative one in which parents are expected to play a part. We encourage you to share your time and talents with us. And how can we help you – as parents? – as a family? Classes, discussion groups, support groups are all possible as we identify the needs.

Our school year for Religious Education begins in September and continues through mid-June. If you wish to enroll your children in our programs please complete the online registration form.

Summer Program

UUCWC offers a summer program for children ages 3 to 10, on most Sundays during the 10:00am service.

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